The Marks of a Warrior

Piper's POV

Everywhere around them lightning flashed, illuminating the massive gates in momentary bursts of light. The dreaded Doors of Death. Somewhere beyond them, lay Tartarus, the eternal abyss.

Wherever Piper looked, all she could see was the battle raging against the monsters that surrounded their band of warriors. Although no one spoke, she was able to sense their despair. Piper glanced around, noting everybody's expressions. They all looked grim and battle-hardened. She also noticed how the three experienced veterans – Jason, Nico, and Coach Hedge – had an air of resignation about them. And from the looks of things, the odds were not in their favour.

Off topic, Piper's mind wandered to other matters. She wondered what An-

Don't. Think. About. Them.

Ever since the unfortunate couple had...dropped away; there had been a distinct change in atmosphere aboard the Argo II. And, somehow, everyone managed to blame themselves for the tragedy that occurred. There was always a heavy tension in the air now. So much so, that even Leo had sobered up and stopped cracking as many jokes. Meanwhile, Nico had recovered from his own capture, but at the cost of two of his closest friends.

Piper couldn't help but be unnerved by the Son of Hades. Every time he moved, the shadows seemed to grab out as if wanting to catch his attention. Of course, it wasn't his fault that his father was the Lord of the Underworld; Piper just wasn't used to it yet.

Piper risked another glance around. Everywhere, monsters kept reappearing through the Doors of Death. She strained her neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two Saviours of Olympus.

There. A quick flash of bronze in the darkness. Could it be...?

She wasn't able to complete the thought. In her brief moment of distraction, a dracaena managed to sneak up behind her and slip under her guard. She sliced at her elbow and a burst of pain erupted in her arm. The she-demon would have finished her off, but before she could execute the killing blow, she took a quick glance behind Piper and stumbled back, as if shocked. That was all Piper needed. Without any hesitation, she jabbed her dagger into the dracaena's side and the monster crumbled to dust, its essence returning to Tartarus, where it belonged.

When Piper turned back to see what had distracted the dracaena, she wasn't surprised by its response. Because standing at the Doors of Death, in all their glory, were Percy and Annabeth, Heroes of Olympus. In fact, Piper was so overjoyed to see the two demigods that she let out a cry of glee, at the same time allowing a huge smile to stretch across her face.

At the sound of her voice everyone on the battlefield – monsters and demigods alike – froze and stared at the pair. Piper sensed that they, too, were mesmerised by the sight in front of them.

Percy and Annabeth were ducking and swiping at any monster that approached them. They waded through the enemy with such agility and grace that they made it look more like a high-intensity dance rather than the extremely dangerous duel it was. The couple moved in complete sync and without any hesitation, as if they could read each other's minds. Strikes and blows were exchanged emitting a clanging that could be heard from a mile away.

Even completely battered, Percy and Annabeth had an aura of power surrounding them. As the battle progressed, Piper realised that they were quite literally glowing. The Gods themselves seemed to have blessed the two with extra power.

Piper could not have been more glad to see the pair alive. The demigods (and satyr) aboard the Argo II had spent weeks in the fear that they might very well be dead. They had all tried their best to make up for the two (most experienced) half-bloods, but it definitely wasn't easy. Those two, especially Percy, were what had kept the Greeks and Romans together from the start.

Slowly but surely, they did it. Together, they managed to drive the enemy back, and close the Doors of Death. As soon as the last monster was killed, all of them gazed at the now-empty battlefield, just content to be surviving another day. They walked over to where Percy and Annabeth were staring at the outside world after almost a month. The rest of them just stood there, unsure of what to do, waiting for the couple to notice them. Even as they watched, the two older demigods seemed to be communicating with their eyes alone. Piper guessed that they were taking each other in after being practically blind for so long.

Piper also analysed the demigods, and deduced that both seemed to have gotten leaner and more serious-looking. The way they held themselves spoke of great loss and a sad past, yet at the same time they looked alert and ready for anything.

