There we go! Epilogue!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


"I should've been there to help you."

Jason knew the words were plain and simple. But he couldn't come up with anything better.

His mind was trapped far in the past as he stared uncomprehendingly at the grave. The only thing keeping him anchored to the present was the bunch of roses in his hand.

Honeymoon roses. Jason wasn't sure what they symbolized, but they'd always been Reyna's favorite. She loved the fragrance the yellow flowers emitted.

She was gone now.

So why was it so easy for him to picture her taking the flowers and smiling, then burying her face in petals?

Jason tried to think of something else to say. He blurted, "I'm sorry for all the things I said and didn't say, and I'm sorry I didn't have your back when you always had mine. I'll miss you, and you'll always be one of my best and oldest friends."

He placed the roses—carefully, just as Reyna always used to—on the ground. Then he stepped back quickly before he could do something stupid like cry.

Oh, he would've loved to start crying if Piper wasn't there. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. The problem was, she was always there for him, and he was never alone to cry.

He shoved down the emotions that were threatening to explode. Now was not the time to lose it.

Annabeth went next, hand in hand with Percy. They were both somber; Jason knew they'd seen too many deaths before.

"We could've been sisters," Annabeth said. "I wish I could've gotten to know you better, but with the way things turned out…" She didn't finish the sentence.

Percy went next. "Um… I'm sorry for ruining your life four years ago."

Leave it to Percy to say something awkward at a funeral.

The son of Poseidon continued. "I'm also sorry that no one was there for you when you needed them. You were brave, and you were strong, and I don't think anyone else could have done the things you did without going crazy."

Piper, standing next to Jason, gave his hand a squeeze. She had nothing to say at Reyna's funeral, and it was just as well—Reyna probably wouldn't have wanted her to say anything anyway.

Not that Reyna was petty and shallow; this was supposed to be a closed ceremony of her friends and comrades. Piper had never fought by Reyna's side, or really been involved in her life (except for, you know, being Jason's girlfriend and thus throwing Reyna into depression).

Jason felt bad about it, which made him confused. He had nothing to feel bad about… right?

Hazel walked up to him, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Nico told me she got Elysium," she said.

Jason tried for a smile. He should be happy; she deserved it.

"She's not trying for the Isles of the Blest?" he inquired. That was extremely unlike Reyna. She was always an overachiever.

Hazel shrugged. "She was very vague. She said she had people to watch over, and that she'd try for rebirth when the time was right."

"I wonder when that'll be," Jason said.

"Me too."

They stood in silence, until Piper interrupted.

"So… um… what now?"

Jason kept his eyes on the headstone that marked his friend's grave. "I'd like some time by myself, if you guys don't mind… you go on ahead. I'll catch up later."

Piper started to protest, but Hazel grabbed her by the arm and started walking off.

As they left, he heard Hazel say, "Sometimes, you just want to be left alone, you know?"

No, she didn't know. How could she? She was always saying how she wished her dad would spend more time with her.

Jason sat on the slightly dewy grass. The sun was coming up slowly but surely, and he could tell it was going to be a warm day. Just like Reyna's favorite.

Reyna had been used to tropical weather, coming from the island. It had taken her quite a while to get used to the San Francisco climate.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, Rey."

He spoke the words out loud, just to make himself feel less awkward.

It didn't work. What was he doing?

"I can't really say anything except that I'm sorry. I know how you wanted things to work out. But… well…" He choked up.

"You were one of my oldest friends. I could always count on you. Heck, Annabeth and Percy and the others wondered why I trusted you to slow down the legion on the way to Camp Half-Blood. But… well, before anything else, we were friends. And before that, we were fellow legionnaires. We were tied together by, if nothing else, duty. They don't… they don't really get it. But then, they're not Roman like we are… were."

" 'Were'?" It was a girl's voice, painted with mischief. "You mean 'are,' Sparky. Unless you're going Graecus."

He'd know that voice anywhere. "Reyna?" he turned.

And there she stood; looking at him with that usual amused expression.

"Who else?" she answered, and he broke into a grin.

"Wait. But how…?"

Reyna just smiled. Looking more closely at her, he could see that she wasn't entirely… there. Her form looked like it was made of mist; like maybe she would dissolve at any moment.

And suddenly, Jason was afraid she would disappear right before his eyes. It was an illogical, pointless fear, but he was afraid all the same.

"Oh, don't worry," Reyna laughed. "I won't blow away."

"How did you—" he began.

"Being a ghost is a lot like being a god. Well, true, I can't touch anything physical in this realm, but I can… read people better."

"You're not going to… you know, just disappear?"

"I'd only disappear if my will disappeared. And you know me."

"Stubborn as a mule," Jason said.

"Exactly." She looked pleased.

Reyna now seemed so much happier than she'd been when she was alive. She even seemed a bit younger. Or, actually, she appeared to be more her age.

It was so hard to remember that she was only fifteen. Her birthday would be in two months.

"You don't have to worry about losing me, Jason. I'll be watching over you and the others. You'll have my help."

Then a shadow crossed her face. Her eyes darkened.

"I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Can't you stay a bit longer?" He sounded like a whiny child.

She shook her head, lips pressed tightly together. "That little… I'm going to have a word with her!"

