A/N: Hey Cupcakes!

And! We're finally here! To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day this series comes to an end.
(Probably because a part of me never wanted to end it...)

I have SO much I wanna say, but no words to express how grateful I am to all of you for your continuous support and kind words. This story and you have taught me A LOT, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I did a little drawing a few months back of the guys, as a sort of small thanks. Maybe you'd like to look at it, maybe you don't. It will be on my Tumblr, and (hopefully) also on the AO3 version of this.

Again, thank you SO MUCH for everything! Your kind words meant the world to me (and still do), and while I'm sad to let the series go, I also accept that it's time to do so.
(Though I might still do those one-shots...writing my book series will undoubtedly have its ups and downs...so...I'm sure there will be enough times I'll be able to write some short tidbits of their later life...)

Now, before I start getting too sappy, time for the epilogue!
I hope it meets everybody's hopes and expectations, and ties up most of the loose strings.

In case anybody wants to know something else that hasn't been addressed here or that still feels open, just write me a comment and I'll try reply to the best of my abilities ;3

Enjoy the last chapter!
-Tári

Epilogue

"So, you see, that's how Medusa came to be. Anyways, anybody up for some homework? No? Yeah, me neither." Percy wrapped up his class, his few students shooting him wry grins as he gave them the okay to leave.

Who would have thought Percy would one day teach history classes instead of sword fighting?

Moreover, who would have thought Percy would enjoy it?
Percy smiled to himself as he waved after them, then he checked the time.

Just enough to drop by the infirmary and visit his boyfriend.

Pleased with that plan, Percy packed his things, erased the wild drawings and chaotic handwriting on the blackboard, and checked whether anybody had left anything behind, before locking up and moving down the front steps of the tiny Big House.

Today was a good day.

Percy took a deep breath as he made his way across the bright and beautiful campsite.

It had been less than a month since the final battle, but looking at the blooming flowers, green grass and blue sky, it seemed forever ago.

Percy whistled a happy tune as he got closer to the newly built infirmary.

After lots of discussions, they had made an entire separate building, much like a small hospital, so it could expand quicker if necessary, and accommodate more demigods.

It was also fire-proof, or so Leo claimed.

Percy thought it looked pretty cool, and it definitely had a lot more space to comfortably work alongside each other.

He knew, since he was still helping out occasionally.

But now that he was giving history lessons, he had to admit he liked those even more than the work in the infirmary.

Teaching felt…surprisingly pleasant.

Though he guessed he shouldn't be too surprised, considering he had liked giving sword fighting lessons before, too.

History lessons were a lot more fun though, especially when he could tell the kids about the monsters or gods in question with some first-hand experience.

Their expressions of utmost horror and disbelief were his favorite part.

Percy grinned and let himself in through the staff entrance, knowing Will was having the talk today.

There was no way he wanted to barge in at the worst moment.

The talk.

Percy sighed and moved down the narrow hallway to the changing rooms, though he didn't stop at his locker, instead moving through the room and towards the ajar door.

When he poked his head out, he saw Will in the main room, surrounded by his healers and siblings.

Ah.

Good thing Percy hadn't used the main entrance.

"As you know, I have stepped back as head medic after breaking my vows a few weeks back. This was met with a lot of disagreement and complaints," Will said loudly, and the others immediately started muttering and shifting, looking anything but happy.

Percy leaned against the doorway, watching quietly.

Will held up his hands to quieten everybody down.

"I have given your arguments a lot of thought, as you know. I stayed and helped the rebuilding of the infirmary, worked on a new filing system, and have been leading you to the best of my abilities," he told them, eyes finding Percy's for a moment, before hushing away to look at Austin.

"However, my final decision remains the same. I have not been a very good head medic, much less a fitting head counselor. Which is why I am now officially stepping back as both."

There was the sound of complaints, but Percy was relieved to see that nobody started yelling or crying, like last time.

For the most part, they looked as if they had expected as much, though it still seemed to hit them hard.

Will gestured towards Austin, who stepped forward.

He didn't look too happy, but Percy knew the two had talked about this the past days.

If Will said Austin was ready and willing to take this job and responsibility, he believed him.

"Austin will become the new head medic, as well as head counselor of the Apollo cabin. It wouldn't be right of me to keep either title, especially with everything that has happened. I hope you understand, and that you give Austin the same respect and blind eye towards mistakes that you've given me," he explained, patting Austin's shoulder.

"He's very reliable, he can read Alec's terrible handwriting, and he actually sleeps in the Apollo cabin! Those are only three of the many advantages he has on me, but I'm sure those are the most convincing to all of you."

Percy couldn't help but smile, while the others laughed.

A few were crying now, but they were also smiling, so it was okay.

"Of course, I'll still be around to help, and I'm always willing to listen if there's anything you need to get off your chest," Will told them, and his expression softened.

"Not gonna lie, I'll miss this, though."

Percy smiled and watched the first people break and move forward to hug his boyfriend, which had everybody else following right after.

They had talked about this quite often the past few days.

Percy knew how much it hurt Will to let this go and step away, but he had also been adamant about going through with it.

If he thought this was the best thing for him and them, then Percy wasn't going to argue.

Instead, he stepped out of the doorway and moved to heroically save his boyfriend from the love of his siblings and friends.

He failed, of course.

But he did get a kiss from his boyfriend for trying, so Percy was pleased, anyways.

...

Reyna let Leo help her into her new wheelchair.

"And you're sure it's not going to blow up like the last one?" She asked warily, not very reassured when Leo made a series of vague noises instead of replying.

Needless to say, she still sat down in the thing and immediately tried out the wheels at the side to move.

As much as she enjoyed her stay at Camp Half-Blood, she was looking forward to rejoining her legions.

For that though, she had to be in a better fighting condition.

She needed speed, strength, and the ability to protect and defend herself.

Leo had claimed he could help her with all of that, so she had put her faith in him.

So far, he had failed her twice.

The Latino pressed a button at the side of her arm rest, and a panel slid back, exposing a sort of control panel.

"That's to make moving quicker. Jason said you used to participate in Mario Kart races against him and a few others, so I mimicked the controller layout. The little wheel is to move, and those buttons are for various other things, like shooting lasers, bursts of speed, skates, or taking off." Leo explained, pointing at the various keys.

Reyna narrowed her eyes.

"Taking off? Don't tell me this thing can hover over the ground."

Leo looked offended.

"Obviously not! That would be way too boring. No, this beauty here – I call it the Leochair of Luxury 3.2 – can fly. Try it."

Reyna raised an eyebrow, thinking of all the things that could go wrong.

She still pressed the button, anyways.

Her wheelchair made a churring sound, then, surely enough, there was a push beneath her, and she found herself rising into the air.

The control panel disappeared, replaced by a stick controller.

She tried it tentatively, pushing it forward.

The wheelchair gave a little jolt and moved.

Fascinating.

Leo beamed, looking like a proud parent.

"Awesome, isn't it? Now, if you wanna land, just steer towards the ground and then use the green button." He explained, and she followed his orders carefully.

She half-expected to crash, or the wheelchair to tip over, but it seemed to have a balancing function, assuring her safety.

It also set down on the ground rather smoothly.

The control panel reappeared.

"Once you've activated the wheelchair, the control panel will always open automatically, unless a different controlling device is in use. You also have the option to drive over ice, snow, and water, but I wouldn't recommend going underwater with it just yet. Still haven't entirely worked out how to include proper air supply."

Reyna nodded with a frown, wondering vaguely why she would possibly want to go underwater, in the first place.

Leo pointed towards some other buttons on her control panel, explaining their functions.

She would have to practice with those a lot, to remember everything they did.

Her favorite was the little force field that activated when the auto-detecting system detected a physical attack.

Mostly because once she pressed the activation button, the system filed Leo as a threat and created a force field strong enough to catapult him back a good ten feet.

She was beginning to like this wheelchair.

Leo waited until she deactivated the auto-detecting system again before coming back closer, muttering something about necessary system updates under his breath.

Reyna smiled to herself.

Then, she noticed two buttons at the side of her other arm rest.

"What are these for?" She asked, apprehensive of pressing anything without first knowing what was supposed to happen.

"The first one, closer to you, is to open up the same control panel as on the other side. Just in case there's a problem, or you can't use that hand at the time. The second one is for some little fun extras I included." He explained, already grinning again and rubbing his hands together like a mad scientist.

'Some little fun extras' turned out to be variously sized cupholders, a heating option for coffee cups or soup cans, an umbrella for shade or rain, voice recognition, a drill that manifested the wheelchair's hold on the ground, a mechanism that pushed water bottles out from a stashing place beneath her seat and right into her palm, and a quick and easy way to create a rainbow in case she needed to Iris Message anybody.

In other words: She owed Leo an apology, and her thanks.

"This will be very helpful. Thank you, Leo." She said quietly.

She knew Leo had been bummed out when Frank had told him he didn't need a prosthetic, not even one made by Leo with all his funky extras.

It was mostly due to the look of utmost disappointment on Leo's face that Reyna had even mentioned her problems and unhappiness with her old wheelchair.

After the first two fails, she had thought she'd regret her stroke of pity.

Now, she was glad she had brought it up.

Leo paused in his rambling to look at her.

Then, he smiled.

"It's the least I could do. Thalia told me it was you who saw the last two demigods and who ordered her to go after them. Seeing as they were on their way to Bunker 9, you indirectly saved the love of my life from certain death. So, just see this as my way of saying thanks."

Reyna didn't know what to reply to that.

Due to her current condition, she had been unable to truly participate in the battle as a praetor should have, but she had done everything in her abilities to help in other ways.

But it had been mere luck that she had spotted the two demigods sneaking away, and Thalia had been the one to bring them down, so she wasn't sure she deserved Leo's gratitude.

The Latino didn't give her a chance to argue though, already waving exaggeratedly and rambling about all the different extra things he had in mind in case she wanted some 'upgrades'.

Reyna was tempted to point out that she was going to recover eventually – but then, she let him ramble.

Her medics didn't yet know how long it would take for her to walk again.

For all she knew, she might be wheelchair-bound for the next some months.

She knew Will still wanted to offer his help, which was precisely why she had been avoiding him.

Reyna had seen the energy he had unleashed, and she knew from overheard mutterings that he was still in the process of replenishing said energies, making his healing a lot slower and a lot more straining on him.

She didn't want to add to that.

