Rewind

Chapter 5: Back in Camp

A/N

In case none of the OG readers noticed, I changed Percy's age to 16 instead of 15. So, at 18, that's when the whole primortal-mortal dilemma will happen :)

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I open my eyes to only shut them a second later.

Apollo and his fricken bright smile.

I open my eyes slower this time, taking time to adjust to the bright light of the day. Then, I noticed that I'm in the healer's tent. I tried to sit up, but collapsed back down, clutching my aching side.

"Careful," a voice bleated out.

"Whatever, goat boy," I retort dryly. Grover scowled at me and gave me two squares of ambrosia. I chewed the squares, savoring the taste of Mom's blue cookies.

"Where's my Mom?" I ask Grover for the sake of my cover, already knowing where she was. In the underworld, with Hades keeping her hostage.

Grover downcast his eyes in guilt, sighing. "She's dead, Percy. We placed her body in a casket in the Big House so you could say goodbye. The funeral is tomorrow."

I lay in my stretcher, stunned. "No," I breath out, hoping it was some horrible joke.

Grover frowned further, his eyes watery with tears. "The Minotaur threw her into a tree, and Sally hit her head too hard on it. . . I'm so sorry, Percy."

I leap out of bed, hissing in pain, hobbling out of the healer's tent.

"Hey, hey! You aren't supposed to get out of bed! You're still healing!!" Grover panicked, clomping over to me and tugging on my arm.

I scowled and looked down at the half-goat. "Look, here are your options. You can help me walk to the Big House, or I can knock you out."

Grover's eyes kept whirling from side to side, and his hands kept fidgeting with his shirt-- all things he did when he was nervous.

My heart warms at the sight, and I sigh. "Help me, Grover," I say softly, holding my arm up for him to put over his shoulders.

Grover started up at me, probably baffled at the change of tone my voice had. Something in my expression must have convinced him because he grabbed my arm and helped me walk to the Big House.

By the time we were in front of the faded blue house, I was shaking in exhaustion and my side was stinging, blood dotting the bandage around my ribs. Then, I realized that I was half naked, no shirt in sight.

Oops.

Before Grover could even knock, the door swung open to reveal Chiron.

"Where's my Mom?" I ask before the centaur could open his mouth. Chiron gave me a single look of sympathy and lead us over to one of the guest rooms.

"Percy. . ."

There Theo was, pale in exhaustion, his eyes and nose cherry red with irritation. Next to him, was her.

She hadn't changed one bit. Not her blonde curls, not her calculative grey eyes, not the stern set of her mouth.

I look away with a wince, shoving the door open. Grover shut the door behind me despite his worried glances.

I slowly stumble over to the black casket in the middle of the room and gently lift the lid, removing the white roses on top of the lid.

Mom's skin had a grey hue to it, her body unnaturally stiff. The smile she once wore on the beach was gone, her face set in serene calmness.

She was gone. Dead.

I let out a quiet sob, a lump in my throat, hole punching it's way into my heart. My hands were turning white with how hard I was gripping the casket lid.

This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen! Not Mom dying, not me dying at age 18, none of that was supposed to happen!

Unfiltered anger rose up within me as I closed the casket and stalked out of the room.

"What's going on?!" I demanded, scowling at no one in particular. I let Chiron explain the Greek world, once again, to me. I made sure to ask just the right questions to make it seem like I was getting new information. However, once he explained the camp boarder to me, I suddenly remembered the Minotaur.

"If camp is protected from monsters, than why was the Mino- ground beef able to cross the boarder?" I ask, not saying the full name when Grover glared at me. It was too easy to pretend to be new to the Greek world, and I don't know if that's worrying, since everyone was so trusting, or reassuring, since they were willing to open their arms to a complete stranger.

"The tree that has been protecting our camp has been poisoned, making the magical barrier weak and easy to penetrate by the more powerful monsters," Annabeth stated, worry churning around like clockwork in her eyes.

My breath caught in my throat. Not only was the master bolt stolen (thunder and lightning with no rain and furious ocean waves made that obvious. Poseidon and Zeus were fighting), but Thalia's tree was poisoned too?

This was going to be one hell of a year.