Chapter Twenty-two: Leaving

Zoё's POV

After his death, she was devastated. Her husband was the one she shared all her secrets to: her past life, before she met his as Percy, before she joined Lady Artemis's Hunters. He knew her thoughts on almost everything, as he hers. She had warmed up to him, eventually allowing herself to accept her feelings and love him. This wasn't a one sided relationship, though.

He loved her back.

He had once told her she was the single ray of sunshine in the darkness of hell he was thrown in after Annabeth betrayed him. She was his light to freedom.

But now he was gone. The darkness around him faded away just as soon as his light disappeared from him. He passed on to the other world, free to roam the galaxies unseen.

Zoё stood from her dead husband. She looked back at the crowd. She didn't have to look into a mirror to see what she looked like; the multifarious faces mirrored her expression. She shook her head.

Dead. He was dead.

"Gone." The word couldn't quite conform to her lips. What a foreign word it was.

The Olympians were among the demigods in the group. Zoё steeled her emotions and fixed her gaze upon their leader.

"You banished him, Zeus."

Zeus didn't respond.

"He didn't do anything and you banished him."

Again, the silence was thrown back at her.

"Do you even realize how many choices he had to go through to get to where he is now?"

The same guise.

"How much he's seen, how many he's killed?"

The Lord of the Heavens cleared his throat. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I have never banished anyone."

Chaos spoke up. "You simply do not remember." Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Memories are a fatal thing; they can host the heart of one's demise. In this case, Perseus's."

Annabeth stepped forward, tear stricken. "Lord Chaos, what do you mean?"

Chaos raised a hand full of an ebony sphere of mist. He threw it up and it expanded, almost to the size of a portal. "Perseus Jackson was the demigod that saved everyone here, for without him none of you would be alive."

The screen of mist shimmered many different colors before freezing on the color sea green, almost like seaweed, Zoё noticed.

"He emerged a son of Poseidon."

The sea green melted and in its place was a young boy. He wore an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and jeans. He was grinning, his raven hair unkempt, staring at a cabin with outer walls comprised of a rough gray stone and seashells.

"Though seeking refuge from the monsters that hunted him, he was labelled a Lightning Thief, accused of stealing Zeus's Master Bolt."

The scene shifted to one of a darker quality. The same young boy was there, but instead of the orange shirt, he wore a red outfit advertising the water park, Waterland. Beside him was a girl with blonde hair donned in the same clothing, paralyzed with fear as spiders surrounded them both. Cupid statues sat not far above them. The boy looked determined.

The background around them changed, as did their clothing. But this time a satyr was with them. All three stood before a figure donned in a black cloak, a crown with braided gold upon his head. He sat on a throne of skulls.

"He and his friends embarked on many quests to save others."

The mist shimmered a soft orange then showed the boy, older but recognizable, on grass colored bright green, surrounded by huge sheep. Beside him was the same girl, taller. They were both staring at a large cave.

Chaos caught the goddess of wisdom's eyes. "He was once told his fatal flaw was personal loyalty."

Orange changed to dark blue, almost purple. The boy was even older now, a teenager. He was sweaty and covered in dirt and grime. He was kneeled on the ground, struggling with holding up an invisible force- the Sky. A single streak of white was painted in his hair.

From blue emerged red. The boy looked about fifteen years of age. He was kneeled again, this time before an old satyr, who lay in a bed. The blonde haired girl was there, the satyr too. But they weren't alone. A girl with red hair was with them, a mortal. Each was surprised by their expressions at the eternal satyr.

The blood color switched to a soft green, resembling gray. The images appeared fast, faint to disappear. They screamed battle. The boy looked to be sixteen years old, holding a three foot celestial bronze sword. He was covered in monster dust. Finally the images disappeared behind the green lighting and one final picture came, bold and strong. The boy was in Olympus's throne room, tears in his eyes, hugging his father, Poseidon.

The mist evaporated into the air as Chaos turned to address the crowd of silent demigods and gods. "He was even offered immortality. But he declined."

Zeus was quick to recover. "My Lord, we don't remember such a traumatic event..."

"No," Chaos looked back at him, "I'm afraid you don't. Your memories have been erased. Everyone's here."

"By who?"

"You."

