I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever! I've been busy with finals and my new story (which you should definitely check out) called Of Sparks and Flames. I've decided, because one-shot stories can go on virtually forever, to end this one at an even 20 chapters. That means this is the last one!
Thank you to all of my reviewers, and a special thanks to Unsuspected, AHumanRobot, and bookluva98 for being my most frequent commentators! Couldn't have done it without you :) And now I proudly (and sadly) present…the last one-shot of this story!
Percy stepped into the small, cozy room bubbling with contagious laughter and lighthearted voices. A small flame that roared in the fireplace illuminated the faces of his friends of old.
"Percy!" Connor exclaimed, running up to pound him on the back. "It's great to see you!"
Beckendorf was the second over, his bright brown eyes lighting up with a big smile. "Hey, what took you so long?"
Katie and Silena waved merrily from their seats by the hearth and Clarisse nodded in his direction, neither friendly nor hostile. Travis, Malcolm, Bianca, and Nico all ran up to greet the newcomer, but slowly everyone sat down again and gave him irritated expressions.
"Hey," Percy said, raising his hand in defense. "I'm sorry I was a little late. I was just busy making," he paused for dramatic effect, "my mom's famous bean dip!" he cried, revealing a large platter and flourishing it around the room. Suddenly all hard feelings evaporated in cheers of excitement. Percy had brought the renowned dish to the last four get-togethers they'd planned, and now the unofficial tradition was anticipated with watering mouths.
"Hades," Percy suddenly groaned, "I forgot the chips!"
Silena smirked, looking a little guilty, and held up a bag. "I brought some with hopes you would make the dip again."
More cheers sounded, mainly from the Stoll brothers (who had quite a partiality for the famous food). When the snack had been passed around and everyone found a place by the fire, conversation was finally struck up.
"Remember the first time Percy made this?" Travis said through a mouthful of beans and onions.
Katie scowled at her husband's horrible manners but gave his hand a quick squeeze. "That was my first week at the Isles of the Blest." Travis's face darkened for a moment.
"I felt selfish for being so happy you'd finally arrived."
"That's normal," Connor reassured him. "We've all been through times like that before."
Beckendorf glanced meaningfully at Silena. "Yeah, when Sil arrived, I didn't know how to feel. It was way too soon," he sighed, "but it gave me just a few more years to enjoy with her. Did you know that we got married the moment we arrived at the Isles of the Blest?"
Clarisse spit out the remainders of her coffee in a moment of shock. "WHAT?"
"We were in love and had nothing to lose!" Silena said defensively.
"You were eighteen!"
"Sometimes it doesn't matter how old you are! We were dead, for Zeus's sake! Wouldn't you like to spend eternity as one?"
Clarisse's face softened. "You're right, of course. Loneliness can spread like the plague here and you were all each other had at that time."
"But now Elysium is a party zone," Beckendorf said, grinning. "Hardly a dull moment with all you guys around."
"We attract chaos like magnets," Travis laughed. "Always stalked by danger and excitement. Why, Katie and I got attacked by Laestrygonians on our wedding day!"
Everyone cracked up, remembering the unfortunate event. "But when it laid a finger on the wedding cake, it crossed a line! Katie tackled it, still in her wedding dress, and stabbed it a good three times. Too bad the dust got all over the buffet," Travis chuckled.
"Something similar happened on the night I proposed to Annabeth," Percy said. " I was reaching for the ring in my pocket while we ate a picnic dinner at the beach when Bessie the Ophiotaurus emerged from the water! Annabeth thought it was a monster and was already up to her waist in the ocean before I stopped her from stabbing it. I ended up proposing right there, in the sea." He smiled, reflecting on the memory. "Strangely enough, it was better that way."
The stories set everyone off with recollections of unfortunate events of the past, and as the evening grew older, the laughter steadily increased.
Nico was wiping tears from his eyes as he tried to choke out his story. "And so," he tried to stifle his laughter, but a snort escaped, "Caitlyn is going into labor, trying to get to the doctor's office, and she's fighting off a band of Scythein dracanae! She's grabbing her belly with one hand and stabbing with the other! And here I am, watching the scene through Iris message with my mouth hanging open in horror," he gasped for breath, laughing uncontrollably. "Watching my wife and almost-born child fighting through the hospital apartment! I mean, labor isn't enough for one demigod! They have to be attacked, too!"
Connor let out a hoot and they all wiped tears from their eyes. Halfblood horror stories were more like jokes to the group. The laughter immediately deflated, however, as the door slowly opened.
At the entrance stood a tall boy with blonde hair and a jagged scar running down his cheek.
"Luke," Percy said softly, rising to his feet. He had been invited to the gatherings before, but this was his first time to actually make an appearance. It took a second for everyone to get over their shock and find the sense to greet him.
"Luke, it's great to see you!"
"How have you been?"
"So glad you could make it!"
Percy beamed at all his friends and the considerable effort they were making to help Luke feel comfortable. Which he most certainly was not feeling at this time.
Percy gave Luke a short pat on the back and nodded, reminding him of a conversation they had months earlier.
"Will you ever forgive me?" Luke sighed, his hands over his head.
"There was nothing to forgive," Percy assured him. "You died a hero. You saved Olympus. All debts have been repaid." Percy spoke with such sincerity Luke knew that he meant every word. The two had finally reached understanding, and with that, peace.
Luke finally was seated and the conversation regained the cheeriness it held before the ex-traitor's arrival. He even chipped in and idea or comment once and a while, which pleased Percy more than anything else. Maybe the son of Hermes could find his place here, among forgotten grudges and old friendships. No one should have to live an afterlife alone, and Luke was no exception.
Clarisse was halfway through a story of the time she was assaulted by her child's counselor halfway through their conference (who turned out to be an empousa) when the doorknob turned ever so slightly. Percy leaned forward on the edge of his chair in anticipation. No one else seemed to notice the movement, but suddenly the door creaked open to reveal no other than-
Annabeth. Percy's heart froze. She looked no younger than the day they got married, and certainly no less beautiful. But it wasn't her appearance that stopped his breath, it was her presence. Annabeth. Here. And suddenly he was running, running as fast as he could to throw his arms around her, cradle her small neck in his chest, let their scents mingle into one the way they hadn't in six years. Six years of waiting, over.
Her absence had slowly started to suck his soul away, but now she was here- so beautiful and so real. Percy didn't fight the tears flowing freely down his face but instead wiped the tears from her soft cheeks. Their gazes locked, deep sea green and dark stormy gray, and Percy could see a thin layer of sorrow beyond the joy in her glossy eyes. He grieved for his wife, for their children and grandchildren she had finally left behind, the beloved places she could never revisit, the people like Thalia and Chiron who she would not be able to see for a long, long time. He knew the pain would be great.
But not now. Now they were reunited; a bridge had been built across death's abyss and Annabeth had crossed it to where Percy waited on the other side. Now their fingers laced together, their tears mingled into one, their lips were pressed together. Annabeth was finally where she belonged: beside the man she loved. The two were finally complete. And as their cheeks brushed gently against each other, Percy's warm breath whispered in her ear.
"You're home."
The end! I suppose the title of this chapter is appropriate since the story is completed as well. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Again, thank you for reading and reviewing, your opinion is what kept up my steady updating.
Be sure to check out my other stories and leave a final review! It would mean the world to me. I hope I've left you with something substantive to chew on, or have illuminated you in one way or another. It's my ambition as a writer to leave you with a light :)
-Just a girl with ideas