Disclaimer: All characters, settings, and other story components taken from the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or Trials of Apollo series belong to J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan, respectively. I do not own any of the aforementioned. I do not intend to use this story commercially.

A/N: Wow! This is it! Unless I post a final author's note, this will be the last chapter on here. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my work. Every single view means so much to me. On another note, this chapter doesn't stick to Trials of Apollo canon. I wrote the original epilogue in 2016, way before those books came out, and I'd prefer not to make *enormous* spoilers by changing certain details. This chapter has some spoilers for the ending of Deathly Hallows. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Please read and review.

"Eighteen, Lils! I can hardly believe it."

We're winding through the Forbidden Forest. The June twilight casts long shadows on the ground ahead of us. As I turn, I catch a glimmer of gold through the trees.

I smile.

As the golden net comes fully into view, Liliya barks. We start to run.

I duck inside, breathing in the crisp air. Hermione, every practical, lined the net with permanent sticking charms, wards, and other useful spells. Luna charmed the interior to smell like mint.

"Sophy!"

I spin as Nico steps under the net. "Nico! Hi!"

"Happy birthday!"

I laugh. "Thanks. It's great to see you."

"You, too." He crouches down to pet Liliya. "Hello, princess."

She yaps.

Straightening, he gives me a hug. "I was just coming up to check the net again. Everyone else got here hours ago."

I wince. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I got caught up in helping Hagrid with his new Kneazles."

"No problem. You're the birthday girl; everyone else is just early."

He holds up the edge of the net for Liliya and I. This time, we step into Camp Half-Blood's forest. Liliya pants as the humid, hot breeze blows by. I thank the stars I remembered to wear shorts.

"How does it feel to be eighteen?" Nico asks.

I consider. "A little older? I dunno. Everything's felt off after the war."

He sighs. "Yeah. I know the feeling. Is that why you're still at Hogwarts?"

"Us and everyone else. A lot of people are there. It's taking a while to clean up and sort everything out." I push back my hair. "Honestly, it's great to get away."

"I bet."

"Anyway, how is everyone?" I ask.

He tips his head, thinking. "Frank and Hazel are in New Rome. They say Happy Birthday. Thalia's busy with the hunt, but she sends her love."

"Aww. I'll Iris-message her tonight."

"Camp started a week ago, so I think everyone else showed up then. Your classmates got here an hour ago? ish? Vikenti, Inna, and those guys came from the cabin this morning." He grins. "Will went to wake them up a few minutes ago."

I laugh. "That sounds about right."

"At any rate, they're so excited to see you."

We slow as our path comes to an end. Camp Half-Blood is spread across the valley below us. I see satyrs working in the strawberry fields to our left, and the Athena Parthenos catches the afternoon sun. A pegasus soars over the cabins.

Nico points to the Big House. "Look!"

As we watch, familiar figures spill down the front steps, waving, running up the hill toward us.

I laugh, waving back. A few steps more and I'm flying.

"You are here!" Esfir gives me a bear hug. "I missed you!"

"Yeah, it feels like ages since we saw you last."
"Oh, Ron, knock it off." Hermione crouches to pet Liliya. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, 'Mione. You've got chocolate on your nose. Don't let Liliya lick it."

She straightens quickly, wiping it with her sleeve. "Sorry."

"How does it feel to be eighteen?" Feliks asks from behind Harry. "Old, yet? Ancient?"

"No, young one," I say in Russian. "I feel normal." Then, in English, "Where's Inna and Vikenti? Or Luna and Neville?"

Feliks and Esfir exchange a look. "They're inside," Esfir says. "They will meet us in the amphitheater later."

Harry touches my arm. "I think Jason's waiting by your cabin."

I look around. "Hold on, Inna isn't in the kitchen, is she? Maybe with Luna and Neville?" I grin. "Do they need help with anything?"

Hermione, now wiping up a bit of flour in her hair, rolls her eyes. "No. They don't need help with anything." She scowls as I giggle. "Oh, stop. Let's go."

"Here, take some more frosting!" Leo scrapes the flat of the serving knife against my plate, leaving a pile of lemon buttercream.

"We should have cake more often," Luna says. "Strawberry cake on Mondays, and rhubarb cake on Tuesdays."

"Cake does make things better," I agree, leaning my head on Neville's shoulder.

