CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE
SILVIANA          DUVALL

So the war was over.

Yay?

Sylvie still felt confused about the whole thing. First, Finley had to fall out of the sky and die—which, not awesome. But, she came back to life, so that was pretty awesome. Then Jason followed right after Finley, and Sylvie couldn't blame him for it, but she could've used the extra help with keeping Gaea up in the air. She was forced to defeat Gaea all by herself. It was difficult, but she managed.

(She did pass out and start falling from the sky, but Leo kept her safe, and Festus flew them to the ground.)

All the monsters had been destroyed or scattered. Greek and Roman casualties were heavy, but not nearly as bad as they might have been.

Overnight, the satyrs and nymphs disappeared into the woods for a convocation of the Cloven Elders. In the morning, Grover Underwood (yay!!!) reappeared to announce that they could not sense the Earth Mother's presence. Nature was more or less back to normal.

An immortal could never die, but now Gaea would be like her husband, Ouranos. The earth would continue to function as normal, just as the sky did, but Gaea was now so dispersed and powerless that she could never again form a consciousness.

At least, that was the hope...

The victory celebration at camp was muted, due to grief—many people had died in battle. Shrouded demigods, both Greek and Roman, were burned at the campfire, and Chiron asked Nico to oversee the burial rites.

Nico agreed immediately. He seemed grateful for the opportunity to honor the dead. Even the hundreds of spectators didn't bother him.

The lightest Sylvie felt was afterward, when Nico and the nine demigods from the Argo II met on the porch of the Big House.

It felt quieter than it should have, considering they'd just saved the world. They sat together in the warm glow of sun. Percy was beside her, their knees brushing. His hand found hers, and though he didn't say anything, the squeeze of his fingers was enough to steady her. She squeezed back, grateful for the anchor he provided in a sea of uncertainty. 

Her eyes were trained on her forearms, and she was sure that his were too.

It took a lot of power for Sylvie to even put Gaea to sleep. She used her abilities from the earth to conjure vines out of nowhere, making them curl around up arms. While Sylvie had utilized that power before, she'd never done it for such a long time, with so much power running through them. In the end, her forearms got permanently scarred by the image of vines swirling up her skin.

Sylvie didn't mind. They looked kind of cool.

"So," Nico began. "I'm glad we all lived lived. Mostly."

He shot a pointed look at Finley and Jason, who both had the decency to look sheepish.

"Hey, technically, I lived twice," Finley said, leaning back against Jason with a tired smile. Jason rolled his eyes but wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm just saying," Nico continued dryly. "Maybe next time, we don't do the whole dramatic sacrificial death thing. It's exhausting for the rest of us."

"I didn't plan it," Finley retorted, but her voice was softer, more reflective. She glanced at Jason, who gave her a small nod. "Still... point taken."

Piper snorted, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "We're demigods, Nico. Drama is kind of in our job description."

"Speak for yourself," Nico said, deadpan, though there was the faintest twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips.

Annabeth folded her arms, tilting her head as if analyzing him. "I think you're secretly dramatic, too. It's always the quiet ones."

"I'm not dramatic," Nico protested. "I'm practical. Someone has to keep the rest of you alive."

"Big words for a guy who shadow-traveled halfway across the country," Percy teased, his tone light but laced with admiration. "That's not drama at all."

"Bold of you to talk, Jackson," Nico shot back. His gaze flicked to Sylvie, and he smirked faintly. "Sylvie, you need to rub off on him more than he's rubbing off on you."

Sylvie blinked, startled by the sudden attention. "Me? I'm not sure that's how it works."

"Oh, it works," Nico said with a shrug. "He's been tame around you. Definitely once. I think."

Percy laughed, the sound warm and easy. "She's got that 'calm, grounding influence' thing. She keeps me in check."

"More like she's your babysitter," Leo quipped. "How does she put up with you?"

"Lots of patience," Sylvie muttered, her face heating as the group laughed. Percy leaned closer, grinning.

"And because I'm charming," he added, winking at her. Sylvie rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile.

Hazel cleared her throat, bringing the conversation back. "Anyway. We all survived. That's more than we could've hoped for. And we couldn't have done it without each other."

"Or Sylvie," Leo said, kicking her with his foot. "You held up Gaea. By yourself! That was insane. Everyone should be jealous I got front row seats."

