Hey guys! I'm happy and sad to say that we're at the end. There are only two chapters left. This one and chapter 25. I enjoyed writing this story and I really enjoyed sharing it with you guys, especially MysteryPerson & Sorry that username is taken who were "with me" for the entire story. I'm going to miss your reviews ;) And it's corny but it's been a pretty good journey, lol :) This chapter is probably the longest I've ever written and I worked hard on it to make it one hell of a last chapter. (Disclaimer: I don't own the next chapter, just in case)I won't be adding an Author's Note at the end of this chapter or the next, so this will be the last you'll "hear" from me.

So, long live Pandora Jackson, Daughter of Poseidon.

XXIV

PANDA

I don't know how long I laid there just holding him. He'd taken my entire world. It felt like a century ago that I heard the Hunter rustle her way out of the forest. If I wasn't drowning in my sorrow, I would've chased her down and most likely taken her life in my rage.

My chest was sore from all the crying and the only reason I wasn't crying anymore was because my body had grown physically tired. I kept thinking that if I stayed here long enough, he'd wake up and say "just kidding", but he didn't move. He stopped bleeding a while ago, but my hand was still wet in scarlet red. I moved the hair out of my face and tried to wipe away the tears, which was no use because they were already dry.

"Panda?!" I heard someone yell, but I was too weak to answer. "Pand –" they cut off with a gasp. I heard their footsteps running toward me and I didn't care if they wanted to kill me or not. In fact, I'd let them. With Percy gone, I had nothing left. They grabbed my shoulder and turned my face. It was Nico. Once he saw I was perfectly alive, he turned to Percy and checked his pulse. He fell down, crest-fallen.

"He's… he's dead," he whispered, half out loud, half to himself. "No, no, he can't be." He turned to me. "What happened?"

I tried to speak, but the words got stuck in my throat and I was on the verge of breaking into tears again. Nico didn't ask again. He moved towards me and embraced me. I lost it. I cried into his shoulder as I hugged him back and wrapped my hands in his shirt like babies do to their mothers.

"I was too late," I cried, my voice being broken up by sobs and sniffles. "I- I tried. I just couldn't get to him in time," I said, my words weren't coming out right as I cried my broken heart out. I felt a new pain in my chest as I cried again, and it hurt more. Nico didn't say anything. He just pulled me a little bit away from Percy's body and lay down, letting me stain his shirt with tears.

I felt hollow. One curiosity, that I had thought was completely harmless, resulted in too many deaths. Who else was going to die? How many hearts were going to break? I caught my breath.

"I have to tell Annabeth," I whispered.

"I can do that, Panda," Nico offered. But I couldn't let him do it. It was my fault. I was supposed to take care of him. Annabeth trusted I would bring him back in one piece and I failed.

"Do you have a phone?" I asked. Nico stood up and, whispering something, pulled out the phone from Percy's pocket. He handed it to me. My lips trembled as I grabbed the phone. His phone. I opened it and looked for Annabeth's number. Except it wasn't in her name, it was under "sweetheart". I sobbed as I dialed the number and waited for her to pick up. Part of me hoped she wouldn't, because I didn't know what I could say.

"Percy? Thank goodness you're okay! You didn't call me! I thought something had gone wrong," Annabeth said, sounding genuinely relieved. I felt another crying fit coming on and I struggled to calm down enough to speak.

"Percy?"

"It's Panda," I said, my voice breaking. She was silent for a minute.

"Is Percy okay?" she asked worriedly. I took a deep breath.

"No Annabeth. He…" I sniffled. "He's dead. A Hunter killed him." I heard her gasp. "I'm so sorry Annabeth! I tried to get to him in time, but I couldn't –" I stopped because she suddenly hung up.

"She hung up," I said, giving the phone back to Nico. I stood up and walked back to Percy, feeling like I just let down the entire world.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, before I softly kissed his forehead. I pulled out Riptide and started searching for rocks as Nico watched me in confusion, until he figured it out what I was doing and started helping. Slowly, we created his grave. Once it was done, I uncapped Riptide and dug it at the head of his grave.

It was already getting dark, so we set up camp. Nico had gone into town and found us some sleeping bags, thankfully. I lay down and closed my eyes, though I knew it'd be hours before I fell asleep. Minutes later, I opened them again. I kept seeing Percy dying every time I closed them. Athena won. I felt like crying again, but I stopped myself. I needed a clear head and think about what I was going to do next.

Hecate had been a dead end and if she couldn't do it, no one else could or would. But what if there was still a way? Maybe the gods haven't found it? Idiot, they would've tried everything. What could be more powerful than the gods? The titans and giants, perhaps, but the only person who would've probably had the ability to do it wouldn't have and is dead somewhere. Kronos. I mentally smacked myself. Was I so desperate?

