If there's anything I learned this summer, its that Camp Half-Blood really knew how to throw a welcome home party. 

The second we set foot through the camp's magical boarders there was a series of loud pops as multicolored confetti and streamers erupted in multiple clouds around us.

 Immediately following a feast fit for the gods that Chiron had set up for us, a wave of cheering campers ran in Paris, Percy and I's direction and began to lift us onto their shoulders. At first I was caught completely off guard, instantly wanting to writhe and squirm my way out of the five pairs of hands holding my legs and lower body upright. I looked over to Paris who was now red in the face from laughing at the Aphrodite cabin trying their best to lift her without breaking a nail or getting dirt on their shoes. 

Meanwhile, Percy was being hoisted up by the Hermes cabin. They snickered while he desperately swatted their hands away from the pockets of his jeans and sweatshirt.

    "Whoa, whoa, easy! Travis, Connor, stop digging around in my pockets," Percy tried to punch the Stoll twins from on top of the crowd.

      Nico and Danny watched from afar as Paris, Percy and I succumbed to the hysteria and chaos surrounding us. Will Solace joined them shortly, high-fiving Danny before wrapping an arm around Nico's neck lovingly. I could've sworn I saw Nico blush.

    People began to come out of their cabins to celebrate my friends and I's homecoming; out of the corner of my eye I caught Stacy Knoxville watching me from the entrance of the rusty Ares cabin. A couple of tree nymphs pranced out of the woods beside us and gracefully adorned each of our heads with traditional Greek olive wreaths, similar to those of Olympic athletes. Paris was right beside me, squealing in delight as the campers carried us towards the lake in the distance. 

    We finally reached our destination at the old wooden dock leading up to Camp Half-Blood's famous lake. The sun had set hours ago leaving us in almost complete and total darkness, with the exception of a couple of fire lit torches.

    "Alright guys, you know the drill," Travis Stoll made his way to the front of the crowd of campers. "If you complete your quest you get a complimentary dip in the lake. A La Stoll Style. Jackson, you're up first."

    "Come on guys, I've already done this way too many-" Percy tried to weasel his way out of a midnight swim.

      The entire crowd began to boo at his protests. My heart pounded at the thought of being forced into the water. They couldn't make me do that too...could they?

     "You know what? Fine. But if I drown, it's all on you," Percy gave into the crowd.

   "Five! Four! Three! Two!" Every camper was counting down Percy's launch into the lake while the Stoll twins swung his upper and lower body. Percy huffed out a breath in annoyance as the Stoll twins snickered above him.

     "Is this really necessary-" 

      "One!"

     SPLASH!

    I gulped as I watched my friend crash and disappear into the depths of the mysterious water below. It was far too dark outside to make out a solid figure or shape inside of the water. For a second the entire camp held its breath as they waited for a sign of life from the lake. After almost three whole minutes Percy rose to the surface, shaking out his shaggy black hair. Of course he couldn't drown. He was the son of Poseidon, for crying out loud. The crowd surrounding us went crazy, roaring and cheering wildly for him. He loved it; the attention, the acceptance from his peers. Even in the darkness I could clearly see the wide smile plastered across his rebellious face. Percy laughed and thrashed his arms around in an effort to splash the Stoll twins above him.

    "Who's next, ladies?" Travis Stoll turned to look at Paris and I eagerly while his brother tried to suppress a devilish grin. 

    Paris cocked an eyebrow at me in question but I shook my head.

     "You go ahead, I'm fine."

     She paused for a moment but her stone grey eyes flickered as if something inside of her clicked. There was an unspoken understanding between us. She knew.

    "Okay, if you say so," Paris studied me with sympathetic eyes but I reassured her with a couple of encouraging nods. She then fearlessly strolled out to the dock leading out into the lake. 

It was moments like these that made me completely and totally envious of Paris Cantor. She was the complete embodiment of what it meant to be the daughter of Athena. You could tell every girl at camp wanted to not only be friends with her, they wanted to be her. Paris's bravery, intelligence and ability to think on her feet were the same qualities that saved my life in California. If it wasn't for her, I'd be dead. 

     Paris lined her body up straight, stacking one arm over the other in perfect diving position, but before her legs could properly spring her off of the dock, Travis Stoll held out his arm to stop her.

    "Ma'am I'm afraid this is a launch site only," Travis Stoll wiggled his eyebrows at my friend, "unless you'd prefer to dive in by yourself and go on a date with me instead." 

She huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. 

    "In your dreams, tweedle-dumb." She stuck out her arms for Travis to grab onto while his brother swung her legs. Connor Stoll couldn't contain his laughter at Travis's rejection from Paris.

    I counted down from five with the rest of the camp and watched as Paris landed with a loud crash inside the lake. Everyone anxiously awaited all over again for Paris to ascend from the watery abyss. The water gurgled and bubbled before Paris's flowing hair began to slowly emerge, her whole body following suit. 

    "Happy now?" Paris jokingly spat at the camp while they cheered just as loud for her as they had for Percy, if not even louder. She tried her hardest to look annoyed but eventually a smirk began to surface on her beaming face. Her smile was contagious, as I found one dancing on my lips almost instantly. 

