Alright everyone, here's the final chapter of Book Five! You made it! Hope you all enjoyed this one as a whole, because I sure had fun writing it!

The next author's note will explain what's next and where we're at overall in the progress of the story. Stay tuned to find out!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or Trials of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

20. Life As We Know It

Matt

By the time Talon was done with his explanation...I was exhaused. I was. I can't imagine how he must feel.

It sounded like he'd gone through a life's journey in just an hour. Ready to give his life for our friends and giving up a life of paradise with the girl he once loved to keep living. Must have been a hard choice. I can't even imagine.

When he was done, we were all silent. No sound, just the passing wind. I told Kyros to fly at a slower pace so we could hear his story. We weren't in that much of a rush to get back anyway, even though deep down, we'd all gotten a little homesick.

I stared at him with respect. "That's the bravest thing I've ever heard, man."

He'd jumped in the way to protect them, and lost his powers in the process. He'd been rendered a mortal. I could tell too, none of that Nikandreos energy I used to sense was there. It had faded. And of course, finding out that Talon was originally an avatar shocked us all. We didn't even believe it at first.

But he insisted.

Talon nodded up at me, "Wasn't anything special. Ya'll would've done the same."

Sera looked extremely concerned for him. "But you've lost all your powers. If we get in another fight...well..."

"It'll be easier to kill me." Talon finished for her quietly. "Yeah, I know. I'll have to be more careful."

"You'll have to stay out of the fight completely." Harper said, fiddling with the handle of the Eros sword. "We can't risk you dying for real."

Talon raised his voice, "Stay out of the fight? Like hell I will!" He looked between all of us, and no one took his side. No one verbally agreed with Harper either, but we were all sort of thinking it.

He looked offended. "Look, I may have lost Nikandreos. I may be weak as hell now, but I can compensate! Give me a weapon like the Love blade or something!"

Nobody said anything.

Talon's emotions were rising. I could feel him getting frustrated with how we were taking this. "Look, we've all been at this way too long for any of us, and I mean any of us to back out. For any reason. We have to see this through. We need to beat Ouranos together."

Sera shrugged innocently, "Perhaps Mr. Zeus does have a weapon like Harper's he can give to Talon. To be fair, we didn't know about that until he gave it to her."

"It's not out of the realm of possibility." I said optimistically, "I can talk to him."

Percy shook his head, "It's too risky. Harper's situation is different because she still has godly DNA."

Annabeth usually knows everything, but not here. "What do you mean?"

Percy elaborated, "I can feel it in her energy. Her natural aura's bonded with the blade's aura over time so much that her natural strength grew. To shorten it up...simply using the Eros blade and being near it made her stronger on her own."

Annabeth nodded, impressed. "Which means if Harper were to lose the sword or get disarmed, she would still be able to somewhat manage without it. Talon, on the other hand...he wouldn't survive."

Harper looked like she hadn't even noticed it. "Huh, I figured it was just the result of training. Never knew the two auras were mixing."

"Then I just won't get disarmed." Talon said, puffing his chest out challengingly. "C'mon guys, this is me we're talking about. I'm reckless, yeah, but I can fight. If need be, I'll play defensive."

"We'll see what we can do." I said, trying to end the conversation, but it didn't work.

"No, we need to talk about it." Harper insisted, leaning forward to Talon. "Look, I know this is probably really hard for you. I...can't imagine having your entire world shifted, the truth about your identity being completely warped...I'm really sorry about that. But you gotta understand that we just wanna look after you. The truth is, if you face Ouranos, you'll probably get killed." She snorted, "Hell, all of us might get killed for all we know. I mean, what's his next move anyway?"

"The Adam Tree." I muttered, prompting everyone to look at me. "That's his final move. To merge himself with the power of the tree."

Talon curled his lip, "The Adam what?"

"The Adam Tree. Remember? That big tree hidden in Olympus? The one created by Ouranos and Gaea's energies clashing?"

He nodded, remembering the dozen or so times I explained it. "Oh, that."

"We won't let him get that far." Malachi interjected firmly. "Talon, you won't even have to worry about getting a weapon, because I won't rest until I find that bastard."

I lifted a hand to calm him down, knowing where he's coming from all too well. "We've already been through that. We can't overdo it, or we'll go insane."

Annabeth nodded, "Agreed. Here's what we should do. Tell Zeus, let him search, and once Ouranos is located, if he needs help, we help him. That's exactly how it should go."

"Just let Zeus do all the work?" Percy asked rhetorically, "You know he'll just kill Ouranos himself."

"Would that be so bad?"

"I mean...I guess not."

Talon nearly shot up from his sitting position at that, "I guess not? What? You're talking about letting Zeus take care of Ouranos? I thought that was our job."

"It's the job of whoever's willing to do it." I said. "As long as he's stopped, that's the main thing."

Talon looked like he wanted to argue, but just threw his hands up and sat back down. "If you say so. But in my humble opinion, it'd be pretty damn anti-climactic if we weren't the ones to do it."

"Can we all just calm down for a moment?" Sera pleaded. "I realize things are tense and we want to find Ouranos, but...can we not celebrate? Or at least rest? We just won a huge fight."

That shut us up.

"She's right." Malachi said. "We're so focused on Ouranos that we can't even take a moment to look at what we accomplished."

I thought about Kagutsuchi. "My training actually paid off. We saved a whole freaking pantheon."

"Three evil gods, down for the count." Talon nodded, chuckling to himself proudly. "Not bad, if you ask me."

"Kagutsuchi wasn't evil because he wanted to be." I blurted, feeling the need to say it. "All he knew was pain and anger. He didn't really have a choice."

No response to that. Great, I brought down the mood we were building.

But thankfully, Harper managed to save it by smirking at Talon. "And Talon got a girlfriend. The impossible really has happened."

Talon's glare could practically be seen through his sunglasses. "Oh I see, Green Day. Get me back for all the teasing I did to you about Matt. Go ahead, I'll take it."

We all chuckled, and instantly, we were all locked on in a light hearted mood for the rest of the ride back. It was good to be with these guys again, especially in a normal setting. If you consider flying on the back of a giant eagle a normal setting.

