Ella Jackson- Apollos legacy

12

I wake up laying on the grass beside my brother. His eyes are still closed, his green flannel jacket is blowing in the wind, and I can tell he has a small tear sitting by his nose.
I slowly get up from laying belly flat on the ground, and move my hurting legs towards my big brother.
"Percy." I say quietly to him. He opens his blue eyes slowly as if he wasn't still knocked out by the blow of the pearl from Mount Olympus. He was still awake while he was quietly crying.. he was waiting for me.

We walk from Thalia's tree back to camp holding hands. We're quiet and I don't think I have ever felt Percy actually seem quiet.
I think of the darkness in my nightmares. We talked to the king of Gods, but we don't have our mom. I remember her voice telling, begging me to stop and stay where I was, and now, that's all I can do. So, if this is what it will be like from now on with Percy as my family and Gabe as the villain.. maybe this is how it's supposed to be.
Meeting my dad has made me feel like a piece that was missing is now back. Maybe I can now take his strength and do the same for Percy..

Annabeth ran for Percy when she saw him. I really hope they don't like each other now. That stuff is so gross. I may not be a baby anymore but the look in Percy and Annabeth's eyes makes me feel like having to eat all the carrots mom gives us for dinner.

Everyone at camp is clapping. That makes me smile. I like it when people clap at something I did, but this is way better than Percy and my mom clapping at my dance I made up to a Taylor Swift song.

Percy is smiling now too since his hug with Annabeth. But it slowly goes away when she whispers something to him. Clarisse stands in front of another group of campers still cheering. But she isn't smiling or clapping. She looks like Gabe when we get home from school or when he expects us to do something for him. She has her arms crossed and glares at Percy.
Annabeth stops hugging Percy now and both her and Percy give me a nod to follow them. We go into Percy's cabin and Annabeth explains everything she learned. She says that Clarisse is the one who stole the bolt in the first place. That we got it wrong about Kronos. I stand in the corner of the cabin and bite the inside my cheek.
I thought we were done. I thought we kinda finished what happened and we made it out. I became friends with Hermes and it seemed like Hades maybe liked me. Ares thought I was funny but will never want to see me again. Zeus was super scary. But my dad was nice to me even if I was kinda mean to him. I didn't want to be wrong, I just wanted to be home..
Luke comes and already knows what Annabeth was thinking about Clarisse. She must of told him already. Luke gives me a wink when Percy is still confused on how Clarisse could've done it. But even with Percy understanding so much, he agrees that since we're back and stopped the war, we could tell Chiron and make a plan without Clarisse's supporters following us or even knowing.
Something about Luke made the whole thing feel weird. He knew so much and came up with a plan so fast. Kinda like how Gabe plans how athletes should play the sport better. But Luke isn't like Gabe. He's just the son of Hermes, and Hermes is like my friend, so Luke is too. And I think Percy likes him too. He doesn't say as many funny things around Luke since they became friends, I think Percy wants Luke to like him.

The camp did a celebration for Percy, and a little for me too. They did fireworks at night! And before we went, Annabeth decided to spy on Clarisse for us while Luke went and told Percy when to meet him in the woods. But after that and before we went to the party, Percy smiled and pulled out some blue candies that mom gave him before we left for camp.
"I want to have some. Join me?" He said happily.
"Yes, please! But, are you sure? Mom gave them to you."
"Mom would've been proud of us, I think. So she would've got these for us anyway." He laughed. "Besides, I don't know how to make blue pancakes yet but I'm gonna have to when we get back home for us!" He said as he smiled, but I knew he was worried what home would look like when we got back there from camp. He wanted it normal again too. Then my brother saw me getting sad, " I- I can put chocolate chips in them too! And we can spend more time at the park by the apartment instead of at home, we.. we can draw together there at a bench and.."
"Percy. I know. We will be okay." I say as I cut him off and give him a small smile back. "Gabe isn't SO bad. Right?"
I wait for him to say something.
"Yeah...And if something happens I will always be there! And probably more because of Yancy." He laughs as he hands me three blue candies.
"Thanks Percy." I say with a smile as I throw the candies in my mouth and hug my big brother.
"Now, I'm going to meet with Luke, okay? You watch the fireworks for me and I'll meet up with you after it's all done."
"Okay." Is all I say, knowing I won't be far behind him just in case.