"They say the captain
goes down with the ship,
so when the world ends,
will God go down with it?"
—Fall Out Boy, What A Catch, Donnie
Once Human
I. WONDERFUL, ETERNAL FUTURE
She sneaked out of the Artemis cabin, and went to the beach. The cleaning harpies won't eat me, she hoped. She sat on the sand and watched the waves come at her feet, wrapping her arms around her legs, and placing her chin on her knees. The moon was hidden by the clouds, but the stars were out. She looked up and tried to count them; there were only few. Not as much as when the Hunt traveled through deserts, mountains and jungles - when you look up, there were hundreds, sometimes thousands.
A small part of her wanted to call out Jason from the stars. But he wasn't there. They were beautiful, yes, but who was there to say hi to? Thalia told her a story about one of the previous lieutenants of Artemis, and one of the best. Her own father killed her, so when she died in the arms of the goddess, Artemis turned her into a constellation, to preserve her memory.
Piper thought it was cool to be turned into a clump of galaxies when they die. It was better than decaying underground, or getting turned to ashes. Did all faithful and loyal lieutenants of Artemis become constellations when they die? If they die, would their soul end up in the underworld, or would they be stars, watching over the people living in this world?
Someone else was on the beach. Piper paid no special attention to them at first. It could be another camper who wanted to enjoy their own midnight walk. This was a lovely, peaceful beach. Lost mortals sometimes wandered here. Sometimes gods loved to hang out here, too.
For a moment she watched the person who walked along the waves of the beach. She didn't realize that it wasn't a normal camper till she looked away. From the corner of her eye she saw the figure glowing faintly. It was probably just the moon and the sea and all, but she didn't usually see anyone glow when they walk across the beach in the evening. The aura around them was gold.
The figure kicked sand, and walked along the lines of the waves. When it backed away, he came closer to it, but when it rushed forward, he moved back. The figure was barefoot, and he was light on his toes, even though his feet looked big.
When she recognized the figure, she simply sighed. Piper looked ahead of the sea and watched the waves, trying to look busy. When she glanced around the beach again, the figure was gone.
"Peekaboo," said someone to her ear.
"Oh boy, you scared me," she said flatly, in a bored tone. "I am having a heart attack."
"You're no fun anymore." Leo sat down besides her. He wore a blue shirt, dark jeans, with no shoes. He threw his head backwards dramatically as if he had long hair flying along the wind. "Hello, my darling."
"Hi, Leo."
He scooted closer. "You alright?"
Piper covered her face. She took deep breaths."I don't know...maybe not."
Leo looked away. They didn't spoke for a while. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she reacted by placing her hand on top of his. If Artemis or the Hunters were here to see them, they would probably shoot arrows at him, turn Leo into an ant-eater and shun Piper for a day or seven (or maybe turn her to an ant-eater, too). But there was nothing malicious or romantic in the gesture. It was comfort. Reassurance that she wasn't alone.
"How's life as a huntress, mmh?" Leo started.
Piper managed to smile. "It's not bad than I thought. It's great. Everyone's nice and helpful, especially Thalia." Her eye almost twitched. "Thalia is Jason's..."
"Oh. Oh yeah." Leo shuffled. He patted the sand away from his butt, trying to occupy his mind with something else. The moon came out of the clouds. "I guess...I guess she's not taking it well, too."
Piper sniffed. "I-I'm sorry." Her shoulders shook, and Leo took his hand back. "It's just...it's not... I can't..."
The waves seemed to shiver, the moon bending, and its light dimming, hiding away from the two immortals on the beach. It could just be Leo's imagination. Whatever it was, the night was sympathizing with her.
"Okay. Okay. I'm good." She lifted her head up, smiling. She placed her chin on top of her arms, which were on top of her knees. Her kaleidoscope eyes shimmered in brightness. "I'm alright."
Leo grinned for her sake. "Your eyes remind me of a dying dorado fish."
"That...that is the most interesting compliment I ever received." But she laughed. That seemed to brighten her face. "Have you even seen a dorado fish?"
"If I haven't, then I wouldn't be making that compliment." He stood up and stretched. "Me and Calypso are getting married soon. I'm hoping you'll be there with Hazel and Percy and Annabeth and all the rest."
"Wherever Lady Artemis goes, we go with her. So maybe I can't." She smiled sadly. "But congratulations for the happy couple. May you have a wonderful, eternal future ahead of you."
II. WHILE EVERYTHING MARCHES ON
The wedding was attended by some Olympians, and a few good Titans who were freed, who were allowed to roam and rule the other parts of the world. Not a lot of people came to the wedding, since some had yet to warm up to Calypso, and a lot more to Leo. It was held at midnight, on the ground floor of the Empire State Building. The wedding motif was flowers. Everything was decorated with glowing fresh flowers, the arch, the tables, the chairs, even the spoons and the forks.
Before the wedding started, Leo found his friends, who patted his back and told him stories about the camps while he was away. Some couldn't believe that Leo was an immortal, saved from the prophecy of his impending doom, from his last breath, and that he was going to marry a daughter of a Titan.
Percy spoke to Calypso once. It was a long talk, and Leo noticed that Percy used a lot of hand gestures, sometimes rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Calypso didn't say much, but she embraced him when it looked like Percy concluded their conversation. Percy ran back to Annabeth, and they held hands throughout the whole night. Hazel wouldn't leave Leo alone, joking about how it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, and that watching Calypso and Percy talk could mean that he was still jealous.
