Chapter IV
JENNIFER
Capture the Flag was probably the best way to say goodbye to the siblings. In the end, Percy's team won, but just barely and mostly thanks to Annabeth. After the game and a few jokes, Jennifer and Percy went to finish packing. They were not sure of what they might need other than clothes and their brand new, fancy looking wands.
“Would Nico totally hate us if we ask him to take us to Manhattan?” Percy asked Jennifer, as he pondered whether or not to pack his only elegant shirt. He mostly used it for dates with Annabeth, which he wouldn't be having for a while.
“He won't mind, and I think he is already expecting for us to ask him. Wanna see your mom?”
“Yeah, she'd hate me if I did this over phone. You could stop by your place while I talk to her.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Jennifer zipped her bag, staring around the now mostly empty Cabin 3.
“I'll go and ask him. Be back in a bit.” Ten minutes later, she was back with silly smile, an extremely red faced Nico and a bottle of blue Gatorade.
“What-?” Percy started, staring at their cousin.
“I caught him and his lover boy in the middle of a make out session” Jennifer grinned wickedly and made Percy laugh. Nico simply groaned.
“C'mon, stop it. I thought you'd stop by later” the son of Hades insisted, making the siblings laugh more. “I'm only allowing this because you're leaving tomorrow.”
“I'll stop teasing. Soon enough” Jennifer smiled again. “Now. Manhattan?”
“Yeah, yeah. Percy's place, then yours.”
Nico extended both of his hands, and the three of them were swallowed by the shadows. They appeared a block away from Sally's apartment, and walked slowly while Nico chugged his Gatorade.
“Yes?” Sally's voice came out of the intercom after Percy rang the doorbell.
“Hey, mom. It's me.”
“Oh!” Sally sounded surprised but not displeased. “Come up, sweetie!”
Sally buzzed the door open and Percy turned around to his sister. “See you here in a bit?”
“Let me know when you're done” she nodded.
Percy smiled and went into the building. Jennifer turned to Nico, who had already emptied half a bottle of Gatorade and was extending his hand to her. Jennifer held tightly to him, and in a second, they were standing right in front of her apartment door. The smell of baked goods immediately hit their noses and made them feel cozy.
“Nice one, Skully” she smiled.
“It's easier when it's closer” he smiled back.
Jennifer knocked on the door. After a few seconds, it opened and a woman with short brown hair came out. She had chocolate eyes and freckles all over her nose and cheeks.
“Jenn!” Jane Thompson smiled widely and hugged her stepdaughter. “What a nice surprise! I wasn't expecting you to come back until Monday!”
“Hi, ma” Jennifer hugged her back.
“And Nico! It's so nice to see you again!” Jane turned to the boy and hugged him as enthusiastically as she had hugged her stepdaughter.
“Nice to see you too, Mrs. Thompson”
“Oh, we've been over this. Jane is fine.”
“Jane” Nico repeated smiling a bit.
“Come in! I was just finishing trying out a new recipe for lemon brownies. I think they turned out great.”
So they made themselves comfortable in the living room while Jane prepared some tea. The brownies were delicious, and Nico and Jennifer made sure that Jane knew it.
They talked about nonsense at first. Jane asked about their friends and how they were doing, and how they'd all been spending their next summer at Camp Half-Blood. Half an hour later, she finally turned a bit more serious and asked about the gigantic elephant in the room.
“Okay. So everything's fine?” she raised an eyebrow at Jennifer.
Jennifer and Nico shared a glance. “I'll crash in your bed for a bit. Get back some energy before going back to camp.”
“Yeah, sure” Jennifer nodded slightly, and Nico stood up and vanished into her room. When she heard the door closing, Jennifer turned back to her stepmother.
“So?” Jane insisted.
“They gave me a quest, ma” Jennifer admitted.
“Oh” Jane's voice turned to a whisper. She squeezed the napkin in her hand, clearly afraid to ask what the quest was about.
“Percy and I are going to England” Jennifer started explaining.
“England?” the woman stood up and sat next to her kid. Her voice was mildly annoyed. “That's so far away! And is it just the two of you? Shouldn't someone else-?”
