They hadn't been needed for much afterwards. Ariadne had been drawn into a conversation with the war gods about what little she could remember about battle placements.

Because despite everything, Ariadne had seen more battles than them all. Percy was right at her side giving input from the ones that he remembered. The ones that had everyone convinced that he was the child of the prophecy.

The Hermes' trio were talking to their dad about the supplies that had been gathered for the war effort. The Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Apollo cabin ran through supplies quickly.

And that was without the Athena cabin putting in orders from whatever they found on Daedalus' laptop.

And speaking of the Athena cabin, Annabeth had plop herself right in front of Zeus and tried to con the god into giving her back her title as the Official Olympian Architect.

Percy could hear her now explaining how if someone tried invading again like Kronos had then the buildings would be equipped to push them back until the gods returned. Throw some greek fire here and there. Maybe a temple that generated its own lighting. The temples for Apollo and Artemis could shoot arrows. Maybe Demeter's temple can have an attack that looked something like a flerken [Zeus was confused on just what a flerken was and seemed almost too afraid to ask. He also looked like he was considering it.]

Clarisse was speaking with Hephaistus and Apollon about starting a small training session between the two cabins. She didn't know about the campers now, but in her time, they split training with each other. Cabin 5 and Cabin 7 took turns teaching each other the different techniques they had all made with their arrows.

The Ares cabin helped them get more used to fighting with swords and spears after freaking out at their horrendous forms. Then someone from Cabin 9 had witnessed them creating their own arrows and cried because he claimed their technique was appalling and that the shaft was literally crying [though that may have been tear gas leaking].

And then one of the more healing inclined Apollo kids cried when they saw the rudimentary healing couplets the two cabins used when they didn't want to go to the infirmary or eat the conveniently near ambrosia and/or nectar.

[Ariadne had actually cried laughing when Clarisse and Beckendorf had come back from their full checkups and first lessons.]

Katie was speaking to her mother and sister about her little plant demons. She was looking for advice on how to set them out into the wild and move on to cleaning the domain. He didn't think the world was ready for little demon grass bunnies but then again, the mist was very powerful.

Will was working with Hades and Nico about getting more children of the god into the medical field. It'd help raise more of the healers' spirits if they knew how close to death a patient was, if they were out of the danger zone, and knowing that there generally wasn't anything else they could do. [That last one didn't make it necessarily better but they also knew that Nico had descended on anyone that died in the Underworld and made sure that they were comfortable and passed on any last words.]

Rachel had been the only one to brave meeting Dionysus. He could see how the rest of them flinched and grieved whenever they caught sight of him. Aside from Nico, she didn't grow up with the god in the original timeline. Even Thalia had spent a generous amount of time around the god before she went monster hunting. From what little Percy could hear, she was trying to gauge how much of him was the god they knew in Castellan to the demigod that was incubated in Zeus' thigh.

Thalia was conversing with Artemis about the merits of placing her future self with the hunters. Which wasn't going so well by the simple fact that Hera was incredibly offended by the idea that Zeus would sire another child without her.

He knew from the way that they were all tense that they were paying attention to that specific conversation. And he knew that everyone was paying attention to that conversation when Thalia turned and looked Hera directly in the eye and said, "Oh please, everyone knows that Father is in love with you, Mother." There was a ripple of shocked silence as everyone took in that comment.

The look of disgust on both of their faces once it registered had everyone breathing a sigh of relief. Ariadne had laughed and laughed until Percy realized she wasn't laughing. She was crying.

He wrapped her up in his arms placing a kiss on her forehead. He knew it wouldn't have been long before one of them broke, but he didn't think it'd be his sister. She was always so strong and moved as if nothing could hurt her. [But he knew that things did. He knew from her memories that she just bottled it all up.] They'll get through this first and then Percy was going to take her on a trip where she could just relax for a change.

He wondered if she was okay with going to Ogygia.

Ariadne had managed to get a moment of reprieve away from all the watching eyes. She knew that her family were watching her. She was inwardly cursing herself for breaking down in front of all of them like a fool.