Maybe one day in the future, but not now.

Plus, now she had a super cool wheelchair that could probably do more damage than what she had been able to do on a good day.

In other words, she was okay.

"Did you and Jason finish the surprise yet?" She asked when Leo started making laser gun noises, and the Latino immediately started grinning his widest grin yet.

"You bet we did! Percy is gonna be totally swept away!"

Reyna raised an eyebrow.

"That's the best you can come up with?"

"What, would you prefer…shell-shocked?" He countered with a wry grin and wiggling eyebrows.

"Your puns seem a little…dry." She noted unimpressed, and Leo put his hands over his heart.

"Oh no, she has a fishue with my puns!"

Reyna could do better than that.

"Well, at least I think we can both agree he'll totally be on-board."

Leo opened his mouth to counter – then, he snapped it shut again, the gears turning in his head.

"How did I not think of that one?" He asked blankly, and she grinned back at him.

"Water you talking about?" She teased, and he groaned.

"Not that one! That's the most classic, most basic one there is! Stop doing this to my soul!"

"Sea you at the party, Leo." She told him with a wink, and the Latino groaned even louder, covering his ears with his hands and turning away from her.

"Note to self: No puns around the praetors! They're both terrible!" She heard him lamenting as she played around with the controller a little.

Oh, he had tried to out-pun Frank? She'd have loved to see that.

Reyna made her wheelchair turn and roll away, all by simply moving the little wheel with her thumb.

Truly fascinating.

She looked around herself, wondering where to go to test out all those things she was itching to try out.

Her eyes settled on the new archery range that had nearly gotten her killed twice already when she had needed to pass through it.

That.

She was gonna blow that up.

Reyna wondered vaguely whether being away from her legion and all the responsibility made her a little more reckless and a lot more immature.

She decided not to answer that.

Instead, she made her wheelchair drive forward with a wicked grin.

Time to test those lasers.

...

"Did…did you just hear that, too?" Hannah asked, looking around in mild confusion.

Ash had been trying to put their arm around her for the past five minutes, but now, all seemed ruined again.

Damn it.

"Uh, no, what?" They mumbled distractedly, trying to quickly move their arm back to their side.

"That sounded like an explosion. Should we…go check it out?" Hannah asked doubtfully, and Ash deflated a little.

Oh no.

Their date was going so terribly that Hannah wanted to leave.

"Do you…want to?" They asked miserably, and Hannah turned her head around with a quizzical look, her pretty strawberry blonde hair just…so pretty.

Why was Hannah so pretty?

Why was Ash so bad at dates?

They should have gone to Percy for date advice.

Why hadn't they gone to Percy for date advice?

Why had Ash been so stubborn and decided to do all the planning by themselves?

Hannah studied their gaze, and Ash tried their hardest to smile, to not look quite as miserable about messing up their one chance to have a date with the lady of their dreams.

They were pretty sure they were grimacing.

Hannah glanced into the distance once more, her foot tapping on the ground.

"Nah. If anything happened, there's tons of demigods much closer. No point in us going all the way over there." She decided and reached for Ash's hand to thread their fingers together with a shy smile.

Ash felt ready to combust on the spot, the heat rising in their face as their heart and soul soared and threatened to escape their body.

"Didn't you want to impress me with your lockpicking skills by opening the boathouse? To steal a boat even though there's plenty of them at the dock already?" Hannah teased with mirth playing in her eyes, and Ash was torn between the urge to sigh wistfully and counter back.

They were at the freshly cleaned lake, since Ash had every intention of going all out with the romance – which of course included rowing around on the lake like all the other lovesick fools did here at camp.

Nico himself had once mentioned that was something he would do with his boyfriends as a nice, quiet date.

If Nico did that, then it had to be a good idea.

Unfortunately, Ash didn't like any of the boats at the dock, so they simply had to break into the boathouse. That was simply how it was.

Also, they would lie if they hadn't wanted to impress Hannah the tiniest bit with their abilities.

But they hadn't meant for Hannah to know that!

"Is it so wrong to want the best of the best for the best?" They countered at long last with as much certainty they could muster, and Hannah's smile turned sheepish again, her tanned skin flushing pink.

Oh gods, she was blushing.

Ash suppressed another wistful sigh.

Hannah was going to be the death of them.

"Well, it's still stealing." Hannah mumbled quietly, though she didn't seem upset and didn't stop Ash when they took her hand a little firmer and led her towards the boathouse.

"Borrowing." Ash corrected stubbornly, and Hannah let out a small laugh.

"Fine, borrowing."

"Unless it's a very nice boat." Ash mused, and Hannah snorted and gave their shoulder a light shove with her free hand.

Ash shot her a wry grin and tried the knob, though they knew the door was locked.

"Alright, ready for the magic?" They asked, pitying the fact that they would need both hands for this – which meant it was necessary to let go of Hannah's soft and warm hand and untangling their fingers.

Hannah raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Ash winked at her with a confident grin, then turned their attention to the lock in front of them, ready for picking.

It was an easy enough lock to pick, and probably wouldn't have taken more than a few seconds – but with Hannah watching, Ash tried to do a bit of a show, fiddling with their pin, winking some more, playing with the lock and acting fake-surprised when it came off without issues.

"Tadaa!"

Hannah shook her head and clapped a few times.

"You know that the key is under the doormat, right?"

"Hush, this is much more impressive."

"Consider me very impressed." Hannah told them wryly, and Ash beamed as they pushed open the door.

They knew nobody would question why they were in here, but the two of them still acted like they had to sneak around on tiptoes, always glancing over their shoulders and towards the door just in case anybody might find them.

Ash loved it.

Hannah was such a great partner-in-crime.

Hopefully, she was having a good time so far, too.

"How about this one?" Hannah asked, stopping in front of one of the small boats, and Ash made a show of inspecting it from all sides, accompanied by thoughtful noises.

"If this is what the princess desires…" They started, and Hannah pinched their side.

"Hey, I told you not to call me that."

"Aww, fine." Ash agreed easily, though they were certain they would slip up again eventually.

What could they say, Hannah simply reminded them of a princess.

Pretty and fierce and ready to slay dragons.

They managed to get the boat to the water without problems, and Ash insisted on doing the rowing by themselves, though their arms were already complaining at the mere thought, and complained even louder when they started rowing for real.

However, this was a date, and it was Ash's duty to make Hannah as comfortable as possible – which included not letting her work in Ash's place.

Hannah watched them with a calculating look, before smirking and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Ash kept on rowing, ignoring the loud wailing in their head and the intense strain in their arms.

They were pretty sure there was sweat running down their temples, which had to look disgusting.

"You know I could help, right?" Hannah teased as she leaned forward a little, and Ash got distracted momentarily by the cleavage that cruel blue blouse of hers pronounced.

Where did Hannah even get that from? Ash had never seen her wear it.

Had she put it on just for their date?

She looked so pretty in blue.

Ash loved blue.

Ash swallowed and looked away stubbornly.

"Nope, not happening. I can do this."

"Your arms are like twigs." Hannah noted, and even though it was the truth, Ash felt wounded in their pride.

They rowed with even more effort, though they also had to admit grudgingly that they were making less and less progress.

"My arms are fine." They insisted stubbornly, and Hannah raised an amused eyebrow.

"You're sweating, out of breath, and we're at near stand-still."

What a harsh, cruel girl.

Ash expected nothing less from a daughter of Ares, but still!

They continued rowing with a pout, though it was undeniable that their arms weren't going to hold out much longer.

Freaking twigs.

Ash should have taken up Andrew's advice and started working out when they had the chance.

Hannah's hand touched their thigh, and Ash nearly lost their grip on one of the paddles.

"It's really no big deal, Ash. I'm a grown girl, there's no need to pamper me."

Hannah's voice was…surprisingly soft, given her usual attitude.

Ash opened and closed their mouth, then moved a hand through their hair aggressively to get rid of the awkwardness and the growing heat on their face.

Needless to say, they dropped the paddle in the process.

Hannah caught it just in time before it abandoned the boat and got them stranded in the middle of the lake.

Ash felt completely out of their comfort zone, unable to as much as apologize as Hannah took over and made them switch places.

When she started rowing, her movements were strong and fluid and wonderful, and all the things Ash's rowing had not been.

They moved their hands through their hair again, noticing with growing dread just how sweaty they were, how sweaty their palms were, how terribly their date was going, Hannah wasn't going to as much as look at them anymore when all this was over-…

"I'm sorry." They blurted out, awkward and out-of-breath, fitting their inner state.

Hannah sent them a puzzled look.

"What?"

"You're right. You don't need pampering. I…I didn't mean to belittle you or anything. I just…you're always so tough and cool, I wanted to…to…show you I can be tough and cool, too, I guess? But I'm messing up, I already messed up, I know jack-shit about dates, much less about how to woo your crush, and this is just…this is just nothing like how I hoped it would go, but you're still there, so…" They started rambling, looking anywhere but at Hannah.

"Then again, I suppose there's no way for you to leave, unless you take a swim – by the gods, I didn't even think of that. I should have just taken you to the city for ice cream and a movie, or gone to Percy for better ideas, or-…"

It took a moment for Ash to realize that Hannah had stopped rowing.

It took another moment for them to realize that they had stopped talking because Hannah's finger was on their lips.

Ash blinked at her, the heat rising in their face all over again.

Hannah smiled.

Then, she leaned forward.

Her lips felt unexpectedly soft against Ash's.

"As cute as you are when you're rambling, you gotta stop worrying so much," Hannah said quietly as she pulled back a little.

Ash felt like the world didn't hold enough oxygen for their lungs anymore.

"Also, I have no idea what you're talking about. I think this is going great. For a first date, that is." Hannah continued with a light blush on her cheeks as she looked off to the side, and Ash was swallowing again, opening and closing their mouth as they started shifting.

"Ah…you…you do? Wait, first? So…you'd like to…uh…"

"Go on another one?" Hannah asked before they could, and Ash could only nod dumbly.

Hannah started nibbling on her bottom lip, looking like she was trying to suppress a sheepish smile.

Instead, she tried to act smug.

"Depends. Will you be wearing the Camp shirt to that date, too?" She asked, and Ash looked down at themselves, cursing their very existence.

"I don't have anything else!" They cried, indignant and crestfallen.

Hannah merely laughed.

"Then I know where I'm taking you for our second date."