“It's an extremely rare quest” Jennifer cut her. “Yes, it'll be just the two of us. A guy named Harry Potter needs our help.”
She went on and explained all she knew about wizards, magic and Hogwarts. She talked about Voldemort and how he was a potential threat to their home. Jennifer told her everything Hecate had shown about to her and Percy, and showed Jane her new magic wand, but left out everything that involved time traveling and the fact that they'd be gone for seven long years. Jane wouldn't even notice, so Jennifer saw no reason to worry her even more.
“And when will you come back?”
“I'm not sure” Jennifer confessed. “But Hecate promised it wouldn't be too long. A few months tops.”
“And why just the you and Percy?”
Jennifer kept the real answer to herself. “Prophecy said so. You know how it is.”
Jane nodded slightly, stress and worry evident in her expression. “Yeah. I know there's no way around those.”
They went silent for a bit, until Jane smiled.
“Okay. Okay. England” she stood up. She removed her apron, and started pacing around the room. “It's super rainy there, so you'll need the umbrella, and you need to pack your winter coat in case you are gone for longer than expected. Most of your winter clothes are-”
“Ma!” Jennifer cut her, standing up and smiling wildly. “You don't need to worry about all of that!”
“Of course I do!” Jane grabbed her hands. “Last time, I couldn't stop wondering about all the things you might have needed, so now-”
“Ma!” Jennifer cut her again. They didn't speak for a few moments, until Jane hugged Jennifer tightly.
“I can't believe they're taking you far away from me. Again.”
“I know.” Jennifer hugged her back. “But it will be better this time. Percy will be with me every single day. I'll meet new people and make friends. I'll even learn magic. Who knows, maybe I won't get kicked out of this school.”
Jane gasped and broke the hug.
“What about your real school? And Percy's SAT's?” she demanded. “You two have been working really hard, trying to catch up after everything that happened last year!”
“We'll figure it out. We always do” Jennifer assured her.
Jane took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay.”
“And we can always use the Mist, right? To make them thing we didn't miss any classes” Jennifer added and Jane smiled a bit. “Help me pack?”
“Of course.”
They spent the next forty minutes packing silently so they wouldn't wake Nico up. When Jane wasn't looking, Jennifer made sure to sneak her photo album in between clothes, along with her mother's jewelry box and some other pictures she had hanging in her bedroom walls.
When they were done, Jane gave Jennifer three thick envelopes.
“Cash” she explained. “In case you need it. I don't know how much it is in pounds, but there are fifteen thousand dollars, okay? Should be more than enough for a few months if you won't be paying rent or food. You can also take your credit card.”
“Thanks, ma. I'm sure I won't use much of it.”
“Doesn't matter. Take it anyways, and if you have a lot to spare, then you can buy me something pretty. You can buy the Jacksons something too. Or your friends.”
Jennifer laughed and hugged her.
“Thanks” she repeated.
They went back to the sofa in the living room, and talked nonsense again for a few a minutes.
«Ready when you are» Percy's voice rang in the back of Jennifer's head.
«Be there in a few minutes.»
“Was that Percy?” Jane asked.
“Yeah. I better get going.”
Jennifer went to her bedroom and woke Nico up. They went back to the living room together.
“It was nice seeing you, Jane. Thanks for the brownies, they were splendid” Nico said and hugged her.
“No need to thank me. You know you can come by the bakery any time and pick up whatever you like.”
Nico thanked her again, and after promising to come visit her as soon as possible, he grabbed Jennifer's suitcase and the two boxes of brownies resting on top of it. “I'll wait for you outside.”
When he was gone, Jane hugged Jennifer again.
“Iris Message me whenever you can, okay? I want to know how things are going.”
“Okay, I promise” Jennifer said, and she found herself fighting back tears.
“I'll see you soon, right?”
“Very soon. You won't even notice I'm gone.”
They both knew Jennifer was lying, but ignored it.
“Okay, okay. You should get going. Send Percy my best.”
“Will do.”
“Good luck, sweetie” Jane squeezed her one last time.
