Mama's Boy

I Fight The One Who is Lost

[Y/N's POV]

We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course, everybody treated us as if we'd just won a reality TV contest. According to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.

Annabeth's shroud was beautiful, gray silk with embroidered owls. I told her it was a shame not to have to bury her in it. She punched me in the gut and told me to shut up.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy didn't have any cabin mates, so Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with crossed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted big in the middle.

The Dryads and other nature spirits helped make mine. Juniper told me that Lou Ellen had volunteered at first, but every time she started, she'd just start crying and have to return to it the next day. That happened for about five days before the Dryads relieved her of shroud-making duty.

It was a deep green color with silver designs of wild animals splayed across it—deer, bears, falcons, wolves, rabbits—just about any wild animal you could think of. Across the center were two crossed bows and arrows with a crescent moon above them. It was honestly really nice. They let Lou put a little Rangers logo at the bottom of the shroud because they felt bad about her breaking down every time she tried to make it, so they wanted her to add something at least.

Oh yeah, Lou. She was ecstatic to see me. She was already waiting at the border when I crossed and tackled me to the ground, crying about how I'm never allowed to leave her sight again. It was endearing, but it seemed to tick off Annabeth for some reason.

Once again, why do all of my female friends hate each other? At least Macaria and Iris don't... Granted, I haven't properly introduced them to each other.

Juniper was a little ticked off at the condition in which her bow had returned, but after explaining the whole fighting Medusa and getting blown up thing, she calmed down.

As Apollo cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores, Percy and I were surrounded by our former Hermes cabin mates, Annabeth's friends from Athena cabin, and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders.

They had called his performance on the quest: "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse, and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks directed towards Percy told me that they'd never forgive him for disgracing their dad.

Oh yeah, he fought Ares. Did I forget to mention that?

Mr. D's speech about Percy didn't even dampen 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...

I settled back into Cabin Eight. It was nice to be back here. As lonely as it was sometimes, it was still kind of home. I placed that stuffed bear I had gotten from the Lotus Casino on my nightstand. Maybe one day, I'll meet this Bianca person again and ask her why she gave it to me.

Lou had stress-cleaned my room while I was gone. I checked my doors and closet, which were all neatly organized. There were even tons of new clothes for me to wear. She also gave me a picture she had drawn of the two of us. It was nothing to scoff at, either; it was incredibly photorealistic.