a very long, and well awaited final chapter. thank you guys so much for your support and love on this book— it has truly shaped me into the author i am today. there will be an epilogue and a final author's note next chapter. i love all of you guys, and enjoy the final piece of anthízo. <3

THERE WAS NOTHING left of the giants except heaps of ash, a few spears, and some burning dreadlocks.

the argo II was still aloft, barely moored to the top of the parthenon. half the ship's oars were broken off or tangled. smoke streamed from several large splits in the hull. the sails were peppered with burning holes.

leo looked almost as bad. he stood in the midst of the temple with the other crew members, his face covered in soot, his clothes smoldering.

the gods fanned out in a semicircle as zeus approached. none of them seemed particularly joyful about their victory.

quickly joining percy's side, karina slid her hand into his, giving him a quick smile as he smiled back, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. both of them knew what was to come— gaea had risen, and there was going to be a fight. they wanted to enjoy every moment they had together while there was still calm in the air.

apollo and artemis stood together in the shadow of a column, as if trying to hide. hera and poseidon were having an intense discussion with karina's mother. nike tried to put a golden laurel wreath on hecate's head, but the goddess of magic swatted it away. hermes sneaked closer to athena, attempting to put his arm around her. athena turned her aegis shield his way and hermes scuffled off.

the only olympian who seemed in a good mood was ares. he laughed and pantomimed gutting an enemy while frank listened, his expression polite but queasy.

"brethren," zeus said, "we are healed, thanks to the work of these demigods. the athena parthenos, which once stood in this temple, now stands at camp half-blood. it has united our offspring, and thus our own essences."

"lord zeus," piper spoke up, "is reyna okay? nico and coach hedge?"

karina couldn't quite believe piper was asking after reyna's health, but she was glad she did.

zeus knit his cloud-colored eyebrows. "they succeeded in their mission. as of this moment they are alive. whether or not they are okay— "

"there is still work to be done," queen hera interrupted. she spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. "but my heroes . . . you have triumphed over the giants as i knew you would. my plan succeeded beautifully."

zeus turned on his wife. thunder shook the acropolis. "hera, do not dare take credit! you have caused at least as many problems as you fixed!"

the queen of heaven blanched. "husband, surely you see now— this was the only way."

"there is never only one way!" zeus bellowed. "that is why there are three fates, not one. is this not so?"

by the ruins of the giants king's throne, the three old ladies silently bowed their heads in recognition. karina noticed that the other gods stayed well away from the fates and their gleaming brass clubs.

"please, husband." hera tried for a smile, but she was so clearly frightened that karina almost felt sorry for her. "i only did what i— "

"silence!" zeus snapped. "you disobeyed my orders. nevertheless . . . i recognize that you acted with honest intentions. the valor of these eight heroes has proven that you were not entirely without wisdom."

hera looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut.

"apollo, however . . . " zeus glared into the shadows where the twins were standing. "my son, come here."

apollo inched forward like he was walking the plank. he looked so much like a teenage demigod it was unnerving— no more than seventeen, wearing jeans and a camp half-blood t-shirt, with a bow over his shoulder and a sword at his belt. with his tousled blond hair and blue eyes, he might've been jason's brother on the mortal side as well as the godly side.

karina wondered if apollo had assumed this form to be inconspicuous, or to look pitiable to his father. the fear in apollo's face certainly looked real, and also very human.

the three fates gathered around the god, circling him, their withered hands raised.

"twice you have defied me," zeus said.

apollo moistened his lips. "my— my lord— "

"you neglected your duties. you succumbed to flattery and vanity. you encouraged your descendant octavian to follow his dangerous path, and you prematurely revealed a prophecy that may yet destroy us all."

"but— "

"enough!" zeus boomed. "we will speak of your punishment later. for now, you will wait on olympus."

zeus flicked his hand, and apollo turned into a cloud of glitter. the fates swirled around him, dissolving into air, and the glittery whirlwind shot into the sky.

"what will happen to him?" jason asked.

the gods stared at him, but jason didn't seem to care. having actually met zeus, he had a newfound sympathy for apollo.

"it is not your concern," zeus said. "we have other problems to address."

an uncomfortable silence settled over the parthenon.

it didn't feel right to let the matter go. karina didn't see how apollo deserved to be singled out for punishment.

someone must take the blame, her mother had said.

but why?

"father," jason said. "i made a vow to honor all the gods. i promised kymopoleia that once this war is over, none of the gods would be without shrines at the camps."

zeus scowled. "that's fine. but . . . kym who?"

poseidon coughed into his fist. "she's one of mine."

"my point," jason said, "is that blaming each other isn't going to solve anything. that's how the romans and greeks got divided in the first place."

the air became dangerously ionized. karina's scalp tingled, and percy pulled her closer. jason was risking his father's wrath. he might get turned into glitter or blasted off the acropolis. he'd known his dad for five minutes and made a good impression. now he was throwing it away.

a good roman wouldn't keep talking.

jason kept talking. "apollo wasn't the problem. to punish him for gaea waking is— " he wanted to say stupid, but he caught himself. "— unwise."

"unwise." zeus's voice was almost a whisper. "before the assembled gods, you would call me unwise."

jason's his friends watched on full alert. percy looked like he was ready to jump in and fight at his side.

then artemis stepped out of the shadows. "father, this hero has fought long and hard for our cause. his nerves are frayed. we should take that into account."

jason started to protest, but artemis stopped him with a glance. her expression sent a message so clear she might have been speaking in his mind. thank you, demigod. but do not press this. i will reason with zeus when he is calmer.

"surely, father," the goddess continued, "we should attend to our more pressing problems, as you pointed out."

"gaea," annabeth chimed in, clearly anxious to change the topic. "she's awake, isn't she?"

zeus turned to her. "that is correct," he said. "the blood of olympus was spilled. she is fully conscious."

"oh, come on!" percy complained. "i get a little nosebleed and i wake up the entire earth? that's not fair!"

karina held back her laugh. she definitely shouldn't be laughing in a time like this.

athena shouldered her aegis. "complaining of unfairness is like assigning blame, percy jackson. it does no one any good." she gave jason an approving glance. "now you must move quickly. gaea rises to destroy your camp."

poseidon leaned on his trident. "for once, athena is right."

"for once?" athena protested.

"why would gaea be back at camp?" leo asked. "percy's nosebleed was here."

