Poseidon's Daughter; A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

The Summer of Deaths, Goodbyes, and Betrayals

Y/n's POV

There were way too many goodbyes. That night, for the first time ever, I had seen actual camp burial shrouds used on bodies of those who had died in battle. Among the dead was Lee Fletcher from the Apollo cabin, who had been downed by a giant's club. He was wrapped in a golden shroud without any decoration. Then there was Castor, one of the twin sons of Dionysus who'd gone down fighting an enemy half-blood. He was wrapped in a deep purple shroud, embroidered with grapevines. His twin brother, Pollux, tried to say a few words, but he choked up and just took the torch. He lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheater, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars.

"Is this your first time seeing this too?" Percy asked me.

"We've never had anything like this happen before," I reveal. "Sure, there have been accidental deaths, like in the chariot races and war games, but nothing this real. If this is just the outcome of the Battle of the Labyrinth, I'm scared what'll happen during the real war."

"I'm gonna try not to think about it," Percy spoke. "But hopefully, when the time comes, we'll be ready. More ready than this, anyways."

"I really hope that's the case," I confess and lean on my brother's shoulder. "I'm glad we're okay, Percy. I didn't realize until the battle how much I would have hated myself if one of us had died and we didn't work things out. I want you to know that I forgive you. It wasn't your fault that you were trapped on Calypso's island for two weeks, and I shouldn't have blamed you. So I'm sorry for how I snapped at you and the way I've been acting."

"I forgive you," Percy returned and wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me into a side hug.

The next day was spent treating the wounded, which was almost everybody. I had taken a little of ambrosia, which pretty much healed my eye. All that was left was a faint bruise. The satyrs and dryads worked to repair the damage to the woods, and at noon, the Council of Cloven Elders held an emergency meeting in their sacred grove. Silenus wanted to exile Grover immediately, but Chiron persuaded him to at least hear evidence first. It was stated that Grover had summoned Pan's power of panic, and that was what sent the Titan army scrambling. Silenus still did not believe Grover, but before he could cast a vote, Dionysus appeared and demanded that they not exile him.

It felt good to have a regular dinner at camp. No one was worried about battle preparations or anything because the battle was over. And technically, we had won. Tyson, Percy, and I sat at the Poseidon table, like usual, and we shared a nice meal. When I went up to scrape my portion of food into the brazier, I realized I had a lot to be grateful for. My friends and I were alive. The camp was safe. Kronos had suffered a setback, at least for a while. The only thing that bothered me was Nico, hanging out in the shadows at the edge of the pavilion. He'd been offered a place at the Hermes table, and even at the head table with Chiron, but he had refused. And when he disappeared before the sing a long at the amphitheater, I knew I had to follow him. He headed deep into the woods, and while it was hard to keep up, I managed. At the clearing up ahead, I saw the shimmering form of Bianca di Angelo smiling at her brother. She said something to him and touched his face, or tried to, and then her image faded. Nico turned and saw me, but he didn't look mad.

"I was just saying goodbye," Nico stated hoarsely.

"We missed you at dinner," I admit. "If you wanted, you could've sat with me at the Poseidon table. I'm sure Percy and Tyson wouldn't have minded."

Nico shook his head. "No."

"Well if you don't want to stay with Hermes, maybe they can make an exception and put you in the Big House," I suggest. "They've got plenty of rooms."