A Boarding Party Interrupts Basketball

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Percy's POV

The fight was over, it was done, and it felt as if the whole world was acknowledging that fact, the silence was almost frightening as Zoe lowered her bow. In those critical deciding moments of the battle, they might as well have been the last people on earth, nothing else mattered.

They all stood in a circle around her, waiting for a sign as to what they should do. As the body dropped, their eyes shifted to her, awaiting her response. Percy wanted to go and help her, but held himself back.

Even as the body beside her dissipated into the moonlight, carried away to the underworld by what looked like moon dust, he couldn't bring himself to move. As much as he wanted to comfort her, embrace her, celebrate with her and everything else, he held himself back.

This was her moment, her triumph, he wasn't going to make it about him, as much as he wanted to run up and hug her, to scream to the heavens how amazing she was, he held himself back.

Seeing her like this, so emotional in the moment, was a rarity in itself. She had been much more upbeat in recent years, in tune with herself, but in the aftermath of the battle, she seemed so human.

Mere moments before this, she seemed untouchable, he was reminded of the first days of knowing her, the ethereal quality of the Hunters of Artemis. This was different though.

They felt untouchable because they were granted that power. The qualities of the moon goddess were ever present in their bodies. During that fight though, Zoe felt untouchable because she made herself that way. She had always been one of the most amazing people he'd ever met.

During that fight, he was too stunned to think, but now it was over he was sure. It was one of the few times he had ever looked at a demigod and thought that they may have secretly been a god in disguise. Because to him, that was what Zoe Nightshade had always been to him, a goddess walking the earth.

The sun was starting to set as the fight ended. The stars were just about to begin shining in the sky as Zoe let out a deep, heavy sigh, and looked up at the stars, towards the constellation made for her. Then, in the moonlight, she finally showed what that fight truly meant to her.

She collapsed to her knees. Closing her eyes and taking a deep, almost sorrowful breath, she spoke, probably by habit alone, she switched to Ancient Greek, saying simply. "It is done." Or words to that effect, as her joyful laugh filled the air.

Percy took that as his cue, he could no longer hold himself back. He was the first to reach her, immediately taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly, he wasn't sure what he expected to see when she looked at him for the first time.

He was ready for tears, of relief, happiness even, considering the circumstances, what he didn't expect to see on her face was shock, she jumped a little bit when he held her hand.

She was not an easy person to sneak up on, he could count on one hand the times he had genuinely seen her startled, the only time he could actually recall was the day he returned to camp after being presumed dead and was thrown by some heartless monster into her cabin.

This was another one of them for sure. As he smiled at her, she blinked a few times, like he had just appeared from thin air in front of her. That was how invested she was in her fight with Hercules, that was how important it was to her. In a way, his thought was right, to her, they were the only two people on earth.

Once the recognition hit her face though, Percy's heart leapt in the air and stayed there. She gave him a smile that nearly brought him to tears just seeing it, it was so genuine, so pure. "It is done." She repeated again, this time in English.

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