AN:

Another chapter here for you all. Sorry for the wait, school is a bitch. Before we start, I want to answer one question a reviewer raised. Thank you to him/her for catching this, because I had honestly forgotten. A few chapters ago, I told you that Reyna would not be coming for the Parthenos. However, last chapter, she was there to retrieve it. I didn't mention it, because at the time of writing, I had forgotten that I even put that in my previous AN. At the time, I had been planning to send Alex and Annabeth to return the Parthenos instead of Reyna, but I changed my mind because I have something else planned for them. In other words, disregard what I said previously about Reyna. I hope that clears any confusion that last chapter raised. Anyways, I think this chapter came out very well. It's kind of drabble-y to be honest, but that's purely because I much prefer my own scenes to those in Blood of Olympus. So, I won't keep you any longer, here's chapter 23 of "The Spartan"

Sparta, July 2010 CE

The forest brambles tugged hungrily at Zoë's ankles, almost like they were begging her to stay. With each step, it felt more and more like the woods were beckoning to her. Like the trees were urging her to stop for a while and rest, rather than push onward. Still, the sight of Percy slowly picking his way through the forest just ahead of her kept her moving.

"How much longer?" Zoë asked, sounding like a small child on a road trip.

"A few minutes at most." Percy chirped back over his shoulder.

She had no idea where he was taking her. As soon as they'd gotten to Sparta, Percy had tugged her from the ship, leaving Hazel in charge. It had been funny seeing the miffed look on the faces of both Alex and Jason at that, but Percy didn't seem to notice. Now though, that memory was behind her. All she wanted to do was figure out where they were headed.

As they wandered through the underbrush, she briefly wondered what lied ahead. When they'd reached Sparta, she had expected him to want to visit his ancestral homeland. He'd scoffed at the idea, mentioning there was something he'd much rather see instead. What could be more important to him than visiting the ruins of the city he had lived to honor for thousands of years, she couldn't guess.

As her feet crunched on fallen leaves and branches, she noticed the forest's thickness had started to recede. Continuing to walk, the going became faster and easier. Overhead the trees thinned, giving way to yellow beams of warming sunlight. Before she knew it, the trees were gone, replaced by a clear sky overhead.

Percy walked on ahead of her, striding with a purpose. Zoë, for her part, lagged behind, drinking in the serene beauty of the small clearing. It looked gentle and homely, like a mother's embrace. On the far side of the small area, she saw a quaint cabin. It was ancient Greek in design, but still in pristine condition, with firewood stacked up against the walls like it was still being lived in. It was as if this clearing had been transplanted from history into the modern day. A small nugget of the past still living. Historians would have a field day if they discovered this.

"What is this place?" she said in wonder. She hadn't realized how far away Percy had gotten.

Looking up, she saw he was nowhere to be found. Glancing into the nearby trees, she saw no sign of him. Approaching the house, she stepped cautiously through the door, wondering what awaited her inside. The wood creaked beneath her feet, the first sign of age in the entire structure. Around the cabin, candles were lit, as if no one had ever left. The place looked clean, and was decorated by various pelts and trinkets, signs of someone wishing to remember the adventures of their past.

Through another doorway, she came into a bedroom. This one was more plainly decorated, with nothing personal about it. The only sign it had been lived in were the rumpled covers on the bed, showing it had been slept in and never remade. Standing in the middle of the room was Percy, blankly looking out the window. He seemed to be lost in thought, and she decided to humor his musings for a moment.

The heavy light from outside wasn't as bright in the cabin. It matriculated lazily through the window like a grasping hand, tickling at his face. Zoë couldn't help but note how picturesque the whole scene was. Her breath hitched a bit at the sight, but Percy didn't turn. For once, he seemed not to notice her. She tried to savor the sight of him for a moment, and she did, but eventually, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Percy." She murmured, trying to gently rouse him from his state.

"Hmmm?" he inquired softly, turning around with a thin eyebrow raised sharply.

"Where are we?"

"This…" he lazily swept his arm in a wide circle, gesturing all around him, "is my first home."

Zoë could feel the look of surprise on her face but did nothing to stop it. She realized the gravity of the situation. The importance of where Percy had taken her. This was a relic not only of the ancient times, but of Percy himself. This was a piece of his history, before he'd met her, before he'd become who he was, before he'd even truly lived. This was a deeply personal place, that much was obvious, and her heart melted at the thought that he would bring her here.

