Epilogue
"Father," Katerina greeted Hades with a sunny smile, trying to ignore William's squirming next to her.
"Katerina!" Hades didn't exactly smile, but he came really close. William was looking down at the polished stone floor and shuffling his feet, hands behind his back. "Who's this?"
"Um, this is William." Katerina introduced. William looked up and half-smiled.
"I prefer to be called Wolfe," William corrected, holding out his hand for Hades to shake.
"Very well, William." Hades simply tapped in him on the shoulder and gave him a smirk. William stopped himself from rolling his eyes and managed a smile, a full one this time. "So uh, are you and my daughter...dating as they call it nowadays?"
William glanced at Katerina, who had sneakily sidestepped out of the conversation and was at the snacks table. This had to be one of the most awkward situations he's been in ever. "You could say that - it's a bit complicated."
"Hm, who did you say your parents were again?" Hades asked, staring above William's head.
"Nyx and Erebos, sir," William replied, addressing his real fathers name for the first time.
"Ah, remind them of have a little chat with me," Hades said, giving a nod that looked like it was a nod of approval. William gulped and plastered a fake smile onto his face. Will desperately tried to catch his girlfriend's eye, but when he did, Katerina smiled and waved cheerily at him.
"Perfect," He muttered, trying to escape while attempting somewhat fruitlessly to appear nonchalant.
"What was that?" Hades raised an eyebrow, pinning Wolfe with his black stare.
"Nothing, sir." William scoffed, relaxing his nerves quite a bit. He looked up and met Hades' eyes. They were so empty; William had never seem eyes quite as dark as his, although impossible they seemed to be the darkest shade of black. Suddenly the smile dropped from William's face and William ripped his eyes off of Hades'. Almost right on cue, Katerina slid back into conversation.
"Sorry, how are we getting along?" Katerina politely asked her father as he easily met eyes with him.
"Quite fine, listen Katerina. I best be off now. Your mother seems to want to have a little chat to me. I'll come talk to you soon." Hades said as he gave a Katerina a farewell nod. William gave a loud sigh of relief and leaned against the marble column. Katherina laughed softly then stood, leant against the column next to him, sipping at her drink.
"Sorry, that guy can sure make people nervous." William smirked as he turned his face to look at hers.
Rosamynd sat on one of the tables, her green flats on the floor just below her, as she had kicked them off when they got here. She ran her thumb over the white satin cloth on her chair, occasionally blowing stray hairs out of her face while doing so.
"Miss me?" Rosamynd's head snapped up so fast she thought it nearly broke off.
"Kyle!" She smiled brightly, springing out of her seat. She wrapped her arms around him and breathed the salty sea smell he always carried with him, like he just came back from the beach. He sat down next to her, handing her a goblet full of punch. She gratefully took it, drowning it in one big gulp before turning her attention to Kyle.
He smiled softly, showing dimpled cheeks and bright green eyes. Rosamynd felt her face reddening, but she smiled back, leaning back on her seat as he took her hand. They sat there for Gods-knew-how-long, in comfortable silence. But inside, Rosamynd felt like she wanted to cry. How long? How long do we have until he turns old and gray and I outgrow him? I don't want to forget.
One more day.
I just want one more day.
"Vytoni!" Vytoni turned to see Artemis striding towards her, with Vanessa, the present Lieutenant. Fixing a pleasant smile on her face -and fighting back a grimace as the new scar on her cheek (she decided to keep it, as it cost her a lot of trouble)- and bowed the Goddess.
"Oh, no need for that, Vyt," Artemis pulled her into a hug, "How have you been?"
"Phenomenal," Vytoni responded dryly, tapping the scar that stretched on the left side of her face. She tried to smile again, but something was settling in the pit of her stomach, causing her attempt to melt away.
Artemis studied for several long moments, then turned to Vanessa, murmuring, "Are you sure?" Vanessa nodded gravely, a small smile gracing her delicate Native American features. She was a daughter of Ares, and had been in the Hunt far longer that Vytoni herself. She deserves to be Lieutenant a lot more than I do. Vytoni realized with an unpleasant jolt.
"Vanessa is willing to give up her spot as Lieutenant, if you wish to rejoin the Hunt," Artemis said softly. Somewhere to the right, Nethrys stiffened, his stomach clenching and unclenching uncomfortably. He stepped away and retreated to shelter in the shadow of a big column, watching the commotion with a much detachment as possible, which proved to be quite a hard task.
