Turning of Tides

27. Glass House

Returning back to Camp was a lot more than I ever expected. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were the first campers to return alive from a quest since Luke, so everyone treated them as the heroes they were. What I hadn't expected was for myself to be included in the celebration. Apparently Chiron told the camp I was sent on a quest by Zeus himself to watch over Percy's quest which explained my absence. I was really thankful for that but I knew I was going to have to tell the Camp just why I was sent on a solo quest by Zeus when my brother was already on one. Nonetheless, according to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful-gray silk with embroidered owls-Percy told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him and told him to shut up.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy didn't have any cabin mates other than me, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

He had fun burning it.

My laurel was made by the Hermes cabin, with beautiful pearls and sea green flowers decorating it. I noticed the smiles from Aphrodite cabin when the Stolls handed it to me, so I assume they helped design it. It felt wrong to burn one of the first gifts I'd ever gotten from such amazing friends, but hey who am I to go against tradition?

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out smores, Percy and I were surrounded by our old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, Allora who was definitely adjusting to camp life, and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told me they'd never forgive Percy for disgracing their dad, and I felt awful knowing I couldn't help Ares.

Percy didn't seem to mind.

Even Dionysus's welcome home speech wasn't enough to dampen his spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. And it seems Nancy Johnson was competent as well. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday...."

Everyone was buzzing with excitement that I decided to stay behind at the campfire with the older kids again and given that these were all the people I considered my friends, it was a good time to come clean.

"I have to tell you guys something," I start.

They all turn to look at me, concern on their faces.

"I have lied to all of you and want to apologize, I didn't technically have to lie to you all, but Zeus highly recommended it. See Zeus did send me on a quest to watch after Percy as we retrieved the master bolt but... I was given that quest before I came to Camp Half-Blood." I say looking up at all of their reactions.

"What are you saying?" Luke asks skeptically.

"The past that I told you all... isn't the truth. When I was a year old the Olympian council found out about my birth. Poseidon lied about Percy and I's birth leaving the Council to believe I was the sole child. He took me to Olympus to be killed but something changed their minds. To this day, I don't know what."

"Then what happened to you if you didn't go back with Percy. He said he thought you died when really your father took you to Olympus?" Silena asks me.