Will read out the new title, "We Win Fabulous Prizes," but there was something lacking in his usual chipper voice, though no one was really surprised. They were all just tired of this. Tired of the old feelings being ripped open, of second guessing and wondering what if's.

The absolute cynicism in Will's voice for the word prizes after all that was said and done was more than enough to set the tone for how all this was going to wind down.

So Alex piped up with, "so when you say fabulous, you mean, fabulous," and she did the gayest twirl with her wrist.

"I, kind of doubt it Alex," Percy laughed for her anyways.

The Three Fates themselves took Luke's body.

That felt like an honor, Magnus frowned as he hugged his jacket closer to himself. He hadn't sat around and thought about what he'd like included in his funeral, though he'd had ample opportunity in the past few days in particular. The same old bags who had once stopped a bus to get Percy's attention while they cut a string in his favorite color that could represent his dad.

It all felt very neat and laid out hearing of it in past tense, but he still had a bad feeling that it was still a bit of a show with these gods. Nobody could really know every twist and turn along the way.

...They'd scared me then, and they scared me now

Magnus couldn't help but sigh for the time when Percy's biggest problem was feeling like a singled out freak for normal human reasons while he was laughing with Hearth at this strange world. Now Hearth was off to lands unknown and he was still here, left wondering why those socks had been the size of a small boat apparently. Had they been metaphorical for Kronos? Were they planning to stuff Luke's body in that old blue yarn?

...It is done, she said.

Percy wanted to believe that as he threaded his fingers through Annabeth's. The drain he felt, down to the bone, that had nothing to do with that curse or any plug he could use. That his life was already used up and toyed with enough, and it was all just done to have the rest to himself in peace.

...showing me the life that would have to be sacrificed to set things right.

Annabeth was looking restlessly from the books she'd missed to Percy and back without a word. It wasn't hard to catch up, but she was still aggravated she'd apparently missed something of such importance as Percy once meeting the fates at a fruit stand. Which he never bothered to tell her about?!

... wrapped in a white-and-green shroud, carrying his body out of the throne room.

Alex narrowed her eyes with interest for that color choice, wondering who had picked it. The Gods seemed to have some strange attachment to one of her favorite colors. They claimed their kid in that glow, the Oracle's smoke came out green. There was an elusive idea spinning in her mind she couldn't quite nail down what it all meant yet in comparison to the gold and blue also permeating the shades of this world.

...baking cookies and making sandwiches for a son who would never come home.

That had been true for a long time before this, but Magnus still felt his hand close into a fist with no specific person in mind, just the feeling of miserable hate for that. If Luke had ever been free to choose another path in life, would he go back to her?

...As they left, I thought about the Great Prophecy. The lines now made sense to me.

Jason rubbed the back of his head in agitation at his own thoughts. That his first instinct was to roll his eyes and grumble and wish those stupid things came with an instruction manual or at least a postscript for some kind of understanding before flailing through the mess.

But he also knew the truth. That if told from the beginning what choice Percy had to make, he wouldn't have done it. They all would have scoffed. He could tell from the look on Thalia's face not everybody still got it after all was said and done. Having twenty-twenty hindsight or foresight did not fix all of the problems.

...Rachel was right. In the end, I wasn't really the hero. Luke was.

A hero who still got a lot of kids killed to get to this point, Nico tried hard to keep the scowl off his face. A large part of him still felt like if he'd ever had a direct hand in helping Luke, Percy would have thrown it in his face at any given time he slipped up after.

By the tone of Will's voice, he could tell he didn't have an infinite bout of love for that way of phrasing, but neither of them called Percy out on it. This was from his eyes to theirs. If he wanted to go around the room and demand they do the same, it would be rude, but like, fair?

...When Luke had descended into the River Styx...when he promised they'd be a family.

The smile on Annabeth's face was one that would have confused Percy once upon a time before he grinned back now. Family meant everything to him too, even the ones that put the strain there first.

Hurting Annabeth had shocked him into remembering that promise...had saved us.

A weakness saved the world. It was a nice sentiment. Thalia felt a little to personal about that. Having considered love a weakness for quite some time in her life before she met Luke, and then having an ongoing war with the concept ever since when she looked from him to Annabeth. To hear it and know it both ways, she really felt like a daughter of the ruling god for the first time.

