Percy glanced at the smiling legionnaires around him. Among them were the Greeks, and the members of the quest. Beside him was Jason, smiling as he caught up with all of their old friends. Distantly, he could hear Gwen teasing him. She seemed happy in her life as a civilian. But someone was missing.

"Percy?" Reyna called out, looking at him questioningly.

He stood from his seat, stretching. "I'm going out for a walk," he said, excusing himself. "I think I need some air."

"Want me to go with you?" Reyna asked.

Percy shook his head. "No, you should probably stay here."

He walked out of the makeshift dining place and made his way directly to Temple Hill. A tinge of amusement went through him as he spotted the blonde figure at the top of the hill, looking down. Knowing her, she had already spotted him by now.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," Percy said, as he walked up to her.

Annabeth smiled sheepishly, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Am I really that obvious?"

Percy chuckled. "You haven't changed since we were children in this manner. Is your dream still the same?"

"To redesign the world into something that lasts?" Annabeth laughed. "Yeah, it is. Percy, this place is amazing," she breathed, gazing down at the temples scattered down the hill.

"And New Rome," she continued. "Just from that one look, I can't even put into words how incredible it is."

"I know," he grinned proudly. "It's a sanctuary, for any demigods, legacies, or clear-sighted mortals who need it. It gives the legion something to protect, too. New Rome is what makes us strong."

For the first time, Annabeth looked away from the temples, stormy grey studying him intensely. "This place. The legion. If you'd had the choice, would you have come?"

He didn't need to even think about that question, and instead, thought back to the memories he had made. "Yeah," he said. "I would have. It's… home."

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "I'm glad, Percy. You deserve to be happy."

Home. It was a concept he hadn't often thought about. But to him, his home was with his people.

"Hey Beth," Percy started hesitantly. A question he'd been dying to ask ever since her ship had arrived. He just hadn't had the opportunity before then. "How's my mom? Is she alright?"

Annabeth wryly smiled at him in response. "I was wondering when you'd ask me that. You've always been a Mama's boy," she teased.

Percy sheepishly grinned in response. "Guity," he admitted.

"Sally… she had a rough period of time after you were taken. The two years after were the worst. She still has some bad days sometimes. Your birthday, those weeks when we usually went to Montauk. She misses you a lot, Percy," Annabeth breathed, not meeting Percy's eyes as she spoke, her gaze unfocused, clearly in remembrance of those times.

"And now? She's alright now, right?" he hopefully asked. "Looking back, I know she only married Gabe to throw the monsters off my scent. Once I was gone, she did divorce him, right?" Sally Jackson hadn't deserved her lot in life.

To his relief, Annabeth smiled. "Your mom, yeah, she's good. She did divorce Gabe after you were taken. She remarried actually, you know? Paul treats her really well. They actually have a daughter now. Her name's Estelle."

It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that Mom had managed to move on. He was happy that she was happy, but there was a small, ugly voice in his head that was slightly jealous of his new half-sibling. She was mortal. She would get to spend her life in peace. He would not. She had repl-

No, he wiped that thought from his mind.

Percy swiped at his wet eyes and weakly laughed. "I'm glad, that she's alright. That she's happy."

"You should go visit her," Annabeth urged. "She misses you."

Percy shook his head from side to side, disagreeing. "No, I shouldn't. She's happy. I don't want to disturb her peace. And besides," he sighed. "I'm one of New Rome's praetors. I need to be here to lead the legion. Even with Reyna, I can't just take a month-long break to gallivant off to the other side of the country."

He could tell that Annabeth was disappointed in his answer. But what could he do? He had been raised Roman. He knew his duty, and he had to uphold it.

"Maybe… after all of this is over, she can come visit you?" Annabeth offered. "You can meet your little sister. I know that you'll adore her."

Percy smiled. "That would be great. Yeah."

That was when the alarms sounded. Percy's gaze snapped up to the warship, to see it firing onto the city.

They had been betrayed.

"Giants?" Annabeth asked, reaching for the dagger strapped to her side. "Didn't the legion defeat all of them?"

"This isn't the Giants," Percy spat, glaring at her. "That's your warship firing onto my people. You've betrayed our trust."

"What? Gods no, Percy! You have to believe me. This isn't us! Please, you know that I would never do such a thing."

It pained Percy to accuse his childhood best friend. The Annabeth he knew would have never considered such a thing. But she had spent years at that Greek camp. And those years had changed her.

Although… Percy studied Annabeth. She seemed to genuinely be in confusion and in fear. If this had been the plan, she hadn't been told of it. He knew that for certain. She couldn't be that good of an actor.

Down below them, chaos was rampant. Fistfights were already breaking out.

"They're fighting," he commented, already taking into account the various sources of water that could be weaponized in the city. Percy fingered Riptide.

"We have to stop it," Annabeth responded, already rushing down the hill toward her crewmates.

Percy feared that this would be the last time that they would be in agreement, as he ran to chase her.

"You and your people need to leave," he demanded. "I don't know, and I don't care what happened, but that is your ship firing down on my people. You need to stop what is happening and leave. The only reason I'm letting you Greeks go alive is because of our past friendship, no matter how much it even matters to you now."

"Seven demigods," he continued. "You came here with five. Take Bianca and Hazel with you. Finish the quest. Fulfill the prophecy. I can only give you one month before we raze your camp to the ground."

"But Percy, it wasn't us!" Annabeth pleaded as she stared back at him, hurt in her eyes, but he was resolute. He had to stay loyal to the legion. He was one of its praetors. This was his duty.

"That is your ship firing onto my city!" he again, snarled. "The legion will be out for blood. There is only so much I can do. I will have to lead them to war. Leave, Annabeth. And remember, one month. One month before we march on your camp."

It hurt him too, how much she physically recoiled. He almost never used her actual name. And never, had he ever said it with so much venom in his voice.

That had been all it had taken in the end. Seeming to steel herself in a second, Annabeth whirled around, toward her people. Away from him. He watched, distantly as he whistled for Blackjack, and took charge of the legion, bringing it out of its chaos. He watched as she gathered the Greek demigods and led them back to their ship. And he watched, as that ship sailed away in the sky.

As Reyna threw the spear into the ground in her mother's temple, he refused to think about those hurt stormy grey eyes as they had looked back at him, one last time.