Sea Green Eyes

Trials of Apollo - Part Nine

What had started as a fun road trip with the love of her life and her best friends, turned sour so very quickly. Not only was the road trip plagued with frequent monster attacks, but the news that they received when they arrived...

Jason Grace was in Elysium.

Not only had he and Piper broken up (which she'd Iris messaged Cressida and Annabeth about and cried, but it had been the best thing for her to do, especially since she didn't want to appease Hera with the relationship that she put together) but his death was so that Piper could live. He and Piper had helped Apollo with their quest into the Labyrinth seeing as they found a way to navigate it when Jason that learned that either he or Piper would die.

Fate was just cruel.

They thought they'd changed their fate, that they outwitted the prophecy that said To storm or fire the world must fall, an oath to keep with a final breath.

But no. Jason Grace was gone.

He'd sacrificed himself to save Apollo, Meg and Piper from the third emperor.

Their Roman friends had told them how Piper had begged Apollo to save him or to give him the Physician's cure but it was out of the god's hand. Not to mention that even if they could bring Jason back, Jason Grace was not a cheater and not the kind of person to elude the laws of nature and of death.

Thalia was also beside herself. She was immortal and she knew that she'd lose Jason eventually but this was the second time that he was taken away from his sister prematurely.

It made her feel better knowing that Reyna was with her. The former praetor of the twelfth legion had joined the Hunters of Artemis after the death of her friend. Hazel had taken over her position and there was no one better for it, honestly.

Cressida took some solace in the fact that Castor would no doubt take care of Jason in Elysium, the news still broke all of them though.

It was good to be surrounded by friends.

Tyson and Ella were happily working in their bookshop and as per his wishes, the Jason Grace temple expansion plan was still moving forward, with new shrines being added every week.

As for Percy, Cressida and Annabeth, they were taking up residence in New Rome and adjusting to their new environment before their fall semester of freshman year college.

They were in the girl's dorms helping Cressida and Annabeth unpack when Apollo turned up.

"Architecture,' Annabeth said, her grey eyes as bright as her mother's. She said the word architecture as if it were the answer to all the world's problems. 'I'm going to focus on environmental design at UC Berkeley while dual enrolling at New Rome University. By year three, I figure –'

"Way to put us to shame," Cressida chuckled as she began unpacking books onto the shelves.

"Tell me about it," Percy said. "You guys are going to help me get through freshman English though, right? And math? And history?"

The two girls shared a glance before laughing, the sound echoing through the empty room that still only had a few boxes in it.

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain, we'll help," Annabeth said with her hands on her hips. "We'll take the basics together. But you will do your own homework."

He turned to Cressida hopefully. "Do I still get rewards for every good grade I get on my assignments?"

She smirked at him. "We'll talk."

"Man," Percy sighed as he looked at Apollo for commiseration. "Homework. Can't catch a break."

"And your major?" Apollo asked.