Percy Jackson

Mom was home when we got back and Paul wasn't so that was pretty telling.

They were breaking up.

I didn't think about it for the night and just cuddled with Nico and fell asleep after taking a shower (we took them separately, don't worry) to get the sand off from the beach.

Mom told me the news the next morning, but it wasn't a surprise, nor was it that bad of news for me, especially after how he was acting during the meeting with the principal and whatever else.

Like, he's not bad like Gabe was. He's not abusive.

We just don't really click at all and he doesn't seem interested in me at all, either, which sucked and was annoying.

Also, the slight homophobia would've become a larger problem very quickly.

On the bright side, open lunch started so I could eat wherever and stopped eating in Paul's room.

He stopped talking to me within like 2 days, so I chose not to think to hard into that.

But there was a Halloween dance at the school at the end of October that I brought Nico to and he had a lot more fun than he expected to and it was definitely how I ended up coming out at school.

I didn't really care, though, because I was dancing with my boyfriend.

A few weeks after the dance, it felt bad you get summoned for a camp meeting by Chiron.

You know, in November?

When I, a summer camper, am not supposed to be needed at camp?

Yet here Rachel and I were: in her parents car, on the way to camp.

"I wonder if it'll be about how weird communications have been since the battle," Rachel commented. "Has anything else been going on?"

"I don't know what else it would be, no," I insisited. "I know that Hermes gave somebody a job like two months ago but the gods just so that sometimes, and it was just something he was too lazy to do himself, Annabeth mentioned it to me. Chiron didn't say what it's about, so I have no idea. Winter solstice briefing for new counselors maybe? Maybe they're trying to plan a field trip to Olympus again."

I would be proven to be extremely wrong upon arrival at Camp Half Blood.

Getting to camp, my lovely boyfriend (I'm still not over being able to say that) met us at the camp border with Grover and Annabeth.

"They called you here, too?" I asked Annabeth and she nods her head. "Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"Chiron hasn't said anything yet, just that it's like, important that the whole counsel was here," she told me as we waved goodbye to Rachel's parents and started walking towards the Big House. "Luckily my dad is doing a guest lecture at like, NYU or something this week so he just said he'd get an earlier flight, but...did Chiron not tell you guys anything then, either?"

Rachel and I shook our heads.

"We're pretty sure it has something to do with Mr. D," Nico informed us. "He wasn't at dinner last night and he wasn't at breakfast this morning, either. He wasn't planning on being gone by the sounds of it, either, so..."

"Yeah, Mr. D definitely isn't supposed to be gone in the middle of November," Grover confirmed for my boyfriend, sounding anxious (was he anxious because I'm anxious about the meeting and about people somehow knowing about Nico and I or is he just anxious on his own? We'll never know). "Based on Chiron's reaction, I don't think Mr. D ran away, mostly because he can't run away from camp, but it's still weird."

Figuring that we'd find out soon enough, the five of us entered the Big House, where most of the counsel already was; anxious and waiting.

After us, only a few others trickled in: Thalia (her being here felt very bad), Clarisse, and then Katie. Chiron walked into the meeting room with Thalia.

"Alright, thank you everyone for making it on such a short notice," the centaur thanked us as everyone took a seat around the now even larger ping pong table. "As I'm sure all of our year round campers have figured by now, Mr. D will not be joining us today seeing as he isn't at camp currently."

"Where— but he can't just leave camp," Clarisse reasoned. "That's literally against his curse."

"Yes, well not when Zeus asks him to leave," Chiron informed us, and if I hate anything, it's hearing that Zeus made a decision that affects us. "I've spoke with Thalia about Artemis as well and it would appear that all Olympians are currently being called back to Olympus and the gates of Olympus will be closed. Which means that, until further notice, we will have no contact with the gods. We have... Some ideas as to why Zeus would do this, after some events back in September, but we can't say for sure."

"What do you— yes we can say for sure," Thalia corrected the centaur. "Lady Artemis told us herself why he wanted them on Olympus."

"Then what's the reason?" Grover asked the daughter of Zeus and she sighed.

"So back in September a few of us in the hunt had to do a job for Hermes, somebody stole his caduceus, a giant by the name or Cacus, and while we were able to retrieve it and return it, we found out from Cacus that it was a part of a plan from Gaea to cut contact between the Olympians in order to, you know, overthrow the gods. Artemis has mentioned here or there that Zeus has been talking about closing off Olympus for a while, she prepared us for it, but he's closed Olympus as to not allow contact between the gods to be severed, but now they can't make contact with us or mortals so..."

She shrugged.

"So that's why comunications have been so weird lately," Annabeth commented.

"Yes, it is," Chiron confirmed. "From here on our we shouldn't expect any form of godly messaging working, so keep that in mind. Monsters are still roaming, as well, so don't take that as means to use cellular devices. We will form a plan here today and plan to meet again during the winter solstice to check in and make sure everything goes according, okay?"

And that's what we did.

I was anxious the entire time because the gods didn't even close Olympus for Kronos (I didn't know that was something they could do) and if that's already happening then we won't get a break and I'm going to have to rewrite my whole will just in case and I don't want to have to sit down and talk with my mom about this but I'm going to have to and I just...

I wanted a break. After the war.

The next month would be chill, at least. Just lay low, train. They're going to recruit a few kids soon hopefully, Hedge is placed at a school to get them out West. When they get here, we'll see if they're important to like, what's happening or if they're just some kids.

I really hope they're just kids.

I need them to just be kids.