Sylvie flushed, ducking her head. "It wasn't all me. Finn and Jason were there before. And you caught me when I fell, remember?"

"Yeah, but only because you passed out from holding up a primordial goddess," Leo said, grinning. "Give yourself some cred, vaquera!"

"Leo's right," Frank said. He gave her a kind smile that warmed her head. "We all did things no one else could've done. It wasn't just strength. It was trust, teamwork... and maybe a little luck."

"Okay, thank you, Frankie," Finley said, "but this is getting sappy. Should we kiss each other on the lips next? Confess our undying love for each other?"

"You have such a way with words, Briggs." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Come here, Chase, you're first."

Finn leaned forward, her hands outstretched as if she were about to grab Annabeth by her face and start making out with her in front of everyone. She probably would have, if Jason hadn't grabbed her shoulder and guided her backward.

"You guys are no fun," she grumbled.

Jason laughed fondly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "There," he said. "That sappy enough for you, baby?"

"Disgustingly so," Finn answered, trying to look repulsed, but her entire face was etched in admiration. 

Sylvie's heart swelled for them. The first thing she ever saw of them, Finley was judo-flipping Jason to the ground with utter hatred, and now she was curled up in his arms. She didn't even hit him for teasing her with the name baby. Sylvie hoped they stayed this happy.

She hoped they all stayed happy.

"I love y'all," Sylvie said, because she needed them to hear it.

The next day, the second since the battle, Romans and Greeks worked side by side to clean up the warzone and tend the wounded. Blackjack the pegasus was recovering nicely from his arrow wound. Guido had decided to adopt Reyna as his human.

The Romans bivouacked next to the strawberry fields, where they insisted on building their standard field camp. The Greeks pitched in to help them raise the earthen walls and dig the trenches. Sylvie had never seen anything stranger or cooler. Dakota shared "Kool-Aid" with Pollux from the Dionysus cabin. Finley wasn't part of this, because she was too busy befriending... well, all the cabins. The children of Hermes and Mercury laughed and told stories and brazenly stole things from just about everyone. Chiron, escorted by Frank and Hazel, inspected the Roman troops and praised them for their bravery.

By evening, the general mood had improved somewhat. The dining hall pavilion had never been so crowded. The Romans were welcomed like old friends. Coach Hedge roamed among the demigods, beaming and holding his baby boy and saying, "Hey, you want to meet Chuck? This is my boy, Chuck!"

The Aphrodite and Athena girls alike cooed over the feisty little satyr baby, who waved his pudgy fists, kicked his tiny hooves and bleated, "Baaaa! Baaaa!"

Clarisse, who had been named the baby's godmother, trailed behind the coach like a bodyguard and occasionally muttered, "Alright, alright. Give the kid some space."

At announcement time, Chiron stepped forward and raised his goblet.

"Out of every tragedy," he said, "comes new strength. Today, we thank the gods for this victory. To the gods!"

The demigods all joined the toast, but their enthusiasm seemed muted. Sylvie understood the feeling: We saved the gods again, and now we're supposed to thank them?

Then Chiron said, "And to new friends!"

"TO NEW FRIENDS!"

Hundreds of demigod voices echoed across the hills.

After a few songs, Reyna and Frank were called to the front. They got a thunderous round of applause from both the Greeks and Romans. Up on Half-Blood Hill, the Demeter of Knidos glowed more brightly in moonlight, as if to signal: These kids are alright.

"Tomorrow," Reyna said, "we Romans must return home. We appreciate your hospitality, especially since we almost killed you—"

"You almost got killed," Sylvie corrected.

"Whatever, Duvall."

Oooooohhhhh! the crowd said as one. Then everybody started laughing and pushing each other around. 

"Anyway," Frank took over, "Reyna and I agree this marks a new era of friendship between the camps."

Reyna clapped him on the back. "That's right. For hundreds of years, the gods tried to separate us to keep us from fighting. But there's a better kind of peace—cooperation."

Finley stood up from the audience. "Are you sure your mom is a war goddess?"

"Yes, Briggs," Reyna said. "I still intend to fight a lot of battles. But from now on we fight together!"

That got a big cheer.

Frank raised his hand for quiet. "You'll all be welcome at Camp Jupiter. We've come to an agreement with Chiron: a free exchange between the camps—weekend visits, training programs and, of course, emergency aid in times of need."

