A/N- Hey Everyone! I'm sorry its been so long! I hate that I'm not updating as often as I use to. One, I've been sick, and I actually got put in the hospital. I have vertigo, and it's really hard to write when the words are swimming on the page. I can do it, but it take me a lot longer than normal. Throw that on top of school, and I'm really just a hot mess.

I think there will be one or two more chapters after this, and then an epilogue maybe. Writing this ending has been really hard. I don't want to let the story go! Don't worry, the sequel is happening, and I will have more info on that next chapter!

On to the fic, and please forgive me for any errors!

-Addie-

I kept my eyes closed, taking in the sensations washing through me. My body felt like it was covered in flames. It was hard to breath, and I struggled to keep my composure. Then, the heat was sucked away. I was empty, mercifully empty. I didn't even realize the burden I had carried until it was gone. I felt light and free. My mind felt clear. I wiped under my eyes, quickly removing the tears before anyone really saw. I hated to cry, and the last thing I needed now was a moment of weakness.

"Thank you, my Lord."

I opened my eyes, and Zeus's lips were turned up slightly in a smile.

"We will discuss details and your condition later, but that can wait. Now that everything is settled, we celebrate!"

Zeus clapped his hands, and everything immediately turned into party central. The doors opened, and everyone ventured outside. Nectar and ambrosia were flowing, and the Muses were playing everyone's favorite song.

Urban ran up to me, tackling me in a hug. I stumbled back a few steps, but he just looked at me in awe.

"So, big shot, how does it feel?"

"Weird," I answered honestly.

"I'd imagine so. You did die, after all."I nodded my head, and Urban just looked at me curiously. "You feel different," he noted. "Before, you felt like a mortal, but cold, like you were frozen or something. Now, you feel more like one of us, but then again, you don't. It's rather odd."

"Story of my life," I sighed. The gods had changed to normal human size, milling around the masses. A few of the minors and the council stopped to talk to me. Athena gave my hand a quick squeeze before leaving to talk to Annabeth. Apollo gave me an apologetic look before running off with his father somewhere.

I milled around, talking to the gods. A few came and congratulated me, but I was watching the council. Most of the council was speaking to their children if they were there. Things like this usually brought them together, and it was one of the few opportunities they got to see their children. Hecate was talking to Nico and Hazel, and they both offered me a small smile. Jason was talking to Zeus and Hera, who for once, wasn't trying to kill his children. She was fond of Jason at least, which seemed to keep them from arguing. I did notice she kept shooting hateful glances in Thalia's direction. When she looked away, Thalia kept making rude gestures towards her, and Artemis couldn't stop laughing.

Seeing them with their kids made me smile. I know what it's like to never see your parents. Even working on Olympus, I could count on my hands the number of times I had seen or spoken to my father, and that was over two thousand years. It was the way it had to be in the long run. I knew they hated it, but rules were rules. It was the first place they all went when they got the chance, not that they would ever admit it.

Percy was talking to Aphrodite and Piper, and he glanced in my direction. I could tell he wanted to talk, but the goddess of love wasn't letting him go anywhere yet. He gave me an apologetic shrug, and I just mouthed later to him.

"So that's Percy Jackson?" Urban wondered. "I've heard Mother talk about him. He's a lot more attractive than she made out."

"My half-brother is a handsome kid. No offense, but I think she's a just a little biased."

"She is not! She likes you a lot, and you are a child of Poseidon."

"I'm also not dating her kid."

"You are best friends with one of her kids," he reasoned.

"And I'm not your type, sweetie," I teased him.

"No, you are not. But if you were a guy, I'd totally try to date you."

I rolled my eyes, playfully punching him in the arm. Urban grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm glad you're not dead," he whispered. "Life here would be dull without you. I'm going to get some nectar. Want any?"

"No, I'm good," I assured him. Urban walked away, and I leaned against a column. Everyone was talking and laughing, celebrating the victory. I realized how tired I was, how badly I was aching all over. I could've curled up on the floor and passed out.

"LEO!"

A scream tore though the room, and I saw Piper run across the plaza, crashing into a figure. The others followed, all screaming and howling in laughter. Leo looked fine, healthy even. He accepted the offer of immortality. He just seemed to glow, like all of them did. I wanted to say hi, but I felt a hand come to rest on my shoulder.

"Things will change from here on out."

I turned to my right. My dad was standing there, in his signature Bermuda shorts and tropical shirt he'd become partial to the last few years.

