Chapter 40: This Isn't Over Yet

AN: I've decided to save the Bronze Dragon for later. Just writing the Demigod Files together makes more sense. Again, Italics is my own additions, reading in between the lines.

Percy shrugged. He still wasn't sure about most of that conversation. So much had happened that summer and that talk with Mr. D was somehow one of the strangest. At least everyone else seemed to be confused by it too.

"Was that it? I mean the prophecy was completed and the battle was over, right?" Leo asked.

"Ehh. There were a few more things that happened that summer. I think you'd like what happened in one of the next ones."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Enjoy is an understatement."

"The battle was only halfway through the summer," Percy finished. "There was a lot after. Though I'm not sure what they'll show. Not all of the things I do are exciting."

Half the room looked at him skeptically.

"Let's just finish watching your uninteresting life then," Magnus said dryly.

Percy and Annabeth stood at the top of Half-Blood Hill together.

Clarisse frowned. "Wait…Wasn't that the summer you—"

"Yes," Annabeth finished when Clarisse couldn't.

"Why isn't it showing that? It happened before this. This is when I left Camp for the summer. A lot happened before that."

"We shall show what you found with the quests and other things you have found. No matter what happened before and after, when and where, it's all to be watched soon."

"What?"

"There was no real answer there, was there?" asked Carter.

"There was," Annabeth replied. "I guess we'll watch that stuff between this and the next summer."

"I guess the quests were all kind of similar," Percy frowned. "Even if they weren't actually quests. I mean one happened that summer. Another happened during December and—"

"We're watching that?" Thalia groaned.

"Imagine what I'm going to feel," Percy told her with a wince.

"You've been poisoned too many times for me to care now."

"Poisoned?"

"What?"

"Are you all insane?"

"And then the last one happened even before this, or after. That one's a little messed up in my head. I'm not sure if it was my last year of middle school or first year of high school," Percy frowned. He turned to Clarisse. "What do you think?"

"They're showing that too?"

"I'm guessing."

"This sucks."

"Tell me about it," Thalia agreed.

"How many people understood any of that?" asked Piper curiously.

"Just a little," Annabeth said.

"Maybe a third," Nico agreed.

"A little less," Will nodded.

"Maybe a little more than half or so," Chris agreed.

"Same," Clarisse and Thalia said at the same time before glaring each other.

"So basically only Percy," Grover said.

Percy shrugged. "Yeah. I guess."

Hazel looked at him then the screen confused. "So it just skipped to the last day of summer?"

"Pretty much." Percy's eyebrows furrowed as he looked to be thinking. "I don't think there was much besides working more on training. And the thing we'll be seeing. I played a lot with Mrs. O'Leary though she was still very upset about Daedalus. And I continued to be an idiot with Annabeth."

"Understatement," Annabeth scoffed. "That's why we had that plan during capture the flag."

"I knew it."

"Not all of it. You think I could have planned all of that?"

"I never underestimate you."

"Good."

"You're sure?" Annabeth asked him. "Now that…It's well…You know what I mean…Maybe you should train a little more."

"It's not going to matter," Percy said. "Paul worked hard to get me into Goode and after the orientation mess and him working hard to fix it I should at least go. Plus I already talked with Chiron about keeping Mrs. O'Leary here. Tyson and I are taking turns to visit her."

"I know," Annabeth reminded him.

"You should stay and train more," Reyna frowned.

"I should but I wasn't going too," Percy told her.

Reyna's eyes scanned him again but she said nothing.

"You taking the van with Argus too?" Percy asked her.

"No. I'll be here a little longer. I have to help take care of Chiron and this is the best place to work on figuring out the laptop. I'll go back to San Francisco right before the end of summer."

"Do you not talk about your plans before?" Sam asked.

"They were avoiding each other like the idiots they are," Clarisse answered for them.

"True," Percy said.

"He was. I was working," Annabeth answered.

"No. You were avoiding him too," agreed Thalia. "Remember, we talked."

"And that was private," Annabeth hissed.

"Is anything anymore?" Thalia gestured in front of them.

"Some things. Until you open your mouth."

"I should take offense but I feel like that's a compliment."

"It's really not," Grover mumbled under the glares of both girls.

Annabeth said there was a private school out there she'd be going too. She'd probably hate it but, Annabeth stopped in mid-sentence and shrugged as if to finish it. Percy said yeah. Then said to call him, okay?

"You guys are so awkward," snickered Sadie.

"It got worse," Thalia confided.

"We kept in touch."

"It was just awkward every time," Thalia countered. "Remember Aunt Sally's wedding?"

Grover snickered with her as Rachel winced. Percy groaned as Annabeth glared at Thalia.

