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The quiet after a battle is nothing new to Grover. The silence before the realization of victory dawns upon everyone has also been present in the past two battles he’s been in -- the one in Camp and the one in Olympus. However, even with the comfort of the familiar calm, something troubling settled in Grover’s gut. Something was missing, and it was something he couldn’t pinpoint.
He looked around himself, observing the damage brought forth by the monsters and demigods that fought just moments ago, right before the explosion in the sky that seemed to stop everything. A heavy feeling spread across him as he saw the amount of bodies brought down by the battle, a scene he has seen before, yet something he will never be familiar with.
Grover noticed the others --the ones who were still standing-- exchanging uneasy looks, as if asking, “Is it really over?” He can understand their concern. The thought of the fight being done seems too good to be true. Months, no, years of preparation has led to this moment, and Grover still thinks that something, no, someone is missing in this moment.
A snap of a twig finally broke the silence. All heads, including Grover’s, turned towards the sound.
“Of course ,” Grover thinks. Of course the first sound after the battle came from the first demigod who started the hurricane known as Grover’s life. He turned and saw the one and only Percy Jackson, who had blood stains on the front of his shirt, running towards him , running towards Grover.
He only had a second to brace himself and extend his arms before Percy crashed into him, causing them to almost fall to the ground. Surprisingly, Grover was able to hold the two of them up. The troubling something that settled in his gut earlier was no longer there, replaced with the feeling of happiness and contentment Percy’s hugs always bring.
“Grover,” Percy gasped, as if all his troubles had been released the moment he was reunited with his best friend. Grover knew exactly what Percy felt.
“Percy,” Grover replied. “I’m so glad you’re back, buddy.”
“Me too, G-Man. Me too.”
The sound of running popped the bubble that surrounded the two. Another set of arms surrounded them, and Grover didn’t need to think to know who it was.
“Annabeth!” Grover exclaimed.
“Goat Boy!”
“What am I, chopped liver?” Percy asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Oh, whatever, Seaweed Brain. You know I’m glad you’re alive, too.” Annabeth said.
“I know,” said Percy. “That’s why I ran to Grover first.”
Grover didn’t know what to think. Here were his two best friends, who were dating, including him in their first embrace after a war that almost killed them. During their quest as part of the Seven, Grover couldn’t help but feel like he was being left behind again. He thought that they forgot about him. It turns out that those thoughts were unwarranted.
“I’m glad you two are alive, too.” Grover wiggled out of the group hug and turned to embrace Annabeth. “You both have a lot to tell me.”
“We know,” Percy said, with one of his hands still holding Grover’s shoulder. “But that can wait.”
“Yeah,” Annabeth murmured as she let go of Grover and took Percy’s other hand. “That can wait.”
Grover looked at his friends, his family. He didn’t notice the background sounds of other people reuniting in his surroundings as he focused. A memory of their very first quest, back when the two demigods were still 12 and Grover was not the Lord of the Wild, flashed through his mind. A quick memory of the three of them, three innocent kids who had no idea of what life was about to bring them, playing hacky sack with an apple in the bus caused a grin to spread across his face.
“The stories can wait,” Grover agreed. “After all, we're back home.”