Ash looked up, not even trying to mask their hope and excitement.

Hannah's eyes were sparkling.

Ash let their eyes roam over her face, a slow smile spreading on their lips.

"Alright."

They grinned at each other, then Hannah started rowing again, moving their boat further towards the middle of the lake.

A peaceful silence settled over them, and Ash was looking down the side of the boat into the water, when something occurred to them.

"Wait, did you kiss me?" They asked incredulously, and Hannah's eyes widened as their gazes met.

This time, Hannah was the one nearly dropping the paddle.

"I did not!"

"You totally did!" Ash insisted stubbornly.

"You called me your crush!" Hannah called defensively, and Ash couldn't argue with that, but they still pointed their finger at Hannah accusingly.

"You like me!"

"Well, duh, else I wouldn't go on a date with you!" Hannah shot back, and Ash snapped their mouth shut at that, because…what could they possibly say to that?

This time, the silence was much less peaceful and much more awkward.

"Uh…for the record…I like you, too…like…like-like you…" They mumbled quietly, and Hannah made a small sound between a snort and a laugh.

"You know, I gathered as much."

Ash looked up with a rush of exasperation.

"Do you always have to-…"

"And it's not an actual kiss unless you kiss back, you know." Hannah cut in without meeting their eyes.

Ash's words got stuck in their throat.

The words hung in the air between them as Ash took disturbingly long to process and understand them.

Their palms were still sweaty when they started rubbing them against their jeans, excitement and fluster filling them to the core.

They started shifting, forward and backward, left and right, opening and closing their mouth but unable to get the words out.

"Would you…can I…we could…" They stammered, beginning to gesticulate.

Hannah had stopped rowing again, seemingly waiting intently for whatever Ash wanted to say.

Unfortunately, Ash was the master of untimely bouts of awkward stammering.

"I mean…if you want…like…we…I could…there's…I would love to…uh…"

Hannah took a deep breath.

"Ash…just kiss me already."

Finally, something they could work with.

It was undoubtedly funny for any outsider to watch how they struggled to move as quickly as possible in such tiny space, the entire boat rocking and swaying dangerously.

Hannah wasn't laughing though, instead smirking and already reaching out to cup Ash's face.

Ash didn't know what to do with their hands, so they just put them on Hannah's thighs and hoped against hope Hannah wasn't going to skin them for it.

She had nice thighs. Firm and strong, like the rest of her.

She had even nicer lips.

Her smile felt amazing against their own.

"See? Not so bad for a first date, at all." Hannah whispered when they pulled apart, though Ash could barely hear her over their internal screaming of euphoria.

"I filled up a whole notebook with poetry about your hair." They blurted, which…wasn't the smartest thing they had ever said, but it certainly was one of the truest.

Hannah blinked at them.

Then, she laughed.

"I'll only believe that when I see it." She teased, and Ash felt positively drunk on love.

"You can! Maybe as a…third date?" They tried to wiggle their eyebrows, but with their fringe growing so long, they couldn't be sure whether Hannah even saw it.

As if on cue, Hannah's hand reached out to brush their hair out of their face.

"Our first date hasn't even ended yet, and you're already making plans for the next five dates? Eager." She teased, but Ash felt too high to be teased.

"You want to go on five dates with me?" They asked, instead.

Hannah laughed her sheepish laugh again, now brushing her own hair out of her face.

She had such pretty hair.

She was so pretty.

Ash was so in love.

"Guess there's only one way to find out," Hannah replied, their eyes heavy-lidded and their cheeks a gorgeous shade of pink.

"Guess you're right," Ash whispered as they reached out to touch her jaw timidly.

Hannah looked up at them.

Why were her eyes always so sparkly and bright and beautiful?

Ash felt the immense need to ask her.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" They found themselves saying, instead.

Somehow, they had a feeling that they should get used to this happening around Hannah.

Maybe that was simply how things were going to be.

Hannah looked just as happy as Ash felt.

"Yes," she replied, simple and clear, just how Ash had hoped.

They didn't kiss, but Ash did take her hand, and Hannah let them.

They grinned at each other widely.

It was…so much more than what Ash had dared to hope for.

So much better than how they had pictured their date to possibly go.

They had a girlfriend!

They were gonna be Hannah's significant other!

They…

"Please tell me you didn't drop the paddles." They blurted with a growing sense of dread as they realized where they were and what they had been doing up until now.

Hannah's face fell as she looked around, moments before she cursed.

They were stuck in the middle of the lake.

Ash buried their face in their hands.

Though, to be honest, they still couldn't help but smile.

This was the worst date ever, yet it was the best in the world.

...

Dylan stood next to the road, patiently waiting for the postal car to make its way towards him and slow to a stop.

Only half an hour later than expected.

His godly powers were slowly coming back to him, it seemed, even with Eris still in the process of recovering.

Just like Dylan.

It was amazing, what a little rest and a lot of self-care could do to a person.

Sure, he still got nightmares, but Will Solace had also gotten him into an unofficial therapy group that was helping a lot, so Dylan was certain he'd get better if he gave himself enough time.

He also hoped the group wouldn't stay unofficial forever and finally get the permit from Chiron, so more kids in need could join and get the help they deserved.

"Did you order this?" The mailman asked with a puzzled look on his face as he poked his head out of the window, holding up a small package.

Dylan bit back his snarky reply and instead nodded quietly.

"Funny address. Kinda weird place, though? For a kid?" The man proceeded to ask as he kicked open his door and climbed out, scanning the package in the process.

"My parents decided camping would get us back in tune with nature and away from all the technological stuff." Dylan lied effortlessly as he signed for his package.

"Makes sense, makes sense. Didn't know there was a campsite around here." The man mused as he nodded to himself.

"It's pretty well hidden," Dylan replied and took the package from him.

It felt a lot heavier than it was.

Dylan held it a little tighter, a small smile hushing over his face.

Now, he only hoped he had picked the right one…

"So, what's in there that's so important you had to order it from the middle of nowhere?" The mailman asked curiously.

Dylan looked up at the man fleetingly, then away again.

"A gift. It's very important to me. Thank you for your trouble," he replied curtly, already stepping back and making to leave.

"Well, I hope it will have been worth the trouble! See you around, kid. Don't let nature eat you alive." The man laughed, and Dylan forced a smile.

"Sure. Good day to you, too."

He waited until the postal car was well on its way again, before he ran back up towards the camp, only stopping when he was next to the dead pine.

His eyes were already back on the small package.

Should he…open it? To check whether it was the right item?

Or should he just trust his gut feeling?

"Dylan? What are you doing here?" A voice asked, and Dylan jumped, hands immediately up to defend himself, the package now a possible weapon.

But it was only Billy, looking at him with a puzzled look.

Fae was next to him, looking just as bewildered.

"Oh…I…I was just…" Dylan mumbled awkwardly and dropped his guard again, sheepishly shifting from one foot to the other.

"We were looking everywhere for you. Please don't disappear on us like that. If you need to be alone, that's cool, but don't just leave in the middle of lunch." Fae chided, and Dylan cursed himself for leaving in a rush.

Considering the mailman's delay, he could have easily explained himself and taken his time.

He probably could have even brought them with him to not be so alone.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, but they didn't seem all that upset with him.

Instead, they already had their focus on the package in his hands.

"You bought something?" Billy asked.

"You can actually order stuff? How?! Teach me your ways, Dylan! I want to order summer dresses and body oils!" Fae whined, hands in her hair as she started listing all the things she could have been getting all this time if only she had known.

"It's for you." Dylan muttered, his gaze on Billy as he held out the package hesitantly.

Maybe he should have checked.

Just in case he got the wrong size…

Bill blinked at him, then down at the package.

Fae was watching with her lips forming a small 'o'.

Her sparkling eyes told him that she knew what it was.

"For…for me?" Billy asked, looking bewildered as he took the package and turned it over in his hands, undoubtedly trying to figure out what it was just by looking at it.

His eyes hushed back to Dylan's, as if silently asking for permission to open it.

Dylan gave a hesitant nod, his fingers already back to tapping against his thighs.

Fae followed the motion for a moment, before shooting him a reassuring smile.

They had been so kind to him the past weeks.

Dylan couldn't have asked for better friends.

They had saved him from certain death.

They had taken him to the other wounded and gotten him patched up.

They had taken him to his cabin and spent the rest of the night with him, so he wouldn't be alone.

They had done some more random, unauthorized and undoubtedly forbidden sleepovers whenever they sensed he wasn't doing too well.

They had spent a lot of their daily time with him, just hanging out with him or letting him tag along with whatever it was they were doing.

He had told them what he had been willing to share, and while they had been visibly upset at his decisions, they had also ultimately come to terms with it.

It was…nice, having friends like that.

Being so close to them.

Dylan knew it wouldn't be like this forever, couldn't be like this forever, since life was ever-changing and sometimes paths diverged eventually.

But he wanted to enjoy their company and friendship for as long as possible.

He watched as Billy tore open the package, his lips forming a little pout of concentration.

When he held the piece of fabric in his hands, his face still looked as puzzled as before.

Dylan was about to tell him what it was, when Billy's eyes widened and his face snapped up to stare at Dylan.

"You got me a-…"

"A new binder. Yeah." Dylan confirmed with a small nod.

Billy had never talked about it again, but Dylan had noticed his discomfort ever since that one day when they had saved Calypso.

He still remembered how upset Bill had been back then.

Now, Billy looked positively thrilled as he looked over the binder.

"This looks awesome! What size did you get? How did you know my size, anyways? Oh gods, I'm gonna have to try this on, like, right away! Finally, no baggy shirts anymore! No tight sport bras! Freedom, here I come!" He rambled and rubbed the fabric against his cheek happily.

Dylan and Fae shared matching looks of joy, though Dylan was pretty sure he was way happier right now.

Not to mention relieved.

Billy liked his gift.

The world was saved, and Billy had a new binder, and now, everything was perfect, in Dylan's book.

"I did some deductions to find out your measurements, then had it tailored with those. I hope the design is to your liking." He explained coyly, and Billy replied by throwing his arms around him and pulling him into a crushing hug.

For a moment, Dylan flinched and stiffened, but it was over before it started, and his arms found their way around Billy, too.

"That's gay." Fae commented very helpfully next to them.

"Hush, I'm ace." "I'm still questioning."

Billy and Dylan shot back, though they were still hugging, anyways.