... I caught her, but she cried out in pain, and I realized I'd grabbed her broken arm.

"If that doesn't describe your entire relationship up to this point, I don't know what does," Alex snorted. Percy tried to help. Percy broke things. But he meant well.

"She's not screaming in pain now," Percy said triumphantly as he waved their hands around, causing her pulse to thump as she chuckled.

"Congratulations, it only took you like, five years," Alex smirked.

..."It's all right," she said as she passed out in my arms.

Magnus did not want to laugh, but he really couldn't help himself. "Famous last words cuz?" She had the track record of forgiving everyone for everything and it was too sweet not to tease.

"I'm not striving for it, and yet," she giggled along it wouldn't surprise her.

...Apollo stepped forward... perfect smile made him look like a male model for battle gear.

Will groaned and tried hard not to roll his eyes, but man was he sick of Percy pointing out how hot his dad was. The first time was more than enough.

"God of medicine, at your service."

The fact that this was his immediate response though finally gave Will's voice that lilt they'd all been hearing him lack. He sounded so happy, so proud his dad didn't make a flirty remark. Just stepped in to help without hesitation.

... 'Apollo and his friends save Olympus.' Good, eh?"

"Sounds like a great story," Magnus rolled his eyes in exhaustion at the idea.

"Can you imagine a whole book with him blabbing on about being hot and his poetry every other word," Percy looked at his own books in betrayal for the mere concept as if they'd provoked this.

"Pass," Annabeth agreed without interest as she waved Will on pleadingly.

He frowned, it might have been pretty interesting to finally get some real insights into a god...but maybe not his dad in particular. He was happier pretending half the shit he'd heard was exaggerated myth. Maybe Artemis would be a cooler fit to follow along for just a bit.

Then they'd all be smited for prying into her head.

So really there was no win here.

"Thanks, Apollo," I said. "I'll, um, let you handle the poetry."

"Top ten smartest things Percy's said in his entire life," Jason snorted.

"Pfft, top five," Percy agreed.

... my mom would know: I had survived, Olympus was saved.

"I have never heard anything so sweet in my life," Alex was looking at him like a strange creature from the most demon of dimensions.

Percy just gave a shrug and a smile, like yeah, surprised?

"But, like," Alex couldn't seem to stop herself. "Monsters, battle, mayhem, and you-" ...take the time to tell his parent he was okay?! She stopped again with the strange look at him.

"Yeah," Percy agreed one last time. "Priorities."

"Huh," she grunted before turning away.

... once the sky bridge re-formed, we greeted our friends who had survived.

Will's voice still hitched hard upon reading that. Once again, Percy hadn't gone home to any empty beds in his cabin. It had worked out relatively well for him. And Percy knew it. Will couldn't even make himself miffed at the guy because the soft smile he gave Annabeth and the fact that the first thing he did was flummox Alex's mind because he'd given the all clear signal to his mom left no one in doubt Percy knew every moment of his good fortune and what it meant.

... She was on crutches, but otherwise she was okay.

"Because apparently Apollo's magic was a one and done thing on this glass flower," Thalia smacked Annabeth's once broken arm with a lot of force.

She barely winced as she rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault I had his attention for point five seconds and that's what he did with it. We're all lucky he didn't decide to give me some horrible gift like talking to animals instead."

"Hey, it's not that bad," but Percy's was a look of defeat as he knew that might have happened and would have driven her as crazy as Blackjack drove him at times.

Connor and Travis Stoll... promised me they hadn't even looted the city much.

"Empty promises," Jason rolled his eyes, entirely confident he was mock quoting Chiron and never even needing to hear him say it. Then his mind hard-tracked back to realizing they didn't even know if he was alive and watching the book anxiously.

...The Stolls looked kind of worried about the old centaur, but at least he was alive.

Jason sighed in relief, and saw even Magnus and Alex trying to pretend they hadn't.

...nobody knew where Rachel had gone, which also troubled me.

Percy looked wildly from the book to Annabeth before he realized that might be a bad idea and let his troubled eyes rest on Thalia before reminding himself that had rarely done him any good before settling back on the book. Will watched the entire progression with the need to get him a cone in case of whiplash.

... Hades had ever gotten such an enthusiastic welcome before.