After most of the chatter died down, I told Kyros to go a bit faster. After that, the rest of the ride took about 3 hours. He could've made it in less than one if he wanted, but I really overworked him when flying here from Olympus. He made what would normally be a sixteen hour flight by plane in just five minutes. He more than deserved a little break.

When we got back to Camp, everyone was happy to see us. Aiden hugged Harper, Nico greeted all of us, and the campers cheered victory for another exploration. Hell, even Mr. D seemed to be in a better mood than most days.

Things were almost perfect...

As much as we tried to play it off earlier, it does bother me that Ouranos is still out there. How could it not? Every time he escapes us, he manages to trick yet another pantheon to join his cause and fight with him. Letting that guy have even a day of time on his own could be catastrophic.

But in the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn't be like that the next time around. I knew what he was after.

The Adam Tree. He wants to absorb all of that power so he can kill Zeus, and then...kill my friends and I.

He's in his endgame. It's like Malachi said, the next time we meet him will be the last, for good or bad. He dies, or we die.

I could see it now. If we somehow don't find him and nip it in the bud...I know what happens.

The cheering and shouting eventually calmed down to pats on the back and quiet 'nice job guys.' It was at that point, I let the mask of confidence fall.

Talon put his hands on his hips and sniffed the cold air. "Well at least it's a little warmer. No snow."

"Speaking of snow," Sera said, "Shouldn't you be checking on your Pegasus?"

Talon stiffened like he just realized he'd left the stove on. "Oh crap, you're right! Snowflake's gonna be so pissed at me!"

He ran off to tend to the Pegasus, while I took off in the other direction in a speed walk, hoping they wouldn't notice.

But Malachi did. "Matt, are you okay?"

Keeping my head forward, I lied over my shoulder, "Yeah, I'm fine! Just tired from all the energy I used fighting Kagutsuchi. I'm gonna take a nap, guys!"

No arguments after that, thankfully. At the silence, I picked up the pace towards my cabin.

When I reached it, I quickly threw open the door and closed it, pressing my back to the wood.

My heart...it's going a thousand miles a second. Why? I'm not afraid. I've got too much power now to be afraid. I don't even know how to describe this.

Anxiety? Worry that he could show up at any time stronger than me? Stronger than Zeus?

Worry that he might destroy another universe to obtain more power?

Either way, whatever it is has a grip on me.

I slow my breathing down and place my hand over my chest, feeling the rapid thumps of my heart. It's going haywire.

Every time we fail, he always comes back stronger. More dangerous. What's it gonna be like this time?

A series of knocks behind me make me jump. "Who is it?"

Maybe it's him. Maybe he's back already...

"It's me." The other voice said. Harper.

I sighed with relief. The door flew back open on my command, revealing her standing in the doorway with her fist in the air.

"Hey." She said. "You good?"

"Not really." I stepped aside, "Come in."

She did, and I shut the door behind her gently. Once inside, Harper gave me a questioning look.

"What's wrong? You sort of walked off all of a sudden."

"Just having an episode." I explained sarcastically. Not towards her, but towards my frustration at the situation. "Normal stuff. Freaking out about what Ouranos is up too, the usual."

She nodded, "Yeah. Really sucks we couldn't get him too."

"It's just...this training was supposed to get rid of that fear. I thought I had, but I guess not. The mere thought of him has me running in here, hiding from you guys."

"I don't think it's like that. I think you're just tired of doing the same thing over and over again."

"Huh?"

"Look at our track record with this guy. He always manages to slip away from our reach. This is like...what? The fourth time? It's getting old. I think you're just ready to be done with it."

I knew she had a point. Maybe from her perspective it seemed like that, or she was just trying to make me feel better. Either way, I wasn't fully convinced. Being afraid and being tired are too different things.

I thought about just indulging her, but quickly decided against it. No, I'm done hiding my feelings and running from the truth. If I can't even tell Harper what's going on, I won't tell anyone.

I shook my head, "Harper, it's fear. I'm telling you."

She stopped whatever she was about to say, blinking at me. "Oh...well-"

"Maybe it's not fear of him. Maybe it's just...this feeling I'm getting. Like someone's gonna die, or something really bad will happen."

She chuckled humorlessly, "I could say that's not true, but I don't wanna sound stupid."

I stared at the floor, my feelings out in the open. I still didn't know exactly what I was afraid of, but I knew it was there, regardless.

"Look, bad things can happen at anytime, especially if Ouranos is involved." Harper comforted, "I don't know exactly what's gonna happen in the future, or how we're gonna deal with him, but I know one thing for sure. We're gonna try our best."

That was the best thing she could've said. Nothing was going to make me feel better, and she knew that. So she stuck to the truth.

"You're right." I said, feeling the urge to change subject. "Well, enough about that. You ready to go back to school?"

"Yeah. It'll be a nice change of pace. You know, fighting to studying."

"Got New Years to worry about first." I started to smile, "I almost forgot about that. You wanna come over to my mom's and watch the ball drop?"

"Sure. Not sure what my mom's got planned, but I'm sure it'll be special. I'll make it though, don't worry."

I laughed, "She's trying so hard. You gotta give her credit."

"Oh, I know. I think I'm starting to get used to it. Speaking of godly family members, you gonna go talk to Zeus?"

I shook my head, throwing my hand up dismissively. "Ah, forget about all of that for just a second. Right now, it's just us." I spread my hands out beside me suggestively, "Us, alone. In a cabin."

She wasn't getting it at first. "Yeah..."

Remembering our little talk in Yomi, and the close call before we even went on the quest, a sudden fire lit up in my chest, urging me to take the initiative.

Here goes nothing.

I stepped forward and grabbed her by her armpits, picking her up and throwing her a couple of feet in the air. It prompted a surprised yelp, and when she landed, I caught her below her rear, legs wrapped around my waist.

We were completely flushed up together, chest to chest. Once Harper realized the position we were in, her cheeks turned bright red.

"Matt!" She gasped.

On the inside, I was freaking out. I've never pulled a forward stunt like that in my life. It's not even really my style, but with new experiences, come new behavior. So here we go.

I pulled her so close that my arms were completely reaching around her, almost like a hug.

"Let's finish what we started." I said, my voice husky and foreign to my normal tone. "Whaddya say?"