"Thanks, man. This really means a lot to me." Bill said quietly, and Dylan felt his heart thumping happily in his chest, missing a few beats.

"It's the least I could do."

"You didn't have to do anything, Dylan. But…I'm glad you did." Bill whispered.

They let go of each other, just grinning stupidly for a moment.

Then, Billy was already back at rubbing his face against the binder.

"It's so soft! How can it be so soft?! My old one was store-bought and stiff as heck, always scratching and chafing, but this?! Either this isn't going to bind at all, or it's going to be heaven on earth. Bet what I'm hoping for!"

He was so excited.

It was the best thing Dylan ever got to witness.

"Dylan?"

This time, the voice was still familiar, but it was one Dylan hadn't expected to ever hear again. His muscles tensed and a low, strangled sound crept out of his throat.

Billy and Fae immediately looked towards the newcomer with alert expressions, Billy's free hand hovering over the spear strapped to his back.

Dylan slowly turned his head.

"Grandpa?" He asked, his voice a mixture of confusion and dread.

Sure enough, there was his grandfather, with his grandmother right behind him.

How had they even found this place?!

Why had Di Angelo made it so that today the border protection was lifted for relatives?

Well, okay, he knew the answer to the last question, considering the giant 'surprise' party everybody was talking about for Jackson, but…oh well, whatever.

"Dylan, what have you been doing all this time?! We have been trying to get a hold of you, but the number you gave us didn't work!" his grandpa snapped at him.

Dylan felt discomfort coiling tightly in his chest as his eyes hushed to Billy and Fae.

He…would greatly prefer if they weren't around to meet his grandparents.

"The phone was destroyed, sorry." He mumbled awkwardly, thinking of the demolished remains of the only telephone the Camp had.

(Except for Annabeth's secret mobile phone that everybody knew about, of course.)

"Destroyed?! How can a phone just get-…" His grandfather asked incredulously, but then trailed off, his eyes finding the many ongoing constructions around the campsite.

The tiny Big House and the infirmary were finished already, but the forge and many of the cabins were still in need of repairs, and it looked the part.

"What happened here?" His grandmother asked weakly as she, too, looked around.

Dylan wondered faintly what they would have said if they had seen how this place had looked mere weeks ago.

"A war." Billy replied blankly, while Fae looked from Dylan to his grandparents with a look of mild concern.

Dylan worried his bottom lip, wondering how to best explain to his grandparents what had happened.

They didn't really know about the Greek gods, or that Dylan was a demigod.

In their eyes, he was just a normal, hyper-active kid that went to a normal, though maybe slightly weird camp for the summer.

"Who are you?" His grandad asked, and Dylan made a face.

"That's my friend, Billy, and this is Fae." He introduced them hurriedly, and Fae crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"We're his best friends." She declared, and he felt his heart beating a little faster in his chest.

His grandad looked them up and down, lips moving into a thin line as he took in the many twigs in Fae's hair and the dirt on her Camp clothes, before scrutinizing Bill's dented breastplate and looking at his run-down sandals.

"We're Dylan's grandparents." He unnecessarily introduced himself with a look of mild disdain.

Dylan felt more uncomfortable than ever.

His grandparents were…very clean people.

He didn't care whether they liked his friends (best friends) or not, but he cared about Billy and Fae. He didn't want them to feel uncomfortable because of his family.

He needn't have worried, though.

His grandad was already turning towards him again, and his expression didn't bode well.

"You had us very concerned after your last call, Dylan. Who was it that told you such lies? Who have you been hanging out with? It's clear these two might not set the best examples, but they-…"

"What's going on here?" A new voice asked, and Dylan inwardly sighed in relief as he turned his head towards Jason, who was walking up the hill with his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on the newcomers.

"Jason, these are my grandparents. They've…come to check everything is alright at Camp." Dylan explained hurriedly to avoid any misunderstandings, and Jason's expression softened a little.

"Ah, yes. That is understandable, given the circumstances with the battle and…everything else. Well, welcome to Camp Half-Blood, then. I'm Jason Grace, head counsellor of cabin one. Nice to meet you." He introduced himself politely and reached out a hand, which Dylan's grandfather shook in a heartbeat.

Dylan was just glad he introduced himself as head counsellor, not as ex-praetor, Pontifex Maximus, son of Jupiter/Zeus, or, worse, boyfriend of three other guys.

"The pleasure is all mine! I didn't know there were such grown men here at Camp, unless as staff. What battle are you talking about, exactly?"

Thinking about it, maybe it would have been better if Jason had introduced himself as boyfriend of three guys, after all.

That way, his grandpa wouldn't give him that 'Look at this guy, why can't you be more like him?!'-look as he was currently giving him.

"The war." Billy unhelpfully put in with the same blank tone and face as before.

His grandad shot him a small frown, then laughed a small, awkward laugh as he brushed the comment off and focused back on Jason.

Jason was frowning momentarily, but then smiled again and turned towards Dylan's grandmother, always quietly waiting next to her husband.

He shook her hand, too, shooting her a charming smile that made her blush even in her old age.

Then, he eased into the conversation again.

"Camp Half-Blood has people of all ages. Some of us do help out with lessons, but we're all campers. There's no staff." He explained, and Dylan wondered whether he would get away with sneaking off right now.

Unfortunately, his grandad was already reaching out a hand and motioning for him to come to him, so Dylan begrudgingly went.

He guessed he had faced worse.

Though that didn't make him feel any better.

He would never be able to tell his grandparents of the most traumatic experiences in his life.

"So, what are you helping out with? I hope Dylan hasn't been making trouble. He has been such a sweet boy, but the last time we spoke on the phone, he was saying some…rather worrisome things. We just need to know he's in a good place here," His grandpa said as he moved an arm around Dylan's shoulders, both to show how close they were and to keep Dylan from escaping.

Dylan felt the tickle of fear running down his back and swallowed, schooling his breath and trying to remain calm.

Jason shot him a concerned look.

Of course, Jason would notice, considering he was in a relationship with Will Solace.

"Dylan has done great things for this camp. We wouldn't be standing here without him, I'm certain. He is in the place he wants to be, and the one he's meant to be in," Jason replied smoothly, and Dylan wanted to shoot him a small smile.

He knew it was more of a grimace.

His grandmother put her hand on his shoulder, and Dylan wanted to cry.

"Well, if somebody like you keeps an eye on him, I'm sure he's fine." She said softly, which…seemed to totally disregard everything Jason had just said, but Dylan knew it was more directed towards his grandad.

So, it had been his idea to come here.

Dylan had thought that maybe his grandma had wanted to check on him and had convinced him to drive her here.

But if it had been his grandpa's idea, then he wanted to cause a scene, certainly.

"Yes, I agree. Dylan would do well following your word. Much better than the nonsense he seems to have been exposed to. Those homosexuals, and all that crap."

For all of Dylan's symptoms of a growing panic attack, everything was gone the moment he snorted out a laugh.

He first tried to suppress it, but it just ended up getting worse, until he had to turn away and escape their hold to laugh freely.

"Dylan! Is that how you behave around here?! Where are your manners?" His grandpa exclaimed incredulously, but Dylan couldn't help it.

"I am so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him…" His grandmother immediately started apologizing to Jason.

Jason, however, merely shrugged with a smile.

"It's fine. I know why he's laughing, after all."

"You…you do?" His grandfather asked, and Dylan wanted to both watch this unfold and leave.

Billy and Fae were by his side, their lips pursed and their eyebrows raised as their eyes told him they knew what was about to come, too.

"Oh yes. But to come back to an earlier question: I supervise, mostly. It's my boyfriends who are the real idols here. One just resigned as the head medic, but is still the one responsible for many, many lives saved. One just started giving lessons and seems to be a natural at it, surprising only himself. And the third is in charge of the sword-fighting lessons. Also a natural." Jason explained cheerfully, first stoic and serious, then suddenly like a schoolboy talking about his crush(es).

Dylan and his friends exchanged gleeful looks.

His grandparents suddenly looked rather pale, his grandmother with her hands covering her mouth, his grandad with his mouth hanging open.

"Did you…did you just say boyfriends?"

Jason tilted his head a little.

"I did. Would you like to meet them?"

Such optimism.

"Y-You're gay?!"

It sounded like an insult, the way his grandfather said it.

Jason's expression didn't change in the slightest.

He was still smiling brightly, and then, he simply waved off with a small laugh.

"Nah, I'm demi. Pretty sure only Nico is gay, though nobody knows what Percy labels himself. Will suggested pan, but we're pretty sure Percy just doesn't care what anybody calls him."

"Did you just out me to a stranger, Grace?" Nico asked as he made his way up the hill, sword strapped to his side and hair tied back into a messy bun.

Dylan felt like he was watching the best movie of his life.

Billy and Fae were right there with him to witness it.

All that was missing was the popcorn.

Jason gestured towards his boyfriend with his arms, looking like a lovestruck fool.

"There he is! Nico, these are Dylan's grandparents. They were concerned he'd be around the wrong sort of people, here at camp."

That was one way to put it.

Nico's eyes narrowed the faintest bit, though he didn't slow as he moved up to Jason's side and kissed his cheek.

"We battled 'the wrong sort of people' out of this camp a few weeks back. Nothing but open-minded folks here now. Still, don't just out me, I wanna do that myself," Nico argued, then held out his hands to Dylan's grandparents.

Dylan didn't know what was possessing them, but they shook his hand with ashen faces.

"Hi Dylan's grandparents. I'm Nico, gay and in a loving relationship with my boyfriends."

"You said that so wonderfully." Jason immediately put in with a soft sigh, and Dylan did admit he was feeling some sort of second-hand embarrassment, but he was too gleeful to focus on it.

His grandparents didn't say anything, still frozen rigid and with ashen faces, staring at the two guys in front of them.

Nico smirked a rather sardonic smile, then turned to give his boyfriend a peck on the lips, undoubtedly just for show.

"Well, I'm off. Got somebody important to pick up, after all."

"That you do! Take care, love," Jason called after him as Nico moved past them with a small nod towards Dylan and his friends.

"Stop being sappy, Jason, and get on with our plan. The 'surprise' party isn't going to remain a surprise when everybody is talking about it. Right in front of Percy." Nico called over his shoulder as he made his way down the hill towards the road.

"He already knows, anyways." Jason informed him with a grin, and Nico pointed up at him with an accusing look.