Will's voice was such an entire puddle of mush as he read that Nico finally put his face in his hands in embarrassment that smothered his relief he hadn't been lucid dreaming that.

Clarisse ... afraid he'd start hitting her, but eventually she began to smile.

That, was entirely not okay. Percy winced along with everyone else for having caught her doing that and imagining himself with a wire in his jaw even his curse wouldn't fix if Clarisse found out he'd witnessed that, the good and the bad.

... Hephaestus was a little grumpy about his throne, ...but, "a pretty bang-up job, mostly."

"Which is honestly more compliments than anyone expected you to get," Magnus admitted with an awkward laugh. Alex was already nodding in pure agreement.

... Hera huffed, but I figured our lives would be safe, at least for a little while.

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a very 'walk over the grave' kind of feeling now though. Because they were at the bottom of the ocean. Hiding from gods. Yeah...what had that little hmmm really meant...

Dionysus looked me up and down and said, "Well, Percy Jackson.

"It's no fun anymore if you expect him to say your real name when you did a good job," Thalia huffed.

"So, so sorry for your loss of entertainment," Percy rolled his eyes.

"You should be," she agreed with one of those smiles that made Percy realize he wasn't going to forget what a hunting horn sounded like any time soon.

...I suppose you aren't completely inept. It's all thanks to my training, I suppose."

"Training, how, not to be a jackass. Important life lessons," Magnus agreed.

"I like to think some of that comes naturally, but, you know, good for him," Alex chuckled.

...Zeus cut my probation at that miserable camp in half. I now have only fifty years."

"He'll be gone in your lifetime. Supposedly," Jason balked before he reeled himself back in and gave Percy a contemplative look as if wondering what his midlife crisis should sit at.

"I'll, take what I can get there," Percy sighed. It was of some mild comfort at minimum, which even that he wasn't used to getting.

..."Don't get so excited, Jackson," he said, and I realized he was saying my name correctly.

Percy braced himself for the snickers, and the 'on the second try?!' gasps, but then smiled as his friends gave tired smiles of surprise of their own. His friends just heard Percy have the longest day of his life, which was really saying something. The teasing was at a pretty bare minimum right now.

"I still plan on making your life miserable." I couldn't help smiling. "Naturally."

"Miserable," Annabeth sadly let go of his hands, but in the name of using air quotes, so it was bearable. "How many times has he actually done that exactly?"

Percy scratched at his ear with an absent smile of agreement. Aside from being a general ponce when in his vicinity, it was agreeably rare.

...Grover kept breaking down in tears. "So many nature spirits dead, Percy. So many."

Magnus winced hard at that. He'd watched a kid swallow a key while chaining himself to a tree once and choking to death on it. He'd watched some girl get chased around and sprayed with pesticide because she'd been caught stealing from a garden. He'd seen a lot of messed up shit. Putting faces on those plants, realizing that the crazy lady who cooed to her hydrangea while watering them wasn't so nuts, still gave him a sickening worldview that bottomed out pretty easily and made him feel a little more comfortable after the ride was over. It was another reason to care, not a different one.

 . . . I suppose. But it was hard enough to rally them before. I'm still an outcast.

"Isn't he one of the oldest Satyrs alive right now though?" Alex asked in surprise. "The other's all vanishing off the face of the earth to monsters unknown the moment they got their license too. I mean, age isn't everything, but it's not a terrible place to start rallying around for guidance when their last overlord just died."

"I, didn't think of telling him that," Percy agreed, only making Alex roll her eyes harder. The guys and gals and nonbinary pals Percy led into battle followed him instead of Chiron! And they were all his age if not older, the dork.

...I led them into a slaughter."

Percy had been drawn up by that part. He'd felt a lot the same way and tried to help Grover move past it like he was dealing with.

 . . . I hope you know I'm really proud to be your friend."

Percy wished that he had some way to tell Grover that he felt the same. That his time at Nancy had pretty much been his rock bottom and yet the turning point in his life all because of his best friend. He'd made pathetically few in years past because of all the fights he caused, all his skipped lunches in the cafeteria, all his idiotic inabilities to keep up in class. Grover had stuck around through every manner of the laughing and trouble he'd been through.

... before Grover could respond... The army of Poseidon marched into the throne room.

"I can tell you what he was going to though," Annabeth promised.

"Yeah, I got that feeling too," Percy chuckled.

