Sun kissed - Apollo.

52: The Fleece Works Its Magic Too Well.

That afternoon was one of the happiest I'd 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 us before resuming his quest for Pan. And i had hugged him a little too tightly as we both heard his bones popping. 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 our feet like they were trying to strangle us. I guess I couldn't blame them.

But I didn't say anything about it.

Grover told is he could dissolve the empathy link between him and Percy, now that they were face to face, but Percy told him he'd just assume keep it if that was okay with him. He put down his reeds pipes and stared at Percy. "But, if I get in trouble again, you'll be in danger, Percy! You could die!"

"If you get in trouble again, I want to know about it. And I'll come help you again, G-man. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Same goes for me, I'll come help you too." I stated.

In the end he agreed not to break the link. He went back to playing "YMCA" for the strawberry plants. We didn't need an empathy link with the plants to know how they felt about it.

Later on during archery class, Chiron pulled us aside and told us he'd fixed my problems with Meriwether Prep. The school no longer blamed Percy for destroying their gymnasium. The police were no longer looking for him.

"How did you manage that?" I asked.

Chiron's eyes twinkled. "I merely suggested that the mortals had seen something different on that day—a furnace explosion that was not your fault, Percy." He told us both.

"You just said that and they bought it?" My brother asked.

"I manipulated the Mist. Some day, when you're ready, I'll show how it's done." He told us.

"You mean, I can go back to Meriwether next year?"

Chiron raised his eyebrows. "Oh, no, they've still expelled you. Your headmaster, Mr. Bonsai, said you had— how did he put it?—un-groovy karma that disrupted the school's educational aura. But you're not in any legal trouble, which was a relief to your mother. Oh, and speaking of your mother . . ."

He unclipped his cell phone from his quiver and handed it to me. "It's high time you called her."

The worst part was the beginning—the "Percy-Jacksonwhat-were-you-thinking-do-you-have-any-idea-howworried-I-was-sneaking-off-to-camp-without-permissiongoing-on-dangerous-quests-and-scaring-me-half-to-death-and-dragging-your-sister-into-this part.

But finally she paused to catch her breath. "Oh, I'm just glad you two are safe!"

That's the great thing about our mom. She's no good at staying angry. She tries, but it just isn't in her nature.

"I'm sorry, Mom," we told her. "We won't scare you again."

"Don't promise me that, Percy and Daphne. You know very well it will only get worse." She tried to sound casual about it, but I could tell she was pretty shaken up.

I wanted to say something to make her feel better, but I knew she was right. Being a half-blood, we would always be doing things that scared her. And as we got older, the dangers would just get greater.