"From with Chiron?" she asked finally. He nodded to her. "How is it still here?"

"It was one of the first favors I asked of Poseidon, to preserve this place. When Chiron left, he was just going to let whatever happened to it happen. When I told him we should protect it, he'd scorned the idea. He told me life was about more than material things. I knew as much. That's not what it was about…"

"So, what was it about?" she whispered, stepping closer to him.

"It was a reminder."

"Of?" She was close enough to feel his breath now, peering up into his eyes.

"A reminder of who I was. Of who I needed to be. Who I still need to be. When I was growing up here, I was a lost boy. I had no purpose. No sense of identity. No family. All I knew was this clearing and a charismatic old centaur. When I left, I was a man with one drive. One goal. Whenever I need to be reminded of what I was fighting for, I would come here. At least, I used to."

One of the biggest perks of their long lives, at least in Zoë's eyes, is that no matter how many hours they spent together, no matter how much they knew each other, they still had things like this. Parts of one another that were a complete mystery. So many secrets, memories, and experiences yet to be shared. It was one of the most exciting things that awaited them in their shared future. As long as they were together, each day would be an adventure into the others soul. She could feel that she was going on another one with him right now.

"Why'd you stop?" she murmured, genuinely curious.

"I didn't need the reminder anymore. I had a better one."

"It being?" she pressed on. He smiled at her, a twinkle in his eye at her words. He'd been expecting this.

"Well," he said sweetly, "I met her on Othrys."

The Argo II, July 2010 CE

Leo heard a knock at his door, rousing him from his sleep. Shooting upright, he realized he'd fallen asleep slumped over his workbench. There was a red imprint of a lug nut on his cheek, and when he shook his disheveled hair, he was pretty sure a screw fell out. Standing lazily, he wandered to the door, throwing it open without thinking.

He figured it was probably Piper coming to tell him that he'd missed dinner and needed to eat. She was a mother hen like that sometimes. It could've been Jason, coming to bro down for a little while when neither of them was busy. It might've even been Annabeth, coming to discuss some engineering problem or another with him. The absolute last person he expected to come visit him though was Percy. Scratch that, Zoë was a little more unlikely.

"What do you want?" Leo said drowsily, eying the spartan.

It came out harsher than he intended, but he couldn't help it. He was sleepy and surprised, two conditions that weren't usually helpful in a conversation. Luckily, the spartan seemed more amused than bothered by his rather brash greeting. That was good news for Leo, he preferred his spine unbroken.

"Well," Percy began, "I had this interesting idea, and I was wondering…" he trailed off, his eyes drifting across the room, a curious look on his face.

Leo followed his gaze, and he felt his stomach twist into knots when he saw what Percy was looking at. Of all the people on the ship, he was probably the worst person to see it. It was a picture he'd had Hazel draw when he'd first returned from Ogygia. A portrait of Calypso. Completely lifelike, and easily recognizable for someone who'd met her, as both he and Percy had.

"You met her…" Percy said simply. His tone left no room for argument.

"I did." Leo replied sullenly.

"And where is she now? Why isn't she here? She was supposed to leave with you. That was our deal." Percy grumbled.

"She did… But she didn't want to stay on the ship. She went to Camp Half-Blood. She said she'd be more of a help there trying to keep the peace than she would have been here on a ship sailing towards the biggest fight in history." Leo explained, before adding much quieter, "and it's not like you have the right to want to see her anyways."

He wasn't sure why he said it. Maybe he was trying to hurt Percy, because as much as Calypso had understood why he left, she had still been noticeably broken when Leo arrived. Maybe he was trying to avenge that hurt for Calypso. Or maybe he was trying to make himself feel better by telling Percy he didn't deserve to see her; because deep down he was afraid of what would happen if Calypso saw Percy again. Either way, it obviously wasn't the right thing to say in the moment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy asked with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't too angry, but his voice hinted that Leo was wandering down a dangerous path should he continue.

But Leo didn't care. Now he was angry. All his pent-up feelings since returning from Ogygia were coming to the forefront. He'd spent his entire life as someone that was looked over. Someone that no one wanted. When he'd met Percy, he'd found someone who was everything he wished he was. He may have Calypso's heart now, but Leo couldn't help but wonder if it would stay that way when the caramel haired titan finally saw Percy again.