And Leo? He tried to find a time for himself, trying to take in the unknown pressure building in him.
In the ceremony, Leo and Calypso held hands. His suit was white, with a flower at the collar . She wore a simple white dress, with a flower crown notably bigger than the invited female guests in the hall wore. The ceremony was short, and the newly married were greeted with polite applause. Aphrodite blessed the couple. Leo's friends gave them gifts, but they felt inferior when they compared them to what the other gods had to offer.
Artemis and her Hunters came late. They made their entrance, tattered and dirty, with their eyes almost glaring at everyone in the reception. The guests were silenced for a moment when they entered, but Leo quickly scrambled to them and said a hasty welcome, and led them to their tables. Thalia and Piper joined their friends, while the rest of the Hunters sat on their table, resting and eating and talking among themselves.
"I thought you wouldn't come." Leo offered Piper her flower crown, which he had been busily twirling around his finger during the party.
"Sorry, we ran into a big group of monsters on the way." She took her crown and placed it on top of her head. It matched her eyes. "I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?"
It was amazing how your friends easily forget you when you are away for a long time. Piper lost track of time. It seemed like it was being slowed down, at the same time, it was going fast. Was it still February? Because it still snowed. Or maybe it was the next December? Because it snowed.
That was what all Piper thought when she remained on the ground, her face up to the night sky, letting the snow fall down to her face. Her sword was out of her reach, and her dagger, Katoptris, lay by her side, her fingers curling around the handle. She flinched. Her right arm bled.
Somewhere, her sisters-in-arms were thrown back by the huge pack of Cyclopes they unfortunately encountered. Piper didn't know if they were okay, but she wouldn't be if she stayed there on the ground for long. She scrambled up and hid behind a tree, inspecting her arm, to see if there was anything that could be done right now to stop the bleeding. But the tree suddenly shook, and two giant hands pulled it away from the soil. Piper moved back quickly, as the Cyclops roared to her and swung the tree like a bat. She dived down and rushed towards the foot of the Cyclops, jumping and climbing up to his knee and jabbed her dagger into his armpit. He bellowed, dropped the large tree, but grabbed her with his hands, and lifted her up in the air. His fingers crushed her lungs, and she screamed in pain. Her vision turned black.
For a moment she heard a voice, calling out to her, Piper, Piper, Piper! and then she could see a small light, like the exit of a tunnel.
Was she dead? She heard stories of the hunters' near death experiences. It wasn't like this. Each story had a similarity, some sort of symbolism, and this was different. Was she dying?
She felt her back burn and ache, the insides of her throat dry and throbbing. She opened her eyes, to the sound of her screaming, in the arms of the hunters, surrounded by golden dust of the monsters they had slain, dancing along her vision.
Leo had to make sure the blindfold wasn't falling off, and he sometimes kept fidgeting, kept tying the knot tighter in case it fell off and ruined his surprise to Calypso. He carefully led her out of the taxi, where he was trying to hold his lunch down to his stomach, and maneuvered his wife through a couple of streets. People glanced at them, some smiling briefly, because it wasn't everyday that you see a husband showing something to his spouse as a surprise. Leo made sure no one brushed themselves roughly against Calypso.
A part of Leo didn't want to show her the real world, when he went to her island to take her hand and away from her magical prison. A part of him didn't want to remove the blindfold when they stopped in front of a building. He didn't want to show Calypso how the real world was ugly, how a lot of things changed.
He untied the blindfold gently, and placed it away. Calypso blinked for a few seconds, before looking up, gasping, and placing her hands over her mouth. Up in front of her was a closed shop, with the shutters down, and above it were both their names in a big sign. Leo and Calypso's Repairs and Flowers. Not exactly the name Leo first proposed when they first talked about it in Ogygia, but he hand-painted the sign, and there was not enough space on the board. He told her that they hadn't settled down yet, or bought the things they needed to start the kitchen for her. They still had to order the fresh vegetables, fruits, and flowers she wanted, and the equipment he wanted, for their shop.
It would be a mess of a combination, he thought, and she probably did as well. How, right next to a clean, quiet flower shop and eatery, was a grimy auto shop, and that grease-stained immortal man, was actually the cute girl's husband.
Calyspo threw her arms around his neck and thanked him many, many times.
"Thinking these thoughts are not going to get you anywhere, Piper."
"I know," she whispered to Thalia, chewing the nectar carefully. Her teeth and gums ached. She brought her blanket closer to her. She flinched a bit when the wet cloth Thalia held made contact with her open wound.
"Where are all these monsters coming from? They've been ambushing us wherever we go." Thalia muttered. "Anyways, Piper, I can't say that I feel the same way as you do, even though I know what you feel, but—"
Piper looked at her. "You're implying that you went through the same thing."
"Ah." This took her off-guard. "The point is, Piper...thinking of...what you're thinking isn't really going to help you. Thinking of death will take you nowhere. I know I sound like some sort overprotective mother, but you've...you've made your decision, and if you haven't, you have to think. Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon."
Piper looked away, staring at the beautiful night scenery of snowy mountains and pine trees. Somewhere, out there, were her friends. She wondered what they were doing, if they were okay.
