Chapter 70

Annabeth

It had been four years.

At first I blamed Nico, but it wasn't his fault. No one gets out of the underworld for free.

I blame Percy.

Not for what he did. Not for the promise he made to Hades when Jennifer brought him back. He had to. I understood that. No one gets out of the underworld once they die. We would have never married and had the kids if he didn't. His life, and mine, would have ended the day he died smashing into the protective dome over Hogwarts. Our first day of class would have been our last day together. He had to. I get that. I had wondered how Jennifer was able to pull him "back from Nico's" as he had said in the bath that day, but had put it out of my mind. It was Percy. He was alive and that was what was important. If there had been a problem he would have told me. He wouldn't have kept anything like that from me.

But he never told me about his deal. No one leaves the underworld, certainly not for free. He owed Hades a favor, and having the son of Poseidon owe him wasn't enough. It was too alluring in the world of Olympian politics to not use that favor to show control over his brother's child, his own nephew. Nico was just the messenger. A person sent to collect a debt. There was no sense in being angry with him, he didn't agree to it, Percy did.

Nico, Will, Rachel and Hazel were so good to the kids, well everyone was but they in particular. They all took god parenting very seriously. After a while the friction between Nico and myself melted and life moved on. It had little joy though, and other than the children, no happiness. Rachel and Hazel, being still unmarried, basically moved in with me. Hazel was eighteen now and ready to set the date with Frank. Rachel was, well she was Rachel. She dated a lot, but had not found love yet. Jason and Piper were married and were talking about having kids. Leo and Calypso were never separate. Ginny was in the pro quidditch league with Harry as her biggest fan. Hermione and Ron tried to have lives in both the magic and immortal world but the demands of Olympus pretty much prevented that. They would wed soon as well. Nico and Will only lived a couple of houses away. Reyna had done two more years as Praetor then stepped down and pushed for Hazel to replace her, which she did. Reyna and Neville... well, they often took off afternoons for long naps and were never apart, even teaching classes and doing missions together, just like Percy and I should be. Happiness was everywhere, except in my heart.

My father visited daily as well, I think to make sure the kids were alright, and to confirm that I was still alive. My family and friends gave up trying to console me, and just settled in to support me emotionally.

The first year was the worst. I was supposed to be starting college but put that off in order to do both Percy and my jobs for the pantheon. Once the schools were set up and running it got easier, but not by much. The work had kept my mind off my husband being trapped in the underworld eternally. As an immortal he couldn't die, and he couldn't escape. With less to do I faded into an even darker state of mind and considered his fate often.

Our last words were "I love you," but we had argued all night before it seemed. I wish... well it doesn't matter. Wishes don't come true. I hate that I couldn't look back on our last hours with happiness. We had never argued before. Ever that I could recall. Not like that anyway.

We didn't argue over his promise to Hades. That I understood, even if I hated it. We argued over him not telling me about it, and him not keeping his word that we would do everything together. That was the most important promise we had made to each other and he made it knowing it was to be broken. He kept from me something that he knew made that oath moot. He lied by omission, and I just couldn't tolerate that. If I had known sooner I could have asked my mother, or his father even, to intervene, and perhaps convince one or the other to do so. It was too late both told me. I could have made arrangements for the kids and gone with him, but he wouldn't hear it. One of us had to stay with them. I don't think either my mother or his father it as a big threat at that time even though they are supposed to be able to see multiple futures and pasts. Bullshit. Either they did not see or they did not care.

Percy was gone. Hazel and Nico couldn't say he was dead, but of course like the rest of us he was immortal so that probably wasn't something they would sense anyway. And he was in the lower pits of Tartarus. It was sealed by Hades, no one could see into it, and Percy could never come back.

As bad as the first year was, the first week was worse. Nico and Percy had left that morning on Hades' command to visit Tartarus to determine if Backbiter's return signaled that the Titans were reforming too. They were, as were the Giants.

Nico got out and was home by the weekend. Percy didn't. He fought and covered Nico's escape. Just the sort of loyalty that I loved and admired him for. As a result, I was raising our children alone now. On learning of their rise, Hades sealed Tartarus so that none could escape. He wouldn't even let me try to rescue Percy. Everyone of us, former magician and half bloods alike, volunteered to go after him. Nico had only left Tartarus so he could lead an army back to destroy them and relieve Percy.

Zeus sided with Hades and that was the end of the discussion.

As I said, at first I blamed Nico. When he returned and told me the situation I threw things at him, shouting and cursing every vile thing I could think of. He just stood and took it until Rachel and Hermione held me back and I collapsed into tears. Nico became a fixture at our home. He took care of "Tee" and "Caly" as he had nicknamed the kids when I was doing the pantheon's work. I really hated working for gods that wouldn't let me rescue my husband. I openly resented it, and was beginning to see a lot of wisdom in Luke's feelings, if not his actions, before he died. Why should I be caring for the children of gods that didn't care enough about my husband to let me risk my own life trying to get him back? Seriously.

Not all the gods had ignored my pleas. My mother and I had become quite close eventually. She was an almost daily visitor, especially that first year. Poseidon was in our corner too obviously, but was overruled by both his brothers. War between the gods was brewing and everyone knew it. Olympus was a powder keg waiting for a match.

I didn't care.

The kids kept me going. They grew so fast and were walking and talking before I knew it. New Ionia was the greatest place to raise children, especially if they are the only babies there and every neighbor expected a share of time with them. Of all my problems, day care wasn't one. Even the sea god himself was an at least weekly visitor, sometimes sharing time my mother. Athena and Poseidon seemed to have been brought together by Percy's absence.