"Only because you kept making dubious remarks!"

"You love me!" Jason called with a self-satisfied grin.

Nico stuck out his tongue, and Jason responded in kind.

Those guys.

Dylan looked at his grandparents and found them looking at each other with wide eyes and shocked expressions.

"Sorry about that. We have quite the tight schedule today, so I don't have enough time to show you around. I can get Annabeth and Piper, though, if you want? They're great at explaining everything that happens around here, and they won't make out in front of you just to tease you. At least, I think they won't?" Jason mused, his expression turning thoughtful.

His grandpa was beginning to turn red in the face, which was always a sign for an impending rage attack.

Dylan shifted anxiously.

"Maybe we should leave." He suggested quietly towards his friends, and Billy and Fae immediately nodded.

"Let's go to your cabin. I wanna try on this beauty and feel good about myself, but my cabin is way too packed right now." Billy suggested, and Dylan promptly agreed.

The three made their way down the hill, chuckling and laughing and talking about what had just happened, but Dylan still had half a mind on his grandfather's reddening face.

He didn't want him to yell at Jason.

Jason had never wronged him, after all. Quite the contrary.

It would be unfair to let him be the victim of his grandfather's rage.

Just as he started slowing down at the bottom of the hill, his eyes landed on somebody who could undoubtedly help.

"Chiron!" He called, and the centaur turned towards them, expression wary.

Billy and Fae fell silent, though they followed him as he moved closer.

"Ah, Dylan. What can I do for you?" He asked, his voice soft, though his eyes were still grave.

Dylan didn't like the way he looked at him, like he pitied him for what had happened.

It was one of his main pet peeves. Mostly because it forced him to remember, at times when he shouldn't have to remember.

"My grandparents came by for a surprise visit. They're at the dead pine. Apparently, they have some questions regarding camp, so I thought it would be better if you did the explaining," Dylan told him, and Chiron's tail swished as his face turned towards the top of the hill.

"Of course. Have you told them of the gods, yet?"

Oh, hell no.

"Yes." He lied with a serious face.

"Though I'm pretty sure they didn't believe me," he added, just for fairness.

Chiron let out a deep sigh and started trotting up the hill.

"Very well. I shall speak to them."

"Thanks, Chiron! I would come along, but I'm pretty sure I just got grounded for a lifetime, so I'll be in my cabin." He told him, and Chiron gave a small, distracted nod.

"Did you just send Chiron to his doom? Power move." Billy muttered, looking impressed, while Fae moved her arms around both of them and tugged them along.

"Well, we already knew Dylan was a total badass." She put in, and Dylan inwardly gloated.

His grandpa started yelling something from the top of the hill, his words indistinguishable, but loud.

His grandma shrieked, undoubtedly at the sight of the centaur.

Dylan and his friends stopped to look back, watching as Jason lifted into the sky and zoomed off, his laugh carrying through the camp, too.

Billy, Fae and Dylan exchanged telling looks.

Then, they laughed and went on their way.

He was a total badass.

He had two best friends.

He would do his mothers proud.

Dylan moved his arms around his friends.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna cry."

"Do it." "I dare you to." They replied, and he let out a deep breath, looking up at the blue sky.

Dylan smiled to himself.

He was home.

...

Persephone stood in the deserted cabin, looking at the piles of laundry and the many books littering the room.

Her husband's cabin.

Nico's cabin.

She had known Nico and his guys wouldn't be here right now, but she had wanted to come, anyways.

Just for a short while.

She sighed and stepped over some dirty socks and shirts.

Hades had always been so proud, to have Nico settle down in his cabin, rather than abandoning it for a different one.

He had always been so proud of Nico.

Persephone took a deep breath and focused back on the room.

On the messy desk.

The small TV in the corner.

The bed that was so big, yet seemed so small for four people.

Persephone remembered the many times Hades had complained about Nico never asking for help, never asking for more than this.

She understood her husband.

But, looking through this room, she also understood Nico.

This was his home.

The things he had were small and worn out and oftentimes broken, but they were his, and he cherished them the same way he cherished everything in his life.

With a love and passion much like his father.

Nico didn't show his love with big words or a boisterous attitude.

He showed it in small things, like the way he had placed chocolate and some water bottles in the open drawer of the desk, in perfect reach for Will if he needed some during his nighttime reading.

Or the vase with the dried flowers that Persephone knew belonged to Jason, carefully placed on the bedside table and free of dust or dirt.

Or the photo albums, strategically placed in Percy's corner he had made for himself when he was feeling down or struggling again.

Persephone moved towards that corner now, too, wishing she had a place to retreat to, as well.

But there was no place she could call home.

Not right now.

The Underworld was in the process of being rebuilt – a process she should be supervising at this very moment.

But it was no home to her, not yet.

Maybe it would never be.

Persephone settled down in the corner – a tight fit, but a fit, nonetheless.

It was a nice corner.

Not the most comfortable one, but it overlooked the rest of the room without problems, and it made her feel hidden from the world's cruel grasp.

She could see why he liked it.

Persephone closed her eyes, thinking of her home, her husband, her mother, her dog.

She had lost…everything.

The Underworld had been cold and gray, but it had been her home, and her garden had been her pride and joy.

Hades had been dark and gloomy, but he had been gentle and quite the romantic. He had also always tried to understand her, and would have moved heaven and earth to make her happy, she knew.

Demeter had been stubborn and sometimes close-minded, especially when it came to her choice of husband, but she had been a loving mother, nonetheless, always looking out for Persephone's welfare and happiness.

Cerberus had been Hades' dog, but Persephone would lie if she claimed she hadn't loved him just the same.

None of them had deserved their fate.

But it had happened, nonetheless.

Now, all that was left was Persephone, and the shattered remnants of a realm she would one day lead.

She curled together a little, wishing she could weep.

But there were no tears left to shed.

'This is what you get for spiting me,' Misery whispered in the back of her mind, but she ignored it.

Anger or a lust for revenge wouldn't get her anywhere.

What had happened had happened, and it was wiser to move on, rather than to seek more bloodshed and death.

It didn't make her feel any better, though.

Persephone let her head tip back with a deep sigh, just staring into space, when something glinted out of the corner of her eye, catching her attention.

It was a glass case with a flower inside.

Persephone faintly recognized it as one of Percy's gifts that Hades had rambled on about many, many times.

He had always complained about 'the Jackson boy'.

Persephone smiled at the memory, knowing her husband had cared for and respected Percy greatly.

His fake mask of indifference hadn't fooled her in eons, after all.

She took the flower, careful not to break it.

It was such a small thing, delicate and fragile.

Persephone could see why Nico cherished it as he did.

She couldn't see why it had been placed here, though.

It had been too hidden from view for Percy to easily find it, but it also didn't seem like something Percy would willingly hide, considering he had gotten it for Nico, and it was clearly important to them.

She turned the glass in her hands, looking at the tiny petals, the fragile stem, the reflections of the light, her own reflection in the glass.

She turned it over, just out of curiosity, and stumbled over a message written in neat lettering.

'Star of Bethlehem Flower

Never lose hope

You never know what tomorrow will bring'

Persephone held her breath as her finger traced the letters, grief and pain washing over her anew.

So that was the flower's meaning.

So that was why Hades had pointed it out to her repeatedly.

So that was why she was here now.

She had come to feel close to her husband one last time, to be where he had last said goodbye.

She remembered, clearly, how he had joined her in her garden, holding out flowers that she already possessed, a small smile on his lips.

It had been their last moments together, and they had both known.

She closed her eyes, a sad smile on her face as she remembered how he had helped her water her flowers, even as they both knew it would be in vain.

He had talked about this flower then, too.

'You don't have that one yet, do you?' He had asked when telling her the name.

'I have so many flowers here, I don't think another one would fit,' she had replied.

'Maybe you can find a place for it, anyways. It's a tiny flower, but holds a big meaning,' he had said.

Back then, she had thought he was just trying to tease.

Now, she held the flower tighter to her heart.

'What meaning would that be?'

Persephone remembered his expression, the soft look in his eyes and the sad smile on his lips.

'You'll see, my love.'

Persephone felt a tear run down her cheek, and she didn't wipe it away.

"Thank you," she whispered into the empty room, knowing nobody would hear her.

Especially not the person she missed the most.

Then, she got to her feet.

She placed the flower gently on the bedside table, next to a little note that read 'Jason's glasses!' with a big X beneath, though there were no glasses placed on it.

Persephone let her gaze travel through the room once more, taking in the home Nico had made for himself.

Then, she nodded to herself and stepped back into the shadows.

Hope.

It was an important thing to remember.

It was an even more important thing to have.

She had lost everything, yet no loss had been in vain.

Persephone would make a new home for herself.

She stepped out of the shadows, greeted by darkness and gloom and noise, but she didn't mind.

Her feet carried her past the many gods, spirits and Hades' old staff that were helping one another build this place anew.

She walked until she reached the dead and torn remnants of her garden.

Then, she put her hands on the ground and gave it life, waiting until the first white flower poked out of the soil.

It wasn't much.

But it was a beginning, like everything else.

"You know, I always liked the Underworld. Think I can snatch a room and set up my home office here? Always so noisy on the surface." A voice behind her announced, and she turned her head, watching Eris and Nemesis making their way through the rubble towards her.

Nemesis still had to support Eris a little, but the goddess of discord and strife had recovered greatly from her wounds, as had Hecate and the others.

"Only if you help out with the judging and treat the deceased with respect. That includes not setting them up against each other out of boredom," Persephone replied pointedly, and Eris flashed her a cheeky grin.

"Would I ever?"

"Yes, you would," Nemesis remarked before Persephone could.

"Though the idea isn't bad. Settling down in the Underworld. Sounds like it could be fun," the goddess of enacted retribution added, and Persephone tilted her head a little.

"Are you two trying to say you wish to live here?" She asked for clarification, and the two shot each other questioning looks.

Then, they both grinned.

"Anybody can do with a little help," Nemesis decided with a nonchalant shrug.

"We should hold parties every Wednesday. Wednesdays are terrible, so that would be a great way to make them better." Eris put in, and Persephone smiled against her better judgment.

It appeared she wouldn't be alone for very long.

Persephone wondered faintly whether Mrs. O'Leary had already given birth to her pups.

If so, she might consider taking one in and training it to become the new guard dog of the Underworld.

Hope.

She looked down at the small flower blossoming in the ashes of the past.