Thalia finished wrapping the bandages around the wound, and lightly patted it. "You're good. Now, lie down. I'm going to get us some hot coco."
"That sounds really nice." She did what she was told, and stared up to the skies. She tried to count them, the stars. She cursed whenever she lost the ones she counted. One bright star disappeared at some point.
When Thalia came back with the cups of warm chocolate, Piper sat up. "Hey Thalia, can you tell me about Zoe Nightshade, again?"
"I'm still not used to this immortal thing, yet."
Nico simply nodded as he drank the coffee that Calypso served them. She was stationed in a chair in front of their shop, watching the people pass, who glanced at her flowers and wares, and sometimes smiling to her. Hot stew boiled gently in the kitchen, and the smell was wonderful, it was making Leo's stomach growl.
"It's been thirty years now."
"I couldn't feel time moving on. It's like I'm suspended in it, while everything marches on. You get me?"
Nico noticed that Leo liked glancing at the wall clock near the refrigerator. "Are you expecting someone else? Or are you going somewhere?"
"No, no," Leo waved his hands dismissively. "I just want to build our own clock. You know, something Leo-themed, my style."
Nico sighed and managed a smile after Leo fell silent. Then he frowned.
"It's so quiet here."
Leo's eyes wandered around the room and beyond it, before settling back to Nico. "I like it this way."
"No, you don't."
Leo really did look offended when Nico said that. "I've changed," his voice was hard.
Nico stood up from his seat, finishing the last of his coffee. "Then you've changed a lot."
III. ONCE HUMAN
In Hazel's funeral, they met again. Leo came to Camp Jupiter to see Hazel one last time before they cremated her. She died as an old woman, with nothing bad happening to her after the war against the Giants. He was damn proud of her that she was able to live this long, just like his old great-grandfather Sammy Valdez. Maybe they would meet in Elysium, and the words they weren't said would be said. And she would join their friends.
He thought while he watched Hazel's pyre. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he didn't want to be immortal in the first place. He had an immortal wife, Calypso, sure, and he had other benefits. He really wasn't the only immortal around the neighborhood, so it didn't completely suck.
What sucked was getting separated from his friends and watching them die one by one, as they grow old, or get killed by one thing or the other, and that made him really sad. He visited them once in a while, talked to them and all. They knew where Leo lived, and they dropped by there for dinner or drinks. But he wouldn't be there for them when they needed him. Leo was simply immortal, not a god of anything. He just became immortal for the purpose of his small, puny life getting preserved.
In another world, he should be dead, succumbing to his true fate. But love saved him from death.
"Hey, you're not alone."
He looked at his side, and saw Piper besides him. She wore the hunter's silver jacket, with a crossbow and a straw of arrows slung behind her. Her sword was beside her hip. When their eyes met, she smiled sadly.
"You still have me."
Leo sighed at the response. "I would love to run away with you, but you're not supposed to have boyfriends and all that, remember?"
Piper stuck out her tongue. "Oh, come on. You're my friend, Leo."
"So how many centuries more until I become your best friend?" He managed to grin. She lightly nudged his ribs with her elbow.
They were silent after that, watching the fire die down, letting people drifting away. He noticed that Thalia was there with Piper, although she sat behind everyone, isolating herself, but watching over Piper and Leo. Her silver circlet gleamed in the light.
Piper adjusted her sword belt. "It's just the two of us now."
Leo took out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Yeah."
She started walking away from him. "Well, I better be going now. Lady Artemis isn't going to sit and wait for us forever." She waved a hand behind her, and started jogging towards Thalia. "Tell Calypso I said hi!"
Leo waved back. "I will. See you around, Piper."
She didn't turn her back to see him again when they moved away.
Calypso was closing up shop, when Leo returned from Olympus to buy the things she needed, but wasn't available in any mortal or monster store down here. While he initially went for the grocery list she made, he somehow bought a small amount of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold. For what, he didn't know, but he had just the impulse to get some. He set his rather dangerous groceries on the table, and tiredly made his way to Calypso. He wrapped his arms around her hips, and buried his face on her neck, breathing in her scent. "I heard."
"Heard what, dearest?"
"The Third Great Prophecy."
"Ah..." She placed a hand on top of his curly hair. "Do you think it has something to do with you?"
"No," he murmured. Calypso led them to the couch and they both sat there, snuggling. Leo couldn't help but smile. "No, I just think of the good times we had when I was in a particular one."
"Good times, meaning, almost getting killed and forced to fight for the gods?"
He laughed. "No, I mean, good times, meaning, being with my family."
Calypso looked at him for a long time, before managing a small smile, and placing a long kiss on Leo's forehead. "What's the prophecy about? Another world's end?"
"Yeah. Typical." He drew a blanket from under the couch and placed it over them. "I'm not worried."
"Why?"
"Whoever is the unlucky demigod who is fated to save or end the world, they'll end up saving the world, no matter what." He mumbled. He placed his head on her shoulder. His eyes were drooping to close. "I heard the whole prophecy. The ending is ambiguous, but I'm not worried."
Calypso pulled Leo closer to her, and hummed a tune.
"You have your trust in humanity, my love."
"I was once human." And by that, he drifted off to sleep.
"Another war," grumbled a hunter besides Piper. "And much bigger than the first two."