Finally, Percy broke the silence. "Well, it's nice to be able to see everyone again."

To Piper's immense surprise, Annabeth immediately started cracking up, as if it was an inside joke that only they shared. Soon enough, they were all laughing hysterically, enjoying the fact that they were all still alive.

After what seemed like an eternity's worth of laughter, Nico stepped up to Percy. "Look Percy, I'm sorry–"

He was immediately cut off. "Nico, you have nothing to be sorry about. If anything, I should be sorry I wasn't always there for you."

Nico seemed about to protest, but Percy cut him off with a stern glance. By the look they were sharing, Piper could tell that Percy wasn't just talking about his six months of disappearance. She also understood, however, that this was not the place – or the time – to ask. Friends or not, any questions would not be appreciated. So instead, Piper greeted them after so long, updating them on what had changed in the world while they were in Tartarus.

And together, they all headed back to the ship.

Everything was peaceful aboard the Argo II. Annabeth and Percy were catching up with the others, Frank was being all cute with Hazel, Jason was as oblivious as ever, Leo was joking around again, and Coach Hedge was back to watching MMA championship reruns in his sound-proofed cabin.

Piper watched with Annabeth as Percy and Leo fooled around. If she hadn't already known otherwise, she would've thought that nothing had happened to the couple. After all, Percy was his same old self, was Annabeth was also hardly any different from before. But Piper noted that when they thought no one was looking, their shoulders drooped, and their eyes shattered like broken glass. And although she couldn't bear to watch the two most powerful demigods she knew seem to be defeated, she also didn't have the courage to ask them what was wrong.

Piper wondered how, after facing two wars, and the horror of being trapped in Tartarus itself, they could still remain strong and put on a façade of happiness for the sake of those around them. She felt for them, and really hoped that they would have a peaceful life afterwards. If anyone deserved it, it was them. Piper especially couldn't imagine what Percy felt, being subject to – not one, but both – Great Prophecies; what it would be like to be responsible for the fate of the world, time and time again.

As night fell, Piper felt obliged to take first watch, just in case any monsters survived. According to her, she was (at least, emotionally) the most stable. Besides, she had learnt the hard way; it was always better safe than sorry.

Piper walked on deck, thinking about how her life had changed ever since she had discovered her status as a half-blood. Nearly a year ago, she was just another teenage delinquent, her main worry being how to avoid Isabel and her goons. Back then, all she was was a girl trying desperately to grasp the attention of her busy parent; to be recognised for once. And if she couldn't have it one way, she would have it by another. She found herself pulling bigger and bigger heists, and now, when she had finally managed to reconcile with her father, her ability to speak the truth about herself had been ripped away from her.

As she pondered over her messed-up life, Piper heard the sound of steady breathing. Her curiosity clouding her better judgement, she sneaked over to the source of the noise, all the while hoping that she didn't awaken whoever was there. When Piper reached there – well, she was shocked, to say the least.

There lay Percy and Annabeth, fast asleep, and clutching each other as if their lives depended on it. They were slumped against the edge of the ship, breathing deeply, with peaceful expressions adorning their faces. Piper was struck by how much younger they looked, when their faces weren't scrunched in worry, but instead devoid of stress lines.

Back at camp, her cabin-mates had dubbed 'Percabeth' the couple of the year. They used to go on and on about how perfect they were for each other, regaling her with tales of their cute dates. Now, looking at them sleeping together, she didn't doubt it. Piper could easily imagine them during the day, under more normal circumstances.

As if a demigod's life could ever be described as normal.

Even as she was thinking of this, she heard someone approaching form behind her. She turned around and spotted Leo emerging from round the corner. Catching sight of Piper, his features visibly brightened. He waved and came over. When had he come out of his room? Piper guessed that it must have happened when she was at the other end of the boat. Meanwhile, Leo kept coming closer and closer, till he was right beside her.