Vytoni was still for several minutes, a two sides raging war in her mind. Finally, agonizingly slowly, she nodded. Just once, but once was enough for Nethrys to close his eyes in let out a breath of anger and frustration - and above all, sadness. It's happening, He silently despaired, I'm going to lose her.
Vytoni stepped to the center of the circle of thrones - everyone had gone silent as she stepped past them. Artemis accompanied them, and so did Vanessa and the rest of the Huntresses, about thirty in all.
She knelt before the Goddess, who placed a hand on Vyt's shoulder. By then, everyone was quiet. "I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept-" Nethrys raised his head so fast he cracked his neck as he heard her small tumble, "-accept eternal maidenhood, and -" Nethrys held his breath. He knew that it wasn't fair of him to want her to decline Artemis' offer, but he could be afford to be a little bit selfish, just this once. "and join..." Vytoni released a long, soft whistle between her teeth, grinding them in annoyance. Closing her eyes, she stood up again, shook her head sadly at Artemis, who stared at her ex-Huntress in shock, and walked away, melting into the shadows of the nooks and crannies of Olympus.
Nethrys stared off in the distance, still feeling that sneaky satisfaction, making his head giddy. Suddenly, he remember the other girls, the Huntresses that would immediately think it was his fault that Vytoni didn't choose the Hunt.
... is it?
Nethrys knew that unless Vytoni wanted to be found, she would practically be wearing Hades' helm of darkness, so he decided to do some avoiding of his own, just until the girls out for his blood cooled down a bit.
Vytoni was ladling some nectar into her goblet when a voice sounded next to her ear. Great. Now I have to answer to him. A lot of people, Huntress or no, were bombarding her with questions whenever she decided to get something to eat or drink, which irritated her to no end.
"Snow is awfully pretty, isn't it?" Nethrys' question was so random and irrelevant that Vytoni almost laughed. Almost. Of course he would try to distract me, "I mean, I wasn't even kidding about the awful part," He added thoughtfully, "It's really pretty, from a distance, and you really want to go play with it. But then once you actually see it, you realize it's so cold and cruel, so you go back inside. But somehow, you always end up with the same mistake, going back outside, even though you know full well what happens."
"But snow melts," Vytoni replied softly. Nethrys' gaze, his eyes now a spectrum of swirling colors and emotions, met hers fiercely, "Listen, thanks for being... you know, off topic. But I think we both know why I didn't choose the Hunt, I as much as I want to put this off too, we really need to talk about-"
Suddenly, Nethrys kissed her. Just like that. Before he could lose his new found courage, he smiled, "Stop talking, please." and kissed her again. This time, longer.
Lysandra stared at Enryx's brown eyes, her own narrowing in determination. He mimicked her movement, his eyebrows bunched up in concentration.
"Checkmate," Lysandra announced, grinning as Enryx moan and slammed his head on the headboard, scattering the chess pieces. "You were close," She reassured him, then corrected herself, "Or closer than last time."
Enryx tried to frown, but his lips kept twitching up to twist into a weak grin. She laughing, leaning in to kiss his lips, an act that came perfectly naturally, as if they were together forever. In a way, we were, Lys mused, We just never woke up until... She shook herself from the vision of a mangled Enryx, unmoving.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Lysandra looked up and saw Enryx looking at her intently, reading her face carefully. Lys smiled and shook her head, and he instantly understood, his smile melting away to a small frown as he recalled his near-death experience.
Lysandra glanced at her watch and realized it was almost time to return to Camp Half-Blood. Except I'm not going back. Zeus was right. She needed to start taking initiative and accept her responsibilities.
Enryx followed her train of thoughts as she relayed them to him and nodded understandingly, replying, "I'm not going back, either."
"What?" Lysandra blurted, forgetting to mask her disappointment. If he travels abroad, I can't visit him anymore. "Why not?"
"Because I'll be with you, of course." He says it like it was completely obvious, but Lysandra only stared stared at him in shock. Her next words came out in stammers. "Why'd you-you don't have to-wh-what-"
Enryx's smile grew wider as Lys continued to open and close her mouth like a goldfish and wordlessly pulled her into a hug.
