"Impossible…"
The murmurs among the campers could be heard clearly. No one could believe what they were seeing. For the newer campers, Thalia was just a name they had heard in old camp stories. For the older ones, however, she was much more than a simple story. She was a reminder of how cruel the world could be to them.
"That's Thalia."
The murmurs continued to intensify until they reached the ears of others around the camp.
Luke, who until that moment had been watching the Hermes kids argue with a minor god about storage space, turned his head when he heard the commotion. At first, he looked annoyed, already expecting another absurd argument about the cabins, but the instant he turned his head, his gaze landed on the black-haired girl walking beside Damon.
Luke went completely still. For a second, he didn't know if he was awake, if he had lost his mind, or if the world had simply decided to play a cruel joke on him.
Thalia saw him too. However, Luke truly didn't know whether to run over and hug her or simply stay there staring in shock. Thalia, for her part, didn't say anything at first either. Her hand was still resting on Damon so she wouldn't lose her balance, but her eyes were fixed on the son of Hermes.
"Luke…" she finally murmured.
At that moment, Annabeth, who had also come over because of the commotion, nearly dropped the blueprint in her hands when she saw the black-haired girl beside Damon.
"Thalia?" Annabeth said, lower than she expected.
This time, Thalia really didn't know what to do. Luke was one thing, but Annabeth was different. To her, she was still that little girl walking behind her, trying to look braver than her age allowed. The girl she had protected. The one she had seen as a little sister even before they reached camp.
"Annie…" Thalia murmured.
This time, she didn't have a sarcastic answer ready to hide what she felt.
Annabeth, unlike Luke, didn't stay still. She ran toward the black-haired girl and hugged her before Thalia could decide whether to complain or not. The daughter of Zeus tensed for a second, still sore and clearly not used to any of this, but she didn't push her away.
"Hey, hey, I just got out of a tree, you know? My body isn't exactly in its best condition," Thalia murmured, though the tone of her voice made it clear she wasn't really complaining.
"I don't give a damn," Annabeth replied, not letting go.
Thalia opened her mouth to answer, but didn't know what to say. In the end, she looked at Damon over Annabeth's shoulder.
"Come on, Red, a little help would be nice, don't you think?"
Damon raised both hands. "You were the one who wanted me to let you go earlier, weren't you? Well, look. I let you go."
"You…" the black-haired girl growled through her teeth.
Damon only gave her a self-satisfied smile, enjoying the girl's anger. She was certainly Zeus's daughter.
Luke approached slowly, not knowing whether he should hug her too, say something, or apologize for reasons he didn't even have completely sorted out. The simple truth was that he felt as if he had failed her. Maybe it didn't make sense. But seeing her standing in front of him after so many years of staring at that pine tree as if it were a grave made all those old feelings of guilt return at once.
Damon noticed it without saying anything. He didn't need to read Luke's mind to understand. The boy's hatred toward the gods had surely been built over time, layer by layer, but what happened to Thalia had to be one of the main wounds. Watching someone you loved be turned into a tree and then hearing everyone call it "mercy" wasn't something easy to get over.
Yes. Zeus really had a special talent for creating enemies out of nowhere.
Damon had already lost count of how many times he had seen something similar throughout his life. Someone destroyed what another person loved, expected everyone to accept it as if nothing had happened, and then acted surprised when that hatred returned years later as a sword pointed at their neck.
"I thought I'd never see you again," the son of Hermes said quietly.
Thalia looked at him for a moment. Then, in a lower voice but still dry, she answered, "Yeah, well… I didn't exactly expect to wake up with useless legs and some weird redhead carrying me like I was a child."
Damon shook his head. This generation nowadays… "That's because you are still a child, Thalia. And you will be one forever to me. I'm thousands of years older than you."
Thalia glared at him.
