They were sitting on the beach holding hands, just enjoying each other's company. They were just reunited after a long duration of loneliness and sorrow. The girl was just happy to have his hand in hers, while he was happy to not be fighting an inner battle of identity crisis. They sat calmly listening to their partner's slow, constant breath and watched the waves crashed. Constant. That is a feeling they have not experienced in quite some time. Eight months to be exact. Though they both were enjoying this moment, they both knew what blocks their path to forever happiness. A great war looms overhead, one that will be filled with great suffering and heartbreak. They both know they will lose many friends. Both just want to not be a hero anymore. They already fought one war of the century, now they must undergo another. She knows in great detail of the threats that await them, but knows she will survive with her best friend at her side. He is aware of the danger, but does not care what must be fought, as long as he has soul mate guarding his back. She always has and always will. Many questions float through their minds; who they will lose, what they will fight, when the first battle will be fought, will they still have their lover's hand in theirs. All these questions lead back to the one on his mind.
What happens if I die?
For any teen, this concept of imminent death would be hard to grasp. But this man is not just any teen. He was chosen by fate to become the Hero of Olympus. He lived for fours years with the knowledge he would die. Fate was kind. Though he might not be dead, his soul was still reaped. He watched his friends die, knowing that there would be a time for grieving, but he had a war to fight; a prophecy to fulfill. He never thought he would date, fall in love, start a family, or even graduate high school. He never gave up. He knew what must be done. He never had the chance to be young. He was thrown into a war, into a parallel universe-he was forced into the position of hero. Before his new life he was just a nobody, someone that was deemed as rebel because of his dyslexia, ADHD, and getting kicked out of every school. He wanted to be normal. To fail his classes because he was too lazy to study, or have girl problems because he said something stupid, not because he had to go on a mission that would most likely lead to his death. But he wasn't normal. He was as abnormal as they get. He was a war-worn leader in the body of a sixteen year old. He accepted his duty, his role in life.
She was a lost child, looking for a family that loves her. She ran away when she was seven from a family that didn't understand the world she lived in. She switched coasts, switched lives. She found a family. She found people like her, people that lived in her world. She lost them, one to an ancient rule broken, another to a grudge that kept him in his the evil one's clutches. She wanted to see the world, become a true hero-she lived half her life listening to stories and waiting for the prophecy child. When that man finally came, all she saw was an ignorant child, a boy that did not know what he was doing. A boy she was supposed to hate. But she stuck with him and saw him grow and mature each summer, from a boy to a man, finally to a leader. She found a father in her director, but she found a family in him, and the friends he brought along. Se found someone that loved everything about her, even her deathly pride.
They fought someone else's war together, and made it out alive, but not unscathed. They saw friends die, lovers torn apart. Those things scar any person for life, and they were only teens thrust into adult's roles. Seeing the heartbreak of others when their other half died made them realize what they had. They were not only friends. They were both one-half of the same soul. When her other half was ripped away, and given to a former enemy, this made her truly realize how much he really affected her. She hated the way he twirled her hair while she was trying to work, but felt empty with the absence of the gently, soothing pulling on her golden curls. Then and there she truly knew she could never live with out him, and wouldn't know what to do if he died. They both may be the leaders, the go-to people, but he would sacrifice himself to save anybody, even if he barely knew them. This has gotten him in bad situations in the past, and she knows that she won't always be there to protect him. The whole swap fiasco has proven it. This leads to her thinking some very serious questions about their future, and whether or not he will even live long enough to be in it. As she rubs her thumb in a small circle on his hand, the same question keeps scrolling through her mind like a song that you love so much you listen to it over and over for weeks.
What if he dies?
The beach is where they spent all their free time. It is where all questions were asked. It was where they fell in love. The man took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of his love's lemon scented hair. He needed to know this was real. He needed to know that he actually had a moment of peace. Peace and happiness never lasted long for him. Four months was the record. He knew this had to end, and he finally wanted something to end on his terms. He took another deep breath and uttered the question that was plaguing their mental sanity.
"What are we going to do if one of us dies?"
"Don't think that way." Was her reply. She was asking herself that too, but couldn't come to terms with losing him again.
"We're in a war, Beth." He needed to know. She hated being called Beth, but the way he said it made her know how much he loved her.
"I know. I just can't even imagine losing you again, Perce." She wanted to cry.
"Me neither, but we have to have a plan." He said. He knew he needed to be the strong one right now.
"What do you mean?"
"We've both gone to the Underworld before. When I went with you. We went to the palace. When I went with Nico, we went to the Styx. But both times, we had ways to get out. Next time, I think we're staying for good." He said. He didn't want to sound pessimistic, but he needed to say what was on his mind. She didn't respond. It was silent for a while, while she pondered what he said. He couldn't take the silence and said what he thought. "I think Elysium. I want to be with you forever and waiting the three lifetimes to get into the Isle of the Blest are not worth it. I've already had enough of being a hero for one, and I do not want to be it for another two. As long as you're with me, now where is there a better paradise."
"Elysium." Was her simple reply. With that one word, they knew that no matter what happened, they would be together. They might die ten years after each other, but they know they will have something constant waiting for them. An eternal happiness with their love, reunited with their lost friends. His worries were washed away like the cool waves lapping at the sand beneath their feet. Her doubts escaped her mind as she started thinking about happier times. Neither was worried. They knew that they would always have the most important thing to each of them. to her, she always wanted what she never had. To him, he always wanted what he thought he couldn't have. But now they new.
They would always have a family.