"'Sup, Beauty Queen."

Despite the two demigods sleeping there, Piper was tempted to slap him, if only to make him stop calling her that. As it was, she decided against it, settling instead by giving him the stink eye.

Leo, however, remained oblivious to the sleeping figures in front of them. "What, no slap? Does this mean that you're alright with being called that? Aw man! And I was finally getting used to getting slapped, too!" Leo still continued talking. "Now I'll have to come up with a new nickname to irritate you, or you'll never–"

"Leo! Shut up," she hissed. To Piper's surprise, he looked embarrassed, and maybe even a little bit relieved. But before Leo could come up with something else to say, she put a finger to her lips, pointing towards the half-bloods that were asleep next to them. Leo looked over to the direction in which she was indicating, and comprehension dawned on him, as he finally understood the reason for her silence earlier.

"Oh." Then after about a minute of quiet he spoke up again. "Kinda makes you think of what's important, doesn't it? Looking at the two of them, I mean. Even after all that's happened to them, they're still together. Leaping into Tartarus after Annabeth? I can't imagine doing that for anyone."

Hearing his last statement, Piper felt a pang of sadness, and even guilt, though she had no idea why. Poor Leo didn't have a special someone to share everything with. At the same time, she was also feeling a bit taken aback by what he had said. Who knew he had it in him? Those were the sort of things people expected to hear from the children of Aphrodite; not of her less-than-sentimental husband.

"Wow, Leo. Since when were you so sentimental?"

Leo blushed in response. Piper also felt ashamed to some extent. Having been so caught up with Jason and her own insecurities regarding him, she hadn't been spending much time with Leo. After all, it was him that she had known for longer than anyone else. Leo had always been there for her, unlike Jason who was only part of her Mist-altered memories.

An awkward silence followed Piper's question. She had almost apologised to Leo for asking when Percy stirred, saving her from humiliating herself any further. Suddenly, he shot up and pinned Leo to the floor, Riptide emerging in his hand with a quick flash.

Piper was stunned. Of course, she had heard tales of his heroic deeds – it was inevitable at Camp Half-Blood; especially if the one in question had been kidnapped and placed in a potentially hostile enemy camp, to save the world, again – and she had even seen his skills in action. But nothing prepared her for the speed at which Percy had reacted.

Percy was now fully awake, and openly glaring at Leo and Piper, his usually cheerful eyes flashing ominously. "Where. Is. Annabeth."

His statement both thrilled and horrified Piper. Her 'Aphrodite side', as Leo so cleverly put it, internally squealed at the implications of the words. But the more sane side of her kept the former in check. Was this what they had been subjected to in Tartarus? Hallucinations that would haunt them for the rest of their lives? For now, she decided that she would first get Percy off Leo, and interrogate him later on.

"Look, Percy. Annabeth's fine. See? Now why don't you just release Leo, and you can go back to sleep." Piper was mindful not to provoke him using charmspeak as she tried her best to calm Percy down; Riptide was pointed few inches short of Leo's Adam's apple, and she really didn't want that to change. "There. That's it. You can let him go. Come on, Leo. Let's go somewhere else," she added, turning and leading Leo away from there.

As they were leaving – Leo still holding his neck – Piper heard Percy call out to them. "Hey, Leo? Sorry about that. It's just that ever since, you know, there, I've been a little jumpy. I hope you'll forgive me."

He continued talking. "I didn't really mean that. Not that you guys should be out here, anyway. So – what were you two doing on deck, all alone?" Percy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but his face was red, and it was evident to Piper that he was trying to divert their attention from Annabeth and himself. "Well, then. See you guys later...Good night!" he called, just as they disappeared around the corner.

Once they were far enough from the spot, Piper immediately turned to Leo, both of them blushing heavily. "I guess this is good night, then. See you in the morning?" With that she hugged Leo tightly. As an afterthought, Piper gave him a light kiss on the cheek and walked off. She headed back towards her cabin, leaving a stuttering and extremely confused Leo behind, wondering what that was all about.