She smirked, "Look at you. Where the hell did this come from-" She couldn't even finish her sentence because she started yawning. A big one too, all the way from the stomach.

My suave facade faded into a laugh. "Tired?"

She finished her yawn and shrugged apologetically. "A little..."

"Alright." I rolled my eyes playfully, carrying her over to my bed. "Let's tuck you in, little baby."

As I slowly dipped her onto the mattress, she weakly protested, laughing the entire time. "Matt, stop!"

I took the comforter and tucked her in, covering her all the way up to her shoulders. "Sleep tight, don't let the minotaur sized bugs bite."

She grumbled, "Idiot, I'm not some little kid-" Squirming around under the sheets cut her off, "Well, it is pretty comfy."

Harper yawned again, prompting me to chuckle. "Yeah. Sleep as long as you want, I'm gonna go talk to Zeus, kay?"

Her ability to fall asleep within a moment's notice was impeccable. She was already out like a light. "Mhmm, love you."

"Love you too."

Out of habit, I nearly called Kyros to take me to the city, but then I rememebered I could teleport. Proabably a good thing to keep that in the back of my mind.

It was a decent distance away, but I remember in training, I teleported at a farther distance than that. It should be fine.

Besides, if I can lock onto Zeus's aura specifically, it'll make it even easier.

Closing my eyes and reaching out with my aura sense, I eventually reached Olympus. Searching all over, I was surprised to find Zeus...nowhere. In fact, none of the gods were there. Just the minor ones in the residency area.

That's...not too weird. Maybe they're busy. I mean, Zeus is busy. It's normal for him to be gone from Olympus.

Maybe he's just suppressing his aura. I should go and check anyway.

I broke down my aura into fragments, the process becoming really familiar now, sent it across the city, and went with it.

I reappeared in front of the palace, below the staircase. Minor gods and spirits walked all around me, treating my teleportation like a regular occurrence. Which for Olympus, I guess it was. Fair enough.

Sensing the area inside the palace, I still didn't feel Zeus. Alright, guess he's not here.

Still, something told me to keep pressing. Throwing caution to the wind, I caught a random person/god walking by. Some surfer blonde androgynous looking person.

"Hey, is Zeus here?"

They stopped abruptly, stunned that I'd even talk to them. "Me?"

"Yeah, do you know if Zeus is around? I need to talk to him."

Their eyes lit up, finger thrusting at me in a you're that guy! Gesture. "Woah! You're the grandson!"

That caught me off guard a little. Wow, these gods know about me? Kinda cool.

I half smiled, "Yeah, that's me."

"Dude, sick! But yeah, Zeus is training."

I gawked, "Huh?"

"I know right! First time in like...I dunno, a few centuries!"

"He's using his personal training room?"

They nodded, "Yep!"

"Alright, thanks!"

"Later!"

I booked it up the stairs, burst through the gates, down the throne room's side hallway, all the way to the end. Just like I did five days ago when I began my training.

The training room was technically in a separate plane of existence, so it makes sense that I didn't feel Zeus's energy. The door also blocks out sound, so...I'll have to barge in and interrupt something that hasn't happened in a few centuries, apparently.

Hope he's not too mad.

I grabbed onto the knob, turned it carefully and pushed open the door. Once it cracked a tiny inch, I was instantly exposed to eardrum bursting sounds. A mix of a firing energy beam and rolling thunder overlapped into each other.

The volume made me open the door fully out of sheer curiosity. It really sounded like he was going at it.

I slipped in and closed the door behind me, taking the sight in.

The entire landscape was brutal and harsh. I stood in a ruined version of the Olympus throne room, every last bit of it in tatters and broken rubble except the literal foundation. All around, the outside world didn't mirror New York City at all. No skyscrapers, no lights, the noises of the people and cars were absent. Instead, it all mirrored the open sky, gray storm clouds swirling all around for miles, the nearly destroyed palace at the epicenter.

Zeus sat forty feet away at the end of the throne room criss crossed, on the floor, in the middle of the 'stage' where the thrones sit. Only...there were none. Not even destroyed, but gone completely, as if never installed.

Electric silhouettes all hounded Zeus, easily more than two dozen of them. They had no features or shape, no specific identity, just blue humanoids created to attack him.

Zeus had his eyes closed, hands in his lap casually. He never moved once during their assault. As they approached, little sparks of lightning shot out from Zeus's skin and obliderated them. Once they were all gone, more would spawn of equal number, to the point where he would shoot out all of the sparks at the same time, destroying a wave in a single hit. Rinse, repeat, it became a zombie game, of Zeus shooting and spawning more dummies.

Hundreds of them fell before Zeus stopped spawning them and got up to a standing position. Quick as a flash, he summoned his Master Bolt and threw it into the sky. At first, I had no idea what he was doing. I get summoning all those dummies, but just throwing the Master Bolt in a direction seemed kind of pointless. He's for sure mastered that thing already.

But it didn't just go straight, it zig-zagged all over the place, from the four corners of the sky and into the middle, creating big blue pillar lines, lighting up the stormy gray.

That made me rear my head back. What the hell was that? I've never seen that before. Controlling the bolt to a point where you can control pretty much wherever it goes, not to mention at a greater speed than the launch.

Once the train came back around, it flew in on the opposite side like a freaking comet. I fully expected Zeus to stop it with his mind and just snatch it, but instead he let it hit him in the chest full force.

There was an explosion of blue light and a shockwave, sending me flying into the door I came through.

"Agh!" I hit my back hard and crumpled to my knees. Barely able to lift my head up from the heat and pressure, I scarcely saw Zeus's body leaned forward, fists clenched beside him as the Bolt struggled against his chest.

It was a crazy sight. All opposing sights and areas were drowned out by the light surging from the clash. It felt like my skin would start peeling off any second, my blood turning to steam, or the entire dimension getting blown to bits altogether.

Knowing all of that was entirely within the realm of possibility, I locked onto Zeus's mind and screamed to him.

GRANDFATHER! GRANDFATHER, STOP! I'M GONNA FREAKING DIE!

What?!

He heard it loud and clear, turning to my direction and spotting me. Once we locked eyes, I saw him mouth oh shit!

