A New Life Chapter 3: Life Goes On, a percy jackson and the olympians fanfic

AN: Once again all I can say is thank you. For reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting all I can say is thank you. You make me want to be better.

Brief warning. There is a section marked 'Memories' that involves the death of a child. If that is not something you feel comfortable reading I will include a less descriptive summary at the end of the chapter. It is important for the story and Percy as a character but I completely understand if you're uncomfortable with it.

As always I own my imagination and nothing you recognize from officially published/licensed works.

Chapter 3: Life Goes On

"To Percy and Calypso!"

A loud cheer rang through the growing crowd as Hermes and Apollo raised glasses before draining them. Most of the crowd followed suit after shouting their congratulations. Percy and Calypso were both mortified by the attention and neither had expected this. When Percy had brought them to Apollo's location they had been slightly surprised to find him in the culinary district of Olympus. Percy had expected to find him in a mortal dive bar or somewhere equally rough around the edges. Apollo hadn't even waited for Percy to open his mouth before shouting loud enough for the whole area to hear.

"You finally asked her?! I've gotta find Hermes."

He vanished with a flash of golden light and returned with Hermes in tow. The pair had immediately set about making sure the whole area knew who they were and that they were engaged. As one of the Olympians Percy was well known by all in the crowd, he even thought he recognized several of them. Calypso however was a different story, her presence in the world was much lower profile, but her story was infamous. Percy knew that most of Olympus would know about their engagement before midnight, almost to prove his point there was a flash of light and a very excited squeal behind them. He turned just in time for Aphrodite to throw herself at him and Calypso, hugging them both.

"Ohh, yes yes yes! Finally! Oh, tell me everything. How'd he ask? When did he ask? Let me see the ring!"

The questions flew out of Aphrodite at a prodigious rate, and they just kept coming. Calypso had to grab her wrists and force Aphrodite to look at her to get the questions to stop. The goddess of love looked happier than Percy had seen her in a long time but he wasn't sure why. He knew she liked both of them, love was her domain, and all that. He gave her a questioning look and she met his eyes her smile softening into something slightly less manic. There was a sort of brightness in her eyes that he very rarely saw and it gave him pause.

"Aphrodite? Is everything...okay?"

She sighed contentedly before answering, and she augmented her voice with power because the crowd was growing louder around them.

"Percy. I once promised to make your love life interesting..." She paused and a slightly more somber expression came over her face, "...I wish your only twists and turns had been mine. There isn't a man alive who deserves this more than you do. That and you're with Calypso, I have never thought that love should be a punishment the way it was with her. Love is and always will be the most important and powerful emotion we feel. I don't say that because I am the goddess of love, and I don't think you need me to explain, do you, Percy?"

He shook his head unable to speak past the hard lump in his throat. He felt Calypso slide her arms beneath his and around his torso, pressing herself into him. He welcomed her presence and took comfort in her closeness. Raising his eyes to meet Aphrodite's rainbow irises once more Percy gave her a sad smile.

"No, you don't. Thank you."

Aphrodite smiled back and waved gently as she dissolved into a shower of rose petals that swirled away into the evening air. Calypso looked up at him and rested her chin against his collarbone.

"I love you, Percy."

The lump in his throat finally felt like it was going away as he kissed her forehead.

"I love you too Calypso."

Meanwhile, Apollo and Hermes had produced instruments and were busy entertaining the boisterous crowd. Calypso stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.

"Think anyone will notice if we leave?"

Glancing at the growing crowd he had no doubt that no one except possibly Hermes or Apollo would notice them leaving. Percy began forging a path through the crowd, many of whom probably had no idea why there was the beginning of a party in this out-of-the-way section of Olympus. He could feel Calypso holding tight to his fingers as they moved, and as they reached the end of the street they turned to see Apollo give them a hurried wave. Percy returned it and saw Apollo turn back to the majority of the crowd. As they continued farther up Olympus they felt a swell of power and Percy smelled the sea.

"Hey, Dad."

Poseidon smiled broadly but for once he wasn't even looking at Percy. His eyes were on Calypso as he took a step forward with his arms wide. He hesitated for a moment.

"Umm, may I?"

Calypso laughed and nodded to which Poseidon immediately engulfed her in a hug.

"It's good you're finally making it official. Amphitrite keeps referring to you as the daughter she never had."

Calypso blushed gold and she reattached herself to Percy after Poseidon let her go. Percy couldn't remember seeing Poseidon happier.

"Well good to know you approve Dad."

