My story wasn't at all a happy one. I could see it on their faces as their expression changed – constantly – the whole while I was speaking. They were angry, sad, shocked, surprised, mournful, and much more; all their emotions were rolled into one.

I didn't even want to relive it myself but resigned myself to a retelling just one last time, for their sakes, and maybe even my own, because I'd never actually told the story aloud before. When I was done, they were silent for about ten minutes.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Luke asked, choking on his own voice. He sounded raw, like he was ready to start crying, but couldn't bring himself to, or was trying to hold back to keep up a façade of strength. This tactic did nothing but bundle up his sorrow into his throat, and it was easily noticeable.

I hung my head. "I would say that it's because I wanted to keep it to myself so that you wouldn't see me as weak. Or… maybe even that I didn't think you should know, but I'm realizing now that I was lying to myself for years. It wasn't that I couldn't trust you – far from that, actually. The reason I didn't say anything is because, until now, I didn't think I could face it. It was just too hard to talk about." I started to tear up again, and despite just crying harder than I had in years, my eyes were ready to unleash my inner turmoil.

"I lost everything I cared about to-to Damian. I had nothing to live for. But when Chaos and Order saved me… I did. They didn't just save my body or my spirit. They saved my soul. They gave me a new reason to live. To keep fighting, and I've never once had to look back," I explained with a small smile creeping its way onto my face.

Suddenly, my smile was gone. "Until now."

My warriors – friends – all smiled sadly. Bianca and Zoë were seated on either side of me, arms wrapped around me for comfort. "So," Zoë said, looking up at me, "Will you join us for the campfire?"

I was confused, and it must have shown on my face because Bianca spoke up. "It's time for campfire already. You were up here for a long time, I think. Then again, we don't know when you came back here," she explained.

I nodded and stood, detaching myself from the cuddle circle. Wiping my eyes so I could put my mask back on without it being a salty wet mess, I followed the eight of them out of the room. Thinking back for a split second, maybe I shouldn't have locked the communal boys' bedroom. Whoops.

When we reached the campfire, everyone turned to look at us. The others sat back in the front, but I remained where I was, not wanting to join them just yet. I saw Rosie waving to me, and couldn't really think of anywhere else to go, so I decided to sit next to her. Just as I was about to move toward her, something struck me. A gasp of pain escaped my mouth and, looking down, I saw the cause of it.

There was a knife. It was long, but that was all I could tell because the tip of the blade was sticking out of my chest from behind, having passed right through my body and lodged itself there. Whoever held the knife gave a sharp tug, causing my body to lurch. I fell.

Everything was in slow motion, and though the pain was circulating through my body, I could feel the slow beating of my heart, no panic in my veins, because I knew I would live. In the blur that was the world, I saw Haetros jump to his feet, snarling loudly. He yelped, too, and I knew it was because he felt my pain.

My head turned to see Damian. How had I not noticed him? My mind quickly cleared as the wound healed, and just as I rose to my full height again, he spoke.

"You humiliated me this morning," he said with a scowl, "I hate you."

A jolt ran through my body. There was that word again. Hate. I felt a strong connection to it. After all, every time I was met face to face with Damian, I struggled to contain my own hatred – the deep, consuming emotion that I felt for this body. If only I could feel indifference, let go of the past like I knew I should. Alas, I could not.

With that, a voice from deep within me spoke. It wasn't Haetros, nor Crypt, nor Tile. It was someone – something – else. "Why are you holding back? This is the boy who ruined your life! He slaughtered your family and stole everything and everyone you ever cared about!"

I froze. Where did that voice come from? It wasn't any of the others, nor did it sound like someone from the physical world. As my eyes laid upon the campers and gods, I saw that they weren't moving. In fact, nothing was moving, not even the fire.

I must've stopped time.

Then, the voice spoke again, startling me. "I am you. Can't you see? I am the part of your mind that you created with the anger and hatred you've been bottling up these past five thousand years. I will always be a part of you. Just accept that, and you will be free."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, aloud, because the situation couldn't get any weirder.

"Kill him," the voice hissed, like a serpent slithering into my ear. I shook to rid myself of the sensation.

"No. You must leave," I commanded.

There was a chuckle. "And how do you propose I do that? Like I said, I am you, and your hate just keeps making me stronger."

I stood my ground, which was slightly strange, considering I was talking to myself – or so he said. "I will get rid of you, mark my words."

Another chuckle echoed in my head. "Until next time, then…" it said, fading away slowly.

