On the Fourth of July, the entire camp gathered on the beach for a fireworks display organized by Cabin 9. As children of Hephaestus, they wouldn't settle for ordinary red, white, and blue explosions. They anchored a barge far off the coast and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles.
According to Annabeth, who had seen the show before, the explosions would be so well-sequenced that they would look like animated frames in the sky.
The finale was supposed to be a pair of thirty-foot-tall Spartan warriors crackling to life above the ocean, engaging in battle, and then exploding into a million colors.
While Annabeth, Ikki, and Percy spread out picnic blankets, Grover appeared to say goodbye to them.
The satyr wore his usual jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers, but over the past few weeks, he had started to look older, almost high-school-aged. His goatee had grown thicker, and he seemed to have gained weight. His horns had grown at least three inches, so he now had to wear his Rasta cap all the time to pass as human.
"I'm leaving..." Grover said to the three with a slight hesitation, "I just came to say... well, you know..."
Ikki glanced at him with a slight smile, feeling happy for his friend who was about to pursue his dream. He silently hoped everything would go well for him.
Percy also tried to feel happy for him. After all, it wasn't every day that a satyr got permission to search for the great god Pan. But saying goodbye was hard. He'd only known Grover for a year, yet he was one of his best friends.
While the two were lost in their own thoughts, Annabeth gave Grover a hug. She told him to always wear his fake feet.
"Do you have any idea where you'll go first?" Percy asked, unsure of how to approach the farewell.
"Kind of a secret..." Grover said, looking a bit awkward. "I wish you guys could come with me, but humans and Pan..."
"We understand," Annabeth interrupted, then asked with concern, "Do you have enough cans for the trip?"
"Yes..."
"And you remembered your bamboo flutes?"
"Geez, Annabeth..." Grover grumbled, not genuinely annoyed, "You sound like an old nanny-goat..."
He grabbed his walking stick and threw a backpack over his shoulders. He looked like one of those hitchhikers you see on the road—nothing like the short boy Percy and Ikki used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.
"Well... wish me luck..."
"You've got this, Grover," Ikki said after a brief moment of silence, his encouragement earning a smile and a fist bump from Grover.
Grover gave Annabeth another hug, patted Percy on the shoulder, and then headed back through the dunes.
Fireworks exploded above the four of them: Hercules slaying the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a child of Athena) crossing the Delaware River.
"Hey, Grover..." Percy called.
Grover turned back at the edge of the woods.
"Wherever you're going, I hope they make good enchiladas..."
Grover smiled and disappeared; the trees closed around him.
"We'll see him again," Annabeth said softly.
Ikki patted Percy's shoulder and smiled as he looked up at the fireworks. "Yeah, I'm sure we will..."
Percy said nothing. He tried to believe it, but the fact that no seeker had ever returned in two thousand years... well, he decided not to think about it.
Grover was going to be the first. He had to be.
July passed.
Ikki kept training with his best friend, spending time with Annabeth and Silena, and doing normal camper activities.
By this point, his presence had become more normalized in camp due to his ability to manipulate it. The campers gradually got used to him and no longer became completely absorbed when they saw him.
He played several games of capture the flag, all of which his team won. Eventually, he stopped playing after speaking with Chiron and became just a referee for the games.
During this time, instead of training as if his life depended on it, he tried to relax and deal with matters of the heart—moving on was complicated.
He began to feel lonely.
People seemed to fear and admire his figure, as if no one truly understood him anymore. It felt like he'd been distanced from the common crowd—a feeling he'd always had since growing stronger and facing no real challenges. But now, it seemed more pronounced.
This loneliness, combined with unreciprocated love that seemed impossible to overcome, became his "burden" during the passing days...
The last night of the summer session arrived all too quickly. The campers had one final meal together. Each of them burned part of their dinner for the gods. Around the campfire, the senior counselors handed out the end-of-summer beads.
Ikki received his first leather necklace, and when he saw the bead for his first summer, it was pitch black, with a shimmering lightning bolt in the center.
Percy beside him was also thrilled; his bead was pitch black, with a trident in the center.
"The vote was unanimous," Luke announced as he looked at Percy and Ikki. "These two beads commemorate the first summer of the son of the Sky God and the son of the Sea God. And the quest they undertook to the darkest part of the Underworld to prevent a war!"
The entire camp stood and applauded.
Athena's cabin pushed Annabeth forward so she could share in the applause.
Ikki felt somewhat lost. He was beginning to see Camp Half-Blood as his home, but he would soon have to leave. He couldn't stay the rest of the year because he wanted to spend that time with his mother—he needed to see her to talk about everything.
Meanwhile, Percy beside him had never felt so happy and so sad at the same time.
Finally, he had found a family, people who cared about him and thought he had done something right. And by morning, most of them would be gone for the rest of the year.
The night passed amid the campers' mixed feelings of melancholy and happiness.
The next morning, Ikki woke up and stretched. Today would be his last day at camp. He had planned to do something he'd been putting off for a long time.
He walked out of his cabin.
Camp Half-Blood was somewhat empty, but he didn't mind. He walked past the cabins until he stopped at the central fire, where a familiar girl was crouched, tending to it. What surprised him was that she looked older.
