Seeking Happiness

I stared at the space Pipers face had just occupied. I slowly turned to face Jason. His arms were crossed his eyes narrowed on me. "Leo... do you remember what I say before I start every iris message. I say..." I joined him as we said it together, "I'm making a call. Be quiet and no matter what you do stay out of sight." I did my best Jason impression, "No one can know what we're doing." Percy laughed before clearing his throat and getting all serious. He gave me a look that said I'm a leader and I'm supposed to be mad, but I'm not really, "Look Leo we just don't want to get anyones hopes up if all of this doesn't work. I mean Thalia's life, you returning to the surface. Besides they don't need to know where we are. We basically had to play dead to get here. Every day we're here we risk actual death."

Nico now rubbing the top of his head joined the conversation, "Yeah it's like I said. If we stay in Elysium too long we will be stuck here. Our bodies slowly day by day start to... well die. Our bodies get accustomed to living here. Elysium is like a living being. It accepts those who are worthy and it never lets anyone leave." Nico had charted out a time table when they first got here. I'm already dead so my body isn't slowing down or anything like that. But theirs are. I see it in their posture, in extreme effort they now have to put into everyday tasks. There wasn't much time left before they were claimed by paradise. Nico only had two weeks left to find a way to control the balance.

I could see the stress taking its toll on them. Nico especially/ Every time his attempts to control the balance failed he took it very personally. He beat himself up for not being better at it. As much as I gave him a hard time. I know he was working really hard. Currently he was back in the corner of the room concentrating like he learned. HIs face was a mask of had lines. He held the orb of resurrection in one hand and the other hand clenched in a fist as he tried to pull energy from the balance and place it into the orb. He had tried to explain it to me once. Apparently the balance was something that was everywhere. It controlled the fate of everyone. And if you were born with the skill and you were powerful enough you could control it.

They had been on a mission for a month or two before they got here. They had to find that Orb and apparently that was no easy task. Then they had to go find some book that taught him how to use it, and that was even harder. The said they'd tell me all about it later, when we weren't on a time crunch. Now they're here and Nico hasn't been able to use it. I went and sat on my couch next to Percy who had his nose buried in an old edition of the supremacy. He looked at me with childlike wonder, "Dude, so you seriously get one of these once or twice a month and it tells you everything thats happened up there?" I nodded and pulled out a box from under the couch, "Here's every single one since I've been here. You're on the cover a couple." His eyes bulged, "I am?!" He dove into the small pile and puled one out, "HEY! Thats me and the twins!"

He flipped through the pages while I leaned back and closed my eyes. It had been a while since I had a good night sleep. My heart started beating fast, it only did that when she was visiting my monument. Calypso. I heard her voice as clearly as if she were sitting right next to me on the couch. "Leo... I waited for so long on that island for you. You promised you would save me. After waiting for so long, I'm rescued. But not by you. I miss you Leo, I would do anything to get you back in my life. Piper says she saw you in an iris message. Is it true? Are you alive? If theres any way you're alive... please come back to me." Jason came and put his hand on my shoulder, "Everything's going to work out man, I promise."

I nodded, "Yeah? You think so?" He shrugged, "I mean they usually do right?" I gave a forced laugh, "Yeah because dying was so much fun..." He rolled his eyes, "But how many people do you know have died and then got the opportunity to come back to life." Without hesitation I answered, "Luke...and all those people who came back to life when the doors were open. You know now that I think about it, I'm not all that special."

He didn't know how to respond he just gave me frustrated, "They didn't have us." I nodded, "Yeah I guess you're right." Percy who hadn't been listening to any of the conversation threw a magazine at Jason, "DUDE! There's an article about Piper in here! Apparently she might be ready for kids." Jason's knees buckled, 'What? There's no way. She... she...oh my gods." He looked like he was about to throw up. I looked at him, "Oh and while were on the topic of your girlfriend, she may or may not have told everyone she saw me earlier. But like you said everything's going to work out. Good luck with fatherhood."

Percy put his arm around Jason, "It isn't so bad Jason. Honestly Piper would do most of the handwork. Kids are great! I mean yeah you have to change a lot of diapers. And then there's the crying and what not. But over all it's great! You can never replace the feeling of being a dad." Jason walked over to the front door, "I think I'm going to take a walk, you guys keep working."

Nico without even looking at him called out, "I almost got it this time I promise." As soon as he trapped the balance in the orb all that was left was handing it to me and Bam! I'm alive again. It was just a matter of waiting for him to figure it all out. Of course I had my own part to do down here. I had to go find some stupid river hidden away in Elysium. I just had to get a cup of it to drink right before I was handed the orb. Apparently it's like a kickstart, it helps with the resurrection process. Without it I would make it to the surface but I would more than likely be a zombie. I don't particularly enjoy the taste of brains and I don't think Zombies are aloud to make out with sea goddesses. So needless to say life as a zombie doesn't sound too appealing.

Nico's chanting was progressively getting louder in the back of the room, I turned to see if he was making any progress. I saw the orb was glowing a greenish color. A smokey gray color swirling around in the middle. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. This was it, he was dong it!

Wrong! Close but no cigar. The smoke disintegrated and orb was reduced to it normal colorless self. Nico was paler than usual and by the looks of it, was on the verge of tears.

Notes