Welcome

Welcome to the final chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies

The beginning of the end. The start of our conclusion. Our story is at its end.

I can't believe it... we're actually here: the final chapter, the end of our story! I cannot begin to tell you how thankful I am that you've stuck with me this whole time. It means so much to know and see that people are reading what I have worked to create and form. I loved every second spent creating our adventure and pray to the gods that you do as well. So again, thank you.

So for the last time...

I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!

"Okay, serious question time: what's changed in the world in the past five and a half years?"

Percy, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Makayla, Nico, and Lauren were in the Big house, lounging on the couches. The ten had had their fill of celebrations as Camp Half-Blood celebrated their victory and the defeat of the world's biggest threat and decided to instead spend their well-earned free time together.

After Makayla had defeated Ganabranth, his control over the hundreds of people and demigods in The Serpents had been broken. The majority had been forced into their role and immediately apologized and begged for forgiveness, praying to be allowed to go back to their lives. Several of the higher-ranked members, like Johnathan, had chosen to join though and refused to surrender; those members were currently being dealt with by Chiron and the Olympians.

"Oof. That's a tough one. We might not be able to answer in one day." Leo joked in response to Lauren's question. His friends rolled their eyes. "What!"

"To answer your question." Annabeth interrupted. "There are some stupid rules now about immigration, they started legalizing some drugs, there was a bunch of stuff going on about gay marriages, a president was impeached; political stuff really."

"No one's really been paying attention but s**t's gone down." Percy agreed.

"I meant important stuff, geez." Lauren joked as her new friends laughed. "But like, is there a new continent discovered or a cure for cancer or Bob Ross came back to life?"

"Bob who?" Leo wondered. His friends' shock was genuine.

"Bob wh- oh my god! You don't know who Bob Ross is?!" Lauren exclaimed. Leo shook his head.

"He is only like, the sweetest and most innocent and most amazing artist ever!" Piper gushed. "Haven't you heard the quote "We don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents"?"

"Oh, oh! I know that guy!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, shooting up in his seat. "He's the painter with the brown afro! I used to watch his videos with mom when I was younger. He made videos of painting landscapes and had the softest voice ever."

"Let's build a happy little cloud and a happy little tree, everyone should have a friend." Annabeth agreed with a smile.

"Thank you!" Lauren exclaimed. She turned back to Leo. "One day I am going to sit your butt down and we are gonna watch Bob Ross create masterpieces."

Leo still wasn't sure who Bob Ross was but agreed anyway.

"Hey, Kayla? Can I ask you something?" Hazel then asked Makayla. She was leaned into Frank's embrace as he played with her curly hair.

"Sure. What's up? The redhead agreed, smiling at the nickname, as she tried to get Lauren to eat something.

"If you're okay with saying… what's it like to have two dads? That are gods, I mean." She wondered. Makayla paused her attempted force-feeding and thought for a moment. She noticed all her friends went quiet, wanting to know as well.

"Well… I'm not sure, to be honest. I mean, I've been how I am my entire life so I don't really know what it'd be like to be you guys just and have one godly parent. I haven't always known who my dads were but that didn't really bug me as much as I let on. If they were like, always doing stuff for me then that'd be different. Yes, they helped me in ways I hadn't seen until now. Still..."

She paused before she held her hand out, a small flame dancing on her palm.

"I'm not saying that I hate my life or the fact that I'm different. Yes, it's weird that I have all these strange powers that come from basically nowhere. For the longest time, it scared me so much but… I've come to accept myself now and that means accepting my parentage too."

As she spoke, Makayla lit her palm faintly so the fire was surrounded by a silver sphere.

"Being honest, I don't have the slightest clue where your powers come from either. I know for a fact that your two dads don't can't do that kinda stuff but nevertheless... I think you're pretty awesome." Jason told her with a smile. Makayla returned the smile.

"Thank you, all of you guys." She thanked. She closed her palm, extinguishing the flame and light.

"I don't have your abilities so I can't speak for you. I won't say that I don't think they'd be scary but I do think that having your own type of power like that makes you unique and even more special." Frank added.