“Thanks, ma. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
And before it became unbearable, Jennifer kissed her cheek and left the apartment, closing the door behind her. Nico was waiting for her with open arms. She hugged him tightly and drowned a sob against his shoulder.
“I'm so sorry, Jenn” he mumbled.
“Will you drop by to check on her while I'm gone?”
“Of course. I'll bring Will, Sam and Emily too. We'll keep her company.”
Jennifer didn't answer, but pushed herself away from him and wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.
“C'mon. We gotta get Percy and go back. I could use some sleep.” She grabbed her suitcase with one hand and Nico's hand with the other. In a few seconds, they were standing in front of Percy's apartment door.
Nico knocked, and a red eyed Sally Jackson opened the door for them.
“Oh, sweetie” the woman said and hugged Jennifer.
They broke the hug and went inside, but didn't stay long. Percy looked as beaten up as Jennifer felt. After some more advice and hugs from both Sally and Paul, Percy and Jennifer went back outside, where Nico was waiting for them.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah” the siblings muttered.
Nico left them at the door of cabin three. He kissed Jennifer's cheek, waved goodbye to Percy, and promised to have breakfast with them in the morning.
Percy and Jennifer went back into their cabin in silence. They left their suitcases next to the things they had packed previously, along with the boxes of baked goods their families had given them, and changed into their pajamas.
“Do you want to talk about anything?” Percy asked once they were in bed.
“I didn't have the heart to tell her that they're sending us back in time” she admitted.
“Yeah. Me neither” Percy agreed. “They will find out, eventually.”
“I know. But by then, it will all be over.”
“Hopefully.”
They went back to silence. Silent tears ran down Jennifer's face, until she finally fell asleep. Percy woke up on multiple occasions, but managed to get some hours of rest. At least neither of them had dreams.
Their alarms went off at 8:45. They got out of bed in silence, and after changing their clothes, they went to the dining pavilion to have some breakfast.
All their friends were there, even the ones from Camp Jupiter, gathered around Poseidon's table. The table itself was covered in their favorite foods, which made the siblings smile.
They had breakfast and acted like nothing was wrong, but as time went by and more campers arrived to have breakfast and wish them good luck, it started dawning on them that Hecate would show up sooner rather than later.
“What time did Hecate say she'd come?” Hazel asked.
“Around twelve” Percy answered.
“We still have an hour to kill” Reyna smiled. “We should go to the beach.”
“Sounds fun” Jennifer agreed.
Once they were there, Percy and Jennifer made sure to spend a little bit of time with every one of their friends. Everyone wished them good luck, as the rest laughed and played volleyball in turns.
After a while, sat down on the damp sand, the ocean waves just a few inches away from her. Her friends, Sam and Emily, sat next to her.
“Percy and Annabeth are absolutely breaking my heart” the daughter of Aphrodite spoke. Sam opened up his mouth to answer, but his girlfriend covered it and forced them to listen to the conversation happening a few feet away from them. Jennifer turned her head to the side a little bit.
Percy and Annabeth were sitting on top of a blue towel, their hands tightly held together.
“You better come back with a sexy accent, Seaweed Brain” Annabeth said to Percy, her head resting over his shoulder. They were watching their friends play the last volleyball set.
Percy laughed. “I'll try.”
“I'm going to miss you so much.”
“I promise I'll be back soon enough.”
“There's no such thing as soon enough.”
Percy turned to Annabeth and smiled. “I love you, Wise Girl. More than I can put into words.”
Annabeth smiled back at him. “I love you too.”
They stared at each other's eyes for a few seconds, until Percy grabbed her by the cheeks and kissed her.
Jennifer smiled, staring at them from the distance, then turned her eyes back to the sea. If James was still around, she would probably be even more broken hearted to leave her family behind for so long than she already was.
“It literally hurts” Emily sighed.
“Well, they are your favorite couple” Jennifer laughed.
“Obviously! After Sam and I, of course.”
“I was afraid for a second there” Sam smiled.
“Dorks. I'm going to miss third wheeling with you two.”
“I wish we could go with you. We wouldn't even have to go to Hogwarts, we could just hang at wherever it is you're staying during summers” Emily grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it tightly.
