We arrived in Long Island just after Clarisse, thanks to the centaurs' travel powers. Toothless and I were a little behind but we were able to keep them in eye sight.
When we got to camp, the centaurs were anxious to meet Dionysus. They'd heard he threw some really wild parties, but they were disappointed. The wine god was in no mood to celebrate as the whole camp gathered at the top of Half-Blood Hill.
The camp had been through a hard two weeks. The arts and crafts cabin had burned to the ground from an attack by a Draco Aionius. The Big House's rooms were overflowing with wounded. The kids in the Apollo cabin, who were the best healers, had been working overtime performing first aid. Everybody looked weary and battered as we crowded around Thalia's tree.
I could see that Clarisse was looking around for someone. She then saw Serena and I and said, "Come over here you two. You guys were my questmates."
I felt Serena nudge me and we both went up there. When we got there Clarisse addressed the camp, "Both Tamotsu and Serena came with me on this quest. I would not have been able to get the fleece without either of them."
Cheers erupted after she said that. I was surprised at that, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, "Thanks Clarisse. Also, keep what happened at the entrance to the sea of monsters a secret, the gods said so."
She just nodded, "Help me put it on the tree."
We all grabbed the Golden Fleece and put it on the lowest bough. The moment we did, the moonlight seemed to brighten, turning from gray to liquid silver. A cool breeze rustled in the branches and rippled through the grass, all the way into the valley. Everything came into sharper focus— the glow of the fireflies down in the woods, the smell of the straw-berry fields, the sound of the waves on the beach.
Gradually, the needles on the pine tree started turning from brown to green. Everybody cheered. It was happening slowly, but there could be no doubt—the Fleece's magic was seeping into the tree, filling it with new power and expelling the poison.
Chiron ordered a twenty-four/seven guard duty on the hilltop, at least until he could find an appropriate monster to protect the Fleece. He said he'd place an ad in Olympus Weekly right away.
In the meantime, we were carried on her cabin mates' shoulders down to the amphitheater, where we were honored with a laurel wreath and a lot of celebrating around the campfire. It was nice to not feel like an outsider at the moment. I had people coming up and congratulating me and thanking me. Will, Sherman, and Silena came over and were celebrating with us. Beckendorf was also there next to Silena. I smiled at that. Serena and I were explaining the quest to them, leaving out the parts that needed to be omitted.
The rest of the night went well. The camp's mood has been the highest they've been all summer. I know I'd need to talk to Chiron and the others about what happened at the entrance to the Sea of Monsters, and all my other suspicions, but I decided to wait until tomorrow to bring it up. Celebrations went on for a long time. People slowly started trickling out of the campfire. Our little group was one of the last to leave, and not too long after, I was heading back towards my little camp in the forest.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
It was the next morning and I was standing in the Big House waiting for the others to arrive. Slowly but surely, everyone that was there trickled into the room. Unsurprisingly Percy was the last one to show up, "Thank you all for coming. I know we are all still recovering from the quest but I couldn't wait any longer to talk to you."
Annabeth asked, "Is this about what happened at the entrance to the Sea of Monsters?"
Clarisse chimes in, "You still owe us an explanation Tamotsu."
YOU ARE READING
The Shinobi Demigod
FanfictionTamotsu was just a normal boy, living his life the best he can. When one day, he gets attacked, and his life was never the same. Tamotsu finds out that the world he lives in is bigger than he ever could have imagined.