Damon didn't even flinch. He had met too many people like her throughout his life. The same attitude and everything. People who didn't know what to do with pain when others were watching, so they turned it into anger, sarcasm, or insults. Simply because it was the only way they had to keep themselves from breaking down in front of everyone.
But Thalia didn't keep her attention on Damon for long. She looked back at Luke, this time from head to toe, and frowned.
"Luke… you look terrible. What the hell happened to you?"
That simple response broke part of the tension among the campers. Some let out a short laugh, still unable to understand how someone who had been part of the camp's border was now standing in front of them, talking as if she had only woken up from a nap that had gone on too long.
Percy watched the scene without saying anything. He didn't really know Thalia. He had never interacted with her, aside from hearing a few stories here and there. That said, he had come to understand that the way Luke and Annabeth spoke about her was the same way he spoke about his mother. That was why he understood that strange mixture of pain, disbelief, and hope that appeared when someone you thought was lost returned and stood in front of you.
But even so, he could only feel bitter. His hands clenched. Would he ever see his mother again? In an instant, among all the happiness and laughter, Percy's feelings stood out like a black sheep among white ones to Damon. Approaching the boy, he immediately understood what was on his mind.
"Percy."
The black-haired boy looked up. Damon placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel, but let me tell you this. Your mother is alive, so change that face."
Percy froze.
"What?" Percy asked, almost without a voice.
"That's right. She's alive," Damon repeated. "She didn't die that night. Hades took her as part of his attempt to pressure you because of certain circumstances… I'm not going to say he did it out of kindness, because he didn't. But he didn't kill her either. I already spoke with him. If he keeps his end of the deal, your mother should return soon."
Percy could barely contain his happiness. His eyes filled with tears so quickly that he tried to look away, but it didn't help. He didn't know what to say in the face of this new information.
"She's alive," he murmured.
Damon smiled, moving his hand to the black-haired boy's hair and gently ruffling it. "I already told you your mother was probably still alive, didn't I? So change that face, kid."
Percy simply nodded, sniffling as his shoulders trembled. Annabeth approached, deciding to support her friend. Thalia already had everyone around her; she would be fine. Moving closer to the black-haired boy, Annabeth stood beside him and placed a hand on his back, letting him know he had her support.
Percy tried to laugh, but it came out like a sob. "I thought I had lost her."
Annabeth began rubbing his back. "I know."
The gods around them fell silent. Some looked away in shame. Others looked at their own children with guilt. After all, many of them had done similar things in the past…
Damon left Percy alone for a while, preferring to give him space. After all, sometimes happiness also needed a little space before it could become relief.
Then a girl with hair full of small colorful sparkles ran toward Damon.
"Lord Damon!" she shouted, waving one hand.
The Greek god turned his head. The girl stopped in front of him, breathing with excitement. A small rainbow shone above her head.
"We have a surprise for you."
Damon raised an eyebrow. "For me?"
"Yes. Come."
Before he could ask anything else, the girl took his hand and began pulling him along with a confidence that made several gods blink. Damon allowed himself to be dragged away, glancing at Hestia from the corner of his eye. Hestia smiled as if she already knew exactly what was happening.
"Iris," Damon said, immediately suspicious because of the girl's features.
The girl guided Damon to an area near the new cabins. There, several children of Iris, some children of Hephaestus, nymphs, and even a few minor gods were waiting with proud expressions. In front of them stood a completely new cabin.
Damon was surprised.
The structure had a strange but perfect balance. One part seemed carved from smooth dark stone. Another had pale, almost white details that softly reflected the sunlight. The roof seemed to shift slightly with the sky, showing shades of deep blue, clouds, and sparks of stars. Around the entrance, two carved wolves flanked the door, one white and one black, facing each other like guardians.
Above the door was his symbol. A scale engraved with lines of dark gold and silver, surrounded by details that represented his domains without saying it too obviously. Damon let out a low laugh, clearly charmed by how beautiful the cabin was.
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this."
