III.

Percy

As I reappeared on the beach, I sent a silent prayer to my father as thanks for getting me out of the situation. I needed a break from the chaos of the Olympian family. And time to think. Thalia. I am so sorry. I know you would've wanted me to be strong for Nico. I just left him alone with no-one to care for him when I should be with him. I felt so bad for leaving my family, but I know that I am not strong enough to stand by him.

I felt the tears begin their path down my face and to the ground. I knelt and grabbed the grass, finally letting out the pent-up anger and hurt that had been festering since Thalia died. Every punch I released sent tremors through the earth, but I didn't notice the start of my earthshaking powers. All I could think about is Nico. My one tie left to who I used to be. My cousin, who I should've protected better. Needed to protect better. I am so sorry Nico. I so sorry that I am not there for you.

I stood up from my position on the ground and found myself in a 3-foot-deep crater. The surrounding area was dug up and appeared to have been plowed. Most impressive was the massive piece of rock sheared off the cliff and into the ocean. I felt the darkness creep upon my vision and knew that I had overexerted my power wells. I pushed passed the exhaustion and climbed slowly to my feet. I saw the ocean looming beyond the cliff and took a gamble.

Leaping over the edge, I began to fall quickly towards the surface. Before impact, I felt a small and wrap around mine and I flashed into a column of flame. Regaining my bearings at the top, I pulled away and pulled my sword out, ready to attack my mysterious guest. I stopped, however, when I saw burning eyes staring back into mine. Dark hair cascaded down her back, and pale skin and a kind face flushed the tension out of my body. I recognized this visitor. I quickly knelt and smirked internally, knowing that she would not want the display of respect. She pulled me up and spoke.

"Perseus, I don't demand the honorific from anyone, least of all you. You brought me respect, and you have always been kind to me."

I returned, "Lady Hestia, I know you don't demand it, but I respect you more than any other Olympian. You are the home, the hope of the gods. You are the last Olympian, and therefore the most important." Kinda ironic when you realize she was the firstborn. Hestia smiled, but the pain was clear in her face.

"Perseus... Percy, I wanted to talk to you. I know that you need some time to think about everything, but I wanted to give you my blessing. Perhaps we could make a tradition of sorts. Just sit down and talk. I can be a pretty good therapist," she smiled once more.

I was speechless. "I- that would be wonderful Lady Hestia. I need some time away from this world. I don't know what I will do, but I would love a friend."

"I would be happy to help, Percy. I know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone I love, and I know how hard it can be," she reached forward and wrapped me in a firm hug. I felt a warm glow and a dramatic surge in power. But not just power.

For the first time since the battle, Percy felt hope.

He melted into Hestia's strong embrace and let his pain out. He finally had a chance to think about what Annabeth did, and he knew he had begun his second chance. He would not waste his good fortune, and would not fall in love again.

Hestia

As I held Percy, I felt the outpour of negativity slowing and dissipating completely, before being replaced by cold resolve. He would not fall for the tricks of another traitor like her. He would not let anyone else touch the ones he loved. He had made up his mind.

"Thank you, Lady Hestia, it is a great honor to be blessed by the elder Olympian. I am glad I could see you before embarking on my journey," he said, pulling away.

"What will you do, Percy?"

"My plan is to travel and protect demigods, and get them to camp. I would like to make contact with Hades at some point to offer him my services. Honestly, I need something to do, and practicing my new powers and teleportation would be beneficial."

"Oh, yes, I forgot. You will be able to flash with fire as well as water. I feel as though you will experiment with your power, yes?" He nodded in affirmation. "Then I will not guide you unless you ask. However, I think you should have these for your travels. Firstly, this is an addition to riptide. Completely removeable," I added, Seeing his apprehensive look. He nodded and passed me his prized sword. "It will let you summon another sword, and also allow you to transform them both into other weapons temporarily. You can just grab the other from the hilt. When together, they can do this," I added, transforming the completed sword into a black bow, then back into a pen, tossing it to him. "You will be able to change the form if you know basic mist manipulation, which I will teach you in a moment."