I closed my eyes, but when I opened them again, I was standing in a clearing. Surrounded. But not by enemies. Percy stood in front of me, then mom, then Ryder and Spyridon. Thoughts crowded my mind as I saw all of them. I was happy, sad, angry and memories of everyone circled in my mind. How Ryder kissed me, how Spyridon saved my life, Percy and… mom. I was almost glad she had died, because Percy's death would've crushed her. I smiled. I was surrounded by the people I cared about and that's all I needed. Mom raised her hand, as if to wave, but she suddenly turned into a column of smoke and disappeared. I gasped.

"Mom!" I turned and caught Spyridon disappearing too. "No!" My breath was quickening. I turned back to Percy and Ryder, who were the only ones left, but they both began to fade, their smiles and eyes taking longer to disappear.

"NO!" I screamed as I jumped forward, hoping I could stop them from disappearing, but I fell right through them and hit the ground hard. I stood up and they were all gone.

"PERCY! RYDER!" I screamed into the sky. There was a flash of lightning and the ground began to tremble as thunder rolled loudly through the sky. I ran down the clearing as a giant crack appeared in the ground, separating the earth. But no matter which way I went, the crack followed. It finally caught up to me and I fell through, narrowly catching myself on the edge. I held on for dear life as the trench grew wider, rocking so hard it made my teeth chatter.

I tried to pull myself up, but a shadow fell over me. I looked up to see a familiar figure and I sighed in relief.

"Percy," I said, hoping he could help me up, but instead, he knelt down, a dangerous look in his eyes.

"You murdered me, Panda," he said.

"What? No! I didn't!" I said frantically.

"You didn't save me. You didn't stop the Hunters," he said, sounding genuinely angry. I felt a lump forming in my throat and my eyes burned.

"Percy, I tried! I –"

"You didn't try hard enough!" he yelled. I gasped as my hands started to slide.

"Percy, please," I begged. He stood up and placed his foot onto my hands, pressing hard. I grunted in pain as he dug his heel into my knuckles. I tried to hold on despite the pain, but I was slipping.

"Percy!" I screamed as my hands fell off and I tumbled into the abyss. I hit the ground, amazingly still alive, but I couldn't move. My body hurt, especially my hands. I heard footsteps nearing and when I looked up, I saw Ryder.

"Ryder!" I exclaimed. He walked towards me, put his legs on either side of me and sat on me. It felt a little harder to breathe with all of his weight on me.

"Ryder?" He placed his hands around my neck and I instinctively grabbed them, but I was too weak to do anything besides struggle helplessly.

"You let me die!" he screamed. "You killed me!"

"No," I choked as I gasped for air. He started shaking.

"Panda! Panda!"

I gasped, as I sat up and saw Nico. I ignored him and ran away, feeling the dread and shock of the two most important people in my life trying to kill me. I rounded a tree and saw Percy. No, that's not possible. Unless I was still dreaming, but I remember waking up! I was about to speak when a woman came up behind him holding a dagger in her hand. It was Athena!

"Percy! Watch out!" I screamed as I ran forward to intercept the knife, but it came down too fast and he crumpled like a piece of paper. I gasped. I felt someone grab me, trying to stop me from reaching Percy. I fought as I turned around and saw a bow with chocolate brown eyes and even though they reminded me of Ryder, I knew it wasn't him and I don't know what possessed me to lung forward and kiss him.

I twirled my fingers in his hair, my body looking for something to sink into, to get lost, to hide from the pain as I drew myself closer. At first, he didn't react but he then wrapped his arms around me as our lips moved together. It didn't feel the same and I found myself getting rougher to feel something good as I felt the pain in my heart, the pain of losing the people I cared about. I gripped his clothes, holding tight, looking for something to hold me down before insanity took me. He requited the roughness. I could feel his nails in my back as he grabbed me tighter. You're kissing Nico, not Ryder.

I gasped and broke away, tumbling and falling onto my knees.

"I'm so sorry," I said, as I wiped my lips. I felt terrible. I felt like I had betrayed Ryder.

"It's okay," Nico said after a moment of silence. He knelt next to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"For a second, I…" I said, sitting on ground. "I forgot him," I said, feeling awful. Nico frowned. I looked at him. I didn't even know what to say. Would Ryder be upset with me? Would he understand? Did I do something wrong?

"I don't want to send the wrong message," I said.

"I get it," Nico said before I could say anything else. "I understand, Panda and I don't blame you. Especially not after what you've been through." His words felt like rocks in my stomach.

"But I forgot."

"You didn't forget, Panda. You never will. You guys are soul mates," he said, tapping my chin with his knuckles. "He knows your heart belongs to him. I just happen to be the only guy within a five mile radius."

I chuckled softly, but I felt better. I miss you so much Ryder. Deep down, I admitted that if I thought those brown eyes belonged to Ryder, he'd actually be here. And, to be honest, I felt better now and when I looked at Nico, he's brown eyes seemed to be Ryder's. Almost like it was fate.

I gasped.

"You okay?" Nico asked worriedly. FATE! That was it! It's been in my face the entire time!

