Zoe is confused. For multiple reasons really. 1) Percy confessed to loving her after somehow taking her back from the clutches of the sky. 2) Percy is broken. 3) Annabeth is gone. And finally, every night Percy would grab her, take her to his roof, pull her close, give her a sweet kiss, and whisper, "Bob says hello, my star." he never explained it, he just looked at her like he expected her to say something, and then realizing that moment would not be happening, he would sigh and carry Zoe down to his cabin to sleep.
Ok, well, actually, the kissing part isn't really that weird, but it was the way the kisses felt during that moment. Broken, needing to know she was there, and loving all at the same time. It gave her chills. 'What had he gone through while i was just being in the night sky?' She's not sure she wants to know. Until, she does.
One night, knowing, or think she knows, what will happen, Zoe goes to the top of Percy's cabin and just lays there, waiting for percy to come and grab her from her bed in the Artemis cabin. Only, she wouldn't be there. She smirked… and smirked… and grinned… and smiled… and frowned.
Where was Percy? Did he forget about her? No, he would never forget her. Then, randomly, the former huntress notices how hard the waves are slapping the sandy beaches. There. There he was. If he was all there.
"My star." Zoe jolted. She had not known that he knew she was there when his back was to her.
"πιστή θάλασσα, my faithful sea… who is Bob?" without a word Percy gets up and walks towards his cabin. Thinking she said something wrong, Zoe stood there.
Just as she was about to go back to her empty cabin, Percy reappears with a surfboard. As he walks by, he grabs her hand and leads her out to sea. On the board, all Percy does is paddle, and when the city lights no longer dampen the beauty of the stars, Percy stops and lays down, Zoe laying on his stomach.
Then he begins to speak.
"Imagine Darkness. Darkness so whole and evil, the more you can see, the more Insanity rips at your mind. Imagine Hunger. Hunger that absorbs all that you are. Imagine living in that Darkness, that Insanity, that Hunger." Percy's hands rub her stomach, thinking of a future, his future, their future.
"Now i want you to imagine the sun. No, not Apollo. I want you to imagine life, light, warmth, joy. Now imagine the stars. Small tiny pinpricks of light, insignificant compared to the sun. So what? The sun is temporary and comes with more faults than advantages. Now stars however, are forever. Not the form of a star, the meaning of a star. A star is a beacon of Hope in an inky darkness that can swallow someone whole without mercy. There is one sun, but an infinite amount of stars! Boundless Hope! Only the greatest heroes can achieve that which is better than immortality. To be a legend after death is one thing, but being the hope of millions of people? Only a dream for most, and a reality for those who deserve it."
Percy squeezes her hand and she would hold back her tears… if they had not already fallen.
"Hope. Hope in Darkness. Hope in Insanity. Hope in Hunger. That's what you gave my friend. He wanted to see the stars himself, but…. He had Hope. Hope that i would be able to carry his message pass the Darkness, pass the Insanity, pass the Hunger. So i do, everynight, i do. Waiting for Hope to tell me Bob's dying Hope, was not wasted on me, so…."
"Bob says hello, my star." and finally, Zoe was no longer confused.
She raised her hand to the sky, no, to Hope, and waved.
"Hi, Bob. It's nice to see you again."
Omgg, i started crying while i was typing. I don't know about you guys, but that's what the stars represent to me. In my mind, heart, and soul, i know even if the sun was gone… Hope will never leave you, as long as you never leave Hope.
Hello, Hope….