Chapter 35– A Farewell and Heading Toward Camp Half-Blood
When he got home, the night air was cool and quiet, the streetlights casting long shadows on the driveway. Dante got off the motorcycle, the engine ticking as it cooled, and headed inside to pack a bag with clothes and other supplies he might need—extra shirts, a jacket, some energy bars, and a few essentials tucked into a sturdy backpack.
While Dante was packing his bag in his dimly lit room, folding clothes carefully, Sera, Charlie, and Bella appeared at the door of his room, their faces illuminated by the hallway light.
Dante looked up, smiled lightly, and said:
"What's this? What did I do wrong to have this family meeting at this time of night?"
Sera crossed her arms, expression soft but firm.
"Stop joking, son. We all came to say goodbye to you."
Dante paused, looked at their worried faces—the creased brows, the tight lips—and said gently:
"You don't need to worry. Nothing too dangerous is going to happen. I'm just going to help my idiot uncle find the master bolt. We return the master bolt to Zeus the crybaby and mission accomplished successfully."
Sera stepped closer, voice trembling slightly.
"I know all that. But a mother is still going to worry about her son, even if he's very strong."
Dante smiled warmly and said:
"Well, that's true."
Charlie then approached, placed both hands firmly on Dante's shoulders, looking him straight in the eye, and said:
"Son, I can't help you with your journey from here on out. So this old man here can only give you one piece of advice: do what you believe in. If you see something you don't like, take action. Sometimes we see something and want to do something to help, but we stop halfway out of fear of what everyone will think or how they'll react, or out of fear that your help will end up making things worse. But when you start ignoring the things you believe in, you slowly lose what makes you unique. So be yourself, no matter if it's gods or monsters you're going to face."
Dante smiled gratefully and said:
"Well, thanks for the advice, Dad. Don't worry. I'm not going to stop doing what I believe in just because someone tells me the gods decided it that way and that's how it has to be."
Dante then looked at Bella, smiled teasingly, and said:
"So, my big sister has nothing to say to her little brother who's heading out on a Greek mythological quest?"
Bella didn't speak—just stepped forward and hugged Dante tightly, arms wrapped around him like she didn't want to let go.
She whispered:
"Just come back alive, okay?"
Dante hugged her back just as hard and said:
"Of course I'll come back. After all, I have to protect my idiot sister from her not-so-smart choices."
At the front door, under the porch light, Sera asked:
"So, son, how do you plan to get to the camp?"
Dante replied, glancing at the night sky:
"Unfortunately, I only have this golden compass here. It doesn't show coordinates, just the direction. Which means I can't use teleportation. I can only drive or fly there."
Dante then looked at his motorcycle gleaming in the driveway and said:
"I don't want my brand-new bike to get in the middle of a possible war between gods. So the way will be to fly to the destination."
Bella asked excitedly, eyes wide:
"So you're going to turn into a dragon?"
Dante replied:
"Not completely. My full form is too big and there's no reason to use it just for a trip."
Dante then transformed into his half-dragon form: his golden eyes shifted to reptilian pupils, his arms turned into powerful claws, and his giant black wings like the night stretched out behind him, casting shadows across the yard.
Dante, with a deeper voice due to the transformation, looked at his family and asked:
"So, what did you think of my transformation?"
Sera replied, eyes shining with a mix of pride and awe:
"Honestly, I'm really jealous of your transformation. It looks like a final boss from a fantasy movie."
Bella, staring at Dante, said:
"Well, now I understand why you despise Edward him a bat."
Charlie looked at Dante and said seriously:
"Just be careful, son. And make sure you don't hit any planes."
Dante picked up the bag from the floor, slung it over his shoulder, and said:
"Well, I'm going. See you later."
He then launched into the sky at high speed, wings beating powerfully, keeping his speed below the speed of sound so his bag wouldn't disintegrate from the friction.
While flying toward the camp, cutting through cool night air, he thought:
I hope Percy can survive a little longer. He's a demigod of Poseidon. Just throw him in the water and he's ready for another round. It's just a shame I won't be able to save his mother.
Dante said while flying among the clouds in the darkness of the night, stars twinkling above:
She's one of the best mothers I've ever seen. Even after a one-night stand and getting pregnant, she raised Percy with love and care. And even after knowing he would attract monsters, she made the ultimate sacrifice for her son. In her most beautiful youth, she married the most disgusting, idiotic man possible just so his horrible smell would keep monsters from finding her son. And even after years of marriage being humiliated and treated badly every day, she never thought about separating from him because that would put her son in danger.
Dante sighed deeply, wind rushing past, and said:
"I really hope Percy understands who he should truly admire. It's not an idiot sea god, but a woman who sacrificed everything she had to keep her son safe."
Dante accelerated toward the camp, wings slicing through clouds:
"I really hope he knows who to admire. After all, that's a woman worthy of respect."
He then vanished into the clouds heading toward Camp Half-Blood, the night swallowing him whole.