Disclaimer: All rights belong to Rick Riordan. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.

Rating: T for dark themes and violence

Author's Note: Calypso/Leo is my NOTP so their relationship will remain neutral in this story

Chapter 21

"You knew Beckendorf was going to die from the beginning."

Annabeth and Rachel walk side by side along the beach. The sun has just risen, and most of their friends return to the huts to sleep, exhausted from staying up all night for the funeral. Although Annabeth is exhausted, she doesn't dare close her eyes out of fear of the nightmares that she knows she'll have. Rachel's bright green eyes are alert, although they have dark circles underneath.

"I did have a vision about him." Rachel wraps her shawl around her shoulders. "I've seen how knowing the future, especially prophecies about certain death, can ruin a person, so I didn't tell him. It's better to not know when you're going to die."

Annabeth remembers how Rachel had looked at Beckendorf sadly when they had visited her cave for the prophecy. She hadn't understood it at the time, but looking back she feels a heavy sense of dread fill her.

"Exactly how much of what happened did you know?"

"I saw Sciron with the pearl. I saw Beckendorf drop the match that blew up the ship. I saw you returning to England with your fiancé." Rachel shakes her head, her red curls bouncing against her shoulder. "I didn't see you coming back, though. And I didn't see Percy's death."

She tucks her neck into her chest, looking troubled. Annabeth knows better than to ask what she's seen of the future.

"It just doesn't make sense," Annabeth says instead. "I keep thinking of the prophecy and how it hasn't been completely fulfilled. So many of the lines haven't happened."

"People don't always fully understand prophecies."

Annabeth shakes her head. "No, it's not that. This feels incomplete."

"Obsessing over it will only frustrate you." Rachel stops in front of a simple wooden raft that's washed up on shore. "It's time for me to leave. The magic of Ogygia messes with my powers. As long as I stay here, I'm blind."

"That raft is going to get you all the way to your cave?"

"It's a magical raft." Rachel pauses in front of it. "So what will you do now, Annabeth? You came back for Percy, but he's not here anymore. You burned all the bridges to your past life, so you can no longer return."

"I don't know yet." Annabeth stares out across the clear water, but for once there's no simple solution that comes to mind. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

"Whatever you decide, good luck." Rachel gives her a half hug before boarding the raft. It floats off, disappearing into the mist.

Annabeth stands at the shore for a few more minutes before finally turning back and hiking to the village.

All the guests except for Silena and the crew of the Pax leave. Thalia tries to talk Annabeth into joining the Hunters, saying that even though Annabeth is older than the standard Hunter, she'd still be welcome. Annabeth tells her she'll give it some thought but makes no promises.

Jason, Piper, and Hazel give Annabeth a hug and sad smile as they depart. They thank her for the beautiful eulogy she delivered, even though it was only half of what Annabeth really wanted to say.

Grover and the nature spirits offer Annabeth a place with them, but it doesn't feel right so she respectfully declines.

With most of the people gone, the island falls into a strange stillness. Calypso returns to her gardening and weaving, mostly keeping her distance. Annabeth walks around a lot, sometimes with Frank or Will but mostly by herself. Silena also drifts around aimlessly. When Annabeth asks why she didn't return to New Rome with the others, she simply said, "What's the point? That place is nothing without Charlie."

Things start to get exciting around mid-afternoon. Will runs through the forest, skidding to a stop in front of Annabeth.

"Have you seen Nico today?" he asks, breathless.

"No. Why?"

"No one's seen him since yesterday. I think he disappeared during the funeral - there were plenty of shadows for him to disappear into."

"He didn't say anything to anyone?"

"No. Not to a single person." Will's jaw clenches. "Percy's dog is gone, too. Mrs. O'Leary. She probably followed Nico."

"I don't think there's anything we can do, then. Nico's his own person. He does what he wants. It's not like we can track his shadow-travelling."

Will looks away, glaring at the sea as if it's at fault for Nico disappearing. "I just can't believe he wouldn't say anything. I thought - " He shakes his head.

Annabeth opens her mouth to respond but she's interrupted by a shadow covering the sun. She and Will both shade their eyes and look up as a large dark object soars across the sky, circling lower towards the island. As it moves away from the sun, Annabeth can see that it's made of metal. Suddenly it drops, a bone-rattling vibration travelling through the ground and up their bodies.

Without a word Annabeth and Will run towards the opposite side of the island. It only takes them a few minutes, but a crowd has already gathered. Annabeth pushes through and gasps.

"Is that...a dragon?"

Will appears at her shoulder. "An automaton, by the looks of it," he says.