I remembered what Spyridon had said seconds before he died. I know you will do the right thing. But remember my dear; fate… fate is the key.

And what Hecate had meant. She didn't meant the spiritual kind, she meant the actual Fates. I don't know what fate wants… but I have no right to mess with it.

I knew I shouldn't get excited about this, in case it didn't work, but it was my last chance and I was willing to do anything. But my impending excitement crashed down and was replaced by anger and the urge for revenge. My hands curled into fists. Despite my dreams, I knew this wasn't all my fault.

"Nothing, I'm tired. Let's go to sleep," I lied, as I walked back to our make-shift campsite. Slightly confused, Nico followed. I curled up in my sleeping bag, but I wasn't planning on sleeping. It was close to dawn and I knew what I was going to do.

"Goodnight," Nico said as he slid into his sleeping bag.

"G'night," I replied. I waited impatiently the next hour for Nico to fall asleep. As soon as I heard him snore, I crawled silently out of my bag. I looked for something to write with and on and left a note.

I've gone to honor a friend. Don't follow me. Tomorrow meet me at Camp Half Blood next to Zeus's fist at sundown. I'm sorry I couldn't explain more. Be safe. – Panda

I tucked the note under his sword and left. No backpack, no supplies, no nothing. Just me and my necklace. I walked through the forest, far enough away from Nico that he wouldn't hear me scream.

"DAD!" I yelled into the sky. Nothing. "POSEIDON!" I yelled again.

"What is it, Panda?" a voice said behind me. I spun around.

"Where. Are. They?" I said, without saying "hey dad, long time no see".

"Panda…" he warned.

"Tell me where they are." He sighed, knowing I wasn't going to back down. I was out for blood. I was going to get it. "Where?!"

"Panda, please don't do this."

"If you don't tell me, I'll find them myself," I said.

"They're in Camp Half-Blood," he said before he closed his eyes regretfully. I could feel an ulcer beginning to form in my stomach. The nerve. How could they go to Camp Half-Blood after murdering my brother?

"Thanks," I said as I turned and walked away.

I am daughter of Poseidon; Part savior of Olympus; the end of Zeus; and a woman in love and betrayed. They messed with the wrong girl and they would pay. They would pay hard. I walked away, ignoring the call of my father's. I marched into town and scanned for a fast car. I found a guy who had just come out of the gym and was opening his BMW. I grabbed a spoon from a nearby café and stood behind him, pressing the smooth service against his neck. He froze with the door wide open.

"If you move, I will cut your throat and I don't think you want that."

He moved his hand and curled his fingers into a fist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said. "Now hand me the keys and walk away."

"No way."

"I can cut you faster than you can turn around. Now choose wisely," I said. He sighed and reluctantly handed me the keys.

"Good boy." I kept the spoon pressed against his neck as I walked around and slid into the car. Before I closed the door, I placed the spoon in his hand. "And keep that safe for me, will you?" His eyes opened wide, but he couldn't do anything before I sped off. I kept the car speeding at 98 mph. If I kept it up, I could shave off an hour.

I kept it floored. Speeding through red lights (I probably have about thirty tickets waiting for me), weaving in and out of lanes, anything to get there as fast as possible. I kept thinking about everything that had happened. Ryder, Mom, Spyridon and Percy dying, dad being exiled from Olympus… It was too much. It was too much over a stupid dagger.

Fives minutes away from Camp Half Blood, I touched Planaxis. I wasn't normally a vengeful person, but I couldn't let it slide now. I knew what I was going to do and it was crossing the line I'd drawn between good and bad. But everyone else had crossed my line and have done everything in their power to destroy everything I loved. They think I'm not dangerous? They're mistaken.

I skidded to a halt about half a mile down the road to keep out of sight. I didn't even bother turning the car off. I jumped out and made sure I still had Planaxis and the Hines Blood dagger. I was ready. I walked on the outskirts of the camp, well away from the Big House. As I got closer, I could hear screaming and swords clashing. Of course, it was Capture-The-Flag tonight. I started to get nervous, scared I'd be seen, so I climbed a tree and scanned the battle ground.

In the gloominess, I couldn't make out many faces. I could only tell a few by their body figure, like Clarisse La Rue, who was slashing away at her enemies. That's when I saw a flash of silver. But I didn't know which one had killed Percy, so I waited out the fight, watching and predicting wins and losses between the warriors down below.

I remembered when I used to be one of them. Happy despite all the bad things and ready to get my hands dirty. I seemed a little bit naïve, to be honest. The fight was over, and I was surprised to see that Athena had taken the win. Annabeth. Of course, she would've done everything in her power to make sure the Hunters lost. When the battle was over, everyone cheered at their long awaited victory against the Hunters, before they started to disperse, all the campers getting ready to eat, except the Hunters all huddled back into their cabin. This was my chance.