"And much worse than all the other wars from the millenniums combined," said another one. She learned back at a tree and crossed her arms. "It's been one hundred years or so, since the second prophecy ended. Seems like ever since the first great prophecy had started, it's been a continuous succession of wars and world end predictions. Maybe this time, since we're saved twice, we won't be saved for the third time."
There was a dark aura that surrounded the group as they fell silent. Thoughts of what to come, what to expect, and what they feared flooded their minds.
Piper did a quick review in her brain. The first great prophecy surrounded all over the great Percy Jackson and his friends. All the battle was set in America. The second one has seven of them, her friends, and it involved the whole world, even though only her gods, the Greek and Roman were involved. The third one could involve all the gods in the whole world. They would start fighting each other, which would lead to the world's destruction because of the imbalance and the borders and limitations broken or...
"So, are we going against gods and immortals from other planets?" Piper mused, trying to lighten the mood. "We're fighting against aliens now?"
The other hunters didn't see this as funny, but Thalia grinned. "That's a possibility. I mean, look around us, technology has been developing for a long time, so fast and advanced. I still can't believe that we haven't talked to aliens yet. One day, elastic suits are going to be the hit of the fashion industry."
"I wouldn't mind wearing silver suits." One of the hunters perked up. "I would love to design them for us, when it comes to that."
Thalia patted the girl's shoulder, beaming at her. "Would it be fun, if we looked like science fiction girls?"
"Our weapons would look out of place if we looked modern," another sulked.
"Then upgrade them, make it keep it to the times," the designer girl said. "Just because we adapted to mechanized bows, doesn't mean we aren't using bows anymore."
Piper stalked away from the group, smiling at herself. She arranged her tent and before she went inside, she looked up to the stars. There were only a few twinkling, and the rest of the sky was covered in dark night clouds and smoke.
"Good night," she said to the sky, before going in to sleep.
He was in the backyard garage of their home, making repairs of the car that was left to him, when Calypso came out. "Leo, darling, you have visitors."
He moved away from under the car, and scratched his head with his wrench. "Customers?"
"No, demigods."
His eyes widened, and stood up. Demigods? What did they want from him?He looked down to his dirty overalls, patted away a few spots of soil, and removed his boots, before going inside of the house.
There, sitting on their couch, were three demigods on their late teens. Two boys and one girl. All of them looked beaten up and dirty. One kid carried an old-fashioned skateboard. Calypso called out to her invisible servants with a wave of a finger. Then first-aid kits, bandages, and ambrosia and nectar floated towards the demigods. They watched in fascination as the servants treated their wounds and fed them with the food of the gods.
The boy with the skateboard stood up. "My name is Eric," he started. "And these are my friends, Jodie and Aiden." His friends nodded at the mention of their names. "And you are Leo Valdez, right? The Leo Valdez of the Prophetical Seven? Son of Hephaestus, pilot of the Argo II? Hero of Olympus?"
Leo whistled. He was impressed with the amount of information the boy had. Or maybe he was popular among the half-bloods. He grinned at the kid, wrinkling his nose. He was flattered nonetheless. "Well."
"We need your help." But Eric paused when he saw plates of food being carted to them. His friends had already made a grab of the big plates and bowls. They ate first, not passing a word to anyone, except murmuring how the food tasted really great. Leo and Calypso sat and watched them. Leo took note that the girl, Jodie, was looking at the couple closely, examining them, and trying to make out something about their characters. When they finished, they put away the plates.
"Right." Leo clapped his hands together. "You're here for business, I assume?"
The demigods looked at each other. "Well, sorta," Eric said. "Percy Jackson's brother told us to come to you."
"Oh, him. Yes, he's the type of person who would rec me to you." He nodded. Then he squinted. "Wait, the kid's still alive?"
"Mr. Valdez," Jodie said. Her eyes were steely. It reminded Leo of Reyna. "Christopher Jackson said that you were the best blacksmith alive, next to your father. What's notable about your work—and what differentiate you from other forgers—is how very advance and modern your inventions are. Back in your time, you built the Argo II, piloted it, and made its weapons, modern back then."
"And..." Aiden gulped. "We hoped to ask you...a favor..."
Leo crossed his arms. "And that is?"
"To make the best weapons for us," Eric finished. "We are the children of the third great prophecy, Mr. Valdez. There will be war soon. There are wars now, all over the world, if you haven't noticed. And it won't be long until we are called to...determine where this would all lead. We need to be prepared. We don't want Bill's sacrifice to be in vain..."
All the kids' heads dropped down. Eric's fists were clenched.
A long silence that lasted for what felt like an hour. Leo broke the tension in the room with a sigh and a wave of his hand. "Alright. I'll do it for you kids. No pay."
The demigods' faces brightened a bit.
"Calypso, I hope you won't mind them staying here for a night or five and serve them your delicious vegetable stew while I create their choice of weapons." Leo stood up from his seat, glancing at the weapons that were strapped on their bodies. He took note of the body build, the appearance of the weapons, the possibilities of their weight, grip, and the wielder's strength. "I have a lot of thinking to do."
The demigods followed Calypso and led them to their spare rooms. Leo moved out to the backyard garage, and pulled out a few blueprints to his worktable, and turned on the lamps.
It came to Lady Artemis's attention that the Hunters were being followed. Due to the strong aura of their pursuer, they thought that it was a huge threat, like a huge monster. The hunters moved faster, hoping to lose the pursuer from their tail. But it was persistent. So they stopped and waited for it to catch up, preparing for battle if it happened to be a huge group of monsters, instead of one.