A short figure slides off the back of the dragon and stumbles on the sand. The crowd parts as Calypso pushes her way through.

"What is this?" she demands, her hands on her hips.

Metal plates and gears are scattered along the once-pristine beach along with newly scorched trees. The dragon creaks and tips its head, black oil spilling out of its ear.

The figure pulls a wrench out of the toolbag hanging around his waist and reaches up to scratch the back of his head with it. Annabeth can see that he has dark, curly hair and his skin and clothes are covered in grease smudges and sand.

"Sorry," he says, looking sheepish. "My dragon was malfunctioning, and this was the only land for miles."

"Ugh!" Calypso throws her hands into the air. "Just make sure you clean it all up."

The guy - just a kid, really, a couple years younger than Annabeth, mock-salutes. "Yes, ma'am."

Calypso disappears, heading back towards the village, followed by most of the crew. Annabeth braves the dragon and walks up to the kid.

"Don't mind her," she says. "We're kinda going through a tough time right now. We just lost some good friends of ours."

"Impeccable timing, as usual." He sighs. "I'm Leo. This is Festus."

The dragon turns its ruby eyes to Annabeth and the gears by its jaw spin and click together.

"I'm hoping that means 'Nice to meet you' and not 'I'm about to burn you to a crisp'," Annabeth says dryly.

Leo's shoulders relax at her attempt at humor. "Yeah, Festus is a good dragon. He only burns monsters to a crisp. Mostly."

"I feel so much better."

There's a strangled cry behind them, and Annabeth turns to see Silena staring at the dragon in shock. Festus sits straight up and makes an almost humming sound when he sees her.

"Festus? Do you know her?" Leo sets a hand on the bronze hide of his dragon, his eyebrows furrowed together.

Silena approaches cautiously, her dark eyes open wide. "Where did you find that dragon?" she demands.

"It was in some woods in Greece. My father led me to him. He was buried neck-deep in a hole."

"Not a hole. A trap." Silena takes another step closer. She slowly raises her arm and holds it out towards the dragon, who sniffs (can a metal dragon sniff?) it before nuzzling it with his nose.

Leo stares at her. "How did you know?"

"Because I helped set up the trap." Silena uses her palms to wipe at her eyes. "Charlie and I - " she falters for a moment. "We were on a mission with Percy, and Charlie was taken captive by Myrmekes. There were too many of them for us to fight, and while we were trying to find another solution we stumbled upon the dragon. He was curled up in the woods, long deactivated. We managed to turn him on and he went haywire, destroying the Myrmekes and giving us the time we needed to free Charlie. But then he turned on us, so we had to set a trap. Charlie didn't want to leave him, but we didn't have a choice. It needed more work than we could afford."

"Luckily he doesn't seem mad at you." Leo strokes its side. "It took me weeks of work to unbury him, fix his control disk, and take care of all the other damages. Then I had to attach the wings. But we got through it, didn't we, boy?"

Festus groans and clicks again.

"You said your father led you to him…" Annabeth says. "Is there any chance your dad is a god?"

Leo doesn't seem surprised. "Yeah, why?"

She inhales sharply. Silena begins to cry again.

"Shoot. Did I say something wrong?" Leo reaches into his toolbelt and pulls out a handkerchief, which he offers to Silena.

"Charles Beckendorf - the guy she was talking about - he's one of the people who just died," Annabeth whispers. "He was also a son of Hephaestus."

Leo looks super awkward. Annabeth doesn't blame him.

"Here," Annabeth says, wrapping an arm around Silena and nodding her head at Leo. "Let's go meet up with the others. We'll tell you our whole story, and then you can tell us yours."

Frank, Will, Silena, Leo, and Annabeth sit around the central hearth. Just a few feet away, well within earshot, Calypso sits at her loom and works, humming slightly under her breath. There's a little girl, maybe eight, sitting at the hearth and tending the flames that Annabeth doesn't recognize, but the others don't seem surprised at her presence. Leo pulls out a few wires and gears while they talk, creating and dissembling small machines absently. Annabeth doesn't have the heart to tell him that Beckendorf used to do the exact same thing.

Leo and Beckendorf couldn't look more different from each other. Beckendorf had dark skin, a large, muscular build, and a deep voice. Leo's skin is a much lighter tan, he has a slight frame bordering on scrawny, and his voice is higher pitched. But they both have quick fingers, the same look in their eyes as if the gears in their brains are turning while they examine each problem as if it's a broken machine, and a slightly awkward bearing. Beckendorf was more confident in himself, though, an older, more experienced version of Leo.

Silena can't bear to look at Leo. Annabeth doesn't blame her.

