Homecoming
Chapter 16: To Share Our Burdens
Once Lady Hestia had departed, leaving the pair of demigod lovers to stare at the empty lot that would be their home, they simply stood in silent solidarity, united in the promise of the future they had never hoped to dream they would ever have, let alone share. And yet, neither hero could deny the smile tugging at their lips or the fantastical hope blossoming within their core being of what their tomorrows would bring.
"Right there," Annabeth said, pointing to a space several feet above the ground, "that will be the nursery, and then, right beside it will be our master bedroom."
"With the big bathroom and the soaker tub and walk-in shower," Percy reiterated as he pulled Annabeth closer in a half hug, his eyes imagining the sanctuary Annabeth had designed for them. As his eyes settled earthward, he could almost imagine seeing the ghosts of their children running around what would be their backyard, playing with Mrs. O'Leary or petting Blackjack. It was a vision that had loosened the knot of years of pain and fear within him, and though he didn't bring up to his precious fiance, as she leaned further against him, her head resting on his shoulder, he was certain she could see it to.
"It's beautiful," Percy whispered against Annabeth's hair as he pressed a kiss upon her golden curls. Though when he had voiced his words, his attention was solely upon her, leaving no allusions as to what he referred to. It was not their proposed future that had warranted such a response from him, but that they would share it together.
Turning her attention toward Percy and pulling away slightly so that she could look him in the eye, her smile reflected every hoped that shined within his irises. As cliché as it may sound, Annabeth wondered if any two people could ever love as deeply as the two of them. She knew she may not ever find an answer to the inquiry, but, in the depths of her being, she accepted that she did not need one.
Yet her question was short-lived as movement caught her attention and she turned her notice from Percy and watch two figures walk up the pathway towards them. The sudden distraction from her caused Percy to turn his head to see what had caught her notice, as the pair watched Frank and Hazel make their way up the pathway to where they stood.
"Hey," Frank replied, waving to the couple, his hesitation born from the embarrassment of knowing that he and Hazel were intruding upon a special moment between their dearest friends. "Uh, was wondering if you guys were wanting to continue the tour of New Rome?"
Smiling in spite of themselves, the pair turned as one to face their approaching friends. Percy's arm, draped over Annabeth's shoulder while her arm looped around his waist, fingers folded into the front pocket of his shorts, they smiled at the apparent uneasiness of the young praetor. For just a moment, Percy was struck by the realization that since all of this had begun, the kidnapping, the theft of his memories, the manipulation of the gods that twisted their lives into yet another maelstrom of prophesies and quests...he could not for the life of him remember when he and Annabeth had smiled so much, when they could just let their guard down and relax. Despite the ease that he felt settle upon him, there was also an uneasiness that he could not exercise, as if waiting for universe to balance the scales of his happiness with an equal measure of discontent. It was with bitter irony that he understood that his life had trained him to accept that when he was at his happiest, the fates were at their busiest to ensure that it did not last.
Regardless, he would enjoy the crest of this time, the moment of peace as long as it lasted. At the very least, the universe owed that to him and Annabeth.
"A tour sounds amazing," Annabeth replied, a smile dawning upon her lips as she leaned her head on Percy's shoulder.
"Great," Frank replied in response as he turned to look at the seven roped off parcels of land upon the Fields of Victory. "There have actually been a couple changes in the design of the what we're going to have built here. That's one of the discussions we've had with the senate."
"We're still going to have seven properties here, but...well...with Jason, we've decided to build a museum, which you both know about," Hazel picked up the explanation as she continued to point out the purpose of each plot. "So, right here, on the end of street is of course your house Annabeth, and I'm guessing it'll be Percy's too huh?"
"Yeah," Annabeth said, as she only briefly pulled away from her fiance to unzip the satchel on her shoulder. "I've actually got the design plans here if you all want to..."
"No, hold on to that now," Frank said, his hand held up to halt the daughter of Athena's efforts to retrieve the blueprints. "We're going to have a bit of a sleepover in the praetor's house tonight, we'll collect them there. Actually, was hoping you'd show us what you've designed."
"Gladly," she responded, ensuring the plans were safely stored back into her travel bag before zipping it back up.
