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Chapter 4- Find me
"Feeling your touch all around, Peaceful and hearing the sound, Silence surrounds us, so glad we found us this way... Find me, Here in your arms, now I'm wondering where you've always been, and finally, I came to you knowing you'd bring new life from within...I can't get enough of you..." Boyce Avenue, "Find Me", in the Album, All We Have Left.
"Hephaestus, I want to speak with you..." Poseidon murmured in a hushed voice. The blacksmith sat on his bed in his temple, staring at the floor glumly.
"I don't need your pity" he spat and Poseidon bit his lip.
"Hephaestus, I'm sorry about your son, I just wanted to know if you'd allow me to help with the pyre also." The sea god, said quietly, not wanting to upset the god.
"Like I said to the others, do whatever, I don't care, I don't see why you even bother," Hephaestus sighed.
"Look, I can see why you think I messed this up. But, I didn't, if I would've known what had happen, I'd be there to help, but sadly I was helping my son Triton with other matters at Atlantis-" Poseidon was about to say more, until Hephaestus stood up and sighed loudly.
"You don't be giving my son special treatment after his death! When my other past children passed through war and other reasons, you never gave them special treatment before!" He spat. "You don't go blaming yourself either!"
"He's different, Hephaestus...He saved my son, and many other campers, both roman and greek" Poseidon whispered, before Hermes barged through the entrance.
"Hephaestus! There you are, I wanted to know if they're was any requests to do anything special from me for your son" He said in a rush, his messenger shoes flapping its wings, preparing itself for flight.
"I don't need any of that," Hephaestus scowled.
"Oh, got to go, more deliveries to Hades..." Hermes murmured. "See you later"
Poseidon turned back to his Nephew. "Like I was saying, he helped many people, he deserves our attention."
Hephaestus's features scowled, "You decide he deserves attention after his death!"
"Don't be like that Hephaestus," Poseidon sighed. "You know I didn't mean it like that"
"I know exactly what you mean! You are the same person who told me not to give him that 'curse'!" he spat.
"Nevermind..." Poseidon sighed, giving up ever talking to him. "Are you coming to the ceremony at least?"
Hephaestus answer was simple; he kept quiet, staring hard at the Sea god. Poseidon got the message and left his temple, shaking his head before walking up to the awaiting Athena, who smiled at his presence.
"How'd it go?" She bit her lip.
Poseidon shook his head, "He's not like the old Hephaestus we've known for enternity. He seems completely out of it, not wanting to talk about it"
"I guessed that, why don't Ares or Aphrodite try? Aphrodite is his wife after all," Athena smiled half-heartedly. Poseidon smiled and walked with her towards her temple.
They've seem to become closer towards friends after Percy and Annabeth became engaged. Athena - suprisingly - decided they should end their grudge against each other, because of Medusa and the city of Athens.
"Aphrodite?" Poseidon called out.
"Hold on, sugar," she called out, before stepping out in her red V-neck dress. "What's up?"
"Could you please talk to your husband for us? Maybe you could talk to him about his son." Athena responded when Poseidon stuttered, trying to find the right words.
She frowned, "Alright, well I'll try."
When Hephaestus had enough of his wife's constant yammering, he sighed, and stood up, heading straight towards the throne room, leaving his beautiful wife on his bed, in mid-sentence. She sighed and got up heading in his footsteps.
Hephaestus sighed heavily as he sat on his throne hoping for some peace after everyone's pity. "Hephaestus..." He heard, and he bit his lip from yelling.
He looked up to see his father, Zeus, staring down at him, with a face he never seen on him; sympathy. "What do you want?" He muttered.
"All-all of us wanted to discuss the topic of the pyre for your son..." He gestured to the twelve seats, and Hephaestus frowned noticing that every seat was taken and the minor gods have stood there with more sympathetic faces.
"I don't want to be here..." Hephaestus whispered.
Zeus sighed, "Chiron had already mentioned it was settled for next week, we really need to discuss this now, or we're going to discuss this withou you, and have things the way we want it, without your permission."
"I don't care!" Hephaestus shouted, throwing his hands up.
Most of the gods and goddesses looked down, or to their sides.
"Please Hephaestus..." Some goddess murmured, and everyone looked towards the young goddess, Demeter. She sighed and looked up towards Hephaestus's gaze. His eyes loosened up and he gulped as her dark brown eyes poured into his. "Think of Esperanza, she would want this. It's for the three of you; a family. It's also for the people he has helped, Hephaestus. Think of the ones who look up to him; Harley, Nyssa, Percy, Jason, Piper. You can't be selfish, Hephaestus." Everyone stared at her, it was one of the longest things she's ever said to someone in a long while.
Hephaestus stared for another minute, then sighed. Standing up, he walked out of the room, heading straight for the elevator. He headed out of the Empire State Building and closed his eyes, knowing exactly where to go. He vanished from the streets and headed to Bunker Nine. As he walked in, he was grateful no one was in here and the nostalgic memories of this place had hit the blacksmith god. He quickly set those aside when he saw Leo's table.
Slowly he walked closer and fell to his knees, not able to contain his emotions. He sighed and saw Festus' head, the drawing he had made at the picnic table with Hera, and the piles of letters and plans for other works. And some of the letters in the piles were in memory of Leo, and hope you find peace, from all of the campers. He hadn't seen those or even touched them, heck they weren't even made then when he was here, and Hephaestus knew this.
"Dad?" Hephaestus heard, and he looked up. He whirled to the entrance seeing a shadow from behind. Standing there was Nyssa.
"My Nyssa..." He muttered.