I looked around one more time. I noticed Annabeth standing under a tree speaking with someone, whom I recognized as Thalia by her silver circlet on her head. With a hug, Annabeth left. I jumped down as Thalia began to shuffle back to her cabin. I came up behind her and grabbed her, covering her mouth so she didn't yell and pulled her behind a tree. She elbowed me in the stomach, making me double over a little. I let go and she spun to land another punch, but stopped when she saw who it was.

"Panda, what the hell are you doing?" she asked, but she kept her voice low.

"Tell me which one of the Hunters killed Percy," I said, as I stood up recovering from the blow.

"Panda, no," she chided. "Don't do this to yourself."

"Tell me who it was dammit!" I said, struggling to keep my voice low, but I was getting frustrated.

"Panda –"

"He was your friend too!" I interrupted. "He was your friend too." She closed her eyes. "He saved your life once, remember?" Thalia looked down. I remembered the story Percy had told me when they were trapped by the boar and Percy had tackled her off the cliff to save both their lives. To be honest, I think he's saved everybody's life at least once.

"I know," she said. She looked at me.

"Sit down," she said, as she sat down on the giant root of the tree. I sat down, a little bit impatient knowing that my brother's murderer was close by.

"Artemis recruited her a few years ago," she began. "She's very close-minded, naïve and overconfident, but she makes up for it by being very good with knives and arrows. She's got amazing precision and she doesn't hesitate to kill," she said.

"So?"

"Panda, you're not a murderer and she's not a monster. As long as she can fight, she will and you won't be able to kill her."

"We'll see," I said, though I knew there was some truth.

"I don't want you to lose yourself, Panda. I can get her if you give me time," she persisted. But my look must've been determined, because she relented.

"I'll lure her out and the rest is up to you. But choose wisely, Panda." I stood up and left to hide, but she called after me.

"And Panda."

I turned.

"I cared about Percy too," she said. "But he wouldn't want you to do this."

"Thanks."

"Do him justice," she said, before she turned and left. I closed my eyes. Was I doing the right thing? No, I wasn't going to second-guess myself. I climbed a tree and waited on the lowest branch.

"Yo Ena! I found one of your arrows out here!" I heard Thalia yell. A girl came out, probably no older than 14.

"Where?" she asked.

"Follow me," Thalia said as walked closer to me.

"That's funny, I don't remember losing anything," the girl, Ena, said suspiciously.

"Maybe just your morals," I mumbled under my breath. Thalia walked around the tree and I saw her disappear back towards to the cabin as the girl circled around, looking for her. I pulled out the Hines Blood dagger and waited. When she was directly under me, I jumped down and hit her head with the butt of my dagger. She staggered and spun on me, immediately pulling a knife. Instead of trying to stab me, she threw it at me. I pretty much did a matrix. I leaned back as the knife embedded itself into the tree. She smiled wickedly.

She pulled out a handful of knives and started throwing as I did my best gymnastics to avoid them. I jumped up and grabbed on to a branch and swung upward. She stopped and walked around the tree, looking for me. When she was close, I jumped down, grabbed her by the hair and whirled her into the tree, knocking her out.

I tied her up to a tree with her stomach facing it. I threw water on her and she woke up sputtering.

"What's going on?" she said as she struggled against the restraints. "What is this?! THALIA!"

"Not quite," I said. She gasped and tried to look at her captor.

"Who are you?" I came around her and rested my shoulder against the tree as I looked at her.

"I'm the sister of the man you murdered." Her eyes turned to slits.

"Good riddance," she said. That was it. I could feel anger coursing through my veins.

"Sure," I said, as I pulled up the dagger and stabbed the tree, half an inch away from her arm.

"You're going to regret this!" she said. I covered her mouth.

"No. You're going to regret this. Percy was the best man in the entire world, He had a woman he loved and an incredibly bright future. And you killed him. And guess what else you did? You managed to really piss me off. And it's not pretty when I get upset," I said, close to her ear.

"See, before Zeus, I was kicking ass and you think you can kill my brother without consequence? Well, you're wrong. But I'm not going to kill you. I'm not going to stoop to your level, but I am going to hurt you," I said. I pulled out the dagger. I was furious and it was taking all my energy to not to kill her where she stood. I walked around to stand behind her.

"You're not going to kill me? That's not a good way to avenge a death, now is it?" she said. I ignored her. Using the tip of the dagger, I cut the back of her shirt open and slowly pierced her back. Not too hard to kill her or let her bleed out, but enough to carve words into her skin. I'M A MURDERER.

She cried out in pain and I got a sickening pleasure out of it. When I was done, I wiped the dagger on my jeans.

"Thanks for your cooperation," I whispered in her ear before I left with her screaming bloody murder. I got back in the car I'd… borrowed and drove towards the Empire State Building.

I was there in less than five minutes. Hey, when you're driving at 90 mph, you tend to get to places faster. I screeched to a halt in front of the building and hopped out. Charon was sitting at the desk, reading a magazine.

"Let me up," I said.