Tyson had shrunk to normal, so his hug was like getting hit by a tractor, not the entire farm.

Percy laughed and stretched as he flopped around in his seat, over playing up the impact it had caused. He missed his little brother.

..."Please don't eat me," Grover muttered, but I don't think anyone heard him.

"Yeah, that's not going away any time soon," Will said with a sad smile. Between Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia all having plenty of reason to draw weapons or run out of the room screaming at this though, and none of them doing it, he still smiled at the hint of peace in the world of everyone coming together for this triumphant moment.

...my father strode in with his battle armor and trident glowing.

"So, when you said all the gods barged in before," Jason began in confusion.

"My dad saw I was alive and waved himself back out," Percy shrugged, he'd been a little lost watching Luke's body be carried away and the knitting ladies. "Guess he went to check on, I don't know, how much his palace was destroyed or whatever and grab the real heroes before coming back."

"Stop that," Annabeth lightly smacked his shoulder. "He just wanted to make an entrance."

It was a less sound answer Percy didn't automatically agree with, but he also didn't care enough to argue the point.

... "I even forgive you for sitting on my throne. You have saved Olympus!"

"And if, I hadn't?" Percy asked with only mild concern, all things considered.

"He would have resurrected you to kill you I'm sure," Thalia shrugged without much concern herself.

...I realized I'd never actually hugged my dad before... smelled of fresh sea air.

Percy had received a hug from his mom often enough that this new level just felt like that to him. A surprising development. But one he'd had enough that this was just, pleasantly new.

Will, was a bit gobsmacked. He didn't know anyone in camp who'd actually been hugged by their godly parent. They were lucky to have had a face to face conversation! He stuttered over the next few lines, making Percy blush harder than the god of the sea hugging him had done as his eyes darted around and he wished to dissipate in the water right about now.

...hadn't allowed myself to realize just how terrified I had been the last few days.

"Living in a state of hell makes you pretty numb to it," Magnus agreed.

"I would not like a repeat event, ever," Percy sighed, stretching in his seat again.

...Not even Hercules—"

"POSEIDON!" a voice roared.

"I'll give you three guesses who got pissy for dissing," Alex rolled her eyes.

.... Even Hades was present, sitting on a simple stone guest chair at the foot of the hearth.

"They couldn't let him conjure up his own chair?" Will looked so annoyed, which was just hysterical to imagine him telling this to the other gods. "Like was it that big a deal he have a thrown there he wanted to sit in for even a day?"

"I don't think Zeus will ever be in that good a mood," Nico said in appreciation all the same.

... thought Poseidon would get mad, but he just winked. "I would be honored, Lord Zeus."

"If any idiot ever questioned which god was your parent, I'm shoving this passage up their nose," Annabeth chuckled.

"I'm sure my dad would love that," Percy grinned.

... "Nobody's planning to kill us, so far," I whispered back.

"First time today."

The kind of laughter that went around the room was one that should have worried them about being to loud again but they enjoyed this just a little to much to care about the consequences. It was true, it was sad, it was hilarious, and it should not be ignored.

I cracked up, but Grover nudged me because Hera was giving us a dirty look.

"She can suck the dirt out from under my nails," Alex sneered, holding up a finger for which one she could get started on.

"We're all going to die," Magnus sighed.

...-Impossible to defeat Typhon." The gods pounded their weapons in approval.

Watching that had really put a thorn in Thalia's side and made her feel all the more grateful she wouldn't be in the spotlight long. She hadn't been right for where Percy stood. She'd have made Zeus promise to say nice things about his brothers for all eternity or something if she'd been granted some unlimited wish.

... thanking our young demigod heroes...even if there are a few dents in my throne."

"Can this guy not go one second without complaining about having to acknowledge someone else exists!" Jason couldn't help the outburst even as he instantly slapped a hand over his mouth in regret. It was just infuriating to hear 'his dad' acting like a child, forcing himself to praise the good his brothers did where he couldn't, complaining that he even had a throne to sit on!

"I doubt it," Percy agreed with a smile. Jason didn't lower his hand until he was sure all attention was back on the book, and even then he was clearly swallowing something else he wanted to say. Percy hoped he wasn't beating himself up to much for his outburst, they all had some mixed feelings at this point.

