claimed |PERCY JACKSON| [book 5]

XXIV

THE REST OF THE DAY WAS AS STRANGE as the beginning. Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasus, and chariot. The wounded were cared for. The dead were given proper funeral rites at the campfire.

Silena's shroud was hot pink, but embroidered with an electric spear. The Ares and Aphrodite cabins both claimed her as a hero, and lit the shroud together. No one mentioned the word spy. That secret burned to ashes as the designer perfume smoke drifted into the sky.

Even Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud—black silk with a logo of swords crossed under a set of scales. As his shroud went up in flames, Percy hoped Ethan knew he had made a difference in the end. He'd paid a lot more than an eye, but the minor gods would finally get the respect they deserved.

Selena's shroud was the last to be burned. Her body wasn't found, and Percy wanted to continue searching, but Chiron convinced him to let it go.

Her shroud was a dark purple silk with caduceus'. The Hermes cabin claimed her as their own. They never found out who her godly parent was.

Percy left the campfire just as they started burning her shroud. Tears streamed down his face. He couldn't handle it.

He made his way to the Hermes cabin. Luckily, it was empty. Percy sat down on her bed and sighed,

He remembered his first night a Camp Half-Blood. Percy looked over to the spot where they both laid in.

Percy looked at the wall behind him and it was covered in photos. He was in most of them. Then he realized these were the photos Selena would take when they went on quests. Percy reached for one of the ones from their first quest together five years ago,

"I'm sorry." He cried, wiping away some of his tears with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, "I couldn't save you. I didn't even know until it was too late."

Percy noticed something on the back of the polaroid. He stared at it for a moment, trying to decipher it.

'X marks the spot, Aquaman.'

He quickly stood and rushed out of the Hermes cabin, knocking into some of the Hermes kids on the way. He didn't have time to apologize.

Percy followed the small map to the beach, outside his cabin. He went around, kicking up the sand until he found it. A piece of paper folded up in a hole. He quickly snatched it before reading. It was clear she wrote it, there was scribbled and erased words. The struggle of being dyslexic.

'Dear Aquaman (or should I be more formal and go with Percy?)

This topic is a bit serious for me, so I apologize ahead of time.

If you're reading this, then I'm dead.

Cliche, huh? But it's true. I'm dead. And there's no possibility that I'm alive because I've known about this for years. And I'm sorry I've kept it from you, but if I had told you, you wouldn't have let me fight in this war.

I've been having these dreams since I was thirteen. Of the future. The amount of times I've died is exhausting. But I've seen it. Everything leading up to is. Everything after it. That's how I knew you were going to be in my cabin. On my bed. Looking at the pictures.

And I'm so sorry.

We've grown close, no doubt about it. And I'm not afraid anymore, Percy. Pan told me to accept it, so I am.

At first, I thought it was death I was afraid of, but it wasn't. I've accepted death for years now. It was something else I was afraid of. Something I didn't get to really experience until I met you.

So... here it goes.

I'm totally, hopelessly in love with you, Perseus Jackson.

And I'm sorry I didn't realize it until it was too late. I'm sorry I didn't tell you in person.

But don't let this ruin your chances on moving on.

Because all I ever wanted was for you to be happy.

So if that's with Rachel, then so be it. Because if you're happy, then I'm happy.

I would like to say I'm watching down on you from Heaven, but we both know that's not where we end up.

Hopefully, I'll get a second chance. I'll be reborn into a dog or something, that'd be fun.

Stay out of trouble, Aquaman.

-S'

Tears littered the paper and Percy laughed a little. He wiped his eyes and stared out into the lake. He wished he could tell Selena that he loved her, too.

Footsteps approached him, "Hey." Annabeth sat next to him in the sand, "Happy birthday."

She was holding a huge misshapen cupcake with blue icing.

Percy stared at her. "What?"

"It's August 18th," she said. "Your birthday, right?"

Percy was stunned. It hadn't even occurred to him, but she was right. He had turned sixteen this morning—the same morning he'd made the choice to give Luke the knife. The prophecy had come true right on schedule, and he hadn't even thought about the fact that it was his birthday.

"Make a wish," she said.

"Did you bake this yourself?" Percy asked.

"Tyson helped."

"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick," Percy replied, "With extra blue cement."

Annabeth laughed.

Percy stared at the flame for a moment lost in thought.

'I wish Selena got her second chance.' He blew out the candle.

They cut it in half and shared, eating with their fingers. Annabeth sat next to him, and they watched the lake. Crickets and monsters were making noise in the woods, but otherwise it was quiet.

"What are we going to do about Kasey?" Annabeth asked,

"What do you mean?"

"She killed Selena. She should be punished." Annebeth stated,

"Woah," Percy looked at the blonde, "She didn't kill Selena. Why would she come back here if she did?"

"Why would she say 'she had to die. I'm so sorry'? It sounds like a confession to me, Percy." Annabeth glared,

"Look, we don't know who killed Selena, but it couldn't have been Kasey." Percy replied, "It couldn't have been."

They sat there for a moment before sighing, "You saved the world," she said.

Percy shook his head "We saved the world. You, me... Selena."

Annabeth nodded, "Yeah. Selena saved the world."