Quick A/N: This chapter came out a lot shorter than I was expecting, so I added a scene at the end that was originally a deleted scene (I have a small collection of those) from next chapter. It's pointless and what people would call a filler scene but whatever.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: The Song Remains the Same

Nico was finding it incredibly hard not to laugh at the situation. He was new to the whole 'rabbit's foot' drama, but he caught on pretty quickly. Jason had lost the foot, so he had bad luck. Percy had the foot, so he had good luck. It wasn't something to laugh at since Jason's life was on the line. But why not make light of a dark situation? Especially when that dark situation was probably the funniest dark situation Nico had ever witnessed, and that was saying something.

Especially when Percy found a gold ring on the ground, nestled between two blades of grass. Especially when he bent down to pick it up, he bumped into Jason, who then lost his balance. Especially when he fell into an open grave. Even Reyna and Annabeth laughed at that. Percy and Nico reached down to get one of Jason's arms each and hauled him out of the muddy, wet grave. He was very disgruntled and not very happy at being laughed at.

Reyna had to monitor Jason the entire time to make sure he didn't trip and die or something and Nico was on Percy duty. It was nearing midnight, and they were surrounded by darkness. It was kind of eerie, out there in the middle of the night. Nico was used to it, but he saw the others constantly looking over their shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked, watching Percy, who sat on a gravestone. He was supposed to monitor him to make sure he wasn't taking advantage of his good luck.

Percy shrugged, holding up the cards in his hands. "Jason lost his scratch cards when his luck turned bad," he explained, scratching away with a coin. "I'm just preparing for rent when we leave this place."

Nico tried to snatch the cards away from him, but Percy was still taller than Nico, and held the cards above his head, making Nico growl. "It's not real," he said. "It's just cursed luck."

"The lottery is always luck," Percy replied, shrugging with a grin. "Cursed or not." Nico shook his head and Percy jumped for joy when winning millions. Meanwhile, Jason had gotten a cut from a gravestone and was angrily watching Percy.

"Okay, I'm ready for the blood," Annabeth announced. The boys moved to stand over the blazing fire, holding their hands. Annabeth pulled out a pocket knife and cut into Jason's palm. Due to his bad luck, it hurt more than it usually would of and he swore.

Annabeth held the knife out to Percy, who closed his fist around it and let the blood trickle from his palm. Due to his good luck, it hurt a lot less that it would of. He smirked at Jason. "Show off," he muttered, bitterly.

"Great," Annabeth observed as the fire turned blue. "Percy, just throw the foot in the fire." She looked at her boyfriend expectedly but kind of worried. Nico wondered if she thought he didn't have the foot anymore… or if he wouldn't want to say goodbye.

Percy pulled out the rabbit's foot and sighed. "I think we should all say a few words," he announced, gravely. "Thank you, rabbit's foot. For bringing us good luck and money." Nico couldn't tell whether he was joking or not before remembering it was Percy. He was always joking.

Jason watched the foot and shrugged. "I suppose you gave me some good luck before I lost you," he mused, gratefully. He still had a gold watch around his wrist from when he had good luck. Only now it made his wrist itchy.

"I didn't even know there was a foot," Nico announced, as if giving a eulogy.

Percy turned to the two girls, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Yes, thank you for cursing my boyfriend," Reyna said, sarcastically. Percy gave her a mean look, as if to say 'Seriously? Show some respect!'

"Just throw it on the fire, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth exclaimed. He went to do what she said, when they heard a click of a gun. The five of them stopped in their tracks and turned very slowly. They all faced an angry Ivy, who was smirking at them, a silver pistol aimed at them.

"Put the foot down, darlings," she ordered, with a sickly sweet voice.

"How did you even get that in here?" Nico demanded after a pause. "Terminus is being stricter than ever."

"Yes, and whilst he's running around forbidding spoons, he's distracted enough to sneak anything in," Ivy smirked.

"You're not going to use that thing," Percy mused, smiling at Ivy confidently. He took a step forward as he spoke. "See, I happen to be able to read people- FUCK!" He was interrupted by Jason calling out in fear. There was a hole in the ground millimetres from his foot and a smirk on Ivy's face.

"Mommy's not playing around, children," she mused. Reyna looked murderous and moved to step in front of Jason, but he pushed her back and kept an arm in front of her, Annabeth had put her hands over her mouth in shock, Nico had taken a step back at the sound of the gun shot, as if to run away. "In ten seconds, it'll be one to the torso, on sweet little Annabeth. A scar to match her boyfriends."