It wasn't much.

But it was a beginning.

...

Jason tapped his foot on the ground, admittedly a little anxious for once.

He checked the flowers in his hands again, but they were just as vibrant and perfect as before, thanks to the Demeter kids.

Was…was this how Percy had felt, when he had given Jason his flowers?

No wonder he had just flat-out jumped him the moment he had seen him.

Jason was tempted to do the same thing right about now.

Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to remain where he was, standing in front of their cabin where Will and Percy were supposed to get ready.

It was all planned meticulously, to the tiniest detail – courtesy of Annabeth.

Of course, Percy already knew about the 'surprise' party.

Jason knew, because he was the one who had spoiled said surprise, leaving hints whenever Percy looked anxious or worried, and ultimately telling him just last night, in a quiet moment when Nico and Will were in the shower.

But even if all their planning was for naught now, it didn't stop them from following through with it anyways.

It might not be a surprise anymore, but it was still a nice gesture, and Jason was certain Percy would appreciate the effort, and love the attention.

Jason heard noises moving towards the door, and automatically checked the flowers again for any damage.

But they were beautiful and impeccable as before.

The door opened, Will's laugh reaching his ears, and Jason was thrown in a loop as he realized he should probably put the flowers behind his back or something, hide them from immediate view, do something romantic.

But Jason was a better receiver of romantic gestures than a giver, so he just stood there with his flowers and a look of mild horror on his face as Percy stood in the doorway and promptly spotted him.

Jason, in a rush to do something, promptly dropped the flowers.

Ah, this was off to a good start.

Will, the tease, started laughing loudly at his dismay, while Jason cursed under his breath and scrambled to pick up the bouquet he had so meticulously put together with Calypso, Sara, and the Demeter kids.

Footsteps hurried down the front steps, and then there were Percy's hands, joining his and settling on the bouquet.

Jason looked up at the sea-green eyes of his boyfriend.

"They should call you Jason Butterfingers, rather than Grace, don't you think?" Percy teased with a crooked grin, and Jason gave him a pointed look, before smiling.

"What can I say, you're just that drop-dead gorgeous, the flowers never stood a chance," he retorted smoothly as he took the bouquet from Percy again, just to hold it out to him properly.

"Happy belated birthday, love."

Percy grinned widely as he took the flowers, mirth playing in his pretty eyes.

"Is this the moment when I should act surprised?" He asked, and Jason stuck out his tongue at him, before moving to engulf him in a hug.

"The flowers! Watch the flowers! Oi!" Percy promptly cried, but Jason knew the flowers were enchanted to survive the day, and smothering his boyfriend in love always had priority.

"Lemme smooch the birthday kid." He declared and did just that, rendering Percy to a giggling mess in his arms, trying to escape the many pecks Jason placed all over his face.

"Noo, not the smooches! Will brushed my hair, you're gonna get it all over the place again!" He wailed, but Jason hadn't noticed anything different about Percy's hair, so he was sure he'd be fine.

"I really can't take you two anywhere, can I?" Will remarked drily next to them, and they both stopped to shoot him a pointed look.

Then, Percy let himself drop sideways into Jason's arms.

"Oh Jason, kiss me some more!" Percy declared with fake exaggeration and his free hand against his forehead, while the other clutched his flowers close to his chest.

Jason wiggled his eyebrows at Will, then promptly dipped Percy to resume his smooching, which quickly turned into a rather messy yet satisfying kiss.

"You two are the worst. Jason, might I remind you that we're supposed to be at you-know-where in five minutes, tops?"

Yeah, but you-know-where could wait a whole lot longer for all he cared.

He had an obligation to smooch Percy, especially on his (belated) birthday.

When they pulled apart, Percy was beaming, his face flushed and his green eyes more vivid than in a long time.

Jason felt rather proud.

He grinned at Percy, and Percy kept beaming even as he raised his bouquet to sniff on the flowers.

"They're very pretty, by the way. Thank you," he said softly, face still partly hidden behind the bouquet, and Jason moved to stroke an unruly strand of hair out of his face.

"Only the prettiest flowers for the prettiest birthday kid," he replied, and Percy huffed out a laugh, while Will started nudging his shoulder with his head.

Jason moved an arm around him automatically and placed a kiss to the top of his wild curls.

"That's not what I meant, you lovesick dork. Seriously, can we go now? My siblings are an impatient lot, and we don't want them to get started without Percy."

Jason sighed and motioned for Percy to come closer, so he could move his second arm around him and lead them both towards the forest.

"Fine, fine. Guess we gotta continue the lovemaking later."

"You have a strange definition of lovemaking, though it does explain a lot," Will remarked, but it didn't sound like a complaint, so there was no reason for Jason to be worried.

"You love me," he replied simply, and both his boyfriends gave him matching smiles.

"Endlessly, but you're still a dork."

"I also love him because he's such a dork," Percy added, the sweetheart he was, and Jason hummed happily to himself as he led them into the forest.

This was a good day.

Percy's scars were finally healing properly, thanks to some better self-care, his new teaching job, and Will's new salve he had created.

Will was almost back to his former strength, thanks to lots of time in the sun, regular breaks, and a very watchful and persistent Nico.

Jason led his two boyfriends to their clearing, where his third boyfriend and most of their friends were already waiting for them.

Nico looked healthier than ever with his bright eyes and olive skin, finally seeming content with himself and the world around him.

Jason smiled at the sight of him, and when Nico met his gaze, he smiled back.

Today was a good day.

The sky was blue, the flowers were in full bloom.

He was very much in love with his boyfriends.

They were happy.

He let his boyfriends go and watched them laugh and greet the others, looking beautiful and happy and carefree, the way they deserved.

These were the guys he was going to spend the rest of his life with, with all its ups and downs and in-betweens.

A future.

Their future.

Jason looked forward to it.

...

"I swear, if this is another bottle of lube…" Percy lamented loudly, but then broke off with a groan as he pulled out what was unmistakably lube – this time, it seemed to have glitter in it, and Percy could tell without opening that it had a very strong smell of strawberry.

"You know you love us!" The Apollo cabin universally yelled towards him between their bouts of laughter, while Nico had his face buried in his hands and Will looked between impressed and disturbed.

"Is this what you're spending all your pocket money on? Lube and condoms? I mean, I'm proud I taught you the concept of safe sex properly, but…" He heard him muttering, but he, same as Percy's wailing, seemed to go ignored.

Percy sighed and passed the lube to his blonde, who inspected the back of it with a frown.

Jason, to his other side, didn't seem perturbed in the slightest, instead wiggling his eyebrows at Percy when the glanced sideways at him.

Percy promptly looked away again, knowing full well just what it was Jason's gaze was promising him.

Instead, he reached out for the next gift.

It was…weird.

Being the center of attention, for something other than battle and drama.

Percy of course loved attention, but more from his boyfriends.

This was nice, though.

Sure, he'd prefer to not have gotten seven bottles of lube and a 'honeymoon pack' of condoms that included more than Percy's poor head could count, but…

It was also nice.

This was nice.

His boyfriends were nice, with their innocent yet lingering touches and happy smiles.

His friends were nice, with their cheers and vivid joy and party mood, occasionally showering him in compostable confetti or bringing him a new slice of one of the many cakes and sweets all around – courtesy of the joined efforts of what felt like the entire Camp.

Even Chiron had supposedly helped making the big, blue birthday cake with candy seashells and so much fondant it was practically inedible.

Percy opened his next gift, and threw an exasperated glance towards the kids from the Apollo cabin again.

"Seriously? Why didn't you just put all of them in a bag together, instead of having me unwrap each one, guys?" He complained, but then his lips twitched, anyways.

This lube was blue.

Where did they even find such stuff?

When he passed the bottle to his boyfriend, Will's eyebrows shot up, once more turning it in his hands to inspect the label.

"Guys…did you make these yourself?" He asked as Percy grabbed the next gift, happy to find it was shaped so oddly, there was no way it could be another bottle of lube.

Seriously, they didn't even have sex that often.

When his brain registered Will's words, he found himself stopping, looking back up at the Apollo kids – who were suddenly much quieter, their eyes anywhere but on him or Will.

Wait, what?

"How did you even know how?!" Will cried, but then Leo was hiding behind Calypso, even though she was the one pointing at him with an unimpressed expression, clearly uncaring for his dismay.

Percy was too busy looking at Will's siblings, though.

"Wait, they're self-made?"

That changed everything.

"Well, we wanted them to be special, not the generic ones you got in a store! It wouldn't have been so many if Alec had been able to make up his mind regarding flavors!" Kayla ultimately admitted, much to the dismay of the rest of the Apollo cabin, who was still trying to stop her until the very end.

Alec looked more than a little flustered, scratching the side of his neck awkwardly, the same way Jason sometimes did.

Percy stared at them.

Then, he turned towards Jason.

"Yes." Jason replied before he even opened his mouth to speak, and Percy blinked, before he turned back towards Will's siblings with a self-satisfied grin.

"I'm gonna cherish the heck out of them, guys. Your hard work will not go to waste," he promised seriously, much to the apparent amusement of his friends.

The Apollo kids, however, seemed relieved.

So that was all that mattered.

"Open the next one! Come on!" Somebody from the Aphrodite cabin yelled, and Percy promptly eyed the deformed package in his hands with worry.

Wait, that was from the Aphrodite kids?

If he got lube and condoms from Will's siblings, what in earth could he be getting from the Aphrodite cabin?

He glanced towards Annabeth and Piper for a possible clue, but they were busy standing with their backs to him, staring out at the lake for whatever reason.

Percy hesitated a moment longer, then curiosity got the better of him and he tore open the paper.

Inside was an intentionally deformed cardboard box that betrayed nothing of its content, and Percy shot Drew an ominous look as he pried it open.

Will shifted closer to him, peeking over his shoulder with greatest interest.

Percy pulled out the flimsiest piece of fabric he had ever seen.

"It's blue!" Drew called before he could comment, and Will let out a low whistle behind him.

"Damn, Percy, everybody seems to want you to get laid."

Percy wished he could complain.

However, this was his (belated) birthday party, and these were gifts from his friends, so he guessed they had put some sort of thought and effort into this.

Hence, it would be rude to complain.

…He would simply complain later, when he was alone with his boyfriends.

They would undoubtedly show him just how good some of these gifts were, and he was totally looking forward to that.