"Not without proper payment, which you seem to be lacking," he said lazily through the magazine.

"It's Pandora Jackson," I said. He looked over the magazine. "I think that's payment enough." Surprised, he let me through. I climbed into the elevator, the music non-existent as I thought about what I was going to do. I pulled Planaxis off my necklace and shook it to full size. Planaxis was glowing a brilliant black with a slight mixture of dark purple; anger and revenge.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I stepped out and quickly marched my way into Olympus. The wind picked up as I got closer to the castle and my hair whipped around crazily. She already knows. Everything was silent. No satyrs, no nymphs, no nothing. All you could hear was the rustling of the trees as the wind passed by. I walked into the castle and Athena was already waiting for me.

"I told you I'd win," she said smugly. I readied Planaxis and lunged. She quickly dodged, moving gracefully across the marbled floor. A beautiful sword formed in her hand and her dressed changed into jeans, a white t-shirt and a breast plate. She slashed, but I blocked, taking a step back.

"Don't be stupid," she said.

"I'm not," I said, as I swung. She blocked the butt of my trident and stepped back, taking out a small Chinese star and threw it at me. I moved, but not fast enough because it scraped my arm. I grunted, as I instinctively covered my wound. She smiled. I jabbed, but she knocked Planaxis aside. I took the momentum, planted my trident on the ground and lifted myself up, my Converse heading for her face.

Instead of smacking her the way I'd planned, she caught my ankle and yanked. I fell on the ground and felt the wind get knocked out of me. She walked towards me, but before she got any closer, I swung my legs and hit hers, making her fall on her butt. She kipped up as I struggled to stand up. I was holding my side, and my arm stung but I kept my ground. Percy giving me the strength to push on.

I lunged again, this time with the point end of Planaxis. She wedged her sword between the spirals and pulled sideways, pulling the trident out of my hands. It skidded across the floor and I knew she could get me before I reached it, but I was going to try anyways.

I started running and she pulled out a handful of knives and started throwing. I flipped, narrowly escaping them and landed on top of my trident. Athena came quickly and brought down her sword, but I raised Planaxis, stopping her mid strike. She pushed down and my arms shook with the strain of holding her off.

"You know why I fight so well, Panda?" she said, leaning in.

"Please, enlighten me," I said sarcastically.

"I fight without fear," she said. I smiled.

"Then let me fix that," I said as I thrust upward. Planaxis broke in half, so hard it made my arms shudder under the force. Athena staggered back, but regained her footing. I pulled out the Hines Blood dagger and stood up. I took pleasure in catching the ever slight widening of her eyes. I ran forward. She prepared herself, but I faked it and jumped to the side, except she anticipated it and she hit my ribs with the flat of her sword, making me tumble down. I moaned, but staggered up knowing she wouldn't hesitate to kick me when I'm down.

The bad thing about fighting with a dagger: you have to get close and it's not easy when they have a sword. I kicked, aiming to knock the sword out of her hand, but she moved and slashed, creating a gash in my leg.

"AH!" I gasped, as I stumbled back and fell down. Blood was running down my leg and I probably looked like a mess and Athena was perfect.

"Percy was just a piece of the puzzle," Athena said. "I would've loved to kill him sooner, but I needed you to get closer to him," she said, kneeling on one knee in front of me. "I needed you to feel for him the way a mother would feel for a child. That way, it would hurt more."

I was breathing heavily and I was sweating as I kept losing blood, but she was just making me angrier.

"Percy's dead. I won."

Suddenly, Percy's voice echoed in my mind. You're still alive, Panda. And as long as you're still alive and fighting, she hasn't won.

That was the push I needed. It didn't matter I was covered in bleeding wounds or that my muscles ached or that I was fighting the goddess of battle strategies without a plan. But I had something she didn't. I had love. I kicked and she fell on her back with a surprised grunt. I gripped the dagger in my hand and moved forward before she had time to even move. I placed the dagger to her neck and she froze, knowing that one false move and it would be over for her. And she probably hated that idea.

"You're not a murderer," she said, an edge of fear to her voice.

"See, this wouldn't be the first time you're wrong. You crossed the line Athena and you're going to pay for that. And you know what? Yeah, I might die anyways, but I'll make sure that you remember that, Pandora Jackson, daughter of Poseidon and a demigod, beat you. That I won the battle and you can't do diddly squat about it. Maybe no one else will know, but you will and I'm sure that'll make a pretty big hole in your pride." I raised my dagger. "Have fun in hell," I said as I brought it down and her immortal heart finally stopped beating.

I didn't get the satisfaction out of it as I had hoped, but I felt complete. I'd avenged Percy's death by adding another goddess to the "gods I have killed" list. I had won. And it felt good.

I had staggered back to the car, and left a dumbfounded Charon behind as I made my way back to Camp Half Blood. I snuck around the camp and came in threw the side and waited by Zeus's fist. I wasn't expecting Nico to be here yet, since it was still midday, but he was already here. I came around the boulders to find Nico fidgeting with his sword. I came up behind him and touched his shoulder. He spun around, ready to take out his sword, but he calmed when he saw me.