"Aww, Frank! Aren't you such a sweet-talker." She teased. The son of Mars blushed but chuckled.

Hey guys? I've been wondering… what do we do now that we beat our bad guy?" Leo then asked. He had shifted and was now hanging off the couch upside down. The ten shared looks, not sure. Annabeth opened her mouth to voice the thought when the main door and Chiron entered.

"Makayla? Ah, there you are, I need to speak with you. The gods… the gods have summoned you to Olympus." He announced after a moment's hesitation. Makayla felt her heart drop.

"Kayla? Are you alright?" Leo asked, sitting up as he saw his sister grow pale. His face and voice told his worry and the redhead couldn't blame him; she knew that someday the gods would find out about her but she had hoped it wouldn't be for a long while.

"Makayla can't go. The gods will try to get rid of her, they'll think she's too dangerous." Nico told the centaur seriously. He was sitting on the ground by Makayla's feet, playing with a small figurine.

"I know, Nico." Chiron agreed sadly. "But we cannot ignore a direct order from the gods. All we can do is go and pray they are in a forgiving mood."

Makayla could feel her pulse throughout her entire body, pounding harder with every step she took

She, Percy, Nico, Leo, and Lauren had been summoned to Olympus and her heart was ready to burst. She was so nervous; never before had someone been born of one mortal parent and two Olympians. She knew that just existing was dangerous enough, let alone being known about by the gods.

"Kaykay? Are you alright" Lauren sounded worried as she slipped her hand into her friend's.

The one-armed girl had been given a special one-time pass by the gods that allowed her on Olympus. Being mortal, she wasn't able to see through the Mist as well as others but she could see well enough to admire the home of the gods.

"No, not really." The redhead replied, squeezing her hand tight.

"You'll be fine; I won't let anything happen to you again," Leo assured her, walking on her right.

"We all are." Nico added, the others having come as well.

Makayla nodded and took a shaky breath as they climbed the steps to the Gods' Throne Room, forcing down the thoughts of giant beings shooting her with lightning bolts or turning her into a corn stalk or sending owls after her.

Breaths coming in anxious but silent gasps, she followed her friends into the large building. The demigods were surprised to see almost all the gods already there: Poseidon sat with his head in his hand while Hades, stood off to the side in the shadows as he talked on his phone to Charon. Aphrodite was sitting on her throne as she perfected her lipstick in a handheld mirror, ignoring Demeter as the goddess talked about cereal. And Hephaestus and Hermes…

The two were standing in front of Zeus's throne as they argued angrily with the King of The Gods.

Annabeth cleared her throat loudly as they entered, catching the attention of the immortals. The twelve gods cut off their arguments and conversations as they moved to their appointed thrones.

"Heroes. Come closer," Zeus greeted. Nico, Percy, Leo, Makayla, and Lauren exchanged looks before moving to the center of the room, unconsciously forming a circle around the redhead in protection. The other five stayed back.

"You five have done us all a great favor and for that the Gods of Olympus thank you." The god announced. Makayla could see Percy ready to correct him and quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight enough to hurt in a signal to him to stay quiet. He got her message and reluctantly said nothing.

"Because of you, The Serpents and their leader were defeated and the danger of them is no more," Hera added, giving a small bow of her head despite clearly not wanting to. As predictably usual, the demigods were each allowed one request.

Clearly wanting a break, Percy asked (see: demanded) for some peace and quiet while he and Annabeth attended college. With muttering and grumbling, the gods reluctantly agreed.

Nico didn't answer when the gods asked him for his request. He didn't seem to have one so they skipped him for the time being.

Obviously very overwhelmed by the twelve supreme beings, Lauren stuttered but spoke as nicely as possible as she poured out titles and compliments. Now a part of the world of Greek Mythology, she asked for permission to be allowed to enter Camp Half-Blood and see through the Mist. Obviously loving her flattery, the gods agreed without bothering to question her reasons.

When it came to Leo's turn, he stood protectively in front of his sister, holding her hand tightly in his.

"Leo Valdez. What is your wish?" Zeus thundered. Without turning, the older Valdez squeezed his sister's hand in reassurance.