Time suddenly restarted, and I felt the sudden urge to kill Damian flare up again, but before I could, a flaming purple horn was driven through his chest. My heart stopped as blood oozed out around the wound around the horn. Damian's body lurched, just like mine had minutes prior, and a few indistinguishable gurgling sounds came from his mouth. His eyes had nearly popped out of his skull, and when Haetros finally backed away, horn still dripping with gore, Damian collapsed to the ground. Seconds later, he was a pile of fine grey dust. With his head held high, Haetros howled triumphantly, proud of his kill.

The whole audience was silent.

The flames of the fire, low and dark as it copied the emotions of the campers, suddenly jumped, glowing brighter than I'd ever seen it before as everyone cheered. It wasn't until Artemis spoke that my confusion fell away.

"We've been waiting for someone to kill that scumbag ever since Percy's death. He was a murderer," she said.

"Then why not finish him off yourselves?" I asked, even though I already knew what she was going to say. I wanted to hear her say it.

She shrugged. "We couldn't. The gods swore to change, and if killing Damian was the first thing we did after swearing an oath in Percy's name, we'd be going against everything he wanted. And he was far too noble a hero to ask for another's death like that," she said. Then, raising her head, she looked me straight in the eye, holding my gaze. "Besides, killing Damian wouldn't have brought Percy back. Nothing has the power to do that."

I nodded and then moved to check over my companion. He was healed from the stab wound, but his face was coated in Damian's remains, which had turned to dust like the rest of him – just like all victims of Voidfyre. Pulling out a cloth, I groomed his face and polished his horn, ridding him of the filth.

Rosie ran over to me and wrapped me in a hug with her small arms. "Thank you," she whispered as I picked her up. "You got rid of the mean boy. He always made fun of me."

I hugged her back, close to my chest as my wings subconsciously moved to wrap around us. "You won't have to worry about him anymore. He's gone for good," I replied, smiling into her soft brown hair. She must've felt it because she pulled away and smiled back at me. As I put her down, she ran off to once again sit with her half-siblings. They chattered away rapidly together, like birds, but were talking so fast that I couldn't even begin to comprehend what they were saying.

I sat down. It felt nice to relax for once. I mean, some of the campers – and even the gods – were still shocked from the power I displayed in my duel against Damian this morning, and some, while over the duel, was still recovering from witnessing Damian's death via Voidfyre. If they were scared of either me or Haetros, they didn't say so. Nor did they comment on what Voidfyre did to a person, which surprised me, because Damian had just turned to dust right in front of them. That's usually something a person would talk about.

Instead, they were just talking with friends, chatting about trivial matters or laughing as they told jokes and stories. Campers were sitting, clustered, around my warriors, who were spinning adventurous tales of their interstellar missions and mishaps. I wished so badly to be apart of it all, but something was holding me back. Something was missing. Someone was missing. And I knew just who it was.

My father. Poseidon.

Of course, he wasn't my father anymore. He'd made sure of that when he disowned me, relinquishing me of his bloodline, powers, and name. Despite that, I still missed him. I missed him like a student would miss a teacher, or a camper their counsellor. No longer did we have a father-son relationship, but I still felt close to him, and I wanted to see him. I wanted to tell him that I still cared – that I was still alive. I just wanted him to be close, with me, so we could just sit together and talk.

Behind my mask, I felt my face pinch with emotion but forced myself not to cry. Not again. Not today. I wanted my dad back, but my turmoil of emotions wouldn't do anything to make it happen, so no use dwelling on them. Poseidon was fading, and my tears wouldn't stop that from happening. I'd have to talk to him, face to face. If he knew I was still alive and that I still cared, surely, he would come back from the brink and allow himself to heal. Surely, I could save him.

It was only when I felt a gentle nudge on my arm that I looked up to notice that someone had sat beside me. "Why so glum?" the person asked in a very familiar voice. It was a voice that – despite having heard it so many times before – sent a delightful yet confusing shiver down my spine.

I swallowed thickly. Oh boy. Why is it always me? Turning, I let my eyes come to rest on the beautiful silver orbs of Artemis. Her eyes stared directly into mine, curiosity shining in them as she studied my face as if trying to imagine what my face looked like under my mask.

Our eyes were only together for a split second before I broke the gaze, eyes resting on the ground in front of me. As long as I didn't look at her, I'd be fine. I just… couldn't let her figure out my identity; it would end in disaster, especially if anyone found out that she'd found out. She'd be in constant danger, and I couldn't put her through that. It wouldn't be right and fair to her in any way. I could live with no one knowing who I was, but to put her in danger, I couldn't do that.

"I was just thinking about someone," I replied vaguely.

"Really?" she asked conversationally, "Why's that?"

"Just… that I wish he were here right now. It's not really the same without him," I confessed, my voice soft but sincere.