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

I nodded my head, and I followed my father out of the courtyard. He led me down a path, away from the crowd. It was quiet, and I wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"Not many would have done what you did," he finally murmured.

"I only did my duty."

"Euadne, you've always done more than that. You always sacrifice your needs for those of others. Your mother was like that as well. Don't think just because the council freed you there won't be rules to follow. You won't be able to see them as much, you know."

"I follow the rules," I began carefully. He raised his eyebrows at me, a smirk playing on his lips. "All right, I follow my version of the rules. I couldn't stray too far with the orders."

"No, but you have gotten more creative over the years. Athena always said it surprised her, because my head was full of nothing but kelp." I laughed, and surprisingly, my dad laughed with me. "You are too much like me. You had a curse designed to keep you in line, and you still found ways to get around it."

"Why wouldn't I be able to see them?" I asked him after a minute of silence. My father sighed and gripped the back of his neck.

"Well, you will have to begin abiding by our laws, the laws of an immortal. We're not exactly sure what happened to you, Addie. The fates spoke with us briefly, but even they were reluctant to say. All they said was that but you are no longer mortal, something about the cycle being set right. You have ichor in your veins, despite having a mortal body. You have to follow our rules."

"I don't know how it happened," I started, but a look from him cut me off.

"We know a lot, Euadne. We see and understand way more than mortals, but even so, some things are still a mystery to us. We put together what we believe happened. You never should have been cursed. Mars, Ares, was one of the ones instrumental in the decision to curse you," he added sternly. I knew that look. We were about to talk about things that I never wanted to talk to my father about. I stopped, my heart beating out of my chest.

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Euadne?"

"I couldn't," I whispered. "He told me I couldn't no matter what, even if one of the council demanded it. There was no way for me to get around it. After it…stopped… I just wanted to forget about it. I-I was ashamed."

I felt a pressure underneath my chin, and my father tipped my head gently so I could look in his eyes. His were greener than mine, more like Percy's. They were filled with sadness, something I didn't see that often on him.

"That never should have happened to you. We didn't know," he murmured to me. His hand went to my cheek, and I closed my eyes, leaning into it. My father never showed me any kind of affection, and honestly, it felt nice.

"I know you didn't."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have let him come near you. I wouldn't have stayed away so much. I'm so sorry, Euadne."

He wrapped his arms around me, and I'm pretty sure it was the second time my Father had ever hugged me. He was so familiar it scared me. He smelled like a fresh ocean breeze and suntan lotion. He was warm, like the shallow of the ocean in the middle of summer.

"I am more proud of you than you will ever know," he whispered into my ear. "You are not a traitor, my daughter. You are a hero."

He cleared his throat, and he pulled back and offered me his arm. I took it, and we continued walking, curving back around so we would come back to the party.

"He will pay for that. I'm not the only one that wants to see him punished."

I nodded my head, wondering what in the world would be done to him. I wanted to throw him in the Acheron, but I had no idea what they would do, how easy they would go on him. After all, most of them had done something similar before.

"We think the reason the Styx didn't obliterate you was because of some type of order. You said you felt the need to come back?"

"Yes, I couldn't remember anything. I just had a pressure in my head, and I knew I wasn't meant to be there."

"Did anyone give you orders like that?"

Oh no. "Ah, well, Lord Apollo requested that no matter what happened to me, that I return safely to Olympus." I twisted the truth just a little, but I didn't exactly want to tell my father exactly what Apollo said.

"What's going on between you and Lord Apollo?"

"Oh. Um, well, we're friends."

"Friends?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes at me. I wish I could have vanished in that moment. I cringed, but he kept a firm grip on my arm. I knew there was no getting out of this one. We were almost back at the party.

"Well, maybe more than friends, it's kind of complicated."

"Complicated how?" he questioned as he stopped to face me. I opened my mouth a few times, and I tried to come up with a good explanation, but this time, I had nothing. There was the fact that I was a slave, and he was on the Olympian council. At least that issue was addressed as I wasn't a slave anymore. We couldn't exactly be loyal to one another. He was required to have demigod children, and I couldn't give him any for multiple reasons. I didn't know if he could have children without….um….yeah.

And I wasn't about to ask.

"I need to have a talk with him," he added gruffly.

"Oh, please…. don't!"

But He had already turned around, heading back towards the party. I tried to catch him, but of course, when a god wants to do something, there's nothing I can really do about it.

