"This is me trying..." (Book 1 of the Storm Decology)

Chapter 20!!!!! (Read the authors note at the end please)

I'd like to say things got better after we got home from our quest. And to the naked eye, they did. I got to reunite with my brother, he was at my bedside when I awoke, waiting for me to drift back into consciousness. Percy, Will and Annabeth were there too. Grover was at a meeting for the Council of Cloven elders about the quest. So he was there.

My mind was constantly filled with the words Hestia had said as she healed me. "You must not only survive the storm but become it," As much as I wanted to find out what it meant, I felt it would come with time. Patience wasn't my greatest virtue, I knew that much. I was back to my full strength, but something was off. I felt more powerful. I dont know where the source of my new power came from, but I suspected it was from the bolt.

Hestia was right, scars were forever. The veins all throughout my right arm were a dull inky black, they continued, and splayed across my chest, they were all a lot more dull, less vivid, but they were there.

"I'll be back in a minute Luke, I've got something I need to grab," I yelled, walking into my cabin to change my shirt. Luke and I had been sparring all day. I sheathed my swords and started looking for a tank top, I gave the Zeus statue in the middle of my room a quick side eye.

I had just changed into a Camp Half Blood tanktop and put my hair back up when I heard a high pitched, squawk that left my blood running cold. I didnt have to search for the source of the sound very long.

On the arm of the statue of Zeus sat an eagle, that was nothing less but regal looking. He was huge, with black feathers and the largest wingspan I had seen in my entire life. I stepped closer to it, seeing a scroll of paper attached to his leg. I held my hands up in a way to show I wasn't a threat.

He held his head up and squawked at me. "Hey its alright I said quietly," creeping towards the eagle. I wasn't really in the mood to be attacked by my fathers sacred creature. He stopped squawking as I was not even five inches from him. He clipped his beak at me and held his leg out. I hesitantly, started to untie the ribbon connecting the note to his leg.

I unwrapped the note.

"Not all the Gods pay their debts, but I do. You saved my sons life on the quest, I dont know how I will be able to repay you for that. Take pleasure in the small things. You were willing to give your life for my boy, when you hadnt known him for more than a month. So, take this eagle as a token of my gratitude. They say the eagle is your fathers sacred animal. I wanted to give you something. But different. His name is Athnasious.

With deep regards,

Poseidon, earth shaker, storm bringer, lord of horses and God of the sea."

I stared down at the note, wondering if this was a trap. Why would he give me this? Well, the answers are right in the note. But why?

Athnasious chortled, looking at me. I stood up and walked towards him. "May I?" I asked, holding my hand up to his beautiful black feathers. He pressed his head into the palm of my hand. "Athnasious" I said quietly, I smiled at him and slicked his soft black feathers back with my hand.

Athnasious would follow me everywhere, either randomly landing on my shoulder (Thankfully he didnt try to sink his claws into my shoulder) or dive bombing poor random campers, it was the funniest thing. He would gently (As gently as a huge eagle can be) nip the tip of my ear and my fingers. (Sometimes it would draw blood, sometimes it wouldnt)

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered on a beach for a firework display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestuss kids, they couldnt take simple for an answer. They anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles, they did the same thing every year, but it was always exciting to me, as if it were the first time.