Percy Jackson's Twin Sister

The Next Day

The next day there still weren't many answers. After the explosion Piper and Jason free fall getting caught by eagles. Leo hadn't reappeared though.

The Hephaestus cabin scoured the valley finding bits and pieces it the Argo ll but no Festus or Leo.

All of the monsters had either been destroyed or scattered. But the casualties from our side were heavy.

The satyrs and nature spirit disappeared to talk with the cloven elders. Grover came back the next day and announced that they could no longer sense Gaea's presence.

The victory celebration was small due to the deaths. No only Leo's but all of them.  Shrouded demigods we're burned, both Greek and Roman, at the campfire. Nico was in charge of overseeing this process.

Travis and Percy made me get my shoulder checked. Apparently when I hit the ground when the giant dropped me I fractured it

I take some ambrosia and have to wear a sling. It was uncomfortable. I know continuing to fight with it the day before didn't help but I don't regret it.

The worst part was when the last seven of us plus nico all gathered on the porch. Travis insisted on coming. He refused to leave my side.

I'm not complaining because I didn't want to leave his either.

I had talked to him the night before about Leo's death. He listened carefully nodding his head. I told him about Leo keeping me company with all the other couples on the ship and how much he reminded me of Travis.

Anyways we're on the porch. We're all silent for a minute. None of us no where to start.

"We should have been there at the end," says Jason, "We should have helped him."

"It's not right," Piper agreees, "All that work for the cure for nothing."

Hazel breaks down, "Piper, bring out the cure.

I snuggle myself closer to Travis. Piper reaches into her belt pouch for the cure. She digs around before turning it inside out. It was empty. We all look at Hazel.

"How?" I ask.

Frank puts his arm around Hazel, "In Delos, Leo pulled the two of us aside. He pleaded with us to help him."

Through tears, Hazel explains how she switched the cure for an allusion- a trick of the mist- so Leo could have the real one. Frank tells us about Leo's plan to destroy Gaea.

"He wanted to do it alone," says Frank, "He thought there was a slim chance that a son of Hephaestus could survive... he knew hazel and I being Roman would know about sacrifice. But he thought the rest of you wouldn't go along with it."

He wasn't wrong. This plan sounds exactly like sneaky, twisted, ridiculous annoy and noble sort of thing Leo Valdez would do.

Piper lets out something between a laugh and a sob, "If he was here right now, I would kill him. How was he planning to take the cure? He was alone."

"Maybe he found a way," Percy says.

"This is Leo we're talking about. He might come back any minutes so we can straggle him," I say.

I look at Travis. I needed to tell the group that he had purposed at some point. I though about when I told Percy last night:

"Perc, I have something to tell you," I said kind of skittishly.

"Are you pregnant?" He asks somewhere between worried and excited.

"No what- no. Is that only news a girl can have?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulder, "ok fine what then?"

"Travis... he um... he proposed yesterday. Right before the battle," I say.

I was expecting Percy to be mad and overprotective. I mean I'm only seventeen now.

I was wrong though. Percy hops off his bed and runs over to hug me. He lifts me off the ground a little.

"Ok, ok," I say, "watch the shoulder."

"Right sorry," he says setting me down, "You so young though? I mean seventeen?"

There was the protective brother.

"We probably won't do anything now," I say, "Like wait until after college. Just in case the gods decide they need either of our help again that we know that we'll always be there for each other and like we're willing to spend the rest of our lives together."

Percy smiles at me and hugs me again, but less hard.

Anyways I turn back to the seven of them. Travis still had his arm around my shoulders. I take a deep breath.

"I have something to tell all you," I say looking back at Travis, "This feels weird everyone I say it. Travis and I are engaged."

They stay silent for a second. Piper wipes away a tear from Leo. She runs up and hugs me. More delicately than Percy had.

"That's so amazing!" She says enthusiastically.

Annabeth and Hazel come over to congratulate me. Nico, Jason, and Percy talk to Travis. After the girls were done freaking out Jason and Nico come over.

"Congratulations Pheebs," says Nico.

He gives me a simple smile, which fir Nico was pretty good.

"I'm so happy you got back to him," says Jason.

Travis comes up behind me and puts his arms on my shoulders and grasping his hands into front of my neck. I leaned into him.

"Your friends are smothering," he says with a smile.

"Ok, which one did you take a kick me sign to?" I ask.

"None of them. It was hit me sign and Jason," he says.

I tip my head back and kiss him. I hope Leo gets back to calypso because having heartache isn't fun. And there's really no way to heal it without getting to the person you love.