"It means exactly what I said. You don't deserve to see her. You broke her heart man. You chose her own sister over her!" Leo hissed, his emotions getting the better of him.

Leo probably shouldn't be angry at Percy for leaving, but he was. Had Percy stayed, Leo would've never had the chance to even meet Calypso. Still, he couldn't help but be infuriated that Percy would break her heart. That he would abandon her. It wasn't just. It wasn't what a hero would do, at least in Leo's eyes.

"It wasn't a choice!" Percy spat.

Now he was angry. Leo was insinuating that Percy had wanted to hurt Calypso. That he set out with that as his goal. He knew Leo's words came from insecurity and anger, but even still, the presumption rubbed him the wrong way. He took a deep breath, restraining his anger. It wouldn't do to sink the ship because Leo was grumpy.

"Except it was!" Leo shouted back at him, face red.

"No." Percy said, quiet now. "I did everything I could for her. I gave her freedom. I protected her heart if anything. If I had stayed, a part of me would always have been with Zoë. It wouldn't have been fair to her. She understood that, as much as it hurt her. If you're so caught up in this… this… defensive anger you have that you can't see that, then you're blind, Leo."

"Defensive anger? What the hell are you talking about? This is justified anger!" Leo questioned.

"You think I don't see through this Leo? Even if you don't?" Percy stepped towards him. "I know exactly what you're doing. You're afraid. Afraid that you're inadequate. That if I saw her again, suddenly she'd forget you, and I'd forget Zoë, and you'd be alone. Trying to spin some fictitious tale where I'm the bad guy because I made a hard choice in a harder situation won't solve anything. If you really love Calypso, you need to put this insecurity behind you. It'll eat away at you until there's nothing left. That's what will take her from you, not me."

Leo's anger faded rapidly, quickly replaced with something else. His shoulders slumped, and his veins no longer pumped hot fury. What was once rage was replaced with the emotions that really fueled it. Jealousy, insecurity, and worry. Three things that plagued Leo his entire life. He shouldn't have been surprised Percy could read him like that. He should've known Percy would see right through him. The man had lived far too long to lack perception.

"I don't know if I can." Leo mumbled; his entire mood shifted. Percy sighed.

"Leo, the raft came for you. Is that not proof enough that she wants to be with you?"

"Maybe now. Maybe then. But in a few years? You know her and you know me. Do you actually think someone like me deserves someone like her? How can you honestly believe that years from now she'll still feel the same? Maybe it was just the curse of the island working against her then. Maybe when I get back to Camp Half-Blood, the spell of Ogygia will have worn off and she'll realize I'm nothing and she's everything. Then what do I have? Nothing."

"If you're nothing without her, you're nothing with her." Percy said slowly.

He looked disappointed. Like he expected more out of Leo. He felt a little out of place, seeing the look directed at him; it was usually one the spartan reserved for Alex or Jason when they did something particularly stupid. Percy backed away as Leo washed away the feeling of that disappointed glare, saying nothing more. He turned and made his way to the door, seemingly ignoring Leo's distressed form as he left. Just before he rounded the corner, he turned to say one more thing to the struggling son of Hephaestus.

"Leo, if you can't start to see in yourself what others see in you, pretty soon people will start to change their perception. If you just continue to put everyone but yourself on a pedestal, all they'll ever be able to do is look down on you." Percy said quietly.

Leo watched him go. He almost stopped him, but he knew he had no right. He'd blown up on the spartan for nothing. Even in the midst of Leo's crashing anger, Percy had stood strong, weathering the storm as he tried to impart a valuable lesson on Leo. He wasn't going to let that lesson go to waste. He had something to work on, and for once, it wasn't a machine.

The Argo II, July 2010 CE

If Percy had a dollar for every time he was woken up because the Argo II was in danger, he'd probably be able to clear out an entire dollar aisle at his local Walmart. At times it seemed like it was an every night occurrence. It was as if the entire Greek world had a fascination with seeing just how many times they could wake him up before he completely lost it.

