Heeeey guys! Miss me? Sorry it's been a while, I've been really busy at work and it's been a stressful few days. Thank you to everyone who left comments on Wattpad. I really enjoy reading all of your guys' thoughts and opinions on my writing, though many have been negative since last chapter. I'm sorry about Mrs. O'Leary! Please don't hate me! Enjoy this quick chapter, I'll try to get a longer one done ASAP.

Chapter 21: Aftermath

Percy sat there on his knees, blankly staring at the puddle of shadow that used to be Mrs. O'Leary. The tears had stopped several minutes ago. He'd run out. Now he was just numb, empty. Steve still knelt next to him, a hand on his shoulder. It was the only thing anchoring him to reality.

Why? he screamed in his head. Why do you hate me so much? He didn't even know who he was yelling at. His father, Zeus, the Fates, Tartarus? All of them? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he'd failed. Again. Failed to protect one of his friends, and they ended up dying for him.

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Steve felt so helpless. His friend was sitting there, going through the loss of a good friend, and all he could do is sit there with a hand on his shoulder. If just felt so… inadequate.

But what else could he do? Tell him it was going to be okay? Any words right now would sound forced and hollow.

His eyes turned back to the hellhound's final resting place and he felt several tears slip out of his eyes, wetting the bottom edge of his cowl. He'd only spent a few hours getting to know Mrs. O'Leary, but the giant hellhound acted too much like a puppy to be anything but adorable. During his watch, once there was enough moonlight, he'd finally relented to her puppy-dog eyes. He'd removed the bronze edge from his shield and thrown it as far as he could. Even with the Quin-Jet closed, Steve had been surprised when no one heard her barking in excitement as she raced after it. He'd only thrown it a few times, and amazingly it hadn't gotten too slobbery. Afterwards, she'd immediately curled up around him, providing him with a comfy backrest and a warm blanket (her tail) as she drifted off to sleep. Steve had just grinned at her and absently scratched behind her ear for the next couple of hours. By the time Natasha had come out for her watch, he'd been so against waking her that he'd gone to sleep right there. He'd only woken a few hours later because Nat had been shaking him. He'd woken up to see Mrs. O'Leary growling at the fields around them, yet she hadn't moved yet. However once she saw that he was awake, she'd immediately jumped up, pacing along the edge of the corn.

Steve had never seen a dog more loyal than her. As he once again looked at the puddle of shadow, he saw something glinting bronze in the moonlight. He removed his hand from Percy's shoulder and grabbed it, pulling it closer. His movement finally caused Percy to stir, and the teen stared at Steve with blank eyes. As Steve looked back at the object in his hands, he saw little bronze links forged into a dog collar. The tag had a little smiley-face and crossbones on it along with the names Mrs. O'Leary and Percy Jackson along with a phone number. Steve grinned a little when he saw it.

"Beckendorf made it for her." Steve jumped in surprise and turned to see Percy staring at the collar in his hands with an even sadder expression than before. Steve immediately handed the collar to the teen, who continued staring at it. A small grin crossed his face as he ran his fingers over the metal. "He also made her favorite chewing bone. Both had to be celestial bronze. Anything else she would tear through with her teeth and claws easily." His face grew wistful and Steve could tell that he was remembering far better times. "He always took care of her when I was gone. Whether it was a quest, school, or anything. He was her favorite person besides me."

"Sounds like a nice guy," Steve said kindly. "Is he at camp?" Steve knew he'd just messed up when Percy's eyes went back to depressed. "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

Percy shook his head. "No, it's alright." Steve watched as he took a deep breath, seeming to brace himself. "It was during the Titan War. A few days before the final battle, Beckendorf, the counselor for the Hephaestus cabin, and I went to destroy Kronos' cruise ship that was set to dock in Manhattan. Trying to even the odds. Everything was going to plan, but then we split up." He gave Steve a small grin. "Stupid idea, I know, but it was the only one we had." His face grew grave again. "He managed to set the charges, but by the time we saw each other, they'd captured him, and I was fighting for my life." He lowered his head in shame. "He wasn't supposed to hit the charges until we'd both escaped into the ocean, so I could protect us, but he told me to go and… I left him. He died. I didn't." A few more tears leaked out of Percy's eyes, and he wiped them away jerkily. "Just like Mrs. O'Leary. Just like Connor. Just like Bob. Damasen. Silena. Luke. Michael. Leo. Zoë. Bianca. Ethan. Castor. Another friend who died because I wasn't strong enough to protect them." This time wen the tears fell, Percy didn't wipe them away. "You know why my mom named me Perseus? He was one of the few heroes that actually got a happy ending. She hoped it would be good luck." He met Steve's eyes, and he was floored by the sheer amount of emotional anguish he could see in them. "How do you think that's going?

Steve sat there in stunned silence as Percy looked back down at the collar. Before he had a chance to say anything, the boy stood and walked back to the Quin-Jet. Steve watched as he ignored the looks the others were sending him, and merely climbed onto the jet. He followed a few moments later, but stopped just before the ramp with the rest of the team.

"Is he alright?" Bruce asked softly as they watched Percy take a seat, placing the collar in his bag before turning away from them.

"He just lost one of his best friends," Clint said. "Do you expect him to be alright?"

Steve ignored the comment. "Physically, he's in pain. I could see the blood all over his arms and a little on his throat. And he didn't get thrown to softly when Mrs. O'Leary…" he trailed off, and there was a moment of awkward silence before he continued. "Mentally, I don't know how the kid's still going. He's been through so much. I honestly wouldn't think any less of him if he refused to go any further right now." Tony gave him a slightly surprised look, but he ignored him, still watching Percy.

"I'll go check on him," Bruce said, and entered the jet before Steve had a chance to stop him. He watched with some slight apprehension as he approached the kid, pulling something out of his bag as he walked.

Suddenly, he was distracted by a bright light around him. At first, he thought the moon had just come out from behind some clouds or something, but when he turned around, he saw three young girls.

He immediately fell into a defensive position, one that was mirrored by Clint, Natasha, and Tony, who was still in his suit. Two of the girls raised silver bows but the youngest, who stood in front of the group, gestured for them to lower them. She stepped forward, and Steve took in her auburn hair and silvery clothes that seemed to be designed for hunting. She looked to be around the age of twelve. When she made eye contact with him, he saw that her eyes were a shocking silver color. And he could have sworn she had a silver halo around her, like the moonlight was hitting her just right.

He didn't lower his shield, however, until she spoke. "Peace mortals." Her voice somehow sounded her age, but was also wise and experienced, like she'd lived forever. "I am Artemis, goddess of the moon and the Hunt."