Get ready for the inquisition, I thought to Apollo. I didn't know if he would be listening, but hey, a warning was the least I could do. I rubbed my forehead, trying to think about what my father was going to say to him.

"ADDIE!"

I looked up, and Leo Valdez had his arms crossed in front of me. He had a stern expression on his face, but the playfulness in his eyes ruined it.

"You let me die, and you don't even have the decency to greet me when I come back from the dead?"

"I didn't let you die! Plus, you weren't there when I came back from the dead," I reasoned. "I should kick your ass for pulling that stunt."

"I deserve it."

We looked at each other for a second, and then we closed the space, hugging each other.

"You are so stupid," I admonished him. "What in the world were you thinking?"

"I couldn't break up the superhero dream team," he laughed as he pulled back.

"The selfless hero," I ranted. "You should have let me do it. Now look at what you've done! Had to die and everything!"

"It's not so bad. I got to see my mom before I came back," he offered. I examined his face, looking for any sign of doubt. Once you accepted immortality, there was no going back. It was a difficult burden to bear. You had to watch the ones you loved and cared about move on without you. He would be fifteen forever, and everything he had know would fade away with time.

"Are you sure you want this? Being immortal isn't easy."

He glanced behind him, and that's when I saw Calypso talking to Hephaestus not too far away. She looked towards us, a timid grin on her face.

"There are people that I care about on both sides. Yes, I'm sure. I'm getting to work under my father! I'll be repairing all the weapons and gadgets for the gods," he added with a wink. "Plus, that means we get to go to every avengers movie premier together! You won't be able to get rid of this amazingness!"

Leo wiggled his eyebrows, and I just stared at him. It didn't faze him though. He just nudged my shoulder, and I shook my head and laughed.

"Fine," I whined. Percy was walking towards me. I knew he wanted to talk. "I guess you are tolerable. Go hang out with your girl, we can talk later."

-Percy-

I couldn't believe it, how things had worked out. Addie was back and free. Leo was an immortal. Gaia was gone, and we finally had a chance to breathe.

I walked towards Addie, but my eyes followed hers to Hephaestus and Calypso. She looked at me, and for a second, I saw a flash of pain in Calypso's eyes. It quickly faded when she saw Leo walk up to her. I was happy she had found someone, and that she was no longer on the island. She offered a small smile, and I returned it.

"Hey big shot," Addie quipped.

"I think you and Leo get the award for big shots today."

"No, we all do. None of this could've happened if everyone hadn't done what they did," she assured me. "Didn't you kill a giant with our Father's trident?"

I nodded my head and laughed at Addie's expression. It kind of looked like a my-brother-is-a-badass/ impressed sort of look.

"Shut up! What's going to happen to you now?"

Addie shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'll be doing what I normally do. I'll just have a chance to say no now. More like an employee instead of a slave. To be honest, I'd really like a break, and I think I deserve it. Maybe an extended vacation. I could go to school, or just live a little, ya know? What about you? Going back to camp?"

"Yeah, Camp Half-Blood. We were actually about to head back. These parties are fun, but I could really use a nap," I yawned.

"Yeah, they'll be going on for a while. I know Dionysus pulled out the good stuff, and they usually don't stop until someone's made an ass of themselves. Trust me, I could use a nap as well. In fact, I think I may go do that. This time, no orders to stay and clean."

Annabeth walked up, and I looked apologetically at Addie.

"Go! I can come see you guys at Camp tomorrow. Hopefully, the fates have had their fun with us. Go get some sleep," she suggested. I walked up to her, giving her a hug.

"Don't be a stranger," I muttered.

"I'll do my best. Things will be different, but I'll find a way. If you ever need me, you know who to call."

I nodded my head and took Annabeth's hand. Addie gave her a quick squeeze and ran off into the party. Annabeth gave me a playful shove, and we started towards the front gate. We were meeting the others there. Leo had said his goodbyes to all of us. He would stay on Olympus now, but we all felt better knowing that he didn't give up his life in vain. It was the least we could do for him. The rest of the crew had left to go to the elevator. We would sail the ship to Camp, and the Romans would head back with their camp in a few days.

I just couldn't leave without saying goodbye to Addie first. I knew it wouldn't be the last time I would see her, but something about her had changed. She felt different, more dangerous than before, more like a god, but she still seemed like her. She hadn't changed. She was my friend, my sister, and she liked to bend the rules just as much as I did.

"So, it looks like we have a choice to make," Annabeth speculated. I looked at her, surprised at her tone.