"What I want is for you to free Makayla." He decided. "Get rid of her Snake Scar so she can't be controlled or forced into anything ever again."

"Unfortunately, that we can't do," Poseidon finally confessed awkwardly after a very long minute. When asked why not, Athena instead answered.

"When The Serpents' Leader gave Makayla her mark, he did so with magic that even the gods together cannot unbind." She explained. Makayla felt her heart drop. She knew he had been strong but she had no idea how strong.

"I wish there was a way we could somehow undo everything that man has done but there is unfortunately not. The most that we could do is clean body her of her other marks." Artemis apologized with a sigh.

Leo agreed before Makayla could talk and a moment later, she felt a tingling spread through her. It was as though her whole body had fallen asleep. She looked at her arm and her free hand went to her mouth as she gasped; a moment ago, Makayla's body had been marred with hundreds of scars and marks of harm, reminding her of her time as a tortured captive. Pale white lines had crisscrossed over her body, leaving no open spaces on her skin. But now…

Now the only marks on her body were the twin snakes, her skin otherwise clear and smooth.

Makayla felt her eyes water as she slowly ran her hand along her arm, a tear falling from her smooth skin. Looking up, she could see Lauren crying gently as well. The two immediately embraced, both now feeling complete and honestly free from Ganabranth and his pain.

"Makayla Valdez!"

The pale redhead looked up and gulped worriedly when her name was called. Taking a deep breath to try to calm her shaking hands, she slowly stepped forward. Leo tried to hold her back, but she brushed him off, moving forward until she stood in the center of the room. From the corner of her silver eyes, she could see her brother and friends looking worried.

"Makayla. You have done the gods a great favor and for that, you have our thanks. However. That is no reason to excuse what you are," Zeus announced, voice hard. The redhead felt pale but dropped her gaze.

"I- I understand." She sighed, voice barely loud enough for the giant beings to hear. "But I beg you not to punish a daughter for the actions of her parents. I- I had no control over my birth."

"That is true and you are correct but even so, you are too strong." Athena reminded.

"Makayla is a hero! I know this isn't my world but she defeated Gan-G- him. You gods should be thanking her! Because of her, your greatest enemy is gone forever." Lauren called out. The twelve gods shared glances between themselves.

"That is true but a demigod born of two godly parents has never before happened in history." Poseidon reminded. Makayla moved to respond but was stunned to silence by who decided to interrupt.

"You know whose fault that is and it isn't Makayla's so don't blame her." Hephaestus's gruff voice was deep and intimidating as it echoed in the large room.

"If anything, blame him or me but don't make my daughter feel guilty for being born," Hermes added. The voice of the usually cheery trickster was hard.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is." Zeus shook his head. "Makayla is too powerful and must be dealt with."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Hades asked his brother. He was obviously miffed that Makayla had managed to avoid the grips of death so many times but said nothing of it as he stood creepily to the side.

"Lightning? Drown her in the Styx? We could throw her from Olympus? That would be poetic. Or we could light her up till she's a pile of ashes?" Ares seemed eager as he sharpened a gigantic broadsword, his red eyes glowing behind his sunglasses.

"She's my daughter, balls-for-brains. She can't burn." Hephaestus told him with a frown. Ares glared and Zeus said nothing as he thought.

"Well, she's too powerful to keep around." He decided. "So however it is, she'll have to go."

Immediately there was chaos. Hermes and Hephaestus jumped to their feet, yelling the loudest. The twelve gods started to argue and Ares and Athena even reached for weapons. Makayla felt her eyes widen and her heart raced as she felt overwhelmed, stumbling back. Just before her foot slipped, a familiar pale hand suddenly shot out and grabbed ahold of her. They pulled her toward them and, not knowing what else to do, she clung to their jacket tightly and buried her face in his chest.

"Just breathe. I'm right here, nothing's gonna happen."

Nico whispered reassuringly in her ear. His arms moved protectively around her back. Makayla felt the safety the son of Hades gave wash over her and she took a deep breath. Minute by minute she felt her heart rate slow as she breathed deeply, the gods still arguing. Then two very angry voices shook the room.