Enryx buried his face into the crown of her head, murmuring against her hair, "You didn't really think I'd leave without you, did you?"
Lysandra sighed against his chest and softly replied, "Never."
Kyle Brenna was a good guy. His mom was a middle school teacher, they had mediocre payment, and they got through okay. When Kyle arrived at Camp Half-Blood, amazed that he was still alive, he modestly answered everyone's questions of How did you survive this long and Why didn't see you before and -his favorite- But you're so old with I'm not sure and Great question, I'll get back to you on that. He helped out that summer and trained hard. He made sure everything was on track, and carefully planned his future, step by step.
So of course, his carefully arranged plan messed up when he met Rosamynd.
It's not a bad thing, but it wasn't the best. Kyle sometimes caught himself at night, when he let his guard down, wishing she was mortal, but immediately beat himself up thinking about it. That's like wishing a flower to be a weed, or a butterfly to be a moth.
But he hated it. He hated knowing that he will grow old and die and she will stay and move on. He hated her immortality, and his own short life. But most of all, he hated how much he loved her.
This must be what it was like in Ancient Greece. Kyle rested his head on his right hand, absentmindedly drumming his left one on the linen tablecloth. A green band gleamed on his second finger. There was a stain on the table next to him that a tree nymph was furiously scrubbing. The fruit punch -yet another reminder he didn't have enough ichor in him to resist nectar- sparkled red and splashed light on the tablecloth, the white surface dancing with rainbow colors. A flash of red hair. A green dress.
"Rosamynd," He grinned, greeting her with a polite kiss on her cheek. She smiled sleepily and sat down next to him, her knee touching his.
"Having fun?" She asked him, her emerald green eyes were sparkling with joy, but Kyle could see how tired she was. He nodded in agreement and shifted his position so she could lean her head on his chest.
Kyle Brenna wasn't a golden boy, either. He took quarters from the vending machine without giving it to the cashier. He never left money for the blind. He downloaded illegal music from the library. He snuck out. That boy from capture the flag last week still has a sprained wrist and a black eye. He was selfish. Ending their relationship would mean the best for everyone, but it just hurt too much to sacrifice his heart.
He was selfish; he hated the idea of Rosamynd outliving him, of her moving on, finding another person to love. He hated the thought of her leaving him behind.
Was Kyle Brenna a good guy? Yes. By mortal standards. Good enough to be a hero? I'm afraid not.
Trudy squirmed in her seat between her mother and father as they sent glares at each other when they thought Trudy wasn't looking. She looked over two tables away, where Adrian was chatting animatedly with his mother, Enyo. He caught her eye and smiled, and Trudy smiled back and gave him a small wave.
"Gertrude!" Aphrodite snapped, bringing her back to the present.
"Huh? Yeah, what?" Trudy was momentarily surprised, which caused her to forget her manners, which came pretty close to suicide when it came to her mother. For the sake of the Winter's Solstice, Aphrodite had transformed her hair to a brilliant platinum blonde, twisted and braid into an elegant knot resting at the base of her slender neck and studded with little gems. A sapphire glittered at the hollow of her throat, paired with earrings of the same color that glittered whenever she turned her head.
"Did you hear what I just said?" Her cherry painted lips were pouting, but not so much so her face wouldn't wrinkle. She let out a delicate sigh and stood up for Trudy's left, leaving even as she said, "I'm going to get some punch." Over her shoulder. I think we both know that you're not going to come back, mom.
Hephaestus sat on Trudy's right, looking as sulky and moody as ever. His muscly arms were crossed over his thick barrel chest, his wild auburn mane held together in a ponytail. He didn't make an attempt to dress up. But then again, nobody expects them to. His uncomfortable expression matched her own; the little crease between his eyebrows when they furrow, the tiny dimple on the left cheek when he frowned. Trudy could tell that her father wasn't overly fond of her, but she attempted to strike a conversation, anyway.
Vytoni scowled, hunched up against the white column, her bare arms pressed up against the cold surface as her fingers wandered aimlessly against grass - nymphs and satyrs regularly came to keep it alive, picking off random ones while smoothing some over. Suddenly, she sat up straighter, brushing grass strands from her white dress -which was now covered with grass stains- and stood up, pacing the small garden alcove. She let her breath out between her teeth and watched the cold mist twist and twirl and rise into the winter air.