Annabeth growled. Percy clearly felt the urge to step in front of her, but instead, he stood next to her and they stared Ivy down as a couple. The scar on Percy's stomach stung as he remembered that night in the alleyway. "Don't you dare," he growled, looking menacing but a little scared. "You can have the foot," he offered.

"Put it on the ground," Ivy growled, grinning. She pointed at the ground with her gun before aiming it at Nico this time. Reyna reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him behind her. He was like a brother to her, and she was not losing any more family that night.

Percy paused before kneeling down. He kept eye contact with Ivy and prepared to put the foot down. He looked like he was going to throw it onto the ground between him and Ivy. "Percy don't, you and Jason will both die," Annabeth exclaimed. Percy ignored her. Annabeth reached down to stop him, but he pushed her off.

Now, all anybody saw was Percy trying to protect Annabeth and Nico. But, from Annabeth's perspective, if she looked really closely, when he pushed her away she could almost see him wink. Of course, it could just be the trick of the light…

"Catch," he said. Instead of putting it on the ground he tossed it, and instinctively, Vivian reached out to catch it. She held it in her bare hands for a second, almost smiling at the thought that she had won. Then her face fell and her jaw dropped as she remembered what she had done. The mistake she made. She flared at Percy, her lip twitching.

"Bugger," she exclaimed.

Percy just smirked as she glared at him. "Bet you want that thing destroyed as much as we do, now," he mused. Nico couldn't help but grin. Neither could the rest of the group. Ivy looked murderous, but she put the gun away. She wouldn't kill if it didn't serve a purpose. And she had just lost.

Ivy grumbled a lot as she stomped up to the fire. The group parted for her as she walked. She threw the foot down onto the fire with as much anger as possible and there was a small explosion as the foot combusted. Vivian cross her arms and flicked her hair as she turned back to the group.

"I hope you're bloody happy," she mumbled. She turned to face the group. "I doubt this is the last time we see each other." Jason groaned and she looked offended. "You should be happier. I'm one hell of a girl."

"If I ever see you again-" Reyna growled.

"I'm dead?" Vivian guessed. "I know. I love you too." The group watched her go, storming away from them and grumbling angrily.

They were pretty quiet as they walked out of the graveyard, not exactly sure what to think of the whole affair. Annabeth carried the fire tools and Nico and Reyna had their arms over each other's shoulders. They won, and life could be peaceful for the first time in forever.

"Oh!" Percy exclaimed. "I almost forgot, we still have the lottery tickets." He reached in his pocket, a huge grin on his face at their last stroke of luck. However, the look faded and his hands came out of his pocket clean.

"Where'd they go?" Reyna asked, her hand in Jason's.

They group paused as they heard a tire squeal and a horn honk in goodbye. They realised that the thief had struck again. There was a long pause before Percy yelled: "SON OF A BITCH!" angrily.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Last year, we pulled 10 admirable guests," Reyna mused, "this year I'm aiming for twenty." She stood in a changing room, calling out to Annabeth. Every year the college hosted a sort of goodbye gala for the seniors.

Kind of like a prom, but with more class. Fountain, tiled mosaic floors, champagne. Reyna, as always, was in charge. Every year they invited New Rome's 'finest'. People who had gone to the college who became successful writers, musicians, lawyers. Things the college students aspired to be, so they could get advice about where to go next.

"You know," Annabeth said, from outside the changing room, "blackmailing people to come doesn't count."

"You know Camille went into labour this morning?" Reyna asked, clearly trying to change the subject to avoid suspicion. Annabeth sniggered. "That baby's going to do some things that make all the other babies hate her."

"Yeah, I heard," she replied. "Percy went to go and visit her. I thought we would go around later and send our… support. You know, about her quitting her evil ways. Oh, and for taking her final exams as a mother."

"If you suggest we do some babysitting, the answer is no," Reyna sighed, opening up the changing room and going to stand in front of a larger mirror, getting a better look at the gown she was trying on.

"Come on," Annabeth said. "We weren't always innocent in this rivalry."

"The bitch deserved boot camp," Reyna rolled her eyes. "Does everybody forget that she actually has friends of her own?"

Annabeth just shook her head as she looked up at Reyna's dress. "You look super hot by the way," she commented.

Reyna turned to her a scrunched her nose, smiling. "You think?"

"Yeah," Annabeth nodded. "Jason's going to have the hottest date there."

