Elysium

“Mom, it’s time to wake up,” called a voice through the darkness.
Annabeth recognized the voice, but she felt like she was searching for it through a thick fog. She was lost and she couldn’t find a way out. The darkness was pressing down on her and soon it would smother her.
“Mom,” the voice called again.
It was closer now. If only she could escape this fog.
“Gran,” called a new voice, this one clearer than the first.
Annabeth could see light ahead; the fog was starting to disperse. She started to run towards the gap, her legs burning as she ran.
“Gran?” said the voice, and Annabeth felt a hand on her arm. The light flared, blinding her. The light didn’t recede and Annabeth was terrified that she would forever see white, before shapes began to appear. Blurred at first, but they slowly came into focus as Annabeth blinked. She realized that she had been sleeping and that the dark fog was her own mind, while the light was the sun.
“Mom, are you alright?” asked the first voice from her dream. Annabeth turned and found the face of her daughter staring at her; concern etched upon her face.
“Are you alright? Do you want me to go and fetch Chiron?” asked Chloe, Annabeth eldest child.
“No,” coughed Annabeth, “I’m fine dear. I was just having a dream”.
That didn’t seem to convince Chloe, but it was enough for her to sit down in the chair next to the bed. Beside Chloe was her son Theo, Annabeth’s only grandchild, who stood there beaming at his grandmother.
“Gran!” cried Theo, “Guess what I got!”
“Theo, gran needs some rest before you hound her with questions,” said Chloe, giving Theo a warning look to be patient.
“It’s fine, dear. I am old not broken or frail. Besides I like Theo’s guessing games, they give my mind something to do,” said Annabeth, laying her hand on Chloe’s.
Theo didn’t even wait for Annabeth to guess, “I got my own sword! Look!” Theo reached into his pocket and bought out a ballpoint pen. The memories hit Annabeth like a tidal wave, memories from all those years ago when she was just a kid. She fought them back, not wanting to cry in front of Theo.
“That...That’s nice dear, does it have a name?” asked Annabeth, her voice catching in her throat.
“It’s called Riptide,” said Theo, uncapping the pen as he spoke. The pen changed, as Annabeth knew it would, and instantly Theo was holding a bronze sword. He swung it back and forth, pretending he was fighting some monster.
“That’s enough Theo, maybe you should go play outside. Say goodbye to Gran and I will find you near the cabins,” said Chloe.
“Bye Gran,” smiled Theo, hugging Annabeth before rushing out of the door.
As soon as the door swung shut, Annabeth let out a sob. Chloe turned to her, a tear running down her face.
“I’m sorry mom, he was so excited to get a sword, and I thought he would find a random blade. He was so happy about it that he wanted to show you...and I...I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was Dad’s,” sobbed Chloe, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.
“It’s okay, dear. It just took me by surprise. I am pleased that Theo got Riptide, your father left it here at camp so that another hero could use it.”
“But it scares me even more. It means that Theo is closer to facing more monsters or going on quests. I don’t think I can handle that kind of worry, especially if something goes wrong,” sobbed Chloe.
“He will be fine; he is a special child after all. Your powers helped you when you were at camp. Not many demigods can say that they were born a legacy or that they had Athena’s wisdom and Poseidon’s power,” reassured Annabeth.
“But Theo’s powers are different; he links our family with the Valdez’s. I saw him shoot water at a fury while holding a ball of fire. I fear what the Fate’s have installed for him,” sniffed Chloe.
“Chloe,” said Annabeth, soothingly, “If it’s one thing I have learnt in life it is that you can never understand what the Fates have decreed for anyone. I tried for years to figure out why my life was full of heart wrenching moments, but eventually I just learnt to keep moving forward no matter what.”
Chloe nodded, “And Theo?”
“When the time is right, send him to Camp. Chiron will help him.”
Both of them fell into silence. Annabeth was content with watching the outside world. She didn’t know how much time had passed but eventually Chloe rose and bid her goodbye.
“I will be back tomorrow,” she said, kissing her mother on the cheek, “I will bring Theo again and maybe we can wheel you outside for a bit”
“I would like that very much, my dear,” replied Annabeth.