Percy couldn't keep his face straight even as he said it. Poseidon laughed too and slapped Percy on the back as the three of them turned to walk up the mountain.

"I suppose all the ruckus is the usual suspects celebrating the news? Though that does beg the question of why you're here and not there?"

Percy nodded in confirmation but remained silent as they continued to walk steadily. They fell into a companionable silence but soon found themselves outside Percy's palace. They stopped and Percy opened his mouth but he didn't know what to say. He was so full of different emotions that even his other consciousnesses were beginning to grow restless and excited. He focused on the feeling of Calypso's hand in his and some of the emotional noise began to fade. It was a feeling that he remembered all too well from his younger days. When his mom would hug him for the first time in weeks or months when he went swimming, and when he had been with Annabeth.

"I don't think I've ever said this before but you are so much like your mother it is truly astounding. You may look more like me, but inside you are every bit of you your mother's son. I look forward to the wedding."

Poseidon turned to leave but Percy crossed the distance between them and threw his arms around his dad. Poseidon was surprised but almost immediately returned the embrace.

"Thanks, Dad."

They broke apart moments later and Poseidon's face was set in a half smile that Percy knew adorned his lips all too often. It was a smile of bittersweet happiness and melancholy joy. His father strode away and soon vanished from sight farther up the mountain. Percy turned to find Calypso standing next to the front door waiting for him to join her. When he got close he suddenly hoisted her into his arms before stepping inside.

"I think that's an after-the-wedding sort of thing, mister."

Her laugh filled the room and his soul with a lightness he often struggled to find on his own.

"Oh, I suppose you must be right."

He moved toward a couch immediately and unceremoniously dropped her on the cushions. She shouted briefly in surprise then had to blow her hair out of her face. He grinned mischievously at her as she lay glaring at him, her hair still covering most of her face. She blew the strands out of the way again and he couldn't take it anymore. He started giggling uncontrollably and she soon joined him in losing her composure. It felt good to laugh, but it felt even better to laugh with Calypso or his friends.

The sun shone brightly through the massive windows he had built into the cabin for specifically that reason. Ever since the night they had gotten engaged they had all but been forced to avoid his palace on Olympus. At all hours of the day, someone would come calling, whether that be Aphrodite trying to help plan, Hera offering premarital couples counseling, or the many minor goddesses, nature spirits, and more who seemed intent on convincing him that it wasn't too late. It had taken only a few of this last kind of visitors for Percy to become worried and angry. Calypso seemed incredibly understanding and even told him flat out that she wasn't worried about it so long as none of them started throwing themselves at him. Yet every time he opened the door and found himself confronted by someone trying to convince him to leave Calypso he felt awful.

He had finally snapped after a dryad had brazenly offered to let him move her tree to his palace while wearing nothing but a thin layer of tree bark. He had slammed the door in her face and walked upstairs immediately. None of them had any idea who he was, what he had seen, what he had been through. How many of even the oldest of the minor gods had lived lives that could compare to his or Calypso's? He closed the bedroom door so hard that the hinges simply broke and it fell outwards toward the main room of the palace. Calypso had shot upright from where she had been sleeping and seen the look on his face. A flash of uncertainty swept over her features before she could conceal her feelings completely. He had felt his stomach drop at the sight. 'I knew it bothered her, why does she keep telling me it doesn't?'

Next thing he knew she had wrapped herself around him like an incredibly beautiful backpack. She didn't say anything but one of her hands gently stroked his chest as he felt her lips press into his back once.

"I'm sorry. I just..."

"I told you I don't blame you. You aren't asking for this and anyone who says otherwise is laughably delusional."

"Please Calypso just be honest with me?"

She sighed heavily and stayed quiet for a long while. He thought he heard her start to say something several times before clamping her lips shut again. After a while of this Percy lay down and spun in Calypso's arms so that they were facing each other. He gently stroked her face with his right hand, pulling some of her hair out of the way as he did so. She met his eyes and they were full of something he couldn't quite identify.

"I just don't want you to leave me again."

Iron bands seemed to wrap themselves around Percy's chest at her words. Her voice was tiny and so very quiet but she may as well have shouted the words at him. To have one of the things he had once told himself made him unworthy of her love fall from her lips was like a hammer blow to his heart. The worst part was that for the same reason, he couldn't even argue or try to make her understand that he wouldn't leave because he HAD left her before. He knew all too well that no matter how firmly you believed someone or something, if your heart disagreed then there was little you could do. It took everything in him not to immediately drag her to Hera and demand she marry them on the spot. Instead, he willed them to appear on his, soon to be their, nearly identical bed in his cabin on the coast of Long Island Sound.