We're sitting on the floor of the amphitheater. The rest of the camp will be coming down for campfire songs in a while, but for now, it's just us.

"This cake is great," Jason says. "Chocolate and lemon taste great together."

Inna smiles. "It was a group effort."

"On another note, can dogs have lemon? Or frosting?" Nico asks.

I glance up sharply. "Did you give her any?"

"No, but I think she wants some."

"I have some dog food in my bag if she's hungry," I say. "Lils is getting older. The less people food, the better."

"We should have made Liliya her own birthday cake!" Leo says. "With, like, peanut butter or something. Does anyone know how to make cake for dogs?"

Everyone glances around. No one does.

"Know what this reminds me of, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asks, spearing a bite of cake. "Your sixteenth birthday. Tyson and I made you a cake."

"With the blue frosting," Percy remembers. "Gods, that seems so long ago."

"We celebrated your sixteenth birthday at Hogwarts, right?" Harry asks me.

"That sounds right." I take a bite of cake. "Hey, I didn't even know I was a demigod back then."

"Crazy," Piper murmurs.

"Not as crazy as some things," Ron says dryly.

"It's so peaceful here," Hermione whispers. "I can hear the birds singing."

I take a deep breath, leaning back. Above our heads, the edges of a pink sunset are beginning to touch the clouds. Camp feels irreversibly calm after the ashes and turmoil and grief of the war. The beginnings of the sunset look as yellow as my lemon frosting.

"What are you doing this summer, Sophy?" Inna asks after a moment.

"I'm not sure." I pick at my cake. "I want to spend a few weeks here, and a few weeks in Russia. We're still working on repairing the castle. It'd be nice to get back to the farm."

"Tell them about training," Harry says with a faint smile.

"Oh, yes." I nod. "Harry and I were talking to McGonagall last week. She's trying to organize staff and classrooms and dormitories so Hogwarts can open again in September. And, when she hires our next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor -" I grin "- I might, mind you, might be permitted to begin training under them. So, maybe, I can take their place someday. Maybe."

"You'll be training as a teacher?" Annabeth exclaims. "Oh, Sophy, that's great!"

"We haven't had a proper DADA professor in years," Harry says. "Those kids will finally learn something." He grins at me. "Maybe."

"I should talk to McGonagall about training, too," Neville says thoughtfully. "I wouldn't mind shadowing Professor Sprout for Herbology."

"You'd be a fantastic Herbology professor," I tell him.

"Ooh, speaking of plants, Sophya, you need to come visit the cabin tomorrow," Esfir says. "Vikenti and I have been planting new gardens. You will love them."

"Don't tell her too much, or you'll ruin all of our surprises!" Vikenti scolds.

Jason looks up from his conversation with Piper. "What? Surprises? What surprises?"

"Surprises for Sophya at the cabin."

"Plus other surprises," Leo says. "But we're not ready for those yet."

"I think the world could use some more happy surprises," Luna remarks. "Happy surprises always tend to make things a bit more bearable."

"Speaking of surprises, is there any cake left?"

"What does cake have to do with surprises?"
"Nothing, I just want cake."

I lean back, smiling to myself as my friends slide into jokes and laughter. There's still more cake left, and we each take another small slice. The lemon frosting is just right for the dark, rich chocolate. The sky is all shades of pink and gold. Liliya gives a little doggy yawn and lays her head down on my lap. A soft sea breeze ruffles the trees above us.

For a moment, everything in the tumultuous world is content and still.

For a moment, I can forget the bruises and losses of the war.

For a moment, I can remember to breathe.

Liliya curls up against me. She's older, and more tired, but she's still hanging on.

Neville, sitting next to me, laughs at something Hermione said. They're all tired and grieving from the war, but this summer, everyone's going to make it home.

Across the circle, Jason gives Percy a fist-bump. Camp Half-Blood survived the Watchman, thankfully, but there are always new monsters to fight.

Feliks steals a bit of Inna's cake. They, along with Esfir and Vikenti, have rebuilt my old cabin. It's a real home, now, with a mix of our old belongings and their new ones. They're training at camp. They've learned English. For the first time, I think, they have a real home.

I pull my hair over my shoulder, watching a cloud. I'm eighteen today, against all odds. I still live with Matt and Amelie in South Yorkshire. I still carry my applewood wand and my bronze knife. I still use the golden net in the woods whenever I can.

I'm still me.