The Last Olympian: Apollo's Daughter

To Say Goodbye

Skyler's POV

The rest of the day was as strange as the beginning. Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasus, and chariot.

"Skye!" Will yelled as he and a few of our siblings with the help of saytrs carried wounded campers into the infirmary. 

Will and one of our half brothers carried in a covered body on a stretcher. They set it down carefully and then both shared a concerned look.

"What is it?" I asked carefully as I set down the Tupperware of ambrosia on one of the small tables.

"I'll let you two talk..." Our half-brother excused himself and went to see about what he could do for other campers.

"Talk about what.." I glanced down at the covered body they had brought in.

"Skye...we found Lea..." Will said the words slowly.

The air caught in my throat as I stared up at the taller blonde. "Tell me... Will, tell me you're lying."

"Skye, I'm-"

"Tell me you're lying, William."

Will looked solemnly to his feet.

I stared at him in disbelief for what felt like an eternity before I dropped to my knees next to the covered body. 

"Skye you don't have to-"

"I could have stopped her..." I whispered. My hands trembled as I gingerly pulled the cloth away from her face. Lea had a bandage wrapped around her head and drying blood caked her blonde pixie cut. Her face was contorted into a mixture of pain and peacefulness. Like she was just asleep having a nightmare...

"You did..." Will knelt next to me, carefully placing a hand on my shoulder. "Skye, she turned on Kronos's army in the end...She helped Percy fight the giants she led when you entered Olympus...We tried our hardest to...ease her pain."

"I should have been there for her...I should have insisted she came. I could have kept her safe..."

"It's not your job to carry everyone's burdens. Lea made her choice, and she knew that it was a risk. We all knew some of us wouldn't survive this war...But we all were prepared to die for it.

"I...I should have-" I stumbled over my words as I carefully placed a hand on her cold cheek. My eyes stung with the salty tears that were threatening to spill. "You are now going into the house of Hades under the secret places of the earth,  you leave us, taking your light with you. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated to doing justice to what you will not get to see. The mortal world will little note, nor long remember what you have done, but I will never forget." I whispered.

Will have my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We'll ask the Demeter kids to grow Lobilias in the planter she kept in the window...She always loved them. We won't forget her."

I sucked in a shaky breath, covering her face once more with the white cloth. "We...We should prepare her for the pyre."

"Not you," Will said softly. "We'll make sure she's alright."

I nodded and slowly got to my feet. "I should," I paused. "I should go help with the fires..." I whispered.

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.

Micheal and Lea's shrouds were gold with white embroidered lyres. When they burned they emitted golden sparks and the soft hum of string instruments as the smoke rose.

Even Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud. As much as I hated the man...he had done good in the end... The shroud was long black silk with a logo of swords crossed under a set of scales. As his shroud went up in flames, I 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.

Dinner at the pavilion was deafeningly silent... The only sound and highlight besides the scraping of forks against plates was Juniper, who screamed, "Grover!" and gave her boyfriend a flying tackle hug, lifting the solemn mood of the pavilion. 

The two of them went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and I was happy for them.

Mrs. O'Leary romped around happily, eating everybody's table scraps. Nico sat at the main table with Chiron and Mr. D, and nobody seemed to think this was out of place. Despite the somber mood, everyone was patting Nico on the back and complimenting him on his fighting. Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool.

Hey, show up with an army of undead warriors to save the day, and suddenly you're everybody's best friend.

Slowly, the dinner crowd trickled away. Some went to the campfire for a sing-along. Others went to bed. 

"Here," Will slid a cling wrap covered plate towards me from across the table.

"What's this?" I asked, inspecting the contents of the plate.

"For that seaweed brain of a boyfriend of yous," Will said with a small smile.

"Shit, I forgot..."

"Lucky for you, I did not." Will pushed himself away from the table as he stood. "Just remember who your favorite brother is and who saved your relationship when you're writing the wedding invitations-"

"Shut it, Solace," I said quickly. My ears burned at my half brother's teasing but he once again pushed the plate closer to me and nodded towards the Poseidon table where Percy sat alone. He also rolled a small drugstore-type birthday candle across the table to me.

Percy's POV

I sat at the Poseidon table by myself and watched the moonlight on Long Island Sound. I could see Grover and Juniper at the beach, holding hands and talking. It was somehow serene.

"Hey, this seat taken?" The unmistakable voice of Skyler asked as she slid next to me on the bench. "Happy birthday."

She was holding a plate of blue cookies protected by plastic wrap. "For legal reasons, I can't say I didn't forget, but are you really going to hold it against me with all that went on?" The daughter of Apollo's smile was small was just as bright as her father's.

I stared at her. "What?"

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

I was stunned. It hadn't even occurred to me, but my girlfriend was right. I had turned twenty this morning. The same morning Olympus was saved. The prophecy had come true right on schedule, and I hadn't even thought about the fact that it was my birthday.

"Oh wait," she said. She pulled a small wax candle out of the pocket of her shorts, held it up, and held a finger over the wick. "Give it a second. Fire is still kind of weird..." She muttered.

She concentrated on the candle, and finally, the light around the wick grew bright and hot. When the light died the candle was lit. "Make a wish."

"Did you bake these yourself?" I asked, nodding to the cookies.

"Sadly, I can't take credit for these." She said with a small smile. "You can thank Will later. Now make a wish," She held the candle forward carefully between her fingers.

I chuckled and closed my eyes, thinking for a moment and then blowing the candle out. "There, better?" I asked and she smiled.

"Yes," She unwrapped the plate and pushed it towards me. I picked up one of the blue cookies and took a bite. Surprisingly they were good.

"You saved the world," I said as I finished my cookie.

"We saved the world." She corrected. "But I did bring you cookies," She added with a cocky smile.

"Oh, and am I supposed to owe you for these? It's my birthday. Also wouldn't I be owing Will?"

"I'll put it on your medical bill."

"I thought your dad didn't hand out medical degrees," I chuckled, pulling her close to me.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck, ghosting her lips across mine. "Guess I'll just have to go to medical school soooo far away-"

"Don't you dare," I said, pressing my lips to hers.

The daughter of Apollo smiled against my lips. Her fingers gently tangled in my hair and every worry, ache, and pain washed away from me.

We were safe, we were home, and I was with the girl I was proud to say I loved.

The girl I happily gave up immortality for, knowing that she had done the same.

The girl I secretly hoped I'd be spending the rest of this demigod life with.