"dude," percy said. "first off, you heard athena— don't blame my nose. second, gaea's the earth. she can pop up anywhere she wants. besides, she told us she was going to do this. she said the first thing on her to-do list was destroying our camp. question is, how do we stop her?"

frank looked at zeus. "um, sir, your majesty, can't you gods just pop over there with us? you've got the chariots and the magic powers and whatnot."

"yes!" hazel said. "we defeated the giants together in two seconds. let's all go— "

"no," zeus said flatly.

"no?" jason asked. "but, father— "

zeus's eyes sparked with power. "that's the problem with prophecies," he growled. "when apollo allowed the prophecy of eight to be spoken, and when hera took it upon herself to interpret the words, the fated wove the future in such a way that it had only so many possible outcomes, so many solutions. you eight, the demigods, are destined to defeat gaea. we, the gods, cannot."

"i don't get it," piper said. "what's the point of being gods if you have to rely on puny mortals to do your bidding?"

all the gods exchanged dark looks. aphrodite, however, laughed gently and kissed her daughter. "my dear piper, don't you think we've been asking ourselves that question for thousands of years? but it is what binds us together, keeps us eternal. we need you mortals as much as you need us. annoying as that may be, it's the truth."

frank shuffled uncomfortably, like he missed being an elephant. "so how can we possibly get to camp half-blood in time to save it? it took us months to reach greece."

"the winds," jason said. "father, can't you unleash the winds to send our ship back?"

zeus glowered. "i could slap you back to long island."

"oh," karina said.

"um, was that a joke, or a threat, or— "

"no," zeus said, "i mean it quite literally. i could slap your ship back to camp half-blood, but the force involved . . . "

over by the ruined giant throne, the grungy god in the mechanic's uniform shook his head. "my boy leo has built a good ship, but it won't sustain that kind of stress. it would break apart as soon as it arrived, maybe sooner."

leo straightened his tool belt. "the argo II can make it. it only has to stay in one piece long enough to get us back home. once there, we can abandon ship."

"dangerous," warned hephaestus. "perhaps fatal."

the goddess nike twirled a laurel wreath on her finger. "victory is always dangerous. and it often requires sacrifice. leo valdez and i have discussed this." she stared pointedly at leo.

"leo," annabeth said. "what is nike talking about?"

karina looked away. she couldn't bear to face any of her friends— knowing she knew something they didn't. something she wished she didn't know at all.

leo waved off the question. "the usual. victory. sacrifice. blah, blah, blah. doesn't matter. we can do this, guys. we have to do this."

a feeling of dread settled over karina. zeus was correct about one thing: the worst was yet to come. especially for karina.

"leo's right," jason said. "all aboard for one last trip."

everyone dispersed, but before karina could go aboard the ship, her mother stopped her.

"karina," demeter said. "one moment, please."

zeus turned to the goddess. "demeter, there is no time— "

"just one minute," she said, giving him a knowing look. "please."

the lord of the sky glanced at karina, then back at demeter. "make it quick," he gruffed, and walked off.

once he was gone, the plant goddess turned to her daughter, smiling down softly at her. "i'm very proud of you, my little flower."

karina tried for a smile, but it was weak. "i'm doing my best," she said, and demeter placed her hand on her cheek.

"you are doing what even the gods cannot undergo," she said. "and i can't be more grateful to call you my daughter."

for some reason, karina felt herself grow emotional from her mother's words. maybe it was from the fact that she'd always had a thought in the back of her mind that her mother was disappointed in her— that she was ashamed to have karina in her lineage. when demeter never reached out to her, she began to think that there was a reason— that reason being that the goddess had given up on her. that karina had failed her. but, hearing these words in person, in real life, made all of those worries slip away. all of those harbored emotions and insecurities that she'd carried with her for years were finally gone.

karina swallowed. "i don't know if i can do it," she whispered, her voice shaky. she knew that demeter knew what she was talking about. going back to face gaea meant karina was down to the wire with options. life or death. and she didn't know if she could make the decision for herself if it came down to the fate of the world.

her mother stroked her hair softly, her smile now sad. "it's going to be alright," she said. "you will be able to do what must be done when the time comes. i know you will."

karina's bottom lip quivered. "i . . . " her voice broke. "i don't want to do this, mom. i don't . . . i can't— "

demeter stopped karina by pulling her into her arms, wrapping her head into her chest. her daughter silently cried into the soft green robes of her dress, demeter slowly stroking the back of her head to soothe her. this hurt demeter as much as it hurt karina. she was her daughter. the daughter that had made her more proud than she had ever been of any of her children. karina ashwood was special to her. it wasn't easy, even for a god, to say goodbye.

"my love," the goddess soothed. "everything is going to be okay in the end. at some point in our life, we deserve peace. you will get that peace, karina. no matter how it may come upon you— i promise, it will come to you."

karina pulled away with a defeated look on her face, but she also looked like she'd accepted herself, and what was to come.

"promise?" she asked softly, sounding more weak than she wanted to. it felt childish to ask such a question, but karina truly felt small as she stood completely broken down in front of her goddess mother. all she wanted was reassurance in this moment— reassurance that no matter what happened, everything was going to be okay.

demeter kissed her daughter's forehead. "i promise, my love."

THE LAST THE demigods saw of zeus, he was was a hundred feet tall, holding the argo II by its prow. he boomed, HOLD ON!

then he tossed the ship up and spiked it overhand like a volleyball.

if karina hadn't been strapped to the mast with one of leo's twenty-point safety harnesses, she would have disintegrated. as it was, her stomach tried to stay behind in greece and all the air was sucked out of her lungs.

the sky turned black. the ship rattled and creaked. the deck cracked like thin ice under karina's legs, and with a sonic boom, the argo II hurtled out of the clouds.

"karina!" percy shouted, from beside her. "hurry!"

her fingers felt like melted plastic, but karina managed to undo the straps.

leo was lashed to the control console, desperately trying to right the ship as they spiraled downward in free fall. the sails were on fire. festus creaked in alarm. a catapult peeled away and lifted into the air. centrifugal force sent the shields flying off the railings like metal frisbees.

wider cracks opened in the deck as karina staggered toward the holds using percy's hand to keep herself anchored.

the hatch burst open. frank, hazel, and jason stumbled through, pulling on the guide rope they'd attached to the mast. karina, percy, piper, and annabeth followed, all of them looking disoriented.