Calypso buried her face in his chest and clung to him in the same way that he had so often to her in his darkest moments. He did exactly what she used to do when he needed her. He began to gently run his hands through her hair slowly combing it with his fingers. Then after steeling himself, he started to sing, he didn't sing often but when Calypso had first wondered what he sounded like he had obliged. He didn't think too much of it but Calypso had thought he was pranking her. According to her, his singing voice was almost enchanting so he thought he might be able to make use of it now, but he didn't know what he could sing. He didn't know songs of healing like Calypso did, he only knew modern music, and of that, it was mostly classic rock because his mom loved it. Then it clicked, she hadn't just listened to classic rock, and especially at Montauk, he remembered a song that he remembered her singing.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in,

But I can't help falling in love with you.

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin,

If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows,

Surely to the sea,

Darling so it goes,

Some things are meant to be.

Take my hand,

Take my whole life too.

For I can't help,

Falling in love with you.

Like a river flows,

Surely to the sea,

Darling so it goes,

Some things are meant to be.

Take my hand,

Take my whole life too.

For I can't help,

Falling in love with you.

For I can't help,

Falling in love with you."

Percy knew he wasn't a practiced singer, but he hoped he had at least been able to convey his feelings at that moment. He didn't care anymore, about what anyone said, about his doubts and insecurities, about his pain and regret. The only thing he cared about was that he loved Calypso. and that all of the rest of it he wanted to face with her.

"I can only say so much, but I won't leave you Calypso, not again."

He felt her hands balled in the front of his shirt pull downward. Her eyes were still nervous and full of pain, a pain he knew but couldn't quite comprehend. To be trapped and abandoned again and again by those you were cursed to inevitably love. He felt a flare of anger toward the rest of the Olympians but he shoved it away, she didn't need his anger right now. They stayed like that until they both found sleep, strange and otherworldly sleep as it was.

Percy was glad he had cashed in a favor with Hecate to have this cabin and its surroundings enchanted and shrouded with mist. Now only those he had given his express permission to could flash in and if you tried to simply walk into the area, all but the strongest minds would soon find themselves wandering in endless circles never getting any closer to his cabin. There was only a small handful of people that he trusted to allow them access and only a few more could find it without godly powers. Included in the enchantments was also a mechanism so that Percy was always aware of anyone approaching the area. So when he felt the Twins and Hermes arrive he was immediately awake and alert. He moved to slip out of bed without waking Calypso, but after last night he reconsidered. He knew that she didn't mean he could never leave her alone but he thought that the first time she awoke after finally expressing something like she had the night before he should be there.

"Calypso. It's time to wake up. We have company."

He gently touched her shoulder as he spoke and her eyes flicked open, though they did seem slightly bleary. When she realized where they were and he guessed remembered the night before, she seemed to shrink slightly.

"I'm sorry Percy. I don't want to..."

"No, don't apologize Calypso. Don't apologize for how you feel. You've done enough taking care of me and you never once made me feel ashamed for feeling."

"I uhhh... I'm gonna shower and get changed."

With their powers taking a shower or changing clothes the normal way wasn't strictly necessary, but they both preferred it. Him after living as a mortal for so long, and her after being on an island that limited her powers they had grown used to it. He saw her cheeks were still lightly tinged with gold so he didn't question her, he knew she needed time. Besides he knew she kept some stuff here even though they weren't technically living here. It was odd to think he had three places he could call his after the way he had grown up. He shook himself slightly and jumped up looking around himself before groaning slightly. Calypso had just claimed the bathroom plus he didn't have time for a shower anyway. Even as he thought it, one of the three knocked on the door to the cabin. Snapping his fingers he was clean and so were his clothes in an instant, but he missed his shower. The water was just so invigorating in the morning.

"Coming!"

He bolted for the door and threw it open before they could knock again.

"Sup Perse. Can we come in?"

Percy stepped aside allowing the three gods inside. They moved inside and found the seats they regularly occupied when here, which if someone had told him ten years ago would be as common as it was, he would have called them crazy. Apollo from his normal starfish position on the couch was watching Percy and seemed to notice something off because he frowned slightly and glanced over at Hermes. Percy was going to look as well but the door behind him opened and Calypso stepped out. Percy turned and smiled at her his lips parting somewhat as he looked at her. She blushed lightly again, even now almost ten years in Percy couldn't help being speechless at times like now.

