The Ambassador of Athena

I will skip the part when I broke down, went haywire, punched Percy and almost broke his jaw and had to be dragged on board of the Argo before the volcano erupted. The statue was stored safely in the stables and would be dropped at New Rome. After I’ve cooled down a little by punching the walls, kicking chairs and shouting at Bufford the table I retreated to the cabin they assigned me and stayed there for the rest of our journey home to Camp Half-Blood.
During our stop at New Rome Leo, Percy and Jason tried to talk to me through the door, but I didn’t answer, and they didn’t dare to enter. Normally we would have stayed the night to celebrate, but since no one was in the mood of celebrating we just took off right after they were finished with unloading.
In retrospective my behaviour was neither the best nor especially manly. But I want to see how you would behave when someone you really, really liked just fell into a volcano.
Our arrival at Camp Half-Blood was depressing. Percy has informed Chiron about the more or less positive outcome of our mission and Leo made one or two small detours so we would arrive in the evening for the traditional burial of the shrouds. The crowd at the docks were silent and looked serious when we walked down the gangway. Chiron welcomed us together with Grover at his side, both with a worried look. Dinner was already over, so everyone walked over to the amphitheatre. Dionysos and Chiron walked first followed by us 6 Heroes that fought on Hawaii and the rest of the campers right behind us.

The burning of the burial shrouds was the most depressing part.
At the amphitheatre Dionysos held a short speech about how great and brave Johanna was, but he called her Jolanda and Jenny, so the effect was zero. Then her shroud was set on fire. It was made of sky blue silk, embroidered with golden owls and Greek letters.
Jessy’s shroud was made by his cabin mates, and since he came back in a piece there was no depressing speech. It was a simple red sheet with the head of a boar on it.
My own shroud looked great. It was made by Athena and Poseidon cabin together since I was not a demigod but both their ambassadors. Tyson, Percy’s Cyclops half-brother he has told me about, has returned for a visit, so he has helped making the burial shroud while Percy was gone. The result was a beautiful white sheet, the picture of a Greek archer on it, wearing a bronze muscle cuirass, a tunic and the vembraces to protect the arms and greaves for the legs. It was burnt without any ceremonial, they just threw it on the bonfire and watched it burn.

As soon as the sing-along started I sneaked out of the Amphitheatre and headed for the woods. The roars of monsters filled the air, but I just walked through the forest to cool down. I reached a cliff that looked over the sea and sat down under a tree close to the edge. It was almost like it has been when she broke up with me: I felt alone, mistreated, betrayed. But this time it was worse, this time there was no hope, she was gone for good. I wished I had talked to her more often the last few days, used the time better. I’ve always wished for a second chance with her, but I’ve been too stupid to recognize it when it was right in front of me. Athena has messed up the first time, and I still hated her for that, but the real reason for me to hate her was that I blamed myself all the years.
Before I could reach a point where I would just jump down the cliff to make my brain stop thinking I heard a voice.
“Florian? Come on, I can feel your feelings, just yell so I can find you.” And in a lower voice: “Feel the feelings? That sounded creepy.”
“I am here.” I answered with a voice straight from the grave.
It was Piper, Jason’s girlfriend.
After she sat down next to me she smiled at me encouraging. She took a deep breath.
“Look, I don’t want to be rude, but my Aphrodite-senses were tingling ever since you arrived here, and after I found out that you and Johanna were a thing a few years ago I just put the clues together. I can feel romance wherever I am, that’s a little bit annoying sometimes, but you feel different to me, you felt… broken.”
She looked desperate, trying to find the right words.
“Look, I know you grief, and you loved her, but you have to let go. She is dead, it’s not like you could go down in the underworld and get her back.
I flinched when she said that, but the next moment I remembered a part of my bachelor presentation and I froze.
“Katabasis” I whispered.
Piper looked confused. “What?”
“Katabasis” I repeated and darted off.

Notes

A short one, and don't you dare to look up Katabasis ;)