It's here! The FINAL chapter of my story! I have waited so long for this moment! But don't worry, I will have a NEW STORY! I'm not sure when I will start/post it but I will let you know what the name of it is later! Thanks so much to everyone who reads this story! I will post my list of thank yous next chapter (not really a chapter just an A/N). I don't own PJO!
"Hello love." Alexander said and I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Lately, he and I have been on good terms. He was also really excited for me when I told im I was engaged, unless he still holds resentment towards me for leaving him at the altar.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"You invited me to the wedding."
"Look if the only reason you came was to try to change my mind, then the answer is no. I love Max and I'm marrying him tomorrow." I said.
"Carter, no that's not why I came to talk to you. Why don't we sit outside in the courtyard?" he asked me. I hesitated then followed him outside. We sat on the edge of the fountain.
"Why did you come to talk to me then?" I asked him.
"Carter I'm really happy for you and Max. Just because you and I didn't work out doesn't mean that I want you to be unhappy. I guess the main thing I came to tell you, is the past doesn't matter. You and I both were really confused and rebellious teenagers who turned out fine. You found a guy who makes you happy and I have a girlfriend who makes me happy."
"You have a girlfriend?" I asked him.
"Yes I do. We have been dating for about three months."
"So what country or family is she associated with?"
"She is actually a teacher." he said.
"Wait you're not with someone who is rich or royal?" I asked shocked.
"No, I met her while I was out with some friends. I just wanted to tell you congratulations and you will look stunning tomorrow." he said and I smiled.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me." I said then gave him a hug and he kissed me on the cheek.
"Max is a very lucky man." he said then walked into the palace.
"No I'm the lucky one." I said to myself looking into the reflection of the sky in the clear fountain water. I got up then walked back upstairs to my room. My friends were all resting on my bed and Kat had Ariel cradled in her arms. Ariel was fast asleep and looked adorable and tranquil.
"Hey who wanted to talk to you?" Annabeth asked.
"Alexander." I explained to them about my conversation with him and how happy he was for me.
"That's really nice to hear. It's amazing how much the two of you have changed since well not even the course of ten years." Annabeth said.
"I'm so happy with my life now."
"I think all of our lives turned out amazing considering we're demigods who aren't suppose to make it this long." she said.
"It's true. Well ladies, tomorrow is a big day so we need to rest up."
"Are we sleeping on the floor?" Sadria asked.
"No you all have rooms. Three of you are pregnant, one is a mother and the rest of you I want to not be in pain for tomorrow, so you all have beds."
"Good because I can't do sleeping on the floor." Sadria said.
"Goodnight ladies, see you tomorrow!" I said. They all left to go to their rooms and I turned off the lights and got into bed. Tomorrow is one of the biggest moments of my life. I can't wait to marry the person I love the most. Tomorrow night I'll go to bed as Mrs. Carter La Rue.
"Your highness, it's time to wake up." a maid said to me. My eyes fluttered open and I stretched out my arms.
"I'm getting married today." I said the thought occurred to me when I looked over at the picture of Max and I.
"Congratulations your highness. I drew you a bath." she said.
"Thank you so much." I said. I took a soothing bath with lavender water. After I was finished, I wrapped my hair up then put on a robe and slippers. My friends came in and sat down around me.
"How's the bride-to-be?" Annabeth asked.
"I'm great. I just took a bath which helped to sooth my nerves." I said.
"What are you nervous about?" Clarisse asked.
"Well my OCD towards this wedding means I want everything to go perfectly." I said.
"Everything will go perfectly." Sadria said and I smiled.
"So whats it like being the last one to get married?" Thalia asked me.
"Thalia!" they all said.
"We were all thinking it but I'm the only one to have enough guts to ask." she responded.
"I don't really care that I'm the last one. I'm just happy to be getting married and to share this day with all of you." I said and they smiled. A group of maids came in carrying pitchers and glasses of water.
"We need to hydrate since the ceremony is outdoors." I said.
The maids began to do our hair. For my bridesmaids, I had them do a low curled hair bun. Thalia's hair was still too short so she had her hair curled down. For me, I had a my hair pulled back into a bun but had the top part poofed up along with a curl going down each side of my face. For the bridesmaids make-up, I had them do a subtle eye make-up with a shimmer cherry-red lipstick. I had the same eye make-up except I had a more red-velvet lipstick.