...Thalia first, and promised her help in filling the Hunters' ranks.

"How?" Magnus couldn't help but narrow his eyes distrustfully. "Is that agreement they can't have kids still binding now that this is over?"

Thalia, Nico, and Percy choked on air and looked at Magnus in concern for his mind just going there..and they couldn't even argue the point it probably was his idea of helping.

...Artemis glared at Hades. "Okay. I'll streamline their application process."

"I would love to see that," Jason said brightly. Percy was pretty sure he could wave a legal document under his nose like a treat and get him to sit right now. At least he wasn't still stewing on his outburst.

...Tyson went to stand in the middle, and Zeus grunted. "Doesn't miss many meals."

Percy hoped Zeus saw him scowl. Saw his fist and instant anger. He'd been instantly transported back to Camp and everyone muttering similar shit all summer before Tyson had helped save all their lives. Zeus really was, the worst.

 . . . what kind of weapon would you like? A sword? An axe?"

"So his reward is being conscripted into future fights?" Magnus looked entirely insulted he was just 'granted' that without having been asked.

Percy responded with a sad smile. "Trust me, if you saw that smile on his face, he was proud. Dad holding him back for so long only to be told he'd get to do it all again. Yeah, he was good with this day."

..."FOOOOOD," Grover moaned, as the nature spirits carried him away.

"Yeah, all that tracks awesome, actually," Alex's little devil may care laugh had a sweet edge.

"So, between Pan and being a member of the Council, is he like a minor god officially?" Jason asked, his voice constricted like someone dreaming of meeting their celebrity crush.

"I'm not sure how we'd test that," Annabeth sighed, "and I'm kind of afraid with what he'd do if we did."

"Probably put more recycle-vegetarian food options on every menu or something, I'm not worried about it," Percy shrugged.

I figured he'd be okay... Life could be worse.

"Being fed grapes, someone fanning him, oh that poor tortured soul we should have rescued," Thalia chuckled in agreement.

"I bet he would have started passing out on purpose just to spite us next time we talked to him," Percy grinned.

... It has come to our attention that Olympus is, well, trashed.

"Gotta love Athena just a little for coming outright with that," Will laughed.

...you, my daughter, will design these improvements."

"Damn cuz," Magnus said before letting out a long whistle of surprise. "How big is that place again?"

"Let's just say I'm not even halfway done," she said, the smugness in her voice not even masked, the pride shining like her own light that her ideas were being built around her.

Magnus smiled as she kissed the back of Percy's hand and promised him he'd love such and such she did with a fountain and how she could improve on some sketches she'd discarded before for Oceanus's palace and Percy just nodded without a clue what she was saying but so obviously taking in every word about tile patterns. At least her vision of the sirens had finally come true.

..."As long as you have plenty of statues of me," Apollo added.

Will face palmed and muttered something about apologizing for his dad being an idiot.

"He's the least worrisome," Annabeth assured. "Between my mom silently judging everything that gets completed and not telling me her thoughts, and Zeus sending me messages once a week asking when his next temple is going to be complete, Apollo wanting a specific number of statues all in different pozes is practically simple."

. . . I'll have to start planning- um- Drafting paper, and, um, pencils—"

"Lots and lots of pencils, Grover might hunt you down in revenge if you don't plant more trees up there to compensate," Nico grinned.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed in the kind of way that made them all chuckle that might have actually been a problem at one point.

...First I bowed to Zeus.

"How do you bow exactly?" Alex eyed him critically. "I need to know if you just bend your waist a bit, do you throw one arm out and bend it behind your back as extravagantly as you can, curtsey-"

"All of the above," Magnus offered with a snicker.

"I just," Percy bowed his head for a moment and kind of hunched his shoulders before straightening up, "hey! I am not bowing to your ass Alex!"

"So close," she giggled before snapping her fingers in disappointment.

...The gods never agreed on anything, and most hated me, but not a single one protested.

"I guess it's a little to soon to be bragging about world war three, give it a few years," Thalia rolled her eyes.

... "Percy Jackson, you will have one gift from the gods." I hesitated. "Any gift?"

"What was on your mind?" Jason instantly demanded in excitement, before he realed himself back. "Urm, if you want to share."

