Avengers and Percy

Chapter 6

—-- Percy —--

I sat in my alley after school and wondered how to fix my creepy stalker problem. The only plausible solution I had come up with was 'switch schools' but I stubbornly vetoed that option. I scrambled for any other way I could stay here and retain whatever anonymity I had managed to scrounge up in these past couple of months, but if there was a way, it was escaping me.

Stupid stalkers. Why did you have to come now?! I was just settling back in. I had literally just managed to get the people at school to leave me alone and let me get my education and graduate without having my old friends pester me to come to their parties or 'study sessions'.

I sighed as a sudden wave of melancholy hit me. That's honestly the biggest part I missed about my old life: the connections, the friends, the love. But it's also for that same reason that I left. Because I know that there is no one around that could bring that back to me ever again, not without her.

I sounded like a broken record. I guess I was. At this point, I could be a zombie hungry for Annabeth's love with the number of times I've told myself that.

I slowly began walking to a car, carefully checking around me to ensure no one was watching, and broke in. I'd done this a couple of times before, so I had the supplies to do so. I hot-wired it, yet another thing Leo had shown me how to do in yet another bout of boredom on the Argo II.

Still, the experiences I've had in my life, as well as my mother, have pounded it into me that what is gained must be earned. Stealing goes for that as well. If you ask for a favor or temporarily take something, it needs to be returned or replaced with something just as valuable. It's for this reason that I try and return the cars I steal. Emphasis on the try.

I began driving to camp. I did this sometimes, needing to see the place that will secretly always be home, but not ready to come back yet. Honestly, though, I doubt there will be a time when I will ever be completely 'ready'. I drove for a while and then, remembering my strangely dressed stalkers, I switched cars. I ended up doing this a total of three times just to make sure that no one would follow me to camp. I may not care for the gods anymore, or want anyone from my past to know about me, but that doesn't mean I don't still care about them. Hence this impromptu trip back to the place.

I parked a ways away from Camp, taking every precaution to ensure I wouldn't be seen. I walked down the roadside, my eyes roaming the familiar trees and shrubs. I felt the corner of my mouth quirk up as I recognized the path to what we called the 'Love Shrub'.

It's nothing like what you're thinking. Trust me, my thought process was probably about the same as yours is right now when I learned about this Camp tradition. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that thought process seeing as Annabeth smacked me hard enough to have my brain bounce around in my skull like a maraca when I accidentally thought out loud.

The 'Love Shrub' actually isn't a shrub at all, it's this giant boulder in the middle of the forest that couples would write their names on since, well, we couldn't exactly carve them into trees. The boulder was enchanted so that any and all names written would remain there no matter the conditions. The tradition is old enough that there are names of people who lived nearly two hundred years ago on that rock. It's an odd comfort knowing that mine and Annabeth's names will remain on there forever - no matter what.

Eventually, my eyes came upon the faint sparkle of the Golden Fleece resting over the branch of my cousin's tree. I had to push down the memories from the Sea of Monsters as I made my way up the hill. Instead, I focused on the sleeping dragon wrapped around the big tree trunk - Pelus.

As I neared the top, I dropped into an army crawl to keep myself from being seen. I saw the Big House, the cabins, and the volleyball courts. The canoe lake, and strawberry fields. I smiled thinly as I saw campers running around, doing what they always did; Conner and Travis being chased by Katie and the rest of the Demeter Cabin; the Apollo Cabin shooting arrows at targets in the archery range; Clarisse and the Ares Cabin wrestling on the volleyball court with the Hermes and Nemesis Cabins.

Just looking at everything, you wouldn't think anything was off. And then you'd notice the lack of laughter. The last two wars had taken a toll on everyone, the Stolls included. While they still pranked everyone in Camp, they no longer ran away laughing like they used to. Now they just ran away screaming (though this time I guessed it more had something to do with the fact that it was Katie chasing them). I sighed.

I caught sight of Nico after watching for a little longer. He was sitting on a boulder in a clearing in the woods. The boulder was about 50 feet to my right and down the hill, and in just the right spot that if you were looking from Camp, you couldn't see him. However, from where I was on the Hill, I could see him perfectly fine. He was sitting alone and looking so sad.

I abruptly stood up and began walking away before I ran up to him and tried to crush the sadness out of him myself. If I did that, I would never be able to leave again. But as I started walking, I heard a yell and flipped around to look in Nico's direction.

He was looking right at me.

My eyes widened when we made eye contact and I turned around and ran. But not before I saw him move his lips to say something. One word. I didn't hear it, but I knew what it was:

"Percy?"

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-Violinner24