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That afternoon was one of the happiest Percy had ever spent at camp, which maybe goes to show, you never know when your world is about to be rocked to pieces.
Grover announced that he'd be able to spend the rest of the summer with them before resuming his quest for Pan. His bosses at the Council of Cloven Elders were so impressed that he hadn't gotten himself killed and had cleared the way for future searchers, that they granted him a two-month furlough and a new set of reed pipes.
The only bad news: Grover insisted on playing those pipes all afternoon long, and his musical skills hadn't improved much. He played "YMCA," and the strawberry plants started going crazy, wrapping around his friend's feet like they were trying to strangle them.
Annabeth was the first one to leave them. Marlowe tried to follow after her, but strawberry vines had wrapped around her ankles, causing her to trip and fall when she tried to take a step. She looked up at Grover, who instantly played a tone and the vines vanished. Marlowe then ram after Annabeth, pulling Grover along when she saw Chiron approaching.
The three stopped by the dining pavilion, sitting down on one of the benches to chat.
"Wonder why Chiron wanted to talk to Percy," Grover said, his head resting in his hand.
Marlowe sighed, watching campers walk around aimlessly. When she felt two pairs of eyes on her, she blinked and looked over. Annabeth and Grover were staring at her, waiting for an answer. "What?"
"Why's Chiron talking to Percy?" Annabeth repeated and Marlowe nodded in understanding.
"Right, right. Well, it's about—"
"Ah, Marlowe, Annabeth, and Grover," Chiron called, as he strolled over to them.
Marlowe slammed her head down on the table. "I was just about to tell them," she muttered, throwing her head back and moving the hair from her face.
Chiron smiled warmly. "I'm sorry, dear. Would you like me to leave and come back?"
She sighed. "No, just catch them up. I'm going down to the water," she said, standing up and walking off, her hands in her pockets.
Instead of walking towards the water like she said, Marlowe made a quick pit-stop at the Arts and Crafts cabin.
She pulled out a bracelet from her pocket—one that she hadn't even thought about since last summer. The glitter had started to peel off and the macaroni was breaking. She had to fix it up before it was too late.
Marlowe made her way inside and looked around anxiously to make sure that no one was watching her. She worked swiftly as she glued pieces together or added more glitter to distract from the damage made.
The blue string sticking out from underneath was fraying and Marlowe hoped that it would hold up forever. She didn't think that she had time to redo it before the big day.
