Epilogue

Three months later.

The sun was receding from it's high point in the sky as the travellers made their way along the new road. Annabeth, taking up the rear position of the group, watched with a trained eye as their horse's hooves beat rhythmically against the dirt. She wasn't expecting trouble, in fact, the companions hadn't encountered any issues with bandits or thieves since their journey north-west. It was merely an old habit Annabeth doubted she would ever lose. She surveyed their surroundings mainly as a distraction from her building nerves.

The front rider slowed her horse to a walk, turning back to give Annabeth a smile, her newly braided eagle feather lightly beating against her shoulder with the movement. Her eyes were bright against the tan of her skin and Annabeth thought she appeared happier than she was when they first met. For the two women looking for an escape, an adventure without the restraints of orders or grief, travelling together seemed the only logical choice. It turned out to be a blessing for both parties.

Piper led them down a splintered part of the road, slightly overgrown with the lack of traffic. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Malcolm swivelled to pull out his notebook, balancing it against his saddle to continue his letter to one of his contacts. He had joined the two women a month into their travels, having need to take care of some business of his own first. It had been strange at first for the two siblings, but soon they fell into a comfortable routine and Annabeth would miss his presence when he left again once another Athenian had been found. So far, they were still the only true-borns on record, but Malcolm suspected they were at least two more in hiding he was determined to find and meet.

As they moved closer towards the village, Annabeth had a hard time concentrating on anything apart from the person who awaited her inside. It was a strange feeling, to be entering the place she knew to be home but had yet to lay eyes on. She had drawings recreated from Piper's hearty descriptions inside her new sketch book, purchased by her brother after the loss of her old book at the Elite compound. The couple of week's return travel she had memorised each drawing; from the entrance of the village, to the arrangement of houses, stalls and workstations and Percy's small cottage: she had glanced at that one a lot.

Percy. She reached down and grabbed the small bead hanging around her neck, worrying it across the string. She had written several letters to him during her journey, most ending up torn and burnt. The couple that she did send said very little, her words always seeming to vanish before she could write them down. He had never been far from her mind and there were some moments when she wished she was experiencing it with him, but overall she was glad that she had gone out and saw the villages, people and places with a traveller's eye, rather than a fighter's or a thief's.

The back-boundary entrance loomed ahead. As Piper had described, it was non-descript, used only for the locals and was a means to escape if necessary. It was there they had to be careful of the snares and traps laid for unwanted visitors by the Stoll brothers, but Piper confidently led them forward, hoping they would slip into the village before Silena had time to organise an elaborate welcome home party.

Two enormous and ancient looking trees served as the back-entrance gates and Annabeth's nerves fluttered as they came into the shadow of their canopy. There was a light rustling amongst the branches upon approach and Annabeth could hear light, chirpy voices that followed. There was a 'shush', silence, followed by a gasp and squeal. Annabeth thought she heard Piper chuckle.

"Juniper is going to have a fit," she murmured quietly, snorting with amusement. "She's told them countless times not to climb trees."

"Piper!"

"Piper's back!"

Three small bundles toppled from the branches, landing lightly on their feet before racing towards Piper's horse. The kids, obviously siblings, were chatting excitedly as the newcomers approached, their dirtied faces turned up in big, and in the older boy's case, toothless grins. Piper was bombarded with information as she slid from her saddle, bracing herself for the onslaught. Annabeth and an amused Malcolm copied her, hanging back as to not frighten them, though they didn't appear to notice.

"I lost my front teeth!" the older boy stated, pointing at the gap in his mouth.

"Look I found a feather and braided it in my hair just like you!" the girl said, pushing her brother aside and grabbing Piper's hand.

"I have a pet frog!" the youngest stated happily.

The three children vied for Piper's attention, who knelt and appeared to listen to each of them intently, handing Malcolm the reins of her horse so their excitement wouldn't unsettle them. Their fingers brushed and Annabeth noticed a slight reddening on her brother's and Piper's cheeks with the latter grinning. Malcolm studiously ignored his sister's demanding stare, taking a lot of interest in the children's nonsensical news.