"We iris-messaged or talked somehow at least once a week," Percy said. "I would have gone crazy if I wasn't in touch with Annabeth during school years."

"And I would've thought you'd gotten even further into trouble because you didn't have me."

"Too true."

"And it goes from awkward to disgustingly cute."

Annabeth said sure. She'd keep her eyes open for then she paused as she looked down looking hurt. Percy lifted his hand to soothe her but didn't reach out. He asked what the rest of the prophecy was. She looked away towards the woods. Percy started to recite the prophecy he remembered. You would delve in the darkness of the endless maze. The dead, the traitor and the lost one raise. Percy said they raised a lot of dead and saved Ethan who was a traitor. Then they raised Pan's spirit. The lost one.

"You could have a future working with my oracle, or any of them," Apollo told Percy.

"If anyone says something like that to me I'll run the other way as fast as possible," Percy shivered. "No more prophecies."

"We can wish."

"Doesn't mean it will happen then."

Annabeth shook her head pleadingly. Percy continued in a stronger voice. They would rise or fall by the ghost king's hand. It wasn't Minos like he thought but Nico. He chose to be on their side and he saved them. And the child of Athena's final stand was Daedalus.

"Someone should really just give you a job figuring out cryptic stuff like this," whistled Frank.

"As long as it's not girls," Rachel snorted. "He's hopeless there."

"He was. Now he's a lot better than pretty much everyone else," Piper pointed out.

"Hey!" Jason said.

"It's true."

"And he's still mine," Annabeth reminded everyone.

Annabeth said Percy's name in a broken voice.

"I'm sorry."

"You deserved to know," she answered softly.

"But you weren't completely ready to tell me," Percy said back.

"I needed to anyway. That's how I was ready."

Percy pulled his hand from hers and wrapped it around her letting her lean on his side. She grabbed his other hand and massaged the back of it.

Percy talked faster and harder. He said destroy with a hero's final breath. It made sense now. Daedalus died to destroy the labyrinth. But what about the last—then Annabeth interrupted him. She said to lose a love worse than death. She was crying as she looked at him. That was the last line. Was he happy now?

The whole room turned stiff.

"Did he completely miss the message there too?" Calypso asked amused.

"He didn't realize it didn't mean just Luke," Annabeth answered. "Because yes, that was a possibility too. Not why you think though."

"This whole thing is just complicated," Juniper sighed. "At least Grover isn't so bad. Just makes me worry."

Percy and Grover exchanged glances as their girlfriends talked for another second. "Are we done yet?"

"For now."

"So for another second."

Percy stiffened and his face fell. He said oh. So Luke.

"You really needed more self-confidence," Piper noted.

"With Annabeth," Percy said. "Yeah. She's amazing. Why on earth would she date me? I still think this is a dream sometimes."

"We've been through hell Seaweed Brain," Annabeth reminded him. "I don't think that would be a dream."

"Yeah. But you are."

"Stop being gross," Thalia pleaded as Annabeth kissed Percy's cheek.

"When I'm with Annabeth? Never."

Annabeth said she didn't know who the prophecy was about. She didn't know if— then her voice fell.

"Losing you Seaweed Brain," Annabeth reminded him. "Losing you in that explosion and thinking you were dead. The prophecy could have talked about either possibility. Or maybe there was another and we just don't even know it."

"Who cares?" Percy said. "It doesn't matter now."

"No. It really doesn't."

She looked at him and said Luke and her for years, that he was the only one who really cared about her. She thought… Then a sparkle of light appeared in front of them and a woman in white with a dark braid over her shoulder stood in front of them. She said Annabeth had nothing to apologize for. Annabeth said Hera.

Every single demigod groaned.

"Why?"

"I don't have an answer to that."

Hera smiled and said they found the answers like she knew they would their quest was a success. Annabeth asked a success. Luke was gone. Daedalus was dead. So was Pan. How was that—Hera interrupted and insisted their family was safe. It was better the others were gone. She called Annabeth my dear and said she was proud of her.

"What?"

"It's her perfect family idea," scoffed Thalia. "And Luke, Daedalus, and Pan don't fit in."

"She wasn't actually proud of me either," Annabeth huffed. "Because what was there to be proud of, not helping people and making sure her family seems so perfectly fake?"

"I'd like to just once to what that woman really deserves and punch her in the face," Nico grumbled.

"I can help with that," Leo said.

Everyone looked at him.

"Hey, I hate Tia too. Even though it turns out she's actually my Grandma. Automatons are a thing. Lifelike dummies aren't as hard as you think," Leo shrugged.

"I'll keep that in mind," Percy said.

Percy clenched his fists and glared at her asking if she was the one who paid Geryon to let them through the ranch. Hera shrugged and said she wanted to speed them on their way. Percy growled that she didn't care about Nico she was happy to see him turned over to the Titans.