The others hadn't wanted to stop in Manhattan, of course, but Percy insisted. Even though it lay just before camp, and he could always come back anytime, he was adamant about it; in fact, he had even managed to convince Annabeth and Nico.

So here they were. And since Percy hadn't said anything against them coming along, everyone had followed. When they had finally reached the desired destination, Piper was deeply surprised to see that Percy was actually nervous.

After Percy's being so stubborn, Piper expected a good reason for it. So when she found them in the residential part of Manhattan, to say that she was caught unawares would be a gross understatement.

Is this really the best time to be looking for an apartment to move into?

As Percy rung the bell of a flat and anxiously twisted his hands, Piper help but wonder what this was all about. After about a minute's wait outside the door, she heard a lady's voice say, "Coming!" and noticed Percy freeze at the sound of it. Moments later, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with blue eyes and grey-streaked brown hair that was tied up messily in a ponytail. The woman had bags under her eyes, like she hadn't been sleeping properly. Piper thought she looked exhausted, and completely battered by life.

Upon catching sight of Percy, her eyes widened and immediately teared up. She pinched herself, as if to check whether she was dreaming. She stared in amazement as her gaze shifted to each of them – lingering for a while longer on Nico and Annabeth – but kept returning to the figure of Percy, who stood there, stock still, wringing his hands.

"Percy?"

"Mom."

Both family members rushed and embraced each other, neither willing to let go of the other. Piper now understood why Percy was being so difficult. She would want to be reunited with her dad, too, if she hadn't seen or heard from him in nearly a year. They were all still standing in the doorway when another tired looking man appeared. He immediately fixed his eyes on the pair still hugging the life out of each other. "Percy is that really you?" he asked in disbelief.

Percy just gave him a watery smile (Piper couldn't blame him for crying) and said, "Hey, Paul. It's good to be home again."

The man – Paul – let out a hysterical laugh and finally seemed to spot the rest of them. He then looked right at Annabeth and said, "You found him." It wasn't a question, as if he knew she would do it all along. He glanced around again till he caught sight of Nico. "Hi, Nico. How're you holding up?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and ushered everyone into the apartment.

For a while, no one spoke, pausing for a while to take in everything that had happened. Then Frank took a deep breath and piped up, "You guys must be Percy's parents, then, I'm guessing."

For some unknown reason, this statement really set Piper off. Soon the musical sound of mirth and careless laughter filled the house. After what felt like ages, they all calmed down. Percy started talking to his mom, filling her in on all her adventures. At the part about Tartarus, Percy paused, but continued when he saw his mom's knowing look. When he was done, Percy stood up, and once again he addressed his parents.

"I suppose you guys can guess where I'm headed next?" he asked. At this they both nodded. "Well, I'm off, then. Wish me luck."

With that he hugged them again, and the demigods exited the apartment. Jason immediately confronted Percy. "I thought you only wanted to visit one place. Where are you planning to go now?" Jason glowered for a while longer, and then said, "I didn't say anything earlier, but you have no right to parade the rest of us around wherever you want like you own us."

Jason looked miffed, but Percy just stared back calmly. "All I said was that I had some business left in Manhattan. I never said anything about specific places – or anyone following me." He paused, staring hard at Jason. "You can accompany me if you want, but if you don't want to then you're welcome to head back to wherever you had planned to go."

Percy didn't bother listening to Jason's reply, instead turning to Annabeth with an expectant look. "You coming, Wise Girl?"

She rolled her eyes. "Do you want to face them alone or do you want us to be there with you?" Annabeth asked him, gesturing to herself and Nico. The person in question surprisingly didn't seem to be bothered by their behaviour. It was as if Nico knew what they were talking about and didn't care for the outcome.

"Come with me," Percy replied. "I'm gonna need the moral support." He turned to the others. "Have you guys decided to come or stay?"

