𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐃 ━━ jason grace

03. the welcome wagon

[ ACT ONE , CHAPTER THREE ]
THE WELCOME WAGON.

‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

The next morning, Cassie's bunkmate Andra was delighted to see her safely back at camp. The girls had been close for a long time, having arrived at Camp Jupiter around the same time.

Andra was the daughter of Cupid, meaning that she had a knack for archery and somehow knew all the romantic drama going on at camp. She gave Cassie a haircut while filling her in on everything she missed.

Cassie inspected her new hairdo in the mirror. It was its usual dark brown and a little more curly than it was normally. Her hair went just past her shoulders, what she believed to be a very manageable length. After learning of eight months' worth of Camp Jupiter drama, Andra smiled at Cassie, "So, what about you? Tell me what you've been up to."

Cassie was extremely eager to talk about her time away. She had gone so long without having meaningful conversations that it was nice to finally have one. She shared the exciting events, all the valuable lessons she learned about being a demigod in the real world and how much she enjoyed taking a break from the camp's schedule.

Eventually, she got to the part about her dream. Cassie thought that it was a good idea to tell Andra about the second part of her dream (she decided to stop thinking about the first part altogether).

"I guess I just want to figure out what the answer is." Cassie scoffed. "Whatever that means. Then I can get out of here."

Andra looked worried. "What do you mean? You're not leaving again. Right?"

Cassie sighed. "The whole time I've been away, I've felt better than I've ever felt here at camp."

"What happened to wanting to settle down?"

"Lots of things have changed since I left." Cassie got very silent all of a sudden. "And Jaosn is still out there somewhere."

"Are you sure that leaving again is the best thing to do?"

Cassie hadn't thought about that. Internally, she thought about whether or not leaving would be a good idea. She knew that while travelling was a great experience, it was also incredibly dangerous. At this rate, Cassie had already looked in so many places, that at some point, she would just be wandering aimlessly around the country.

Andra cleared her throat. "Maybe we should get going. You should eat before the Senate Meeting."

Cassie and Andra made their way into the forum. Cassie continued to tell Andra the stories of little things that happened to her. The city wasn't very busy for this time in the morning, something Cassie expected after an evening of festivities. Notably, a few people were sweeping up confetti and small groups had gathered for an early breakfast. Those who were passing by smiled and welcomed Cassie back. She wasn't sure if that was something they really wanted to do, knowing that she was planning to leave soon.

Andra insisted that she buy them breakfast and later, that they go say hi to her friend Hazel, who had just returned from an important quest. Cassie only knew Hazel for around one month before she left. She had dark skin and brown curly shoulder length hair. Her eyes were a vibrant and noticeable shade of gold. Like many other people in the forum, she wore a toga on top of her Camp Jupiter t-shirt.

"Hey Hazel, I didn't have time to talk to you last night. How was your quest?" Andra asked with a wide grin. She didn't give Hazel any time to answer before pushing Cassie towards Hazel and her friends. "You remember Cassie, right?"