"Actually, we did have something of a request," Hazel said as she uncomfortably shifted her weight from foot to foot. "We've actually decided that the first thing to greet people if they ever come to this area of the city will be a flower garden right there," she pointed to the central plot that the main road would run into. "To the left, that's going to be the museum dedicated to Jason, and we were hoping, maybe, I mean, if you had time Annabeth, but, would you be willing to design it?"
"M-me?"
"Who better?" Frank smiled as he put his large hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Percy has bragged about your ability to design since we've met him, or at least, since he regained his memory. And the official architect of Olympus, not to mention one of the Heroes of the Great Prophesy, no one else deserves the right to design his museum but you."
For several minutes she hemmed her time, her mind working out the importance of being given this responsibility. Despite the honor of redesigning Olympus, this offer eclipsed that privilege a hundred fold. This was a tribute to one of the bravest demigods she had even known, and would be a lasting testament to ensure that he was never forgotten. Despite all her experience and ability, she could not deny that she was intimidated by this offer, and yet, as Frank said, who else would honor Jason more than those who fought and bled beside him while fighting to save the world? She would design a museum that would honor not only Jason, but the sacrifices of all of them. "Yeah, I'll do it," she said as a wistful smile breathed to life upon her beautiful features. "It'll be my honor."
Percy replied by kissing her cheek and offering a supportive squeeze as she turned her attention to him, her eyes shimmering with the emotional impact this offer had provided.
"We'll pay you for the design of course..."
"It's pro rata," she said, waving off the statement before falling silent, her mind beginning to craft the design of the museum.
"Also the library?"
"What?" She asked, her mind snapping back to the present as she focused her attention on the pair of praetors.
"Well, since we didn't need a house for Percy, since you two are going to be sharing a home, we decided that we'd also like to have a library built to honor Percy..."
"Okay, what?" Percy asked, his attention now concentrated on his friends. "First of all, don't be building a memorial for me, I'm, you know...not dead. And second, to honor me, you want to build a library? Seriously?"
Before either Frank or Hazel could express their reason behind the statement however, Annabeth broke the silence. "Percy," she said, her fingers finding their way to the familiar position within his hand as she stared pointedly at her lover. "You deserve this honor. You are the strongest and greatest demigod alive...let me do this for you."
"No," he said simply, his jaw fixed in its stubborn fashion as he shook his head. "We all fought in that war against Gaea, and so many of us fought in the war against Kronus. I don't deserve special treatment above everyone else. Name the library 'Seven Heroes Library' or something, but don't single me out...there are too many other people who deserve recognition."
Annabeth's features softened greatly as she looked at her beloved, her mind recalling all the selfless acts he did throughout the years. She had no way of knowing how he did it, but she had always found herself falling deeper and deeper in love with him each passing day. It was an amazing how much trust and love she could share for someone with fear that he would ever fail to live up to his promise. In many ways this simple knowledge filled the missing pieces of her life.
"Well, you heard him," Annabeth said, smiling to her two friends as she offered a knowing smirk themselves. "But, if we're talking about monuments to us, you could at least change the statues of Percy and me, they look ridiculous."
At this, the pair of praetors burst into laughter as they found great amusement in the awkwardness of the two heroes of Olympus at how they were portrayed. "We-we already have new statues being made," Hazel said between hitches but couldn't stop laughing, "gods I wish I could have seen your faces when you saw those statues, but Gwen had to walk you past them before we could...oh gods it would have been hilarious!"
Arching an eyebrow at the humor their two friends found at their expense, Percy allow a few chuckles to escape while Annabeth chewed her lip trying to restrain the smirk at how silly they were all being. When at last they had calmed down, Frank, still chuckling, waved the group forward. "Come on," he said, "we've got a few places to check out before we go to dinner."
As the pair of roman demigods led their friends through the streets, there was a noticeable tension within their posture and the uncertain looks that they shared with each other as they crossed streets and walked through back alleys on their journey.