The ship was rocking back and forth violently, being battered by a massive storm. He was pretty familiar with those, so he was pretty confident in his ability to tell which ones were natural, and which ones were summoned by a god. Extending his senses beyond the hull, he could tell there was some divine source forcing it upon them. He just had to find out which god had been unlucky enough to attack a ship with the Ghost of Sparta on board.

Tapping his necklace, the familiar sensation of his armor forming over him took hold. After just a flash of metal, he was prepared to deal with whatever deity was laying siege to the Argo II. Running up the stairs, using his natural agility to counteract the rocking of the boat, he made it there in record time. He knew Zoë would be behind him, but he couldn't afford to wait up for her.

His feet pounded on the stairs, driving him rapidly so he burst onto the deck with haste. Quickly taking in his surroundings, he saw things weren't going well at all. Frank was swinging around the rigging in gorilla form, trying his best to hold things together. Leo was at the helm, aiming to regain control of the ship, but it was a hopeless fight against the heavy rain and massive waves.

Jason was on the deck too, directing blasts of air to break up waves and particularly nasty gusts of wind. Alex was standing firmly despite the rocking ship and howling wind. He was in the center of the ship, arms raised and eyes shut, controlling the ocean, manipulating massive waves to counteract the biggest ones aimed at the ship. Still, he was fighting a losing battle.

With a snap of Percy's fingers, everything seemed to stop at once. The rain slowed down, falling in slow motion. The waves stilled, coming in at record slow speeds, as if they were sailing across a sea of molasses. Percy felt whatever deity that was causing the storm push against his power, but they couldn't overwhelm him. When it came to storms, it would take a being like Poseidon or Oceanus to best Percy in pure strength. A minor god was no match for him after all his years of training.

With the newfound calm, all the demigods above deck took action. With the time for respite, Leo and Frank set to work fixing the most critically damaged parts of the ship. Jason and Alex turned to him, a question on their lips.

"You just love to show off, don't you?" Alex chirped.

"Me? Show off? Never. Some minor god thought attacking us with storms on the ocean would be smart. I'm just showing them how misguided they are."

"And can you hold this until we're out of range?" Jason asked, eyeing the rain falling gently like snow to the deck underfoot.

"Yeah, no. I may be stronger than whichever god this is, but I most certainly don't have their stamina. Godly ichor is like taking Viagra for your powers. You can go forever."

"So, what do we do then?" Alex questioned.

"Well, you guys resume your fight up here, and I'll go deal with the god." Percy said, inclining his head towards the ocean below.

"I don't know if you noticed, but we were kind of losing that fight before you got here." Jason muttered.

"Oh, I know. You tend to lose most of your fights to be honest." Percy teased. "But it won't be that long. Just get everyone below deck and you two take over while I'm dealing with our resident dumbass that thought attacking us would be a good idea."

"Why don't we go down there while you stay and hold the storm?" Alex argued.

"Well you could, but I'm about nine thousand percent sure it's a trap, so."

"So why do you get to go if it's a trap?" Alex asked incredulously.

"Because, he wants to go down there and kill them because he hasn't had a good fight in a while." Zoë said from behind him, finally coming up from below deck. She looked disheveled, a sign of being roused from her rest, but ready for a battle. Percy smiled at her appearance nonetheless.

"She gets it." He chirped, jutting a thumb towards the huntress.

"Well can you at least make it quick?" Jason moaned.

"Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it." Percy replied cheekily.

Before he got a response, he was over the railing, plummeting down into the murky depths. He willed the water to take him deeper, pushing him further and further from the Argo II. As he pulled away from the ship, his control over the storm lessened. That was one advantage the god or goddess had over him. Immortals had a much easier time projecting their power over distance. From the bottom of the ocean he'd be able to slow the storm and still fight, but Alex and Jason would still have their work cut out for them.

As he reached the sea floor, he saw a sight that shocked him. He hadn't realized it above water, but they had been floating over the original palace of Poseidon. It was in ruins now, a sign of the sea gods neglect. Briefly, Percy wondered why the god of the oceans of all people didn't build his ancient underwater sea palace out of something a bit more biodegradable.

Swimming in through the rooftop, Percy found himself in the first throne room of Poseidon. Sitting in the former seat of his patron, was none other than one of the sea gods' own children. He recognized her easily enough. He didn't know too many people, goddess or otherwise, with skin like algae and hair like a jellyfish's tentacles.