"go!" leo yelled. "go! go! go!"

for once, leo's tone was deadly serious.

they'd talked through their evacuation plan, but that slap across the world had made karina's mind sluggish. judging from the others' expressions, they weren't in much better shape.

buford the table saved them. he clattered across the deck with his holographic hedge blaring, "LET'S GO! MOVE IT! CUT THAT OUT!"

then his tabletop split into helicopter blades and buford buzzed away.

frank changed form. instead of a dazed demigod, he was now a dazed gray dragon. hazel and annabeth climbed onto his neck. frank grabbed percy and karina in his front claws, then spread his wings and soared away.

karina made the mistake of looking down. the view was a spinning kaleidoscope of sky, earth, sky, earth. the ground was getting awfully close.

she took one last look at the splintering ship.

the argo II had been their home for so long. now they were abandoning it for good— and leaving leo behind.

karina hated it, but she saw the determination in leo's eyes before she left. there was no time for a proper good-bye.

the ground wasn't much less chaotic.

as they plummeted down, karina saw a vast army of monsters spread across the hills— cynocephali, two-headed men, wild centaurs, ogres, and others she couldn't even name— surrounding two tiny islands of demigods. at the crest of half-blood hill, gathered at the feet of the athena parthenos, was the main force of camp half-blood along with the first and fifth cohorts, rallied around the golden eagle of the legion. the other three roman cohorts were in a defensive formation several hundred yards away and seemed to be taking the brunt of the attack.

giant eagles circled jason, screeching urgently, as if looking for orders.

frank the gray dragon flew alongside with his passengers.

"hazel!" jason yelled. "those three cohorts are in trouble! if they don't merge with the rest of the demigods— "

"on it!" hazel said. "go, frank!"

dragon frank veered to the left with annabeth yelling, "let's get 'em!" and percy in the claw screaming, "i hate flying!"

piper and jason veered right toward the summit of half-blood hill.

flying down toward the three other cohorts, hazel, frank, and karina dismounted, while percy and annabeth went to unite the greeks.

but, before percy and karina split, the son of poseidon grabbed karina's waist and brought her lips to his, kissing her with more passion than he ever had before.

pulling away, karina was breathless. he kissed her again, more softly this time.

"it's time to end this," he said firmly. "for once and for all."

karina smiled. maybe she did have a little hope for this battle. "let's end this."

percy grinned. "hell yeah. dinner at my place tomorrow?"

karina laughed and shoved him off. "only if i get to meet sally."

he winked at her. "we'll see."

him and annabeth raced off, leaving hazel, frank, and karina to unite the roman forces.

"romans!" frank boomed. "we must just with our allies! fight together! all hail!"

"HAIL!" the legion boomed, and advanced with frank and karina leading on foot, and on the left flank, hazel on arion.

"repellere equites!" frank yelled.

a massive herd of centaurs parted in a panic as the legion's other three cohorts plowed through in perfect formation, their spears bright with monster blood. frank marched before them. hazel beamed with pride.

karina saw reyna at the top of the hill, and a grin stretched across her face. it seemed reyna had also seen her, because a smile that karina hadn't seen in years spread across her face at the sight of her.

"ave, praetor zhang!" reyna called.

"ave, praetor ramírez-arellano!" frank said. "let's do this. legion, CLOSE RANKS!"

a cheer went among the romans as the five cohorts melded into one massive killing machine. frank pointed his sword forward, and from the golden eagle standard, tendrils of lightning swept across the enemy, turning several hundred monsters to dust.

"legion, cuneum formate!" reyna yelled. "advance!"

another cheer on the right as percy and annabeth reunited with the forces of camp half-blood.

"greeks!" percy yelled. "let's, um, fight stuff!"

they yelled like banshees and charged.

karina let out a delighted laugh. they had no organization whatsoever, but they made up for it with enthusiasm.

karina was feeling good about the battle, except for two big questions: where was leo? and where was gaea?

she could feel her strength rippling through her as she stood on the soil of the earth goddess herself— so she knew she was close. but she hadn't made her appearance yet. what was she waiting for?

unfortunately, she got the second answer first.

under her feet, the earth rippled as if half-blood hill had become a giant water mattress. demigods fell. ogres slipped. centaurs charged face-first into the grass.

AWAKE, a voice boomed all around them, and karina's vision went blank.

a hundred yards away, at the crest of the next hill, the grass and dirt swirled upward line the point of a massive drill. the column of earth thickened into the twenty-foot-tall figure of a woman— her dress woven from blades of grass, her skin as white as quartz, her hair brown and tangled like tree roots.

"little fools." gaea the earth mother opened her pure green eyes. "the paltry magic of your statue cannot contain me."

as she said it, they realized why gaea hadn't appeared until now. the athena parthenos had been protecting the demigods, holding back the wrath of the earth, but even athena's might could only last so long against a primordial goddess.

fear as palpable as a cold front washed over the demigod army.

"stand fast!" piper shouted, her charmspeak clear and loud. "greeks and romans, we can fight her together!"

gaea laughed. she spread her arms and the earth bent toward her— trees tilting, bedrock groaning, soil rippling in waves. jason rose on the wind, but all around him, monsters and demigod alike started to sink into the ground. one of octavian's onagers capsized and disappeared into the side of the hill.

"it is not just me you must worry about now," gaea boomed, an evil smile on her face. "karina ashwood— heed to me!"

jason's heart stopped in his chest. it was as if the air around him collapsed, and he was barely registering anything other sounds around him.

karina ashwood, standing directly in the middle of the battle, straightened her body completely. her eyes were solid gold, and green mist swirled around her body like vines. her veins all the way to her fingertips glowed gold, and her gladius was a held strongly in her left hand and she stared hardly as gaea— her focus only on the earth goddess.

a pathway had been cleared in front of karina, allowing her direct access straight to the earth goddess, but no one moved. everyone stared at karina in horror as she stared obediently at gaea, awaiting her command. she looked nothing like the karina they had just seen seconds ago. her face was pale— almost white— and her eyes were so lifeless and gold that they looked fake. her stare was as cold as ice, almost like a porcelain doll. lifeless, and dull.

her friends had been praying that this wouldn't happen. they bowed down and prayed to every god they could think of— pleading for karina to be safe. they all had a small piece of hope that maybe, just maybe, she would be safe. that they would defeat gaea in time for karina to stay as herself and fight alongside them.

but they were wrong. and it was already too late.

"no!" a distant voice shouted, and jason didn't even have to see the person to know it was percy.

gaea chuckled. "you insolent mortals! try going against your own kind, now. karina ashwood— kill them all."

