Annabeth POV
At Lake Valor, they hang a silver star for a fallen soldier and a gold star for a fallen special agent.
Technically, Percy already had a gold star on the wall of commemorates, but it was taken down after we found him a few months ago.
Now, another star was going up on the wall.
We were in the main lobby of Lake Valor headquarters. The stars were hung proudly in the main lobby of the building for everyone to see.
Today, rows of metal chairs were set up in front of the commemoration wall. The seats faced the silver stars for soldiers and gold stars for agents that were hung in honor.
Hallways led out in the left and right while the main entrance to the building was behind us.
As someone who loved architecture growing up, I greatly admired the internal design and beauty of my institution.
People were slowly filing in for the ceremony.
I was sitting in the front row alongside a few other team members. We were all in all black as expected of us. Despite successfully taking down two large terrorist organizations, we couldn't celebrate until we honored those that we have lost.
Even so, I don't see myself celebrating anytime.
"Hey, Annabeth, you know that Percy would be here if he could. Despite the situation, he'd try to make sure that you weren't too sad," Piper said kindly.
I nodded as I lightly smiled at my friend. Still, tears were in my eyes.
Piper was right that Percy couldn't be here for this, but I wished he was.
My eyes lingered on Jason, who was holding Piper's hand. I could see the storms in his blue eyes as he stared at the stars on the commemoration wall.
Jason was the most impacted by what happened. Obviously, he knew the agent for the longest amount of time, and they shared a deep, friendly bond to this day.
In the next few minutes, people trickled into the lobby and took their seats.
Everyone wanted to honor and respect one of the most important agents, who lost their lives to make the world a better place.
Oversight had also taken their seats in the front row.
I watched as Chiron walked up to the podium in all black. He stationed himself at the podium to give a commemorative speech, and the lobby quietened. The atmosphere gloomed as the conversations stopped. Everyone's attention was on Chiron now.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming today," Chiron expressed. "We are here today to honor a very valuable agent."
Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my hands.
I quickly checked the screen. Percy texted me asking if the ceremony started. His name, noted as Seaweed Brain, in my phone shone with the message.
I smiled lightly. Of course, Seaweed Brain wanted an update on the ceremony. Moreover, this was one of his ways of checking on me.
"Even though Reyna Arellano didn't work for Lake Valor, she was a phenomenal agent. I can safely say that WiCKeD and BlodgeHarm could not be defeated with her sacrifice," Chiron continued genuinely.
I quickly replied to Percy and told him that the ceremony started already.
Percy didn't text me after that out of respect.
I turned my attention back to Chiron's speech. Chiron was true in every word he was saying. I had gotten close to Reyna during our undercover experience, and she truly was a phenomenal agent and person.
Reyna Arellano was powerful and intelligent: a natural leader.
She helped me so much during my undercover mission to stop the Apocalypse and save millions of lives.
I would be dead on more than one occasion without her.
That explosion killed Reyna due to her sudden impact against the truck. Percy survived the explosion, but he was stuck in the clinic.
Percy broke his right leg and needed one surgery each for his chest and abdomen. Percy lost a lot of blood, but he managed to pull through.
Seaweed brain couldn't walk, so he was on bedrest (doctor's orders).
Unfortunately, Reyna's injuries were too severe.
Regardless, I'll never forget her, and the world owed a debt of gratitude for her service.
"As such, Reyna Arellano worked for MI6, but Lake Valor has decided to celebrate and honor her service. Thank you," Chirton finished his speech.
Everyone nodded and a moment of silence followed.
...
"How did the ceremony go?" Percy asked as I approached him.
He was still in his room in the Lake Valor clinic. There were a few patient rooms on the right side of the clinic, and he was forced to stay in one of them.
"Honestly, I wish we didn't even have it. I wish that Reyna was still alive, and everyone was fine. You know," I said as I sat down on the bed.
"Yeah, I get that," Percy said as he took my hand in his.
"You know, I tried bribing a nurse to let me leave. However, apparently, 50 bucks aren't enough for her. Can I borrow some money?" Percy asked gently.
I couldn't stop myself from laughing lightly.
Percy could always make me feel better. That wasn't to say that he was undermining Reyna's death. He was simply helping me cope.
"Seaweed Brain, you're tripping if you think I'm going to allow you to leave before the doctor says you can," I said sternly.
Percy pouted with a cute, baby-seal face.
"Nope, that's not going to work on me," I said firmly before looking away. It might actually work on me, so I'm not risking it.
The rest of the team filed into the room. We were all more than simply colleagues. At this point, we were friends and family with a wide variety of characters.
Leo easily started to lighten the mood with his jokes.
Dr. Solace was checking Percy as everyone got into a conversation. Thalia was helping Will with changing Percy's chest and abdominal bandages.
His right leg was in a thick cast that limited movement.
Leo and Percy together even managed to cheer Jason up. I knew that Jason and Reyna dated, so it made sense why Jason would struggle with her death.
But, he was okay. We were all okay.
As I looked around the room, I realized that we needed trust to be a part of the team. If even one person wasn't trustworthy, we would've all died.
The philosophy of "trust no one" isn't wrong, but it only takes you so far.
My eyes glazed at Percy. His eyes locked onto mine as he smiled softly. I smiled back as I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. His thumb continued to brush my hand.
You needed trust and love in life.
Those features provided meaning and purpose for all of us.
A nurse slowly rolled a wheelchair into the crowded room. Percy's smile increased exponentially as Jason and Frank helped him into the chair, but he insisted on wheeling himself.
The team divided into their separate ways.
For the most part, everyone was going home to rest and unwind.
We had a bunch of meetings tomorrow with Oversight. They had successfully cleansed Lake Valor of traitors thanks to our team. We had also taken down WiCKeD and BlodgeHarm. All these things had to be properly sorted out.
Jason and Thalia also went home after some time of walking outside.
Percy wasn't allowed to go home even in a wheelchair. Considering how poor his condition had been, Will wanted to keep him here for a few more days.
I was completely on board with the doctor's orders. As such, Percy's efforts to go home were useless.
Percy paused in the middle of the sidewalk.
We were walking around the Lake Valor building, but it looked like Percy was tired of wheeling himself.
I was about to help him, but instead, he gestured to the bench.
I took a seat on the bench as Percy positioned his wheelchair next to me. We were sitting in the backside of Lake Valor, looking over a grassy field with woods beyond that.
"I thought you were tired of wheeling yourself," I commented.
"Wise Girl, this was my way of covering for that fact," Percy said with a smirk.
His hand reached over and turned my face towards him. Percy leaned towards me and kissed me softly. With every kiss, I fell in love with him all over again.
We spent the rest of the evening talking and watching nature.
Gods, we had been through so much over the past year. We fell in love before we were ripped apart. Then, we found each other over and over again.
Percy's hand connected with mine as we talked.
It gave me faith and trust that we'd always find each other. I trusted Percy in the promise that we'd always end up together even when separated.
Having someone or something that you love and trust is so important.
It gives you hope and a purpose. It keeps you going when life gets hard. I hope that everyone has that someone or something.
I know I do.
समाप्त - The End - ముగింపు