"Panda, what the hell?" he said, furious.

"I'm sorry. I had to do it."

"Do what?!" he burst. I looked at him and his eyes widened. He was about to say something, but I interrupted him.

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"Take me to the Fates," I said. He shook his head.

"I'm not doing that, Panda. I won't."

"Nico, please! I'm going to go either way," I said, grabbing his hand. He sighed.

"Why?"

"There might be a way to fix this."

"Panda, they are dangerous people. They are the ones you don't want to mess with," he said desperately.

"I know." He looked at me, waiting for me to change my mind, but I wasn't. And he realized that.

"Okay," he said. "But we need to wait until it gets darker," he said, as he glanced up to judge about how long that might take. I nodded.

I waited in my cabin, after Nico helped me sneak in, for night to finally come. I rummaged through the drawers of my dresser to see if any of my belongings had been left. But only one thing remained. It was wedged far in the back, almost out of sight, which is probably why it was the only thing that was left. It was a ring. The one Will Solace had given to me at the beginning of our short relationship.

I was sitting on Percy's bed, twisting the ring between my fingers, when there was a knock at the door. I figured it was probably Nico, since no one knew I was here. I shoved the ring into my pocket and opened the door slightly and almost slammed the door again when I saw Annabeth.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked. I nodded and let her in.

"How did you even know I was here?"

"Nico told me," she said. I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I asked," she said as she paused in front of Percy's bed. Swallowing, she sat down and placed her hand on Percy's pillow.

"Did he suffer?" she suddenly asked.

"Just for a few seconds. He died pretty quickly," I said, feeling my heart break. Her fingers tightened on the pillow.

"Remember when I helped you guys escape and Percy and I stayed behind?" she asked.

"Yeah, I remember," I said, as I sat next to her.

"Before you showed up, he was going to take me out to dinner. He promised me he would come back in one piece and take me to best the restaurant in town," she said, as she looked at me. She had tears running down her face. To be honest, it was kind of a shock. I'd never seen her cry and it broke my heart even more.

"I miss him so bad," she cried. I scooted closer to her and embraced her. At first she refused, but she fell into my chest and started crying. "I wanted to kill the person who did this so bad, but I knew Percy wouldn't want that." A lump formed in my throat.

"Yeah," I said, though I knew I'd done exactly that. Athena had made an ally of Artemis and had asked her take out Percy. Ena was simply following orders. That's when I wondered if I should tell Annabeth about her mother. No, I can't. It would make everything worse. Half an hour later, there was another knock on the door. Annabeth sniffled.

"I think you should go," she said. I nodded. She was holding Percy's Minotaur horn when I left with Nico.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked one more time.

"I'm positive, Nico. Just do it," I said. He grabbed my hand and together we ran straight towards Zeus's fist. A split second before we slammed into the rock, the temperature dropped and I was flying through darkness. We came to a sudden stop and, not being used to it, I tumbled down. I stood up and looked around.

We were underground. It was dark and dank and there was a strong musty smell.

"Is this the Underworld?" I asked, scrunching up my nose against the smell.

"Sort of. The Fates are like another world. They don't necessarily follow the same rules everyone else goes by. They're dangerous and whatever someone asks them for comes with a price. Not even the gods ask them for favors. So they live just outside the Underworld. This is the one part of earth the gods have no control over."

I gulped, but I wasn't going to let myself get nervous.

"They live up there," Nico said, pointing straight ahead at a giant Parthenon. Normally, Parthenons are huge in general, but this one could fit about twenty of them inside. I turned to Nico.

"I think I should do the rest alone," I said. He was about to protest, but I gestured for him to stop.

"I have to," I said.

"Panda, please think this through," he said, grabbing my hands. I smiled weakly. I got closer to him and cupped his face.

"I have," I said. I suddenly felt like I wanted to cry, because I knew what was going to happen next. I tried to smile.

"I'll come back, don't worry," I lied. He touched my hand.

"I don't want you to go, Panda," he said, looking like he was about to cry.

"You can wait for me, I won't be long," I lied again. I knew I wasn't coming back. And it was breaking my heart to see him like this. I embraced him. "You're an amazing person, Nico," I whispered, remembering all the moments and all the fights we'd been through together. I broke away and reached into my pocket. I pulled out the ring I'd found in my drawer and grabbed Nico's hand. He looked at me with creased eyebrows.

"Take care of this for me, will you?" I said, as I placed it in his palm. It was a silver skull ring that felt cold in my fingers. He smiled. I smiled back at him and walked away.

"Panda," I heard Nico call. I turned to look at him.

"I'll be here waiting for you," he said, struggling to smile. I nodded and walked towards the Parthenon, knowing I wasn't coming back.

