Money Isn't Everything

Epilogue

It's nearly 2 am, and I don't know what this is but it's the end. This isn't beta read, I'm half asleep, and emotional, but I hope you enjoy. I wanted this to be more than it is but I also love what it is.

This is the last chapter of 'Money Isn't Everything' (God do I hate that title now) and I want to thank everyone who has read this mess despite it's cringey title, summary, and first twelve chapters. I love all of you, because this has been a constant part of the last two years of my life and I don't know what my life would have been without it. Thank you for reading this mess, and I hope you enjoy the end of it.

Epilogue

Hazel POV

"Hazel sweetie," I feel someone shaking my shoulder, probably dad, "You need to wake up. Jason's party is in two hours and we promised Sally we'd help her set up."

I groan in answer but open my eyes anyway to see him smiling fondly down at me. Sunlight is streaming through the crack in my curtains. Jason is finally graduating today, after years of tutoring and weekend classes so we're throwing him a surprise party. I kind of just want to keep sleeping though, which is a bit out of character, but apparently high school will do that to you.

I groan again, and dad laughs, "Come on Happy Hazel, Nico is already up and dressed. Your brother who spends 65% of the day sleeping is beating you at this."

I sigh, but sit up and push my duvet partly off, "That's just because he slept for a full twenty-four hours."

Dad shakes his head with a fond smile, "I know sweetie, but if you don't get ready soon your mom is going to come in here. You know how scary Taby can be when she's angry."

I giggle, because it's a complete lie. Mom isn't scary when she's angry, you just can't disagree with her. She'll make you do what you have to do with firm words and a slightly disappointed frown. No room for argument or anger.

He chuckles along with me, "Alright Hazel, I'll be back in ten minutes. If you're not dressed, or in the process of getting dressed, there'll be big trouble."

He leaves, and I sit in bed for a couple of minutes before forcing myself to completely abandon the warmth and comfort of my bed. As soon as my feet touch the floor I regret it, it's cold. I hop my way to my desk, trying to touch the floor as little as possible. On the desk, adjacent to my bed, there's a clean pair of socks lying on top of my sketch pad. I hurriedly tug them on, not caring that they're pink and covered in unicorns.

Today is a very big day, even though Jason probably won't want to make too big a deal of it. He'd struggled through school and was graduating a year and a half late. For some this might not have been impressive, but for Jason who's missed years of essential formal education it's nearly a miracle. Nearly as big a miracle as both Percy and Thalia being in university. Nearly as big a miracle as our lives these days.

I smile slightly to myself, not quite as big a miracle as that. Nothing will ever be quite as big a miracle as that.

I pull on my still relatively clean, if a bit paint splattered, jeans from yesterday. It's harder to find a clean bra, eventually I give up and put on the same on I've been wearing for weeks. So much for that. I throw on a freshly washed jumper before rushing across the passage into the bathroom. Usually my hair takes forever, but today I can't be bothered to do more run a brush through it. They've all seem me look worse anyway.

The bathroom is cold, as always, and I'm glad I made the decision to put on socks. I hiss as I step in a puddle of water by accident, Nico must have forgot to put down the mat when he showered again. On second thought, it might have been a bad thing I decided on socks today of all days.