Son of the Rivers (Wattys 2015 Entry)

Ch.21 Reunion of a Heart

With a sudden flare, the typhoon of most certainly fatal water subsided.

Disorientated, the group of the surviving demigods and mortal stumbled out, Conner and Travis both collapsing on the dark stones underneath, groaning from nausea.

As they all finally became acquainted with lucidity, Annabeth gasped.

She recognized where they were, from the single trip she had taken here when she was 12.

The Underworld.

Along a similar beach that they were only just on, but that beach was in Tartarus. Not much of a difference to the demigods back home, but she personally much rather be in the Land of the Dead than the Land of the Monsters.

But while most of the other campers had never been to the Underworld and held expressions of awe and surprise at the appearance of their afterlife, completely blown away by how bland it was.

But while they stared out at the expanse of the Underworld, Jason was facing the opposite direction, frozen in shock.

There still was the island from within Tartarus, that same paradise he had witnessed before, yet it appeared more like a mirage, a ghostly image that did not capture its real beauty as they had seen earlier.

But that's not what had caught his complete and utter attention.

Lying peacefully on the ground, cleaned and in much better clothing was Piper Mclean, slowly shifting as she began to wake.

All thoughts on the identity of Raze were wiped from his mind as he stared upon the one girl who had captured his heart.

Her iridescent eyes fluttered open, "Jason?"

With a sudden heart wrenching cry, Jason stumbled forward, falling to his knees at the side of fallen girlfriend, pulling her into his arms and prayed she wasn't a dream, a false hope sent by the gods or a cruel trick sent by the monsters.

"I'm here Jason, I'm here," she murmured into his chest as he fought back the sobs that threatened to overtake him.

"He sent me back, he said to forgive me-" Her words were cut off as Jason caught her lips with his, silencing her as he poured all of his emotions into that single kiss.

"Don't ever leave me again," He pleaded with her.

Piper kissed him again and whispered into his ear, only for him to hear,

"I swear on the Styx,"

Somewhere, a man watched the two lovers embrace, a small smile adorning his face.

And somewhere, a delicate ring began to repair itself, its shattered facets and cracks beginning to slowly heal.

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After a short but very emotional reunion, the heroes began to realize they had no way across the serene lake that erupted in sprays of fiery water as if it were a minefield.

And Jason and Piper held on to each the entire time, as if scared they would lose the other again.

As did Travis and Katie, albeit with Connor trying to hold on to his brother.

Clarisse and Will were tiredly trying to figure a way across while Annabeth and Rachel fruitlessly tried to figure out where they were in the Underworld.

Between the daughter of wisdom and the Oracle herself, they could not find where they were located.

With a sudden temperature drop and blur of shadows, Nico Di Angelo stumbled out, confusing clearly covering his face.