"Okay, loverboy put your eyes back in your head."

Apollo's smile was as bright and white as ever but it didn't completely reach his eyes. Percy settled onto the remaining couch as he always did and Calypso soon joined him.

"So we heard about all of your...visitors."

Percy gritted his teeth and suppressed the urge to reply perhaps more emphatically than he would were he less agitated. All three visitors were more than aware of how he was likely taking the specific brand of attention he was receiving. Even before being made the god of loyalty he wouldn't have taken kindly to even one person suggesting he abandon someone he loves for another whom he doesn't even know. Hermes found himself fervently thanking the fates that Percy was also one of the kindest men he had ever met. Everyone present, even Percy who often underestimated his strength, knew just how poorly the situation could have ended. Artemis broke the growing silence that was filled with an awkward, nervous energy.

"If you'd like I'm sure my hunt would be willing to help with keeping any such interlopers away from you."

Percy rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I think that's a bit of a stretch. They tolerate me more than most men."

"Perhaps you are right. Though Thalia would no doubt enjoy it."

"Yeah well, Pinecone Face would take any opportunity to threaten people. She enjoys it far too much."

He couldn't hide his sarcastic grin that had begun growing before he had even finished talking. Now it was Artemis' turn to roll her eyes, but Apollo cut in before his sister could respond.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Perse is getting hounded by babes, let's talk about something important!"

He paused dramatically for effect, of course, no one present was affected in the slightest, but Apollo continued as if they were waiting with baited breath. Percy thought he may have heard the words god and drama and theater, but he couldn't be sure.

"What sort of music am I playing at your wedding?"

Calypso brightened at the change in topic away from the women who seemed desperate to steal Percy from her.

"Oh um, actually we don't think you'll be playing any Apollo."

The god seemed to deflate at the words, some legitimate melancholy seeping through his normally sunny disposition.

"Oh. Well, I guess that's fair. Who will be? The muses?"

"No idea yet, but I think Percy wanted to talk to you two," She gestured to Hermes and Apollo, "Before making that call."

Apollo looked up slightly confused though a genuine smile was growing on Hermes' face.

"I was going to ask the both of you to be my best man. I know it's normally only one..."

"YES!"

Both Apollo and Hermes shouted nearly in unison. All of Apollo's sadness at their rejection was gone in an instant.

"Do we get to throw you a bachelor party?"

Percy nodded but held up a hand before the mischievous pair could get any ideas.

"You're allowed to throw one, but we all know there's limits on what I'm willing to do. Remember that."

The warning didn't seem to phase either of the two gods he had grown to think of as brothers though. He didn't think he had seen either of them smile like this since he had woken from his coma all those years ago.

"Will your dad let us visit Atlantis?"

The question was more a formality than anything but gods couldn't intrude on each other's domains without asking permission. The more worrying thing was what Apollo could be planning in Atlantis. Percy shrugged and nodded.

"Don't see why he wouldn't."

The two of them vanished moments later off to plan or do whatever they needed to do. That left Percy with Calypso and Artemis. Another guy might be more uncomfortable given present company but not Percy, just like Apollo and Hermes were like brothers, Artemis was like the older sister he never had growing up. Sometimes she reminded him of Thalia but more often than not they were very different.

"So you will marry him?"

She addressed her question to Calypso as though Percy was not even there.

"Yes, Artemis. I'm not..."

"If he is keeping you here against your will I will help you. Just give me a sign."

Despite Artemis' deadpan expression Percy just couldn't take her seriously.

"Words hurt Artemis. You know? That hurts me."

"You're a big boy I'm sure you'll live. Though mine is to remain a maiden and to be their protector I can honestly say there is no worthier man than Percy."

Percy felt his cheeks grow golden despite himself, even the use of his full name wasn't enough of a distraction. However, Calypso's next words definitely were.

"Would you be my maid of honor Artemis?"

It seemed that Artemis was as surprised as Percy was by the question. She froze with her lips parted and it looked as though she was about to say no on reflex but stopped herself. Her silver eyes seemed to glow with warmer light and a smile grew on her lips.

"Of course. Though I won't be planning any parties so if that's the sort of thing that you..."

Calypso started laughing before Artemis could even finish speaking. Percy was soon laughing as well imagining Artemis setting up a traditional bachelorette party. They soon regained their composure and returned to the conversation. Artemis looked only mildly irritated and Percy called that a victory.

"No, I wouldn't ask you to do that. Though I was going to ask Aphrodite as well..."