"Um...so, I, actually we wanted to ask you two how you've been? We haven't had the chance to talk too much since everything ended, and well...yeah..." Hazel hesitated as she looked over her shoulder, the same expression of concern mixed with an analytical evaluation as if weighing how different they were from when they had seen them at the start of their mission to Greece. Their actions were only further proof to Percy and Annabeth that everyone who knew them in the demigod world viewed the pair at two stages of their lives, before the pit, and after.
Having known the pair longer and had been on his own quest to release Thanatos, Percy spoke to first. "Something specific you're asking about or just in general?"
"Um...well...it's just that, you're not the only one who fell into Tartarus," Hazel said, her hands wringing nervously as the pair had stopped in an out of the way street. Judging by the foot traffic, it was apparent they were brought here for a private conversation.
"Is this about Nico?" Annabeth asked, her eyes reflecting deep concern for the son of Hades.
Biting her lip and nodding fervently, Hazel turned her watery eyes towards her beloved friends. "I...I know he has tried to hide it, but he's not the same since he returned. He's scared and paranoid of everything...and, I don't know if this is just a reaction to his time in Tartarus or being captured by Ephialtes and Otis, but, Nico has developed crippling claustrophobia.
"No one picked up on it while we were desperately sailing to Greece trying to rescue you two, but Nico never spent any time below deck and actually spent all of his time in the crow's nest. It was the most unrestricted place on the boat. But..." Hazel paused, taking a shaky breath at the understanding of how emotionally tormented her brother had become since the end of the war.
"He won't even talk about it to me, I had to learn all of this from Will, but...he won't sleep inside, he sleeps on the roof of the Hades cabin...when he's at camp that is, he won't go in the Big House or really any enclosed building any more. He panics with shadows and noises he can't identify...he never used to be like that."
Percy and Annabeth faced each other, a knowing look of understanding on their features as they felt the paranoia always present within their own lives manifest within Hazel's description of what Nico was experiencing.
Before either could probe further as to how he was coping with the issue, or how they could help, Hazel continued. "That's why I wanted to ask how you two have been. Nico was only in the pit for two days and he's struggling with crippling anxiety and fear, and you were down there for two weeks..."
As her words faltered, Frank picked up the conversation. "Look, we know it's a touchy subject and well, if you think we're overstepping let us know but we brought you here for, I don't know, maybe a chance to work on some things...maybe it'll help." As he finished, Frank pointed to the building to their right, the sign in Latin confirming this to be a doctor's office.
"It's actually a therapy clinic, dealing with demigods, obviously, but specializing in PTSD and trauma," he continued, though his posture was somewhat uncomfortable, as if afraid his two friends would accuse him of intruding into their lives. "Well, Nico, at least from what we understand, has been seeking counseling from Dionysus, but..."
"After what he did in Rome, I'm not asking that fat bastard for anything," Percy said, ignoring the thunder the erupted overhead. "It might have been Baccus, but Mr. D would have done the same thing to us..."
"Right," Frank replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets and working on how to alleviate the anxiety of his friends while hoping they'd entertain the idea of seeking counseling. "Anyway, and again, we're only trying to help, but, if you'd like to talk to someone about anything you've dealt with...they're licensed to help and trained in demigod crisis management and all that stuff..."
The group fell morosely silent as they stared from the building in front of them to each other and back, trying to work out what to discuss when Annabeth and Percy had been confronted with therapy services by a licensed demigod councilor. As they worked to overcome the awkwardness, Hazel shuffled her feet. "Well, that really brought a downer to your visit," she said, chewing her bottom lip as she offered a regretful smile. "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to make this awkward, but I've been so worried about you two..."
"We both have," Frank said, stepping in to alleviate the burden of Hazel's offer of support. "Look, um...after Jason and, you know, everything you two went through, we just want to make sure you two are okay..."
"You two heard about our last trip to Camp Half-Blood, didn't you?" Annabeth asked, her eyes not accusatory but steady and focus regardless, causing the younger pair of demigods to quell under her attention.
Shuffling their feet, uneasily, Hazel replied with a simple nod of her head. "Will told Nico, who told us what happened. He's been really worried about you two, but...didn't want to reach out, either afraid checking in on you would trigger a panic attack in you or in himself, or...whatever."
"Gods, does everyone in the demigod world know?"
