AN- I'm back! First year of college down and most of the story done. I'll be uploading a few more chapters, but I still have a few different ideas about the ending. Still trying to decide if I want to ship Percy with anyone, but I have an idea for that too! Let me know what you think! I do not own PJO or any of the characters

The Garden

"Where's Spring?" I ask as I step into the mess hall, immediately noticing her empty chair. Normally, I'm the last one to show up.

"Cal will be here soon," Autumn replies quietly, shrugging. "Said she needed to breathe."

"What did you do to her?" Summer asks, his voice dripping with suspicion.

"Nothing," I sigh, shaking my head, "and I think that might actually be the problem. Does anyone know where she is?"

"Luke and I saw her in the Garden," El pipes up, causing Summer to shoot her an annoyed glare. "She said she'd catch up."

"I'm going to go talk to her," I smile gratefully at Elowyn, completely unsure of how to approach Calypso.

"I'll come with you," Summer frowns, standing up automatically.

"How can I expect any of you to follow me into any sort of battle if I continue to let things like this happen without doing anything about it?" I frown. "You three can work as a unit, I'm not questioning that. Luke, Elowyn and I have been working together this past century, but that leaves our group split in half. I'm asking you to let me lead, Summer."

"Give us a reason to follow you," Autumn murmurs, taking Summer and I completely by surprise. "Everyone here seems to know who you were, but we don't know who you are. If you want me to follow you, prove that I won't regret that decision."

"I can't ask anything more," I nod, glancing at Summer.

"If you're ready to start working as a team, so are we," he agrees, his voice still full of uncertainty.

"I'm going to go get Spring so we can start discussing strategy," I smile slightly. "I think it's time for the planning to begin."

It takes me quite a while to find the gardens. When Elowyn said that she and Luke had ran into her on the way to dinner, I assumed it was right past the training room they were using. It was on the complete other side of the building, which I found a little weird.

"Not as colorful as you're used to?" I chuckle, looking around at the assorted deep purple and black flowers around the indoor garden.

"Normally I come here to be alone," she shrugs, running her finger over a flower that looks like a rose to me.

"We're fixing to start planning our strategy," I lean against the doorway. "We would all like your input, if you're up for it."

"I saw how you looked at me when we first met," she finally turns to face me, her voice thick with unshed tears. "I was hoping for someone else, for someone Chaos promised I'd get to see again. You weren't him of course, but I still watched you. You knew me. I know regret when I see it, but you didn't really talk to me after that. Who are you?"

"I'm the guy who is going to bring Leo Valdez back to you," I find myself promising her, pain filling my chest where my heart used to feel. Calypso could have stabbed me and it would have hurt less. Mourning. He was one of Percy Jackson's closest friends. He was my friend.

"How do you know his name?" She murmurs, a flash of pure, unabashed pain momentarily filling her eyes.

"Chaos told me what happened," I nod hesitantly. I came here to talk to her about who I was, but it just doesn't feel right. I hurt her, that much I know. Maybe now we could just start over. That'd be best for both of us, right?

"I don't think even you have the power for that, Winter," she sighs. "You don't know Leo like I did. He would have chosen to be reborn to shoot for Isles of the Blessed."

"He sounds like a hero," I whisper softly, hiding a smile. I could see Leo going for rebirth, but he's also stubborn. He's probably content in Elysium, plotting on a way to get back to Calypso.

"That he was," Cal smiles, wiping at her eyes. "What are we going to talk about over dinner?"

"Strategy," I frown slightly. Fighting an enemy you know nothing about is always risky, but if said enemy even causes Chaos to second guess…

"Shouldn't we try to figure out the prophecy?" she asks, standing up. She was no longer Calypso, but Spring, an Agent of Chaos. Her stoic mask was back in place, our conversation about Leo Valdez completely forgotten. "We haven't discussed it once, just relied on physical training."

"I guess that's a must," I agree, "but it's still a prophecy. They aren't always exactly clear cut."

"We'll analyze every word," she frowns. "There has to be an answer, no matter how insignificant it may seem."

"If we all six work together, everything will be fine," I assure. "Have the Legions of Chaos ever lost?"

"That's a good point, but let me ask you this," she frowns, arching an eyebrow. "How long have you been here?"

"Almost a millennium," I frown, unsure of where she's going with this.

"In the entire millennium, have you once seen Chaos portray anything but utter confidence?" She says, her voice completely unreadable.

"Well, no," I cross my arms, trying to think of once where I saw Chaos truly upset about anything.

"Check your connection with her," Spring suggests. "She's trying to hide it, but she's scared of something, Winter."

I know that's complete and utter nonsense, but I decide to check for her sake. Chaos literally created all of this from nothing, and it'll all return to het eventually. As I feel our thoughts truly connect for the first time in a while, my blood runs even colder. It's almost undetectable, but I can taste it. She's afraid. She's very afraid.