But even so, she still had a small, delicate figure. She appeared very young, like a fourteen-year-old girl, with black hair and an extremely beautiful, delicate face.
Her hair was very long, reaching below her hips, dark as pitch, like a starless night. Her skin was white as snow and as delicate as a newborn's; it was like jade—pure and flawless. Narrow shoulders like snow, a slim waist, and proportionate hips and chest in an unpretentious way.
She wore a simple brown dress that highlighted her figure even more, giving her a stunning charm that would captivate anyone.
It was as if all the beauty in the world had been gathered into this body of extraordinary perfection.
When she turned toward him, an honest smile, intelligent and warm brown eyes lit up at the sight of him.
Despite sensing the power radiating from her and the familiar delightful scent of wood smoke and toasted marshmallows, he still needed to confirm.
"Lady Hestia?"
The Goddess of the Hearth gave a slight smile. He was finally approaching her to talk? Something she had always hoped for, but having watched him from a distance, she knew he seemed to be going through a phase where he needed to keep himself occupied. So, she didn't bother him and simply waited patiently for him to come to her or for an opportunity to help him. It seemed the first option had happened first.
"Ikki Phoenix," she addressed him, pausing her tending of the flames with a small stick for a moment before concluding, "You don't need to call me 'Lady.' Just call me Aunt Hestia or Hestia. I think, after everything you've done for me, it would be inconsiderate of me to demand those old-fashioned forms of address."
"Oh, I'll call you Hestia, then," Ikki said with a casual smile.
"Alright," Hestia smiled lightly and asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Actually, I just wanted to talk a little and say goodbye."
"You're leaving too?"
"Yes."
"So, what do you want to talk about? If it's something I can help with, I'll be happy to do so."
Ikki looked into the warm brown eyes of the Goddess crouched in front of him and, making his watch visible after pulling up his sleeve, asked, "The Shield... You were the one who gave it to me, right?"
Hestia didn't seem surprised that he had figured it out but was curious about how exactly he had. "Yes, it was a small gift from me. But how did you find out?"
Her eyes reflected a gentle and curious glow.
"Well, it's complicated to explain. But I can sense as if this watch were a part of you, or more specifically, of your 'energy.' If I'm not mistaken, it's due to your blessing, but it made me curious. Is there a reason for it and for you giving it to me?" Ikki said briefly as he looked at the watch and then returned his gaze to the Goddess during his question.
The Divinity in this world was complex; he didn't fully understand it.
Hestia was surprised. She took a deep breath and, to explain the reasons as he asked, started with a simple question: "Do you know why almost no one sees me?"
Ikki thought for a moment and looked at the fire as he said, "Well, you're a Goddess, right? I believe that if you wanted, no one could see you, right?"
"More or less," Hestia smiled slightly and explained, "Actually, I cast a spell on myself so that only people with a strong sense of love and care for family can see me. And you met the requirements to see me, so I got curious about you and then watched you when I could."
"And seeing how you were with your friends and how much you cared about them, I decided to reward you with this shield, knowing you would use it to protect what you consider important to you."
The Goddess of the Hearth smiled lightly at the end of her words.
"I see," Ikki closed his eyes for a moment before smiling and saying, "I guess I should thank you then. Although I haven't used it much, I will take good care of it."
"I know you will," Hestia smiled and returned to poking the fire in front of her.
The two were silent for a moment before Ikki asked softly.
"Isn't it lonely?"
"Sorry?"
"I mean. Staying here alone without anyone to talk to, isn't it a bit lonely?"
"A little. But I've gotten used to it," Hestia said, smiling slightly, before her eyes sparkled and she added, "Of course, after you made that daring request, the campers started sacrificing a lot of food to me, and even some who could see me came to talk to me and thank me. They've been busy days."
Well, not that she cared about the campers who ignored her before this summer.
She enjoyed good company and sought it out when she wanted, whether from her nieces, sisters, or mother, and, of course, from some campers who caught her attention. All of them were going through difficult times, and she helped with some advice at times.
A job that should have been done by their parents, but as the Goddess of Family, she couldn't ignore it.
"That's good," Ikki said with a small smile on his lips. He spoke playfully, "Well, say goodbye to your loneliness. From now on, I'm going to be your best friend, okay?"
Hestia laughed lightly and said,
"Yes, we can be friends if you want. Compared to some of the other... relationships my family has had with mortals, I doubt the two of us being friends will cause much controversy."
"And even if it does, I think you wouldn't care at all, right?"
"Of course not!" Ikki shook his head negatively and said formally, "I think I wasn't formal enough. Excuse me, miss. Would you do me the honor of being your friend?"
A small smile danced on his lips.
"Of course, Ikki. But the honor would be all mine," she replied, smiling warmly.
Ikki felt his heart skip a beat at how radiant and cute the Goddess before him was.
She was like a pure gem amidst the world's impurities.
Indeed, the impression he had of her couldn't have been more accurate.
She was, in fact, the only good Goddess of Greek mythology.
He then began talking with the Goddess while sitting beside her. She didn't seem to mind at all.