"No," Hazel offered as she reached out and placed her hand on Annabeth's upper arm, offering a supportive squeeze. "Only us, and that's how it'll stay, I promise."
"The thing is, Percy, Annabeth," Frank said, his eyes training themselves on their environment in a practiced ease. Four of the most famous demigods in the world, huddled in a back corner alley may draw a lot of notice if anyone were to know they were here. "after everything we've been through, and, well, Jason...the rest of us, you know, we're all finding our way to cope with everything and what we've done and experienced...but you two, you've been through more than any demigods ever..."
"We wanted to let you know that we love you both and want what's best for you," Hazel finished, offering a nervous smile. "So, you know, this is here if you need it, that's all."
"Yeah," Percy replied after a moment of awkward silence that followed as his eyes looked to the clinic they stood outside of. He wasn't sure if his words were meant to comfort Frank and Hazel, or bring some form of possible outlet for himself and Annabeth, but he said it all the same. "Yeah okay, we'll uh...think about it. I mean, we still have several months before finally moving here, but it's good to know that this is, you know, here I guess."
"Okay, well, like we said, we...we hate knowing you guys are suffering and wanted to give you some option to help..." Frank said, his words falling quiet on his lips as he realized he no longer needed to explain their motivation for bringing them to the clinic. "Anyway, we still have one thing to show you two before dinner, we've actually booked a table at the best restaurant in New Rome. Perks of being praetors...or, heroes of the Prophesy of Seven or whatever. Anyway, it's in the residential district, so, hope you're up for a hike."
The four heroes made their way through the city, navigating the path led by Frank and Hazel in a practiced excursion into the heart of New Rome. Percy had spent a grand total of three days in the city, and Annabeth, only a few hours, so to be given a full tour was illuminating at not only how big the city was, but how perfectly in line this was to support the lives of demigods.
After nearly twenty minutes of maneuvering the streets of New Rome, they had come to a large parcel of land that set on the outskirts of the residential district. Happily, Frank held his arms out to show off the undeveloped land that was the source of his 'surprise' to the two heroes before him.
"After we retrieved the Eagle Standard, Terminus was able to extend the borders of New Rome, give us a bit more territory to build a couple new neighborhoods," Frank smiled, his energy barely contained as he signaled the parcel of land they stood before. "One of those neighborhoods we are dedicating to the campers of Camp Half-Blood, we're actually going to have a Greek demigod community here in New Rome."
"What better way to share a multi-cultural demigod exchange than to allow Greek demigods to live here?" Hazel finished, her own smile as pleased as Frank's excitement at the news. For Annabeth and Percy, the two stared, stunned at the revelation that New Rome was opening up their borders and allowing demigods from Camp Half-Blood access to their city. The news was such a significant announcement that it very nearly rivaled Hestia's own claim of naming herself the patron of the two Olympian heroes.
Several minutes passed as Percy and Annabeth simply remained in quiet reverence of the idea that their friends might well find a safe haven to spend their lives. It was much too much for the pair of them to absorb.
"Well," Hazel said, smiling at their reaction and understanding fully how emotional this gift was to them. "Say something."
"What can we can say?" Percy replied quietly, his eyes shimmering with hope for the future of so many friends who could be saved with this simple offer. "You two have no idea how much this truly means."
"We may have some idea," Frank replied, his own joy evident at the reaction to his two dear friends who simply responded by lunging forward and wrapping them pair of Roman praetors in a hope filled hug. So much emotion, fear, guilt and relief was shared within that embrace that none of the four heroes felt inclined to extract themselves. Their birthright had made them heroes, but their journey had made them a family.
When at last they pulled away, but still stayed close enough to share the familial bond they had forged, they then were led from the soon-to-be neighborhood and guided to the restaurant that they pair had planned for them. As they sat, talking and laughing, and enjoying the meal prepared for them, to which Percy was exceedingly happy to know that this was the best pizza this side of Brooklyn, they spent their time reconnecting and sharing how life had been for each of them since they had last spoken.