"I'm gonna get Nico to wear this," He replied with a smug grin, and promptly had Nico's head snapping around at him with an incredulous look, while the others laughed.

Percy wiggled his eyebrows at his boyfriend, but Nico only mouthed 'Forget it' before returning his attention to…some spot in the distance?

Hm, weird.

Why did he keep checking that very spot all the time, anyways?

This had to be the fifth time Percy caught him looking there.

Curious as always, Percy tried to crane his neck to spot what Nico had to be seeing, but then Jason already nudged him and passed him another gift.

This one was definitely from the team, judging by the abundance of tape and the scribbled 'ASH WAS HERE', as well as the cursive 'I told them not to -Hannah' that was written in marker across the package.

He promptly decided this was his favorite, even though he didn't yet know what was inside.

Judging by the squishy feeling, it was clothing, and he could only hope it wouldn't be another…whatever it was the Aphrodite cabin had gifted him.

Percy searched for their team, but while he immediately spotted Sara and Liam grinning back at him, he couldn't seem to find Hannah or Ash.

Which was…odd.

Though, now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen either of them since this morning at breakfast.

Were they still on their date?

"Hey, Percy," Annabeth called, and Percy looked towards her and Piper, still standing at the lake.

Piper motioned for him to come over, so he shared a puzzled look with Jason and moved.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those two from your group, too?" Annabeth asked as she pointed into the distance, while Piper had her hand over her mouth, suppressing a giggle.

Percy followed her finger, just to snort.

"Oh no, Ash must have aimed for a romantic boat trip," Nico uttered next to him with a groan as he buried his face in his hands, while Will flat-out laughed.

In the distance, right in the middle of the lake, were Ash and Hannah, standing in their tiny boat and flailing their arms wildly, undoubtedly trying to catch somebody's attention.

They must have dropped their paddles at some point.

"Want me to get them?" Jason offered behind him, one hand on his side, but Percy shook his head with a smile and focused.

After the battle against Tartarus, Percy hadn't been sure whether he'd ever be able to control his powers again, or whether they would try to consume him just like Nico's powers had tried.

However, today was a good day.

Nothing was gonna change that.

He felt the tug in his gut, and Will's hand found his shoulder, giving it a light, reassuring squeeze.

The boat moved, and Hannah and Ash stumbled, but didn't fall, promptly looking for and finding him with their eyes, elated and relieved grins already appearing on their faces.

He got them to the shore safely, greeting them with a teasing grin.

"How was the date?"

In reply, both Hannah and Ash stumbled out of the boat and into his arms.

"It was all Ash's fault for distracting me!"

"She's my girlfriend now."

Aww.

They both nudged each other in the side more or less playfully, before looking up at him with matching grins.

"Happy belated Birthday, team dad." They both told him, and Percy felt rather loved.

"I was about to open your gift. It better be something decent, guys," He notified them, and promptly found them exchanging telling looks.

"Open and you'll find out," Ash insisted with a wiggle of their eyebrows and a nudge.

Percy waited until Sara and Liam were closer, before he finally opened the package.

He had to admit, he was impressed by his own patience.

When the paper came away, he first worried it would be another set of questionable underwear – but then, he realized it was a shirt.

A blue shirt.

With a tiny fish on the front.

Percy smiled, about to say thanks, when Hannah fake-coughed and motioned to him to turn it over.

Puzzled, he did.

'Best Team Dad', it said, in big, silver letters across the back.

Suddenly, his 'thanks' was stuck in his throat as he swallowed thickly.

Then, he felt himself tearing up.

"Oh no, guys, come on, we told you not to make him cry," Nico complained, while his team rushed forward and engulfed him in a hug.

"Noo, no crying! We promised Nico you wouldn't cry!" Ash exclaimed, but Percy couldn't help it, holding the lot of them tightly pressed against him.

"How could you promise that, you know I'm a weak man!" He lamented with a thick voice and a sniffle, and promptly heard all four of them complain and tell him just how strong they thought he was.

They were so precious.

He was gonna adopt the lot of them.

Wait, he was pretty sure they had already talked about that before.

It didn't matter.

These were his children now.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain, open the rest of your gifts. We're all anxious to see what your boyfriends have thought of." Annabeth called from somewhere next to them, but Percy merely stuck out his tongue at her.

Then, the meaning of her words dawned on him, and he looked back at Jason with a quizzical look.

Gift? From his boyfriends?

He had checked the gifts, there hadn't been any gifts from them, else he would have opened those first.

Plus, they had already given him all he could have ever wanted.

They were his boyfriends, after all.

Also, he had gotten flowers, so he was pretty sure there was nothing that could possibly top that.

Annabeth pushed a rather heavy gift into his hands the moment he let go of his team.

"First open my gift, before breaking your head over theirs."

Eh, fine.

Percy started tearing open the paper, already knowing it would be a book from the shape and weight of it.

Unsurprisingly, it was.

Surprisingly, it was a book about sailing destinations, rather than a textbook.

Percy frowned and shot her a confused look, but she merely shrugged with an innocent smile.

"Just thought you might like the pictures," she told him, and he wasn't sure whether to thank her or feel affronted.

He could read.

It was just really difficult for him.

"Thanks, Wise Girl. Who knows, maybe this will come in handy one day," he told her with a smirk, and something gleamed in her eyes for a moment, as if she knew something he didn't.

However, she always knew more than he did, so he found himself neither surprised nor worried.

He passed the book on to Jason, who inspected it with a curious look before moving over to the small table of now-opened gifts.

Percy glanced at it, too, to make sure he was done now.

Yep, that had been the last one.

Will tapped him on the shoulder gently, and Percy turned to look at him, just to find him holding out a small package, right under his nose.

"You didn't think all we had for you were some simple kisses and flowers, right?"

What was wrong with kisses and flowers?

Percy loved kisses and flowers.

However, he couldn't help feeling rather intrigued as he took the little gift from Will, inspecting it from all sides.

"Don't shake it. You're not gonna break it, but still. No shaking." Will reprimanded, and Percy pushed out his bottom lip, though he resisted the urge to shake.

"Are we getting married?" He asked hopefully, because, well, it would be the perfect size for a ring box…

"Not yet, Gorgeous. Nico said he wants us to date for at least two years before walking down the aisle," Will told him with a nod towards their hot Italian boyfriend, who promptly crossed his arms in front of his chest, his cheeks gaining some much-adored color.

"We're four guys, who's even gonna wed us," he grumbled under his breath, but Percy was certain he would find somebody when the time came.

When he exchanged a look with Jason, he found his blonde nodding with a soft smile, letting him know he'd have his back.

Percy smiled back at him, before returning his attention to the little gift in his hands.

If it wasn't a ring…then what was it?

A necklace? Percy had way too many necklaces already, though he'd of course still wear this one if his guys so wanted him to.

A bracelet? Percy hoped it would survive, because he tended to gnaw on things on his wrists.

Will called it stimming, Percy called it anger management, but fact was, a bracelet would probably be a terrible idea.

Maybe…earrings…? Percy didn't have pierced ears, but he was certain the Aphrodite cabin would jump at the chance to change that.

Percy took his time removing the paper, but the little jewelry box sadly didn't come with a label.

It was a pretty box, though.

Also: Dark blue!

Seriously, they were all spoiling him with blue stuff today.

Blue cake, blue confetti, blue lube, blue jewelry boxes he couldn't wait to open, while also dragging it out for as long as possible…

"Just open it, you dork," Nico insisted and leaned forward to give him a peck on the nose.

Needless to say, Percy immediately opened the box, the lid already popping open before Nico had even pulled back completely.

The whole clearing seemed to hold its breath as Percy held his, peeking inside with his teeth worrying his bottom lip.

Then, he huffed out a weak laugh and looked back up at his boyfriends.

"You just said we're not getting married!"

"It's not a wedding ring!" Nico immediately insisted with a quickly reddening face and his foot stomping on the ground, while Will practically cackled as he winked at Percy.

"Percy Solace di Angelo Jackson, sweetheart. Just you wait."

"Jackace." Both Percy and Jason promptly shot back and shared amused looks, before Jason moved to take the little box from him.

Percy wasn't quite willing to part from it, especially not with the ring still inside.

However, Jason seemed rather adamant, so he caved in and let him.

The next moment, he made a startled sound when Jason took out the ring and reached for Percy's hand.

"It's not a wedding ring, but…I'd like to think of it as a promise, anyways. We've only been dating for a few months, but we've already come so far – and I know we'll go even further. We have won the wars. Now, it's time for us to live. And I want to spend that life with you. All three of you. So, Nico and Will agreed that, while I can't put wedding bands on you three just yet, I might as well tie something around your fingers that's a little sturdier than grass."

Jason's voice was gentle and soft, the way Percy's mind connected with afterglows and sweet love confessions.

Percy watched him gently push the ring onto his finger, a perfect fit.

When their eyes met, he found himself looking into sky-blue eyes full of love and adoration, even softer than his voice.

He had his arms around his boyfriend in a heartbeat, choking back a happy sob as he buried his face at the side of his neck.

"I wanna get married to you one day, too!" He pressed out thickly as he started crying again, and his boyfriends were instantly with him, wrapping their arms around him and smothering him in warmth and affection for a little while.

"We love you, Percy," Will whispered, his lips at the side of Percy's neck.

"I love you the most," Nico informed him cheekily from his other side, making him chortle.

Oh no, that had to be the first time he had ever made that sound.

That was usually Jason's job.

As if on cue, his boyfriend chortled, too, his voice rather raw and thick, as well.

He loved that sound.

"Do you two have rings, too?" Percy asked weakly towards Will and Nico, and found two hands shoved under his nose, adorned with matching rings.

Percy felt a tear running down his cheek and snatched those hands to kiss them both.

Beautiful.

They were beautiful.

His boyfriends were beautiful.

It was a beautiful day.

Everything was beautiful.

"Hold your horses, Percy, we're not done yet. I have something for you, too." A voice called behind him, and Percy wanted to whine, but he was still sniffling and crying, so he merely brushed his tears away somewhat before turning to look towards Reyna.

Reyna, who was moving her wheelchair forward with what looked like a game controller, though Percy was going to resist asking whether he could try that, too.

"Well, it's from Frank, Hazel and me. They wish you all the best, as you undoubtedly already know," Reyna told him as she passed him a purple envelope, and Percy nodded weakly.

