The clearing buzzed with relaxed chaos.

Percy Jackson—a blonde boy with messy hair and bright sea-blue eyes—lay flat on his back in the grass, hands behind his head, staring up at the clouds like they might start talking to him.

Beside him, Annabeth Chase, an African-American girl with neat braids and sharp gray eyes, sat cross-legged with a notebook in her lap. She was sketching something that looked suspiciously like a battle formation… even during downtime.

“Those are definitely harpies,” Percy said, pointing lazily at the clouds.

Annabeth didn’t even look up. “Those are cumulonimbus formations.”

Percy squinted harder. “…Harpies.”

A few feet away, Grover Underwood, a curly-haired satyr with nervous brown eyes and small horns poking through his hair, happily munched on a tin can like it was a bag of chips.

Crunch.

Leo Valdez, a wiry Latino boy with messy dark curls and a constant spark of mischief in his eyes, stared.

“Dude,” Leo said. “You’re literally eating the recycling.”

Grover shrugged. “It’s organic.”

Leo shook his head and went back to tinkering with a half-built mechanical dragon made from spare bronze parts.

Every few seconds a tiny puff of flame popped from his fingers.

Under the shade of a large oak tree sat Nico di Angelo, pale with shaggy dark hair and storm-gray eyes, dressed entirely in black despite the warm weather. He leaned against the trunk, quietly reading a worn myth book.

Will Solace, a sun-blonde boy with bright blue eyes and the easy warmth of someone who practically radiated sunlight, plopped down next to him.

“You know,” Will said cheerfully, “most people read outside to enjoy the sunshine.”

Nico didn’t look up.

“I am enjoying the shade.”

Will grinned anyway.

Nearby, Clarisse La Rue, a tall, muscular girl with brown hair pulled into a rough ponytail and fierce eyes, sat sharpening a spear with intense focus.

SHING. SHING.

Across from her, Chris Rodriguez, dark-haired and laid-back, watched nervously.

“You know,” Chris said carefully, “it’s a rest day.”

Clarisse didn’t pause.

“Resting is for cowards.”

Chris leaned back a little farther away.

At the edge of the clearing, Piper McLean, a girl with long dark hair, warm brown eyes, and feathers braided into her hair, sat with Jason Grace, a tall blond boy with storm-blue eyes and a calm, leader-like presence.

They were watching Leo nearly set his project on fire.

Jason sighed.

“That’s going to explode.”

Piper smiled faintly. “Probably.”

Not far off stood Luke Castellan, an Asian boy with messy black hair and thoughtful brown eyes. A faint scar ran along his cheek. He balanced easily on a fallen log, flipping a dagger in his hand with practiced ease.

Connor Stoll, a blond boy with a permanently mischievous grin, crouched beside him.

“So,” Connor whispered, “hypothetically… how mad would Chiron be if someone replaced Mr. D’s Diet Coke with strawberry juice?”

Luke smirked.

“Hypothetically? Very.”

Connor grinned wider.