"What are you doing?" She asked as he balanced one of Leo's work of art on his hand. He stared wearily, at the peace of bronze, a sudden wave of rage and grief inside grow. When it reaches a certain extent Hephaestus throws it across the ground, sparks fly juxtapose, pieces of shrapnel and bronze fly as well, reaching as far as Nyssa's feet. "Dad!" She exclaimed reaching to her knees as she desperately tried to put it back together.
He smirked and waved his godly hard-worked hand dismissively, not realizing what he had done.
"Oww" Nyssa groaned, as Festus's head came crashing down onto her arm. The three ton object had crushed her bone, making a prominent crash and Hephaestus gulped, his eyes going from rage back to normal.
"My Nyssa, my dear Nyssa..." he whispered. She looked up at him with pure pain and sadness. Her lip quivered, and he flinched, reminded of her mother.
She screamed in pain, as she tried to move the weighted object off of her.
Regret and fear crept to the blacksmith god, and he saw the pain on his once loving wife. He placed his gentle but strong hands on her face.
"Sweetie...My, oh my, Sweetheart, my darling..." Hephaestus stuttered. He looked to the ground, and lifted the dragons's head from the ground. It was dented and scratched and Hephaestus bit his lip. He bit harder when he saw the nasty wound on her left arm.
"Im terribly sorry, my Nyssa..." He whispered, making sure not to mistaken the names with her mother.
She opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come out, instead she sniffled and began to cradle her damaged arm. She bit her tongue to prevent her from crying.
She couldn't hold it in anymore. A tear had slid down his cheek. Slowly tears fallen faster and Hephaestus had cradled her in his arms. "My Nyssa..." She cried until she fell asleep, Hephaestsus healing the wound, then held her in his arms the way he had done with all his wives, and what he had done to his children after war.
Nyssa sat on a log, watching the red flames burn behind the pre-made pyre. She remembered her father holding her as she fell asleep last week, as if it was a few minutes ago, but she tried to remain strong through this ceremony. Harley told her at lunch that he was going to stay at the Bunker, and Nyssa obliged. She couldn't stand to explain what was going on, he barely understood Charlie's death, and it would be rough for him with Leo.
Most of the campers hadn't want to go, but because of their parents, they didn't want to decieve them.
Butch had an excuse. He was nursing the pregnant mare, ready to give birth any moment. He had discussed this with his mother already and she pleasantly obliged.
"Half-Bloods!" Chiron said with a steady but weary voice. Clearly, he has had enough of these, wanting nothing more but to end these deaths.
"We will start our traditional funeral pyre! Is there anymore campers wishing to join?" Chiron announced drearily.
"Come on Piper!" Jason's voice exclaimed near the forest line. everyone turned their heads towards the two.
"No! No! No!" Piper whined, her eyes red with tears. Jason sighed as she sat on the ground refusing to budge. He picked her up bridal style.
"Remember, this is for Leo..." he whispered.
"I don't want to watch!" She protested.
"Piper..." Jason warned.
"No!" she cried, and Chiron cleared his throat.
"Jason! If she doesn't want to join, she don't got to!" Chiron announced.
"Clear out!" Butch exclaimed, campers sprawled to make for what Jason and Piper realized as a Pegasus. "Make room!"
Piper screamed, imagining a horse trampling her, but instead it was only a baby, yet she still screamed. Jason had set her down, intertwining their hands, trying not to panic. The Pegasus had stumbled, landing on his side, flapping his big reddish-brown wings, trying to get up.
Butch veered closer and saw the couple frozen, standing there. "Don't move; don't make any movements" He instructed.
Piper gulped, and saw the fear in the young Pegasus' eyes. The Pegasus had whined and thrashed his head as Piper stepped closer.
"Don't move" Butch hissed, but Piper looked at the creature carefully. Piper watched the creature flap its wings helplessly flinching as he lifted his left wing up.
"He's hurt!" She screeched after he whined again.
"He'll attack, let me handle this" Butch insisted, reaching for the rope around his neck.
"I got it..." Piper shooed him, as she kneeled down towards the creature. The Pegasus thrashed his head around, trying to see who was touching him, and he rested his head finally when he felt the touch of a demi-god. A chill went up his spine before realizing it was warm to the touch. He nodded his head, wanting to be petted on his large-to-comparison of his fragile body, head.
"Piper, Butch is the equestrian, let him handle this" Jason warned. The campers stared in awe as Piper cradled the creatures head in her lap. The Pegasus whined softly, wanting more.
"He just wants to be petted..." Piper whispered as she stroke the creatures coat, that gleamed red from the dying flames.
Leo had enjoyed every moment of this. He finally was in her arms again, and he was grateful no one had done anything to stop her. He had stopped thrashing after hurting his wing back at the stable, and he found out that his pain was vanished with her near. But he still found it hard to accept that he wasn't Leo anymore, he was a Pegasus named Blaze, not the old demi-god he once was.
He had thought hard before even focusing where he was at the moment. This was his funeral-his old lifes' funeral to be exact.
He stared at the pyre, the growing fire behind the stand rose higher. He narrowed his vision at the silhouette eclipsing everything behind him. Blaze stared harder, after letting Piper's warm hands stroke his curly brown hair. He looked closely and noticed the fague but familiar figure.
The familiar figure though, was carrying another figure. A figure that looked familiar.
Then it hit him. The light from the fire shown on the two figures, illuminating it enough for Blaze to see who it was.
It was his father. The pyre was empty, and he knew why. Leo was in his fathers arms, being carried to only where Hephaestus knew.
He had gulped. It felt weird being in both of the people he loves' arms, the only people he had ever trusted and loved besides his mother.
But Leo couldn't tekk which was better. Being inside his fathers arms, Pipers or his mothers. All were comforting, but only one remained clear to him. And that was the one that was presently comforting him.
And that was Piper.
Took me a while, but finally finished.
Enjoy and Review,
~Percabeth17~