Chloe collected her things, said on last goodbye and headed out the door. As the door swung shut, Annabeth fell silent and let her thoughts wander as they usually did during the day. She knew Chiron would be here soon and offer her a game of Cluedo, yes it was a child’s game but together they added a little demigod twist to it. They had spent countless days figuring out who killed the demigod: was it Zeus? Hades? Hestia? Each game becoming more and more ludicrous. For now she was content with just sitting in silence.
As usual her thoughts turned to Death. These thoughts kept coming more and more frequently, and Annabeth was sure that this was a sign. A sign for what, she did not know. The Fates had always been cruel to her, so any hope of a happy ending was always taken with suspicion. She lay in her room and recounted the countless deaths she had seen. All of them more painful than the last: Luke, Clarisse, her Dad, her step family, Beckondorf, Silena, Nico, and Reyna. But none of them could match the grief she still carried over losing her six closest friends. Percy was the first to die, the memory coming at Annabeth like a train. She, Piper, Leo and Percy had been sent to investigate a report about a powerful demigod that lived in Oregon. They had stopped by Camp Jupiter to pick up Frank, Hazel and Jason as their chances of success were always better together. Annabeth remembered preparing for battle on board the Argo II, her armour was polished and fastened correctly, her ivory sword was strapped to her hip and her Yankee Cap was stashed inside her backpack along with ambrosia and nectar. Leo had sent Buford, his magical table, ahead of the ship to scout the area; he returned with news of a huge host of monsters laying siege to a house. The memory was always clear, there was a knock on the door and Percy came asking for her to check if he had fastened his armour correctly. He always did it correctly but Annabeth knew it was one of his many excuses to be close to her, and she enjoyed the chore. They sat together on her bed in silence, listening as the Argo II hummed as it began its descent.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, please come to the helm as it time to plan our battle!” cried Leo, from the intercom.
“Looks like we have to go,” said Percy, staring at her with those sea green eyes.
“Another battle,” muttered Annabeth.
“Don’t sound so depressed, Wise Girl. It will be a routine demigod collection, granted that there is an army of monsters outside. We will go in, send them all to Tartarus, get the kids and head back to camp and by tonight we will be snuggling with hot chocolate,” he said as he kissed her.
“You better keep that promise, Seaweed Brain. If there is no hot chocolate tonight then you will be on babysitting duty for the rest of the week”
Percy smiled with pride and amazement, as he always did when Annabeth talked to him about Chloe. She had just turned seven last week and was left behind with her grandmother in New York.
Annabeth and Percy both raced to the helm, joining the others in deciding their battle strategy. Eventually they were ready and were set to leap into battle. The ship touched down on the roof of the house, catching the attention of every monster. Annabeth was shocked at the variety of monsters present: Drackonea, harpies, undead soldiers, hellhounds, Cyclops and even some centaurs. But her shock turned to dread as the biggest monster revealed itself. Standing in the centre of the yard was a Chimera; its lion head roared while its goat head tried to bite at the monsters closer to it.
“Stick to the plan!” yelled Jason, drawing his gladius.
Frank turned into a gorilla and leapt into the sea of monsters. Hazel had called Arion, her horse, and both of them zipped down and her cutting down any monster that stood in their path. Jason flew down and began fighting while blasting lightning at some monsters. Percy gave her one last look before he too found his way to the ground and began to fight. Leo was still onboard firing ballista missiles into the monster army, while Piper and Annabeth were charged with the collection of the demigod. They jumped from the roof to the balcony below. Piper broke down the door and together they entered the house. It didn’t take them long to find the demigod, or demigods as there were two of them. Both were huddled behind a stack of furniture that had been used to barricade the main entrance. When they saw Annabeth and Piper they both jumped to their feet, fear dominating their eyes.
“We are here to help you,” said Piper, adding some charmspeak to her words to calm them down.
“Help?” asked the girl, her hair was cut short and black, her skin was very fair.
“Yes, help. We know about the monsters and we have come to take you to a place where you can be safe,” said Annabeth, lowering her sword.
“What safe place?” asked the boy, his hair was blonde, and his skin was covered in freckles.
