It was camp tradition to burn the burial shrouds of the returned Half-Bloods in the fire during the ceremony. It wasn't an ordinary occurrence as not many demigods return from their quests.

The Apollo cabin had volunteered to create a shroud for Evangeline since she had no siblings. Evangeline's was a black shroud with green snakes embroidered on it and a skull stitched in the middle. Her eyes landed on Landon who had a proud look on his face and Will Solace who held a toothy smile on his face as he showed his creation. Evangeline was stunned and surprised that someone made it for her,

"Thanks, guys, it's uh..." she paused.

"...Amazing, the best thing you've ever seen." Will continued for her.

"Sure. Let's go with that," she told the son of Apollo.

Annabeth's shroud was a grey silk with embroidered owls and given that Percy didn't have any siblings, the Ares Cabin volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X's as eyes.

As Apollo Cabin led the sing-along and passed out toasted marshmallows, Percy was surrounded by his old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's siblings from Athena cabin surrounded her, and Grover's satyr buddies surrounded him, who were admiring the brand new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders.

Evangeline wasn't surrounded by anybody she was just there, alone like she always has been. She always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister, but she knew that was only ever going to be a thought. It was going to be just her and Hades forever, nobody else. She was left out, all alone, and treated just like her father. Maybe Ares was right. Maybe she was more like Hades than she had thought.

Soon enough it was the 4th of July. As a tradition, the whole Camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by Cabin Nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles.

The blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, and then explode into a million colors.

As Annabeth, Percy, and her were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover came by to tell them goodbye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and trainers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age.

His goatee had got thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown a few centimeters at least, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said, giving the three a sad goat-eyed look. "I just came to say ... well, you know."

Annabeth hugged him. Evangeline gave him a high five. Percy asked Grover where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."

"We understand," Evangeline told him. "You got enough tin cans with you?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?" The blonde asked. "You know helpful songs?"

"Jeez, guys," he grumbled, doing his best to sound annoyed. "You're like an old mama goat."

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on a highway.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck." He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder and gave Evangeline a warm smile before he headed back through the dunes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, and George Washington crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

The satyr turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going—I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

"He'll be fine, he's Grover," Evangeline told the other two.

July passed by in a blur.

The campers had one last meal together. They burned part of their dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads. The beads were to represent the summer's most memorable event of the summer. It made sense for the bead to incorporate Poseidon and Percy. The design was pitch black, with a sea-green trident shimmering in the center.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first son of the Sea God at this Camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire Camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand. Athena's cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share in the applause.

Evangeline stood in the crowd, clapping. She tried not to let it bother her, but the fact they got the recognition and she didn't, stung. Even after all that she'd done to help, she knew there was never going to be a moment where a Hades kid would be given respect.

The next morning wasn't any different. Evangeline woke up from the ringing in her ears. At first, she'd thought that she was slowly going deaf, but it faded shortly after.

She ran a hand down her face, the blanket pooling at her waist as she sat up in her bunk. Most of the cabin was still asleep, demigods scattered along the floor and the bunks.

Staying in Cabin Eleven wasn't a pleasant experience, but she was silently grateful for the fact that she didn't have to be alone in a cabin all by herself.

The floorboard creaked softly, snapping her out of her stupor.

Landon carefully tiptoed his way around the demigods sleeping on the floor, and closer to her. "You're awake, great," he whispered, taking a seat in front of her.

"What are you doing up so early?" Evangeline asked, keeping her voice low enough for him to hear.

Landon pursed his lips. "I woke up at three am."

She raised a brow. "You didn't sleep again?"

"Uh, no," He scoffed dramatically. "I slept for like...twenty minutes or so,"

She frowned and he waved a hand, brushing her off. "Something felt off, dude," he said. "So I went to investigate."

"And what did you find?" The brunette sighed.

The son of Hermes rubbed at the bandage around his forearm. "Nothing much really, except for Travis and Conner's secret stash of candy," a smile tugged at his lips.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Landon nodded. "Now I can finally stop them from giving me border patrol duty."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Evangeline asked. "They'll just prank you back in return,"

"Blackmail," Landon stated. "I'll threaten to tell Luke about their late night trips of smuggling in candy, if they don't give me border patrol."

Evangeline hummed, she pressed her lips into a thin. "Seems like a foolproof plan," she glanced at the empty bunk of the blond son of Hermes. "Where is Luke anyway?"

Landon shrugged. "He said he had some things to take care of, not sure what he meant by that, but I'm not surprised, he's been acting weird for a while now."