That didn't surprise Percy in the slightest though it seemed to momentarily stun Artemis. Just as he had grown close to the twins, Hermes, and Hephaestus, Calypso had grown close to Artemis, Aphrodite, and more people than he could count in Atlantis, including Amphitrite. He knew that Calypso would likely visit the palace to show Amphitrite her ring sooner than later but she was sort of a maternal figure for them both.

"Well so long as she doesn't get to pick the dress. I would hate to have to even touch some of the many things I witnessed her wearing in public."

They continued to discuss plans for the wedding which Percy was glad that he didn't feel annoyed by. Growing up he remembered seeing guys in movies and TV shows complaining endlessly about the process of planning their wedding. He wasn't sure if Calypso was just that great or maybe those guys just weren't written very well but he knew for sure that he was going to be there every step of the way with Calypso.

"Step, one, two, three, good. Better but you still need to maintain your edge alignment. You're letting your wrist move too freely and it's leading to your sword twisting in your grip when you make contact."

Percy stepped back and took up a ready position and held his sword out before him in a middle guard position. He would let his opponent set the pace for the first few blows then start to push them to expose the flaws in their technique that were less obvious. Hour after hour, lesson after lesson, Percy tirelessly drilled, dueled, and demonstrated weapon fighting. From the sword, the spear and shield, to the trident and net, he taught it. The only exception being the bow. Though Artemis had removed the curse she had laid upon the sons of Poseidon after Orion's betrayal he would never master the bow to the level he believed was needed to teach. If it came down to it he could instruct the basics and enough to help a demigod stay alive, but they would never excel under his teaching alone.

That wasn't to say he hadn't improved, Artemis had insisted that he join her and her brother to practice regularly. She insisted on training with and without their powers as well which was fine by Percy. Even now he still preferred to do the majority of things in his life the old-fashioned way. The main exception was travel, he loved that he could be anywhere almost instantly with barely a thought, that and collecting his arrows. He had been practicing regularly for a few weeks before the idea came to him, and when it did he wanted to kick himself. He was the god of weaponry, why in Tartarus had he been walking to the target to retrieve his arrows? He simply willed them to disappear and then summoned them again in his quiver. Artemis had been less enthusiastic about this idea, she said that he should get his arrows himself. He couldn't exactly remember what she had said next as he had received several prayers from demigods he did not recognize as she spoke. Coupled with his somehow still rather ADHD brain meant he missed a good chunk of getting chewed out by the semi-irate goddess.

He had apologized profusely while dodging shafts before he simply banished her arrows. She had been even less happy about that which for someone else would have been a much larger problem. He had a few bruises but he lived manhood intact and not an animal. She had transformed him into several animals of course, but being a god meant he could just pop back to whatever form he chose after the very brief disorientation wore off. His least favorite animal was probably rabbits, he felt jumpy for hours after she had turned him into one.

Bringing himself back to the present he refocused on the lesson he was observing. Clarisse, even after nearly a decade, still hammered all the newbies into shape. He had offered to take over so that she could retire with Chris but she always refused. So here he found himself watching this afternoon's beginners class with interest. It wasn't formalized by any stretch but he spent a good deal of time watching the newbies and trying to get a feel for the sort of weapon that would suit them best. Everyone started with the sword, and almost all continued to learn even if they picked up other weapons eventually. As it was he saw a few campers in the class of eleven newbies that would likely end up with something else as their favored weapon. One girl in particular stuck out to him because she was simply so fast on her feet.

A heavy sigh managed to sneak from his lips as he observed her. She reminded him so strongly of... Percy froze looking closer. She couldn't have been older than eight or nine and as she was so young he hadn't paid too much attention to her. All he knew was that she lived on camp full time because she...had nowhere...else to go... He jumped to his feet and left the arena at almost a run toward New Olympia. The small town was separated from camp by about a five-minute walk at most which Percy covered in seconds. He skidded to a halt outside the clinic that Will operated for the locals and took a breath before stepping inside. The clinic was massive for the size of the town it was in, which given the residents, made sense.

About five years ago they had started working on a city like New Rome but here in New York. It wasn't much but Percy loved it because it was a safe place for demigods to live their lives. They didn't have to worry about monster attacks, not being able to keep up with school, or any number of the other things that made life in the mortal world a struggle. The town was still small though, so small that most of the necessary shops, businesses, and services were taken care of by the campers. Demeter's Cabin ran the grocery store, and Hermes' ran the general store and mail service. Apollo's cabin took care of the clinic, but Will who had retired from camp when he turned twenty-five, was in charge.