Of course, Before Vytoni could stop and think rationally, she punched one of the supporting walls in frustration, Of course the hero gets the girl. Everytime!
She collapsed onto the bench, her head between her hands. How did it all go so wrong so fast?
A warm hand covers her own, gently leading them away from her face. Vytoni looked up to see Nethrys' eyes, soft and doleful, gazing back at her. His hands trail from her hands to her wrists then up her arms, making her want to shiver, and then cup the sides of her face, his right hand covering her scar from the frigid air.
"I know," He whispered, and Vytoni wanted to collapse into his arms, but instead she blurted out an apology.
"No, stop," Nethrys' expression moulded into something akin to panic as he sat next her, his hands now gripping her shoulders. Vytoni lowered her gaze to her hands, which were folded onto her lap, "We'll figure something out, I promise."
Vytoni laughed, a hollow sound ringing throughout her ears, "It's just... I hate that."
"What?"
"That the hero gets the girl," She mumbled, and Nethrys stared her for a second... and started laughing. When he didn't stop, Vyt frowned and punched his arm.
"Ow! It's just... of all the things... ha," Nethrys cleared his throat weakly as Vytoni glared at him, "If you think that's so bad, you should hear what I thought you... never mind. My point is, maybe that's why it always ends up like that. Maybe because if they came anything came close to what we've been through, it's a perfectly fine reason to... um. Be together?" He cleared his throat again and one of his hands takes one of hers, his thumb tracing the back of her hand, "And besides, our situation isn't strictly true. It's very nice of you to think I'm a hero, and you're not exactly a damsel in distress." Vytoni smiled a little at that and looked up to find him inches from her. He leans forward a little and their noses touching, barely.
"No need to beat the system, and all that, you know? It's not the Hero and the Girl. More like the Dork and the Hero."
"Hmm, I like that. Or maybe just the Hero and the Hero."
"How about Person A and B?"
"Eh, to general. God and Goddess?"
"Nethrys and Vytoni." Vytoni smiled at that.
"Yeah," She let him kiss her softly on the lips and closed her eyes as he drew back, "That sound right."
She opened her eyes and saw Nethrys sat up and wave awkwardly before flashing a grin. She rolled her eyes in response and waved back, feeling a little stupid while doing so. Nethrys turned back and walked away, leaving Vytoni sitting on the bench with a whole bunch of new things in her already messed up head.
She sighed, turning her body so her head rested on one of the armrests and draping her boots on the other. The roof was transparent, showing Vyt a full view of the glittering constellations. Including the Huntress, Zoe Nightshade. Vytoni let out an audible sigh and shook her head, rolling off the bench and getting to her feet.
Stretching, Vytoni walked out of the alcove and rounded the corner...
... and almost immediately collided into her father.
"Morpheus," Vytoni greeted the God, whose face transformed from one of pleasantly surprised to sadness and frustration.
"Hi, Vytoni," His tired eyes lit up with a smile, but it was somewhat weary. Vyt felt a little guilty for causing more trouble for whatever was going on for him, and was formulating an excuse to leave when her mother joined Morpheus, her green eyes softening as her lips pulled into a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Vytoni straightened her back and ran her hands over her dress, not quite meeting her parents' eyes.
Her relationship with her mom and dad was kind of complicated. Hecate had no lover in particular, but herself and Morpheus both had a few demigods children, and they came to an understanding of sorts, maybe. When Vytoni first met Nethrys, he offhandedly remarked how many campers were from cabin 20. She didn't want to admit it at the time, but it had struck a nerve. Hecate and Morpheus were both in the Titans' side during the war, so when Vytoni was born, she was an outcast of sorts. They both tried to help, but Vyt eventually rejected them and joined the Hunters.
"Mom. Dad," Vytoni said, uncomfortably gesturing towards the path they were standing on.
"Oh." Morpheus immediately stepped aside, but Hecate studied Vytoni for moment before slowly backing away. Vyt moved to walk away from them, but before she passed them, a hand brushed her wrist for a fleeting second. Vytoni jerked it forward and quickened her pace, leaving a forlorn Morpheus and Hecate behind.
Elektra stood on the balcony, watching people laughing and dancing below the Christmas lights strung along the lampposts. The cold from the railing stung her elbow as she leaned on it, observing with detached fascination how happy everyone looked. It's like they forgot about everything that happened the past few months.
