A/N: I know. It's literally been five years. (coincidentally, this epilogue also takes place five years after the original story….) If by some chance any of my original readers/reviewers happen to find their way back to PDLM, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to read and leave feedback on this story. This is the first (and only) full-length fanfic I've ever written, and it's been a huge part of my development as a writer. It feels strange coming back to this story after so long. It's like returning to your childhood home after you've grown up and started your own life and become your own person.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you again to all my readers-new and old-and that I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Please Don't Leave Me. I hope it was worth the wait ;)

Disclaimer (do people still do these?): Rick Riordan owns it all. I'm just borrowing.

***Obviously, this story takes place in a different universe as The Burning Maze. No spoilers.

Deep breath. You can do this.

Jason exhaled heavily as he approached the entrance of the school, eyeing the flock of kindergarteners filing through the doors, clutching at their parents' sleeves. Hope squeezed his large hand with her small one, as if sensing his distress. He smiled, then knelt down to face her.

"You've got your lunchbox?"

"Yes, Papa."

"And your colored pencils?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And your notebook?"

"Yep."

"And your-umph." Jason was cut off abruptly by his daughter throwing her arms around his wide shoulders, nuzzling her face into his.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes. I have it. And now it's time for Papa to say 'bye-bye'" she stated matter-of-factly, her cheek still pressed to his.

Jason let out a breathy laugh. "You're right. It is time for Papa to say 'bye-bye.' You're a lot tougher than your Papa, aren't you?"

Hope grinned slyly, pulling back to look at Jason. Her white opal bracelet-a gift from her grandmother Aphrodite-twinkled prettily around her thin wrist. "Maybe."

Jason grabbed his daughter into his arms quickly, giving her one last squeeze and a kiss on her forehead. "Okay, okay. Papa will let you go have fun now. I love you, baby."

Hope reciprocated with a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, too. Be good today, Papa."

Jason barked out a laugh as Hope parroted her mother's words from earlier that morning. Piper had a job interview at a marketing company in Berkeley at 8:00AM and was therefore-much to her chagrin-unable to accompany Hope on her first day of kindergarten. That morning, Piper had sat on the edge of Hope's bed, gathering her daughter-still warm and dazed from sleep-into her arms for a hug. "Be good today, Hope. I know you'll do great," she had whispered. "Mommy loves you."

Jason smiled fondly at the memory of his wife, then reached out to tuck a lock of Hope's hair behind her ear. "Alright. I promise I'll be good today."

And with that, Hope disentangled herself from Jason's arms and readjusted her backpack. She gave her father one last impish smile before taking off toward the doors, eager to join the sea of five-year-olds milling about the entrance.

Jason looked on with a strange mixture of affection and apprehension. Even though five years had passed since the terrible events leading up to Hope's birth, Jason still felt on edge from time to time-as if he might wake up one day and discover it was all a dream and that their daughter was being held captive by some deranged goddess, far from their reach. He knew Piper felt the same way. The nights she woke up in a cold sweat, Hope's name still forming on her lips, told him just as much. He didn't have to ask to know that his wife's dreams were still haunted by a black-haired woman with empty eyes.

Jason shook his head, bringing himself back into the present. He and Piper had worked so hard to ensure Hope would have a normal life. Once things settled down on Olympus, the young parents relocated from Long Island back to Berkeley where they were in close proximity to both Camp Jupiter and Piper's dad. After finishing up high school in California-with a lot of babysitting help from Tristan-Piper started studying at Berkeley City College while Jason stayed home to look after Hope. After Piper graduated-with a degree in sales management, the perfect career for a charm-speaking daughter of Aphrodite-Jason finally made up his mind to pursue a degree in education at the university within Camp Jupiter. He had thought long and hard about all of the troubled kids he had encountered throughout his life-both godly and mortal-and felt that a career in teaching would be a million times more rewarding than spending the rest of his life in some office cubicle. And of course, finally, after three years of raising hope together, Jason and Piper got married. It was nothing big or extravagant. Just the two of them and their closest friends and family-Tristan, Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Nico, Will, and Chiron, as well as some of their college friends-assembled in Tristan's Malibu backyard overlooking the steady blue waves of the ocean. Hope had been on her best behavior, content to be passed from lap to lap and be cooed over. She did, however, seem somewhat partial toward Thalia, who had settled into her role as a doting aunt quite happily. It wasn't much, but it meant everything to Jason.

Thus, Jason, Piper, and Hope had fallen into their own semblance of normal life. It wasn't perfect or even all that exciting, but Jason wasn't complaining-he'd already had enough excitement to last a lifetime. Hope's powers had yet to manifest themselves in their full form, but both of her parents could sense that there was something bubbling beneath the surface, something potent and dangerous that couldn't be ignored. Ilithyia had made good on her promise to check up on Hope from time to time; Jason even suspected she had something to do with the lack of monster attacks typical of a demigod's early life. Even though he knew it wouldn't last forever, Jason was grateful for this interlude of peace for himself and his family.