Percy walked up to the small reception desk where there were three bells and a friendly-looking woman that Percy recognized but couldn't quite place. He figured she was one of the few mortal spouses he had helped relocate alongside her family though. She looked slightly confused when she saw him which didn't surprise him. The few mortals that had moved here with their families seemed to have the hardest time adjusting to the fact that a god named Percy Jackson was just sort of always around.

"What can I do for you my l...Percy?"

He smiled and shook his head slightly at the slip. Though he had remembered her name after she spoke.

"Good catch Lisa. I'm no one's lord, except maybe the orcas. Those guys are dicks. Is Will in? I need to talk to him."

She got up and went to see if Will was in his office or if he had stepped out. Percy knew Will made house calls and would visit the camp to help teach his younger siblings so if he were not there it wouldn't exactly surprise him. Lisa returned with Will in tow, however.

"Hey, Percy. What can I do for you?"

Will knew all too well if someone was hurt Percy would have just snatched him from wherever he was so it wasn't an emergency. At the question, however, Percy felt his stomach tighten again as he remembered why he was there.

"There's a young girl in the beginner's sword fighting class. About yay big," Percy held up a hand a little over four feet above the ground. "Is guess seven to nine years old. Any idea who she is?"

Percy wasn't sure what he was expecting but for the normally cheery son of Apollo to look like he was about to cry was not it. The look only lasted a few seconds but it had been there.

"I don't... I think it's because she is so young. None of the Satyrs or other spirits had found her. I did when I was last in the city. She lost her mother to a monster when she was seven years old and she's been on the streets ever since."

The chill in Percy's stomach seemed to be deepening as Will spoke. 'It can't be her. That's not how reincarnation works right? It's just a coincidence.' Percy knew that he was lying to himself, he knew all too well that there was no such thing as coincidence, least of all for him. Something must have shown on his face because Will laid a hand on his shoulder and directed him out of the waiting room and back to his office. Percy let Will steer him into a chair as his heart raced. 'A nine-year-old girl, orphaned at seven, survived on the streets alone, seemed born to wield a dagger.'

"Percy!"

He shook himself and looked around at Will who was shaking his arm.

"Sorry, Will. I..."

"Percy, did something happen? Did you get a prayer? Is someone hurt?"

Percy realized he must have zoned out longer than he thought. He quickly shook his head before starting to talk.

"No, nothing like that." Will visibly relaxed and Percy continued, "I just... I think she might be Annabeth reincarnated."

The room felt heavy and cold to Percy like it was full of freezing mist. Will looked at him for a minute without saying anything, and Percy felt like he was under a microscope. To Percy's alarm, Will didn't simply dismiss the idea as ludicrous. It had been nine years, which meant if they were reborn immediately his fallen friends would all be nine years old now. He didn't know if that was how reincarnation worked but he had mostly avoided thinking about it until now.

"I can ask Nico if he knows anything. We won't know though, if you ask Hades he might be able to tell you more. Because you know, obvious reasons."

"Yeah. I guess. Either way, she needs a home. She shouldn't have to live at camp year round."

Percy looked significantly at Will who flushed and looked away.

"Nico told you huh?"

Will was spinning the small band on his left ring finger similarly to how Percy often spun Riptide before he had returned it to pen form.

"Yeah, something like that."

Percy didn't need to say anything else, Will would ask Nico for details if he wanted them in any case. Percy was just happy that Will had finally managed to convince Nico it wouldn't be a disaster. After Nico and Will had gotten married, Nico had confided in Percy that Will wanted to adopt. He had been so nervous but Percy understood completely. Nico was the son of Hades, lord of the dead, he talked to Percy about how he struggled with the living. That had been one of the reasons Will was so good for him, he was able to pull Nico out of the dark when he needed it. Percy had spent time talking to Nico about that sort of thing specifically. After his life, Percy struggled as well with the feeling that he was a danger to those around him. Nico had forgiven Percy for what happened to Bianca long ago so Percy had managed to convince Nico to forgive himself for being who he was. Apollo and Hermes had helped but it had mostly been him.

They chatted a little while longer but Percy's mind was even less focused on the conversation than normal. He had willed a fourth aspect of himself into being and even as he was talking to Will he was going to see Hades as well.

"How are you uncle?"

"I am well as ever Percy. Is something wrong?"

"No. Not exactly. I just wanted to ask you about how reincarnation works."

Hades' brow beetled slightly and his expression grew somber.