"What do you mean?" Evangeline asked.

"Ever since you guys came back from the quest, something's off with him." Landon glanced at his hands resting on his lap. "He's irritated a lot, keeps disappearing for a while."

The brunette's brows scrunched together. She hadn't noticed anything strange going on with the older boy, he had seemed perfectly fine to her.

"I'm sure it's nothing," She said.

It turned out to be something extremely worse than nothing.

Finding Percy being dragged out the woods by tree nymphs, looking deathly sick, while on her way back from the strawberry fields, had not exactly been she'd expected.

Evangeline twisted her ring around her finger over and over again, watching as Annabeth fixed the drinking straw tipping out of Percy's mouth.

"Here we are again," Percy groaned. Evangeline stopped twisting her ring and straightened in her chair.

"You idiot," Annabeth said, "You were green and turning grey when the nymphs found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing ..."

"Now, now," Chiron's voice said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was sitting near the foot of Percy's bed in human form. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie.

"How are you feeling?" Evangeline asked.

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom," Chiron spoke up. "Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

After small bites and swallows of nectar and ambrosia, Percy told them the story.

"I can't believe that Luke ..." Annabeth's voice faltered. Her expression turned angry and sad. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him ... He was never the same after his quest." She hissed.

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured grimly. "I will go at once."

"Luke is out there right now," Percy said. "I have to go after him."

Chiron shook his head. "No, Percy. The gods—"

"Won't even talk about Kronos," the son of Poseidon snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"

"Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."

"Chiron ... your prophecy from the Oracle ... it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Evangeline? Or Annabeth?"

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place—"

"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"

His eyes were sympathetic but sad. 'You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you ..."

Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows. "All right!" Chiron shouted. "Fine!"

He sighed in frustration. "The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

"But we also can't just sit back and do nothing!" He complained.

"We will not sit back," Chiron promised. "But we must be careful. Kronos wants Percy to come unravel. He wants his life disrupted, his thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Percy—do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Assuming I live that long."

"You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first, you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice ... But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think about that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you."

He glanced at Annabeth. "Oh, and, my dear ... whenever you're ready, they're here."

"Who's here?" Percy asked.

Chiron rolled himself out of the room.

Annabeth studied the ice in Percy's drink.

"It's nothing." The blonde set the glass on the table. "I ... just took your advice about something. You ... um ... need anything?"

"Yeah. Help me up. I want to go outside."

He slid his legs out of the bed. Annabeth caught him before he could crumple to the floor.

"Lay back down," The brunette mumbled, as she got up from her seat.

"I'm fine," he insisted but slung his arm around Annabeth to manage his weight onto her. By the time they reached the porch, Evangeline noticed his face was beaded with sweat."What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked him.

"I don't know."

Annabeth pursed her lips. She said quietly, "I'm going home for the year."

Percy stared at her. "You mean, to your dad's?"

She pointed towards the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's magical boundaries, a family stood silhouetted—two little children, a woman, and a tall man with braided black hair. They seemed to be waiting. The man was holding a backpack that looked like the one Annabeth had gotten from Waterland in Denver.

"I wrote him a letter when we got back," Annabeth said. "Just like you suggested. I told him... I was sorry. I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided ... we'd give it another try."

"That took guts," Percy said.

Annabeth pursed her lips, looking at Percy. "You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least ... not without sending us an Iris Message?"

Percy smiled. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to."

"When I get back next summer," said Annabeth, "we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?" She looked at both Percy and Evangeline.

"Sounds like a plan, blondie," Evangeline said.

Annabeth held out her hand and Percy shook it. "Take care, kelp head," Annabeth told him. "Keep your eyes open."

"You too...Wise girl." He grinned at her as Annabeth turned to the brunette.

"You don't hurt anyone till I come back okay?" Evangeline nodded. The blonde smiled and made her way up the hill where she greeted her family.

"So, you coming back next year?" Evangeline asked as she turned towards the boy.

"I'll be back," Percy said.

"See you next year then, waterboy," she told him.

"See you next year, princess." He grinned.

"My name is Evangeline."  She scowled.

"That's nice, princess." He smirked smugly.

She shook her head at the boy, "Try not to die, Kelp brain," she told him.

"I'll try my best." Percy gave her a mock salute.

------✧------

A/N- I can't believe I finished the first book! thank you so much to everyone who has been reading this book. I will be starting Sea of Monsters next, so stay tuned. I'm very excited to write the next book. Again Thank you very much to everyone who has read my book. <3