Blood of the Sea

Chapter 8

Date: 12th of July 2083

Time: 11:50 p.m. New York Time Zone

Location: New York, New York

Epilogue (part 2)

Perseus pov

Taking a glance at my sleeping fiancée I smiled softly. I gave her a soft kiss on her forehead, stroking her cheek lovingly before silently getting up.
Today, though nearly over, was special.

Teleporting to my desired destination I looked around the old yet comfortably styled bedroom. A large double bed sat in the left corner, two people sleeping silently on it.

One of the two human beings started to stir and woke up from their sleep. Two stormy gray eyes glanced owlishly at me. She stared and stretched after sitting up, careful not to make any noise. Surprise and happiness were clearly visible in her expression, even through the layer of tiredness that seemed to be clouding everything.

I made a sign to be quiet and to follow me. Walking down the stairs I arrived in the hall that led to the living room. Birthday decoration and burned down candles were still placed everywhere. Someone apparently invested a lot of work here to make it look so lovely. Whoever that was definitely had talent and creativity.

The woman I once used to love entered the living room.

Old age seemed to treat her well. Her once honey blond hair had now fully turned white, shimmering in a mysterious silver colour in the dim light of the room. She still had it long even though it was now kept in a braid down her back. Her skin looked dry and sickly pale, but still alright considering her age.

Wrinkles, both of laughter and of sadness were all over her face. Yet, one could still see the beauty that she had once been gifted with when she was young. She had a kind expression, the strictness she once possessed had faded with the years.

Walking forward I embraced her in a tight hug. Making sure not to hurt her, especially now that she had grown old and so.. fragile. That was the only word I could come up with.

"Happy 90th birthday, Annabeth", I said, holding her by an arms length. She smiled thankfully, no sign of shyness or youthful blush left.

"Thank you, Percy", she responded, motioning for me to take a seat in one of the armchairs. I politely declined.

"I do hope you had a wonderful day.", I half asked, still having the hope that she would get to enjoy as much happiness as possible during her last few days.

"I did. My whole family gathered together. We celebrated, talked, ate... It really was amazing. And now, being able to see you, is truly a wonderful last birthday gift." She shifted in her seat until she was comfortable.

It was clear that even the small walk from the bedroom to here had exhausted her.

" Tell me though... How have you been doing in the last few years? Whenever you came to visit we barely talked. And on the few rare occasions when we did we only spoke about what was going on with my life." She said, throwing the ball back to me.

It was only fair though that she finally learned about what had happened to me. Hiding it for so long was exhausting.

" Alright, make yourself comfortable though. This will take a while." Once she had nodded at me after shifting in her seat, I started to tell my story.

"On my birthday, all these years ago, my father visited me in my dreams. There is a genetic... mutation, I guess you could call it that, that I inherited from my father. Apparently there are special abilities that can be inherited from the godly parent, such as breathing underwater or controlling water. Some children of Poseidon inherit more, others less of these abilities. As I understood it, it's pure coincidence just how much the child gets from the father. For me though... well, I guess I was always a bit of a special kid."

The small smile that appeared on her lips was sign enough for me to continue speaking. Remembering all the trouble I had caused it was pure luck that I made it as far as I got today.

At least I knew that I definitely had her full attention now .

"For reasons that are beyond me I inherited all of that gene. It's the reason why I was already so powerful as a demigod. I guess some things are truly up to the Fates alone to decide." Trailing of at the end I was caught up in a short moment of nonchalance before returning back to my story.

"My biggest problem was that I received so much of that gene that my human, mortal body couldn't exist much longer without adapting to the abilities I had originally inherited. "

A small spark of recognition of sorts seemed to flash in her eyes, though I ignored it and kept telling my story. I was sure she had always had her suspicions about me, but wasn't sure how much she could have figured out.

"The night of my 18th birthday my father visited me and told me everything. He came to take me with him, down to Atlantis. With all of you either being busy or afraid of me, not that I could blame any of you – I was honestly sacred of myself – It was no hard choice to go with him. After accepting godhood and receiving my domains I stayed with my immortal family.

They put me through lessons, teaching me the behavior of a royal family, the history but also how to handle and control my powers. Going there was definitely one of the best decisions of my life. I have not regretted it since." I finished, looking at what her reaction would be.

She had a small, yet sad smile resting on her lips. Her eyes held a spark of something in them that I couldn't quite recognize.

"You have always been a puzzle that was hard to figure out. And being honest, you did seem more to me than any demigod I had met. Therefore I am not that surprised that you would end up living with holy beings in a palace. Under the sea, I might add. However...", she mused, her eyes having glazed over during her musings, looking clouded and misty,

"Have you ever found love? True love, I mean?", she voiced her final thought, the spark from earlier returning to her eyes.

I exhaled slowly, letting go of a breath I didn't know I had been holding. I was not certain just why I seemed to anticipate her answer that much. Maybe I still feared that I would lose her friendship, even after all that time.

"Yes, I have. Even though it took me a few years longer than you", I laughed, thinking of the awkwardness I had felt only a few years after I had become immortal. Young and old women, men and even creatures had approached me after becoming an heir to the throne. An heir without a partner.

My parents had, after noticing just how uncomfortable I felt, made an announcement that I was not to be courted unless I initiated the courting myself. It gave me more freedom again. A freedom I was really glad to regain.

" I did finally propose only 3 years ago. I met my beloved Lyrea when visiting the market of the neighboring village. She was a young nymph that caught my eye. She was working in the royal guard over there, fighting a creature that had been trying to steel jewelry from citizens. I had wanted to help her but she stopped me, telling me to step back and watch my back. She is a fighter at heart, just like you always were. I guess I do have a certain type in woman, huh?" I laughed, feeling a bit lighter after thinking of the nymph that had stolen my heart.

Annabeth let her back rest against the chair she was sitting on, closing her eyes and smiling. It seemed as if she could let go of a burden that had still been resting on her shoulders. Thinking back on it, I recognized the spark from earlier as hope.

" I am glad you have found your place, Percy. You, of all people, deserve it most. You gave so much of your life for the sake of others that you always seemed to give up on being happy of your own. After all that time you finally found peace." She broke off, her voice having grown quieter with every word she spoke. Her eyes had closed, exhaustion catching up with her.

Chuckling softly, I went over to the couch and grabbed the blanket that was laying there. Covering the woman that would always be my biggest "what if" I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, stroking her cheek. Making sure not to wake her up, I put the gift I had hidden until now into her hands.

Straightening my back I took a deep breath before returning back home where my family was still sleeping.

The woman laying on the armchair that I left behind was now holding an ocean blue flower that was softly glowing in the dark.