But she was so tired of this.

She could honestly see where Nico was coming from now. If she had the chance, she'd make sure that Sally Jackson would never give birth to her future self. That version of her didn't need to live her life.

She just-- she wanted her people back. From her timeline. She wanted to work alongside the original Stolen Treasures with Hermes and help him with Hermes Express. She wanted to be doted on by Aphrodite watching as the goddess took down gangs and mafias through pure skill and a smile. She wanted to go on bike rides with Ares. She wanted to learn more hunting tips from Artemis. She wanted to be curled under her Apollo listening to him recite poems or hum gently. She wanted him to hold her close as he taught her archery and stare at him as he spoke about different medical procedures. She wanted to listen to him rip politicians to shreds.

She wanted her life back.

Ariadne stopped outside of the river surrounding her father's temple. She dipped her toes into the water and then she could actually feel the lock on her that kept her tail transformation at bay. Her anchor ached in a way it had not since she was thirteen bleeding out in Hermes' arms.

She wanted to rest but--

She remembered Hestia's words,

I saw Ariadne sinking to the bottom of the sea dying and unable to heal after being attacked by one of Apollon's previous lovers that escaped through the doors of death.

She'd never get peace.

"Save us. Save them. Katie. Nico. Bianca. Thalia. Percy. Save them."

Save everyone from what?

"You do not belong here." "You weren't meant to be."

She never was.

"Cielo," she heard from behind her. Spinning around, she met sky blue eyes. The look of love and wonder almost took her breath away. "Cielo... my sky... little sunflower... my sunshine."

Her heart beat painfully with each endearment. She wanted to reach out and hide away in his arms. She loved the way he covered her with his body and used his hair to cover her from being seen. She'd go back to the days of wanting to claw his heart out of his chest if it meant this heaviness in her limbs disappeared.

"I apologize for causing you distress," he told her as he walked closer. He placed his hand on her face. The two said nothing as they stared into each other's eyes. She was relieved to realize that she could read him once again.

Why didnt you tell me, his eyes seemed to inquired.

Would you have believed me, she asked instead.

I am the god of truth, he scowled back. Do you doubt my love?

I doubt my worth.

Pressing his forehead to hers, he whispered, "I do not understand. You are the one with the most worth in my eyes."

"I don't give you my heart as easily as you'd like. I hated you with every fiber of my being when we first met. We argued all the time that Hermes sometimes had to physically separate us. But we grew closer and any affection was hidden under a wall of contempt. Between trying to keep my brother alive while trying to stay alive and getting closer to the gods and maintaining my relationships with the demigods... then there was trying to keep my promise to Hermes and learning how to be a princess and fighting some kind of battle every time I looked around and survived school..."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to stop her rambling, "There was so much going on that I didn't have time to fall in love. I didn't have time for a relationship but you-- you were always there."

She smirked a little mockingly here, "And Hermes also. He was the one I turned to before anyone else. Even before 'Risse and Sils'." Apollon's eyes flashed with jealousy. Ariadne snorted. "Honestly? It would've been easier to fall in love with him. We were so compatible. But we were just not meant to be. But you? I think I was more shocked than anything when I realized that I love you. It influenced every action I made. There was no one else but you. Your happiness became my priority in a way."

Ariadne looked him in the eyes again. And she knew he could see how deeply she loved him. How much she wanted to take his pain away and encompass him with so much happiness and pleasure so that he'd never hurt again.

But--

"As much as it pains me to say, I cannot be with you," she told him. Her heart ached because she wanted that. She looked over the river watching the reflection of the moon inside of it. "For so long, I put the approval of everyone else before myself. I was so desperate to see everyone else's happiness that I killed my own. I cannot do that anymore, beloved. I have to live for myself now."

Apollon was silent as he looked at her. He took in the defeat in her eyes as she hid behind a mask of strength. He could easily see how the other godlings would believe her to be okay. She had so much piling on her shoulders as she took in everyone's grievances. It was like a drain on her.