They had already wished him a happy birthday, same as most of the others had, back when it had actually been his birthday, even if it hadn't felt like it.

This, however, felt a lot like a birthday to him.

Maybe that was why his boyfriends and friends had insisted on 'surprising' him with this party.

He looked the envelope over, but, again, there was nothing on the outside that could possibly betray its content.

He hoped for a birthday card.

Granted, he had gotten tons of those already, but most of them were with rather dubious pictures, and he was certain Frank, Hazel and Reyna would pick a really pretty one.

Oh, maybe they would include a group photo!

Jason had gotten photos for his birthday, after all.

He'd love to have some for his album.

He opened it carefully, unwilling to damage the envelope more than necessary, just in case Nico wanted to keep it.

Nico tended to keep nearly everything, after all, which were hoarding tendencies Percy should probably not support.

Percy tugged out the card, pleased to see that he had been right.

It was a pretty one.

Dark blue and royal looking, with fancy lettering and an even fancier ornamental design on it.

When he opened it, there was a folded note that nearly fell out.

He would have guessed it to be the birthday wishes, but those were written across the inside of the card – not just from Frank, Hazel and Reyna, but what had to be the entire Roman Camp.

Or, at least, Percy's cohort.

He squinted at the tiny writing, deciphering Dakota's name scribbled in red, before his focus shifted back to the folded note.

Percy glanced back at Reyna as he opened it, but her face didn't betray anything.

His boyfriends were watching him with matching gleams in their eyes, telling him they already knew what this was about.

Maybe it was a coupon to a theme park.

Percy wouldn't mind taking his guys to one again, now that they were dating and he could woo them in all of the water rides.

…It wasn't a coupon to a theme park.

It was an enrollment letter for college.

Percy stared at it, then stared at Reyna.

She let out a small huff of a laugh.

"We have finally found a place to build up Camp Jupiter anew. Including New Rome. Granted, it won't be done by tomorrow, it might even take another year to have everything running smoothly once more, but…whenever that will be, know that you're welcome to join us. Welcome to settle down. All four of you." She said, and Percy had the distinct feeling today was meant to pull on his heartstrings.

In all the best ways, of course.

"Thank you," he breathed, unable to put his gratitude into words, but Reyna's expression told him she knew, anyways.

They hugged each other, which wasn't even all that difficult, even with the wheelchair.

"You'll be just fine," she told him quietly, and he nodded.

"With those dorks by my side, I'm practically invincible."

"I don't doubt it," Reyna retorted with a wink as he pulled back, and Percy let out a small laugh.

Then, Jason was by his side, taking the card and paper from him with a smile.

"I'll keep it safe for you."

Percy knew he would.

Nico appeared at his other side, stroking along his arm with one finger as if to ask for his attention.

As if he ever had to ask.

Percy leaned forward, and Nico chuckled quietly as he gave him a timid peck on the lips, before he dragged Percy down by his collar for a proper kiss.

There was the unmistakable sound of whooping from the Apollo kids, and Percy smiled into the kiss.

Some things never changed.

Like the Apollo kids cheering whenever they kissed.

Or the butterflies in Percy's stomach whenever he got to kiss his boyfriends.

Or his boyfriends' soft lips and breathtaking kissing skills.

"Ready for the next to last surprise of the day?" Nico whispered, and Percy's eyes shot open immediately.

"Another one?" He asked faintly, not sure whether his heart would be able to take it.

Nico's eyes gleamed with warmth, joy and excitement.

"This is something Will thought of first, don't let him fool you into thinking it was just me."

"You were the one doing the most to make it happen. I merely threw the idea into the room," Will immediately argued, but Percy already moved to wrap his arms around the blonde and give him a kiss on the cheek, anyways.

"Thank you, Will."

"You don't even know what it is, yet!" His boyfriend cried, but Percy didn't care.

Or at least he thought he didn't care – but then, there was rustling, and he spotted Jason coming back into the clearing, though he hadn't noticed he had left his side.

Following that confusion, was the realization that he was coming from the very direction Nico had been looking off to before.

Following that realization, was the sudden feeling of all the air leaving his lungs as somebody else stepped into the clearing, right after Jason.

Percy's legs moved before his mouth did.

"Mom!"

She was smiling, and then, she was in his arms, and Percy swirled her in a circle, then another one, before pressing her against his chest.

There was a laugh, and Percy recognized it as Paul's, and he didn't even look up as he reached out to pull him in, too.

"What are you…how did you even…how are you here?!" He asked, tried to ask, his mind a whirl as he hugged them both, trying to understand, trying to comprehend…

"Your boyfriends," his mother explained, and even though those were only two words, those two words explained everything.

"I love you!" He yelled to the world, not quite sure whether he was still talking to his mother, or his boyfriends, or Paul, or his friends, or all of them.

He was pretty sure it was all of them.

"We love you too, Percy," his mother replied, and she trembled a little in his arms, so he squeezed her even tighter.

This was the best belated birthday party in the world.

...

Sally watched her son, beaming and laughing and gazing at his boyfriends as if they were his world.

Her son had grown so much.

So quickly, too.

It felt like just yesterday when she had taken him by the hand and led him to his first school, with that little hop in his step and eyes bright and vivid with curiosity and a hunger for more.

Time had passed too quickly, in her opinion.

But her son was happy, and that was what mattered.

Sally let him show her the Camp and the home he had made for himself here.

It was beautiful and strange, just like her son.

Next to meeting some familiar faces again, Sally was introduced to all his friends she hadn't yet had the pleasure to meet – like their quirky little team, the rumored Stoll brothers, all of Will's siblings, and Bob, who had decided to become the new border protection with Small Bob.

She laughed along as Percy told her of the many little and harmless adventures around camp; and shook her head when he told her about the many rules they had bent and broken in the process.

She let Jason show her the roof of his cabin, and Nico gave her a tour of their room.

Will walked her through the infirmary, and Percy took her for a walk around the lake.

She shared Percy's surprise when Nico greeted them at the end of their walk with a handful of baby's breath for Percy, and a hydrangea flower for her.

'As thank you,' he had said.

Though it should have been her thanking him for taking care of her son.

She thanked him by hugging him and telling him she would always be there if he needed anything.

She didn't mention the tears in his eyes when they pulled away.

She gave Will the hug she should have given him months ago, telling him his mother would be proud.

She didn't mention the way he clung to her like a child and soaked up her words like a sponge.

She gave Jason a hug because he, too, needed one, telling him it was okay to not be strong sometimes.

She didn't mention his small, shuddering breath or the trembling of his shoulders.

Instead, she held them and patted their backs and told them she was proud of them.

They had been robbed off their mothers much too soon. All three of them.

Sally would take good care of them whenever they would let her.

She took Paul's hand as she followed them towards the sea, hours later, already knowing what was waiting there.

But Percy didn't know yet.

It was the last surprise of the day.

It might be the biggest one yet.

She smiled and shared a look with Paul, who was still fascinated by this place, by the people, by the magic and otherness in the air, but who was now focused entirely on the boys and her.

Life was difficult; love even more so.

Both rarely went the way one might expect.

But Sally was lucky. She had Paul.

She looked at Percy and his boyfriends as they guided him to the beach, broad smiles in place even as their eyes seemed between anxious and excited.

Percy was lucky, too.

She watched how her son stared at the sea with a stunned, speechless look, and she watched how he shook his head with a weak laugh, unable to believe.

She watched Nico entwining their fingers and putting their foreheads together, a soft smile on his lips as he spoke.

'It's a gift from us, as well as the rest of the Camp', he whispered.

Her son was trembling.

It was still hard to see him cry, but she knew these were tears of joy.

Sally looked out at the little ship, big enough to sail the world, yet small enough to keep them close.

Jason and Leo had done a great job planning it out and working on it with the others.

'It's a choice, Percy,' she heard Nico say.

A choice.

Sally felt a tear trickle down her face.

Percy had never wanted to be a demigod.

Had never wanted to fight.

Had never wanted to hurt anybody.

Had never wanted what the Fates seemed to have laid out for him.

He had never had a say.

But they gave him a choice.

'We don't have to leave. We can just take her out on the weekends or whenever else you want. Summer vacation is almost over. No more classes. No more stress,' Jason's voice carried over.

'Or we can go and see the world. It's all your choice,' Nico put in, their foreheads still together, his expression still soft.

'You don't even have to decide right now. You can take all the time you need, and change your mind a hundred times if you so desire. We'll be by your side, no matter what,' Will promised.

Sally looked back at the little ship, taking in the dark wood and the two masts, the little crow's nest and the cream-colored sails, set ablaze by the setting sun behind it.

Looked at the cursive 'IPOD Elpída' written in silver lettering along the side.

Hope.

It was a beautiful name for a ship, in Sally's opinion.

Will had been the one to suggest it, and Nico the one to decide on it.

Sally watched Percy as he looked back at the ship in astonishment and wonder.

Then, she watched him falling apart and being caught by his boyfriends.

Once upon a time, she had been the one catching him, she still remembered.

Her little boy.

But her little boy had grown up.

Grown up enough to make his own choices, his own decisions, and live the life he wanted to live.

The life he deserved to choose for himself.

Sally smiled at her son, watching him stumble towards her.

She cupped his face.

A mother always knew, they said.

"Send me some postcards, okay?"

Percy beamed at her, a last tear running down his cheek as he leaned into her touch.

"Will do, mom."

Sally let her son go.

The End

Some fun stats of this series:

End 2014 - Sep 2018

Page Count (European DIN A4 Pages in Word, mostly unformatted)
Advent Calendar - 308 pages
Love Dreams Blah - 1,820 pages
Weeks of Bliss - 226 pages
TFIADP - 853 pages
Total: 3,207 pages

Word Count (from Word, without A/Ns, minor differences possible because constant editing)
Advent Calendar - 145,575 words
Love Dreams Blah - 1,017,586 words
Weeks of Bliss - 345,050 words
TFIADP - 491,436 words
Total: 1,999,647 words

POVs (Total count of character POVs from all stories)
Percy - 152 / 158 (including the POVs in the Special of the Advent Calendar)
Nico - 153 / 301 (including all the POVs from the Advent Calendar)
Jason - 138
Will - 188
Other Characters&OCs - 67
Total POV count for the entire series: 698 / 852 (including all POVs from the Advent Calendar)

Thank you for reading this series! Now, onto new adventures ;D