Suddenly, everything stopped. Zeus ripped the Bolt away from his chest and ceased all pressure. I fell down to the floor, not even realizing that I'd been so tense.

It was all silent now. I lay flat on my face, groaning. The pain hit when I started to move, a burning sensation that stung all over, iron taste filling my mouth.

I heard Zeus's footsteps in front of me. Next thing I knew, his hands were around my biceps pulling me up.

"You shouldn't have come in." He scolded, and clicked his tongue once he saw the damage. Once I saw my condition, I did a little more than click my tongue. My skin had turned red from first degree burns, and blood was coming out of my mouth, dripping down onto the floor. Just being around that Bolt's energy did more to me than I knew.

"Let me heal you." He touched my bare arm, and the pain began to fade immediately, relief washing over my skin like cool water. I sighed with relief and licked my lips as the blood stopped spewing from wherever it came from.

Soon enough, it was over. I was good as new. Still freaky though, to come from all of that.

"What the hell's going on in here?" I said, exasperated. Inwardly, I knew I shouldn't talk, because to be fair I was the one that barged in unannounced.

Zeus removed his hand. "Training. Had I known you would be coming I would've toned it down a little."

Slowly the training simulation started to put itself back together, piece by piece, autonomously.

"That was you going all out?"

"Pretty much. What are you doing here?"

"I just came by to talk. You know, to tell you about how it went." Before he could even respond, I blurted, "Are you training to fight Ouranos?"

He nodded. "Yes. I can't afford to be sloppy."

"So...you're assuming that we didn't kill him Japan."

It wasn't accusatory, I just genuinely wanted to see how he knew. If he knew.

He didn't. "Call it being prepared just in case. Did you defeat him in Japan?"

I slumped, "No. There were too many opponents, one of them as strong as me. We had to split up, and Ouranos used that to his advantage."

Zeus didn't seem disappointed. "Tell me what happened, start to finish."

"Don't you want to keep training?"

He shook his head, "I needed a break anyway. Go ahead, recount the story."

So I did. I summed all of the events after I left for training up in two minutes. From Kyros flying the fastest he's ever flown to Japan, landing, taking care of Susanoo, the samurai, and Kagutsuchi. The details I wasn't there for, I did the best to relay based on the information told to me. Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, the Kusanagi, and especially Ouranos. All of it came out of my mouth in one constant stream.

When I was done, I had to take a deep breath in. Zeus didn't look too surprised or taken back, he just shook his head a little. "Those names...I haven't heard them in years. Ouranos went all out with this scheme." He tilted his head up to lock eyes with me, "I thought Amaterasu was dead. Quite a surprise to hear what really happened."

His gaze was far off in the distance past my body. "What-" I started, not understanding at first. But then I saw the tiniest sparkle in his eyes. All was made clear.

Thalia.

"I can relate." He muttered, quickly clearing his throat afterward. "Well, good to know she's back. That part of the world shall be safe."

"Yeah. So...we planned on starting our search immediately. Is there a certain way we can do it that might make things faster?"

He didn't speak for a minute, at least, contemplating a plan. I waited in anticipation, already going over the scenarios in my head. Didn't really matter, whatever he said, I'd take it as good news, and I'd probably go along with it.

Zeus placed a hand under his chin, "I'll begin searching. You kids...you rest. Stay at Camp and enjoy your New Year."

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

"What?"

He didn't repeat it. He knew I'd heard him.

"What are you talking about? Rest? Don't be crazy, we're gonna help find him."

"No, Matt. I've been thinking about all of this, and I know what must be done. Ouranos is my burden to take on, and my burden alone."

Annoyance crept up in my chest. "How can you say that? What was training even for then?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and started gesturing wildly with his hand. "I know what it was for at first. I realize. But regardless of the intention, it turned out to be for the best. You gained the strength to save everyone in Japan, and now you have enough to protect your friends and home."

"That's not enough." I shook my head, "No, no, that's not enough. It was for him. All that training...it helped me, yeah, but the end goal was always Ouranos."

"Was it?" He pressed. "Matt, you don't need it to be for him."

I did my best to push the reality back, out of mind. He was right, and I even told him about it. In my explanation, I mentioned letting Malachi go after Ouranos, knowing good and well he has more of a right to be the one to defeat him. Now here I am, contradicting myself.

Maybe it's because I thought it would be over. I thought Ouranos would be killed. Now knowing that he's still out there...that same feeling is coming back. The same drive to end everything and finally be at peace.

"He's a threat, grandfather."

"A threat that I need to, and can deal with. You and your friends still have long lives to live, and I want you to live them without having to worry about all of this."

"And it'll happen. Once we deal with him. You really don't expect us to just stand on the sidelines while you do all the work? This is what we've been building towards, what our main goal has been for years, Grandfather."

He stared at me. "I know it's personal between you two. I understand, and you're right, you've all been aiming at this for a long time. Forgive me, Matt."

My tone softened, but still remained a bit firm. "It's not just personal between me and him. It's personal between all of us. He's dealt a bad hand in each of our lives." I pointed at him, "Including you. Why can't we just work together? It'll be so much easier, especially if you and I team up. He won't stand a chance."

He sighed, "Do you remember when I came to you after your fight with Atlas? How you demanded to know where I had been and why I didn't help you?"

"Yeah."

"That changed me. You may think that none of this stuff affects me, and that's understandable, but it does. My son's death impacted me more than anything I've ever experienced in all my years. It made me rethink a lot of things, including the gods' role in terminating threats." I had no room to interject. He was on a roll. "I'll say it now, we have used demigods and heroes as pawns for centuries. We deny it, but that's exactly what we do. You know why? Because we're so egoic, lazy, and fearful of the 'powers that be' that we would send our own children to die! To fight our own battles!" He threw his hands down in anger, sending short bursts of wind beside both of us.

"I'm tired of that nonsense! I'm tired of fate rigging everyone's lives! I'm beyond tired of my reputation being this narcissistic asshole!" His tone shifted from one hundred to ten with the next sentence, "My son inherited that from me. I'm sure you've heard the stories from your father. At a young age, he only fought for glory, for the thrill. I was the same. I frothed at the mouth at the idea of being the strongest."