"no," jason whispered, his insides feeling like they were turning into liquid.

karina turned to the crowd of demigods, and not even a second later— chaos broke loose. vines erupted from the ground, choking and throwing innocent demigods all around the camp. more cracks formed in the earth as karina extended her arms wide, willing the earth to her command. trees bent toward her— branches twisting and whacking demigods into the sky. she didn't even have to move— she was too powerful now. the earth was completely bent to her will.

any demigod or monster that got even remotely close to her was smashed away by either a large rock or the earth itself caving in and shooting the enemy away. karina's stare never faltered, but her face was flat, as if there was no emotion or thought behind her eyes. it was like gaea had sucked the humanity out of karina completely— leaving her to be a cold, mindless killer.

exactly what gaea wanted.

"the whole earth is my body," gaea boomed. "how would you fight the goddess of— "

FOOOOMP!

in a flash of bronze, gaea was swept off the hillside, snarled in the claws of a fifty-ton metal dragon. but, it was too late. karina was already gone.

festus, reborn, rose into the sky on gleaming wings, spewing fire from his maw triumphantly. as he ascended, the rider on his back got smaller and more difficult to discern, but leo's grin was unmistakable.

"pipes! jason!" he shouted down. "you coming? the fight is up here!"

AS SOON AS gaea achieved liftoff, the ground solidified.

demigods stopped sinking, though many were still buried up to their waists, and karina hadn't stopped her wrath. sadly, the monsters seemed to be digging themselves out more quickly. they charged the greek and roman ranks, taking advantage of the demigods' disorganization.

jason found percy running up to him before he and piper took off.

"i need you to snap her out of it," jason said urgently to percy, who looked just as distressed. "we can still save her— but i think you're the only one who can."

percy shook his head. "i can't even get close to her. she's destroying everything, man. she'll kill me."

"find a way," piper said hardly. she looked just as scared for karina as jason was. "there's still time. she's not gone yet."

percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "i— okay, okay. yeah. you're right."

jason put a strong hand on his shoulder, looking through son of poseidon in the eyes. "save her."

percy nodded, and at that moment karina sent a wave of sharp rocks over the greek forces. annabeth called to him, "hey! problem over here!" percy ran to join her.

percy didn't know what to do. all around karina, a dark green mist flicked and whipped nearby monsters and demigods— sending them into the ground, or in any different direction. she was almost untouchable. everywhere she looked, someone got hurt. he didn't want to give in the fact that he was growing scared of her. he promised her that he would never be. he needed to keep that promise.

annabeth deflected an arrow from a nearby skeleton warrior. she looked nervous, and for once, it seemed like she didn't have a solution to this problem. "i can't get through to her," she said. "there's no weak point that will allow me to hit her without her noticing."

percy sliced through a nearby empousa. "there has to be something," he said desperately. "gaea isn't perfect. there has to be a flaw."

karina raised her hands into the air. large craters cracked and exploded from the ground— launching a group of roman warriors into the sky, and out of sight.

annabeth turned to him. "are you sure about that?"

percy let out a groan of frustration. he felt so helpless as he stood there with no idea on how to save her. but, he couldn't just give up on karina that easily. he knew that she wasn't gone. she couldn't be. he felt it in his whole body that he had the ability to save her. she was the love of his life— he wouldn't give up on her.

but, he also couldn't let her keep killing innocent lives. with gaea in control, karina's mind was completely fried— almost to nothing at all. she had no control over her actions, making her a mindless killing machine. this is exactly what gaea had warned him about. she had known this whole time that karina would become a puppet to her control— no matter how much the daughter of ceres fought against her.

"greeks, romans, retreat!" annabeth yelled. "stay away from karina! fight alongside each other, and stay alive!"

the greeks and romans all hastily retreated, firing the last of their arrows and swinging their swords, before collectively moving to another battle— away from karina.

percy and annabeth stayed still as karina turned to them, and the sight alone made percy wish he had ran away with them.

her eyes— so warm and inviting— now cold and dark. her skin as white as snow, and her hair had streaks of grey now prominently in the mixture of her brown locks. her whole body was doused in a green shroud, almost like a shield, with vine-like tentacles of mist hissing and slithering around her. her veins pulsed with power, shining gold as she gripped her gladius, and stood with a type of dominance and power that percy had never seen from her before.

percy uncapped riptide, and annabeth stood beside him with her drakon-bone sword, the two of them watching to see what her first move would be.

"percy," annabeth whispered as karina walked closer, gripping her gladius tighter. "distract her long enough for me to find a weak point. she won't kill you— i know she won't."

"you sure about that?" percy squeaked karina became only a few feet away now, raising her gladius. she was going to fight one-on-one with only her weapon. to say percy and annabeth were shocked was an understatement. she looked deadly. the look in her eyes showing that she had no mercy for the two of them— no matter how close they were. that didn't matter anymore. she would kill anyone in sight.

"trust me," annabeth said quickly. "ready?"

"no."

"good. now!"

annabeth dived to the side as karina lashed out toward her, and she managed to swipe off a piece of her hair— but nothing more. the daughter of athena rolled out of the way, just inches from karina's blade, and raced behind her, getting out of sight.

percy was on his own.

he had no time to prepare for what karina was bringing him. as soon as she attacked, she didn't stop. her face remained completely blank as her and percy went one-on-one, her blade swiping through him faster than he had ever had to keep up with before. her strength was amplified to 100 percent with gaea's control. she was unbeatable, and percy knew that.

all he needed to do was distract her.

