SOPHIE

As I wake up, I notice that there is a box on the end of my bed. I go to open it. Inside is Councillor Oralie's cache. I frown, remembering the revelation that Oralie is my mom. I walk downstairs and eat some gnomish plants that taste like French Toast. Then I raise my pale pink leaping crystal to the sun and leap to one of the Black Swan's many hideouts.

Mr. Forkle is sitting in one of the chairs. I walk over to him. "Councillor Oralie gave me her cache. I was thinking of working on getting it unlocked."

He turns towards me. "Miss Foster, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about Councillor Oralie, actually."

I wince. This is going to be a painful conversation. So I just blurt it all out before he can ask anything.

Mr. Forkle nods. "I had a feeling that was the case. Normally, you are so open to Oralie, it was strange when you suddenly closed off."

I am about to answer when a scream pierces the air.

I gasp. This scream… it's suffocating. It's full of rage and pain. It sounds like someone wants to kill something. It sounds like revenge. It's primal, as if someone just reverted to their animal brain.

The entire Black Swan light leaps into the hideout where Mr. Forkle and I are. Grady and Edaline run towards me. "Are you alright? What happened?"

I shake my head. "It wasn't me. We all heard it."

Linh shakes her head. "The scream… it had a quality to it that reminded me of water. Like the person was close to water or somehow had an affinity to water when they screamed."

Biana frowned. "How could you tell? I can't tell if someone's invisible when they're mad and decide to scream."

Linh thinks, her face scrunched up a little. "I could hear a rushing quality to it. It sounded like a hurricane. Didn't you hear it?"

Everyone else shakes their heads. Mr. Forkle shrugs. "We will investigate at a later time. Maybe a couple of months from now. Someone write that down."

Dex makes note of it. "I can make a gadget that can track down where the scream came from. I'll need Linh's help." Linh nods. "I should have it ready in about a month."

Mr. Forkle nods. "Good. Then we will see you all a week from now. All those attending Foxfire, I will remind you that you owe Headmaster Magnate Leto an essay on why humans are not part of the intelligent species treaty."

All the Foxfire students groan. I hate essays. I don't understand why we have to do them when we are trying to fight a war against the Neverseen. This is so annoying.

PERCY

Don't think. Just jump. I bend my legs and then leap off the top of the Empire State Building. I smile as I plummet through the air. Reyna is safe with Apollo. I will see my friends again. I close my eyes. When I open them I will be in Elysium with my friends.

The Fates hate me. When I open my eyes, I see the throne room of Olympus. I scream. "GODS DAMMIT! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME DIE?" The Olympians flash onto their thrones.

Hermes stands up. "I was the one who caught you and brought you to Olympus. We know that you miss your friends, but dying is not the answer."

I sneer. Easy for them to say. They didn't watch all of their friends die right in front of them. Oh wait. They're gods. Their friends can't die. "I'll just do it again. Eventually, there won't be someone there to catch me."

My father looks at me sadly. "I know, son. And we can't lose the most powerful hero Olympus has ever had. So we have to do this, Percy. I'm so sorry."

What are they doing to me? I think for a bit. Ohhhh. I know exactly what they're doing. I run out of the throne room, only for Hermes to catch up and flash me back. "I swear on the River Styx that if you turn me into a god, I will never help you again!" I growl. Thunder answers.

Ares makes a fake sad face. "Well, there goes that plan. Guess the little punk can't be a god after all!"

Zeus scowls. "Then we'll make him partially immortal, like we do Artemis's Hunters."

I give up. I don't care. At least I can die in battle. "Fine. Do whatever."

Artemis walks up to me and touches my shoulder. Her hand glows faintly silver, and she takes it off me as fast as possible and wipes it off on her chiton. I smile slightly. Good to know that she still hates men.

Zeus speaks again. "Perseus, three of the gods will bless you. Which ones? You decide."

I sigh. "I don't care. Do whatever the Hades you want."

Aphrodite squeals. "OOOH! I'm gonna bless him." She walks over to me and waves her hand over me. A ripple goes through my body.

"Oh my gods, Percy! You are so HOT!"

I look self consciously into the mirror that she set up for me. My face is pretty much the same. My hair is slightly longer, but it doesn't drape over my eyes or anything. It is perpetually scruffed up. My body has been substantially musclefied-is that even a word?-, but not in a bulky way. I'm still lean. I'm now super tall, like 6'5''. Surprisingly, my scars aren't gone.

Aphrodite nods sympathetically. "Sorry, Percy, but scars made by Tartarus himself don't disappear easily. Anyways, you're not just super hot, you also have charmspeak. Like, really good charmspeak. As powerful as Piper's was."