"And parties!" Finn added.

"Hear, hear!" cheered Connor.

"So thank you," Reyna concluded, pointedly ignoring them, though not without an upward twitch of her lips. "All of you. We could've chosen hatred and war. Instead we found acceptance and friendship."

Then she walked up to Nico, who was standing to one side in the shadows, as usual. She grabbed his hand and pulled him gently into the firelight.

"We had one home," she said. "Now we have two."

She gave Nico a big hug and the crowd roared with approval.

╰━━━ ◦ ✸ ◦ ✸ ◦ ━━━╯ 

That night, Sylvie slept in the Demeter cabin.

She had never been more grateful for anything in her entire life. She'd grown to love the Argo II—she would forever miss falling asleep to Coach Hedge's threats and Finley's snores, and waking up to Leo's intrusiveness and Annabeth's alarm clock—but she loved her bunk in Cabin Four just the same.

For Sylvie, this was where it all began. Her whiteboard was still up (DAYS SINCE SYLVIE'S LAST ACCIDENT!!!!), Florian's guitar was still hanging on the wall, and all the obscure plants she and her siblings had experimentally grown were still scattered around the entire place.

Her bed looked suspiciously used when she found it. Sylvie had a sneaking theory that Katie, Miranda, and Cedar had been sleeping in it while Sylvie was away, but that idea made her heart pang so much that she couldn't dwell on it.

The soft shine of moonlight filtered through the cabin's windows, casting a peaceful glow over the familiar surroundings. Sylvie's heart felt light in the quiet of the Demeter cabin, but it also felt full. There was a comforting sense of being home—or, camp-home—that she hadn't realized she'd missed until now.

Well, she did miss it. Until a loud rustling noise interrupted her thoughts.

"Cedar," Sylvie sighed, "what do you want?"

He was sitting promptly on the end of her bed. He tried blinking innocently at her, but he was fourteen now, so it hardly worked.

"Who, me? I'm just chilling here."

"Yeah, right," Miranda scoffed. "You're just too scared to admit you want storytime before bed."

Cedar was quick with his reaction. Just a simple grab of Sylvie's pillow, and it was being chucked at Miranda's head.

"I do not!" Cedar shouted at Miranda. "I was just chilling!"

"My pillow." Sylvie frowned. 

Then they all heard Katie groan—rather loudly—in her bunk. Their heads whipped toward their older sister in fear, because they knew all too well how dangerous a cranky Katie was.

"Does no one here appreciate sleep?"

"Sorry, Kates," Sylvie murmured. "Uh—how's Travis?"

Katie groaned again, then put her pillow firmly over her face. Sylvie looked to her other siblings, silently worrying that Katie and Travis had broken up.

Miranda rolled her eyes. "They're fine. He just didn't want to go back to college with her tonight, so she's moody."

"Why would they go back to college tonight?" Sylvie asked. Then, "What kind of college starts on August 3rd?"

"None of them," Cedar said. "But you know Katie. Neurotic and scarily time efficient."

"It's called getting ahead!" Katie snapped, ripping the pillow off her face and sitting up. It seemed that she had given up on sleep.

"Kates, you fought a war two days ago. Are you serious?"

"I'm always serious."

Miranda rolled her eyes once more. "She's ridiculous."

"She needs to be an Athena kid," Sylvie said. "Why's everyone in this cabin less Demeter kid than they are another godly parent?"

"You're not!" Cedar told her. "Dude, look at your new scars! You've got those super cool vine tattoos now."

Katie literally jumped out of her bed.

"Vine tattoos? How are we just hearing about this now?"

"They're not tattoos," Sylvie explained, a little sheepishly. "It's... kind of a side effect of holding my own against Gaea for too long."

Miranda shot out of bed too, making her way over to Sylvie's bunk eagerly. "That's so cool. Let me see!"

Sylvie rolled up her sleeves, revealing the swirling scars that had etched their way up her forearms in twisting patterns. "Tada," she said, trying to sound deadpan about it. "Definitely one of my more dramatic accidents."

"Quick," Miranda said, "Cedar, go change the whiteboard."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"You're ten, I can make you do whatever I want!"

"I'll be fifteen in January!"

"It's August!"

"Y'all," Sylvie interjected, though amidst an amused laugh. "You're gonna wake the other cabins soon if you keep this up."