"rina, please," percy breathed out as she swiped across his chest, slicing his shirt open. he stepped back a step, giving him barely a second to breathe before she hit him again, the dull end of her gladius slamming into his temple.

he stumbled backward, feeling disoriented. his plan to keep her distracted wouldnt work if he got killed within three minutes of fighting her. he had to stay strong. for karina— he would do anything.

standing upright, percy swiped his sword in front of him, arching the blade to make karina go backward. he tried his best to quickly react to her moment of weakness, and he jabbed at her arm. he couldn't make himself hit her anywhere else. but he missed, and instead karina moved to the side and slashed her blade across his, knocking his sword out of his hands.

that wasn't good.

percy was now completely defenseless, and karina didn't care. she advanced quickly, and percy stumbled backward, beginning to pray to whatever god what listening to help him in any way possible. green vines began to wrap around his legs, and percy faltered in his movements. he couldn't move.

his heart rate began to increase as he tried to rip the vines off his feet, but he knew that it would be useless. he'd seen what karina can do— her vines only tightened with struggle— so that left him to stand helplessly as she swung her gladius around her hand, going in for the kill.

where was annabeth? percy wondered to himself as he braced himself for death. he couldn't believe himself when he realized that he might die from the hands of the girl he was in love with. from the girl that kept him going when he was completely alone, with no memories to keep him anchored. she was his rock. she was his lifeline. she was the person that he found solstice in when he felt so tired, so alone. when he had nobody, she was there. the one person who he swore was going to stay with him for the rest of his life, was going to end it right now.

but, then he realized something. why hadn't she done it sooner?

karina hadn't used her powers a single time as she was fighting him. all this time, she'd killed demigods and monsters from a single swipe of her hand, sending rocks and craters to them, and she could've done the same to percy. but, instead, she had chosen combat . . . something percy was excelled in.

percy's eyes widened as his heart bloomed in his chest. karina was still in there. she was still fighting. she'd made herself go against percy in something that he had even a slight chance at beating her at. sword fighting. she knew he wouldn't have a chance if she just used her powers against him— so she channeled her strength into something that the both of them were skilled in. something that percy could fight against.

it was too late when he realized it. karina was already inches away from slicing his throat. only one more flick of her wrist, and her blade was sinking straight through his neck, and he would be dead. his blood wound coat the earth like water hydrating the soil. his blood was power to gaea— and with it, she would grow. she would flourish with the death of percy jackson. and it would be from karina ashwoods' hand. the love of his life, would be the cause of his downfall. the girl that he swore to his mother that he was going to marry someday, would end his life before he even got the chance to ask.

and it was all gaea's fault.

but then, karina stopped.

her blade, the cold metal pressing against the tan skin of percy's neck, remained still as she looked into the sea green eyes of the boy she loved. percy didn't move, there breathes in sync as she exhaled heavily, her lips quivering as her faced remained lifeless. her hands shook with effort as the blade didn't move— her grip as white as her face as she strained under the force of stopping herself.

percy stared at her, his eyes boring into her gold ones. he didn't dare try to run. he didn't fight. he stayed still completely still. annabeth was right. karina couldn't kill percy.

"rina," percy whispered, his voice shaky. "come back to me."

for a moment, percy thought that his words might actually work. that in this moment, karina had realized who she truly was— and that everything was going to be okay. her eyes would turn back to their normal jade green that percy adored. her arms would fade into her normal skin tone, and her face would revert back to how it always looked— with her slight rose blush and freckles that scattered her cheeks and nose like constellations. percy had a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, he was able to fix her.

but, he was wrong.

when the words escaped his mouth, karina's eyes darkened, and her lips went still, along with her shaking hands. everything stilled— her movements, her trembling body, her lips, her thoughts, and his, and everything seemed to stop. his idea that he had helped her was gone. his heart was stopped in his chest— or so it felt like it. it was just the two of them. the two of them staring at each other, waiting for death.

percy accepted his death. if he was going to die, at least he would go out with the love of his life being the last thing his eyes see ever again. it was almost like his brain had calmed down with the realization that death . . . wasn't going to be as bad as he thought. he wasn't scared. he was ready for what was to come. he knew he would see karina again, maybe in another life. they could be together forever— just as they wanted. his heart was beating again, but it wasn't rapid. it was calm.

"i love you," percy said. one final goodbye. and he took his last breath.

but then the pressure was gone.

he felt a gust of wind blow across his exposed neck, and the sound of a gasp was heard in front of him. he opened his eyes to see karina kneeling down in front of him— annabeth standing behind her with a bloody blade in her hand, looking petrified at what she just did.

karina's leg was bleeding— the same one that had been stabbed a countless number of times. that was the weak point. that was where the blood that awoke gaea came from. where the giant stabbed her. and it's where the main focus of her struggle has been for the past couple of weeks. this was where she was most vulnerable. annabeth was right again.

"i had to," annabeth muttered. percy saw that her hands were shaking. "i had to do it. i had to . . . " it was like she was trying to reassure herself that she was in the right. (which, she was, but it was hard when you're forced to stab one of your closest friends and act like it's justiciable).

karina groaned from his feet, and he quickly knelt in front of her. her eyes were flickering from gold to green, and her arms were dimming in color. it seemed like the stab from annabeth had managed to disassociate karina with gaea for a few moments— and percy was going to make sure these moments counted.

"percy, please . . . " karina said quietly, her voice quivering. "you— you have to kill me."

percy immediately shook his head. "no, don't say that, rina. you're going to be okay."

she shook her head. tears were falling down her face. "i can't keep killing innocent people," she looked around the battle field, where chaos was erupting everywhere she turned. half of it was caused by her. "it's all my fault." she whispered the last part. her eyes were beginning to change again.

annabeth knelt down beside percy. she had tears in her eyes as well. "karina, none of this is your fault. your mind isn't in your control. she's controlling you."

annabeth didn't even have to say the name for karina to know who she was talking about.

karina let the tears slide down her face. "that's why you need to kill me," she whispered, her voice cracking. percy refused to believe that this was the only way. there had to be another solution.

percy swallowed, and shook his head. "there has to be another way," he said stubbornly. "i refuse to believe there isn't."

karina had been hoping for weeks that percy's words might be right. she'd gone over hundreds of different scenarios of this battle— what was happening right now— and how it could end without karina dying.

only one scenario did.

and . . . if leo managed to pull off what he had planned, maybe it would work. just maybe . . . she could get through this. she prayed to every god that was listening that she could be right.

she deserved peace, after all, right?

"there's not much time," she groaned, "i can feel her coming back."

percy pressed a kiss to her forehead. "i'm not leaving you," he said. "i won't let you die to her, okay? i'm going to— "

he was cut off by a sword being slammed into his forehead.

he fell backward, his head pounding. from the corner of his eye, he saw annabeth cradling her head as well, blood dripping down the side of it. standing up in front of them, karina stood tall and dominant— her eyes glowing gold, along with the veins in her arms. she had her gladius at the ready, vines drawing closer to the pair of demigods who were disoriented on the ground below her.

she was going to kill them.

"annabeth, we have to go," percy said quickly, struggling to move. annabeth groaned in pain.

he hastily moved the two of them backwards, trying to escape the vines. karina continued toward them, her menacing look sending shivers through percy's body. annabeth, finally regaining some focus, began to use her own hands to back herself up against a tree, her face plastered with fear. as did percy's.