“It’s called Camp Half-Blood. A camp of some sorts that will help teach you to protect yourself from monsters”
“And you promise you are here to help us? You are not some tricky monster in disguise?” asked the girl, there was something about both of them that seemed oddly familiar.
“We promise that we are not monsters, but we need to hurry before the real monsters mange to get in” said Piper, pointing outside.
As if on cue, the doors thudded causing the stack of furniture to collapse. The two kids moved away from the barricade as the doors continued to shake.
“Why are those monsters attacking us?!” cried the boy, hiding behind his sister; or so Annabeth guessed.
“Do you know about the Greek gods?” asked Annabeth, raising her sword. Both of the kid’s heads nodded. Annabeth flew into the usual explanation about how the Greek mythological world existed and how the gods had kids. “You two are the children of a Greek god. It’s rare that a god will have two kids that are of the same mortal parent, but there are some rare cases it happens.”
“Do you know who your godly parent is?” asked Piper.
Annabeth knew that most demigods didn’t find out their divine parentage until they arrived at Camp, but there was always the rare opportunity that they already knew. This had to be one of those cases because both of them looked at each other, as if they were reluctant to tell.
“We are not full sibling,” said the girl, “We are half-siblings. We share the same mother but our fathers were different.”
Annabeth was struck silent at the thought. Two gods had fallen for the same mortal and each produced a kid. As her mind began to work out which gods was their father, the feeling of familiarity began to form a shocking image in her head. She was pretty sure she had figured out who their divine fathers were, but the thought was too shocking to believe.
“Who are your fathers?” asked Annabeth.
The boy turned to Annabeth and said, “I am Alex, the son of Zeus”. Piper was struck dumb by the notion but Annabeth turned to the girl. “I am Stephanie, the daughter of Neptune”. As soon as Stephanie had said Neptune, Annabeth could see who these kids looked like. Stephanie looked like Percy, while Alex looked like Jason. Piper just stared at them in shock, the same thought going through her head. She turned to Annabeth speechless.
“We need to get them to Camp, now” demanded Annabeth.
The door cracked, sunlight streaming in from outside. Annabeth grabbed both kids and marched them up the stairs, and out onto the balcony. Piper helped them onto the roof and onto the Argo II.
“Welcome aboard, please stay away from the ballistae as they are a health hazard,” said Leo.
“Leo we need to get everyone out of here. We need to get back to Camp ASAP. Also please tell Chiron that....” Annabeth’s words were lost as an inhuman screech came from the yard.
Annabeth looked over the railing and saw Percy stab the chimera. Blood was running from a cut on his head, but he seemed to be managing on his own. Hazel and Frank were busy duelling a Cyclops, while Jason was fighting a hellhound. Most of the monsters were dead, but Annabeth knew that they needed to get out of here quickly. She grabbed a bow and notched an arrow, aiming at the hellhound, and fired. The hell hound burst into a cloud of dust. Jason gave her a wave of thanks, while she signalled him to return. She was about to fire another arrow at the Cyclops when another scream echoed across the yard, this time it made her blood run cold.
Somehow Percy had lost his footing and had fallen beneath the chimera. The beast didn’t hesitate and pounced on him, using its claws to rip his chest open. Red blood poured from his wounds as the best continued to maul him. The world turned grey. Annabeth didn’t even remember jumping from the ship, but in the next moment she was on the ground running at the beast. Her sword at the ready and she was stabbing at it. The chimera was too busy with Percy to notice her advance by which time it was too late for it. Annabeth stabbed at the beast and it exploded into dust. She rushed to Percy, barley noticing that the ship had landed in the yard now.
He was laying there in her arms, blood flowing from his wounds, his sea green eyes looking at her promising it would be alright.
“I love you, Wise Girl,” he said
She tried everything to save him, but in the end nothing helped and he died in her arms. The days following his death were the worst in living memory. They carried his body onto the ship and Annabeth didn’t leave his side. They stopped at Camp Jupiter to give over Alex and Stephanie to the Romans. She didn’t eat or sleep, she just sat there in silence, the pain eating at her. She stared at his face, relaxed and calm as if he was sleeping. She was waiting for him to wake up and look at her with that goofy grin.
