"Love is not a maybe thing, you know when you love someone"

-Dylan Thomas

"Death ends a life, not a relationship."

-Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie

Charlena

Silena had always wanted a happily ever after. Of course, in her fantasies, it had always happened while she was alive, and not still a teenager. The doves would be released after the ceremony and she and her happily ever after would share a kiss. Yes, as much as she hated to admit it now, she had always dreamed of the perfect wedding, ever since she was a little girl. Looking back on it, she assumes it was because she's a daughter of Aphrodite.

But, as they say, the good die young, and so now, Silena Beauregard is floating in her ghostly form towards the judging pavilion of the underworld, wondering how in Hades anyone could live in this horribly ghastly place. She would never get to live out her lifelong dream of marrying the one for her and living happily ever after.

Silena makes her way into the pavilion. Luckily, she's gotten the one with Shakespeare as a judge. She doesn't know anyone else who could understand love enough for her to plead her case to.

"Silena Beauregard." He says, looking over the scroll containing the details of her life, "Daughter of the goddess Aphrodite and Rick Beauregard. Ballet student from ages 4-10, Demigod at Camp Half-Blood, Head Counselor of Aphrodite Cabin for 6 years. Hmm, very impressive."

Silena sits waiting, holding her breath, she knows he is about to get into the tricky part. She really doesn't know what she'd been thinking. Every bad choice she's ever made is echoing in her head. When you're alive, you never really think too much about how bad decisions will affect you, you just kind of go for them. Shakespeare sits there for a moment, glancing over everything, his expression unreadable. Finally he takes a breath and looks back up at her.

"Honestly, Silena, I'm not sure where to put you. You definitely did more generous, beautiful things in your life than the bad things, but the bad things were so extreme that this is a very special case. Fortunately, the demigods who are still alive are honoring you as a hero because of your final actions, which could give you the extra nudge you need to get into the Fields of Asphodel or even Elysium. So, you have one chance to plead your case to me. Why do you believe you shouldn't be punished for your actions?"

"Everything I did, I did for love." Silena says quietly, "I became a spy for Kronos because I was in love with Luke, I tried to turn away because I found I really loved Charlie, I ran out in Clarisse's armor to join the fight so all those other couples would not have to feel the heart-wrenching, horrible, pain that it is to have your other half die. I fought to right the wrongs that I had made, for Percabeth, for Chrisse, for Tratie, for all my siblings and their ships, I fought for love, and that should excuse my actions."

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what Percabeth, Chrisse, Tratie, and ships are, but the rest of your story reminds me a lot of some plays I'd written: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Midsummer Night's Dream, etc. where the lost and confused hero/heroine is plagued by the powers of love. So, I'll give you some slack."

Shakespeare marks some things one the scroll, as if tallying up her total life points, before declaring that she has, just barely, scraped Elysium. Silena lets out a cry of relief, before thanking him graciously and walking out of the pavilion, a new spring in her step.

She stops short at the golden gates of Elysium though, because a familiar face is waiting there for her, and she really can't believe it. Charlie, her Charlie, is standing there with his arms wide open. Silena can't decide whether to run or walk. Will he still love her after he finds out what she did? She's gotten Elysium even so though, so maybe he will. She decides to run.

Charlie picks her up and spins her around, and for a moment, everything is perfect. That is, until they kiss, and that's when Silena realizes, maybe, after all they've been through, Charlie really is her happily ever after. She doesn't need a wedding, or a dress, or a chocolate fountain to find that fairytale ending, she just needed to die a beautiful, tragic, painful death. Who knew?

We had a beautiful magic love there

What a sad beautiful tragic love affair

-Sad, Beautiful, Tragic, Taylor Swift