Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
chapter thirty-six ( the battle of the labyrinth ) ❝ too many goodbyes! ❞
╚═══════════════╝
There were too many goodbyes. After the battle was won by Grover and Cain causing a stampede that sent the army screaming back into the Labyrinth out of fear, to then be destroyed by Daedalus's death, everyone took to cleaning up and ... and saying goodbye.
I made sure that Jay was amongst those whose shrouds were burned. I owed him that much. He had saved my life, after everything. He had made mistakes, but in the end, he had done the right thing. He had saved his home, and he should be buried and remembered as the boy he used to be, the one he always wanted to be. Amongst Jay, wrapped in another golden shroud was Lee's body. Standing with the rest of my siblings, I tried to keep a strong face. But as Pollux choked up and took the torch, lighting the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheatre, I couldn't stop the tears that traced my cheeks. Within seconds, the rows of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and stars up to the stars. I watched my brothers burn away, hoping Elysium for the both of them. Even Jay. Everyone deserved a second chance. Even Jay.
I couldn't find it in myself to go back to my cabin. I tried to, but before I had the courage to step through the doors, I knew I would have to be face to face with Lee's empty bed, and I couldn't. I couldn't. I couldn't go in there, and see that empty space, and realise that he'll never be there to wake us all up in the mornings, never be there to give us a smile and ruffle Will's hair as he watered his plants at the window sil. He was gone. He was gone.
Never again would we share smiles at council meetings, or laugh amongst each other as we inspected cabins and saw some of the messes others made. Never again would he beat me in volleyball matches. Never again would he tease me when I only just missed a bullseye. Never again would he be there to joke about Percy and I, or chide me for being too petty towards him. He was gone. He was gone.
I found myself heading back across the bonfire before curfew. I don't know whether anyone saw me, or weren't bothered to stop me. But soon enough, I stood in front of the Poseidon cabin and knocked on the door.
It opened, and Percy stood there. I know you weren't allowed to have any camper from another cabin inside your own━especially those of the opposite sex, but I don't think rules mattered to anyone after today. We were all exhausted, wounded, and mourning our siblings and friends to even care.
It was hard to speak. "I ... I can't ... I don't want ..."
But I didn't need to say anything else. Percy immediately understood and stepped to the side. Walking into cabin three, I was met by a waft of sea salt━as if the ocean was breezing right by me. I breathed it in, and started to cry.