Was. I hate that word. I stiffen and my breath quickens as I think of Piper's body on the ground, impaled by a dracaena's claws. I close my eyes. Calm down, Percy. You're fine. Slowly, my breathing goes back to normal. When I open my eyes, Hermes is standing in front of me.

"Hello, Percy." I just glare at him. "Look, I'm sorry, but we need you." I turn away. He grabs my arm and I start to glow slightly. "You have been blessed with being able to unlock doors with a touch, stealing things without people noticing, lie to anyone-and you will be believed. Also, you can tell when people are lying. I nod, slightly impressed. That will be useful.

Hestia walks up to me. Zeus glares at her. "Hestia. You will not give my brother's spawn power over fire!"

She only smiles. "Indeed. I will not." She faces me. "I make you fireproof, to all types of fire. Even Greek fire cannot harm you. Also, I give you the power to heal wounds of yourself and others." She turns towards Zeus. "There you are, brother. My blessing is complete."

Poseidon walks up to me. "I know that I cannot bless you, but I can bless your sword. May I see Anasklumos?" I hand over my pen. My father's hand glows blue-green, and then he hands me back my sword. "Anasklumos can now cut through any object, as long as you wish it to do so. Be it mortal, demigod, monster, god, or object."

I raise an eyebrow. Gods? My father smiles at me, knowing that I won't use the sword for evil. Zeus only glares.

I turn towards the Olympian Council. "Thank you, lords and ladies. I'm leaving the godly world. Please don't call for me unless I'm the only person who can save the world." And I vapor travel back to camp.

I nearly break down again as my eyes pass over the bodies of all of my friends. I decide to make shrouds for all of them. No sooner has the thought passed through my head then at least three hundred shrouds appear. I thank the gods in my head, then go about putting all of the campers into their shrouds.

I whisper thanks and good byes to each of the campers as I lay them in their final resting place. I don't even notice the tears pouring down my face until they land on the Stoll brothers' bodies. I smile gently through the tears. "Thank you for fighting in both wars. I will never forget how you could always make anyone laugh, even Nico. Goodbye." I gently place them each in a shroud.

I continue with my work until I make my way to the Seven. I start to sob, my chest heaving with every breath. I flick my hand, and my tears come off my face into a little ball some ways behind me. I start with Jason.

"Hey, bro. How's Elysium? You know, you were the most powerful demigod I've ever met. You could fly, for Zeus's sake. But you still stayed humble. You were a leader. And I'm going to miss you so much." I place him in his shroud. It's purple, with an orange thunder bolt on it.

I move on to Piper. "Pipes. Oh Piper. You were so strong. So persuasive. But you never used your charmspeak for bad. It would have been so easy to, yet you didn't. I will follow your example. I'm gonna miss you. Have fun with Jason in Elysium." Piper's shroud is not pink. She hates pink. Her shroud is white, with a dove outlined in black holding and olive branch.

Leo. "The Super Sized Mcshizzle Bad Boy Supreme. Leo, I'll never forget you. I can't. I always remember your pranks and your laugh. But I'll also remember how smart you are. No one ever realized, but you were a genius, Leo. You made it to Calypso's island twice. You be good to Calypso in Elysium, okay, buddy?" I place him in a shroud that looks like it's made of flames, a hammer embroidered into it.

I move Frank into his red shroud that is covered in tiny animals. "Frank. Frank, Frank, Frank. Oh gods, I'm going to miss you so much. You were so naive when I first met you. But you've grown up. Zhang, I am proud to be related to you. Hazel and you… you guys have a nice life in Elysium."

I smile sadly down at Hazel, only 15 years old. "Hey, Hazel. Magical Hazel. Gods, your powers were so cool. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. Hazel, you are technically my cousin, but you never felt like that. You felt like my sibling." I kiss her eyelids. "Sleep well, sister." I lay her in the gold shroud. It is embroidered with two crossed torches that seem to be spewing Mist instead of smoke.

I turn towards the last body. My hands shake as I pick her up. Annabeth. My Annabeth. "Oh Wise Girl. I…," My voice breaks. "I can't do this. I can't live without you. You are-were my soulmate. I need you!" The tears in my eyes stop going to the ball behind me, instead going straight into the ground. "I know I'll never find another like you, Annabeth. I doubt I'll ever love anyone like I loved you. I miss you so much. Please, wait for me in Elysium." I put her in a gray shroud that matches her eyes. Then I step away from all the shrouds.

I walk towards Bunker 9. I grab a green vial of Greek fire. Walking back towards the sea of shrouds, I throw the vial into the middle. The fire spreads rapidly, burning all of the shrouds. Once all of the shrouds are ashes, I use the water from the lake to douse the fire.