Piper was the one that told her that they had landed at Camp Half-Blood, Piper was the one that dragged her from his side, and Piper was the one that held her as she cried. Jason, Frank, Hazel and Leo were the ones that carried his body out of the ship and into Camp.
Annabeth had seen many heroes die and the effect each one had on the camp, but when the announcement was given about what had happened to Percy, the whole camp fell silent. Slowly as each camper realised that Percy had died, realised that he would never be coming back, and then the tears began to flow. They laid his body on the altar of Hades, constructed near the camp fire, where all dead demigods were burnt. Annabeth wanted to remain at his side, but Piper dragged her back to her cabin. She screamed and tried to escape but Hazel was helping as well. Both of them had tears in their eyes.As they got closer to the cabins, Annabeth noticed that they were heading for the Percy’s cabin. As they entered and the familiar smell of the sea hit her, Annabeth stopped struggling and began to cry. Piper and Hazel joined her and they all cried together in the cabin.
Chiron came to her the next day, to check up on her. He told her that he had sent word to Sally Jackson and that she would be here within the hour with Chloe.
“You will need each other to get through this,” said Chiron, he too had been crying.
He also told Annabeth that rather than burn Percy’s body instantly, he was going to wait until tomorrow. That way it gave time for the Romans to arrive as well as anyone else that wanted to say good bye. After that Annabeth was left alone in Percy’s cabin until Sally arrived. Chloe had run off to play a game with some friends, which was for the best as Annabeth and Sally needed to talk. Sally had been crying as well, her eyes were bloodshot.
“Tell me how it happened,” she said, her voice breaking.
And so Annabeth did. By the end of it both of them were in tears, hugging each other. Sally spent the night with Annabeth in Percy’s cabin. When the sun rose the next day, Annabeth awoke and got ready. She didn’t know what to wear to his funeral but she knew that Percy would rather have her wear bright colours instead. She pulled out a blue shirt from his cupboard, which smelled strongly of him. Not caring who saw her, she wore it. She met Piper and Hazel outside, and together with Sally they made their way to the funeral.
Percy was to be burnt on the beach, rather than by the campfire. The Roman camp had arrived early in the morning and had set up camp already. Annabeth was drowned in condolences from both camps. She felt numb. She felt only grief.
Chairs had been laid out along the beach; Sally was to have the one closest to her son and Annabeth right beside her with Chloe in her lap. Annabeth had told her what had happened last night and both of them had cried together. In the morning, Chloe was sad, but seemed to be happier in a way. Annabeth allowed Chloe to sit, but she herself stood by Percy, to see who had come to say goodbye. Jason, Piper and Hazel arrived together, soon followed by Leo with Calypso. They all came to her, the girls crying, and the guys shocked into silence. Leo didn’t even make a joke. Calypso took Annabeth to the side and comforted her.
“I know what it feels like to lose someone that you love. You are not alone; you have all of us here for you. I know Percy would not want you to suffer this by yourself”
Annabeth just cried at her words. Frank arrived with Reyna, both dressed as Praetors, leading Camp Jupiter. They hadn’t been Praetors for years now, but they were still the strongest leaders in New Rome. The both of them leading Camp Jupiter must have been a ceremonious duty. At the sight of Reyna, Annabeth ran to her and flung her arms around her. They stayed like that for a long time, both of them sobbing into each other’s arms, before they broke away. Many familiar faces arrived afterwards: Clarisse, the Stoll brothers, Rachel, Michael, Katie, Sarah, Stacey and eventually Grover. At the sight of Grover, Annabeth remembered Tyson. Had he been told about Percy?
Her thoughts were unnecessary, because as soon as everyone had been seated the sea began to bubble, and out of it marched an army of Cyclops led by Tyson. Ella appeared next him and even Mrs. O’Leary appeared. Nature spirits and satyrs began to arrive and take their places. This was the biggest funeral for a Greek hero in history, Annabeth thought.
“If only you could see them all,” she whispered to Percy.