"Kat, I have a special surprise for you and Ariel." I said. I walked over to a box and walked over to Kat who was holding Ariel.
"What's this?" she asked me.
"I want Ariel to match you and the other bridesmaids so I came across an old dress I wore when I was a baby." I said and she opened the box. She pulled out a red rose detailed dress with short-sleeves and a bow belt.
"This dress is adorable! You want Ariel to wear it?" she asked.
"Of course I want my, basically niece to wear that dress. It comes with two other things." I said. I grabbed two more small boxes and handed them to Kat. One had a baby-sized rose head band with two small diamond accents and then red rose baby shoes to match the dress.
"Carter these are amazing. Thank you so much!" she said.
"I wore that outfit for my first Christmas. Even if we are four days off from Christmas, I think its great." I said.
"Spencer is just going to adore this!" she said while bouncing Ariel.
"Spencer that reminds me... Lucy do you mind getting Spencer for me, I need to talk to him." I said.
"Of course miss." she said then excited the room.
"Is everything ok with you two?" Kat asked.
"Oh yeah everything is great. I just need to talk to him about something important. Well ask him something important."
Max's POV
I woke up this morning happier than ever. I'm marrying the love of my life in just a little over six hours. I walked out to the main part of the room. Percy along with the other guys were sitting on the couches talking.
"There's our little Max who is about to get married. They grow up so fast." Leo said.
"I'm older than you." I said.
"Details. So are you ready to get married?" Leo asked.
"I've never been more ready in my life. I'm so happy that in six hours, I'm going to be married to the most amazing girl in the world." I said.
"You better take good care of our sister." Spencer said.
"I promise to take care of her." I said.
"Hopefully this wedding isn't as awkward as Carter's last wedding. Spencer and I had to comfort our sister who we thought was pregnant." Jason said.
"As far as I know, she isn't pregnant." I said. There was a knock on the door and I walked over to get.
"Hello Max, we were wondering what you and the others wanted for breakfast." A butler said.
"Guys what do you want to eat?" I asked them.
"Bacon!"
"Eggs!"
"Coffee!"
"Pancakes!"
"Sausage!"
"I guess meat and pancakes." I said.
"I'll get on that right away. Also your tuxedos are being ironed right now and will be brought up along with the breakfast." he said. I sat back down and talked with the guys. After a little while, butlers and maids walked in carrying platters of food while the others carried our tuxedos.
"Thank you. How are the girls doing?" I asked one of the maids.
"They are doing great." she said.
"How does Carter look?"
"Absolutely radiant. All of the girls look gorgeous." she said. I smiled then they left. We ate the food then took showers and got changed. The groomsmen were wearing white dress shirts with cherry-red ties, and a black suit. I had on a white dress shirt with a dark red vest and matching tie along with a black suit. I sat down with the guys and talked until there was another knock on the door. I got up once again to answer it and a maid stood there.
"Max you look so handsome." she said.
"Thanks. Is everything ok?" I asked her. I knew she was one of Carter's main maids.
"Yes everything is fine. I need Spencer." she said.
"You need me? Do you need Jason too?" Spencer asked.
"No just you. Carter wants to speak with you." she said. Spencer got up and followed her out the door.
"What was that about?" I said.
"I know what its about. Carter talked to me about it last night." Jason said.
"And what was it?" I asked him.
"I'm not telling you. She is fine and she isn't pregnant." Jason said.
"As long as she is ok then I have nothing to worry about."
Carter's POV
Lucy knocked on my door and I walked over to answer it.
"Hello your highness, Spencer is here for you." she said.'
"Thanks Lucy." I said then walked out to the hallway and shut the door.
"Hey Carter, was there something you needed to talk to me about?" he asked.
"Yeah its something really important." I said.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Obviously I don't have a father. I have always dreamed about Armand walking me down the aisle but he isn't here." I tried to shake the sadness and got to the main point. "You and I have always been close and I was wondering if you wanted to walk me down the aisle?" I asked him.
"You want me to walk you down the aisle?" he asked.