Curious as to where Percy intended to go, Piper promptly said, "You bet I'm coming." She felt bad about just leaving her own boyfriend hanging like that, but to be honest he was acting like a bit of a vlacas. Piper turned to the others. "Guys?" One by one, they all agreed to accompany the others, albeit Jason a bit grudgingly.

They headed out and caught another taxi, sitting in an overwhelming silence as they headed for their next destination. Why would he want to go sightseeing at a time like this? She wondered. The ride to the Empire State Building was uneventful, and no one spoke till they reached the skyscraper.

Once they had all arrived, Percy strolled up to the bald, blue-eyed security guard sitting in the lobby of the building. He nodded at the guy, and grabbed a golden plastic card which the guard was holding out for him.

"You know the drill," he said, "No mortals in elevator while you're going up." He nodded once more, and Percy led them to the elevators.

They stepped into an empty one and Percy said, "You know, I think that's probably the first time I didn't have to ask him for it." Annabeth smiled at this, and looked wistful, as if she was remembering better times. But Piper had to admit, with elevator music this bad, she seriously doubted that any experience could be good. She couldn't wait to get off the elevator; unfortunately, the ride wasn't about to get over any time soon.

The numbers on the screen flashed as the floors ascended; the torture never seemed to end. Finally, at the 600th floor it came to a halt, and Piper let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Then the doors opened, and for a moment she felt her heart stop beating.

Floating steps led from the doors of the elevator to what looked like the tip of a mountain, suspended right over the Empire State Building. Dotted on the mountain top in gold and silver were temples and shrines, flanking a squeaky-clean, sparkling-white marble path which led to what looked like an enormous hall with 12 (occupied) thrones in a central U. and, judging by how similar the organisation was to the cabins back at Camp Half-Blood, Piper guessed that this was none other than the legendary Mt. Olympus.

Annabeth really did an amazing job.

As if compelled by her thoughts, Percy whispered to Annabeth, "You did an amazing job, Wise Girl."

Upon hearing this, Frank turned around so fast that Piper was surprised that he didn't get whiplash. "You designed this?" he asked, like it was impossible for him to believe.

She noticed that even the others, who didn't know, were staring at the daughter of Athena in something akin to awe. Of course, Piper didn't blame them. It was one thing to hear about Athena's great architect descendants – and quite another thing altogether to see the results of their talent and genius.

Annabeth, on the other hand, was trying her best not to smile, and failing miserably. Piper could sense the older demigod's pride and delight upon being recognised. Percy beamed at Annabeth and told them, "Last year, after the Titan war, the Gods" – here his eyes darkened dangerously – "granted her the opportunity to redesign Olympus, seeing how much she wanted it; and how much she deserved it. After all, it had been Annabeth's lifelong goal to build something permanent."

He smiled again, then suddenly turned and headed straight for the throne room. Piper scrambled to keep up with him, not able to understand his sudden urgency in speaking to the Gods. It wasn't like Percy to boast about his deeds, or ask for rewards, and she didn't think that he had changed now. As Piper kept following him, she was wondering what could have been so major that he would make Leo stop the Argo II to see them.

The arrival of the demigods in the throne room caused all the talking to abruptly cease. Then, the God at the head of the thrones (Piper assumed he was Zeus) spoke up. "Who dares disturb–"

Percy cut him off. "You know all too well why I'm here."

Thunder shook the room as Zeus' eyes flashed. "I ought to blast you for your insolence. Be glad that I haven't killed you yet."

Piper watched with horrible fascination, like she would a car crash, as Percy continued to provoke the Lord of the Skies. "Then please, Lord Zeus, blast me right now. If this is how you thank the people who save your hides, yet again, by all means, kill me! Prove to all of your enemies that we defeated, that you don't deserve to rule!"

Zeus suddenly stood up. "Watch what you're saying, boy, or I might just take up your offer." Once again, lightning flashed and the room filled with the sound of thunder.

