When You're Gone

Chapter 4

Percy is a fighter; Reyna could vouch for that. Even being stabbed multiple areas by both Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold, he was still breathing and alive.

For now.

Every day, Reyna would come to visit him in the infirmary. Every day, her hopes would shatter a little. Every day, her heart would die a little.

Because of him.

Frank had resumed his praetor duties - but Percy was still the official praetor unless voted otherwise by the Senate. No one objected to Percy being torn down. They all were worried about the son of Poseidon.

Now they were waiting for a miracle. She was waiting for an impossible miracle to occur: For Neptune to claim Percy, not Poseidon.

According to di Angelo, the gods' Roman and Greek sides had to be balanced by having children on each side. Frank didn't count - sorry for that, Zhang - because he was a son of Mars, a distant relative of Poseidon. Poseidon only had Percy, for that to be balanced, he had to claim Percy as Neptune in Camp Jupiter. Only then would Percy be healed.

Why were the Gods so complicated?

She stared at the takeaway cup in her hand. Her chocolate is cold. She didn't even have the heart to enjoy her favorite beverage. What had she said to the Athena spawn?

But chocolate is universal, the Athena spawn had said.

Exactly, she had agreed.

Disgusted by the sudden memory, she dumped the whole cup - chocolate and all - into the rubbish bin. She had the feeling she wouldn't be going near the drink again.

Percy's breakup and condition had affected her that much.

She looked up. The half-nude statue of Bacchus wearing a nappy stood proudly on a fountain, heroically spewing water out of his godly mouth. That seemed to lighten her spirits a little.

Her mind drifted back to the scene where that boy, Leo Valdez had fired on her camp.

Gods, no! Annabeth had cried. She looked as if a wave of nausea had hit her like a brick wall. Reyna, it isn't possible. We would never do this!

Her faithful dogs - Aurum and Argentum - had stood by her side, reluctant to attack.

You're telling the truth, she had judged her. Perhaps you were not aware of this treachery, but someone must pay.

Then now it occurred to her: Argentum and Aurum had been hesitant to attack because that was after she had entered the camp's territory. She had set up that accursed trap before she introduced herself to them.

Reyna was so agitated, she unsheathed her sword and swung it with so much force as if she was attempting to murder the air . . . and Dakota. She'd almost decapitated him.

"Oh, Gods, Dakota!" She lowered her sword. "What are you doing here?"

Dakota pursed his lip. He wouldn't meet her gaze - which was about as deadly as any monster right about now, she couldn't blame him - and tears glistened his eyes.

"It - it's about Percy," he said, his voice merely a whisper, "he's - he's . . . he's gone, man."

The world closed in for Reyna. Her vision tunneled, and she could see the campers of Camp Jupiter rushing to the infirmary. Her sword dropped. Her heart sank like the Titanic. Her knees buckled.

"No . . ." she gasped out. Dakota supported her. "It . . . it can't be . . ."

Through all the things they had been through, now Percy had to take a leave first. Just like anyone in her life. Why couldn't she just be a puny mortal, living a monster-free, God-free, quest-free life? That seemed too good to be true now.

She'd lost her father. She'd lost Scipio. She almost lost her sister to that treacherous Giant Orion. And now even her crush - Percy was taken from her.

Why was her life like this? What did she do to offend the Fates?

The Fates were probably up in Olympus, laughing as if thinking: LOL, NOOB!

Yes, she was a stupid demigod. She just wanted to lead a normal life. Away from all of this.

Dakota sniffled. "Yeah, yeah," he murmured. "Let's . . . let's get you to him."

* * *

"OW!"

Reyna felt very offended. She glared at Dakota, and he yelped under her glare. Gwen swallowed and tried to lean away from the praetor as far as possible. Hazel and Frank squeaked.

Her emotions had never been played with so badly in her life. Hylla had toyed with her emotions - unintentionally - by bringing her back to her childhood horror home. But that was because Orion was chasing them. Then her feelings were played by that stupid God of Love and Beauty, Her Second-Most Annoying Lady Venus. The final straw was when that Athena spawn had broke up with Percy.

After this, she thought, I am going to push this guy into the lake.

Percy rubbed his bruised arm. An Apollo's son handed him a pack of ice. That, is going to hurt.

"Reyna," he said, his voice hoarse from the chunk of Imperial Gold lodged in his throat the time before, "what did I miss? What happened - ow, my everywhere! - to me?"

Reyna scowled. "Don't you remember anything? It's the Giant War all over again!"

"Yeah, don't you remember anything?" Dakota chorused. "Don't you remember Reyna crying every night she visits you here? Every night her eyes will be all red and puffy when she comes to senate meetings -"

"Dakota," Reyna warned, "one more word, and you'll be in charge of cleaning the basilisks' stables. Got it? Percy, the point is, you've been out for, uh . . ."

"A week and four days," Hazel offered.

Percy's eyebrows knitted. "What?"

Reyna twisted her silver ring, just the way she did when she was nervous. "The point is, Camp Half-Blood has set up a trap for us in Camp Jupiter. It only activates when it senses Celestial Bronze, which also means it's useless here. But a sword like yours . . ."

"Which meant they targeted you, and you specifically," Gwen finished gravely.

It was like dropping flashbomb in a crowd. For a few moments, everyone sat in intoxicating silence. It was as tense as it could get.

How is Percy going to react? Will he yell at them, claiming that they're lying? Or will he just magically combust into flames? Neither seemed great, but Reyna preferred to have Percy not as a pile of ashes.

Finally, he said, "I trust you guys." He paused. "I . . . I believe you."

Reyna arched an eyebrow. Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty, but this . . . this is nuts. Then Reyna noticed something different about Percy. His eyes were sea-green as usual, but it had a fighting light in it. Instead of mischievousness and sass, his eyes had the content of a well-disciplined fighter, just like a true Roman.

She glanced at Hazel. "Levesque . . ." she said accusingly. "What did your brother mean by 'healing'?"

Hazel yelped. "He meant letting his Greek side die," she explained quickly. "Since Percy had been claimed before, and he also had been claimed at Camp Half-Blood. That means he is already Greek and Roman at the same time. And before . . . what Nico means to tell us, is that Percy is now Roman, a true son of Neptune."

Percy's eyebrows furrowed as if someone had insulted blue food. "What did you say? Also, I'm starving. Can I get some food before we talk about all of that?"

Frank punched his arm. Percy flinched. The medic rushed up to Percy and unwrapped the bandages under his shirt.

"Oh, dear," said the medic, "this will take quite some time to heal. Ambrosia, Unicorn Draught, and Nectar must not be consumed spontaneously, okay? Dear, dear! You'll have to stay in a wheelchair for now. I'll go arrange one for you, Praetor Jackson."