“Maybe they'll let us visit you” Sam spoke hopefully. “During your summer breaks or something.”
“I don't know, honestly. But a girl can dream, right?”
“You'll be bored out of your mind without us. And who will be your wingwoman? I'm sure there won't be any kid of Aphrodite over there” Emily said dramatically and made Jennifer laugh.
“I'll finally catch a break from you trying to pair me with random people.”
“Oh, please” Emily wrapped her arms around Jennifer's shoulders. “You love those random dates.”
“I guess I kinda do.”
They went silent, staring at the waves in the ocean.
“Do you think you'll be back before summer?” Sam asked after a while.
“Who knows. Maybe. I really hope so.”
“And-” Emily started, but they were interrupted by Percy and Annabeth.
“Hey” Percy spoke, and his slightly queasy voice didn't go unnoticed by Jennifer. “We should go back to the cabin. Hecate will show up at any minute now.”
“Sure” Jennifer nodded. “Be there in a sec.”
Annabeth and Percy left hand in hand, and the rest of their friends followed until it was just the three of them left behind.
“Promise you'll come back in one piece, Jenny” Emily hugged her.
“Of course I will.”
“You don't sound convinced” Sam stated.
“I've survived worse than a crazy wizard, haven't I?” she smiled. Neither Sam nor Emily contradicted her, but they didn't look less worried.
“I'm sure everything will be fine” Jennifer insisted.
“If you say so” Sam accepted.
They sandwiched her in one last hug, and then went back to cabin three.
Chiron and all their friends were waiting for them. Their luggage was already waiting for them as well.
The centaur approached the siblings and smiled at them, placing one hand in each of their shoulders. “Good luck” he said. “I'm sure we'll see each other in no time, and you'll bring nothing but good news.”
“Of course” Percy smiled back. “You won't even notice we're gone.”
“A parting gift, from all of us. So you have something to remind you of your home when you miss it.”
Chiron handed them two snow globes. Inside, there was a perfectly crafted replica of a miniature version of Camp Half-Blood.
“Rachel's courtesy” Chiron explained. “She sends her best.”
“Thank her for us” Jennifer smiled. The siblings placed the snow globes carefully in their backpacks.
“You should go to the entrance. Hecate will meet you there when you arrive.”
The siblings nodded before turning around for a final round of hugs and goodbyes. Nico and Annabeth offered themselves to help them carry their luggage to camp's entrance.
“We'll call you as soon as we can” Jennifer promised them as they walked.
“You better” Nico stated. “Or I'll go and find you.”
“I'll go with him” Annabeth added.
“And we believe you” Percy smiled.
When they reached Thalia's tree, Hecate was already waiting for them.
“Just in time” she spoke. She held out her hand, and with a snap of her fingers, all their luggage was gone. “You may say a final goodbye, and then we'll be on our way.”
Annabeth hugged Jennifer while Nico said goodbye to Percy.
“Plase take care” she whispered in her ear. “Try not to be such a kelp head.”
“I'll try” Jennifer smiled, hugging her back.
Then, Annabeth turned to Percy, and Nico to Jennifer.
“I'll see you soon, Wise Girl” Percy hugged her.
“Yeah. Soon.” They shared a sweet kiss and smiled at each other.
“Be careful out there, Goldie. I won't be around to save your sorry ass” Nico hugged Jennifer.
“Try not to miss me too much” Jennifer whispered.
With heavy hearts, Percy and Jennifer waved goodbye to them as they returned to Camp Half-Blood.
“Now” Hecate spoke. “I'll take you to your new house, the place where you'll be spending your summers. I'll give you a few a hours to get settled, and then I'll give you all the necessary instructions for the beginning of your quest.”
Jennifer and Percy nodded slightly.
“Close your eyes, then, and we shall get going” Hecate continued.
The siblings did as they were told. They felt themselves surrounded by light and warmth, and the ground under they feet went from solid grass to soft sand.
When they opened they eyes, they were standing at the beach. The ocean was calm in front of them, and the weather, though cloudy, was nice enough.
“Welcome to England” Hecate spoke behind them. “Your home for the next few years.”