The Daughter of Water

Epilogue

We landed the ship on the beach. It was the east coast of Florida. The air was as warm as summer and had to have at least 100% humidity. Annabeth, Percy, and Grover stayed on the ship that was now moored nonchalantly up the coast a mile or so.

I walked slowly down towards the figure on the beach with brown curly hair.

Leo sat in silence watching the wave's crash onto the sand. I knew how he felt. I understood the feeling too well. When my parents and brother had died I sat in silence, with my anger and sadness, all too often. I walked to him slowly, the sand crunching oddly under my bare feet. I had taken off my armor and changed into a borrowed Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. My hair was pulled into a new braid. It had been a few hours before Leo ha finally requested we stop. I felt much better and stronger. I wasn't completely healed, my throbbing head and veins could attest to that, but I was much more okay then Leo.

I finally reached him, and sat down beside him. I remembered how alone I was when I ran. All I had wanted was someone to be there, to listen, and to share the pain with. I never got that. But I could give it to Leo.

We sat there for the longest time, neither of us saying anything.

"One year ago," I said breaking the silence, neither of us making eye contact, we both stared at the sea, "I came home one day nor I found my whole family murdered." This caught his attention; he looked at me sadly, but said nothing. I tried to keep my voice from cracking, but I failed, "I ran away and spent the next year alone, where I writhed in anger about what happened." I paused. "I have never quite let go of that anger, and it has been tearing me apart." Despite myself I felt tears coming on. I looked at him. "I don't pretend to know what you are feeling. But I have felt a lot of the same anger." I tell him. He was silent as he looked down.

"I just," his voice cracks, "there had to be . . . I don't know," he said finally.

"Keep the pain," I said, "it helps you remember you're human." I said this, speaking from experience. He looked at me.

"When did you become so wise?" he said. He was trying to keep the shaking from his voice and he failed miserably at sounding sarcastic. I shrugged.

"But I know one thing is for sure," I said looking at him, "the anger won't help, it hasn't me."

"Except that it made you able to blow up monsters apparently," he said, questioning my words. I give him a curious look. Who had told him? "Percy told me." I nod understanding.

"To be honest, it gave me a power I didn't want, and believe me, power isn't all it's cracked up to be," I said thinking of the golden fire rushing through my veins, I shivered.

"So what are you saying?" Leo said, sounding calmer.

"I think I need to let go."

"Of what?"

"My anger."

"You can but I think I will try to figure out who did this," he says vengefully. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"I thought that too, but it only makes it worse," I said thinking back to every monster I had obliterated over the past year. "You don't have to, but I think it may be good for the two of us to let go together,"

"You realize I just lost her?!" Leo yelled angrily, "A few hours ago she . . ." he broke down into sobs. I put a hand on his shoulder. I realized it may be useless, but I needed to try. To try and save him from what I felt.

"She would not want you to hold this anger for a moment longer, she would want you to let go the anger and remember her," I say. He looked at me like I'd slapped him in the face. I cursed myself, I had gone too far. He looked away and we were in silence. I didn't dare move. After five dreadful minutes of silence he responded.

"You are right." He said in a small voice. He paused then said, "How do we do it?" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, I think we should close our eyes," and we both did, "then think about all the shapes and ways we feel anger about it. Now in your own way, throw those thoughts as far away as you can conceive it possible. Then breathe out any tension left over."

We did this that day and multiple times in the years to come. With whatever burden we had, we threw it away together. Through this, we were friends for the longest time.

I didn't know what was to come, but I did know that there was a lot ahead of me. I left that beach relieved to be rid of such a horrible burden. And even then, I felt the press of the Prophesy against my mind.

"A heart breaking love story."

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Stay tuned for an Authors Note and the next book in Lily's adventure:

The Children of Water