I walked inside and it was breathtaking. It was probably 100 feet tall and miles long. I could scream and it would echo for days. The floor was mosaic with countless stories of famous heroes, battles, wars and legends. Many I didn't recognize, but I could tell the one about the Trojan War and the Civil War and… the battle at Manhattan. It was amazing. I could see Olympus and there were four shapes inside; Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Kronos. On the bottom, you could see several dracaenas, centaurs and me and Nico.

Tapestries hung from the ceilings with many turning events, like when Pandora opened the jar. I studied them, but one in particular caught my eye. The very top of it was me walking into the Parthenon, in amazing detail, but the rest kept changing. Showing many different futures, but not sticking with one. To be honest, that kind of scared me. I forced myself to keep moving, pulling my eyes away from the tapestry.

I kept walking and gasped when I saw two familiar figures locked in battle. No, it wasn't possible. I knelt down and studied it closer. It was me and Athena fighting. No way they could've made this already if the fight had only been an hour ago. It was amazing.

I suddenly felt kind of famous knowing I was drawn in the house of the Fates. I continued walking, my Converse sounding like Minotaur hooves against the floor. It was so quiet. Looms started to appear, lining each side of the Parthenon as far as the eye can see. There were thousands, millions of them; each one a different color. A string from each one was reaching across the room, entwined or knotted with other strings, making it look like a chaotic spider web. I weaved through them, jumping over some, ducking under others. I was amazed. I was literally walking through people's lives. I accidentally touched one; I saw a vision of another place and time.

Once, I saw a woman giving birth. Another was man in an interview and a little girl being chased by a hellhound, a boy having a birthday party, an old man in a hospital, a blonde boy living with wolves… I touched another one, that was solid black, and it showed Nico. He was sitting on a rock, with his head in hands… waiting. My heart broke. I reluctantly left, continuing until I got to the center of the Parthenon. There was a giant ball of yarn and I mean it was huge.

Three women sat in rocking chairs in front of it. Two of them were holding the yarn while the third was knitting.

"Welcome Pandora Jackson," one of them said in an old lady's voice. I froze.

"Sorry for intruding, but I come for a favor," I said, trying my best to sound honest and respectful.

"We know what you seek," they replied. None of their lips moved and they didn't even look at me, but it sounded like one voice for all three.

"Then you also know what I am willing to give," I said. They finally looked up.

"And why have you made yourself believe that we shall help you, demigod?"

My hopes were beginning to sink.

"I've made myself believe that I will fix the damage I've done, no matter the cost," I said.

"But it is your problem, not ours."

I started to feel angry.

"This will be affecting you too, you know!" I said.

"We do not live in your world, Pandora. Nothing will touch us. You will live with your mistakes."

That was it. I was tired, I was angry. I've lost almost everything I've ever cared about and if I couldn't fix this, the people who died would've died in vain. And I wasn't going to let that happen. The pain in my heart was replaced with determination. I wasn't leaving without a solution.

"You think it won't affect you? You think you're going to be safe behind your yarn? Then why don't we test that theory," I said, as I pulled out the dagger. This caught their attention. All three looked up and I almost cringed from their eyes. I walked over to one of the wall and placed the dagger on a tapestry that had a woman looking at her reflection in a dagger. The colors of the yarn started to fade and some of the looms stopped working. The Fates stood up, which they probably rarely did.

"Don't. You. Dare." The corner of my lips pulled up into a crooked smile, before I slashed and cut the tapestry down the middle.

"NO!" they screamed. I moved to the next one and got ready to destroy this one too. More looms stopped working and some of the strings that were stretched across the room started to disintegrate.

"Have you changed your mind yet?" I said.

"No."

"Okay," I said, as I cut down another tapestry.

"No!" they screamed as it fell to the floor. I could hear them sobbing.

"You've got one more chance!" I yelled, as I touched the dagger to a tapestry that had me killing Zeus.

"No." I raised the dagger, ready to shred the tapestry to bits.

"All right!" they yelled and I stopped, keeping the dagger hovering over the tapestry. "We will grant you what you wish."

"That's better," I said. "I want –"

"We already know what you want," they said. "Come with us." They walked further into the Parthenon and came up a thick string with golden and silver wire knots in it.

"This is your life line. Undo this, and all history shall change," they said. It felt surreal. I can't even describe how it felt to look at your own life. Two of the Fates walked to one side and grabbed the string. I felt a slight tug in my stomach and I suddenly felt nauseas.

"Will anyone remember me?" I asked. The Fate next to me answered, a single voice this time.

"No."

I turned to the Fate. I raised the Hines Blood dagger and touched the blade; one side cursed, one side blessed.

"If you can destroy this, please do it. As long as it exists, the world will never be at peace," I said as I reluctantly handed it to her. She raised her wrinkly hand and grabbed it. She stared at it with her million year old eyes, but she didn't say anything else. I just hoped I had done the right thing.