"Only if you want to. I won't make you and Jason said he would do it if you didn't want to do it." I said.
"Carter I would be honored to walk you down the aisle." he said.
"Thank you!" I said then gave him a hug.
"Even though I have no clue what your dress looks like, you look beautiful already." he said. I gave him another hug then walked back into the room. The girls were getting on their bridesmaids dresses. They were short red, over the shoulder dresses with a rose accent strap with red rose pumps. I gave them rose earrings with pearl accents to finish off the look.
"You girls look stunning!" I said.
"Let's get you into your dress." Sadria said. She grabbed the dress she made for me and then she helped me get into it. It was a white strapless gown with a lace corset and diamond accents with a white ruffled fabric on each side and a white simple skirt that reached the floor.
"Carter that dress is gorgeous!" Annabeth said.
"Thank you." I said. My mother walked into the room. She was wore a teal floor length dress with off the shoulder sleeves.
"Oh honey that dress is gorgeous." She said carrying a box.
"Thanks mom. Whats in the box?" I asked her.
"This is the wedding crown I want you to wear." she said. It was like my coronation crown. It was a diamond laurel wreath with small light blue diamonds in it.
"Mom this is beautiful. Thank you." I said.
"Of course darling. Well ladies we need to make our way down to where the ceremony is being held." she said.
"Good luck." they said to me. Each girl gave me a hug then walked out of the room with my mother. I put on my diamond dangle earrings and my special Louboutin Cinderella shoes. I walked down the steps to the courtyard to meet Spencer. He was standing there waiting for me and I walked out to meet him.
"What do you think?" I asked him.
"I think Max will start tearing up when he sees you." he said and I smiled. Lucy walked out carrying my veil.
"Could you put my veil in?" I asked him.
"Of course." he said smiling. He grabbed the veil and attached it to my hair. "It's good practice for when Ariel gets married." he said.
"That's so sweet Spencer." I said then we walked outside the palace. We walked down the hill and then got close to where the ceremony was being held. Butterflies filled my stomach and I tried to hold in the tears of happiness.
"Are you ready?" Spencer asked me.
"I'm ready."
"Armand and dad would be so proud of you right now." he said and I felt a small tear roll down my face.
"Thanks for everything Spencer." I said then gave him a kiss on the cheek. I glanced down at the gold key ring Armand gave me. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of him and reminds me he is always there for me. The Pachelbel Canon played and Spencer and I walked down the aisle. Everyone stood and were smiling at me but all of that didn't matter when I saw Max. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo. He was grinning and I could tell that he was crying which made me start to cry. After everything we have been through, we made it to this point. We got to the end of the aisle and I looked at Max. Spencer walked over to the groomsmen side.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony." he said. I looked at Max and smiled.
"You look gorgeous." he whispered in my ear.
"You're very handsome." I whispered in his. The officiant continued to talk. He read a greek poem and then a reading titled Aphrodite's Blessing which made me look out to her in the crowd.
"Now for the vows." the officiant said.
"Carter, from the day I met you, I knew you were the one. Something about you was so different from any other girl I had met. The thing I noticed the most were your beautiful blue eyes that looked just like polished sapphires. When I looked into those eyes, they put me under your spell and I knew I had to make you mine. I tried to impress you from the time we played capture the flag and from everyday after that. The more I got to know you, the more I fell in love. I got enough courage to ask you to fireworks and that night I kissed you for the first time. That night was one of the best of my life. From then on we were inseparable. We faced some obstacles in our relationship though. The minute you told me you were engaged to a prince, I thought I had no chance. I never thought a princess would choose the poor small-town guy over a rich prince but you chose me. I promised to stand by your side through anything and even in your worst point, I tried to stand by you. I promise to stand by you forever and never let you go. I almost lost you once and I will never let that happen again. I'm so lucky to have a beautiful, intelligent and kind-hearted woman like you. You make my heart beat faster everytime I look at you. I love you with all my heart and my love for you grows more and more each day. I can't wait to start a new life with you ,eventually have children and grow old with you. Carter you're my everything and nothing can compare to how much I love you." he said and I started to cry tears of happiness. He slipped a diamond band on then put my diamond rose ring on top of that.