"I actually kind of went mind blank," Percy admitted with no hesitation. "I'd, never sat around and thought, huh, what would I wish for from the gods." He only considered for a moment before adding, "I'd always wanted to gift my mom something, but you know, after her whole I can save myself thing, and the not so great results that I know damn well comes from a god's gift, I wouldn't put that on her, so, I was more surprised I was just given an unlimited ticket and went mind blank."

"Fair," Jason grinned. "Don't let anyone tell you your an impulsive twat Percy, not after that."

"You hear that Alex?" Percy smirked.

"No," she shrugged, picking at her ears, "I tuned out after you killed that math teacher, that was my highlight and all of this has just been a vivid hallucination."

"Sounds like a personal problem," Will chuckled before moving on.

..."I approve as well," Athena said, though she was looking at Annabeth.

Annabeth couldn't help but crack up laughing hard at that. She hadn't even noticed, but it was hilarious to her that her mom apparently only agreed because she still didn't want her dating Percy. Oh well, guess not everyone got their wish that day.

...Who could refuse that?

Annabeth was still shaking with a bit of silent laughter from her mom's reaction and so glanced from the book to Percy in a jittery, odd way. She'd seen him pause. She knew what he'd said to Zeus. She'd always thought he'd been trying to come up with the words in his head. Now she was stunned to realize it sounded like he'd even been considering it for a moment. It stunned her to realize that she really didn't know every thought and idea he'd ever had in his head.

And she just grinned at him with excitement for what else they were going to find out growing up.

...There was a dangerous edge to his voice, like a thunderstorm about to erupt.

"Pfft, which Percy can make on command too if he wants apparently, that's not that threatening," Nico rolled his eyes.

"You guys are going to be the reason I meet that grave," Percy sighed, knowing he couldn't even be mad. He pissed off Zeus well enough on his own, he could hardly do more than be at their side when his friends did it too.

. . . I've got a lot of life left to live. I'd hate to peak in my sophomore year."

"Darn, sorry to break it to you Perce," Thalia smirked.

Percy rolled his eyes at her, just like always. "I hope you run out of fart arrows!"

"I hope they forget cheese on your burger!"

Percy gasped, a truly wounded expression blossoming, letting Thalia know instantly she'd gone to far and offered a sheepish grin in apology. She knew he'd steal her cheese in retribution if such a future ever came to pass anyways.

Jason smiled at the interaction, but couldn't help privately wondering if Thalia wasn't actually masking a bit of disappointment there. She'd already lost Luke and Annabeth to time long ago. Maybe the smallest part of her had hoped for a moment Percy would accept the gift so she wouldn't be alone in her immortality with a friend who knew her before being Arteims's Lieutenant.

... Her eyes were shining. And that kind of made up for it.

"I accept kind of," she smiled.

"Well thank gods for that, I'm only kind of at everything," Percy nodded.

"Kind of saved the world," Nico began ticking off on his fingers, "kind of annoying, kind of obnoxious, yeah, all checks out."

"I'm going to kind of kill you," Percy sighed, "see if that's what gets you to heal as fast as I do in water."

"Nah try something at least vaguely simpler first," Alex offered oh so helpfully. "Like get him to hug a skeleton."

That at least made Percy trip over himself laughing, while only Magnus looked around at Alex in vague concern how often she went around killing people to know how much effort it might be to put into, to Will kissing Nico's cheek and muttering something about all of them being idiots.

... I need your promise on the River Styx." "What?" Dionysus cried. "You don't trust us?"

"Him? Him! I barely trust any of them not to kill us, and he's the one who pipped up on this," Percy looked around at them to make sure he hadn't been hitting the special grapes.

"Don't look at us, he likes you best," Annabeth snorted.

... "you should always get a solemn oath." 

Hades shrugged. "Guilty."

"Adoring over here he just owns up to that," Will cackled.

"Why deny good advice," Nico rolled his eyes as he and Percy exchanged grins.

... I want you to properly recognize the children of the gods . . . of all the gods."

Jason felt a tick in his brain. Like something sliding into place he didn't know he was missing. Not something he'd ever said out loud or pursued from his past, just something he knew he'd wanted to hear.

It was probably disturbing how often he felt that more than an actual glimmer of memories, but he'd deal with that later.