When they had finished they had retired to the praetor's manor belonging to Frank and the four settled onto the foyer in a circle, their previous conversations continuing. As the discussion waned however, Annabeth turned her attention from Frank to Hazel and voiced the question she had been wanting to ask for some time. "Frank, you had said earlier today, that we were all coping, in our own way...neither Percy or I have spoken to Leo or Piper since, well, it's been a few months. Leo sent me a new knife but that's the last we've heard from him and he's been rather dodgy on returning correspondence. How have they been?"
A quiet tension seemed to filter into the pair as they looked at each other before turning back to Percy and Annabeth, offering a slight shrug. "Well, Leo's doing fine. He and Calypso have opened up their garage and its doing well. But, he made it pretty clear he doesn't have any interest in visiting New Rome. Last time he was here he blew up part of the city. Despite our assurances that we made everyone aware that he was possessed by an evil ghost...he still feels uncomfortable with the idea of visiting. Hope he'll change his mind at some time, but we're not going to push him."
"Neither of us were really surprised though," Hazel continued, leaning against Frank and resting her head against his arm. "Leo was always closest to Jason and…and Piper. With Jason dead, well, I think he just wanted to get away from everything, live his own life I guess."
The hesitation when voicing Piper's name was not lost on Annabeth and Percy however, as they looked at each other, reading their facial cues and silently questioning the response. "So...what about Piper then? Have you heard from her? No one has seen or had any communication with her in months."
Again, the tension filled the air as Frank and Hazel seemed to be working out how best to answer the question. It was only when Annabeth asked the question she was afraid to learn the answer of that they broke. "Is she alive?"
"Yeah...yeah, she's alive," Frank remarked as his stoic expression alerted their friends that there was much more that he was not sharing. As he fell silent in his own thoughts, his eyes fixed on the parquet floor, Hazel picked up the story.
"We managed to track her down about a month and a half ago...but uh...we never told anyone because we got the feeling it would only make things worse." Hazel too fell silent for a moment before knowing her friends were waiting for a response before she finally found her voice once again. "When we found her, she had no memory of us...she must have been planning it for months..."
"What was she planning?" Annabeth asked, her eyes narrowing in scrutinized contemplation. "What did she do?"
"Well, she didn't give us any answers, but we kind of figured out what happened from her dad, or at least what we believe she did," Frank answered as he leaned back on his hands, causing Hazel to shift her position against his arm. "From the story Tristan gave us, she had been in a coma for the last year. She was in a bus crash on her way to the Grand Canyon and she was the most seriously injured. She actually had medical records, x-rays...Tristan had given up his career to be with his daughter instead of, you know, The Emperors destroying his company..."
"None of it made sense," Hazel said, until we mentioned Jason and Hazel broke down in tears, demanding how we knew him. In her mind and everyone around her, he had died in the bus crash..."
"But how?…" Annabeth asked as her eyes grew wide in what she had come to suspect. "She didn't"
"It's the only thing we could figure," Frank said before finishing, "She used her power on herself, Charm Speaking herself to forget she was ever a demigod, that she ever went on a quest to save the world...forgetting all of us.
"Like we said, she must have been planning this for months, even having internet news report her father's retirement from Hollywood to care for her. We never looked into it because, well, we were rebuilding New Rome, and well, Camp Half-Blood doesn't have access to news outlets and wouldn't know what happened. She just used her voice to erase her own heritage and memories of what she is. She's just a normal girl now."
"But...how?" Percy asked, his eyes reflecting the confusion of how this was possible, or perhaps it was why she did it.
"She managed to coax a primordial being to sleep," Hazel offered, her eyes softening as she looked at Percy. "it's not hard to imagine that, if she wanted to, she could rewrite the entire last year of her life."
Hearing this, Percy placed his head in his hands and worked out the ramifications of this action in his mind. Annabeth however placed her hand on his back, rubbing small circles to soothe his mind. "To be honest, I can't say I'm surprised," she said sorrowfully as she looked at Percy who seemed to be taking it harder than she expected. "She never like to be in the limelight, hated that she was seen as her father's daughter, and...what did she get from her being a demigod? Pulled out of her life and immediately thrown on a quest to rescue Hera, then sent on a life and death mission to save the world when she was ill-prepared for it. Her father kidnapped and then his wealth and reputation destroyed because of her standing as a demigod. And when it's all said and done, Jason is killed right in front of her eyes. She probably felt guilty, knowing he sacrificed himself for her. I can imagine how she'd feel," she said, her eyes fixing themselves on Percy before leaning over to lay her head against his shoulder.