"No one is going to touch Makayla!"

"If any of you move to hurt our daughter then you move to war!"

Ten voices immediately dropped silent, turning to the sources. Makayla's purple eyes widened and she could help as she cried silent tears. Her fathers would stand against the King of The Gods and even go to war just to defend her?

Hermes and Hephaestus both looked completely fed up with their fellow gods but the seriousness and anger in their eyes were clear. Hera was the first to break the silence.

Hermes! Hephaestus! How dare you-" She started but was unable to finish.

"If any of you move to hurt our daughter… you move to war." The god of thieves repeated, his voice deadly low.

"You two can't be serious." Dionysus huffed but the god of wine visibly paled when he saw the fire in the blacksmith's eyes.

"No one. Touches. Makayla." He repeated firmly before turning to the god of the sky. "Are we agreed? Or will you risk war?"

The world held it's breath it waited for a response. The three gods had their eyes locked in a silent battle of strength. It was a very long two minutes later but Zeus sat back in his throne before nodding once.

"Agreed." He decided quietly. "Makayla Valdez will hereon be watched by the Gods of Olympus but no harm will come to her or her future kin."

Relief immediately flowed through the ten demigods. They ran to embrace their friend and sister while the gods flashed away, one-by-one leaving until only two remained. Makayla couldn't stop herself from crying tears of relief as she was loved and hugged by her friends, each one saying how glad they were and how worried they had been. But the mini-celebration was stopped fast.

"Makayla... Can we talk with you for a moment?"

Not even a minute later, Annabeth had herded everyone except Makayla and Leo outside as the gods stood in front of the two. The redhead felt her brother unconsciously move toward her as she stared with tearing eyes at the two men in front of her.

"You... I- I'm proud of you, Makayla." Hephaestus told her as he shifted awkwardly on his crutch

"We both are." Hermes agreed. "But I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry we were never there for you when you needed us, we both love you so much but…" He sighed. "I hope you realize that we weren't trying to ignore you on purpose."

"We knew Zeus would see you as a threat and knew the only way to keep you a secret from him was if we never contacted you or did anything to draw his attention." Hephaestus tried to explain. He seemed unsure of what to say next, almost as if he had played the conversation in his head but it went differently.

"Dad… dads- I- I don't…" Makayla could only shake her head, her emotions were overwhelming.

She said nothing as she stepped closer to her two fathers. She stood in front of them for a moment before a sob escaped her lips and she jumped forward, throwing her arms around them as her tears fell. The two immortals were taken back for a second, not expecting the sudden action, but that second ended soon and they moved to return their daughter's hug.

"I know you've never wanted to ignore me, I think I've always known that," Makayla told them with a sigh after stepping back. "And when I look back I can see that you really were helping me. You sent to many people and things and- I…" Her voice faded out and she trailed off. "When you came to Camp Half-Blood, it was because Leo told you I was poisoned. You ignored all the trouble you could have got in just because you were worried about me but I… I was angry." She took a breath and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I was angry with you because before that moment I didn't know who you were and it hurt."

Hermes and Hephaestus couldn't help but wince at the reminder, both still feeling awful. Makayla noticed.

"But watching you both threaten to go to war with the king of the gods just to protect me… I feel like I should be the one apologizing."

"What? Why?" The two gods frowned. Their daughter smiled.

"Becuase it took being threatened to be thrown off Mount Olympus for me to realize that I have the best godly fathers that any demigod could ask for." Tears in all of their eyes, they again embraced and Makayla smiled in contentment as her fathers and brother held her.

Even on the way back to camp, she couldn't shake her smile. Once she passed Camp half-Blood's barrier and saw Jakob and Lauren and Leo and Ashlyn and all her friends there to greet her and welcome her back, she felt a swelling in her chest she had never felt before. But she what it meant:

Makayla Valdez was finally home to stay.

And that concludes the last and final chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies

I want to thank you all again for sharing in this adventure with me and Makayla

Have a good one and I hope I hope to see you all again someday!