"It's not her Percy. Even if she were Annabeth's reincarnation she would never be Annabeth."

Percy sighed heavily unsure if he was relieved or saddened by the news.

"I know that. I wouldn't have said anything to her if she was I just... Needed to know."

Hades laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

"I cannot tell you much but I can tell you some. All of them have been reborn, the oldest are indeed approaching nine but the youngest are only six. However, there is more bittersweet news than even that. One of them has already achieved the isles of the blessed."

Percy felt like his heart had stopped for a full minute because when he could feel it again it was thudding painfully in his chest. 'How was that possible? One of them had already fallen?' Tears threatened to spill from his eyes though he wiped them away immediately.

"Can I ask who? And how?"

"I will show you what I can."

Hades reached out and touched Percy's forehead with the tip of a finger.

Memories

A roar filled the air, like a ravenous beast bellowing for blood. Except it was not a monster, it was a fire, an all-consuming inferno that reminded him of the blazes that consumed forests of the west coast. However there was no forest around him, he saw a house, smoke roiling from its shattered windows as the upper floor was consumed by smoke. From it spilled a small family even as the roof now ignited. Percy could hear the scream of mortal emergency services in the distance but it would be too late to save the house. Percy watched as the mother collapsed to the ground coughing and seeming to struggle to breathe. Percy knew the signs of acute smoke inhalation and knew she had minutes at most if the emergency services didn't get here soon.

He saw the father frantically calling for a daughter Percy could not see and a certainty crept over Percy as he saw the oldest child look up at his dad, and then at the house. He watched as the child bolted for the house and ran inside. He watched as the father yelled the child's name in fear but as he moved to follow something collapsed behind the door and flame shot out like the breath of a dragon. Then Percy heard it, coughing, shrill calls for help then the sound of a body or bodies falling into shrubs. He saw the father whip around and sprint for the other side of the house. He felt the mortal emergency services arrive and the scene dissolved before him.

It resolved on the other side of the house where the father was cradling two children in his arms. One of the children Percy saw was a younger girl that couldn't have been more than three or four, the other was the older child he had witnessed run back into the building. The father was shaking with suppressed, anguished sobs that broke Percy's heart. He could hear the desolation and the pain that words could not even begin to communicate in the sound. Firemen came around the house and spotted the trio on the ground a ways from the house but the father didn't look up. He clung to both his children with a desperation that was beginning to fill Percy though he knew how this ended given who was showing him. The scene dissolved once more and resolved to the inside of a hospital.

Percy once more saw the father pacing outside a room looking frantic. Within the room was absolute chaos as personnel swarmed the bed. Shrill alarms sounded and Percy knew it would be too late. It seemed the father did too as he collapsed to the floor and leaned against the wall his shoulders shaking with silent grief. Percy felt the tears wetting his face and he knew he would never forget the expression on that man's face even if he lived ten thousand years.

Percy staggered away from Hades and felt the tears on his cheeks. Hades looked as somber as ever but Percy supposed as the lord of the dead, this sort of knowledge was all too common for him. Percy felt a surge of sympathy for his uncle at the thought but he was interrupted by his uncle speaking.

"When he realized his little sister was not with them he went back in to get her. He knew where she would be hiding because it was a place he had shown her. He told her that she could hide there if she was scared and that he would always come get her."

Percy felt the tears well in his eyes again but knew he had to ask.

"Did she survive?"

"Thanks to him she did. However the mortals were unable to save him, he had inhaled too much smoke and been too severely burned. He even broke several ribs because he cradled his sister while they fell from the house so she would not be harmed. It was one of the quickest unanimous Elysium votes I have seen in many years. I think Frank would be proud to know his reincarnation kept his promise to you."

Percy nodded as tears still spilled down his cheeks.

"I think you're right. Frank would be proud, though he would also probably say he was just doing what was right."

"That reminds me of someone else I know."

Percy shot his uncle a look even as he wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks. He was just glad that Frank could truly rest now in the bliss of the isles of the blessed.

"Thank you for showing me, Uncle. As always if there is anything I can do for you, just let me know."

Hades inclined his head and a sad smile adorned his lips.

"The same to you nephew. I look forward to the wedding, I am invited am I not?"

"Of course you are Uncle. Thank you, you don't need to bring anything, we don't need gifts. If we have our way it will be rather small, but something tells me that between Aphrodite and Hera, it will end up being a bit bigger than either of us wants."

"A word of advice then Nephew, all that matters is that you and Calypso can remember the day gladly. Everything else doesn't matter in the end."

