When You're Gone

Peace

"He's dead?" Annabeth demanded. "Since before the Giant War?"

She whipped to Hazel and Frank. "And none of you noticed?"

The couple looked at each other, confused.

"Look," Frank started, "we've been together every time and the one time's Percy could've died was under that glacier–"

"What?" Piper screeched.

"–but Gaia couldn't control the land underwater," Frank finished, scanning the crowd of demigods he had never ever met before. They all seemed so young. 15? 17? None of them looked like they were older than twenty. "So there is no way Gaia could've killed him."

Hazel glanced uselessly at her friends. She and Frank had accompanied Percy to that quest to Alaska last year. But Percy was with them at all times... how could that be? When did Gaia kill him?

Controlled by Gaia...

"The muskeg." Realization dawned upon Hazel. "That muskeg when Gaia pulled him under. She could've pulled us deeper, but she let us go."

Frank's eyes widened with surprise. "No way. When Gaia was defeated, Percy – Percy's body should've died with her. His body is very much alive!"

"Or Gaia transplanted her consciousness into him." Annabeth's expression turned graver by the moment. "Gaia could appear anywhere. Where's Percy's body now?"

Will and Nico's expressions tensed.

"Where is he!" Piper yelled.

"His body's with Reyna," Will stuttered. "In Camp Jupiter..."

"... waging war against Camp Half-Blood," Nico murmured.

Annabeth's deceased friends gasped. There was no doubt that they hadn't kept up with the news.

"You have to stop him! Gaia! Whatever!" Luke cried. "That thing, that goddess cannot touch our camp!"

"We don't know how to get back up!" Annabeth blurted out. "Last time I was here I had those pearls from Poseidon!"

Silena gasped and fainted.

"We could go back where we came from," Jason suggested. He glanced sheepishly at Nico. "Could we?"

Nico shook his head.

"Furies," Beckendorf offered. "And Charon stopped shipping dead souls."

Jason turned to his friends. "No we can't."

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Wait," Frank said. "Percy died a hero. So that means he should be here. So why isn't he? The entire island is notified by your presence and I'm sure that he wants to see Annabeth again."

Hazel glanced at Annabeth. Her expression didn't waver, but her hands subconsciously went for the red coral pendant on her camp bead necklace. Percy had gifted her that pendant and it was her treasure ever since he was kidnapped by Juno. Hera. Whatever.

This Beckendorf had a point. All Percy had talked about back then was Annabeth this and Annabeth that. She hadn't exactly expected for her to judo-flip her boyfriend once they'd reunited. But still, it made a lasting impression.

Luke and the other demigods glanced at each other sceptically like they hadn't expected their friend's boyfriend to die first. Percy might be the strongest demigod in the entire demigod history, but a king always bows down to his Queen.

"This place has been informed about your presence," Silena said. "Not the other place."

Beckendorf glanced at Silena. "The Isles of the Blest."

They all turned their heads to the island in the distance, the party wilder than it is in Elysium.

"Worth a shot." Hazel shouldered her bag once more.

* * *

Unfortunately for Frank, he'd been serving as a flying taxi more times than anyone could count. Hazel had made a reminder to let Frank feel like a normal person and had tried so hard on fulfilling that promise, but the situations had shunned that promise aside.

After bidding Annabeth's friends a tearful farewell and promising to carry messages (Piper had bonded with Silena for the hate of Drew.), they headed towards the island.

This time no shadows emerged from Frank's belly for his sake. Soon they descended on the beach.

"Is it me or is his beach softer?" Hazel squeaked, the sand feeling like warm milk at her touch.

"It's the Isles of the Blest," Annabeth said it as a matter-of-factly. "Where people have achieved three chances to be in Elysium in three lives."

"So Percy did that?" Jason marvelled. "Did you know?"

Annabeth had developed a new interest in her shoes.

"No," she admitted. "After the war, we were a bit tense. I assumed that it was just shock and grief from Leo's stunt, but our relationship became more brittle and an insult to my Mother had crossed the line."

"What did he call Athena? Your Mother?" Frank asked meekly. "It's okay if you don't want to answer it."

The daughter of Athena closed her eyes like she was trying to repel the memory.

"He called her a delusional ass that couldn't take criticism that breaks her pride and so are her children." Annabeth clenched her fists. "If I had known that was Gaia... this war is my fault."

"Don't say that!" Piper wrapped her arms around the blonde. "You were tricked just like us. Don't blame yourself. Gaia had us all fooled."

"No!" Annabeth, for once, denied all logical reason. "I should've seen that he was acting so differently. Percy would never say that... he called Hera the goddess of hags once, but that was under dire circumstances!"

"Annabeth–"

"But then we broke up and Gaia was using that as a reason to test Percy's body's limits and he ended up at Camp Jupiter–"

"Annabeth..."

"Now he's trying to kill us all!"

"ANNABETH!"

Everyone stared at Hazel.

Her gold eyes were misty and shone angrily.

Why was she angry? She hardly gets angry! She was angry for her friend blaming herself for something that that wretched goddess Gaia had committed.

"You're not the one to fault," she started, trying to collect herself. "If anything, we all are the ones to blame. We all had failed to see the symptoms even if we were right by Percy's side the entire process. If you want someone to blame, blame me. I gave Gaia the power to rise. I should have stood up to my mother back then. I am the fool."

They all stared at Hazel, aghast.

Then followed by silence.

"Okay," said Annabeth softly. "I won't blame myself. Thank – thanks, Hazel."

Then Piper pulled her into the girls' group hug.

Suddenly it was just them, the three of them together, without a care in the world... No rampaging wars, no insane goddesses in their friend's body and definitely no deranged gods that messed up their lives.

"Ahem."

The girls disbanded quickly, flustered. They had momentarily forgot that they still remained on the Isle of the Blest.

The stranger with raven hair and crimson and sea-green eyes studied them intensely like he was trying to picture a scene. He was wearing an orange CHB tee and jeans.

And there was a tattoo embedded on his right forearm. A trident with a single stripe...

"Percy?"