They pointed their weapons at one young girl, who looked like who went to hell and back. She gasped when all the hunters were aiming to attack her, but she raised her hands in the air. "Please, I'm not a monster! I mean no harm!"
She approached them slowly with her hands still up. There was fear in her eyes. Thalia came forward and walked to her. She inspected the girl, checking if there were any threats for the Hunters. Then she whispered to her, "Are you alright?"
The girl nodded meekly.
"What's your name?"
"C-Cassandra," she whispered. "You can call me Cassy."
"Cassy." Thalia placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've been following us. Do you know who we are?"
She nodded again. "The Hunters of Artemis. I saw you a few times in Camp Half Blood. I...I want to join you."
Thalia didn't say anything but nodded. Lady Artemis moved towards to them. "You followed us all this time because you wanted to join my Hunt?"
"Yes, my lady...wait, no! That's not all!" The girl suddenly looked frantic as if she just remembered the reason why she ran away. "I'm not the only one who's been following you! There are—there's a monster! A big one! I don't know if it's a giant, but I've never heard that kind of monster before. I haven't seen it, ever—it's—"
A muffled roar shook the trees around them. The earth shuddered. The hunters stumbled, and tried to hold on something. "An earthquake?" mumbled one.
"I don't think so," Piper murmured back. "Look—" she gasped.
Towering above the trees, and three times taller than a giant, was their true threatening pursuer. Its head somehow reached to the clouds, and its whole figure was blurry and unclear. Artemis scowled, backing away, holding Cassy and Thalia's arms. "We have to move. Now. We can't fight it." She turned to the rest. "Hunters, to me!"
A perk of being an immortal was that you could go days without sleep, and not be worried about dying because of the lack of sleep. Leo finished the weapons that the kids requested in a week. By then, the demigods were well-rested. During their stay, they helped in their shop by selling the fruits and vegetables, and serving food to the customers. Leo could do fine in his auto shop alone, but Calypso's shop was popular, that sometimes he found himself helping her more than his own. It was nice to see those kids assist her in everything.
After a few days and nights, the weapons were ready and done. The next sunset, Leo gave the weapons to the children. He told them what the capabilities of each weapon were. All of them seemed impressed and awed, couldn't believe that those cool toys would be theirs to keep for free, and remarked on how it fitted them perfectly.
"I hope you all do well in your quest," Leo said, as a parting. "Good luck, guys."
Both Aiden and Jodie nodded, but Eric wavered for a moment. Jodie glared at the back of his head.
"Thank you, Mr. Valdez," Eric managed to say. "We'll be going now." He nodded to his friends. They bowed to the couple, turned their backs and walked away. Leo saw Jodie's hands flailing, and shouting at him, when they thought they were far away enough not to be heard.
"That kid is the chosen one, alright," Leo said when they were back in their home. "The fate of the world is in his hands, this time. Whatever it is that bothers the kid, if he doesn't find a way to solve it, then we're all doomed."
He glanced at his custom clock he made many years ago. It was dinner time.
Artemis feared the giant that followed them everywhere. It was not a secret. She told this to her Hunters. If the goddess feared something, then it was something to be feared by all. Would this giant be stoppable? No one was sure, unless they tried. But Artemis loved her loyal Hunters. She didn't want to risk their lives. Their safety was all it mattered to her, right now.
Piper was touched. She always thought that the gods only thought about themselves and no one else. But there was Artemis, who admitted that she did care about them. What prompted the goddess to tell them that, she didn't know.
After the meeting, when they were dismissed back to their tents, new recruit Cassy followed Piper. "You are Piper McLean, right? Of the second prophecy?"
Piper was surprised. She didn't say anything, but she nodded to confirm it.
"Wow, I never thought that you would still be alive. It's been more than a hundred years since the previous war."
Piper imagined that after a hundred years, people would forget about them. The names of the heroes of the Vietnam war, first and second world wars—really, all wars—were never remembered, even if they created an impact. She thought she and her friends would only be remembered as the seven demigods who saved the world from the end again. She never imagined that their names would still be known. "There are only two of us left, actually."
She looked up. "Two of you? Who's the other one?"
"Leo, my friend. He's with one of the titan Atlas' daughters, Calypso."
"Leo Valdez?" She gaped. Then dropped her eyes to the ground. "Oh. Yeah, him, I forgot. My friends were supposed to go to him."
They made their way to the shared tent, not passing a word to each other.
"I think it's all my fault."
"Your fault?" Piper said.
She nodded. "This monster isn't really following you." She paused. When they went inside, she sat on her cot. "I lied," she whispered. "It's following me. Now I brought you guys in this mess." She was on the verge of crying.
"Hey." Piper placed her hands on Cassy's shoulders. "It's gonna be alright. Why is it following you?"
"I..I don't know!" She cried out. "It's this stupid prophecy! but I never wanted this. It's because of me, Billy had to die." That broke her. She collapsed on her cot and sobbed, trying to cover herself with pillows to muffle the sound of her crying.
Piper moved besides her cot, kneeling and patting her back. "Who's Billy?" she whispered, but she already suspected the answer.
"My..." Cassy sniffed. "My boyfriend. But he's gone now."
Piper nodded. "Is it because your boyfriend died that you want to join us?"