"A choice?"

"I seem to remember someone talking about moving to California. To New Rome?"

Oh. I did suggest that. After all we've been through, all I really wanted was a way to spend some time with Annabeth without having any monsters, Titans, or gods in the way.

"We'd be safe there, we could raise a family and stuff. We could go to college, have a life."

"But they're Roman."

"Hey, the Romans aren't all that bad!"

"Says the kelp brain who loves to break every rule in the book!"

"W-well," I stuttered.

"What do you really want?" she accused in that bossy tone.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you!" I snapped.

Annabeth stopped, looking at me with large eyes. They were a stormy grey, and as sappy as it sounds, I could look into them forever.

"You do?"

Her voice was timid and shy, like she couldn't quite believe that I really felt that way.

"Annabeth Chase, yes, of course I do. I don't want us to ever be separated. Never again. I don't care if it's California or New York. It could be on the moon for all I care. I just want to be wherever you are."

Annabeth flung her arms around me, kissing me with a heat we had only achieved a few times before. I could taste her on my lips, feel the silkiness of her curls under my fingers. She was everything I ever wanted.

"YOU TWO CAN MAKE-OUT AT CAMP, FOR THE LOVE OF JUPITER I AM TIRED!"

I pulled away to see Frank looking sternly at me. Hazel looked kind of mortified, along with Nico. Jason and Piper were just laughing. I threw my arm around Annabeth's shoulders, and I leaned over, brushing my lips against her ear.

"I think I should take that suggestion to heart."

-Addie-

"One more, and then you can leave."

I looked at the glass in front of me, eyeing it.

"No, I'm tired. I'm going to bed," I explained as I set the glass back in front of Dionysus. He had cornered me just as I was about to leave, insisting I stay for one more drink. That one drink turned into a bottle plus some, and I felt like the walking dead. I was beyond exhausted.

"I bet Nike I could get you drunk, please don't make me lose that bet," he pouted.

"Betting against the goddess of victory seems kind of pointless, don't you think?"

"Ugh, you are no fun! I miss being able to boss you around," Dionysus grumbled. "I could curse you again for being insolent." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, sipping on his diet coke with a moody expression.

"I'm not insolent."

"Usually."

"I'll tell you what: the next party we have, I'll get as drunk as you let me on the sole condition that you make sure no god or goddess blasts me into oblivion, deal?"

"Fine," he grumbled. He waved a finger in my direction. "You owe me, little girl."

"Oh, go drink a diet coke, you old drunk."

He laughed, shaking his head.

"I'll tell your boyfriend where you've gone when he comes back!"

I shook my head, sending a rude gesture towards Di. He just laughed out loud. The party was about to get to the peak. Most of the gods were drunk. Artemis was currently giving an earful to Pothos, who had tried to get a little too friendly with one of her hunters.

I walked the streets of Olympus, wanting nothing more than to lay my head down on my pillow. It was very late, and I was exhausted. The only reason I had stayed at the party as long as I had was an energy draught from Hestia and everyone insisting I stay and celebrate. In truth, I was waiting for Apollo, but he hadn't made it back from whatever he was working on for Zeus. He'd know where to find me, so I wasn't too worried.

The pathways were pretty clear. I only stumbled upon the occasional pair of immortals huddled in a corner of the plazas. I turned down a shortcut, an alleyway, a cool breeze fitting through it. A loud sound crashed behind me, and I turned.

There was nothing there, just a trashcan and its lid, which was sitting on the ground. That must have been what I heard fall, but my hairs stood on end. It felt like there was breath on the back of my neck. I couldn't see it, but there was something else in the ally way besides me. Something in my gut told me I wasn't alone.

I took off running, but my feet were snatched out from underneath me. Something had grabbed me by my ankles. I hit the ground, kicking my feet furiously. My foot connected with it, and a rage-filled grunt echoed against the stone. I didn't look back to see who it was. I scrambled up, just to be grabbed and pinned against the wall. My head hit the marble of the building, and pain lanced through my head.

A metallic smell filled my nose, one that reminded me of blood and war.

I opened my eyes, and they connected with ones that I knew better than my own. Eyes I had been forced to stare at, night after night. It was the only set of eyes that could cause the fear coursing through me.

"Did you really think that after what you said, I wouldn't retaliate? You know me better than that, Euadne."

Cliffhanger? Don't hate me! I'm already well into the next chapter, so I should have it posted sometime tomorrow :)

Leave a review please!