~ Chapter 21 ~

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Third Person POV

Sally nodded sadly and called Paul to the living room. When he walked in and saw Neander he gasped.

"I only came so that you would know I was alive," he informed them.

"Percy. We are so sorry. We don't even know what made us think to even say something like that," Sally apologized.

"Okay," Neander nodded.

"Okay? That's it," Paul asked.

"Yes. I told you, I only came for you to see that I was alive and well. I'm trying to forgive the three of you but to be honest, your betrayal hurt worse than anyone. But I hope you have a good and safe life," Neander said walking to the door.

He ran out of the building and to an alley. He tried to catch his breath but couldn't.

"Calm down," Luke said, pulling him into a hug.

"I-I thought I could do it. That I could forgive them but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried. It physically hurt," Neander sobbed into Luke's chest.

"I know. You couldn't do it today. But maybe one day," he comforted him.

Once Neander calmed down and pulled back, Luke looked at him and frowned.

"Why don't we do something together?" Luke asked.

"No. We're going back to camp so you can spend time with your dad and siblings. I know how much you've missed them," Neander told him.

"And what are you going to do?" Luke asked.

"Pack of the cabin and table. And paperwork," he shrugged.

Luke nodded and sighed.

Luke and Neander flashed back to camp to find the campers celebrating their victory. Luke went to find his father and siblings while Neander went to find the twins. Instead of finding them, they found him.

"You can't leave us," Aaron cried, clinging to Neander's leg. Some campers looked on sadly at the twins. They had gotten very close to the Elite and they were leaving to go back to their home.

"Yeah. You said you wouldn't leave us," Astra cried.

Neander froze at the statement. He was thinking about what to say when he felt a presence in his head.

"Bring them with you son. They make you happy and you make them happy. We'll figure everything out when you get back. You can ask Nico, Thalia, and Leo if they would like to be part of the Elites. And give Artemis, Apollo, Hades, and Hestia permission to visit Omorfia whenever they would like," Order said.

Neander nodded, "Thank you, mom."

Neander bent down to get the twins to look at him.

"I have to go back guys," he said softly.

The twins clung to him tighter and cried harder.

"But, I can bring you back with me. You can come back to Omorfia with me if you would like."

They stopped crying and looked at him with blinding smiles. They tackled him into a hug saying thank you over and over. Neander got up holding the twins and went to find the rest of the Elites. He found them with Nico, Leo, and Thalia and their parents.

"Hey guys," he said, going to stand by Luke.

Luke wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed the twins' foreheads. Silena and Aphrodite squealed happily. Leo, Thalia, and Nico looked on with sad smiles on their faces.

"Oh yeah. I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT," Neander yelled.

The campers, gods, and Elites looked on in confusion. Neander sat the twins down beside him and turned to Hephaestus.

"Lord Hephaestus, I, Neander Void, Son of Chaos and Order, primordial of loyalty, betrayed heroes, tides, and natural disasters, Prince of the Universe, formally ask for your permission to adopt your children, Aaron and Astra Peterson."

The onlookers looked on with confusion but the Elite, Nico, Leo, Thalia, Apollo, Artemis, Hades, and Hestia looked on in happiness.

Hephaestus looked at his children's pleading eyes and nodded, "I, Hephaestus, accept your request."

Everyone cheered but stopped when Neander put a hand up.

"Artemis, Apollo, Hades, and Hestia, on behalf of the primordial council, we offer you passes to visit our home Omorfia. Chaos and Order will speak to you about how to get there."

The aforementioned gods nodded and smiled thankfully.

"Okay. So, I couldn't leave my favorite twins or the few friends that stayed loyal to me. So, Nico, Leo, and Thalia as commander of the Army of Chaos, I offer you the choice to join the Elites and me back home to Omorfia as part of the Elites.

Everyone looked on in surprise at the offer wondering what they would decide.

* Percy Jackson: Son of Chaos and OrderWhere stories live. Discover now