"It's just ironic you know," Percy said, sighing as he wrapped his head around the situation. "Hera...or Juno, whatever, she said I was the glue to hold us together, to keep us from falling apart, and yet, Jason dies, and Leo deserts us and Piper decides to erase herself from our lives...how well am I holding us together?"
"Hey," Annabeth said, moving her hand to cradle his face and turn his attention to her. "We're alive because of you, okay? And we're here together because of you. It was your idea for us to move to New Rome, and to start a life here together. You Percy, you did that, okay. Piper, Leo and Jason, they were always tied together, but Leo's not lost to us, he's just taking some time for himself. As for Piper...like I said, I'm surprised she did that, but can't say it's unexpected. She never wanted this life..."
"Who did?" Percy recanted, yet his words were silenced by Annabeth's lips against his cheek.
"Fair enough," she continued, "but I think it was a bit more difficult for her. She never had time to adapt to being a demigod before being thrown into this world and forced to save the world. Then, there's the issue with Jason.
"They broke up six months ago, I remember Piper IMing me and asking if she did the right thing. I didn't have an answer for her, but, she was struggling to understand whether her relationship with Jason was real or the manipulation of the gods, and somewhere along that lines, she had to realize her own powers are based off of manipulating other people to do what she wants. Then Jason dies to protect her...Piper was...is the most loving of all of us, being a daughter of Aphrodite, it only makes sense. She's also the one most emotionally impacted by everything that happens around her. Her father being kidnapped, her father's business ruined and reduced to poverty...Jason...in her eyes, it happened all because of her..."
"But it wasn't her fault..."
"Of course it wasn't," Annabeth replied, but lowered her eyes to the floor. "But let me ask you Percy. Did you feel guilty when your mom was taken by the Minotaur? Or when I was taken by Atlas?"
"Yeah...okay, I get what you're saying, but still..."
Placing her hand on his forearm, she smiled softly at him. "That's why I got along so well with Piper, she reminded me so much of you. You both love more than any one else I've ever known. But you and me, we had each other to support ourselves. Piper felt she was used and manipulated into her relationship with Jason, and yet he died for her. The guilt, even though it wasn't her fault...I guess she just...needed to forget."
The gathered heroes remained silent as they each mulled over the hypothesis Annabeth delivered, each coming to terms in their own way of Piper's actions. Percy turned his attention solely to his beloved fiance, his eyes marveling at how she seemed to analyze the situation. "How were you able to come to that conclusion?"
"Like I said Percy, Piper reminded me of you, at least her heart," Annabeth stated, nudging her shoulder against his. "I just imagined what you would have done in her place...and it just made sense."
"Sure," he remarked, his eyes downcast again before he continued. "But, there's one thing I needed to point out. You said that I saved all of you, but honestly, you all saved me as well," he said, his attention turning from Frank to Hazel, his eyes lingering upon her as she still harbored a measure of guilt that should could not prevent their fall into Tartarus, to at last resting and remaining upon Annabeth.
"Of course we did Percy," Hazel said, a fragile, hopeful smile tugging at her lips. "We're a family, and that's what we do."
-0-
A/N: So, another chapter in the books. Not sure how well this worked out, but I always felt Piper would be burdened by a great deal of guilt and anger at how much the gods screwed with her life, and to wash her hands clean of everything, she used her Charm Speak to forget she was ever a demigod and essentially seal her powers.
Also wanted to touch base on Nico and the impact of Tartarus beyond just the psychological torment, but lasting fears. Annabeth and Percy really didn't say this, but they have crippling anxiety of being separated from each other. But, didn't want to build on what I've already established thus far. My main point of this chapter was how much the demigods do for each other while the gods just screw over their children.
But also wanted to play with the idea of how the New Roman demigods would honor and support their Greek counterparts. Anyway, as always, if you enjoyed the chapter, comment, like, follow the story, review, all that jazz.
Thank you