An eight-year-old girl approached the still Zeus. "It was you that decreed it happen."

The Lord of the Heavens looked at her, perplexed. "Hestia, you know it isn't possible. I would never-"

"But you did," she cut him off. "The other Olympians agreed and you forgot; you and your offspring. The memories of Perseus Jackson were seized from your mind. Mine were not."

Zeus's eyes were wide as what he heard registered. "Perseus Jackson was expunged..."

Hestia nodded. "The thought of him leaving Camp Half-Blood left everyone in dimmed spirits. You found it best to erase him completely."

"Correct. But why banish one when you have soon come to regret it?" Chaos mused.

Beside Zeus, it was Poseidon that answered. "Reputation. Self-image."

"Correct," Chaos said again. "Perhaps it would help if your memories were restored."

Snapping his fingers, Chaos threw out another ball of mist. As simple as if he were throwing a simple baseball to a friend. The mist fell like rain. Zoё and Luke weren't affected, but others were. Some grabbed their foreheads in pain, a headache. Others smiled faintly.

"Percy," Poseidon whispered, looking over at Chaos's former commander. "My son."

Chaos nodded. "It would do you well to accept his apologies. My second in command has done his part. It's time you do yours."

After a moment of decision, one by one, each of the gods whispered something to Aion. Either a blessing or word of farewell, Zoё would never get the chance to know. Chaos soon went back to Headquarters, leaving the demigods, gods, and soldiers of Chaos. At first no one knew what to do, until Annabeth walked up to Zoё and Luke.

Her eyes were glassy and her voice chirping at times, a monotone at others. Zoё didn't listen; she was far to wound up in her thoughts to care about what the daughter of Athena had to say, but she did hear one thing at the end:

"I'm sorry, Percy."

Zoё knew that Annabeth was sorry for Percy, truly sorry. It wasn't her fault she had other tasks to complete. It wasn't Percy's, either. It was nobody's fault.

Despite what he had felt toward her, Percy forgave her. Zoё wasn't sure he could do something that hard. When she was a part of Artemis's Hunters, Zoё couldn't bring herself to respect males. Ever since Hercules. But Percy was different.

He respected her. He loved her. He showed compassion. He didn't cheat, nor was he harsh. He pushed his way into everyone's heart and he brought everyone together. It was he who reminded others of their worth in the world. That was why Chaos made him commander. If anyone could bring everyone together, it was her husband that could.

Zoё could feel tears coming and she brought her mind back to reality. She listened to the daughter of the wisdom goddess. She appreciated her condolences, her bravery to talk to the wife of the former commander.

But then a question struck her out of the blue: "Why did you name your daughter after the Olympian Artemis?"

The tears came even closer. She felt as if a stone was perched in her throat. She had trouble answering. "It was I who insisted. Lady Artemis was the one who restored my life, ages before Lord Chaos appeared. I was happy to be away from the world of men and war and battle. I had my sisters around me for eternity, a new family.

"As Aio- Percy," she corrected herself, "ran into my life, I thought he was the same as the others males. I was wrong; he wasn't. When I died, Lady Artemis made me a constellation. I would aid those who were lost. I wanted to preserve that characteristic of hers- her chivalry. Aion and I both did."

Annabeth nodded in understanding. She might have said something after that, but Zoё had zoned her out. She was flashbacked to the death.

Zoё was aware of her surroundings when she was the only one left. She mildly remembered others leaving. Quietly, so their footsteps were the signal sign that gave their action away.

Luke stood by her side now. "We're leaving."

Zoё just couldn't get it out of her mind. She was alone.

"Leaving, Zoё," Luke said.

She sighed. More tears were coming anew. "I didn't expect it to happen."

"None of us did."

"I should have protected him."

"Don't blame yourself."

"But it is my fault..."

"It's not," Luke told her softly. "Aion wouldn't want you to worry about him."

"He would do the same," she whispered.

"Come on," Luke said. "We have to go."

Zoё turned away from where her husband died. She followed Luke back to Chaos's cabin.

Leaving.

She could only think about that.

That she was leaving her husband and going back to Headquarters. She wasn't going to see her husband there, or talk to him. She wouldn't see his wonderful sight. She wouldn't be able to kiss him.

She was finally leaving.