I would like to forget it, too. Elektra mused, taking another sip of her drink. But then what honor will be left of Scarlett, or of anything or anyone else that were harmed? Sighing, she turned her back on the cold moon and made her way back inside.
"Excuse me." Startled, Elektra glanced up to see who the speaker was. A girl about a couple years younger than herself gazed steadily back at Elektra. Despite her age, she stood with her back straight and head up, with a certain air of solemn grace. She had black hair that gleamed softly in the moonlight was twisted into two braids, atop which sat a silver circlet similar to Vytoni's. Her eyes, light brown and gleaming with intelligence, was framed by long, dark lashes. As Elektra studied her more intently, she noticed a soft silver glow around her. She must be a Hunter of Artemis. Lieutenant, by the looks of it.
"Elektra, right?" Elektra nodded, and shook her offered hand. "Vanessa."
"Nice to meet you." Elektra mumbled politely, her eyes searching for a feeble attempt to dodge her without seeming rude.
"Do you have a moment?"
Confused, Elektra opened her mouth to sprout an excuse of meeting her brother just when Vanessa grabbed her arm. Her hand was clamped in a steel grip, so tight it almost hurt. Elektra wriggled out of her grip but followed Vanessa anyway. She led Elektra to an alcove a little way from everything else.
"What is it?" Elektra asked, wondering what the Hunter was up to.
"We understand that you have completed your quest. Where are you off to next?"
"I... Uh..." Elektra couldn't come up with an answer. "I don't know. I'll go wherever brother goes, I guess. Maybe stay here and develop my powers."
"Ah yes." Vanessa's delicate features scrunched up in an almost distasteful fashion. Suddenly, Elektra recalled the Hunters' notorious reputation of their dislike of men. "Your brother. And his pretty girlfriend too, am I right?"
"Her name is Lysandra." Elektra suddenly felt resentful towards the girl standing in front her. How dare you? How dare you compare us, as if we were in competition for his affection and attention? I thought the Hunters valued women, cherished them. We are not made to be turned against each other. "She was your friend, wasn't she? You seem pretty forgetful. You might wanna work on that, being immortal and all."
Vanessa's face flashed with fury, but was quickly replaced with a mask of icy calm. "She was my friend. Before she turned her back on us."
Elektra repressed the urge to lash out at Vanessa, instead turning around and saying, "It was nice talking to you."
She walked as fast as she could without being disrespectful, heading straight for the banquet. Before she could get there however, Enryx stepped in between her and her food.
"Hey, sis," He greeted her cheerfully, throwing an arm around her shoulders. She grinned in response, but her mind was drifted off to her conversation with Vanessa.
"Where's Lysandra?"
"With Vytoni." He led her to a table and left, returning shortly with a plate piling with food. He sat down next to her, basking in the easy silence they so often shared. Elektra suddenly found herself realizing she never wanted them to change; however, she knew change was inevitable.
They had an eternity to do it, after all.
"May I have this dance?" Adrian looked up to see Trudy's shining amber eyes. He took her outstretched hand with a mock bow, heading over to the ballroom's wide, beautifully decorated floor. Her hands looped over his neck and he hugged her close, resting his head on her shoulder as they swayed slowly through the slow, hauntingly alluring music. They stayed like that for a while, until the music went faster and faster.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Adrian turned around to see Katarina grinning from ear to ear. "Mind if we switch?" The music was now very loud, blasting through the halls of Olympus. He looked at Trudy, who nodded before taking a bemused William's hand. He took Kat's hand and they shared a dance before going to a table, where Vytoni, Nethrys and Lysandra were watching everyone else.
Katarina took the seat next to Lysandra, while Adrian sat next to Nethrys, shortly joined by Trudy and William. Enryx and Elektra soon found them, Enryx balancing a heaping pile of desserts. As soon as he set them down on the table, Adrian immediately grabbed a cupcake. "Excellent."
Rosamynd wandered over and sat next to Elektra, her hand interlacing with Kyle, the demigod's. Adrian felt a smile split his face, but faded as soon as he realized that there was a seat left, a gaping hole to match the one in his heart. This will never be the same. He sadly realized, as he pictured Scarlett's happy, smiling face, only to be replaced with her dead, cold eyes that stared at nothing.
That's immortality, my darlings.