And then she simply winked out of existence.


"Piper, honey! I kept my promise, didn't I?"

Aphrodite was jubilant, her color-shifting eyes merry.

"What… what do you mean?" Piper managed to say. She was utterly dumbfounded by her mother's sudden appearance.

"Don't you remember? You prayed to me. Your exact words were something along the lines of, 'If love means anything, don't take him away.' Well, I didn't! I made sure it wasn't Jason's oath to keep."

Piper stared at her mother blankly.

"And now you'll have Jason forever! Isn't that what you wanted, honey? And, at the same time, I made sure he'd never go back to his little Reyna. Killing two birds with one stone… that's what they say, right? Although… ugh. Who would want to kill birds?" Aphrodite frowned. "There would be such a mess. And I might chip a nail!"

"Wait." Piper held up a hand. "So you mean… you killed Reyna?"
"Oh, pish!" Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively. "No. The stupid little praetor killed herself."

"That's not what I meant! You made it her oath to keep with a final breath, didn't you?"

Aphrodite nodded eagerly. "Exactly. Isn't it wonderful? She died a tragic, romantic death by her own hands rather than be taken by Gaea's forces."

"That's horrible!" Piper nearly shouted.

A new figure suddenly appeared, standing beside Piper.

"Your mother's right, though," the girl said bitterly. "She kept her promise. You got what you wanted."

Piper jumped. A mere inch to her right was a girl her age that hadn't been there a moment ago.

And not just any girl.

The girl had long, glossy dark hair that was reminiscent of obsidian. Her eyes were dark and stormy. She carried herself with a powerful dignity that made everyone around her feel inadequate.

Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion.

"I didn't want you to die," Piper defended herself. "I never asked for that."

"We don't ask for a lot of things, and yet we get them," Reyna said. Something about her voice sent shivers up and down Piper's spine. Since death, her voice had taken on a different quality. "I didn't ask Juno to take Jason away. I didn't ask Gaea to try to destroy the world. And least of all, I never asked anyone for a death sentence."

She turned on Aphrodite. "And you. You are a monster."

"I warned you that time you visited me," Aphrodite stated.

"You're cruel and conniving and shallow!"

"Love is cruel. We can't all have happily ever afters, can we?"

Reyna scoffed. "Your daughter once said that when you represented love and beauty, you represented 'being loving and spreading beauty.'"

Piper wondered how the deceased daughter of Bellona knew that when she'd never been there.

"She's wrong. The way her cabin was carried on before? That was the true meaning of your spirit. You're shallow and stupid and weak and whiny. Have you ever been in a war before? You think so many wars are 'beautiful and romantic.' My mother is war. She does NOT go hand in hand with the likes of you! You're pathetic and all you care about is having a nice story!"

"Don't talk to me that way!" Aphrodite's eyes flashed. "Why, I ought to—"

"What can you do to me that you haven't done already?" Reyna lifted her chin defiantly. "You snatched away the only boy I ever trusted or respected! You made it so that I would die, defending everyone I ever loved! I'm dead. You hold no power over me now."

Reyna cast a dark look at Piper. "I hope you understand what love is capable of. Your mother? She isn't love and beauty. She's shallowness. Real beauty comes from within."

"That's a lie," objected Aphrodite. "It's a pitiful lie made up by ugly people who feel bad about their appearances."

"You see?" The daughter of Bellona allowed herself the tiniest of smiles. "This is what is in your blood. This is what you can become. If this is your idea of love, do me a favor and don't be with Jason. He deserves better."

Her form shimmered and faded into thin air.


Piper did stay with Jason, and she did stay on good terms with her mother. She was, after all, Aphrodite's greatest success.

Jason never truly lost Reyna. Although he kept quiet about it, she visited him twice a week in his dreams. She was there to listen to his problems or take him for a visit with the other friends he'd lost.

Annabeth and Percy eventually got married, after two proposals from Percy. The first time, she'd thought he was joking.

It was a couple weeks until his confidence was back up (with some help from Jason and Nico) and he tried again.

That time, she accepted. They got married a few months after.

Hazel and Frank were engaged, although Hazel and Leo were always good friends.

Leo was always trying to push Jason into giving Piper a ring. He declined, however, for reasons he preferred not to say.

After two years, however, Reyna suddenly was absent from Jason's dreams. He asked Nico to look for her in the Underworld, but she'd chosen rebirth.

Soon after, Annabeth and Percy had their first child: a baby girl. They invited all their friends to their daughter's first-month-of-life party to celebrate her turning one month old.

Nico knew as soon as he saw the little girl. Jason knew, too, after some initial disbelief.

Jason walked up to Annabeth, who was holding the baby in her arms.

He peered into the baby's gray eyes (she had her mother's eyes, and her father's dark hair), and smiled.

"Hi, Reyna."

Annabeth's eyes widened in surprise.

But who else could the daughter be? When she'd been born, she hadn't cried. She rarely ever did. She always seemed to be analyzing the people around her.

As Jason said her previous life's name, the baby smiled.

Darcy Jackson, as she was named, grew into a girl every bit as intimidating and beautiful as her mother. And although she didn't remember who she used to be, she always felt close to her Uncle Jason.

He was more protective over her than her own father.

He never wanted to lose her again.