"Kymopoleia." Percy grumbled. "I should've known you'd be the one dumb enough to attack us."

"Percy?" the goddess cried, sounding scared. She'd had run ins with the Spartan before, and they usually didn't end well. "You weren't supposed to come for us."

"Us?" Percy questioned confusedly.

He cursed himself for not being more vigilant. Extending his senses, he was able to pick up the motion in the water behind him just in time. Sending a jettison of sea water at the form moving through the water, he blasted his would-be attacker, sending them flying past him. His assailant veered drastically off course, crashing destructively into the wall behind Kymopoleia.

From the cloud of murky water and shattered marble, the giant, Polybotes, emerged. His seaweed hair writhed with basilisks inside, and the water around him hissed and sizzled as his touch turned it to poison. His crude face was contorted in an ugly snarl as he eyed the spartan, obviously displeased by Percy's arrival. Percy wasn't surprised by that though. The bad guys tended to be pissed when he showed up.

"You're supposed to be a demigod!" the giant complained, his voice thundering through the underwater palace. "Kymopoleia promised Gaea demigods blood! Not some mortal scoundrel!"

"Oh really? Sorry to disappoint. I left my godly parents in my other suit of armor." Percy joked, patting at his hips where pockets would be.

"Are you mocking me, mortal?" the giant growled. His eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"I thought it was obvious…" Percy trailed off, rolling his eyes beneath his armor.

"Oh, I'm going to love killing you, spartan. And then we can deal with your failure." Polybotes said, whirling around to thrust an accusing finger in Kymopoleia's face.

"My failure? How is it my fault? I caused the storm, just like you asked. You failed to mention he'd be on board." She hissed, gesturing to the spartan floating casually next to them, enjoying the bickering.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just have to kill them all myself then." Polybotes said with a sinister tone. "Though Gaea will want to re-discuss your deal."

Kymopoleia looked offended. As if the fact that the backstabbing, world domination seeking, genocidal earth mother wanting to turn back on their agreement was supposed to be surprising. Personally, Percy could've told her it was coming from a mile away, but hey, she didn't ask.

"I have a counter-offer actually." Percy interjected, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Silence mortal." Polybotes hissed.

"No, I'd like to hear this counteroffer." Kymopoleia insisted.

"Well, you let me have my fun with Polybotes, then we kill him together. I stop Gaea, and when it's all said in done, I'll just happen to 'forget'" Percy said that with air quotes, "that you were ever on team dirt face."

Kymopoleia paused for a moment, a finger resting on her chin thoughtfully. It seemed to be a fair offer. She had no illusions as to what would happen if she sided with Gaea now. Polybotes had made it clear that wouldn't do well for her. Better yet, she'd even escape punishment from the gods as long as Percy kept his word. Somehow, she trusted the spartan over the primordial.

"Deal." She said simply, floating slowly out of range of the soon to happen brawl.

"No! This is an outrage! The earth mother will have both of your heads!" Polybotes cried, giving in to his primal aggression now.

With a thrust of his hands, the giant sent a blast of poisonous water at Percy. Manipulating the water around him, Percy shot himself clear of the acidic water's touch. Jetting forward at incredible speeds, Percy was on Polybotes in milliseconds, a cloud of clean water surrounding him serving as a protective barrier against the giant's poison.

Polybotes tried to land a strike on the mortal, but Percy was too fast. He swam circles around the giant, literally and figuratively, delivering cut after embarrassing cut to the once proud son of Gaea. Down underneath the water, where Percy was strongest, fighting the giant was child's play. He was nothing when his poison was useless.

"Stay still and die." Polybotes cried, sweeping his weapon at where he hoped Percy would be.

For the first time in the fight, he landed a blow. He struck Percy directly in the sternum, but instead of being damaged, the mortal burst into a cloud of saltwater, indistinguishable from the ocean around him. Polybotes swirled around, searching for him to reappear, until his presence became very obvious.

Polybotes felt a burst of water force it's way into his mouth, speeding down his windpipe. Too late, he realized what was happening. He panicked, choking as he clutched his neck. Unfortunately, the water worked its way deeper, lodging itself in his chest. Suddenly, the water began to solidify, starting to take human shape.