"Max, I'm so lucky to have you. From day one, I knew there was something special about you. Before I met you, my life was out of control. I had no idea what I was doing and I kept hearing people talking about how move is such an unexplainable and wonderful feeling. I thought I had found love but I was wrong. I met you when you saved my life in Manhattan. At first I thought we would only be friends. We would talk everyday and I noticed how sweet and kind you were not only to me but to everyone around you. The whole night during fireworks I kept waiting for you to kiss me. When you finally kissed me, I knew you were the one. I felt so different with you then I did with any other guy. I had finally found that feeling everyone talked about. Even through my engagement to Alexander and the criticism from others, you stayed with me. Throughout my life I was told that social classes don't mix. I didn't care about that, I only cared about you. To me social class doesn't matter, you can't put a price tag on our love because our love is priceless. A little over a year ago, I lost my mind. During that time I was convinced everything about myself was terrible and no one could love me. Once again you saved my life Max. You filled my void of darkness with happiness and saw the person I wanted to be not the person I was. My heart is like a puzzle, I had one piece of it missing. I kept trying and trying to find that missing piece and you were the one that fit. My love for you is everlasting and you make me question why I ever thought being alone was better. I can't imagine my life without you and everyday is like the first time. I can't wait to tell our love story to our kids and each day keep writing a new chapter. Our love is forever. Love is a simple word but it means so much more. I love you and I promise to never let that love fade." I said and I could see he had tears in his eyes. I took his left hand and slipped on the black greek key wedding band on his hand.
"Do you Maximus Dallas La Rue take Demitra Artemis Apalla Athene Diana Selene Drakos-Spiros-Villia to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the officiant asked. I could tell Max was secretly laughing about my long name.
"I do." he said smiling at me.
"Do you Demitra Artemis Apalla Athene Diana Selene Drakos-Spiros-Villia take Maximus Dallas La Rue to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do." I said with a large smile.
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." the officiant said. Max lifted my veil and gave me the most passionate kiss. Nothing mattered at that point. It felt like it was just him and I. Everyone clapped and we both turned to look at the crowd. We walked back down the aisle and kept smiling at each other. We then went to take pictures and my friends joined us for those.
"Congratulations!" they all said and we just smiled.
"Thank you." we said in unison.
"I finally got to see my brother get married. I never thought this day would come." Clarisse said.
"I never thought I would see you pregnant, then again I never thought I would see you married to a man." Max replied jokingly.
"Thanks Max." Clarisse said with a less than satisfied tone. After the pictures we went inside the palace to the ball room. The ballroom was gorgeous. Tables were set with traditional royal wedding plates. Traditionally, the royal family had a long table in the front of the ballroom that was rectangular and looked out among the guests. I wanted to change that up so instead I had a round table with my family and Max's family. My mother, Anthony, Josh, Max's mother, Fannie Lou, Chris and Clarisse all sat at my table along with myself and Max. Our friends were split into two tables that were near ours. The room was filled with tables full of people all around the world, some I grew up knowing and others I have never met. Plates of Greek food were served to each table. We ate and talked then the maids and butlers walked to each table with bottles of wine. When it came to my table, I kindly declined as did Clarisse who was sitting next to me. My friends stood up and gave Max and I toasts as did both of our parents. I took another bite then looked at Max's mother.
"Now that Max and I are married, what should I call you?" I asked her.
"Mrs. La Rue." she replied.
"Technically that is my name now. Can I call you Mary Lou? Or mom?" I asked with a smile.
"Mary Lou is the only thing you can call me." she said.
"I tried." I said whispering into Max's ear and he just laughed.
"It's time for the two of you to cut the cake." My mother said. Max and I got up then walked over to the small table where the cake was placed. We had a very detailed white wedding cake. One of the maids walked out carrying the cake cutter that my mother and Armand had at their wedding. We both grabbed the handle and cut a piece then placed it on the plate. We intertwined our arms and each had a piece of cake in our hands. We shoved it in each other's mouths and laughed. He gave me a kiss and we smiled at our laughing guests. Once we wiped the frosting from our mouths, we walked out on the dance floor area and our song was played. The song we decided on was Hazy by Rosi Golan. He took my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist. The moment was perfect.
