BY fates design

Lord Hermes

Tables of food had appeared before each set of sofas, spreads of fruit, bread, olives, olive oil , grape juice and wine arranged in platters. Cassiopeia had a glass of grape juice in her hand as she picked at a bunch of green grapes, occasionally feeding them to Percy.

Percy, Annabeth and Tyson were sentenced to kitchen parole for disturbing the stymphalian birds, who were apparently just minding their own business, according to Tantalus. This involved them scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies.

The harpies washed with lava instead of water, to get that extra clean sparkle and kill ninety nine point nine percent of all germs so Percy and Annabeth had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons. Tyson didn't mind however, as he was immune to the extreme heat that the molten lava emitted.

"So people dislike Tyson because he's.... A monster." Remus said, his face contorted with sympathy. Sirius was sat beside him, his head on his shoulder while Corvus laid across their laps.

"Yes, like he could control that." Eleana rolled her eyes.

Cassiopeia had offered to help them, even Eleana suggested they went to the kitchens with them to make the work quicker but Percy refused their offers. In his opinion scrubbing plates with lava was not the task of a princess, and even without her title he didn't want her doing unnecessary labour.

"Hyacinth." Cassiopeia looked to her right, Jake was staring at her. "Do you really think there is a way to heal the tree?" They were sat together at Zeus's table in the pavilion, Tantalus had ordered a celebratory banquet in celebration of Clarisse winning the chariot race.

"I think there is, but it has been lost for centuries." She looked down to the plate of food before her, carrots, salad and stymphalian bird. "Let's not worry about that for now, though. Eat first, issues concerning the safety of camp can be addressed later." She brushed him off, shoving a fork full of salad into her mouth and encouraging him to do the same.

"You ate the birds?" Regulus asked with unconcealed disgust and judgment.

"It kind of tasted like odd chicken. It was Tantalus's idea." Delilah shivered slightly remembering the strange taste of the copper beaked birds.

That night at the camp fire, Apollo's cabin led the song along, Delilah singing especially loud much to her siblings amusement. They tried to get every bodies spirits up, but that wasn't easy after the bird attack. They all sat around in a semicircle of stone steps singing half heatedly and watching the bonfire blaze.

Between lyrics, Percy would turn to Cassiopeia who sat at his side, their hands grazing each other, and tell her about his dreams of Grover and the plan he and Annabeth had constructed to rescue him and the Golden Fleece.

Dionysus left early. After a couple of songs he muttered something about how even pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting. Then he gave Tantalus a distasteful look and headed back to the Big House, waving at Cassiopeia before he left.

"Yes and which fool brought that manic to camp?" Cassiopeia stared at Dionysus pointedly. Not meeting her gaze, the god slouched in his throne, a goblet of wine in one hand and a bunch of purple grapes in the other.

When the last song was over, all the children watched awkwardly as Tantalus tried to grab a roasted marshmallow off of a stick, the sweet treat flying around before diving into the flames.

He turned back towards the children, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."

Percy cut him off before he could continue further. "Sir." He said, all eyes turning to him for a moment.