After they catch him up on their adventures, Leo tells his story. He talks about how after his mother died when he was young, he was passed around his family before being dropped off at an orphanage. He had a few families take him in ("apparently I was a very cute little kid") but it never worked out and he would always run away. Finally, a few months ago, he had a dream from his father who explained his parentage and gave him direction to the dragon. He fixed Festus up and they've been flying around since.

"Until we got attacked by those giants on the coast," Leo amends. "They really did a number on Festus. We got away, but he was too badly damaged to fly far. This was the first island we saw so we tried to set down for repairs." He glances guiltily at Calypso, who is weaving furiously now.

"So what exactly have you been doing?" Frank asks. He sits as far away from the fire while still being in the circle as possible.

Leo shrugs. "Flying around, visiting important places. I just found some of Archimedes' spheres." He looks around, and when no one reacts, his eyes grow wide. "You guys know how important that discovery is, right?"

Frank looks embarrassed. Will runs a hand through his hair. "Should I know who Archimedes is..?"

"He was an important Greek scientist and mathematician," Annabeth says, remembering some of her classical studies.

Leo looks at her in admiration. "So there is a sign of intelligent life," he says. He holds out his most recent creation in the palm of his hand. It's a small circle with concentric rings. "So, Archimedes figured out all the math involving spheres and even created some himself. I've only scratched the surface on what these babies can do."

"And what exactly do you plan to do with these spheres?" Will asks, an eyebrow raised.

Leo shrugs. "Once I figure out what they can do, then I'm sure I'll find a use for them."

Franks grunts in disapproval. Leo tucks his mini spheres into his tool belt and stands.

"Nice chat, but I've got to get back to my dragon. I have a lot of repairs to make before we can leave."

Everyone drifts away from the fire after that, except the young girl. She smiles up at Annabeth, and she realizes that the girls' eyes are as timeless and ancient as Calypso's.

"You're lost, Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth blinks. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"No." The girl prods the fire gently with a stick. A few sparks drift up into the air before fading away. "I am Hestia, goddess of home and the hearth."

Ares is the only other god Annabeth has met so far, and Hestia is so different from him that Annabeth isn't sure how to react.

Hestia doesn't seem bothered by her silence. "You were taken from your home and found another one among the crew of the Pax. Then you left that home to return from where you came, only to find that it was no longer home. You came here, only to find things were not as you left them. Now you are not sure where to go."

"The Pax was destroyed. The crew is here for now, but how long until they all go their separate ways?" Annabeth draws her knees up to her chest. "I didn't think things through. I let my emotions control me, and look where I've ended up. A magical, floating island."

"Home is often where we least expect it. And it is not always a place, Annabeth. Often it can be a person."

"I don't have a place or a person anymore." Annabeth tosses a stray leaf into the flames. "It's just me."

"Don't sell yourself so short." Hestia raises her eyes, and Annabeth can see that in the very center, in the middle of the warm brown color, are flames. Then she disappears in thin tendrils of smoke that float up in the evening air.

Annabeth stands and begins walking aimlessly. Her legs take her to the beach just beyond the village. She stares over the ocean, longing and grief filling the void in her heart.

Hestia was right about one thing, at least - Annabeth is lost. She has no idea where to go from here. She wonders if she'll end up like Leo, chasing legends and myths with no clear purpose. She looks across the beach, where Festus is hidden just behind a row of charred trees. Between the leaves she gets glimpses of sparkling bronze and she can hear Leo talk to himself - or maybe to Festus. Is that the path she's heading on?

The breeze picks up, and for the first time since coming to Ogygia Annabeth feels a slight chill. She's still wearing the white dress from the funeral, the cotton thin and light. Her hair drifts upward on the next draft, blowing in her face.

Annabeth reaches back to pull it out of the way when something on the horizon freezes her. The clouds above are growing darker, and there's a black spot on the sea ahead. It grows closer even as she watches, moving at an impossible speed.

When it gets close enough that Annabeth can see the black sails straining against the wind, the rain begins. Annabeth knows this scene. She's seen it a dozen times in her nightmares. She still can't believe it's real, though.

She turns and runs back to the village. "Sciron's back!" she screams. "He's coming!"

The doors to the huts open and crew members step out, looking at her like she's crazy. She ignores them, running straight to Frank.

"Sciron's back," she repeats.

"But his ship - it blew up -"

"And somehow he survived. He's coming towards the island, and he has the pearl." Annabeth waits impatiently as he processes the information. "So?"

"So what?"

She throws her hands up in the air. "You're the captain, Frank. Now that Percy's gone - " her voice catches. "You're in charge. The men will listen to you."