Then arrived the final member, the one person that would send Percy on his way to Elysium: Nico. He was dressed in black, pale as ever. He had been crying, Annabeth noted. He gave Annabeth a hug before showing her to her seat. Friends, family and even those that thought they had a chance with Percy had come to pay their respects.
She didn’t remember what was said at the funeral, or what happened at all. All she knew was that it was over quickly. She was called up to take the torch and light Percy’s shroud. He was wrapped in a Caribbean blue shroud, decorated with fish and shells around the border and the symbol of Poseidon woven in the centre. Annabeth grasped the torch in her hand and was prepared to light the shroud, before 12 figures appeared in front of her.
Everyone was stunned into silence, at the appearance of the gods. No hero had ever had all the Olympians appear at their funeral. But here they were, and not just the Olympians but also the minor gods as well.
“It is not in the mind of the gods, that we appear at every funeral of a fallen hero” said Zeus, “But we have come to pay tribute and give honour to a hero that did far more than any other”.
One by one each Olympian said their goodbyes to Percy, before disappearing. Hera the Queen of Olympus, and Annabeth’s least favourite immortal, just gave Percy a look and a “Farwell, Hero of Olympus” before disappearing. Only two remained: Athena and Poseidon. Poseidon approached the body of his fallen son.
“Goodbye my son, may Elysium bring you peace,” he said as tears began to fall from his eyes. He turned around and rather than disappear he went to Sally and together they comforted each other.
Athena looked at Annabeth instead of Percy, her wise, grey eyes reading her. Annabeth always kept her emotions in check around her mother and always sought her approval, but today Annabeth wept freely and didn’t care what her mother thought of her.
Athena, as if sensing Annabeth’s thoughts, came to her and hugged her. Annabeth was shocked but only briefly before she melted into her mother’s embrace.
“He is at peace, remember your duty now. You are to keep your word to him as a wife and look after your daughter. You cannot forget about her,” commanded Athena.
Annabeth nodded still, reeling from the fact that Athena had hugged her. The goddess turned to Percy, “Percy Jackson, you loved my daughter even though I found your affection to be unwise. You were a stubborn and sacrilegious child, who was a danger to the preservation of Olympus,”
Annabeth stood silent, but she could see that Athena wasn’t done. Poseidon was glaring at Athena now, his face going red with fury. Annabeth didn’t need to see the sea to know that it was starting to get violent.
But Athena carried on, “I am the goddess of wisdom, and I always judge a person by the virtues they hold. But wisdom doesn’t only come from virtues alone, you proved to be a courageous hero that survived great odds. You are a true hero of Olympus and a deserving husband of my daughter. I don’t have anything to give to you in Death but I will have your name remembered,”
Athena stretched out her hand, and slowly Percy’s body dissolved into a flurry of stars. Annabeth looked to the sky and gasped at what she saw. A new constellation had appeared before her, and had taken the shape of Percy wielding a sword.
She turned to thank her mother but Athena was gone.
It took Annabeth a long time to deal with Percy’s death, but eventually she found ways to be happy again. The memory faded from Annabeth’s mind replaced by the deaths of her other friends. They had all died according to the Fates’ design; each one of them dying like true heroes. Frank died holding his firewood while his friends escaped a horde of night demons, Hazel died riding Arion into battle against a sea of undead soldiers. Leo died with a smile on his face as he crashed the Argo II into an alter for Serapis, Calypso rather than live without him gave up her immortality and followed him to Elysium. A few years later Jason and Piper joined them, dying together to prevent the destruction of both Camps. Now only Annabeth remained.
None of their funerals were as big as Percy’s but each one ripped out her heart. She had lost everything by the time Theo was born. Annabeth only had Chloe and Theo that was all she had left in her life.
A breeze blew across her face and the sound of geese from the lake came floating through the window. Annabeth had tried once to take her own life, to end the pain and be with her friends but she knew she could never end it that way. To take her life would be cowardice thus sentencing her to the Fields of Punishment rather than Elysium. But even for a demigod, living to Annabeth’s age was beyond rare. Annabeth had a feeling that a greater force was at work, because she could not die.