"Ignore them," Katie said, her voice full of admiration. "Sylv, these are so badass. How did they even appear?"

"Oh, yeah," Cedar forgot his bickering with Miranda, "and how did you fight Gaea?"

"And how did you not die?" Miranda asked.

"And what happened on those months you were gone?"

"And who's that cute insane girl that fell from the sky?"

Everyone paused. They blinked at Cedar. He shrugged in response.

"What? It's a valid question!"

"If you don't want to be fried by a lightning bolt," Sylvie said, "I wouldn't go around asking it."

Miranda put her hand on Cedar's face and pushed him away. "Stupid," she told him. "Like she'd date you even if she was single!"

"She would totally date me!"

"A girl who resurrected from the dead is not dating a bitch named Cedar St. James!"

Sylvie laughed as their arguing resumed, but her eyes fell elsewhere in the room. Florian Whitlock's bed—though completely bare and pristinely untouched—was the object of her attention. She didn't know when Miranda and Cedar's relationship had developed into something so similar to Sylvie and Florian's, but her heart twinged at the thought. 

It had nearly been a year since his death, and the pain still didn't lessen. She couldn't believe she could defeat the earth, and not her own suffocating grief.

"Sylv?" came Katie's voice. "You okay?"

Sylvie turned her head back toward her siblings, who were all staring worriedly at her.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," she said, trying to send them a warm smile. "Just thinking about how to answer all those questions y'all asked me."

Miranda raised pleased eyebrows. She looked at Cedar, and they seemed to communicate telepathically, in a way that Sylvie had only seen happen between her and Florian in the old days.

"Storytime?" Miranda asked, turning back to Sylvie.

"I was lying earlier," Cedar added. "I do want storytime before bed."

"That much was obvious," Katie commented.

Sylvie grinned again, genuine this time. Her sadness faded. Sure, she lost Florian. That would stick with her forever. It would probably never stop hurting as much as it did. She lost Eurydice too, and that also hurt, although for much different reasons.

But she still had the rest of her family in the Demeter cabin. She still had Katie, Miranda, and Cedar. She still had three amazing siblings who never failed to fill Sylvie's heart with joy and amusement. And, in the future, she would gain more siblings who would move into Cabin Four. Time would pass, and maybe even one day, the entire room would be filled up with Demeter kids. Her old half-siblings will always be with her, alive or not, but so will the new ones. That was okay. It would be entirely different, but it would be okay.

"Who's up for a midnight walk?" Sylvie asked. "Storytime in the strawberry fields?"

Miranda's eyes lit up. "You know I'm always up for a midnight walk, especially if it involves the strawberry fields."

"Same," Katie said with a lazy grin, clearly already over her initial grumpiness. "But this better not end with you nearly getting eaten by a hydra or something."

"Or you nearly turning into a tree," Cedar added, raising an eyebrow. "You know, you're getting a little too good at making things grow when you don't mean to."

Sylvie rolled her eyes but couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. "It's not like I plan these things," she said, pushing herself up from the bed. "But come on, we've got to stretch our legs after the last couple of days. The strawberry fields are the best place to clear your head. No hydras, I promise."

They all scrambled to get their shoes on, the comfortable noise of bickering and laughter filling the cabin. Sylvie felt herself relaxing with each passing second, the weight of the past few days lifting bit by bit.

╰━━━ ◦ ✸ ◦ ✸ ◦ ━━━╯ 

BAILEY YAPS...

Google how do you end the second to last chapter of this saga without sobbing your eyes out

Google I'm sadddd :(

But I'm also so HAPPY like the Nine+Co. are FAMILY. Camp Half-Blood LOVES FINLEY. SYLVIE HAS TWO NEW COOL AS SCARS. THE DEMETER KIDS ARE BACK.

The Sylvie-Demeter-Cedar and Odysseus-Athena-Telemachus parallels are real. "We'll Be Fine" type shit.

Actually, I raise you: the Florian-Sylvie-Cedar and Odysseus-Athena-Telemachus parallels are real. "We'll Be Fine" type shit. 

I'm just. So okay. Wow. 

I didn't think I was going to continue this series but I'm actually getting really sad at the thought of letting it go so if you want to see any kind of continuation idk just like hit my line I'm open to suggestions

The last chapter is up to bat now...