ELYSIAN, the riordanverse

21

THE LAST OLYMPIAN - ALTERNATE ENDING

"Never forget this summer!" Chiron told us. He had healed remarkably well, but he still trotted in front of the fire with a slight limp. "We have discovered bravery and friendship and courage this summer. We have upheld the honor of the camp."

He smiled at me, and everybody cheered. As I looked at the fire, I saw a little girl in a brown dress tending the flames. She winked at me with red glowing eyes. No one else seemed to notice her, but I realized maybe she preferred it that way.

"And now," Chiron said, "early to bed! Remember, you must vacate your cabins by noon tomorrow unless you've made arrangements to stay the year with us. The cleaning harpies will eat any stragglers, and I'd hate to end the summer on a sour note!"

The next morning, Annabeth and I stood at the top of Half-Blood Hill. We watched the buses and vans pull away, taking most of the campers back to the real world. A few old-timers would be staying behind, and a few of the newcomers, but I was heading back to Goode High School for my sophomore year—the first time in my life I'd ever done two years at the same school.

"Good-bye," Rachel said to us as she shouldered her bag. She looked pretty nervous, but she was keeping a promise to her father and attending Clarion Academy in New Hampshire. It would be next summer before we got our Oracle back.

"You'll do great." Annabeth hugged her. Funny, she seemed to get along fine with Rachel these days.

Rachel bit her lip. "I hope you're right. I'm a little worried. What if somebody asks what's on the next math test and I start spouting a prophecy in the middle of geometry class? The Pythagorean theorem shall be problem two... Gods, that would be embarrassing."

Annabeth laughed, and to my relief, it made Rachel smile.

"Well," she said, "you two be good to each other." Go figure, but she looked at me like I was some kind of troublemaker. Before I could protest, Rachel wished us well and ran down the hill to catch her ride.

Annabeth, thank goodness, would be staying in New York. She'd gotten permission from her parents to attend a boarding school in the city so she could be close to Olympus and oversee the rebuilding efforts.

"And close to me?" I asked.

"Well, someone's got a big sense of his own importance." But she laced her fingers through mine. I remembered what she'd told me in New York, about building something permanent, and I thought—just maybe—we were off to a good start.

The guard dragon Peleus curled contentedly around the pine tree underneath the Golden Fleece and began to snore, blowing steam with every breath.

"You've been thinking about Rachel's prophecy?" I asked Annabeth.

She frowned. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you."

She bumped me with her shoulder. "Okay, so I have. Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. I wonder who they'll be. We're going to have so many new faces next summer."

"Yep," I agreed. "And all that stuff about the world falling in storm or fire."

She pursed her lips. "And foes at the Doors of Death. I don't know, Percy, but I don't like it. I thought . . . well, maybe we'd get some peace for a change."

"Wouldn't be Camp Half-Blood if it was peaceful," I said.

"I guess you're right . . . Or maybe the prophecy won't happen for years."

"Could be a problem for another generation of demigods," I agreed. "Then we can kick back and enjoy."

She nodded, though she still seemed uneasy. I didn't blame her, but it was hard to feel too upset on a nice day, with her next to me, knowing that I wasn't really saying good-bye. We had lots of time.

"Race you to the road?" I said.

"You are so going to lose." She took off down Half-Blood Hill and I sprinted after her.

For once, I didn't look back.

Then, I woke up, in my bed like every other morning, the stench of Smelly Gabe's beer from yesterday wafting through the air. I sat up in my bed, shaking my head, looking around frantically. Why wasn't I at camp? With Annabeth? With Grover?

My breath quickened as I looked around and ran towards the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror. I was still twelve. Still living with a step-monster and Camp Half-Blood wasn't real.

I gulped and ran back into my bedroom, looking out the window. New York wasn't silent, it was busy. Like it should be, not like how it was in the... No, the war didn't happen. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek as I looked outside, at the... mortal world? No, this was how the world had always been. Just me, my mom and Gabe.

But... Gabe was a statue, Mom was a writer. Paul... Paul, I loved him. He was my dad, so much more of a dad than Gabe was or will ever be. Even though I didn't know him for long, I loved him. And Tyson... No, no... Tyson was real. My brother, he had to be real. And Annabeth, oh gods, Wise Girl... I missed her. And Grover, my best friend.

What about the gods? And Thalia and Nico and Luke and Chiron? And Connor and Travis? What about Rachel or Katie or Clarisse? Chris? Silena? Charlie? Will?

I felt myself fall to the floor and I sat there for what seems to be eternity, tears rolling down my cheeks. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't have just been a dream. I muttered no to myself, repeating it like it was some sort of mantra. I cried and cried and cried but they wouldn't come back. They wouldn't come back, and now... I wish I had looked back.

Looked back to see the camp which I grew up in. Looked back to see something which seemed so real, but was all just my imagination. Something which was a dream.

Something which wasn't real.