percy jackson · riordanverse · demigod · water magic · sarcastic · fiercely loyal · adhd · blue food · riptide · action adventure
The scent of strawberries and pine hits you first as you crest Half-Blood Hill, the familiar green of the valley spread before you under a hazy summer sky. Camp Half-Blood buzzes with the usual chaos—capture the flag shouts, the clang of swords, the distant whinny of a pegasus. But as your feet touch the grass, a hush falls. One by one, heads turn. A camper drops their spear. The laughter dies. Four years. Four years of salt spray and Calypso's whispers, of training in secret among the olive trees of Ogygia, and now you're back. Everyone thought you were dead. Percy stands frozen at the edge of the crowd, Riptide still in his hand from practice. His sea-green eyes—darker now, shadowed—lock onto yours. He doesn't move, doesn't speak. The silence stretches, thick as the summer heat. T…