With a roar of pain, the giant's chest exploded open in a stew of blood, pieces of lung, and shattered ribs. Emerging from the massive cavity in the giant's torso was none other than a newly reformed Percy, looking as unharmed as ever.

"That's definitely a top five kill right there." Percy muttered to himself.

"Technically, he's not dead yet." Kymopoleia squeaked out, eyes wide in fear at the display of power and skill she'd just witnessed.

Eying the floating body of Polybotes, Percy remembered she was right. The chest of the giant was already starting to weave back together. He forgot that one crucial detail. He still needed Kymopoleia's help. He just had to hope she wouldn't switch sides again, or things would get ugly.

"Right you are," he conceded. "So, will you do the honors then?" he asked, his voice hiding a threat. Do it or die.

"Of course!" she hurried out.

Kymopoleia floated slowly over to Polybote's slowly reforming corpse. With a raise of her hand, she delivered one single blast of water, directly to the gaping hole in the giant's body. Like a snowball, the giant exploded into a burst of powder, quickly being washed away by the now gentle ocean currents.

"So," Percy said, turning towards Kymopoleia. "No more storm?"

"No more storm…" she affirmed. "You'll pretend this never happened?"

"I'll pretend this never happened." He agreed, already turning to swim away.

The goddess smiled nervously at his retreating form, still unsure about what her fate now held. At least she could be somewhat calmed by the fact that she could've faced a worse death than Polybotes. She'd heard about what the spartan could do with his powers, but until now, she hadn't quite believed it, despite her previous encounters with him. Now though, as she watched him slowly rise to the surface through the hole in the roof, there was no doubt in her mind that he was every bit as dangerous as the legends said.

The Argo II, July 2010 CE

Like she often had, Hazel found herself standing outside Percy's door, wondering if she should knock. It was a common occurrence, this hesitation when she went to speak with the mortal. She always found herself torn. On one hand, Percy had become like a brother to her, and she greatly enjoyed spending time and talking with him. On the other hand, she was rather shy, and interrupting anyone's privacy did not come easily to her. Despite her reluctance, it seems the decision was made for her.

"Are you going to stand out there all day, or are you going to come in?" she heard the easily recognizable voice of Percy speak from within, muffled by the heavy door.

She felt her cheeks heat up. She'd forgotten that he could sense people through doorways. That made every time she'd stood awkwardly outside his door infinitely more embarrassing. Taking a moment to gather herself, she pushed open the door. Percy was seated at a desk, his back towards the door, but it didn't take long for him to swivel in his chair to greet her.

She eyed what he had been working on. It was a document of some sort. She couldn't make out a what was written on it from so far away, but it seemed to be hastily scrawled, his writing looking almost frantic, as if his hands were struggling to keep up with his mind. Percy's eyes looked heavy, as if he'd been working on it all night, but the same warm smile she'd come to appreciate graced his features as it always did. With a gentle motion, Percy urged her to sit.

"What'd you need Hazel?" he said cheerfully, though he sounded tired.

"Why didn't you go with Frank, Leo, and Zoë to Delos? To see Artemis and Apollo? Wouldn't it make sense? You know the gods better than anyone." She asked.

She was genuinely curious. In the meeting, he'd shot down the idea of going with. Zoë had jumped at the chance to see Artemis again, but Percy had been noticeably unenthusiastic about tagging along. He hadn't really explained why, and Hazel just had to know. Blame it on her sisterly affection, she was dying to figure out why.

"Because," Percy said, eyes holding her gaze steadily, "I have no problem with Artemis. In fact, I'd go as far as to say we're friends; but I hate Apollo."

His voice didn't waver. Hazel had never seen the spartan say someone's name with such malice before, not even Kronos'. Normally, she'd question the truth of it. How could anyone work with someone they supposedly hated like Percy apparently had for as long as he did? However, these weren't normal circumstances. Percy's voice brokered no argument, and Hazel never took him for a liar anyways.

"Why?" She asked. Percy gave a long sigh, but his eyes had a soft look.

She couldn't help but grin at those soft eyes. She recognized the look. It was the look he always gave her when she asked him something he'd rather not talk about, but he couldn't turn her down, or when she said something that made him laugh. She privately called it his "big brother look" because it was one that seemed to be reserved for her. Sure, Zoë got the lions share of sweet glances from the spartan, but this one glance was Hazel's, and she loved it.

