PIPER

It had been two weeks since the battle with Gaea, and the explosion.

The shroud burnings had lasted for the first half of that. So many had died during the war, so much destruction had been leveled. Repairs and rebuilding was still taking place in Camp.

Camp Jupiter had returned to their camp a few days previously, Frank and Reyna at the head. They had their own dead to bury.

Leo's shroud burning still hadn't been performed.

Piper knew that Chiron thought Leo was long dead, that Nico and Hazel had felt Leo's life force go out. But she didn't, couldn't believe it.

Because somebody so loving, so real, so stubbornly invincible was beyond death. It was an untouchable concept to Piper that Leo could be gone, that she could never see him again. Because he was her best friend, and she couldn't imagine a world without him.

So she refused to believe that she was living in that world.

It wasn't until a pretty girl landed in camp on Festus that Piper realized that she was wrong.

It happened during breakfast. The cabin tables had disintegrated during the war, everybody needing the comfort of each other. Chiron seemed to understand that, so he allowed people to sit where they wished.

Half of the tables were empty.

Piper sat at a table with Annabeth, Jason, Percy, Will, Grover, and Nico. The chatter was dull and muted. Everyone seemed to be feeling the absence of all the people who should have been there, but weren't.

She was scanning the sky, as per usual, waiting for something. Waiting for her best friend to swoop back into camp, a smile on his face and a quip on his lips.

And the thing she was waiting for finally happened.

Piper leapt out of her seat as soon as she saw it, and ran out into the strawberry fields, laughing and crying from joy. Festus was slowly landing.

Everyone else stared after her, then they saw what she was running to, and the entire camp poured after her, people whooping and cheering.

The cheers died when Festus landed and they saw that Leo was not, indeed, sitting atop Festus. That Leo was not about to make a joke about how happy they were to see him. That Leo wasn't there.

Instead, a pretty young woman slid off of the dragon's back. She had large eyes, auburn hair, and wore a pair of leggings and a blouse. She looked sad and weathered as she looked over the crowd that had gone from ecstatic to hostile in less than ten seconds.

"Who are you?" Clarisse was the first to speak. "Where did you get that dragon?"

The girl took a deep breath. "I-"

"Calypso?" Percy interrupted, staring at the girl in shock and awe. "How- what- how are you here?"

Calypso.

The name was familiar to Piper.

The girl who's island Leo had been trapped on. The girl he'd fallen in love with, then left behind. The girl he'd promised to get back to.

And the truth came crashing into Piper like a tsunami, crushing her, suffocating her, threatening to pull her under.

"Hello Percy." Calypso said quietly.

Oh, gods.

Oh gods oh gods oh gods.

No, no, no.

It couldn't be true.

"Where is Leo?" Jason asked slowly. Piper could see he had been living in the same false hope as she had, and she could also see his hope getting crushed, just like it was within her.

"He- he left me a video recording." Calypso said. "He wanted me to deliver the rest of them to you. I- I think he's dead."

Piper had known it.

She had always known it.

She just hadn't wanted to believe it.

RECORDING_ PIPER

Leo is once again in the Argo II engine room. Something starts whistling behind him as soon as the camera blinks on, and he has to exit the frame to repair it.

LEO: Shit. I thought I had fixed this. Sorry, Pipes, just give me a minute.

A moment later, Leo returns to the camera frame, looking even more tired, with the usual grease stains on his face and arms. He is pocketing his wrench.

LEO: Sorry about that. Geez, that's not at all how I wanted to start this video.

LEO: If you're watching this, I'm not coming back. I'm dead, gone, whatever you want to call it. I'm really sorry for not telling you about my plan, but if I had, you would have tried to stop me. And that would sorta ruin the great heroic tragedy of the thing, you know?

LEO: I couldn't let you tell me, cause if I don't die, somebody else will. I can't accept that. Nobody else should die because of me.

LEO: (quietly) I really am going to miss you, though. It's still hard to get through my head. I'm dying tomorrow.

Leo stares at something not visible, seeming distant.

LEO: I'm dying tomorrow.

LEO: Part of me wants one of you guys to find out. I want someone to stop me, I want you to convince me not to do it. If you guys told me not to, I wouldn't. Cause I really don't want to do it.

LEO: Is that cowardly of me?

Leo blinks, his gaze snapping back to the camera, and he seems to realize where he is and what he's doing. He smiles, but it is obviously forced.

LEO: This is where I'm supposed to say something annoying and funny, to lighten the situation up a bit. But I can't bring myself to. Sorry about that. I want your last impression of me to be the Leo you know, but I can't do it. So… you get the weird solemn one instead.

Leo sighs and runs a hand through his hair, smile dropping.

LEO: I don't know what I thought I was gonna say on this. I hope you'll forgive me for the awkward tangents, but I'm a little distracted at the moment.

The whistling from before starts up again, but Leo ignores it.

LEO: But, I think the main idea was that it would be a goodbye. And an apology.

There is the sound of a door opening, and Leo looks up sharply. Then he grabs the camera and shoves it into his pocket, so that all is visible is the faint light filtering through the cloth.

ANNABETH: (muffled) Leo? What are you doing?

LEO: (also muffled) Oh, um. I was just finishing up some repairs.

ANNABETH: What's that noise?

LEO: Loose fusing.

ANNABETH: Right, well, we're eating dinner.

LEO: Okay.

ANNABETH: … Are you coming?

LEO: Oh, oh, yeah. Just give me a minute. I have to tighten that fuse, or all the configurations for the heat seeking missiles will get thrown off.

ANNABETH: We have heat seeking missiles?

LEO: Yeah. Did you think my aim was really that good?

ANNABETH: I- you- huh?

LEO: (chuckling) Wow, Annabeth, I'm flattered. I mean, I know I'm amazing, but I'm not that good.

ANNABETH: Whatever. Just come up to eat once you're done, okay? You haven't eaten all day.

LEO: I haven't?

ANNABETH: Nope.

LEO: Right. I'll be up soon.

Footsteps, and then a door closing. The camera rustles, and soon it is taken out of Leo's pocket and held up in front of his face.

LEO: I really do have to tighten those fuses again. Even if I'm dying tomorrow, I want you to be equipped with the full potential of the ship. So… bye.

Leo hesitates, seeming like he wants to say more. But the whistling is growing louder, and he only hesitates a moment before turning the camera off.