He hesitates before nodding. "Okay." He reaches back and grabs his spear, staring at it like it will give him the answers he needs. "I'll - I'll get everyone to the beach."

The winds pick up as the crew members arm themselves and run to the beach. There are hurricane force winds on the horizon now, and Annabeth feels as though she's fighting for every single step.

Sciron's ship is close enough now for her to see him standing at the bow, the pearl in his hand. He leaps off the side, his own personal hurricane surrounding him and transporting him to the beach. He reappears right in front of Annabeth.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asks, holding it up. "And so powerful. When my foolish half-brother and his friend tried blowing up my ship, it protected me. I was blown a few hundred miles off-course, but I'm very much alive." He lowers his hand and fixes his storm blue eyes on her. "How does it feel to know they died in vain?"

Annabeth feels rage coursing through her body, but she knows better than to react. That's what he's expecting of her. That's what he wants her to do.

"You know, I didn't expect to see you again." Sciron tosses the pearl in the air and catches it, as if it isn't a super powerful force. "I thought you'd run away with that blond-haired soldier boy."

Her hand drifts to her dagger but before she can attack, a few arrows whiz past her ear towards Sciron. A thin shield of water flows up and blocks them.

"Looks like your friends have arrived." Sciron takes a step back. "I haven't tested out the full power of the pearl yet. I was saving it for you. Enjoy the show." He winks at her before a jetstream of water lifts him into the air and out of the range of their weapons.

A huge wave comes sweeping towards them. Annabeth turns and runs, heading for higher ground. The other crew members are also running around her. The wave hits, knocking them all down. Annabeth is lost under the water for a minute before the wave recedes. She crouches on her hands and knees and gasps for air.

She turns back to see that the sky has now darkened considerably. The earth shakes beneath them as they try to stand, and the wind and rain pummels them from both sides.

"There's no fighting this," Annabeth says as she crawls over to Frank. "We can't get close enough to Sciron to take him down, and we can't fight the elements."

Frank stabs his spear into the ground in frustration. "If only Percy were here, he'd know what to do." He hangs his hand. "I'm a terrible replacement. I'm weak compared to him."

"That's not true," Annabeth protests, but she doesn't have time to deal with his identity crisis right now. They have bigger issues.

Another tremor vibrates through the ground. Sciron, hovering twenty feet above them on his jet stream, looks down in cruel fascination and pleasure. Trees sway and creak and fall. Lightning flashes in the sky overheard. In the distance, a tsunami forms.

For once in her life, Annabeth has absolutely no idea what to do.

A high-pitched war cry sounds out from above, and Annabeth looks to the sky to see Festus the dragon soaring down, claws outstretched and aimed straight at Sciron. Sciron turns a second too late, and Festus opens his jaws, sending out a massive plume of fire.

Water douses it before it can do any damage, but Sciron isn't prepared for a ten ton metal dragon to smash into him. Annabeth sees a glimpse of a rider between Festus' wings before he and Sciron go tumbling into the violent waters. They smash into Sciron's ship with an explosion of water that combats the incoming tsunami.

The storm around them begins to quiet down as the water bubbles and hisses.

"I can't believe Leo would risk his life for us," Frank says, watching in shock and awe. "He only knew us for a few hours."

A figure suddenly streaks past them, heading straight towards the water. "Festus!" he cries in anguish.

Annabeth and Frank turn to each other. "Wait. If that was Leo, then who was riding the dragon?"

They climb to their feet and follow Leo, who has dropped to his knees in the tide. The clouds overhead are disappointing, the ocean quieting down. Sciron's ship had disappeared in the mist.

The tide flows in, depositing a hunk of metal at Leo's feet. He turns it over, revealing Festus' severed head. He drops his forehead against the dragons', crying softly. Annabeth sets a heavy hand on his shoulder.

The next wave brings in an even worse sight: a body. Annabeth's feet drag her over to it, her heart filled with lead. She kneels down and brushes the long, dark hair to the side, revealing Silena's badly burned face.

"Oh gods." Annabeth scoops up the girls' body into her lap. "Not you, too."

Will rushes over, his medical bag in his hand, but even before he shakes his head solemnly Annabeth knows it's a lost cause.

"She saved us all," Annabeth says quietly. "Her and Festus."

All the survivors gather around. Silence falls, even the birds not daring to sing. All Annabeth can taste is salt - salt from the waves and salt from her tears.

Annabeth had thought that she would be the sacrifice to satisfy the sea monster, but in the end it was Silena.

"Do you think Sciron is actually dead this time?" Frank asks quietly.

"No." Annabeth strokes Silena's hair. "And we have to be ready for him next time."