After taking one last look at the doors his daughter had disappeared into, Jason finally returned to his car, cranking the engine and pulling out of the school parking lot. He had a 10AM lecture at the university, but he already knew he would have trouble focusing all day. With a heavy-but still happy-heart, Jason drove away from his daughter, leaving her to experience her first taste of independence alone.

(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)

That night, Jason lay in bed with one arm wrapped around his wife's sleeping form and the other reaching up to stroke his daughter's corn-silk hair. Piper was facing him, one leg draped over his, with Hope nestled in between them. Their daughter had come home from her first day of school worn out but happy, excited to babble endlessly to her parents about all the new people she'd met and all the new things she'd learned. Jason and Piper were more than happy to listen.

Jason closed his eyes, allowing the steady breaths of his little family to lull him into semi-consciousness. The air was cool and a few slivers of moonlight peeking in through the blinds painted the floor with stripes of light. A wall clock ticked faintly from the kitchen. Just as he was almost completely submerged in the waters of sleep, a brush of fingertips on his cheekbone made his eyes flicker open. When they did, he saw his own features reflected in Piper's ever-changing green eyes. He reached up to hold the hand brushing against his skin, gently squeezing her palm.

It was moments like these that reminded Jason of how lucky he was to have found his soulmate so easily, and at such a young age. It was as if they could communicate a thousand words through a shared look, a hand on a shoulder, or a brush of fingertips. Jason held tightly onto her hand as she continued to sweep her gaze over his face. Hope slept soundly between them, warm and thrumming like a heartbeat. As Jason locked eyes with Piper once more, he knew immediately that they were thinking of the same memory. They were both dreaming of a night years earlier, when nothing was guaranteed but their love for each other-the night Piper first told Jason that she was pregnant with Hope. They were both so scared, and yet so unaware of the suffering-and joy-that was yet to come. Jason closed his eyes and allowed the memory to wash over him.

Piper smiled faintly and allowed herself to be tucked into her bed. As she pressed her sweaty forehead into the cool pillow, she realized just how tired she was.

But she couldn't go to sleep, not yet. "Jason?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think…do you think this is completely bad? Like, aren't you a just a little bit excited?'

Jason bit his lip. He knew he felt fear. Fear for Piper, fear for himself, fear for the future. He also felt love. Love for Piper and anything that was hers, theirs.

But excitement? He wasn't so sure.

He tried to look into the future. Only an hour ago, he hadn't seen much in it. Just Camp Half-blood, Piper, maybe college. But definitely not a baby.

That word made Jason's heart pound frantically. Baby. A little girl or boy with his blue eyes and Piper's brown hair, or maybe his blonde hair and Piper's ever-changing eyes. That thought made him smile a little bit. A little girl that he could protect and buy tea sets for and take stargazing. Possibly a little boy that he could teach how to throw a baseball and lift onto his shoulders and go camping with. Or maybe it'd be the other way around. He didn't really care, as long as they were happy.

"Yes," he said suddenly, surprising himself. "Yeah, I am."

A small, hopeful grin spread across Piper's face, lighting up her eyes. He didn't have much to enjoy it, though, because a big yawn took over the smile. Piper's eyes drooped as she attempted to cover it.

Jason leaned down next to her and pushed a strand of caramel colored hair away from her eyes as her they began to close. He kissed her once on her cheek gently, then placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. As he was slowly getting to his feet, he felt a hand grasp his own.

Piper's kaleidoscopic eyes stared up at him pleadingly. "Don't leave me, please."

Jason lifted the covers and slid in next to her, pulling her body to his.

"Never," he whispered back.

The edges of the memory became fuzzy, eventually fading into darkness. Jason opened his eyes to see Piper staring back at him, a faint smile on her face. She pulled his hand toward her lips, pressing a gentle kiss to his fingertips. Hope stirred briefly, snuggling deeper into her father's chest, then becoming still once more. Jason felt a strange (but not unpleasant) tugging sensation in his chest-like a tether connecting him to the two resting bodies in his arms, a reminder of the unbreakable connection between these three souls. It was an overwhelming feeling, knowing that everything he held dear-his life, his flesh, his blood, his love, his hope-were here, wrapped safely in his warm embrace. He could feel Piper's breath on his skin. Without speaking, he knew she was experiencing the same emotions.

And then, gently, as if dropping a stone into a placid lake, Piper broke the silence. Through the stillness of the night, she spoke.

"Stay with me."

Jason answered without hesitation. "Always."

A/N: Finally. Some closure. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this story. I know I enjoyed telling it. Thanks again for coming on this (five-year-long) journey with me. I wish you all the best :) 3

Claire