Iris walked until she was standing beside him, with Hestia approaching from the other side.
"We thought you should have a place here too," Iris said. "If all your children, champions, or whatever you end up having one day are going to belong to this camp, then you should have your own cabin. Besides, you're the king. It would be an insult if you didn't have your own cabin."
Hestia nodded softly. "You need a home, Damon."
Damon looked at Hestia for a second, perfectly understanding the double meaning behind her words. This was the goddess's way of making sure her brother had truly returned, not only to take leadership, but also to have a home of his own.
Damon's expression softened when he understood his sister's intentions. He was truly grateful to have a sister like Hestia. He gladly accepted the gesture in silence before turning his attention back to Iris. "I was supposed to build a cabin for you. I promised."
Iris smiled, gratitude clear on her face. "And you gave me the chance to build it with my children. That was much better."
Several children of Iris nodded proudly.
Damon looked at Iris with quiet warmth. He still remembered the energetic little girl from the days of the Titanomachy, running from one place to another with an energy impossible to contain. Now she stood before him as a grown woman, a mother, and a good woman at that.
Not far away, Aphrodite was surrounded by several of her sons and daughters, listening to a very serious discussion about curtains, natural light, mirrors, fountains, and why a beautiful cabin could also be practical. One of her sons was trying to explain that maybe not everything had to be pink.
Aphrodite blinked at that, slightly offended.
Was that the image her children had of her? Pink?
Hestia, who had heard from a few steps away, let out a small laugh.
After resolving that quickly, Aphrodite approached Damon and Hestia, observing the cabin with a critical gaze, though she was clearly satisfied.
"I must admit, it isn't bad," she said. "But I think a little pink would do it some good. You know, to sweeten life a little. If you know what I mean," the blond goddess said with a mischievous smile, looking him up and down.
Hestia looked at Aphrodite with a twitching eyebrow at how shameless the goddess was.
Damon, for his part, stared at her in silence for a second before letting out a low laugh. "Thank you, Aphrodite. I'll have to seriously consider that proposal."
The goddess of love blinked, clearly surprised by the sincerity of his response. Damon, enjoying her reaction a little, changed the subject. "I heard you were helping your children."
Aphrodite crossed her arms, pretending indifference. "Naturally. I couldn't allow them to live in a cabin without taste."
The goddess of love glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Damon did not look away.
"Even so," Damon said, his tone lower than before, "I'm glad to see what you became."
Aphrodite barely blinked, but said nothing.
"After everything that happened… after everything I couldn't prevent," Damon continued, not taking his eyes off her, "at least there is something good inside you. And despite your flaws and your whims, you became a good mother."
Aphrodite didn't know how to answer. No one had ever said something like that to her before. The goddess's expression barely changed. Only someone who truly knew her would have noticed the way her gaze softened for an instant.
Damon didn't say "I'm sorry." Not clearly. But Aphrodite understood exactly what he was trying to say, and she appreciated it far more than she showed on the outside. "Careful, Damon," she said at last, recovering her usual tone. "If you keep saying things like that, I'm going to think you're trying to make me cry."
"It wouldn't be the worst thing that happened today, but I think we've had enough of that today, haven't we?" Aphrodite let out a small laugh, light and perfect, but at the same time, she didn't deny anything.
Damon nodded toward the goddess. "Your father sends his regards," the god said, ending the conversation, and walked away, leaving Hestia beside Aphrodite, both of them surprised by what he had just said.
And so, while the Greek pantheon began to take a different path, full of movement, hope, and changes many had never thought they would see, peace had returned… Unfortunately, it would not last long.
Beyond the borders of the Greek world, the news had already begun to spread: a new king had taken the throne of Olympus. And the supernatural world was about to learn his name. Some would recognize it, but for most, that name would be completely new.
Whether Damon and the Greek pantheon he had just inherited were ready for what would come next was another question entirely.
Only time would tell.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thank you
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