The Path Of Glory (Annabeth Chase x Male Reader)

40. Another Chess Piece Into Play

They arrived in Long Island just after Clarisse, thanks to the centaurs' travel powers. Y/N rode on Chiron's back, but they didn't talk much, especially not about Kronos. It had been difficult for Chiron to tell him and Percy. He knew it. He didn't want to push Chiron with more questions.

When they got to camp, the centaurs were anxious to meet Dionysus. They had heard he threw some really wild parties, but they were disappointed. The wine god was in no mood to celebrate as the whole camp gathered at the top of Half-Blood Hill.

The camp had been through a hard two weeks. The arts and crafts cabin had burned to the ground from an attack by a Draco Aionius—which as near as Y/N could figure meant "really-big-lizard-with-breath-that-blows-stuff-up". The Big House's rooms were overflowing with wounded. The kids in the Apollo cabin, who were the best healers, had been working overtime performing first aid. Everybody looked weary and battered as they crowded around Thalia's tree.

The moment Clarisse draped the Golden Fleece over the lowest bough, the moonlight seemed to brighten, turning from gray to liquid silver. A cool breeze rustled in the branches and rippled through the grass, all the way into the valley. Everything came into sharper focus—the glow of the fireflies down in the woods, the smell of the strawberry fields, the sound of the waves on the beach.

Gradually, the needles on the pine tree started turning from brown to green.

Everybody cheered. It was happening slowly, but there could be no doubt—the Fleece's magic was seeping into the tree, filling it with new power and expelling the poison.

Chiron ordered a twenty-four/seven guard duty on the hilltop, at least until he could find an appropriate monster to protect the Fleece. He said he'd place an ad in Olympus Weekly right away.

In the meantime, Clarisse was carried on her cabin mates' shoulders down to the amphitheater, where she was honored with a laurel wreath and a lot of celebrating around the campfire.

Nobody gave Y/N, Annabeth, Ethan, Percy, and Tyson a second look. It was as if they'd never left. In a way, that was the best thank you anyone could give them, because if they admitted they'd snuck out of camp to do the quest, they'd have to expel them. And really, nobody wanted any more attention. It felt good to be just one of the campers for once.

Later that night, as they were roasting s'mores and listening to the Stoll brothers tell them a ghost story about an evil king who was eaten alive by demonic breakfast pastries, Clarisse shoved Y/N from behind and whispered in his ear, "Just because you were cool one time, L/N, don't think you're off the hook with Ares. I'm still waiting for the right opportunity to pulverize you."

He smiled.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he said. "Just good to be home. And be careful next time you climb the wall. Would be a shame if you fell in the lava."

The next morning, after the party ponies headed back to Florida, Chiron made a surprise announcement: the chariot races would go ahead as scheduled. They had all figured they were history now that Tantalus was gone, but completing them did feel like the right thing to do, especially now that Chiron was back and the camp was safe.

So Y/N and Annabeth teamed up again. He would defend, she would drive.

They spent the next two days training. They agreed that if they won, the prize of no chores for the rest of the month would be split between their two cabins. Since Athena had more campers, they would get most of the time off, which was fine. Y/N just wanted to win.

The next morning, everybody was buzzing about the chariot race, though they kept glancing nervously toward the sky like they expected to see Stymphalian birds gathering. None did. It was a beautiful summer day with blue sky and plenty of sunshine. The camp had started to look the way it should: the meadows were green and lush; the white columns gleamed on the Greek buildings; dryads played happily in the woods.