Annabeth Chase and the Sea of Monsters

Chapter 40 - We play the deadliest sport

The centaurs zipped us to camp so fast that we arrived just after Clarisse. They wanted to meet Dionysus and party with the god of parties, but he wasn't in the mood as all the campers gathered on top of Half-Blood Hill.

The crowd was a little smaller than I remember, a fair few of the campers having died defending camp while we were away. A lot of camp was destroyed also, such as the arts and crafts table, which honestly no one missed. The Big House was stocked full of the wounded, Apollo's kids working over time to heal them.

All of the campers assembled near the tree looked battered and exhausted, their eyes fixed on Clarisse as she approached with the Fleece in her arms. As soon as she lay it over one of Thalia's branches, the needles on the pine started to brighten, a sweet breeze kicked up and the world seemed to glow brighter.

The whole camp cheered. I could barely stop the tears as I watched Thalia's tree come back to life, gradually but surely.

A twenty-four/seven guard was arranged until a guardian could be found. I was willing to volunteer if only to watch over Thalia like she watched over me.

Clarisse was carried down into camp while Percy and I trudged along behind, no one sparing us a second glance. I was ok with that though. I had enough of being popular from last year's quest. Besides, by acknowledging that we went on the quest was admitting we left camp without permission, which meant we would be expelled. Better to be Hades and hide in the shadows.

That night, we sat by the campfire and roasted Marshmellows while the Stolls sung a truly dreadful song about an evil King who was eaten alive by demonic breakfast pastries. The whole camp roared with laughter, and although both the boys were dreadful singers, I couldn't help but smile. It was good to be home.

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Percy and I rode out onto the track in the Athena chariot, him at the reins and me beside him, the crowd cheering as the other chariots pulled in alongside us. I had to admit, Tyson did an amazing job on my chariot. The carriage was gleaming bronze with the new reinforcements. The wheels were realigned so they ran smoothly and the horse's rigging were perfectly balanced which made it easier to steer. With a ride like this, I knew we were going to win.

The day after our return, Chiron had announced that we would continue with the chariot races. I was more than pleased about that decision. Despite the highly chance of death, it was fun.

Tyson didn't want to do it again, so Percy and I decided to try again to team up and this time it went better. I would defend, Percy would steer and Tyson worked on the Athena chariot to make it über-cool, not that it wasn't already amazing.

We spent the two days before the race training as hard as we could, my inspiration being the fact that my cabin would have a month off chores if we won. Well, that would be shared with Percy, but seeing as there was only one of him, my cabin would get the majority of the privilege.

Not only had Tyson fixed the chariot, he also made weapons. I had two javelins at my disposal, each with three buttons on the shaft. The first button would release razor wire designed to shred an opponents wheels, strictly not for use on another camper, which disappointed me. The second button made an, unfortunately, blunt bronze spearhead come out the top, so I could whack people out of their chariots. The third button released a grappling hook, which I could see a wide variety of uses for.

Before the race, Tyson pulled Percy aside to talk to him while I remained by the chariot. I tried not to watch them, I really did, but really I had nothing else to while I was waiting for the race to start.

Tyson gave Percy a watch, which I thought was kinda silly as Percy couldn't tell the time, but it seemed a sweet offering. I couldn't believe how much of a change my feelings for the Cyclops was. I used to hate him with all my heart, and now I cared for him like a brother. He was the sweetest person I've ever met, and by person, I actually mean person. No more did I see him as a monster.