He cupped her face in his hands, "You are like the brightest star in the night sky, my love. If I have to remind you every day of all the ways that you are so loved, I will. I will create sonnets and ballads and paintings to comnistrate your beauty, grace, power, and heart that would last until the world weeped."

There will never be a day that you would believe to be unloved. The world would know until the sea swallowed the sun.

She placed her hand on his closing her eyes, "I love you, Apollon. I'll love you until the end of time. But I have to learn to love me more."

And then she walked away.

Walking into Castellan sent a ripple of relief through them all. This little kingdom that they carved out for themselves was home.

Percy had his arm wrapped around his sister while he held hands with his girlfriend.

Hermes walked ahead them, speaking with his sons about how Lebanon, Kansas was the perfect place for Castellan. It was right in the middle of Olympus and the Underworld. (Percy thought that other than the gods and Ariadne... he was the only one to hear the hidden words. Castellan was perfectly in between something else and he would find it if it's the last thing he does.)

He could see that the place needed some work. Will and Katie were already muttering very dangerous words about their fields. Annabeth was looking around with that look in her that basically stated she wanted to rip everything up and start over.

Ariadne was talking to Clarisse and Nico, running plans back and forth. He was pretty sure he heard something about persuading Little Nico and his family to reside in Castellan. That way Nico and Bianca would be safe, Maria would live, and the gods didn't have to worry about the prophecy somehow coming to completion before its time.

[What they didn't hear was Ariadne's plans to somehow save them even if they ended up attacked. She'd personally throw Nico into the Lotus Hotel himself if it came down to it. Percy could safely say she better beat him to it.]

And then Ariadne froze in place. Percy dropped Annabeth's hand to focus fully on his sister. But she wasn't looking at him... she was looking ahead ... she was looking at...

Hector and Helen.

"Time travel," Helen stated wryly. There was a small smirk on Hector's face. The two spirits shook before they became more solid as they made their way closer. "Your adventures never cease to amaze me."

"Helen... Hector..." her voice was soft. Her eyes were sparkling with wonder as the two stopped right in front of her. "What... what are you doing here?"

Hector's smirk softened into a smile as he patted her head. It took all of Percy's power to not yank her away. He didn't forget the sight of his knife sinking into her skin. "The Moirai tried to take our memory of what happened when they fixed the timeline but-- Andromache was not appreciative of another woman's name dripping from my tongue in my sleep."

Helen laughed lightly as she finished off, "And after all those lessons and accidentally shocking myself, it was no wonder my brain wouldn't stand by and erase you. I believe they had trouble with my string in particular because you taught me to fight for myself and I refused to be away from the battlefield."

Hector shook his head lightly, "After a while they realized that they couldn't fix said changes, so they let it run its course and explained to us everything in our dreams. We succumb to our fates that were bestowed on us before your interference. And then, we demanded to stay here to await your return."

His poor sister looked so confused.

Hector then turned to look at Percy himself, "I would like to apologize for my hand in kidnapping your sister. It was war and I was under orders. But I also know that it does not excuse my actions. I do not blame you for your anger. I too would have torn through anyone that tried to stand in the way of me and one of my siblings." He paused. "Except Ale-Paris. No, Paris can rot."

There was a moment of silence before Percy nodded in acceptance. Ariadne looked completely overwhelmed and Percy just wanted to get her to the grove so she could sleep in peace. It certainly didn't help matters when Helen smiled brightly, "Oh, you should've seen Hector once we got the full story. He threatened Lord Apollon and Lord Hermes on your behalf, Perseus. He said he was acting interim. They had wanted his soul thrown into the pit for his impertinence, but Lord Poseidon and Lord Hades spoke up on his behalf."

Ariadne pushed down a smirk at that before she jerked her head up. Percy followed her line of sight to see their other spiritual friends waiting for them. She walked forward briskly letting Silena and Beckendorf wrap their arms around her while Luke fluttered around them all.

It was good to be back.

They'll get settled in today and then tomorrow, they'll fix the future. And this time, Fate wasn't going to stop them.