"A long, long, long time ago," Percy said, stressing each long more than the previous, "I had a friend. He was a son of Apollo. He was my first friend honestly. I loved him like I love you. He was a brother to me."

She felt her heart swell, just hearing that he shared her same affections. She loved Nico dearly, but her relationship with Percy was what she had always hoped and dreamed having a brother would be like. She was glad she could provide some semblance of sisterhood for the ancient warrior.

"What happened to him?" she asked softly. She could tell by the way he talked that his friend didn't have a happy ending.

"All his life, he had one dream. To see his father one time. To be able to look Apollo in the eyes and feel like he meant something to him. He'd keep me up at night, talking about how much he'd dreamt about it, how much he'd planned what he'd say when he finally met Apollo."

"Did he?" she asked, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"No." he shook his head. "He died a dreamer."

"And Apollo?"

"Waited until after his death to see him. Had the audacity to let me bury his son. And when the dirt was placed, and the grave was set, there he was. He finally showed up; like he was grieving. Like he cared. He'd never even met him." Percy spat.

"That's… Horrible." Hazel admitted, struggling to find any other way to describe it.

Percy nodded mutely. She wasn't sure what drove her to do it, she was normally the one that was being comforted by Percy. Still, there was always time for something new. Percy was upset, and her heart hurt for him. Enveloping him in a hug, she felt the ancient mortal wrap his arms around her. It was soft and comforting for both parties, something they could both appreciate.

"It's alright." Percy murmured. "I've lived a long life. It took me a while, but I've had more than enough time to cope with my friend's death."

"I guess you are pretty old." She teased, laughing into his shoulder. He laughed with her.

"I suppose you're right…" He murmured after the laughter had subsided.

She pushed away from the hug, gently retreating to her chair. They said nothing for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. Over his shoulder, her gaze fell back onto the paper he'd been working on. She was closer now, and she could sort of make out a few words; 'to the gods'. She wondered if it was some petition or proposal of some sort. She knew he'd had a big hand in the past in reforming Olympian politics, so it wasn't completely out of this realm. She opened her mouth to ask about it, but he beat her to the punch.

"Just a little something I've been working on." He said, eyes having obviously followed her gaze.

"What is it?" she said, squinting as she tried to make out more words.

"A thought exercise," he explained. "At least for now. I doubt it will ever see the light of day, honestly."

"Oh, that makes sense I guess." It most certainly didn't.

"Mhmm." He hummed. "Hey, they're taking forever on Delos. You want to get more of that Italian gelato while we wait?" he asked, a wide smile on his face again. Hazel's face broke out into an identical grin.

"You had me at gelato."

AN:

And done! I hope you enjoyed! As you can probably tell by the pacing, next chapter is going to have the final throwdown with Gaea, along with some other scenes obviously. Still, I want to talk about this chapter. I really hope you like the creative direction I took with it, staying away from the canon stuff for this book. I think it turned out well. The one canon piece, the Kymopoleia/Polybotes scene, was fun for me, because I love writing the parts where Percy is sarcastic and powerful. As for the others, well, each served a purpose. The scene at Chiron's old clearing was to demonstrate that even after all these years, Percy's still deeply connected to his early life. The scene with Leo was for a few reasons. One, I wanted to explain how the Calypso deal worked out considering I changed it up way back when. Two, I wanted to expand on Leo's character. His insecurity is a huge part of his personality in the books, and I don't find it hard to believe that even as easy going as he is, he'd still be worried and lash out due to that. Third, I wanted to write something like that, because I have tons of friends who struggle with feeling like they're not enough compared to those around them. I'm sure some of you feel that way sometimes too, as do I. It's part of what makes people human. Still, I wanted to speak to anyone struggling through Percy, I guess. To tell you that you only have to be unashamedly you, and that is certainly enough. Finally, the Hazel scene. God do I love writing that Brother/Sister fluff. I think that shit is mad cute. It's a relationship that I wish I expanded on more in this story, and one you'll definitely see again in other stories. I ship the Percy/Hazel sibling thing so hard. Anyways, I really hope you guys are continuing to enjoy this story. It's almost done. I can feel it. Happy and sad. Until next time though,

Peace