She sighed. "Me too. I feel that Perseus should be here to enjoy this. He was the one who made all of this happen." She gestured around, to where the gods were sitting with their children, and the campers were smiling and having fun. "He was the one who brought us together, yet he is not even here to appreciate what he accomplished." By the end, Artemis' tone was mournful. She sounded so sad; I suddenly felt the need to hug her but decided against it since she would probably put an arrow through my eye or turn me into a hedgehog or something.

I took a brief moment to consider what it would be like to be a hedgehog, but quickly shoved the thought aside and cursed my ADHD.

After I was able to push the feeling down, consciously holding my arms in place at my sides, I allowed myself to be confused. Didn't Artemis hate all boys? I mean, I'm not one to be ill-educated on the happenings of the universe, so if Artemis had stopped her man-hating ways, I would've heard about it, right?

"You cared for him a lot, didn't you?" I asked, hoping that I wasn't overstepping. I was curious, and it was a question that could be taken in a multitude of ways.

Artemis nodded absentmindedly, but despite the faraway look in her eyes, I could tell she was listening. That, in and of itself, was what really surprised me. She cared? Even before I died?

"I bet he didn't even realize it," I said. That was true enough; I was pretty obvious back then. Some might even argue that I was still that way, and I guess I wouldn't be able to say anything against them. With Artemis, I never got the chance to stop and think when I was around her, probably because a) we'd been in the middle of a battle with a titan, or b) the gods were contemplating my death. Those had been the only two times I'd really been around her while I was still alive, like, really around her, and not just seeing her in passing.

She gave a watery smile. "No, I don't think he did. He was too busy saving the world, so we never really got the chance to talk. Besides, he was constantly off with that Athena spawn. "Artemis scoffed. "And in the end, she threw it away. Threw him away. She may have been enchanted, but enchantments only work on people that are susceptible to them. She'd already been having doubts, even if she herself wasn't aware of them." She took a deep breath. "And even if we had talked, he probably wouldn't have realized it. He always did have a head full of sea foam."

I had to admit, that was clever, and even laughed a little – something I hadn't been able to do sincerely in a long time.

Artemis continued. "Near the end, I saw his family abandon him and… I wanted to comfort him so badly, but I was too late. I was too scared, and he got himself killed. He died, defending us of all things. We, as his one and only family, abandoned him and he still gave his life to save us. After what we did, we didn't deserve what he gave up. And… the worst part was when I just stood there, watching him die. The look in his eyes… he died thinking that we didn't care – that we hated him. And he looked so… broken is the only word that can describe how he must've felt. He was a broken hero, and we didn't even deserve him in the first place."

A single tear fell from her eyes and trailed slowly down her cheek. It was the symbol of her strength, finally waning under the immense weight of his death. Before the tear even reached her chin, she wiped it away and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to keep any more from escaping.

It was that moment that I nearly gave in. I wanted to tell her who I was. I wanted to tell her how I felt about her; I wanted to say how much she meant to me.

But I couldn't. I had to keep up my mask, both physically, and emotionally. It was for her own safety and the safety of everyone she cared about. If anyone – an enemy – found out how much I cared for her, she would be in grave danger. I couldn't put her through that. Not again. I caused the death of her best friend; I couldn't allow her to die as well, and I couldn't risk her being captured again. She deserved to be free – free as a bird.

Carefully, I rested a comforting hand in her shoulder, testing if she would pull away from me or not. She didn't, so I took that as a go-ahead for rubbing gentle circles on her back as if the movement would soothe away the sorrow. I knew that only one person who could truly take away her pain, though, and I wasn't prepared to bring him. He wasn't here; he couldn't show up - because I couldn't allow it. Only when I stopped pretending to be someone else could he come to camp, and bottom-line: I wasn't ready to give up the life that I'd created for myself.

I knew that everyone was staring without even having to look up. They'd probably heard our whole conversation, but, rerunning it through my head, I couldn't bring myself to care. They didn't seem so surprised, so maybe it was a known fact how Artemis felt? All the veteran campers, like Nico, Annabeth, and the rest of the seven, had tears in their eyes. As did the gods, and even a few of the younger campers. So… maybe they'd only heard the last bit…

Wait-! Was that Zeus crying? And Ares too? My eyebrows nearly leapt off my face. Wow. Never thought I'd see the day.

"Percy was always kind to me," Hestia said suddenly, gaining her everyone's attention. "He never ignored me, even though I'm not one of the Olympians anymore. He saw me as I am and though me just as important as everyone else." She sniffled, then swiped a hand over her face to catch falling tears.

I missed Hestia. In my opinion, she was the best goddess when it came to her kind, generous soul. "And her sandwiches. Don't forget about her sandwiches," my ADHD added. "Stupid ADHD. Stop adding thoughts in my head that I don't need," I thought. "Shut up," my ADHD said back. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Whoa, that's sort of creepy.