"we're out of time," annabeth said quietly, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "we can't save her."

percy didn't respond. he didn't want to admit she was right. she couldn't be. karina was right in front of him. his karina. she couldn't be gone. his mind refused to accept it.

he grabbed annabeth's hand as he let his eyes grow watery as karina stepped closer to them, the vines wrapping tight around their bodies. they couldn't go anywhere. they were completely trapped. and they were going to die.

at least they were together. dying alongside his best friend seemed to make the death part feel easier. annabeth would always be by his side. even until death. and they were just now seeing that.

but then, an explosion sounded, and the entire sky turned gold.

KARINA STUMBLED backward, her head pounding and body feeling weak as she watched the sky erupt into flames and gold. it was as if the sun had exploded right in front of her eyes.

the vines that had trapped percy and annabeth immediately disappeared, and they got up with smiles on their faces, laughing in relief hugging each other.

leo had done it. gaea was gone.

cheers of joy erupted through the crowds of people as monsters began to dissolve, being swallowed by the earth as demigods ran around, hugging and screaming in relief and happiness. a new chaos had began to erupt through the camp— the chaos of celebration.

percy ran up to karina, a huge grin on his face as he turned her toward him. but, when he saw that she wasn't smiling, his expression faltered.

"karina?" he asked cautiously. she had a look of on her face that she didn't need to have anymore. gaea was gone. and she was alive. she'd done it. she'd beat her. why wasn't she happy?

she shook her head, her eyes flickering gold again. "it's not right," she said nervously. "i . . . i still feel her. i still— "

her voice was cut off when a dark, echoing laugh boomed across the fields, making all the demigods' cheering come to a complete stop. the trees rippled as the sound ripped across the field like a harsh wind, breaking through the atmosphere like a nuclear bomb.

you insolent mortals, gaea laughed. thinking you can defeat me? i am the earth mother! i am the creator of all land! you can't defeat me!

a rippled of terror spread through the camp like a cold wind. percy's heart dropped. leo had done it . . . right? his plan was supposed to work. he was supposed to defeat gaea. why wasn't she gone?

he knew his answer when it was too late. and karina had disappeared from his side.

he turned to annabeth. "where did she go?" he asked, his voice turning worried. "where's karina?"

annabeth had tears streaming down her face, her hand going up to cover her mouth. she couldn't even look at him. she couldn't dare look into his eyes with the information that she knew.

"annabeth," percy said hardly, his voice shaking. "where's karina?"

she turned to him, sobs escaping her lips in shuddered breaths. she shook her head. "it's too late," she said, her voice breaking. "there can't be another way— "

percy's heart rate began to increase. his ears felt as if all the blood in his brain was draining into them, because his hearing was growing strained. he felt like his heart was swelling into his lungs. he couldn't breathe.

"where is she?" he asked, his voice growing loud. "annabeth, where did she go?!"

annabeth's face was broken. she looked so pained, it hurt look her in the eyes. tears wouldn't stop flowing from her face. it was like she was breaking a vow that she'd made to herself. her sobs racked through her body violently, that she had to lean up against the tree to not fall.

"there is no other way."

THERE WAS no other way. karina knew that, now. as soon as the dark, menacing laugh of gaea rippled across the hills, she knew it was too late. the fears that had been clouding her brain like parasites for the past few weeks had finally become her reality. the dark words that gaea had whispered in her ear as she slept were finally confirmed true. karina had always had hope that gaea's words were false— that she was just trying to get her and her friends to give up. to surrender and allow her to continue on with her wicked plan to destroy the world. she'd hoped . . . she'd prayed . . . that all of this was a lie.

but no matter how cruel, and sinister the earth goddess was, if karina had learned one thing from the past few months of being under her control— it was that gaea wasn't a liar.

annabeth turned to her as soon as the fear that drew across the camp had settled in, and she knew. she knew what karina had to do. she always did. the daughter of athena was too smart not to think otherwise.

no matter how thought out, and planned leo valdez's plan was, it wouldn't work. and deep down . . . karina ashwood had always known that it wouldn't. but her false hope had clouded those feelings with determination to succeed. her prayers and wishful thinking allowed her have a small sliver of belief that everything was going to be okay.

karina smiled at annabeth as tears began to fall down her face. the smile wasn't sad, nor was it pitiful. it was . . . genuine. it was a smile that karina knew she would want annabeth to have in her mind as the last image of her she'd ever have.

annabeth nodded, her face plastered with tears, and karina turned, and walked into a bush, and out of sight.

she couldn't face percy.

she knew if she did . . . she wouldn't be able to leave. percy was her anchor. he was what held her in place. figuratively and literally. wherever percy was, karina never strayed too far, or willingly left his side. he was a magnet to her magnet of a heart. he was her lifeline. he kept her stable in times of chaos. the touch of his hand. the smell of his skin. the feeling of his hair between her fingers. it all kept her grounded. her body remained calm when he was around. karina's mind always seemed to slow down when percy's sea green eyes were looking into her own. the sight of his face made her brain melt in the most pleasant of ways. it seemed to make the pain of keeping gaea out of her mind easier.

he made it easier to fight back.

and if she even took one look at him before turning away, she would be breaking a promise to herself that she swore to keep. no matter what circumstances. she was going to keep that promise. the promise to protect her friends— no matter what.

she loved him too much to say goodbye.

walking out of the tree line, karina thought about her mother's words from earlier. "at some point in our life, we deserve peace."

karina had never really thought about having peace. she'd considered her time of peace is whenever she was with percy. whether it was when they were laying in her bed, with his head on her chest and her hands in his hair as he slept, or when they were walking through the streets of europe, hand-in-hand like normal teenagers on their days off. or maybe when karina was with caelius, riding through the hills of camp jupiter— the wind blowing through her hair, and sun warming her tanned skin. not a single care in the world.

that was her definition of peace.

but, as she walked through the chaos and destructive crowds of greeks and romans, and straight towards the earth goddess, time seemed to slow down. everything around her blurred, and the voices around her faded to nothing. the chaos didn't affect her. she felt that she had grown to have a new definition of peace.

peace was when you were truly out of your mind. not in a psychopathic way— but in the way that means you are completely making decisions based on how you feel, and not how your mind feels. your body gets to makes your decisions— not the small voice in the back of your mind.