    "You know, you could try it," Danny nudged me with his shoulder. I hadn't even noticed he was right beside me.

    "Try what?"

    "Having fun for once."

    "Pfft, what? I have fun! I have lots of fun," I tightened my arms around my chest, "besides, I don't think it would be a very good idea for the daughter of Zeus to go into a lake. Hello, that's Poseidon's domain."

    "Oh give me a break. You're just using that as another one of your lame excuses and I, for one, am tired of it. Poseidon totally owes you one for saving him and his brother's asses. I think one swim won't do you any harm, Ri."

     Danny had a point. I looked absolutely pathetic watching my friends have fun and all the while I couldn't even remember the last time I had truly enjoyed myself. Truthfully, I had always been afraid of water, even before Zeus had claimed me. But he couldn't be my excuse forever. 

     "Do you ever get tired of being right?" I rested my head on his shoulder.

     "It's absolutely exhausting. Now get out there," he gave me an encouraging push onto the dock.

     I tried to gulp down all of my fear as I walked towards the Stoll twins, who were doubled over in laughter at Paris's furious attempts to splash them from below. 

    "Aw, man. Fun's not over yet," Connor tapped his brother's shoulder as soon as he noticed me on the dock.

    Travis began to speak, but I held my hand out to stop him. "Spare me the pick-up lines or jokes, okay? I just want to be thrown into the lake like my other–"

     He didn't give me a chance to finish. Travis hooked his arm underneath my legs and launched me straight into the water without so much as a single warning. The children of Hermes weren't known for their compassion or manners, in case you were wondering. In hindsight, I should've microwaved Travis's brain inside his head the minute he touched me but my overwhelming fear and temporary paralysis didn't leave room for much thinking.

     The second my body made contact with the water I couldn't move. Honestly, I couldn't tell you the difference between the arctic water from my nightmares and the lake water at Camp Half-Blood. It was absolutely freezing. At first it felt like a light tingle, or a couple thousand needles prodding through my entire body. Slowly, I began to lose feeling in my fingers and toes; I was being consumed by a chilling numbness. My eyes were clamped shut in an effort to soothe my growing anxiety of being in the water. Everything was still and completely silent until something suddenly grazed my arm. My eyes immediately flew open and my demigod senses kicked into overdrive.

    Unfortunately, and fortunately, it was Percy Jackson smirking right in front of me. He was completely dry and breathing comfortably, as expected from a son of Poseidon. 

   "Look who decided to show up," I could hear his voice loud and clear, even underwater. 

A flood of anger shot up straight to my head. Who did he think he was? He had practically ignored me for two whole days and now he decided to speak to me? I could feel my cheeks heating up from all of the mixed and jumbled emotions hitting me at once. 

    I tried to respond, but it was hard to take me seriously when my words were coming out in garbled bubbles. Percy laughed at my failed attempt to respond to his irritating comment. My lungs then began to tighten slightly underneath my ribcage; I was beginning to run out of oxygen. 

Percy could sense my discomfort underwater. He held out his hand for me to grab onto and I took it. Right away my lungs filled with air and I felt the weight pressing on my chest begin to disappear. 

    "You were saying?" He tried to suppress a cheeky grin but he wasn't going to charm his way out of this one. Not today, Wonder Boy. I wasn't so easily bought.

   "Why are you talking to me? You've barely even looked at me since I almost...you know," I huffed out a breath in annoyance. 

   "Since you almost died in my arms. Just like Annabeth." The smirk had melted right off his face. Percy's voice was now dry and cold. It was strange hearing such harsh words come out of his mouth. 

   "Look, I'm sorry about your friend but–"

   "She wasn't just my friend, Orion. She was my girlfriend! I loved her and she just...I thought she was dead and I left her. It's my fault she's like this. It's my fault she's in this mess. And it's my fault those monsters almost killed you."

   All of the anger I had felt only moments ago had already evaporated. The mischievous gleam in his eyes was gone, replaced by pure sadness and guilt. Annabeth was tearing him apart from the inside out and he couldn't hide it anymore. Percy had been in this world for almost six whole years of his life; he'd lost countless friends to both evil and death itself, while I'd lived my entire life in ignorance. Even Percy Jackson didn't have it as easy as I thought.

   I shook my head and gently placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "I understand you're hurt about what happened to Annabeth, but it's not your fault," I thought back to what I had told Zeus about placing all of the blame for every misfortune that had happened in my life on him. "You have to stop blaming yourself for other people's decisions and the outcomes they bring upon themselves. You said it yourself, Percy. We're heroes. You're a hero. If you hadn't found me when you did, I would've been dead. Actually, if you hadn't been with me this entire time I would've been dead a very long time ago. So I owe you one." 

   "You owe me more than one, Bolt Face."

   "Hey, who's counting?"

   "Everyone probably thinks you've drowned by now," Percy tried to stifle his laughter but I joined him.

  "Another minute or two won't hurt, right?" I warily looked up to the surface of the lake. If you looked really closely, you could see the outline of the moon shifting above the restless water.

  "Right."

We stayed underwater and talked for three whole hours that night.