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TWO WEEKS LATER...
A horn was blown into the air, echoing throughout camp. Oriana shot up from where she hanged onto the wooden structure, one hand gripping the edge, as a burst of excitement sends the campers sweeping out of the construction site and towards the boundaries of camp. Beneath her, Annabeth abandoned the schematics of the warship and tucked her knife into its sheath before heading towards where the crowd seemed to flow. Letting go of the edge, Oriana dropped from the tall height and landed on the ground, unlatching the harness around her waist as it clattered at her feet.
In the distance, silver figures emerged from the forest. Oriana squinted, trying to get a better look, but she's jostled out of her reverie when Leo bumped into her, trailing ink and ash in his wake. Close behind him, Piper yelled as she sprinted past the crowds, throwing excuses to the wind as she wove in between the campers. Even Jake and Nyssa have abandoned the diagrams upon diagrams that were poured across the worktables, dusting the pencil shavings from their hands as they walked towards the edge of the camp. At all this chaos, Oriana raised a brow — unfazed but still — her curiosity is piqued.
A presence appeared at her side and Jason tilted his head down at her, amused at the confused expression she wears. His smile bears down on her and she almost can't tolerate it. (But that was a lie. She feels her own lips be pulled into a small grin that she hides behind her hand, wiping her thumb across her mouth.)
"What is...?" Oriana trailed off, gesturing around instead of finishing her question.
"The Hunters arrived," he answered. "That means Thalia's here."
"Ah," she said, nodding. "Let's go greet your sister then."
At the hill where a tree stood tall, the invisible barrier that protected the camp emanating from it, Oriana watched as Annabeth opened her arms and was greeted by a fierce hug from Thalia.
Jason stepped forward. "Where's my hug?"
"You big baby," Thalia said, rolling her eyes.
As she wrapped her arm around him, bending him down to her height and ruffling his hair, Annabeth shook her head with a fond smile. "It's good to have you back, Thalia."
"It's been a while." Thalia's gaze shifted to her surroundings and she stopped to look at the clearing in the middle of camp where a dark shadow loomed over in the distance. "What in Zeus's name is that?"
"We're building a ship," Jason said, grinning.
Her eyebrows rose. "A ship."
Annabeth laughed. "Jason, you get your sister caught up. We'll get back to construction."