She remembered the archery accident with a bunch of Aphrodite kids a few ago, where one of them shot her through the chest. The arrow should have pierced her heart but rather it was lodged just above it. Then came the Minotaur attack, where the beast swung its axe at her with such force that she should have been killed. But the blade just bounced off her like she was made of steel. Annabeth knew that some god was torturing her by prolonging her life. But Annabeth was tired now; she could feel her own life beginning to slip away.
There was a slight pop in her room. Annabeth turned to the sound and found a lady dressed in black standing before her.
“Had enough yet, my child?” the lady asked.
Annabeth sucked in her breath. She had met this goddess a long time ago in Tartarus when she and Percy had tricked her and managed to escape through her house.
“Nyx,” said Annabeth, pulling herself up to gain some height.
“Please don’t get up on my account. I just wanted to see you suffer a little while longer. Have you had a nice life? Full of pain and misery? How was your boyfriend?” spat Nyx, the room growing darker around her.
“You killed him?!” said Annabeth, disbelief ringing in her voice.
“Oh no darling, that wasn’t me. I didn’t have a problem with your man. My grudge was against you. You were the smart, little brat that tricked me. You escaped my home and eventually Tartarus. That little deed of yours could not be unpunished,” said Nyx, looming over Annabeth.
“What did you do to me?” asked Annabeth, refusing to show fear.
Nyx smiled and Annabeth saw darkness engulf the room. She was squinting now to see Nyx, but the light was disappearing.
“I cursed you so that you could feel the pain of losing something dear to you. You kept talking about your friends and your boyfriend I thought it was a fitting punishment. A reminder not to anger a primordial goddess. But now I think my fun is done, I think it’s time to return you to Tartarus!” spat Nyx, raising her hands.
This was how she was to die. By the hands of a primordial goddess and Annabeth would never see her friends again. But she would not be beaten easily. Before Annabeth could reach for her knife under her pillow, there was a burst of pure light from behind her. The darkness reseeded and Nyx was thrown backwards. Annabeth glanced behind her and found herself face-to-face with her mother.
Athena was dressed in a simple white T-shirt with khaki shorts. But her eyes were grey and full of fury. In her hands was her weapon of choice: her trusty spear which was pointed directly at the goddess of night.
“You will leave my daughter!” demanded Athena, her voice ice cold.
“Oh, Athena” said Nyx, picking herself up, “Do you honestly think you can defeat me? I am the mother of a thousand pains. I am the darkness that all mortals fear. Even Zeus fears me. What makes you think that you have a chance against me?”
“I have a chance because I am wisdom. I am the goddess all mortals turn to for aid. I am the goddess that lights the path for all those that seek to escape ignorance. Have you forgotten that it was by my hand the greatest ages of history were written. My power alone removed your presence in Dark Ages. You may be Night but wisdom is a light that can never be extinguished. Now you will leave my daughter alone and allow her to die a hero’s death. Or by the River Styx, you will find no refuge from my wrath,” spat Athena.
Nyx looked her over slowly, before turning to Annabeth. Annabeth thought that this was it, she was going to be dragged to Tartarus again.
“Annabeth Chase you are free, may Death find you quickly,” said Nyx, before turning to Athena, “She dies at sundown”
Nyx vanished into the shadows, leaving Annabeth alone with her mother. Annabeth looked outside and noticed that the sun had begun to set. There really wasn’t much time left for her. She tried to speak to her mother but Athena just pushed her back into bed.
“You need rest. I shall be by your side all the way.”
Annabeth laid back in her bed, her eyes gazing at the sky outside. Slowly, Athena began to sing to her an Ancient Greek lullaby. The words were lost on Annabeth as she couldn’t hear them properly but the song made her tired. She began to drift slowly into a sleep she knew she would never wake up from. She could see her mother, sitting beside her, tears in her eyes as she sang to her daughter. Right before she closed her eyes, a figure dressed in black, with black wings was standing in front of her.
“It is time,” he called, offering his hand.
The wind gave one more run through the trees, before the life of Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, died.

Annabeth didn’t remember getting to the river. It was as if she just popped onto the boat.
“Got a coin, girl?” asked the ferryman.