karina's mind has always been clustered. even from a young age, stress had plagued her mind like a dark matter. a mysterious potion that had been brewed and mixed, muddling her brain into one pile of anxiety. from her young age, her dad engraved an everlasting effect on the way her brain works— the way it analyzes things, or how it solved problems. even the way she saw certain things is because of him. this caused her to always overthink. how she was always one step ahead. since, because of him, she always had to be. she never knew what his next reaction was going to be— so she always had to be prepared.

and when gaea began to infiltrate her mind, things got even more complicated. karina couldn't decipher what thoughts were her's, and which thoughts were gaea's. she always had to be thinking hard, and clearly, or else the earth goddess would slip something into her mind that wasn't there before, and karina would never know.

gaea's whispers never helped either. her words were like knives stabbing into the back of her eyes— causing her mental and physical pain every time she tried to sway, or manipulate karina in any possible way. it was a voice in the back of her mind, always telling her of the malicious, and absolutely cruel things she should do to her friends. how she should join her— live in grace and luxury as the earth goddess's puppet. it was so tempting just to give in so that the voices would stop. they drove her crazy at every minute of the day, that she almost wished that someone could knock her out she didn't have to hear them.

but . . . as she walked through these pits of chaos, karina heard nothing but the sound of her own tunes in her ears. her mind was completely blank of any stress, or worry, or anything that may cause her uneasiness. she felt almost complete calamity in this moment.

maybe this was what her mother meant by peace. it wasn't with someone, or caused by something.

it was with herself.

"you will get that peace, karina. no matter how it may come upon you— i promise, it will come to you."

for once . . . karina thinks that this peace was finally upon her.

she was getting close enough to gaea over the hill that she could see her form clearly from where she was standing. there were no more monsters to defeat, no more enemies to kill. only one was left.

and this enemy was karina's, and karina's only.

as she grew closer, she saw nico run up from the side of the hillside, will solace at his heels. he must've seen her walking from a mile away, because when he got within vocal distance, the look on his face already gave away what he knew.

karina paused, smiled at him, and mouthed, it's okay. she refused to let any tears fall as she saw nico's face turn from dismay to knowing, and he gave her a single nod. she couldn't sworn she saw his lip quiver. she would never find out if that were true or not.

nico was someone karina had kept very close to her. she protected him like he was her own flesh and blood. she knew how much he'd gone through— how much he'd seen, experienced, lived through. he'd told her so much, that seeing him look at her the way he did made her heart crack a little. he'd already lost so much. and now he was just going to lose someone else.

he knew what had to be done. karina could only hope that knowledge would make the pain a little easier to bear.

she was almost to the hill. it was almost time.

the closer she got, the more relaxed she felt. soon enough, all of her pain would be taken away, as would everyone else's. gaea would be gone. peace would spread along through the world like a wildfire, dousing the lands with fresh, and clean relief. she was content knowing that because of what she's doing, the fate of the world will be secured, and she can rest peacefully knowing that the world behind here, is safe.

oh, my dear, gaea purred as karina walked up the hill. i'm glad you have decided to join me. it was the wisest decision.

"i haven't come to join you," karina said strongly, unsheathing her gladius from her necklace. "i've come to end you."

gaea laughed. a loud, sonic-boom-like sound that echoed through the valley. it caused fear to spread across the demigods once again as they watched the daughter of ceres go up against gaea completely alone. they had no idea what was happening.

"karina, stop!" a distant voice sounded. she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. but he was too far away, he wouldn't make it in time. "don't do this!"

you've come to kill me? gaea asked mockingly, her smile deep, and menacing. karina should've been terrified, and maybe she was, but her anger overrode any other feelings that may be coursing through her body. she'd been waiting for this moment. this was her moment. and how are you to do that? with your gladius?

karina stared directly into gaea's eyes when she spoke. "i've lived with your spirit inside me for months now," she began. "you tormented me. tortured me. forced me to do your bidding. you made me betray, and go against my friends— my family. you've whispered manipulations and threats into my head, trying to get me to join you. you made me the way i am today— and now i'm going to end it."

gaea smiled, but it was far from friendly. it was almost pitiful— mocking. your bravery is admired by me, dear. i figure you know that already. that's why i chose you to be my warrior. your loyalties lie to what is important to you. and under my control, the only thing important to you . . . is me.

"you don't have any control over me," karina said. "not anymore."

she raised her gladius higher, the cold metal fitting like a mold into her hand— as if she had been waiting for this moment for all of her life.

it was time for everything to end.

"karina, no!" the voice was getting closer. "stop! please, stop!"

she forced her brain to tune it out. she had to do this.

it was the only way.

"it's time for you to die," karina said hardly. "and never wake again."

it was time for everything to end.

this moment was her's.

with no further hesitation, karina raised her gladius, and with a cry of effort, she stabbed her blade straight through her stomach, the imperial gold metal sinking straight through her skin.

no time for mistakes.

there was a tremor of shock that passed over the camp for a moment. nobody knew how to react. it was as if the whole world had gone silent. nobody had expected this— no one knew what had been coming.

only karina did.

karina choked out a breath as she kept the blade there, and when she looked down, she saw golden ichor dripping from the wound, a gold shine glinting from the stab. there was no pain. the blade slid through her body as if it were simply air. she didn't feel pain, or stress. she felt . . . peaceful. there was no struggle. there was no hesitation. she was ready for this moment.

her mother was right. she did it.

NO! gaea wailed. she was melting as if her body was made of clay, and was sinking back into the earth. YOU CANNOT DO THIS! I CREATED YOU! YOU CAN'T KILL ME!

karina released the blade from her stomach, and she felt nothing. no pain was spreading through her body like all the other times she had been stabbed. she wasn't crying. she didn't want to scream out in agony. she felt . . . nothing. absolutely nothing.

only peace.

her gladius clattered to the ground, the golden blood that was drenched on the blade soaking the earth with it as it sank into the grass. gaea was falling— she was becoming one with the earth.

NOOOOO! gaea cried as she melted, her body lolling as her eyes started to droop. she was dying— she was so close. karina knew that she'd done it. she had done what she had promised herself that she would do.

she saved everyone.

gaea's eyes finally closed for one last time, and her body completely melted into the earth, leaving nothing but dust in her wake as she became one with the ground— going back into her endless slumber. and to never return ever again.

karina stood there, staring silently at where the solidified from of the earth goddess just stood. she couldn't move. she couldn't speak. she just stared. stared at what she had sworn to destroy. what she had promised she would kill.

she kept her promise. she knew she would.

