Melancholy Kaleidescope | PJO

Ch. 19: The Prophecy Comes True

This one's a longer one

.....

They were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course they were treated like they'd won some valiant competition.

Annabeth was the first to crash into Jinora when she returned to camp, explaining to an anxious Grover and Annabeth that Percy was just reuniting with his mom. He was fine.

Neither Annabeth nor Grover was going to admit hearing her mutter, "He better stay that way."

Jinora's cabin was eager to welcome her back home, swarming her with hugs and questions. It wasn't until the crowd finally parted that she saw Luke leaning against the column of the dining pavilion, smiling proudly at her.

She hadn't hugged him that tight in a long time. Nothing else mattered at that moment. She'd made it back home.

The celebration was even greater when Percy finally returned to camp later that evening.

According to camp tradition, they wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in their honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where they got to burn the burial shrouds their cabins had made in their absence.

Jinora's was a metallic white and emerald green shroud with a golden caduceus printed on it. She threw it over her shoulders like it was a cape before tossing it into the fire.

Annabeth's was a beautiful gray silk with embroidered owls. Percy told her it was a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him in the shoulder (the same shoulder Jinora had been abusing) and told him to shut up.

Since Percy was a loner in his cabin, the Ares cabin had so graciously volunteered to make his shroud. They had taken an old bed sheet and painted smiley faces on it with X'd out eyes around the border, and the word "loser" painted really big in the middle.

Percy had fun burning it.

The Hermes cabin surrounded Percy during the campfire and sing-along led by the Apollo cabin. Annabeth and her friends from the Athena cabin and Grover and his satyr buddies–who were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he'd just received from the Council–were also sitting around them.

Jinora, after three too many marshmallows and smores, took a running start and collided with Luke, tackling him to the ground. It didn't take too much for him to have her in a full nelson she couldn't get out of.

"Alright," she relented. "Let me go! Uncle!"

The only ones who weren't in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks said that they'd never forgive Percy for disgracing their dad.

Percy didn't seem to care. Even Mr. D's welcome home speech wasn't enough to bring down his spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday..."

All in all, it was a great night.

Well, until it was time for bed.

She had tried to go to sleep, but everything from the past week or so came flooding back every time she closed her eyes, and it didn't seem like her mind planned on relenting any time soon. After tossing and turning for who knows how long, she sighed frustratedly and gave up. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling.

Jinora wasn't sure when she'd actually fallen asleep, but she hadn't stayed that way for long. Something about Medusa chasing after her with a pencil and paper, demanding she spell the words correctly or else she'd be reduced to a statue. Something like that.