When I finally focused back on reality, Zeus was speaking. Whoops. "-saved us many times, and we never truly got to thank him. He was selfless and different from any other hero."

Well, it seems like they're all just praising me. Again. I shifted uncomfortably, but not enough for anyone to notice because it was sort of strange. Why did everyone have to praise me?

"Even though he was the one who saved the Fleece, he let me take it back to camp and take the credit because it was my quest."

"Percy helped Luke die a hero. He believed in my son when no one else did and helped him do the right thing."

My heart clenched. One by one, everyone was saying something about me from when I was alive. Everyone who'd ever known me said something, In the end, Hades was the one to finish it off: "He truly was the greatest demigod to ever live." Everyone nodded, even my angels, who'd stood and been waiting at the edges of the amphitheatre, all eight of them agreeing in secret.

Rosie suddenly jumped to her feet. "When I grow up, I want to be just like Percy!" she declared happily, a large smile stretching across her face. I smiled as well, though mine was smaller, as did everyone else around me.

"I'm sure that Percy would be delighted to hear you say that, Rosie. It's sad that you weren't able to meet him. I'm certain that the two of you would've gotten along like milk and cereal," Demeter said. She looked down. "But he's done, and not even his soul remains to wander the Underworld, so we cannot tell him how sorry we are for what we did."

The mood fell once again like the whole amphitheatre was a roller coaster. That was when a new voice spoke. Another familiar voice. "Percy was always too kind for his own good. He sacrifices himself for us because he cared about us, regardless of what we did to him. He forgave the unforgivable and died thinking that everyone he cared about hated him." I could recognize that voice anywhere. It was Grover.

He'd grown shaggier, but not by too much, and his horns were larger, but still kind of juvenile for a satyr. I mean, he was… what? Forty years old now? His face was a picture of sadness, though, just like everyone else's.

"They always said that his fatal flaw was loyalty," Grover went on, choking up, "But they didn't say that it would be our betrayal that caused it."

I had tears in my eyes but couldn't let them fall. Mainly because it was very uncomfortable to cry under a mask. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I said, trying to sound as normal as possible, "I'm sure that wherever Percy is now, he knows that you all regret your actions against him, and he knows what you've done to reconcile. If he were here today, I'm certain that he'd want you to move on, to forgive yourselves as he forgave you, instead of dwelling on the past. He'd want you to push forward and live."

My speech was met only with looks of gratitude as everyone faced me, tears staining their cheeks.

"When did you become so philosophical?" Haetros asked.

Looking down at him, I glared playfully. "What's that supposed to mean? I've always been philosophical!"

He rolled his eyes (as well as any wolf could roll their eyes) and gave a scoff. "Keep telling yourself that, your highness, because sometimes you're rather dense."

"Don't call me that! You know that I hate being called by my title!"

He grinned smugly. "Yes, I know. Why do you think I did it?"

In response, I flicked his nose.

He was speechless. When he finally found words, he still stuttered. "Did you just… flick my nose?" he asked, incredulously. His mouth hung agape.

"Yes, I just did," I replied with a cheeky grin.

Suddenly realizing that we weren't alone – as we usually were when conversing – I looked up to see that everyone was staring at us. Artemis, who was still sitting next to me, had one hand raised as if she was about to wave it across my face.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?" I responded, still feeling a little cheeky.

"You just zoned out, or something. We've been trying to get your attention."

"Oh. Sorry about that. I was speaking to Haetros. He only speaks telepathically, and only to me, so I guess it must be strange when we talk to each other. You see, he doesn't usually show himself to others, so we don't have a problem. I guess I haven't really spoken to him before in front of other people."

Everyone nodded, though they still looked confused.

"Zeus," I called, grabbing his attention, "Now that you've seen the opposition, I think its best to start training everyone. Also, we should gather everyone we know here because if we're all in one spot, it should confuse the monsters and lead them all straight here for us to defeat. They'll be thrown off by the demigods' overwhelming scents and with our combined abilities and fighting styles, we should be able to easily take them down."

Zeus nodded thoughtfully. "That seems like an excellent suggestion." I will have the Amazons contacted, as they are the only ones not yet here. They are sure to arrive by morning." He gave Thalia, Jason, and his youngest child each a hug before he was gone in a flash – back to Olympus.

The other gods save for Artemis, who went back to her cabin, and Hestia, who was tending the hearth, followed him back. With a quick, genuine smile to Hestia, I lead the commanders back to our cabin and got ready for bed. Hopefully, tomorrow would be more fruitful. I had a strange feeling that something bad was coming, I wasn't sure when exactly, but it would happen sometime in the next few days.