GOLD RUSH ↬ p. jackson x reader {book one}

CHARIOT RACES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME

WE ARRIVED IN LONG ISLAND JUST AFTER CLARISSE, THANKS TO THE CENTAURS' TRAVEL POWERS.

I rode on googly eyes again, and I had to admit— I was starting to get attached. He was great at making small talk, even if it was about my experience at parties.

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.

The moment Clarisse draped the Golden Fleece over the lowest bough, 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 strawberry 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, Clarisse was carried on her cabin mates' shoulders down to the amphitheater, where she was honored with a laurel wreath and a lot of celebrating around the campfire.

Nobody gave the rest of us a second look. It was as if we'd never left. Just the way I liked it. In a way, I guess that was the best thank-you anyone could give us, because if they admitted we'd snuck out of camp to do the quest, they'd have to expel us. And really, I didn't want any attention. It was back to normal. I blended in.

After the party ponies headed back to Florida, Chiron made a surprise announcement: the chariot races would go ahead as scheduled. We'd all figured they were history now that Tantalus was gone, but completing them did feel like the right thing to do, especially now that Chiron was back and the camp was safe.

The night before the chariot race, I had a very vivid dream.
In the first, I saw a teenage girl with shoulder-length spiky black hair, electric blue eyes and an overall punk look. She was at the tree, which was vibrant and thriving. In Percy's arms. She spoke, but mutedly. No words came out.
"What's your name?" I asked myself, and I saw Percy's mouth moved, speaking words that I knew were the ones I had just said. The underwater, muffled sound quickly drowned out and I heard her response, clear as day.
"I am Thalia," the girl said. "Daughter of Zeus."

Then I woke up in a cold sweat.

Everybody was buzzing about the chariot race, though they kept glancing nervously toward the sky like they expected to see Stymphalian birds gathering. None did. It was a beautiful summer day with blue sky and plenty of sunshine. The camp had started to look the way it should look: the meadows were green and lush; the white columns gleamed on the Greek buildings; dryads played happily in the woods.

Chiron was at the starting line, ready to blow the conch. But I needed to talk to him!

I pretended not to watch Percy as he climbed on board the chariot and got into position just as Chiron blew the starting signal.
"Chiron?" I said quietly. "I have to talk to you."

"I'm very sorry Y/N, but it's going to have to wait. This is far too entertaining."

I groaned. Was he kidding me?
I glanced to the side and watched Clarisse battle the Stoll brothers. Apollo's chariot had come up on Percy and Annabeth's flank. Hephaestus was coming up close behind. Ares and Hermes were falling behind, riding side by side as Clarisse went sword-on-javelin with Connor Stoll.

Annabeth and a first year Apollo camper had a bickering, before she picked up javelin and threw it at him with perfect aim.
"Chiron, I really don't want to be painful, but—"
Chiron oohed as the Apollo chariot rode straight for the crowd. Campers scrambled for cover as the horses leaped the corner of the bleachers and the golden chariot flipped over. The horses galloped back toward their stable, dragging the upside-down chariot behind them.

"It's about Thalia!" I said, a little loudly. Some people shot me dirty looks, like they knew I had gone on the quest to get the Fleece. That I knew more than them, and they were envious. Most people knew I was crazy with fortune telling dreams. Chiron flashed me an unreadable expression."As I said before, Y/N, we will discuss this after."

The next time I looked up, the race had literally ended. The crowd roared. The winners were across the finish line— Annabeth and Percy. I leered closer, fighting a weird desire to see Percy's victorious smile. What is up with me?

Campers started chanting their names and I caught Percy's eye. He was grinning like crazy and beckoning me over. Once I was closer,Annabeth yelled over the noise: "Hold up! Listen! It wasn't just us!"

The crowd didn't want to be quiet, but Annabeth made herself heard: "We couldn't have done it without somebody else! We couldn't have won this race or gotten the Fleece or saved Grover or anything! We owe our lives to Tyson, Percy's ..."

"Brother!" Percy said, loud enough for everybody to hear. "Tyson, my baby brother."

Tyson blushed. The crowd cheered. The entire Athena cabin lifted Percy, Annabeth and Tyson onto their shoulders and carried them toward the winner's platform, where Chiron was waiting to bestow the laurel wreaths.