Yeah, that's true. Dad told me himself that he used to be different. I know for sure Zeus was like that too, based on...I don't know, dozens of stories and accounts.

"I want to be different. You have to understand that I cannot lose someone else like that. Especially at the hands of that scum. I want you and your friends to be safe and out of harm's way. It just...puts me more at ease."

I calmed down tremendously after hearing him out. Now I could discern what was going on. He wasn't ordering us to stay out of it because of some 'you can't handle this' notion, but it was out of worry.

This was a far cry from the Zeus I'd heard of as a kid.

I nodded slowly, "I get where you're coming from. I really do. But you gotta understand...we're kids, but we're not helpless. You could do this on your own, and you'd be fine. I know that. I know that you're the strongest god in the world...outside of freaks like Ananke and Death, and you'd handle Ouranos without too much effort. But we want this. We can't rest until this is over. It's a piece of our lives that we need to see through and let go, firsthand."

Silence.

"Please let us help. We can do this and come out in one piece. All of us."

With his hands on his hips, he didn't say anything. Just pursed his lips and turned his back to me. "Don't do anything without notifying me. Use that telepathy of yours."

"Vice versa."

"Excuse me?"

"Vice versa." I stated, "We notify each other."

His shoulders sagged with a long breath. "Fine."

I figured this was a good time to leave. I said what I wanted to say, and felt complete with the conversation.

"Don't train too hard!" I called, grabbing at the door. I waited a few seconds for a response, but didn't get one. Ah, fine. Be like that.

Exiting the training room, I made my way back to camp.

Night had finally fallen, and I found Talon sitting by the lakeside, smoking a cigarette.

Save for the five or six campers sitting by the campfire, talking, nobody else was around. Most campers had ventured into their cabins to rest for the night.

I could've kept to myself. Gone to my cabin, brainstormed some ideas on finding Ouranos, maybe written them down, and eventually climbed into bed with Harper. After the crazy day, I could use some rest.

But seeing Talon by himself just staring at the water...I couldn't ignore it. He had been through so much, way more than I had today. How could I say I'm tired? I bet Talon's freaking exhausted.

I could do all of my crap later. First priority is being there for my friends.

The grass and leaves crunched under my feet as I strode towards Talon, his figure, and the silhouette of smoke wisping over his head got closer with each step.

"Hey."

He spotted me as I took the last few steps, nodding his head. "Hey, kid. Where'd ya go?"

I stopped beside him with my hands in my pockets, "Ah, just a talk with the big boss."

"What'd he have to say?"

"Well, I actually found him training, believe it or not. I told him what happened in Japan. Literally everything in like...two minutes, I think."

"Nah, I believe that." He took a short puff from the cigarette, "Stakes are higher than they've ever been. You tell him about Amaterasu?"

I didn't expect that question. "Yeah, actually. I think he sort of related to the whole daughter situation with Thalia, you know?"

"Kid...don't tell the others, but I miss that girl. A lot."

I chuckled, "I don't think I have to. They can tell."

Sucking the last bit of white from the cigarette, he flicked it out in front of him. "I get this is the way things have to be. She's got a job to do. But...hell, it just sucks, ya know? For the first time, I actually feel something. Something I ain't felt in years. Then it's short lived."

I tried to put myself in the situation, imagining if when Harper and I began our relationship on that beach...it was over. When I left for training with Dad, I never came back or saw her again.

That would suck.

"I'm really sorry, man. I know you wanted that to work out."

"Not like I can't handle it or I don't understand. I get it. I mean, I would rather live with the memory of what little we had than never experience it at all. I'm glad for these past few days."

I could tell by his emotions that he was sincere. I smirked at him in admiration. He's handling this way better than I would. "You know, you're really mature, man. And I'm not trying to be cliche when I say this; But I don't think it's over between you two. If she feels the same way...I think she'll find a way to make it work."

He shrugged, "Hope so, kid. But if not, I ain't gonna cry about it."

Some crickets started chirping around us, replacing our voices. I admired the way the moon sat in the lake, shimmering with beautiful gray light. Peaceful times at Camp are the best times, period.

I scratched the back of my neck, my trademark nervous tick. I found myself blurting out a thought from long ago, "You know, this is gonna come out of left field, but I just gotta tell you...I used to think you and Harper had a thing."

My heart started beating faster, a bit nervous as to how he'd react. First, I expected his to mirror Harper's when I told her. Shock and hurt that I didn't trust her. I braced myself for the inevitable backlash, ready to regret the confession right away.

But his reaction surprised me. Instead of immediate disgust, he actually started laughing. "A thing? Define."

"You know...kissing and stuff. I know it's dumb, man. Beyond stupid. Harper already put me through the ringer for suggesting it-"

"Wait, you told Goth Girl about this?" He was grinning like a cat, unable to hide his amusement.

Now I felt just downright embarrassed. Well, you brought this on yourself, dude.

"Yeah...a few months ago before we fought Atlas."

He busted out laughing now, making my face heat up. I groaned, "I know! I know! I was being insecure and stupid about you guys' friendship. I figured since I'd been gone for a year training with dad...and you guys had a lot in common...well, you know..."

"So she denied it then."

"Yeah. Wait, what do you mean by that?"

He shrugged, "Matt, I don't know how to say this, but...something did happen. I'm sorry."

My heart stopped beating, every part of my body got hot now, beads of sweat forming on every pore. "W-What?"

For a second, Talon just held the expression seriously, and I began to question everything. Holy shit. Did she lie to me?

Then Talon snickered, "I'm just fucking with you."

Everything eased up, and I started laughing nervously. Damn, I was really sweating there for a second. He had me completely fooled.

"Good. Damn man, you really had me for a second."

He waved his hand dismissively, "Me and Goth Girl? Hell nah. Never crossed my mind. Girl's like a little sister to me."

"I figured. It's not like I've thought that this entire time or anything. Just a stupid passing thought."

"Trust me, ya got nothing to worry about. Chick loves you. I can see it in her good eye, and hell, just the way she talks about you, she's so grateful to have somebody to love again. After all that shit with her childhood and her brother...you're a good thing that came into her life. I think she knows that."