Annabeth looked into her pockets and found a gold drachma, one last gift from her mother. She handed Charon the coin and took her seat in the ferry. Being a dead soul was a weird feeling for Annabeth. She felt light and free as if she could just rise up to the surface. The ferry turned a bend in the river and before her was the Underworld. One massive cavern in which all newly dead souls came to rest. The ferry made its way towards the gates that led to each final destination: Elysium, The fields of Asphodel or the Fields of Punishment. Stationed at the gates were three men, who were sentencing each new soul to a different after life. Behind the kings, towering over the line of souls, was Cerebus the guard dog of Hades. Charon pulled the ferry to the dock and allowed Annabeth to get off.
Annabeth followed the souls into a line and waited her turn. Cerebus barked from above, all three heads looking at her. A sound like a hurricane could be heard from behind the great hound, it took Annabeth a moment to realise that it was his tail wagging. Clearly Cerebus remembered her from the first time she was down here; alive.
“It’s good to see you too, big boy!” called Annabeth.
Cerebus barked again, scattering souls.
“Annabeth Chase!” called a voice from the pavilion. Annabeth moved towards the voice and awaited judgement. It didn’t take long.
“Ah, here is one we have waited ages for. No need for an intense inspection. Daughter of Athena, defender of Olympus. Elysium!” declared Minos “A soul shall show you around”.
The other two judges agreed and Annabeth was sucked towards the gate on her left. As the gates boomed shut behind her, Annabeth was blinded by sunlight. It took her a while to adjust to the brightness but what she saw left her speechless. Laid before her was Elysium. Green fields and fruit trees stretched forever, with crystal, blue lakes everywhere. Greek and Roman villas were built along the beaches of each lake and around them were many souls enjoying their paradise.
“Annabeth,” said a voice from her right.
Annabeth turned and let loose a scream of delight. Before her was Sally Jackson, her mother-in-law. They hugged and Annabeth let loose some tears of joy of being reunited. They stayed like that for a while before Sally pulled away.
“I would love to talk with you and listen to your story, but that would be selfish of me. You have not waited all this time to see me. I believe there are others that are more important than your mother-in-law.”
Annabeth laughed. A good hearty, laugh. A laugh she had never been able to do since the death of Percy.
Sally took her hand and led her into Elysium. Paradise was perfect. Annabeth could have whatever she wanted and it would appear before her. Sally led her through a grove of mangos before revealing to her a village. The village consisted of ten homes situated around a lake.
Sally turned to Annabeth, “Welcome home”
Sally stepped aside and let Annabeth walk through. There was no one around. The village was empty. She turned to Sally ready to ask where everyone was when the sound of laughter came from ahead. Annabeth ran towards the sound. She darted around a house that had an Oriental flare to it, and found herself crashing a party. It was too much, seeing the people before her that she collapsed and began to cry. She felt hands press down on her, trying to lift her. She let them pull her up but she made them give her a moment to clear her eyes.
She wiped the tears from each eye and instantly nine friends came into view. There was Jason, Piper, Leo, Calypso, Hazel, Frank, Nico and finally Reyna. She hugged them all, and cried tears of joy for each and every one of them. She could have spent eternity talking to them. Being happy with them, but her heart was already searching. Her eyes caught Piper’s, and she flicked her head to the side. Subtly pointing to a grove of tree along the bank. Annabeth excused herself giving everyone another round of hugs and she made her way to the trees. She found a small archway formed by the branches of the trees, giving her entry to the other side. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. The temperature dropped a nice cool, the smell of water filled her mind. On the other side the lake was spread before her in a deep, sapphire blue. It was paradise.
But the scenery wasn’t why she was there. Standing in front of her, with his back facing her was a boy of 17. He had black hair and we was fairly skinny. If Annabeth had to meet this kid at the mall she would have avoided him because he just was trouble.
The boy turned to face her. The wind blowing his hair to the side, the smell of sea blowing off of him. His sea, green eyes holding her in place. Annabeth’s heart, after years of being broken, finally repaired itself. For the first time in so many years, Annabeth found herself smiling freely.
“It’s about time Wise Girl,” said Percy, opening his arms for her.
“Seaweed Brain,” she cried, as she leapt into his arms

Notes