Disclaimer: I own nothing but the cheesy ending. My muse let me smuggle it in. Don't freak this isn't the final chapter.

Chapter 37

It wasn't long until I could be eased from death's grasp. There was a lot of talking and laughing. Everyone was so giddy with our success. We'd won. It was over. So why wasn't I happy. There had been many happy reunions and fervent hugs, but I just wanted to throw up.

Hey, look we survived, Tony quipped tiredly; I love that when that happens. My brother Tyson had shown up ecstatic.

"Big Sis," he shouted, lifting me from the ground, "Your not dead. I'm glad."

"I'm glad to," I said with a fake smile, "Hey, Ty, if anyone asks I went downstairs yeah?" He nodded and I made a phone call. It rang from behind me.

"This ones on the house," Mari said sadly, "I'll send the dead to the lobby?"

"Yeah," I said smiling grimly, "Thanks." They worked fast, people were started to wake up and soon it looked like nothing had ever happened. Hermes tapped me on the shoulder.

"You need to come up," he said seriously, I wondered how long he'd been standing there.

"I can't," I said shaking my head. Not now, I just wanted to run. As fast and as far as I could until there was nowhere left to go. He looked sad.

"You've got a choice, don't make me drag you," he said apologetically. The words that I'd said to Uncle Thor the first time that I'd been taken to Asgard rose unbidden to my lips.

"Nobody makes us do anything," I replied and my voice sounded hollow. There was a phone call and he picked it up. On the other end you could hear fast paced talking.

"Take it up with her," Hermes said flicking his phone onto loudspeaker. Uncle Zeus's voice rang through the air.

"You both need to get back up here," he said gruffly. I let out something that could have maybe passed for a laugh and a snort blended together.

"No," I said, "I'm leaving."

"You will not," he yelled, "You must be rewarded for killing Kronos." That time I did laugh; it was bitter and dark sounding.

"I didn't kill him," I retorted, "I talked to him… then he killed himself."

"You must come back up here," my dad said. I snorted again.

"No, and you shouldn't use phrasing like that," I said back, "Other wise I'm obligated to tell you where you must shove that suggestion."

"Why wont you come up here?" Annabeth asked and because it was her and because every instinct in me was telling me to run I told her. I told them.

"I can't," I said shivering, "The thing about our family wise girl is that they want. All the time, they want and want and want. It's fine, most of the time it doesn't matter at all… but ah, at the moment I can't. And I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry, because I don't have a damn thing left to give." There was silence.

"We wanted… we are offering you godhood," Uncle Zeus said. Icy cold fear spread through my veins. Godhood? Immortality? No! Oh hell no! Code red!

"No thank you," I replied politely. The other end of the phone exploded into noise and I couldn't understand a damn thing. The only thing I could do was keep the terrified expression off my face for as long as possible.

"What?" dad asked, "Why would you not choose?"

"Forever is a very long time, far to long," I answered, "I don't want it."

"It is a gift," Uncle Zeus said, "You deserve a gift."

"How about you let me choose it then," I retorted.

"Alright," they responded, "So long as it's within reason." I bit my lip, and Uncle Hades words came floating back to me. It's always better to get a solemn oath.

"Can you swear that on the River Styx for me?" I asked them. They were reluctant but they did it. Someone grumbled at Uncle Hades and I took another breath. "This can't ever happen again," I said softly, "Build cabins for the minor gods and Uncle Hades. Claim your children, all of them before they turn thirteen. Put Aunty Hestia and Uncle Hades back on the Olympian council, have some sort of council for all the gods."

"You ask for much," Athena said haughtily.

"Look at the five years worth of damage. Hell, look at the pile of dead kids," I replied icily, "It's not really that much. Certainly not anything you shouldn't have to get up off your fucking ass and do anyway. Because if you fuck up like this again and I won't help you clean it up."

They hung up with instructions for Hermes to drag me up here by any means necessary. Needless to say, it just wasn't going down like this and family or not if those fuckers thought differently they were in for a rude surprise.

"I'm sorry about this," he offered. I just shook my head.

"Yeah," I said sadly, "Me to." I threw a left over grenade at the building behind him. It exploded and he was buried in debris. I ran, as fast as I could, he was already getting up. Looking up at the stars, I let Zoë guide me, following the arrow point in her constellation.

I was still battered and bruised. I just wasn't dying anymore, so running was a Grade 1 A-hole with severe attitude problems. I managed to find one of the doors between city's and rush right through it, closing the door in his face.

"Fancy seeing you here stranger," a voice said. I looked up from my current position from where I'd fallen on the cement.

"Tony," I said in relief taking the hand that was being held out to me. There was a dull thud from where I collided with his chest, arms wrapped tightly around me he buried his face in my hair.

"Let's never, ever, ever, ever do that again, okay?" he asked me softly. My left hand clenched in his jacket and I let out a body wracking sob, before realising that if I start to cry hear I wasn't going to be able to stop.

"Agreed," I said moving away, "Lets get to Val Hal. I should probably go make sure my mom's okay."

"Yeah, Loki's probably flipping about now," Tony agreed, he still hadn't let go of my hand yet but that was fine. I guess now that we both needed to work on this night, just working at surviving.

Yeah, it was cheesy I know. Still it had to be done. Opinions? Review me and tell me them, kay?