Danielle
I kind of want to just protect him from all evil for the rest of his life.
He, as simply as he could, explained the war thing to me and what had been really going on over the summers she was gone but it was his side of it and I just... I felt terrible.
Nobody, especially a kid his age, should ever have to go through that horror.
But I assumed the therapy was for PTSD. And I said that.
"So," I remarked. "I'm assuming the therapy is for the whole PTSD and grieving thing? Because that's a lot."
"What? No." The... The son of Poseidon corrected me. "I've needed therapy for longer than I've known who my dad was. I go to therapy for other stuff. Childhood problems and what not that got worse over the years. We all sort of talk each other through the grief and PTSD and what not at camp."
Now that... I didn't expect that. William came back, although he stood by the door and Percy didn't notice. I didn't think anything to it, and asked further.
"I still don't see you going to therapy." I told him. "I just..."
"Yeah," Percy remarked. "Well a lot of people don't want me to kill myself and medication seemed to fail me. I never saw myself in therapy either. I wasn't told I'd go to therapy when I had my first session. I thought I was going on a date. They brought me to a therapist."
"Sounds like a lovely date."
"Sorry to interrupt," William cut in as he came over and sat back down. "But I'm sure Rachel is safe and all, what role do you play? Within the whole camp and with the gods and all, I mean."
"Well," he explained to us. "I'm the leader of Camp Half-Blood. So I know all the families, all the demigods, mortals, and other beings associated with camp. I show new kids around, unless somebody else on the council offers, and yeah. I teach swordfighting, too. But that's not a leader job, I just like doing it."
"You teach Swordfighting?" Both of us asked, sort of shocked. I knew he was an amazing swimmer and all. Which makes more sense now. But Swordfighting?"
"Well, yeah," he told us. "I mean, we typically don't use guns. It's usually bow and arrow or a blade."
"I suppose that would make sense."
Thalia
We got a call from Westport Community College on Black Friday. Which was the next day.
A student was requesting our visit and offering to pay all the fees required to get Percy, Annabeth, and myself, along with 3 extra people to come along and see them.
We assumed this was somebody wanting to hear what happened to Luke. So I called them and told them and we said that yeah, we'd do it. Luke was from Westport, after all.
I brought Grover with because I felt bad that he wasn't invited and told him he was. I imagine they just couldn't find his information. Annabeth brought a friend of hers with from high school that she sort of might start dating. He's nice. I have approved him. And then Percy was bringing Nico because I don't think they can be separated.
As long as Percy and Annabeth aren't together, though, I don't care. They just don't work like that.
And yes, her friend knew of the gods. His mother was the daughter of Apollo.
We left that Sunday, and arrived in Westport around lunch time, and met with this person at the local Panera. I've never actually been to Panera, so I didn't know what to expect.
Then again, I didn't expect Luke and some random ass dude to be there, either.
Percy
I almost died twice in one day. I did not enjoy that plane ride. And seeing Luke almost gave me a heart attack.
We were on a roll.
When we saw that Luke was here, we all sort of looked at each other. Cautious, we told the waiter we were here with him and walked over to the previously deceased demigod.
Well, Thalia didn't. She went to the restaurant across the street. Annabeth's friend went with as it wasn't like he knew Luke anyways. To keep her business.
Sitting down and saying hi, this guy that was there with Luke asked about Thalia. Said he recalled hearing she'd be here.
"She's across the street," I assured Luke's friend. "Said that she'll meet with us later."
In all realism, we knew she wouldn't. Not today, at least. Not with Luke around. She was still pissed off about everything and knew it was bad to take it out on him as she would hurt him.
But lunch went surprisingly well, and we went to the mall. As some of us were here, some were there, Luke and I ended up in Journeys alone. And he was trying on a pair of shoes as I looked at some different one's and I was surprised that he even brought it up. He hasn't brought it up yet.
"How's camp doing, by the way?" Luke asked me. "Once I was back, I never cared to check in. That was about a year ago now."
"Camp?" I asked and he nodded, figuring that I found it weird for him to suddenly bring it up. "it's find, I guess. A lot more demigods now that Romans are kind of mixed in and all. More cabins. More kids. I don't... I try not to be there all the time if it can be helped. But I mean we weren't at war or anything this last summer if that's what mean. Unless I missed something."
"I'm just curious," Luke explained his reasoning for asking. "I figured Thalia isn't there anymore, Annabeth won't ever leave. Grover is recruiting a lot, I assume. Figured you'd be the person who'd for sure know and now sound very biased."
I shrugged and grabbed a pair of shoes to try on.
"I don't know." I told him. "It's been a weird year. I didn't go to camp this summer. Annabeth did. I don't know how often Grover was there. He's been there every time I stopped in. Doesn't say much about recruiting."
Surprised, Luke looked at me for a moment before replying.
"Really?" He asked me. "I would've thought that you'd be there for at least a couple more years. What happened?"
"Nothing," I assured him. "Well, stuff happened. But not like that. My mom just gave birth last spring and her now ex husband wasn't a very good dad and I figured I might as well stay home. I wasn't all for going to camp, anyways. I just didn't want to deal with it. So I stayed home. Focused on catching up with school because I did have summer school and yeah. If I don't graduate, I don't go to camp."
"Your mom won't let you go to camp if you don't graduate?"
I shook my head.
"No, she'd let me." I explained to the son of Hermes. "I wouldn't let me. I'm not not graduating because I couldn't pass a class. That's stupid. If I'm not there, there are people lined up to take my spot. It's just how it is."
"So school and a little sister?" Luke simplified it. "That's it?"
"That's it."