"I thought your Mother told you not to climb the trees close to the border entrance?" Piper asked with a raised eyebrow. The smiles on the kids face dropped like a stone in the water.

"You don't have to tell her," the eldest suggested, getting frantic nods in reply.

Piper appeared to think over his suggestion, making exaggerated thinking gestures. "You guys should've learned from the last time you were caught climbing these trees," she said. "Why were you out here again?"

"We were just looking out for you, as promised," the girl piped up, her brothers agreeing quickly after.

Piper glanced over to the Athenian siblings, a smile bordering on an impatient grimace directed towards them. They, noticing Piper's attention diverted, mimicked her and spotted the arrival of strangers. Rather than shy away, they embraced them with excited squeals almost tackling Malcolm into his horse with their enthusiasm.

"I see Auntie Silena has been telling her stories again," Piper observed, trying not to laugh at Malcolm's tentative head pats.

"And Uncle Percy," the girl stated, grabbing Annabeth's hand and inspecting the white bandanna tied to her wrist.

"Uncle Percy?" Annabeth questioned as her heart quickened. The children had been a good distraction but once his name was mentioned, her nerves returned.

"Yeah," the youngest brother replied. With a lot of insistence, he was placed on top of Malcolm's horse. "He's at the hill now, sitting at his spot."

"He's been doing that for ages," the eldest said from Annabeth's either side, pausing in his attempt to take her knife to scrunch up his face. One well placed glare had him shying back towards Piper, his hands firmly tucked against his side.

"He says he's waiting for someone, but we haven't seen them yet," the youngest added, enthusiastically whipping the reins. The horse he was sitting on didn't appear impressed.

"That's why we were in the tree," the girl added in case they forgot.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Piper demanded lightly. She gestured with a nod in the direction, giving her a knowing smile.

Annabeth gave her a smile of thanks, glancing towards Malcolm who gave her an encouraging smile. She untangled herself from the girl's grip before making her way towards the hill. Butterflies flooded her stomach and she had to take deep calming breaths as she crossed the field, taking in the village just ahead. It was quaint, but Annabeth could see the character in the individual cottages and houses. She would have time to examine them later, but for the moment, she had somewhere else she wanted to be.

The hill wasn't steep, but Annabeth was a little winded as she trekked her way towards it summit. A tree stood slightly bowed at the top and underneath … Annabeth paused metres away, tears springing to her eyes that she hastily blinked away. She took a steadying breath, then another, unable to take her eyes from the figure that sat on an exquisitely made chair. His back was to her, but he sat patiently, waiting serenely for her, just as he promised.

Sensing her gaze, the man turned. If Annabeth thought she had stopped breathing before, she definitely had the moment their eyes met. He had not changed, and the few months without him fell away as if they never happened. The light in his eyes grew brighter and a tentative smile formed on his lips as he took in her presence before him. She grew courage from that smile and took the remaining steps towards him in a daze. Percy rose to his feet, the sunset bathing him in a golden aura. He stretched out his hand, which she took with shaking fingers. His smile broadened, eyes full of light and love as he said,

"Welcome home."

Author's note:

Where to begin? What was planned to be only a ten – thirteen max chapter story turned out to be double what I imagined. It has been a slog, with moments of frustrating re-writes, writer's block and the culling of several scenarios I had in mind, but now that I have finally finished it, I can say it was worth it! A huge thanks to everyone who firstly read my story, then followed and favorited it. I can not say I will be forever appreciative enough. It gives me courage that when I finally have my own stories published, that they may be someone out in the world that will enjoy it. Don't be hesitant to leave a review, positive or critical (but please, make it constructive rather than just plain negative); it may seem small, but it all helps me improve for future stories.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed The Heart Is A Muscle.

The backupkid.