I then pulled out a silver square and threw it on the ground. "Ara," I said, and the square expanded into a tent. Percy gaped.

"This tent is soundproof, bigger on the inside, and will shield your scent from monsters. I can't have my champion sleeping on the floor," I finished.

"I... Thank you so much Lady Hestia. I am honored," Percy stuttered.

"Nonsense Percy. It is my pleasure. Now, watch carefully."

Percy nodded excitedly and I smirked at his excited expression. I concentrated for a moment and brought the latent power of the mist to the surface. Percy brilliant eyes stared into my own flaming orbs and I felt my face redden. I quickly snapped my fingers and imagined my hair turning blue and my face becoming a dark purple to mask the rising blush on my face. Percy gasped and I smirked at him.

"I see it worked," I said.

"Um... Yeah, it definitely worked," he stuttered.

Percy

"Um... Yeah, it definitely worked," I stuttered.

Internally though, I was speechless. She just turned her hair blue and he skin purple. WHAT? I didn't know that was possible. She had this infuriating smirk playing across her lips and I couldn't help but admit she looked cute. I shook my head and wiped those thoughts off my mind. It wouldn't do to be thinking of a maiden goddess that way.

"How... how on Earth did you do that? Demigods are supposed to be much less easily fooled by the mist," I wondered.

"Well, I would love to say deities are naturally more powerful with the mist, but in truth, it just comes easier at first for us. The mist is all about emotions, but instead of expressing them like fire or water, it is naturally gifted at obscuring and soothing them. It just takes your will to bend that power to where you want it to go," she answered. "My emotions are similar to your father's and Hades'. They are very erratic, and my power is the same. You must find a stable point. Whether by embracing or suppressing your emotions is not a question I can answer. You must find that truth on your own. Without it, you will lose control. A demigod with your power losing control would be like the government losing control of a nuke. Very, very bad. Percy, I cannot stress this enough. You must rein in your power."

Wow, I thought. That was quite the bombshell. "Find my center, you say. I believe I could learn to do that. Where can I start?"

First, I believe you should find a martial arts monastery. Learn to focus your energy internally, and you can increase you control. Hand to hand is a weakness of yours, and you must nullify it if you want to weather the coming storm. I know you want freedom, but Olympus will need you once again. I do not need a prophecy to tell me that."

I shuddered. Of course, there is another stupid threat to existence and I have to deal with it. Not like I could have peace. I slumped to the ground, defeated. Not looking, I said, "Thank you Lady Hestia. It was good to talk to a friendly face. Please let me know if I can do anything for you, or if Nico wakes up. I believe he will make a full recovery due to the transfusion, but I still want to be there for him." Hestia looked at me in confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Percy?"

"Well, when we were going into the battle, I found that I had O- blood, because we thought it would be good to know whose blood was compatible with others. It would have saved many lives, but when they realized my blood was compatible with everyone else's, we got a better idea. My blood was the deciding factors of many of the injured in the battle. We realized that a transfusion with my blood would grant a certain aspect of my power, namely healing. I walked in to Olympus with a water stretcher, and I instructed Apollo to not change it, because I knew it would keep him alive."

Hestia was stunned. "It appears you are much smarter than everyone says."

My expression darkened. "Not smart enough." She quickly covered her mouth.

"I... Percy I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, Lady Hestia. Goodbye," I said, before flashing away.

Third Person

The air flashed below the shining moon, and the water in the air seemed to condense. A dark-haired boy slipped out of the water, and pulled out a square of fabric. He threw it down on the ground and whispered a word that had it exploding into a full-sized tent. One last look at the moon showed his tear-stained eyes before he slipped into the tent, intent on hiding from the gods.

AN.

Hey guys, I hope you are enjoying All is Lost. I am sorry for the rather long delay on this chapter, my exams really pushed my, and I didn't have time to write. I am hoping to be more consistent and frequent com summer, but until then, please bear with me.

As always, I am very appreciative of reviews, and I hope you have an excellent day.

Vale,

09