Hearing Talon explain it made my heart swell. He never talks about this kind of stuff, and if he does, it's usually buried within a joke. Listening to someone else's perspective really makes you think.

"It goes both ways." I said. "I'm so thankful that I have her. I really am. Not even as a girlfriend, but just as a person. She's what I always needed. All of you guys are what I needed."

He nodded, "I always tried to block that sort of stuff out. This idea of a soulmate. Too painful for me to even think about, kid. I always thought that it just never ended well."

"Sometimes it does."

"Sometimes it does." He repeated. "Even though Mary's gone, and Amaterasu is busy...that's okay. I have the memories. Memories are what make ya, after all."

"Talon, I want you to know...we don't care if you were an avatar. We never saw you as anything other than who you really were. Our friend."

"I know. Y'all already said all that."

"Well I'm saying it again."

The moonlight flickered in his sunglasses as he looked my way. "Well, thanks."

"And I get where you're coming from on wanting to help us fight Ouranos. We'll figure something out."

He didn't say anything, he just nodded and grunted, starting to stand up. He wiped the leaves and dirt from his pants, "Well, I think I've been out here a little too long. Better get some sleep. I'll probably need more now that I'm a mortal."

Just hearing him say it sounded weird. Talon being mortal. It didn't seem real. The entire revelation of Nikandreos didn't seem real. All of this buildup...for that to be the truth.

"But before I crash, there's something I wanted to tell you. Something I didn't tell the others when we were flying back."

"What is it?"

His expression brokered no argument, he got down right to the point. "I know you mentioned something about a decision you'd have to make in the past. Something your older counterpart told you."

I nodded, not sure where he was going with this. "Yeah."

"Well, I don't know if this had any correlation, but Nikandreos's destiny, you know, the prophecy telling him he would have to die..."

He trailed off, waiting for me to finish the sentence. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I didn't tell ya'll the specifics of it. He said he would have to die specifically fighting Ouranos. Not just anyone in general."

My eyes widened. Now I knew what he was getting at here.

"You're saying...that was supposed to be the decision? Me letting you die against Ouranos?"

"His plan was to overload the bastard with our energy, combusting our souls so neither of us can ever reform. No casualties but me, Nikandreos, and Ouranos." He shrugged, "I'm thinking that would've been it. You deciding whether to let me go through with it or not."

It made sense. Older Matt said that it would be a tough decision, and it would decide the fate of the universe, whether we lose to Ouranos or not. I...could actually see it now, all of us standing in front of Ouranos, and Talon goes to sacrifice himself. I would have a hard time letting him do such a thing.

Was that what Older Matt refused to do? He refused to let Talon die? Or was it something else?

"But Nikandreos is gone." I muttered the obvious, "You already fulfilled that prophecy by taking the hit from Tsukuyomi's sword."

Talon knew what I was going to say. "Which means now...you'll have to make a different decision."

The new reality hit me straight in the gut. He's right. Unless fate's been altered by Talon's action, and I no longer have to make a decision at all...but I doubt it. Fate probably doesn't just go away completely. It alters its path. If letting Talon die is no longer the decision I have to make, Fate will just replace it with another one when the time comes.

That's a scary, overwhelming thought.

Talon put a hand on my shoulder, "Didn't mean to drop that on you this late, kid, but I just had to tell you."

"No, no, it's fine. Thanks for telling me."

He squeezed my shoulder, "See ya in the morning." Then removed it, walking away.

I was left alone standing at the lakeside, deep in thought.

A horrifying one came to me.

If this is the path of fate, and Talon's free from its grasp now because he changed it...does that mean I'll have to let somebody else die?

After a few minutes of contemplation, I decided thinking about it now would just make me lose my mind, and sleep.

I could think about this tomorrow when I have more time. When I begin my search for Ouranos. Right now, I need a good night's rest. We'd accomplished our mission, and now we could move forward to the finish line.

Everyone had gone to their cabins now, leaving the Camp empty and dim, all the fires put out, save for the few torches we had set up around the borders. I crept up to my cabin and slipped inside, it's cozy warmth hitting me immediately.

I closed the door and sighed without a sound. My eyes fell to Harper first. She was still here, and it looked like she'd been asleep this whole time.

I leaned against the wall and smiled at her. She had unconsciously scooched over to her side of the bed, offering me space for whenever I returned. Harper rarely moves in her sleep beyond a couple of stirs. She always faces the direction of the door, never turns her back on it, and makes absolutely no noises during the night. She's the quietest sleeper I've ever encountered.

Looking at her now, I could practically feel myself melting to the floor. She's so cute without even trying. The covers were left in the exact position I placed them, leaving just enough room for her hair to poke out. Below that, her fingers lightly curled up against the pillow.

Right then and there, I knew that this is what I wanted. Forever. I didn't care how crazy that sounded, thinking that at just seventeen, soon to be eighteen, I knew in my heart that this was my only desire. I wanted to stay at Camp and be involved in the lives of future demigods with Harper.

A long time ago, such a notion would've floored me. I would've turned my head and scoffed at it. Feeling this strongly about some girl, wanting to actually stay at this place. If I did that, that means I've accepted all of this.

Now, I have. This is what I'm supposed to do with my life. Sigurd was right all along. I was born for this.

I shook my head and softly chuckled, "Don't get ahead of yourself." That's down the road. Right now, sleep. That's all I need to do.

Shuffling over, I lifted the covers and crawled into bed next to Harper, my left side cool from the unused space, and my right side warm from intruding hers.

When the weight shifted, Harper felt it, prompting her to stir and open her eyelids a crack.

"Shark Boy?" She mumbled.

I shushed her, "Yeah, it's me. Go back to sleep."

She nodded, closing her eyelids again. "M'kay." Once she reached out and felt my chest, she pulled herself closer to me, pressing flush against my side, draping a leg over both of mine. It wasn't five seconds later when she started breathing in a soft pattern again, fast asleep.

How does she do that? I thought. It's almost a superpower how fast she can drift off.

Comfortable, I closed my own eyes and waited to cross over into the dream world, wondering where it would take me tonight.

It might've been minutes, or hours. But eventually, I got my answer.

Pretty quickly, I realized that this wasn't a dream. And if it was, it was lucid.