Reyna grinned as she turned back to the changing room to get back changed. "Apart from Percy's date," she said. "I heard she's gorgeous." She heard Annabeth laugh. "Well, she was less hot when her roommate caught her mixing vodka with mayonnaise at three in the morning…?"

Annabeth groaned. "A) that was marshmallow fluff!" she exclaimed. "And B) … I'm kind of stressed at the moment."

"Evidently," Reyna said. "Where the hell is Jason, by the way?"

"I'm here," called an out-of-breath voice. "The exam went on longer than I thought it would, and then my coffee was decaf and I couldn't find my phone…" he stopped rambling as Reyna stepped out of the changing room and handed the bagged dress to a worker in the shop.

"I'll put this one on hold," she smiled. Then she turned to her boyfriend, a mean look on her face.

"I know that look," Annabeth whispered to Jason. "That look is not your friend."

"I told you not to be late," she scolded. "Now we might be late to our appointment at the tailors, and you know I don't like being late." Annabeth resisted the urge to laugh. Reyna was very serious about almost everything. Most people thought her control-freakiness was a joke, but nope.

"Sorry," he said. "Besides, I have the suit on hold all ready, so all you need to do is pick out the tie."

"Why can't you pick up your own tie?" Annabeth asked, taking a clipboard out of Reyna's bag and scanning it.

"It needs to be colour-coordinated with Reyna's dress," Jason answered. Annabeth laughed before realising he was serious.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a control freak," Reyna answered, rolling her eyes. "But also because we are two very important ex praetors who lead Rome out of war. Twice on my part. And know we're dating and graduating college so there will be a lot of people there who we need to uphold an empire-known reputation with."

"An empire-known reputation?" Annabeth asked.

"Rome is an empire," Reyna shrugged.

"And you're going to uphold your reputation via matching ties?" Annabeth asked.

"I'm sorry, do you have an empire-known reputation?" Reyna asked, sarcastically. "I didn't think so." Annabeth laughed and Jason shrugged at her, wearing a look that said: my girlfriends crazy, help? "Are you sure you can handle this?" Reyna asked Annabeth.

Annabeth looked at the clipboard, at all the highlighted things Reyna wanted Annabeth to take care of before the gala. "If you can take care of all of this, then I can take care of a fraction of it," she answered.

"I gave you all the architecture stuff," Reyna said. "That's kind of your forte."

Annabeth paused, studying the clipboard. "You're doing so much work for this gala," Annabeth mused, running her hand over the pages, reading the lists of things Reyna had to do that Annabeth wouldn't even have thought of.

"No more than she did organising Feasts of Fortunas," Jason whispered, earning him a hit over the head from a glaring Reyna. "You even created seating plans for Senate Meetings!" He exclaimed, defensively.

"That's because people wanted Serena and Carolyn to sit next to each other, even when Serena abandoned Carolyn at an airport, leaving Carolyn alone and humiliated in Tuscany," Reyna said. "Did we want a Cat-Fight in the middle of a war-declaring meeting? I don't know what you're expecting, but last time I checked, I'm a caffeine-addicted control freak who thrives on being in charge."

Jason smirked as he kissed her. "And that is why I love you!"

Annabeth looked confused. "This city," she sighed.

A/N: REMINDER: Instead of Gossip Girl, this last dilemma is going to be based off of my favourite episode of Supernatural.

Ugh, sorry it took me so long to update! I just escaped exam week, so I was kind of swamped. I did terribly, for anybody who wanted to ask. Anyway, I'm behind on so much fanfiction, but luckily, there's the Easter Holiday coming up so yay! More time. This story, however, will likely be finished by then. EEK!

Okay, so that sequel collection of one-shots will definitely go forth! I have a few ideas down, but I want to take requests, so start making prompts and I'll start writing! Two chapter to go until this story finishes! I have a couple of other projects I'm working on. Including the re-writing of my Jeyna series and a little something else that's going to be a surprise.

PLUS: Me and a few other fanfiction authors are launching a new fanfiction project in April! In a lot of books and TV shows, mental health issues are not addressed as much as they should be. Even when it makes sense for a certain character to be suffering with a mental health problem. Our project Mental-Health-Fictions addresses this issue through fanfiction! People can send in their personal experiences and we can raise awareness for this through their favourite characters! We're looking for more people to get involved with this, so please let me know!

Thank you for reading! Please reeevvviiieeewww! -Izzy