𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐲; 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺𝖻𝖾𝗍𝗁 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗌𝖾

Mellie saves us from some Mattel weird creation and bye Thalia

Leo figured he had the worst luck in the group, and that was saying a lot.

Why didn't he get to have the long-lost sister, awesome crazy and shadow powers or the movie star dad who needed rescuing?

All he got was a tool belt and a dragon that
broke down halfway through the quest. Maybe it was the stupid curse of the Hephaestus cabin, but Leo didn't
think so. His life had been unlucky way before he got to camp.

A thousand years from now, when this quest was being told around a campfire, he figured people would talk about brave Jason, powerful Ivy, beautiful Piper, and their sidekick Flaming Valdez, who accompanied them with a bag of magic screwdrivers and occasionally fixed tofu burgers.

For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushed forward and hugged him.

"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. Ivy had never seen Thalia act like that. It was nice. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Leo and Ivy laughed. "Seriously?"

Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers —excellent source of iron."

"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."

Piper did better than that. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if Hedge hadn't caught her.

Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah—never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"

Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

Thalia looked at Leo for the first time, and of course it was an accusatory glare, like Why did you let the goat be a doctor? As if that was Leo's fault.

"You and the satyr," Thalia ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

She then turned to her with an apologetic look. "You too, Ivy"

"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."

It was obvious Thalia wanted some alone time with his apparently not dead brother she had never talked about, but Hedge didn't seemed to get the hint. Luckily, Leo did.

"Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."

"Humph. Fine," the satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."

Hedge carried Piper toward the entrance while Ivy walked by his side. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man,
could you, um, stick around?"

Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the three of them sat at the fire. Ivy simply smiled at sight. She turned and followed Gleeson.

That quest was truly full of surprises, huh.

∆ ~•••••••••••••••••••••••~ ∆

Piper and her were sat together inside a really comfortable tent. The Hunters had already taken care of Piper's hypothermia, and had even given them new clothes to change into.