I found myself standing in the streets of New York, right on the sidewalk under a pizza place. One of my favorites as a kid, actually. I could even see the Empire State Building in the distance, directly in front of me.

But unlike the city I know, this place was completely abandoned. Which is impossible, to say the least. Even in the middle of the night, you'll find people roaming around, a few cars meandering on the road . I remember, because when I still stayed at Mom's apartment, I would hear them throughout the night.

But this...this was barren. Not a single person or car in sight. The silence was so deafening, it creeped me out.

"Where the hell is everybody?" I said, surprised that I could even speak here. This wasn't a normal dream or vision. Normally, with either, I take the form of this floating spirit, observing the events before me. If I want to say something, it never comes out. I can only think it.

Now my voice was clear. I had complete awareness that this wasn't real life, yet I couldn't do a thing to escape. Not that I really wanted to. I was kinda curious as to what all of this meant.

I walked along the sidewalk for a minute, turning and walking backwards, looking up and down, trying to locate any semblance of life. Still nothing.

Maybe this is some kind of clue. This reminds me of when Percy or Annabeth would talk about the Battle of Manhattan, and specifically how Morpheus put all of the citizens to sleep, and not let anyone in through a magical barrier so they wouldn't interfere.

Is this how it's gonna be when we fight Ouranos? New York City abandoned? Well, to be honest, as creepy as it looks, it's good to know that mortals might not be involved. Just a single punch from any of us could cause enough damage to kill every person in the city. Hell, the aliens or whatever other creatures in the universe, too.

Not having anything better to do, I just kept walking along the same sidewalk, not really going anywhere or having a goal. Just...sightseeing.

But after I crossed the street, I squinted ahead. Below a Starbucks, out in the patio dining section just parallel to the door, sat a person with their back turned to me.

I picked up my pace. As I got closer, I could clearly see a person now, sitting at one of the little tables with their back hunched over.

He looked like...Malachi. I wasn't sure, but that was my best guess right now. Similar build, similar hairstyle, similar skin tone. But why would I see Malachi in a dream as lucid as this?

My curiosity peaked, the fast walk turned into a jog. "Malachi?" I called.

But in the next second, I got close enough to identify who it really was. I regretted saying that name.

Forty feet behind him, my eyes discerned the hair color. One of the only differences between the two. Malachi's hair has always been blonde, while his...is gray.

My curious expression darkened into a scowl as I closed in on him, just ten feet away now.

"Ouranos." I greeted coldly.

I now stood right in front of him, next to the adjacent seat. He looked up from his coffee cup and nodded at me.

"Matthias. Glad you were able to join me."

I fought back the urge to jump at him and strangle his neck. Wouldn't work here, so it's probably pointless. I settled for my scowl. "What the hell is this? Where are we?"

Ouranos looked like he'd been sitting here all day, just enjoying himself. He had this lazy, satisfied expression that pissed me off, and the way he sipped from his coffee cup, as if there wasn't a care in the world...man, that got my blood boiling too.

He looked no different from the last time I saw him. Which was...today, so not sure what I was expecting. Still an older version of Malachi, with the only way to tell the difference being his hair color and style, and that constant smugness.

His clothes had changed though. Now he wore a royal toga with a blue sash looking thing coming down his shoulder, like he was the king of the world or something. No surprise, since he saw himself as such.

He didn't answer my question, so I reiterated. "Answer me. Where the hell are we?"

He sat down his cup. "Looks like New York City to me."

"Yeah, I got that. You know what I meant."

He shrugged, "How should I know? I can't explain why you're dreaming about me."

I slammed my hands on the table, rattling it, and furthering his enjoyment. A devilish smirk stretched on his face, knowing he was getting to me. I hated that. I'm forgetting the point of that first day of training, giving into my emotions when I see this bastard.

I kept my voice calm in an attempt to do better. "This isn't a dream or a vision. I know both of those. This is different. Tell me what's going on right now."

Ouranos and I kept our eyes locked for a moment, the electricity of hatred crackling in between. Finally, he broke it, averting his gaze to the table.

"We're in the physical manifestation of a mental link that I created. You're correct, it's not a dream or a vision. It's more like...a really personal phone call."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "A phone call? Wait, so you're saying...you reached out to me via a mental link, and now we're both sitting in a shared manifestation of our conscious?"

He nodded, almost impressed. "Correct. You're smarter than you look, Matthias."

"Why would you want to talk to me?"

"Is it wrong for enemies to interact before a battle. Especially one with a connection such as this?" He put up a hand, "Or, in simpler terms, is it wrong to tell a pet you're going to put them down? And explain why?"

"I'm not your pet. And I don't think that way anymore. My only enemy is hatred."

He scoffed, "Keep telling yourself that. I can see it in your eyes. It's not like you're trying your best to hide it. Though, you are doing better, I'll give you that."

I didn't say anything. Training helped, but it couldn't have prepared me for this. Every word out of Ouranos's mouth annoyed me, just his presence brought up negative emotions. Japan was different. I spoke down to him because I was so confident that it would be the last time I saw him.

But this is like speaking to an escaped convict you've sworn to catch, but you can't reach. It's infuriating.

Ouranos read me like a book, chuckling with his eyes wide once he found out whatever he did within my gaze. "Don't tell me...that brat actually trained you to not be afraid of me?"

He knew. He could practically pinpoint the first ordeal of training.

He burst out into laughter. "That's incredible! I didn't know you were so afraid of me!"

"It was more of learning not to kill you on sight." I growled. "You know, don't want to make it painless."

My words bounced off of him easily. "Well, it didn't work. You're still the same. You hold the same feelings you've always held."

I groaned, done with all of this crap. "What are we doing here? Why would you reach out to me? To gloat on your escape?"

He grinned and pointed at the chair in front of him, "Sit."

"No."

"You won't be able to leave until I end the call. Sit."

Against my better judgement, I took his word for it and plopped down.

I leaned forward a bit, glaring a storm at him.

"You know, you might think you're the one in control here, but you're not. I will fucking find you, and when I do, I'll end it."

"But I am in control. Just the very sight of me is eating you up."

"Because I'm annoyed at how long this is being dragged out. I'm ready to be done with you."

