Mortals Meet Percabeth

Eliza Farrow

Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all the characters, plotlines, and locations from the PJO, HoO, and ToA series

Hi. I never thought I'd be back here. It's been three years.  Even though I haven't really been on here, I have still read every comment and appreciated every vote. I don't know if this chapter will ever be posted, but thank you. You have all made me smile! Also, much has changed within the series (if you know what I mean), so please remember that this was started before ToA even existed. Onto the chapter!

It is an odd thing to be around camp right after a war, especially a war as major as the one with Gaea. There is such a mix of emotions. From anguish and grief to excitement and bliss. Every cabin has lost someone and there have been more shrouds burnt in the past days than there had been in the past hundred years, of course with the exception of the days following the Battle of Manhattan.

Yet, despite the horror, life at camp must go on. With the Romans tenting in the fields, there are two hundred extra mouths to feed. The nymphs take care of most of that, but the demand for strawberries is skyrocketing. We Demeter and Dionysus kids have been slaving away non-stop to supply the strawberries.

"Eliza," my head counselor and big sister, Katie Gardner harps, "you were supposed to be in the fields for you shift twenty minutes ago." She taps her foot impatiently as she shoots a glare at my best friend, Lacy Valentine.

Lacy rolls her eyes.

"Katie, you need to chill. We had a minor crisis to sort out, but I was on my way." I try to give her a prize winning smile to placate the situation, but Katie doesn't seem to buy the 'minor crisis' explanation.

"Fields. Now." She storms out of the cabin. I try to have patience with her, afterall, emotions are running extremely high, especially with the disappearance of Leo Valdez. But, it is hard to be lenient with her when she hasn't stopped ordering me around since the first of June.

I roll my eyes and glance apologetically at Lacy, but she waves me away, "It's ok, Liza, really," she smiles brightly, "I need to check on Piper anyways."

I shake my head, but accept Lacy's hand up from the soft cabin floor. I insist on walking with her to the Aphrodite cabin if only to miss a few more minutes in the fields. I may be a daughter of Demeter, but it's a hundred degrees, it's so humid I could cut the air, and there is a blistering midday August sun to top it off. Absolutely no one wants to be in the fields right now, especially not a red-head like me.

As we approach, Lacy sighs at the sight of the Aphrodite cabin which, for the first time ever, looks disheveled. The window boxes are matted with dirt, there are piles of armour in the front yard, and the flowers are wilted. The door is propped open and you can see the stacks of paper, books, and maps that clutter the floor. Nearly fifteen people are bustling around inside, jostling each other to look at makeshift tack boards and tracking devices.

I poke my head in the door, but I almost get taken out by Annabeth who is frantically running towards Jason with an ancient book splayed across her arms. She runs into Frank who is holding a glass of water while studying a map of the Eastern United States. Percy, who is sitting on the bed trying to console Piper while studying something on a tablet, notices the water just in time and darts out a hand and propels the water back into the glass. Frank can't help but chuckle as Annabeth mumbles quick apology. Hazel, who is seated on Piper's other side, notices us in the doorway. She looks distraught, but she still manages to wave us in with a smile.

The look in Lacy's eyes is pained, but she squares her petite shoulders and pushes her way through the crowd of older demigods. I follow her tracks, careful not to get in anyone's way.