"Who cares about her opinion?" Nico asked.

"Nico also means that it's nice to know you and everyone else didn't agree though," Hazel smiled at Percy.

"It's fine. I'm good at interpreting Nico talk now," Percy assured her.

"Stop," Nico told him.

"We're not doing anything wrong," Percy grinned at him.

"Hazel isn't. You're just being the most annoying person on earth."

"Thank you. Though that title belongs to Leo," Percy said gesturing at the other demigod who stood up and took a bow.

"Really? I'd say Sadie," Carter shrugged.

"I'm no candidate?" Alex frowned.

"You're not as annoying as you'd like to think you are," Sam told her.

"I'll show you."

Magnus groaned. "What have you started?"

"Start again before we find out."

Hera waved her hand passively and said please. the son of Hades said it himself. No one wanted him around he didn't belong.

"If anyone doesn't belong it's her," Piper scoffed. "Nico's always welcome with any of us."

Nico blushed. "Thanks."

Percy growled Hephaestus was right. She only cared about her perfect family. Not real people. Hera's eyes glowed a little. She said to watch himself. The son of Poseidon. She guided him more than he knew in the maze. She was at his side when he faced Geyron and helped his arrow fly straight. She sent him to Calypso's island and sent him to Mt. Othrys. Annabeth, she surely saw how she'd helped. She'd welcome a sacrifice for her efforts.

"Really?"

"She was pulling his strings and the fates pulled hers," Will murmured.

"Those events or at least several of them needed to happen," Apollo agreed. "Calypso needed to meet Percy. He needed to see Kronos rise. It was crucial."

"Luke would still have been Kronos and Leo would have still ended up there," Percy frowned. "I really don't think it does matter."

"Everything matters."

"At least we know that Percy still can't shoot," Frank said. "I already tried teaching him."

"He needs to learn from an actual master," Apollo puffed his chest and grinned. "Not that you're bad for a Roman. Especially one of Mars' children."

"Is he trying to flirt with Percy again?" Jason asked in alarm.

"I believe so," Reyna agreed cringing slightly.

"Percy doesn't even notice though," Piper said with a quick look to her other side.

Next to her Rachel snorted. "Annabeth has him trained well."

Annabeth turned and smirked at them.

"What's up?" Percy asked her as he heard Thalia snort on his other side and noticed them looking at him.

"Nothing man. Just wondering if the sword is your only good weapon," Jason challenged.

"Spear works. Trident, net, shield, pretty much anything but a bow," Percy shrugged. "Sword's always the best though. And you're probably better with a spear."

"We'll have to see."

All the girls spoke forcefully. "No."

"Even if a three-way fight could be fun," Thalia mused.

"Not helping," hissed Piper.

"It would be spectacular but I don't believe we should try it," Reyna agreed.

"Ever," Annabeth said sternly.

Annabeth clenched her jaw and fists and stood still as stone with a fiery look in her eye. She said Percy was right. She was the one who didn't belong. So next time, thanks… but no thanks.

"She didn't listen to that," Thalia muttered.

"No. She messed up our lives even more," agreed Percy.

"She'd been doing pretty well at that since the beginning," Jason said pointedly.

"True," muttered Leo a little away.

Hera sneered. She started to glow as she said they'd regret this insult. She'd regret it very much. Percy and Annabeth looked away as everything filled with light. They both turned and looked at each other.

"I don't regret saying it at all," Annabeth shrugged.

"I do. Just a little," Thalia said with a wince as she rubbed her leg.

"At least that was better than one of us dying," Percy said.

"Yeah. But it kept me out of the hunt for a few weeks."

"How much hunting was everyone doing then anyway?"

"A lot. Lots of running monsters."

Annabeth said she was sorry. Then she said I then paused and said she should get back. She'd keep in touch. Percy looked at her. He said listen, Annabeth.

"Wait," Grover asked looking at him then Annabeth. "You actually said something?"

"I tried too."

"You're saying you could have saved us another year of that?" Thalia said gesturing between the couple in the scene in front of them.

Percy shrugged. "I think we were both a little to messed up for anything then."

"A little."

Argus honked and Percy faltered. Annabeth said he better get going. She told him to take care and called him Seaweed Brain again. Then she turned and jogged down the hill towards camp. Percy watched her with a sad smile until Annabeth ran into her cabin. Percy sighed and walked the other way.

"Really Argus?"

"You just ruined it."

"I thought he shipped it."

"Poor Percy looks so upset."

"I really was," Percy agreed. "I mean did you see her a second ago? That's one of the best things about Annabeth. She doesn't take an easy answer."

"If I didn't already think you were made for each other I would now."