Piper wanted to run, but Percy stood his ground. "Oh, yeah?" he cried, water swirling around him now, "Well listen to this – as long as I'm still alive, never expect me to aid the Gods again!"

The room erupted with the sound of the Gods' protests. Zeus, however, simply held up his hand and shouted, "Silence!" Immediately, the room felt silent. He turned on Percy. "You'd best listen, or I'll make sure you regret it."

"Listen? I'm done listening. Now you're gonna listen to me, while I say what I've wanted to say, ever since you made my life miserable."

Percy took a breath – Piper noticed how he was finally starting to show signs of nervousness; like a normal person would – and continued. "Even as far back as the second World War, you were as heartless as you are now. To save yourself from a prophecy – which you very well know cannot be avoided – you killed the mother of two innocent kids, cursing them to an orphaned future. Then, when the older sibling dies, and the other is forced to live without her, he is treated like an outcast simply because his father is an outcast to you. Then the same kid saves Olympus twice, even facing Tartarus to do so" – here Piper looked at Nico di Angelo in a new light – "and you still treat him no different!"

By now, Percy was heaving in his anger. Unfortunately, he wasn't done yet. "But that's just one person's story. Let's go into another – the story of your own children. You abandoned your daughter and treated her like dirt, and then took away her only joy in the world to appease your pathetic excuse of a wife! Did you even think about her? All you did was vote not to kill her a day before her sixteenth birthday; which you would have done, by the way, if the votes had been against you. As for your son – did you ever even acknowledge him before Gaea? Did you ever show him you loved him? Did you?

"Not to mention the countless other lives you ruined. You won't even let me fly! None of the other Gods are as sensitive or egotistical as you are!" Percy paused for a breath.

"So – I want no reward, but listen to this – As long I'm still alive, you will ask no demigod for favour they don't want to offer. Your favours, your quests, are what made me the person I am today." Percy turned around and started back towards the elevator. With one last glance back, he said, "Next time you guys need saving, count me out."

The rest of the demigods followed Percy out. As Piper was passing Jason, she noticed his expression. He looked as if he had had an epiphany, and his brain was still processing everything. Piper decided to give him some space, and ran to catch up to Leo.

"Hey, Leo! Wait up!"

Leo turned around, surprised. "What's wrong, Pipes?"

"Nothing'" she replied. "It's just amazing, isn't it? People spend their lives in fear of the Gods, and here, Percy is challenging them like that. Gives you a whole new perspective."

Leo just looked back into her eyes, studying her. "Come on, Piper. I know better than that. You can tell me – what's really bothering you?"

Piper turned around, letting her smile slip. How had he known? After a moment's hesitation, she gave in to his wishes. "What happens now, Leo? Now that we've defeated Gaea, everything is supposed to go back to normal. But what is normal anymore?" Piper poured out all her doubts into her words. "And what about Percy and Annabeth? What'll happen to them once we get back to camp? They're inseparable now. Not to mention the whole issue with Camp Jupiter..."

While Piper was ranting, Leo continued leading her to the elevator. Just before he entered, he grasped her shoulders, and turned her to face him. Looking right at her, he said, "Don't worry about Jason leaving you, Beauty Queen. I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

With that they both joined the other waiting in the elevator, and headed back down, to their world. The whole ride down, a confused Piper was wondering.

What happened to the happy-go-lucky kid I used to know?

Back on the Argo II, Piper noticed that Jason was avoiding her. What Percy said must've really left an impact. However, she wasn't worried, recalling what Leo had told her. I'm sure everything will turn out fine. She definitely hoped so. Piper idly wondered where along the line Leo had finally grown up. Whatever the case, she made sure that she would be there the rest of the way. Wouldn't want to miss anything else... With that thought, Piper turned back her attention to the beautiful sunrise.

Hours later, as they spotted Camp Half-Blood on the horizon, a huge smile broke out on Piper's face.

Home. At last.

FIN