"No." Cassy almost spat. "It's because of Eric." She sneered.
"Ah." Another guy. "Can I know why? If you don't mind?"
She looked down to her pillow, before nodding. "Eric thought I was useless, that I was only trouble, that all I do was chase guys. He said that I have this curse, that whoever I fall in love with, they'll die eventually. He tried to isolate me from other guys because he thought that I was a danger to them. My boyfriend didn't believe that and loved me still but...but..." She lost her voice in the suppressed whimpers she made.
"Your name is Cassandra, but you have the curse of Helen of Troy."
"You're a daughter of Aphrodite, but you joined a group of girls who swore off men forever."
Piper smiled. "Fair point."
"I joined the Hunt because I want to end this...'curse'," she made quotation marks with her fingers. "And to prove to Eric that I'm not useless."
"Yeah, show him," Piper cheered. She didn't say that she might miss the feeling of loving someone.
IV. FADING AWAY
Leo ran to the shop as fast as he could. He almost kicked the door open as he arrived. "We need to leave."
Calypso immediately stood up from her seat, looking worried. Leo's face was pale, and he was panting and sweating from all the running. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I can't explain. Not right now." He took her hand. "Take everything important. We can't stay here. We need to go to Olympus to hide for now."
The giant was closing in. They were getting tired running away. Piper suggested hiding in Olympus for a while. Artemis didn't answer, but she persisted, until the goddess shook her head. "Olympus is closed now. Anyone inside, stays inside, and anyone outside, stays outside."
The Hunters froze, their eyes widening. It was disrespectful to just stare at a goddess, but this time, they dropped it, and they looked at the Artemis for a long time.
"Not even you, my lady?" said a veteran Hunter, after a long silence.
"Not even me, my child." Artemis said. "It's too late for me to go into hiding. But it doesn't matter. I remain here voluntarily, along with my brother, Apollo, to watch over you, and to help our demigods."
"But why is Olympus closed again?" Piper asked. She was afraid. "What is happening?"
Artemis's steely gaze dropped. Behind her eyes was sadness. "The gods are fading away, Piper McLean."
All the hairs of Piper's back stood up, and she stared at the goddess, who looked like a young child, tired from the running. "I am sorry, my Hunters, that I have told you just now. Our heroes have either failed, or succeeded in bringing us here."
The familiar chilly roar boomed all over them. The ground shook and everyone stumbled backwards.
Artemis quickly stood up and took a deep breath. "We must go."
"My lady," Thalia called, also standing up. "I would like to stay and fight," she declared.
All heads turned to Thalia. Every face had a different expression; awe, fascination, and shock.
Artemis's face was grim. "My lieutenant, I cannot let you do that."
"We can't shake it out of our trail, my lady!" Thalia pressed on. Her voice shook a bit, but it wasn't obvious at first. "We must stay and fight! Or at least, I will."
The giant roared again. The trees shook, and a whole blast of wind shot them. Small plants and sand flew along the air, and some hunters had lost their stance, getting carried away.
"My lady, please," she begged in the midst of the storm.
Artemis and Thalia locked eyes first, before the former nodded. "Go."
Leo and Calypso arrived at the Empire State Building, at noon.
The front doors were closed. Leo checked if there was any other way in. He threw his fists at the large doors before they were found by policemen, who took them away from the building site. He noticed that there were more men in badges around them than usual. There were no civilians around.
Leo didn't let go of Calypso's hand.
Thalia tried to fly. She hated heights, but for everyone's sake, she was going to fly. When the giant appeared in a distance, she ran. Some of the hunters followed her behind, drawing their weapons. Thalia drew her spear and transformed her bracelet into her shield, Aegis, while she sprinted. She slowly took off, her feet leaving the ground, and she yelled a battle cry. The giant saw her closing in, and his fist swatted her from the air.
"Thalia!" Piper screamed.
She hit a tall tree and fell down to the ground. She was pale when Piper knelt beside her, sitting Thalia up, while the other hunters tried to distract the giant from them. Her lips bled, and her left shoulder was dislocated. When Thalia tried to move her legs, her bones cracked, and she stifled a scream. She was shaking from her first flight.
Piper quickly fed her nectar, and Thalia chewed it slowly. She picked her spear and shield up, and Piper helped her up on her feet.
"You can't do this, Thalia," she almost scolded.
"Yeah, I can't. That's why I'm going to need your help." She looked at Piper for a long time. Thalia's eyes were electric blue, clear and crystal, almost like Jason's.
She found herself staring into them, until Thalia blinked and Piper was back on her feet. "W-what's the plan, then?" She almost stammered.
Thalia's face twitched—painfully—into a small smile. "Well, listen closely."
A few moments later, Thalia flew back up, carefully and discreetly this time. She banged her spear to her shield, calling the giant's attention, Piper ran to the other hunters, and saw Artemis battling along with them. Her attacks affected the monster much more than the rest of the Hunt. Artemis pointed her arrow to the eyes of the giant, which was too high for it to reach, but when she released the arrow, it hit the giant's eye square. It bellowed, covering its eyes, and stumbled back.
The other Hunters equipped their more deadly arrows, and fired upwards to the giant, hoping they would hit and make any kind of damage. When the arrows hit the skin, explosions set off, and the monster hated it. It walked backwards, but stood its ground. It lifted his feet and kicked the Hunters on the ground.
