Back in camp

{Camp Half-Blood, May 4th 2005}

The familiar scent of strawberries filled my nostrils as I materialized from the shadows at the edge of Camp Half-Blood. For a moment, I stood still, drinking in the sight of my home with my newfound vision. The vibrant green of the grass, the deep blue of the sky, the warm orange glow of the sunset – colors I had only ever dreamed of seeing now spread before me in all their glory.

But as beautiful as the view was, I still felt slightly out of place in here, after all I had spent the same amount of time outside of camp than in it.

With a deep breath, I focused on the top of Half-Blood Hill, where I knew Thalia's tree stood sentinel over the camp. In an instant, the shadows wrapped around me once more, and I found myself standing at the base of the massive pine.

I placed my hand on the rough bark, feeling the steady thrum of life within, it was now more powerful than ever. "Hey, Thalia," I whispered, my voice catching slightly. "I met your brother today. He misses you, you know. When I heal you I'll take you to him I'm sure you would have a lot to talk about."

Closing my eyes, I reached out with my powers, sensing the magical bonds that held Thalia's essence within the tree. They were strong something which I had already noticed before, the first time I had come to see her.

Concentrating hard, I began to weave shadowy threads between my fingers, infusing them with as much of my power as I dared. Carefully, I began to work these shadow-stitches into the magical fabric of the tree.

I didn't know exactly how to heal her but I had a plan more or less, the first part of the plan was to heal the injuries she had suffered before she turned into a tree, the second part was to break Zeus' enchantment, the thing that had turned her into a tree.

For thirty minutes, I worked tirelessly, weaving the threads throughout the tree and into Thalia's oak body, the bonds which held her fought back against my threads, smalls sparks of lightning burning them away. Without the power of my divine incantation to boost my powers, I had no clue how long it would take for these shadow-stitches to heal Thalia's body and break the bonds which fought against my threads.

Reluctantly, I pulled back, breaking the connection. "I will break them," I murmured, patting the tree trunk. "I'll come back every day, Thalia. I promise I'll get you out of there."

Exhausted but determined, I stepped back into the shadows once more, this time focusing on the Big House. As I emerged on the front porch, I looked at Mr. D for the first time ever, who was lounging in his usual spot with a Diet Coke in hand.

He had a chubby face, a red nose and curly hair so black, it looks purple. He normally has watery, blue, bloodshot eyes from drinking. He was wearing a tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt and purple running shoes.

"Watch where you're going, Oliver Seuss," he grumbled, not even bothering to look up from his magazine.

I couldn't help but grin. Some things never changed. "Sorry, Mr. D. It's good to see you too."

He glanced up then, his eyebrows rising slightly as he took in my appearance. "Well, well. I see you've had some work done, Oliver. I must say, I dig the new eyes. Very... mortal of you."

I chuckled, touched by what passed for a compliment from the camp director. "Thanks, Mr. D. Is Chiron around?"

Mr. D waved vaguely towards the door. "In his study, as usual. Try not to track mud all over the place, Owen."

With a nod of thanks, I headed inside, my heart beating a little faster as I approached my dad's study. I paused at the door, taking a deep breath before knocking softly.

"Come in," came the familiar voice of my adoptive father.

I pushed open the door, and there he was my adoptive father – Chiron, he had thinning brown hair, bushy eyebrows, intense brown eyes and a scruffy beard grown.

His lower half was that of a white stallion, he was surrounded by books and scrolls as always. He looked up as I entered, and for a moment, we just stared at each other in silence.

Then, he clopped up to me as fast as his horse legs could carry him, he crossed the room and pulled me into a fierce embrace. I hugged him back just as tightly, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

"My boy," Chiron murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "You're finally home."

"Dad I'm sorry for yelling..."

"Shh, don't worry it's all okay."

We stayed like that for a long moment in silence, neither of us willing to let go. Finally, Chiron pulled back, holding me at arm's length as he studied my face.

"Your eyes," he said softly, wonder and concern mingling in his voice. "Odysseus, what happened?"

I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling the weight of everything I'd been through. "It's a long story, Dad. Maybe we should sit down."

Chiron nodded, clopping back to his desk as I took a seat across from him. For a moment, I just savored the familiar yet weirdly new comfort of his study – the smell of old books, the soft ticking of the antique clock on the wall, the gentle creaking of Chiron's hoofs as he leaned forward, his eyes fixed on me with loving concern.

"Start from the beginning," he said gently. "Tell me everything."

And so I did. I told him about my journey, all my labors, my fights, the divine incantation and how it had stopped working, I showed him all my items, told him about the Kane family and their egyptian roots, the labyrinth, Echidna and her children, Jason and the roman camp and finally the giant blue book.

"There was this... presence," I explained, struggling to find the right words. "It felt old, Dad. Older than anything I've ever encountered."

Chiron's brow furrowed. "What did it say?"

I closed my eyes, recalling the otherworldly voice that had echoed through my mind. "Nothing, it was just a giant glowing blue book and when I woke up I had gained my vision."

My dad had a pondering look on his face as I explained to him about my encounter with the book, the shackles, the picture everything.

"Still those shackles, some felt natural and yet others felt weird as if something or someone had placed them upon me."

Chiron reached out, squeezing my hand. "I think I've heard something like this before from Dionysus himself."

"Mr D?"

[Greek Myth Fact: Today it's going to be about Mr D himself,

Dionysus was the Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy. He was depicted as either an older, bearded god or an effeminate, long-haired youth.

Dionysus was a son of Zeus and the princess Semele of Thebes. During the course of her pregnancy, the god's jealous wife Hera tricked Semele into asking Zeus to appear before her in his full glory. Bound by oath, the god was forced to comply and she was consumed by the heat of his lightning-bolts. Zeus recovered their unborn child from her body, sewed him up in his own thigh, and carried him to term. 

After his birth from the thigh of Zeus, Dionysus was first entrusted to the care of Silenus and the nymphs of Mount Nysa, and later to his aunt Ino, Semele's sister, and her husband Athamas. Hera was enraged when she learned of the boy's location and drove the couple mad, causing them to kill both their children and themselves. 

The Thrakian king Lycurgus attacked Dionysus and his companions as they were travelling through his land and drove them into the sea. As punishment, the god inflicted him with madness causing him to murder his wife and son and mutilate himself with an axe. 

King Pentheus of Thebes refused to accept the god's divinity and tried to apprehend him. The god retaliated by driving the king's daughters into a crazed frenzy and they tore him apart limb from limb. 

Dionysus instructed the hero Icarius of Athens in the art of winemaking. However, some shepherds, upon drinking the wine, thought they had been poisoned and killed him. The sorrowful god then set him amongst the stars as the constellation Bootes.]