Chaos Rising |BOOK 2| Harry Potter x PJO |Alexandra Marine|

BONUS: THE DAY SHE LET GO

"So, what do you think?" Percy asked me.

"What do I think?"

"Yeah, you know, best strategist on Earth, all that."

I sighed. "You sure about this, though?"

"Well, Nico-"

"How do you know you can trust Nico?" I asked. "Have you been friends with him?"

"I think he may have tried to kill me a few times," Percy replied.

"All the more reason," I said.

"But Luke- Kronos has a body like it's made of platinum," Percy reasoned. "I can't beat him.."

"That's logical enough, but what after that?" I asked. "And besides, if you're taking a dip in the Styx... you can't just walk in there. You need your parents blessing, and to fight Luke- you need to know Luke. Take a trip to Mrs. Castellan's house, maybe. I've been there only once... but, I think you can find some sort of emotional connection there."

Percy nodded. "You still think Luke may be somewhere down there? In all of Kronos?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Yeah, maybe," I said. "But I'm not getting back with him even if he's there inside." I looked down at that plain silver band on my finger. I stood up from the sand.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked me.

I took the ring out of my finger and threw into the sea. "Letting it go." I sat down next to him again.

"Was it expensive?"

"Think he bought it at one of those pawn shops," I said. "Doesn't matter. What comes from the earth has to go back to the earth again."

"In this case, the sea," Percy said.

"Yeah, well," I shrugged. "About the plan, however... I think you can do it. Forget about Zeus. This battle isn't about him. It's about you and Luke."

"When you put it like that.." Percy said sadly. "I don't know."

"Well, here's the thing," I said, "sometimes you just have to accept fate, Percy. Dying, not dying. Living, not living. Finding love. The real thing that matters is living it at least a little fruitfully. Have you lived a pretty good life for a demigod who's a part of a great prophecy? I think yes. You've got a good family and a great bunch of friends who are always willing to help. Do you think you led a pretty great life?"

Percy stared into the sea. "Yeah," he muttered shortly.

"Then that's all that matters, right? That's why I don't pity you," I said. "Instead I pity myself every time I see you."

"You shouldn't," Percy said.

"I know I shouldn't," I smiled. "But I still do. That's human nature. Can't do much about it, can I?"

Percy grinned. "Alright then," he said. "We're on a go for Styx?"

"Definitely," I nodded. "Don't be too late. We'll be waiting by the Empire State Building."

***

Three white vans pulled up to the curb. They said Delphi Strawberry Service, which was the cover name for Camp Half-Blood.

I got down from the van, thanking Argus and joining Percy.

The other doors slid open. A bunch of campers climbed out, some of them looking a little green from the long drive. Chiron came out of the van last. His horse half was compacted into his magic wheelchair, so he used the handicap lift. The Ares cabin wasn't here, but I tried not to get too angry about that. Clarisse was a stubborn idiot. End of story.