A year passed. Then another. I was in Jason and Piper's wedding, but did little to help with it. Whenever we would set to work on it I would become too depressing to be around and no one wants a crying friend during their time of joy and happiness. Still, it was a wonderful bright spot in my otherwise horrid existence. Piper understood.

I confess, I would have just given up and taken my own life except for the children. They needed at least one parent that cared more about them than a stupid promise to an apathetic god. The last time he was absent from my life I could blame Hera. Now I could only blame Percy.

I wasn't sure I could ever forgive Percy.

I moved on.

Oh, I would never love again. Of that I was certain. I loved Percy, and Percy alone, no matter how much I hated what he had done to us, to our family. No matter how much scorn I felt for him. I had no shortages of suiters either. Once I finally started school with the mortals the boys there approached me in droves. They were sent away, either by my telling them that I was married, or more often with a simple love charm I placed on someone else. That I carried my Hogwarts survival bag as a book back pack, and it was stuffed with weapons and my wand was handy on those occasions.

The pantheon was a bigger problem. Every male deity decided to take the opportunity of Percy's absence to try to get in my pants. They were sent away angrily. Being the daughter in law and daughter of two gods no one on Olympus wanted to piss off had its advantages too. Only Hermes and Poseidon were good to me and didn't see me as the fresh meat on the market. Zeus was particularly creepy. Geez dude, I'm your grand daughter! Freak.

Once the schools were running, quests started happening again. Harry, Frank, Neville and Jason sort of took that over and there was little for me to do. As to settling disputes between the three schools, well, there were none that couldn't be handled without my intervention after the first. I suspect no one wanted to bring me any more. The first issue brought to me was a disagreement between the Ares cabin at Halfblood and the children of Mars at Jupiter. I told them if I ever heard such a silly argument again I would just kill them all to improve the breed. Ares actually complimented my solution, then asked me to dinner. Creep.

Everyone was pretty much on egg shells around me after that.

In the second year I needed something to do. I mean, the kids were my number one priority as I had given up on convincing the gods to do anything to help by then, but I... well I needed to move on. Do something with my never ending life.

So a year later than planned, I started school at New Rome. I burned through my classes as I was still able to learn magically. In the afternoon in New Ionia, Rachel, Will, Nico or Hazel would take care of the kids for a few hours for me, often assisted by the sea god or his niece the goddess of wisdom. Sometimes I would just drop them off with dad and my step mom. Then classes, which would be in the mornings on west coast time, a quick lunch with my west coast Roman friends, then back to New Ionia to study and read to the kids. We would read stories and play for hours. they had my learning ability and Percy's physical skills. Too bad their father was a stupid douche that lied to his wife and ruined her and left his kids to be raised just as his father had.

The aerial servants took care of meals and cleaning, so as single mothers go, I had it very easy.
After the kids went to sleep I would be alone, or with Rachel and Hazel. I spent my time in those hours studying, or rather magically learning the upcoming assignments, but mostly dreaming of Percy's return.

I had it worked out. Percy would somehow appear, walk up to me with those eyes, that stupid smirk I couldn't resist, and I would kick him square in the nads, beat him about the head and generally whip his ass. Then I would spend some time letting him beg for forgiveness, then we would spend eternity together once I was satisfied he had learned his lesson. Maybe some more kids. It was those thoughts, the children and my friends that kept me going. Soon enough I was looking forward to graduating.

I had just gotten the kids dressed and was getting ready myself. I had told Little Tee to stay in, but he was as adventurous as his father. There was no safer place for a child in the universe than New Ionia so I wasn't worried. And I had the cleaning spell which worked great on toddler's grass stains and mud. I knew he would be outside as soon as I turned my back. Caly stayed dutifully with me and looked at me with those twinkling green eyes. She got those from Percy.
I missed him so much. I knew he would be proud of me, finishing college in three years and ready to start on my masters. My father, step mother, brothers and Magnus were to be here in just a few minutes to go to graduation with me. I thought Athena and Poseidon might show too, they were of course invited, as was Hermes, Aphrodite and Hestia. The rest of the pantheon could go fuck themselves.

Just as the most beautiful little girl ever was telling me for the umpteenth time how she wanted to be as pretty as me when she grew up (if you ever need an ego boost, have daughter that thinks more of you than you do of yourself) I heard Little Tee yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Come quick, there is a man in the street!"

This was not supposed to happen here. Tee knew everyone that had access to New Ionia, except for perhaps a few of the more minor gods he had not met yet. A stranger in our community was simply not possible. I grabbed my bag and rushed out.

I'm not sure how Tee had recognized it as a man. It was a pile of fecal and mud encrusted filth, covered with blisters, scabs and oozing wounds laying in the middle of our street just outside the small building that held doorways to our various other communities. This was a left over from before we moved in and had doors installed in our homes. Leo had never bothered to remove it as he had moved on to more interesting projects.

I was aghast and truly had no idea what it was.

"Stay back kids, go get Aunt Calypso and Uncle Nico if you can find them" I said as I approached with a wand in one hand and my sword in the other.

The mass of filth was close to the ground and seemed to be crawling towards me. Steam poured off of it and I could feel the heat radiating from it even ten feet away. It was groaning as if in agony, like it was passing its last breath and left a trail of blood and filth as it moved. Just as I was ready to strike to protect my children, self and neighborhood it lifted what seemed to be its head, opened two blood shot green eyes and whispered.

"Annabeth"