"How did I get so lucky?" he asked me with a smile.
"Max, I'm the lucky one. I never imagined myself with such an amazing man as you." I said.
"I love you Carter." he said and gave me a kiss.
"I love you too." I replied. The night of dancing continued. From songs like Marry You from Bruno Mars to the classic wedding songs. Alexander and his girlfriend walked over and congratulated us which was special considering this wedding could have been him and me. His snobby sister Penelope walked up to me.
"It's very bold of you to get married to someone beneath you." she said in a harsh tone.
"There is nothing wrong with me marrying a man beneath my social class." I said defensively.
"In my opinion it's rather odd." she said with a smirk.
"Not nearly as odd as your personality." I said and she gaped her mouth then walked away. Anthony walked over to me while I was dancing with Max.
"Excuse me but may I borrow your wife for one dance?" he asked Max and Max smiled.
"Of course you may." he said. I walked over to Anthony.
"I know I'm not your father but I you're the closest thing to a child I have ever had. I got this for you as a gift." he said as he pulled out a charm bracelet. He out it around my wrist and I smiled.
"Thank you Anthony. Maybe the next wedding I attend will be yours and my mothers." I said.
"Hopefully." he replied. Armand and Anthony were so much alike. Both cared about me even if I wasn't their biological daughter. That's when I noticed out of the corner of my eye, Zeus. I finished my dance with Anthony and walked over to him.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"I don't usually get involved with my children's lives but I thought I would attend this wedding." he said.
"You don't need to be here. I understand that you're busy and I'm just one of many children." I said.
"It doesn't me the gods don't care about their children." he said. We danced for a few minutes then I noticed Max talking to Ares. I walked over to him once Ares left.
"Was that your dad?" I asked him.
"Yes it was. Shockingly, he said he was proud of me. I never thought my father would say that to me." he said. The rest of the night I danced with Josh, Spencer, Jason and each of my guy friends, even Percy. To bring a piece of Max's small-town southerness, we played various country songs. My mother wasn't in favor of this but I convinced her. It was wonderful dancing with my husband. It was weird to think that Max and I were married. The night seemed to never end. After a long night, we all retreated to our rooms. Max and I walked upstairs to my, well now our bedroom. The moonlight filled the bedroom and reflected on our faces. We talked about our future together from where we will live to our future children. I couldn't ask for a more perfect and loving husband.
A few days passed and then it was Christmas. Like my family's traditions, we had a huge Christmas tree in one of the smaller ballrooms. It was decorated with ornaments that have been passed on for generations and some of Max's family's decorations. This was Ariel's first Christmas, so she bombarded with mountains of gifts. We finished opening presents and sat around the room as one huge family. I was so happy to be surrounded by everyone I love in one place.
"There is one more gift." Max said handing me a box.
"Whats this?" I asked him.
"Open it." he said with a smile. I unwrapped the box. Inside was a key and a heart-shaped lock. It read "Our love is priceless and our story will never be forgotten" in Greek then had Max and Carter La Rue and our wedding day engraved in it. I started to tear up and gave him a hug and a kiss. At the bottom of the box, there were two tickets to Paris that were for tomorrow.
"Max this is wonderful thank you." I said.
"I need to make up for my mistake." he said.
"Because of that, we became closer." I said. The rest of the day went by too fast. My friends were leaving tomorrow and Max and I were going to Paris. The next morning I said goodbye to my friends and my mother and Anthony then Max and I flew to Paris.
We went to the Eiffel tower and looked over the city at night. It was so wonderful being with him. Then we went to the bridge where we were suppose to have our lock on then we got into an argument. Together we grabbed the lock and locked it onto the bridge. Together we threw the key into the Seine and walked off the bridge.
"We've made it so far yet we haven't lived long." Max said.
"Our lives are just beginning." With that he kissed me as we walked through the city of love.
THE END! That's all for this story! Thank you so much for reading this story! Check out the wedding looks on my profile! It means so much to me and I would love it if you reviewed! I have an authors note at the end that will be posted that has more thank yous and information about the sequel! thanks everyone and I love you all so much! Thanks to my wonderful best friend for helping with my story! I hope you enjoyed it!