Piper drew out her sword and charged at the giant's moving feet. She stabbed his toes and ankles. "Rope!" she shouted to the others. "I need rope!"
She saw Thalia fly to the giant again, showing her shield in front of its face. The monster recoiled for a moment, seeing the face of the terrible Medusa before him, and then tried to grab her. Thalia flew away from his grasp, avoiding his fingers, and forcing the shield to him. She charged her spear with high-voltage. Then she pierced her weapon between its eyes.
The giant's agony blasted another gust of wind all around them. It drove the Hunters on the ground tumbling and flipping backwards, and Thalia to lose her momentum. In pain and anger, the giant grabbed Thalia from the air. The bones in her broke, and she screamed.
"No!" Piper stumbled up and ran. She swung her sword in the air and slashed one of the giant's toe clean from its feet.
It didn't like the pain that kept coming. He let go of Thalia, who fell down and landed just at the tip of his toes. Piper quickly moved to her pale body. The giant saw them, and brought his foot up, about to stomp them. Piper laid down on the soil, holding Thalia close to her, and pointed her sword up. The blade made contact with the monster's thick skin, going deep to its sole. It probably had tired of roaring every time, because it wordlessly stumbled and fell on its back. The ground shook violently when the impact was made.
The Hunters found the rope that was requested by Piper. Quickly, they tied the beast's ankles and wrists together. The giant groaned, but didn't make any more attempt get up. Maybe it didn't feel like putting up a fight.
In Piper's arms, Thalia slowly woke up. Then, without a word, she floated away from her, moving back to the giant. She found her shield, and held it with two hands. Gathering the last of her strength, she pulled a current of electricity that charged all over her body, turning herself into a human lightning bolt. Despite her limp, broken body, her eyes glowed, determined, and her hair stood up as she approached the monster's chest.
With one deep breath, she raised her shield up and then rammed it to the giant's chest. She released all the voltage in her body and surged it to the monster. Lightning shot down from the sky. Thalia screamed out all the pain she felt. The Hunters backed away, chills running down their spines as they watched their fellow Hunter release her full extent of her power. The giant's body lit up, sparks of electricity moving up and down its body. Shuddering, he exploded into golden dust, leaving one last defiant howl.
The dust fell more slowly, like snow. Thalia glided down to the ground and lay there, not moving. The dust covered her body. Something in the way the world moved changed, and the winds blew differently. Piper approached her, her hands tucked inside her jacket, and knelt down besides Thalia. Artemis was already on her side. She pulled Thalia close to her chest. Thalia's breathing was slow and uneven, her eyes half closed.
"So, am I going to be turned into a tree again, or join Zoe up above?" she joked. Her voice was quiet.
"Rest. Do not say anything else," said Artemis. "Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus."
Thalia blinked a couple of times, and then looked at Piper. The latter smiled sadly and took her hand. Thalia didn't have much longer. She was going to see his little brother soon. She watched the stars above. The light in her blue eyes was dying. Piper was already feeling lonely.
Behind the group of hunters, Cassy sobbed.
Leo clutched his wife's hand. "Please, don't go," his voice cracked. "Not right now. Please."
They both stood in the darkness. Calypso flickered when the sunlight touched her. "I'm sorry, my love. But I can't be with you much longer." She put on a brave smile. She was crying.
Why was she fading away? Why wasn't he fading away? He didn't understand what was happening to the world right now, and how it came to be, and he didn't want to know. It was too late anyway. Dwelling on these things wouldn't help him.
"We'll go back to Italy," he said. "Back to Ogygia. I know you hated that place, but we'll hide there until everything is over. We'll stay there forever, if we have to. As long as we're together. Just, please, don't leave me."
Calypso cupped her husband's face. Her eyes brightened for a moment. "I'm not going anywhere, Leo," she managed. "There's no afterlife waiting for me. But I will never leave your side. Remember that."
She breathed slowly as she kept fading, becoming air. "Plant more flowers, love," she whispered. "Never forget me."
She had one, final sigh, before she disappeared, her touch lingering on Leo's cheeks. Only the clock's ticking of the empty room reverberated.
V. GOD IS DEAD
The Empire State Building had fallen. Malfunctioning planes crashed into several iconic skyscrapers around the world, but the Empire State Building had fallen, and that was what finally shook the American people's souls, and made them realize that the world was truly ending.
Leo was on the roof of one of the buildings near the crash, watching the people panic below him. Police cars, ambulances, fire trucks created a huge traffic, and people were running around and crying. Riots were being stopped by a group of men in black armor. Old men and women fell down and got stampeded. Children lost the hands of their parents.
"Good morning, and Happy New Year," said someone behind him.
He grunted a greeting back. Piper placed a hand on his back. "You okay?"
Leo shook his head, and stared ahead of the chaos below. "Calypso's gone, too."
She moved to his side and placed her arms on the railings. "I'm really sorry to hear that."
Leo pointed at her circlet. "Lieutenant now, huh?"
She grimaced. "Yeah."
"Where are your Hunters? And Artemis?"
She sighed. Her kaleidoscope eyes were tired and dead. The silver aura around her was very faint. "Lady Artemis faded away. Apollo's going to join her soon. The hunters took my advice, and booked tickets for the off-world colonies voyage to whatever planet they are heading to, with the rest of the demigods here in America. Today's the flight. Only the rich and the privileged are allowed to come. Chiron and Lupa were fortunate enough to be listed, and they gathered all the camps with them. That's why there's this." She looked down at the mortals on the roads and streets. "They couldn't come."