Percy nodded his thanks before allowing that aspect of his consciousness to fade and he once more was only three places in the world.

Percy refocused on the chat he was having with Will, but as always he must have failed in concealing how he was feeling because Will stopped talking almost immediately. Percy rubbed his face and felt tired, so very tired all of a sudden.

"Percy?"

"I talked to Hades."

"Oh...Oh! What did he say?"

"It's not her."

He knew he was being slightly clipped when he normally wouldn't be but Will knew him well enough to not take offense. Unfortunately, that also meant he knew Percy well enough to call him out on it.

"I assume that's not all you learned? Because you're acting like Nico does if I wake him before eleven in the morning."

Even the joke at Nico's expense wasn't enough to lift the melancholy from him at the moment. He took a deep breath and looked back at Will. He shrugged and took another deep breath.

"Nothing I can change, and nothing that I haven't dealt with before."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

Percy shrugged again as he got to his feet and turned to leave.

"Just do me a favor and talk to Nico about her. I think you might be surprised."

Will nodded in acknowledgement though he didn't say anything else as Percy left his office, only to come face to face with Nico himself. He stopped in surprise as Nico tended to avoid the clinic at all costs due to his worry that he would somehow make things worse for the people there.

"Oh umm hi Nico."

"Sup Percy?"

Nico was looking at him as though he had grown a second head, which if Percy was honest with himself wasn't a confusing reaction. He was at the clinic even less than Nico was because being a god meant that for most injuries he could simply heal himself, or if he couldn't then Apollo would be more than happy to help him out.

"Just talking to Will about some stuff. I think you should talk to him, might be good for you both."

Without waiting for Nico to respond Percy turned and walked back toward the front of the clinic leaving Nico standing outside Will's office probably looking about as confused as Percy ever was before he had become a god. Of course, Percy still got confused but now he was far better at concealing it, at least most of the time. He made his way back to camp where he sought out Chiron to give him the news he had learned from Hades. Like him, the old horse would be saddened by it but he would not be broken any more than Percy was by the news. It had been a shock and by no means was Percy okay with it, but Percy had been through a lot and he knew that he had to keep living. As long as he kept living then everyone he had lost was still alive in a way, he carried them all with him wherever he went. After meeting with the old horse he wandered back to the swordfighting arena which was blessedly empty at the moment. Willing weapons to appear Percy began to practice using his summoning in combat for more than just being able to vary his attack. He had been working on controlling the power and now he could summon the weapons at any point in his immediate vicinity for about a hundred feet around him, though he could sometimes push it a bit further within his field of view if he had some reference point. Summoning the arrows to counter those that Moros' victims had shot at him had been almost a reflex and he found much like his other powers when he had been a demigod, it was much more challenging to replicate the feat in a controlled environment. Though after years of practice, he could now do it with relative accuracy.

He refrained from doing so during most of his sparring matches with his friends as it was slightly unfair to attack them from multiple angles. Though he had tried the trick on his father once and it had resulted in the first solid touch Percy had landed on his father in all the time he had spent sparring with him. They had sparred far less than Percy and his friends but in almost fifty matches Percy had only that once managed to land a solid hit on his father. He thought it was good for him to be humbled every so often but the degree to which he was outstripped by his father was hard to comprehend. Unfortunately, it wasn't just a power or skill thing for Percy, his father's ability to read and react to his movements was mind-boggling to Percy. That and his fighting style meant it was nearly impossible to get inside his guard. He knew he was going to keep trying though, someday maybe he would get a single victory.

AN: I'm sorry this chapter got so heavy there but I have been dealing with some stuff in my personal life that is kinda heavy and that sort of thing tends to come out through my writing for better or worse. I had already planned on that specific sequence happening though and I had already written a rough draft of the memory sequence before chapter two was even written so it wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment I'm in a bad mood sort of thing.

Just to give you guys a slightly better idea of what I am going for, if you want a way to visualize what I am talking about when it comes to Poseidon's fighting style I am usually imagining the way that Jason Momoa's Aquaman fights. I just think the trident spinning in that is really cool, whether or not it's effective in real life I have no idea but we are talking about fiction here so I think it's okay. Thank you as always for reading, following, and favoriting!

Obviously the song Percy sings is Can't Help Falling in Love With You by Elvis Presley.

Memories - Recap

Percy was there to witness the mortal emergency services arrive, and he was there to see them at the hospital. He was also there to learn that help had come too late for the reincarnation of one of his friends.