Percy
Percy wakes up in a cold sweat tonight, like he does most nights. He fears sleep, because sleep brings him back to that place. It still feels so real. He can feel the fire water in his throat, can see the monsters reforming. Even awake, he can't escape. Every time he blinks, another image sears itself into his brain. Luke killing himself, Bob, Damasen, Michael Yew falling off the bridge, Annabeth's unseeing eyes, every single monster he ever fought, they're all there. His mortal friends don't understand. They don't know why one word could send him over the edge. They don't know why the name Luke makes him upset. They don't know why he constantly stares up at one constellation in the sky. They think it's just him zoning out, but really, he's remembering.
"Dude! What happened last night? You look like you've been through hell!" his friend says. He laughs bitterly.
"I've already been to hell. Multiple times actually," he deadpans. They think it's a joke, and he won't be the one to correct them. He's so tired. Tired of cleaning up after the gods, tired of the emotional trauma that comes with being a child warrior. I finally understand why Luke snapped, he mutters, after being sent on yet another errand for the gods.
Annabeth
Annabeth walks the halls alone most days. She doesn't talk to people anymore. They think she's broken and traumatized. Maybe I am, she laughs. After all, I've been training for war and killing since I was little. She fears abandonment now. She flinches every time she kills a monster, because she knows what their reforming process is like. She understands how horrible Tartarus is. Most smart monsters stay away now. She and Percy still reek of that place, so they constantly get sent on errands for Olympus. She's tired too. She's tired of losing her friends, tired of the nightmares, tired of being dragged on quest after quest after quest. I always wanted to be a hero, but not like this. Never like this, she says at night, staring at a picture of her, Luke, and Thalia.
Jason
Jason sits alone in his old Praetor's cabin at Camp Jupiter. It's empty now. He looks around the camp, sees a small girl skip by with her family. He feels that familiar feeling of jealousy deep within. This girl's mother didn't abandon her. I wish I got a normal childhood. Thalia and I deserved what that girl has: a family that wants her. Every time he blinks, images of him getting hurt hit him like that damned brick. He scratches the bullet groove on his head and walks out.
"Are you okay?" Reyna asks, fiddling with her braid.
"No. I just want to stop being another pawn in the gods' silly little games," he sighs, cleaning his glasses.
"We can't Jason. Look at all Percy and Annabeth did for the gods, yet when it came down to it, they were shoved aside like their loyalty meant nothing. One day the gods will learn," she says. And that's the truth. Despite all the effort, time, and lives lost, the heroes are nothing more than pawns. They mean nothing to the gods. Jason could die right now, and they'd find some poor sap to replace him. Wow. I mean nothing.
Piper
Piper stays in her father's home during the school year. It's not her home. Home for Piper is at Camp Half Blood, with Mitchell and Lacy and her brothers and sisters and Jason and all her friends. The cold Hollywood mansion feels alien. Its sleek angles and cold floors are nothing like the comforting sound of wind whistling through the trees, the smell of horses and homemade meals, the sounds of chatter and music, and her friends. Oh Gods does Piper miss her friends. Sometimes she swears she can see Hazel's bright smile, or hear Percy's laugh in the lonely halls. Her father still doesn't know about her godly blood, and she wants to keep it that way. She doesn't need his concern or approval. She never did. She stares into the mirror and sees Leo's death, over and over and over again. She tries to reach out, to stop it, but he always combusts before she can get there. She cries a lot nowadays. Her dad thinks Leo was her friend at the Wilderness School, and that she is crying because she misses seeing him every day, but that's only partially right. Leo is was, she reminds herself bitterly, her best friend, the brother she never had, her confidante, her shoulder to cry on, her comic relief, just her everything.
Hazel
Hazel sits on her bunk late at night. She's the only one still awake. She tries to sleep, but sleep brings back memories from her past life. She feels the cave collapse on her again and again, hears the breath leave her mother's lungs, sees Sammy's grinning face, sees everything. She starts to sob. Sammy. First I lost Sammy, and then I lose Leo. oh gods, I can't wait to see Sammy and tell him all about my second life, about Frank and everyone! Did Sammy pick rebirth? Will he even remember? She shuffles outside into the cool night air. The stars shine brightly in the sky, but Hazel doesn't care. She sees Percy, one of her best friends, willingly go to Tartarus with Annabeth. Hazel doesn't know Annabeth as well as she'd like to, but she seems nice enough. She looks forward to seeing them someday.
Frank
Frank stares out the window during a senate meeting. Reyna understands why, and leaves him be. In his distraction, he switches forms repeatedly. He thinks of Leo. To think I didn't trust him in the beginning. He saved us all. I wish I could see him again, to say thanks for all he did. Frank is so thankful that he survived his first war, but at the same time he realizes how insignificant he is. Leo died for the gods and they don't even care. He understands Percy's frustration now. After all the crap I went through for them, I mean nothing to the gods. I'm just cannon fodder. Young, bright eyed children whisper excitedly about going out into the world , seeing the sights, helping the gods.
"Being a warrior isn't all it's cracked up to be," he says, shaking as he remembers the moment Leo launched himself into the air to save them all from Gaea's wrath.
Leo
Leo wakes up on the back of his dragon. The wind whistles in his ears. He can't help but think of Jason. Aw man, Jason! Is he even alive? How long was I dead? Calypso's island comes into view. I found it. I did the impossible. He remembers Jason, his friends, Percy's downright terrifying glare, and the Argo II. he's starting to tear up now. His friends all think he's dead, and he doesn't even know if they're okay. Am I okay? Is this all some dream? Calypso always said that nobody ever finds her twice. Maybe this is all some dream. He puts his hand on his chest, and sighs in relief when he can feel his heartbeat through his shirt. He gets a random twinge of pain. Phantom pain. I wonder if it'll be permanent. After all, I should have been burned alive and blown to bits. The pain gets worse. Leo balls up his jacket and bites down on it to muffle his screams. He feels flames licking at the inside of his body. Is this what being burnt alive feels like? He lands on Calypso's island once again, and he slides off of Festus clutching his burning stomach and collapses onto the ground. Calypso comes up to him and stares in confusion.
"You're hurt! Come on Leo, let's get you fixed up," she cries. Leo can only groan in response. Being resurrected isn't as simple as I thought.