The Fates began to untwine my cord and I felt like my body and mind were ripping apart. I moaned as I felt like my head was splitting. I fell to my knees as the pain coursed through my body. I screamed from the pain as the continued to go further down the cord. My breathing grew heavy and I clutched my stomach as I endured the pain. I closed my eyes as wind started to whip around me, making my hair smack across my face. I fell to the floor and then… silence.

I opened my eyes, but all I could see was white. And I felt cold. I stood up and when I looked down, I wasn't wearing any clothes. I looked around, scared, for something, anything when someone was walking towards me. I squinted as I tried to see who it was and I smiled when I realized it was Percy. He was smiling, genuinely happy. He walked towards me and his eyes were shining like never before. He put his hand out and without thinking twice about it, I grabbed it.

Clothes melted onto my body; a short white dress with spaghetti straps and that was it; no shoes, no jewelry, nothing else. All around us, the world came into view and we were standing on the hill of Camp Half Blood. I could feel the grass grow between my toes and it felt wonderful. A small bench materialized next to us and he gestured for us to sit down.

"What's going on, Percy?"

"Your life is being undone right now," he said.

"Am I going to disappear completely?" He chuckled.

"No, they can't destroy a soul," he said.

"Oh."

"What about the dagger?"

"It's destroyed."

"But how?" I asked in shock.

"The dagger was conceived with greed. The only way to destroy it was with a selfless act," he said with a smile. "Your sacrifice to save the world, destroyed the dagger."

"And Spyridon?" I asked, remembering how he had saved our lives by giving up his.

"He's happy. He's living with his wife in Elysium."

"Mom? Dad?" I asked, desperate to know that everyone was okay.

"Mom is alive and well and Dad is back on Olympus as if nothing ever happened."

"And Nico?"

"Safe. He won't remember you." I sighed in relief. I stayed silent for a moment, contemplating if I wanted to know about Ryder. I took a deep breath.

"And Ryder?"

"He's doing pretty good." I smiled. At least he was alive and he would live a good life. I couldn't be happier.

"Do you remember the day we started calling you Panda?" Percy asked. I laughed.

"As if it was yesterday," I said.

"You looked so funny," Percy laughed. "With your face painted and your panda ears."

"And you with that Greek dress to be just like Hercules," I chuckled.

"Yeah, I remember Mom liked us to be surprised, so she dressed us up in different rooms and as soon as you walked out, I yelled "PANDA!" and ran behind the couch." I started laughing hard.

"Mom took about five minutes to convince you it was me," I laughed. Percy blushed.

"Yeah, funny how the name stuck," he said, looking off into the distance like he could see that day clearly. I smiled.

"Yeah," I said, as I leaned my head on his shoulder. He put is arm over my shoulders and I closed my eyes, melting into him. I missed him so much. We stayed silent for a while.

"I love you Panda," Percy said.

"I love you too," I said.

"I uh… think someone wants to talk to you," he said, as he began to stand up. I looked up and I could see… Ryder. Percy smiled at me.

"Percy!" a girl called and Annabeth was dressed in full armor, holding a sword as she stood next to the arena. Percy looked at me.

"Gotta go," he said as he walked away. I watched him go and disappear before I turned to Ryder. My heart was doing summersaults and I would probably do the same if it weren't for the flimsy dress.

"Ryder!" I breathed as I ran towards his open arms. I jumped up and he caught me with ease. My legs wrapped around him as my hands gripped his hair and I gave him the kiss of a lifetime. It was the best feeling in the world.

It felt like someone was setting off fireworks. He pulled me tight and I was shocked to feel tears running down my cheeks. Our lips moved together and my body tingled all over to feel him again. I finally pulled away and stared into his beautiful chocolate brown eyes that shined like the stars.

"I missed you," I whispered.

"Not as much as I've missed you," he replied, his smile rocking my world. But that's when a realized something. I jumped down and looked at him.

"What are you doing here? You should be alive down at camp!" He smiled.

"Children of Thanatos have two choices when we die," he said. "We can either die like normal demigods and be judged or we can become guardian angels. I chose guardian angels and the Fates never change us." I looked at him shock.

"That means you were watching me the whole time?" I whispered.

"Yes, I was with you the whole time," he said as he walked towards me and put his arms around my waist. I couldn't help but smile. He never left me!

"And because I asked my father, you have those two choices as well," he said. "What do you choose?"

I looked at him in shock and surprise. I don't even know why he asked me. I didn't even have to think about my answer.

"If I become a guardian angel, will we stay together?"

"Forever."

"Then I choose guardian angel," I whispered with a smile impossibly wide. He smiled. Suddenly, I felt my back split and two huge, feathery white wings sprouted.

"You wouldn't be complete without a pair of wings," he smiled.

"But who would I be guardian of?" I asked, wondering.

"Percy, of course." I laughed in utter happiness. It will never be any more perfect than what it was now.

"Ready?" he said as he broke away and grabbed my hand. I looked at him.

"As long as we're together."

And like that, we walked into the unknown and eternal future.