"You're annoyed?" He chuckled, "Well, I'll ease some of that. You can find me if you try hard enough."

He's not actually going to tell me where he is. He's just trying to throw me off.

But still, I humored the notion. "Where, then?"

"A place you're all too familiar with. I'm simply floating in the strand between universes."

I curled my lip. "What?"

"The bridge world showcasing the portals to each universe. That's where I am. Biding my time."

I remembered. When fighting Hendricks...I'd seen it. Ouranos was using that as his hiding spot. Smart move, considering he can just pop into wherever he wants to evade us, and he has an infinite number of options.

"Why would you tell me that?"

"I can't just leave you with nothing to do." He said, "It's all part of our little game, isn't it?"

"None of this is a game. You may treat it like one, but it's not. Let me reiterate. We're going to find you, and when we do...it's over. You're going to die."

Before he could speak, I interrupted, "And don't pretend you have the power to stop us. Zeus and I alone are more than enough to take care of you. I'm way stronger now. And even if you think the Adam Tree will close the gap, we won't let you get to it. I know that's your plan."

"I told you that." He noted, not worried about it even now.

"Yeah, bad move on your part. Might've been able to take us by surprise if you didn't reveal everything."

His expression turned more serious. "I want you to know what's going to happen. Simple as that. I want all of the gods to know what's coming for them. What I'm going to do." Finally, he returned my glare. We were matching each other's looks. "This isn't a game to me. You and I have our own little thing going, but my goal has never been a game."

"Which one? To wipe out humanity? Or to make our lives a living hell?"

He ignored my questions, instead looking around the city. "You know, I never would've imagined the world would regress to such a state." He let out a snort of distaste, "It sickens me. These...humans. They've taken over, made the gods their lapdogs. The world belongs to no one. There's no order."

I rolled my eyes at him, "Ninety nine percent of people don't even know the gods exist. None of this is their fault. They did nothing to hurt you."

"They've polluted this planet." He answered with contempt. His entire demeanor changed from playful and smug to angry and determined. It goes to show how serious he is about his twisted vision. "They never belonged here. Those fools on Olympus allow them to live because they're nothing more than attention seeking, lazy brats. I intend to bring the world back to its true form."

Hearing him rant like this. I knew what it was now, why he brought me here. He wanted to vent. He wanted someone to talk to about this. He's...alone.

The truth brought satisfaction to me, and eased some of my frustration. That may not be it, but that's a good guess. I can read him almost as well as he can read me.

He stared at me, as if trying to read my thoughts. "Do you know what my goal even is, Matthias? Do you know why I do this?"

"You think you're entitled to the world just because you were born when it was created. You're a power-hungry monster." I shook my head, "There's no deeper meaning to this. There's no gray area or some reason to justify your actions. You're jealous because life went on without you, and now you want to burn the world to the ground."

He smiled humorlessly, "You're too young to understand. Sometimes I forget I'm talking to a teenager. You know, that's why I hate you. You have such potential, so much strength, yet it's pointed in the wrong direction. You're so naive that you'd blindly serve the Olympians."

"I don't serve them." I countered. "I do what I do out of my own free will to protect my friends and to protect the world. I know what it's like to have things taken away from you, and I don't want that to happen to anyone else, if I can help it."

"You indirectly do their job." He said it with drawn out volume, as if trying to get it through my thick skull. "Whether you know it or not, you're going to war for them. Does that seem fair? Why should you suffer, when their the ones to blame?"

"How can you even say any of this on some stupid high horse? The gods have done bad things, but you're way worse than them. You're not the good guy! What you intend to do...it threatens the lives of billions of innocent people. People that don't deserve to die. Why would you even attempt to convince me that I'm on the wrong side?! You, of all people?! You killed my dad!" I literally started counting my fingers, down a list of the horrible atrocities. "You manipulated a poor woman into having your child, and then you killed her! Then you made said boy your personal machine to slay the gods! Don't even get me started on the others!"

"You stand in my way." He answered calmly. "You're my enemies. What do you expect me to do? If none of you will take the opportunity to join me, then I must kill you. I need to rid this world of everything so that I can start over. Then I will create new, pure life forms without flaws. It will be a perfect world."

I wasn't buying a second of it. "I see right through you. You can't pretend around me; in the same way I can't pretend around you. I know what this is really about. You were born with all the power you could ever want, surrounded by similar beings. You were happy. But once nature started to take its course, things didn't go your way. Your wife and children got greedy and betrayed you, leaving you all alone." His face twitched. I could tell I was getting to him now. "That's what all of this is about. Loneliness and emptiness. You have nothing. The only person you even remotely liked was Tartarus, and he was just as crazy as you. He probably would've betrayed you in the end, too."

His eyes darkened a shade. I could feel the murderous intent oozing.

"That's not the first time you've thought that, either." I said. "Is it? You knew there was a chance he'd betray you, just like Gaea. The same way he knew you might betray him. You're drunk on power. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

When I was finished, neither of us spoke. We just glared at each other, Ouranos's far more intense than mine. I knew what I said was right. He can try and justify it all he wants, but the paint covering the wall is thin. I see the truth.

Finally, he smirked. "You're a fun one, Matthias. Fun indeed. I'm going to enjoy our final battle."

"It won't be anything special." I lifted a finger, "One hit. That's all it'll take. If Zeus doesn't get you first."

He laughed, "You've really grown up. I'd almost say I'm proud if I didn't loathe you."

"Feeling's mutual."

Ouranos downed the last bit of his cup and stood up from his chair. Turning his head, he looked off into the distance at the Empire- no, Olympus.

"Soon, everything will be realized." He turned to me, "The next time we meet in person will be the last. Until then...I would take the time you have to prepare."

"I'll be ready."

He nodded. Lifting his fingers next to his shoulder, he snapped them, ending the mental link.

I was brought back to my bed immediately. Everything felt just as real here as it did in that place. Harper was still next to me, asleep, the temperature hadn't changed, and I was completely intact.

With a sigh, I snuggled deeper under the covers, not worried in the slightest about Ouranos's threats. In fact, now, I felt invigorated. The final confrontation is just on the horizon, and after that...well, that's the part I like to think about the most.

I've got a lot of work to do.

(End of Book Five: The Rising Sun)