"Oh. They're doing that now? Shipping people to other planets?" Leo scratched the back of his neck. "I really have to keep up with the times. Hearing all of this is a huge surprise for me. This is like that cult movie, 2012. Still remember that?"
She snorted. She found it funny. Many centuries had passed, and yet she could remember watching that movie, even though she saw it only once. "Haven't you been looking around? Considering you're still wearing twenty-first century clothing, I say you haven't, and that you're way behind the times." Piper nodded, thumbing his nose.
"Ow. Don't do that." He swatted her hand away, rubbing his nose. "But...you're staying here?"
She shrugged. "What about you, Spock?"
His shoulders dropped. "I'm going to fade away like the rest of the immortals. Soon." They didn't have an afterlife. When they fade away, they would simply be forgotten. When Calypso died, her spirit passed to him. Besides, there were still some demigods who wanted help in making weapons and fight off the end of the world. Determined souls, they were. He hoped they would have a good afterlife, even though the Underworld crumbled a long time ago. "There are people who needed me. So I'm staying."
"How sweet. I guess I'm staying, too." They watched the people in silence. The sun was behind them, slowly rising and shining on everyone's faces.
"Is the world really dying?" Piper said slowly. "Is it really coming to an end, or did everyone simply stopped believing?"
She pointed at someone in the street. In the midst of the chaos and mayhem and the disorganization, there was an old man holding up a white picket sign, and shouting at the people's faces. GOD IS DEAD, it said. And a few meters away, they watched as angry people roped a monument of a goddess, and pulled it down to the ground, debris flying everywhere.
"I thought it was impossible to stop believing," Leo murmured. "But I guess we were both wrong."
"We can't die, Leo. I know we can't. We can't fade away. We're new. We're young. We're just..." she faltered. Was she denying that they were going to fade away eventually, or was she telling what she wanted to be the truth? "We're...just here."
"We're still here." He nodded. He took her hand and grasped it tightly. "It's just the two of us now."
"For sure, this time." She let him hold her hand. "No one is waiting for us."
Leo grinned mischievously. "I can wait forever for you."
Piper let out a laugh. "We can't have forever anymore, Valdez. But yes."
She gently shook his hand off hers, but he didn't look offended. "Wanna watch the launch? You know, say goodbye to everyone. I have to check up on my Hunters to see if they made it to the ships."
Leo whistled. "Lead the way, I want to see what these spaceships look like."
They turned backs away from the people and walked down to the exit of the building. They didn't leave each other's side.
("Hey, if we stick a bit longer, would the mortals write a sacred book about us?"
"Leo, give it a rest.")
VI. THE DAWN BREAK
All the stars in the sky had disappeared, along with everything else in the world. Piper found herself in a room of clocks, and all kinds of it. Grandfather clocks, wall clocks, digital clocks, alarm clocks, their three hands ticking so loudly it made her head spin. There were everywhere, and it made no room for her to move.
On the other side of the room, was Leo. His back was turned to her, not noticing that she entered the room. He touched and held the clocks, opening them sometimes, and playing with the gears and the small corks, and tracing exterior intricate designs.
He turned around and saw her. He smiled, taking a ticking wooden clock from a shelf, and threw it to the other side of the wall. It smashed into a million bits, all the wood and the small bolts and gears flying everywhere. He grabbed another one and threw it up high in the air, watched it fall down and crash to the other clocks on the floor. It was so fragile, like glass. Watching everything Leo did, it was like watching a video in slow motion, with the pieces floating in the air. Every time he broke a clock, time slowed down, and when all the pieces had fallen on the floor, everything returned to normal. The sensation was blissful.
She joined in, by kicking the clocks on the floor, stomping in the small bits like wristwatches and electric clocks. They broke the tables, taking their legs, and used them as a baseball bats to wreck and induce more damage. They pushed the shelves from the walls and watched everything crashed. The destruction was truly beautiful. And time seemed to move and stop at the same time. They were determined to destroy every device in the room. But it never ran out, almost replenishing, that it seemed like there was no end.
Still, they wrecked and smashed everything they saw. In every clock they let out all their emotions. Anger, fear, disappointment, loneliness. He burned down the shelves and the large furniture. She threw every clock with fury. But they found joy and contentment in their actions. A sense of release. There was nothing that could hold them down.
They wanted time to stop, if only for a moment. But it could only go slower or faster. They were in one dimension, but time and space was in another matter, and it couldn't be controlled, unless they were God themselves.
When all their emotions broke out, time finally stopped for them.
And with time, the story.
A/N: This is the most muddiest fanfic I've ever written, and it was such a good AU idea, too. ;w; It's supposed to be a sad romantic Liper fic, not another ripoff of Cloud Atlas. (Although the fic's background is inspired by the book, everyone, seriously, go read it or watch the movie.) This is written for Liper December, on tumblr. Glad I made it! Thanks to Hazelle More for beta-reading, in the midst of the college stuff. :3
Also, the fanfic is made out of six parts. One part = one generation, with the first part the current generation, so its excluded in my inaccurate maths. So the fanfic spans around two hundred years, all in all.