...Zeus's royal nostrils flared. "You dare accuse—"

"Accuse implies there's room for argument in that statement," Alex said with a vicious smile. This. This is why she'd decided she enjoyed Percy, idiot parts of him and all. She didn't know a lot of people, and she didn't trust the rest, but if she'd had to pick someone in that room to be making this wish, it would have been Percy. And it felt good to be right.

..."Now, wait just a moment," Apollo said, but I was on a roll.

Will couldn't help but wince at his dad of all of them trying to interrupt this. He'd just lost a lot of siblings, and he wasn't even sure his dad knew entirly how many. His first thought was hoping his dad didn't want to put himself through this, didn't want to claim any more kids just to have them lost in the woods or go out on quests to not return and get attached enough to know their names.

But his dad was just as notorious for going the longest gaps in bothering to claim his kids. There had been a lot that came through who moved themselves into his cabin when they'd been there for weeks without the glowing arrow agreeing because it had just been, that obvious. Will had been one of them and nobody from Hermes or his brothers protested.

It would have hurt more if he'd been wrong, if Ares had just had some strange day and produced him as a kid and he'd had to move again, but that so rarely happened it was more of a running gag around camp than actual claimings as well.

Hearing the exact words Percy had used felt good. It was a cathartic balm down his throat his powers couldn't replicate.

..."Are you calling me a minor god?" Hades bellowed. "No, my lord," I said quickly.

"Could have backtracked that a little better, but as said, he's on a ball," Alex rolled her eyes.

"On a roll," Percy happily corrected.

"On a log on a ball on a roll on a nutcase of a life," Alex clearly thought she was agreeing.

... They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that.

That was the moment Nico had fallen in love. No flighty fancies about this guy, though he'd still have those, no more wondering why he never thought any of the pretty girls he randomly saw he never looked twice at and wondered at himself for later. This, was the exact moment, he'd fallen for Percy harder than a plummet to Tartarus could ever cause him. Percy had forgiven him. Percy had said his name, still declared him a place at camp. Percy hadn't called out anyone else's name in that speech, not even Annabeth. Just him. Percy was the only one who existed in that room for just that moment, surrounded in golden halo light.

Yeah, he was feeling less guilty about that crush by the day as he shook his head at himself. The pain of following him back to that camp finally, only for him to be tossed in a lake and make out with his official girlfriend had also been a really good kick in his ass of what a freak he'd still felt like among all the cheering kids.

He gave Will's hand a squeeze and swallowed a sigh. It felt kind of good and kind of like he was still being kicked in the teeth to keep reliving all this in a more abstract way out of his own head, but he was getting there.

...Zeus snorted. "Is that all?"

"Dammit, he beat me by one second," Thalia chuckled.

"That really might have been the longest speech you've ever said before," Annabeth teasingly agreed.

"And I didn't even call anyone an old sot," Percy smirked.

They were all still giggly and acting a little high from their victory. From the worst of it being over. To the backlash of emotions they still hadn't quite sorted through after all this time that was dumped on them fresh.

..."perhaps I was mistaken. I move that we accept the boy's plan."

"Wow," Magnus grinned in surprise. It sounded like Athena wasn't even trying to pin this idea on Annabeth so much as admitting she was a good influence on him. That was a nice upgrade.

... "Hero of Olympus, and my big brother!"

"Ending on the important things," Will's voice sounded a little too watery to pass off that chuckle as genuine as he handed the book to Jason, who eagerly snatched it away and studied the past few passages like Tyson had just found the coolest freaking stick.

They realized when he didn't flip to keep reading he was actually studying it, rereading it to himself with a kind of hunger Annabeth smiled to recognize.

None of them were quite sure where he'd come from specifically, what his past had truly been, or what he'd done up to this moment of being in here, but they all saw how important Percy's wish was to him.

Which was strange. But hey, that was nothing new for any of them.

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Please do share your thoughts on Wrath of the Triple Goddess. I've seen so many mixed reviews of the good and the bad and I'm fascinated, haha.

I personally liked it medium. I was never bored, though I thought the plot beats dragged just a bit, but I genuinely enjoyed the interactions and all the animal love and Hecuba and Gale being such a focus with Percy being an emotional anchor as he phases from 'teen who mouthes off to gods saving the world by the seat of his pants,' to 'budding adult who reflects he's kind of an idiot for mouthing off to gods and still trying to help everyone by the seat of his pants.'