"karina!" the voice was right behind her now. she could hear the footsteps creeping up behind her as she began to fall backward. percy caught her in his arms as she fell, his face was completely filled with emotions that karina couldn't seem to decipher.

"hey, rina," percy said softly, a wet laugh escaping him as tears ran down his face. his arms were supporting her as they quickly went down the hill, her body slowly falling limp as she continued to bleed out. "you—you're going to be okay."

"did . . . did i do it?" she asked, her brain muddling. she couldn't get her thoughts straight. maybe it was because percy was hauling her down a hill at inhuman speed. maybe it was the blood loss. maybe she was just going insane. "is she gone?"

percy was shaking as he made it down the hill, setting karina softly onto the ground as he cradled her body. he nodded his head, smiling down at her. "yeah, you did rina. she's gone. forever." he laughed again, his voice trembling. "you did it, baby."

"i need a medic!" someone yelled, but she couldn't tell who it was. it seemed her mind was only focused on one pair of sea green eyes staring down at her. "quickly, someone help!"

karina smiled, reaching up her hand to touch his cheek. "i did it," she whispered.

he nodded, caressing her cheek. his eyes were frantic, and he kept looking around for something. "just . . . just hang in there, okay? we're going to get you all cleaned up."

karina shook her head slowly, her eyes feeling like they were starting to droop. her head was growing tired. she really wanted to sleep. "no, percy," she whispered. "it's okay."

he looked down at her, his smile was gone. he held her tighter. "no, no, no," he muttered, his voice frantic. "don't say that. you're going to be fine, rina. i promise."

a tear slid down her cheek as she stared up at percy. he looked absolutely beautiful. even in the middle of battle, she still managed to find him to be the prettiest boy she's ever laid her eyes on. "i don't feel any pain," she said softly. "i feel okay, percy. i'm okay."

"no," his voice quivered. more tears were following down his face as he held her in his arms. he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. a tear fell onto her cheek that wasn't her's. "don't close your eyes, rina. help is coming. i—i promise. just . . . just keep your eyes open, okay? let me see your eyes."

for the first time since percy had met karina, her eyes were a pure jade green. ever since her nightmare two months ago, karina's eyes had been green and gold. and the gold had only grown larger since then. but now . . . her eyes were back to how they used to be. the ones that percy fell in love with the first moment he saw her. eyes so green he felt as if he were drowning in a forest when he looked in them. a mantra of deep greens, surrounding his entire being as he stared down into them.

from beside karina, jason and piper ran up, and the daughter of aphrodite fell to her knees with a cry as she saw the form of karina ashwood barely alive in percy's arms.

piper couldn't hold herself up, and deep cries began to escape her as she collapsed onto the ground. her hands wrapped tight around her mouth as she tried to muffle her sobs— but it was no use. she couldn't hide it. she'd just lost leo. she couldn't begin to process the idea of losing karina too.

she couldn't keep herself together for anyone. not anymore.

"no," piper whimpered, her kaleidoscope eyes reflecting tears. sobs shook her body. "no, this— this can't be happening."

jason was silent as he stared at karina. his knees went weak, and with a quiet thump, he collapsed onto his knees beside piper. but, he didn't cry, he didn't scream. he didn't even move. he just stared. stared in utter disbelief at the sight in front of him. his face was blank of emotion . . . not even a single tear escaping him. he couldn't seem to process the scene in front of him. his mind wasn't facing reality.

karina ashwood had been the first person to let him spar against her in camp.

when he was twelve, jason was considered the best swordsman in all of camp jupiter. he has perfect scores on all of his sparring exams, and had such unique technique, that no one could beat him. he even would purposely do bad when sparring with people just so that they could see that he wasn't as good as he was made out to be— and maybe they would actually go against him. he hated the fact that he had nobody to become friends with. everyone saw him as a privileged, too good son of jupiter. and no one wanted to be associated with that.

until karina ashwood came along.

walking into the sparring arena, karina saw jason standing alone as he went through the motions of a detailed attack, his golden sword slicing through the air as if it were butter. but . . . he was alone. and this was a technique that required to be practiced with a partner. he wouldn't get any better if he didn't have someone to practice with.

so that's what she did.

and for the next four years, that's what they always did. they were forever considered each other's sparring partners, and that turned into friends, which turned into best friends, which also turned into something more. jason became karina's closest person, as did karina to jason. they were each other's stable part in each other's life. the one that would always be there, no matter what happened. no matter who won the war games, or who got into a fight. they would always have each other.

but now, as jason stared at the weak, and dying form of his best friend, he was starting to realize that maybe . . . maybe they wouldn't always have each other.

he was already too deep into grief.

"someone! anyone!" percy cried as held karina's head in his hands, silently praying to any god to help him. "p-please! help!"

nobody moved. it was as if the camp had gone completely frozen in time. they all stared in shock, and pain at the dying form of karina ashwood, who had saved them all.

"percy," karina whispered, smiling up at him. "you were my first love . . . " her voice trailed off as her eyes looked over the small details of the love of her life's face. the small freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose. a small scar on the corner of his eyebrow. his prominent features— his jawline, nose, lip curvature. she noticed every, single, little, thing that she fell in love with. everything that she knew was here's— and forever will be. " . . . and you will forever be my last."

"stop, rina," percy pleaded, swiping his thumb across her cheek. "you— you're not dying yet, okay? we . . . we're still going to go to college in new rome, right? a— and raise a family there, too. or live somewhere where there's a beach, and enough plants for you to enjoy. we— we're going to grow old together, j— just as we planned. we'll die in each other's arms. old and gray. that's still happening, rina. okay? it— it's happening."

karina let out a laugh. it was small and quiet, but percy found the sound to be music to his ears. "in another life, percy jackson," she said softly. "we will live just as we dreamed. i promise."

more tears spilled down his face. from his side, annabeth was crouched down beside him, silent tears streaming down her face. she knew what was happening. she'd known this whole time. she knew that it was time to say goodbye.

annabeth placed her hand on karina's head, running a hand through her soft, honey brown hair. "this isn't goodbye, karina ashwood," she trembled out, her voice barely working. her tears were everywhere. she couldn't hold it together— not even for herself. "only a 'see you later'."

karina nodded, and placed a hand over her's. "not a goodbye," she whispered, and annabeth let out a sob, placing a hand over her mouth as she watched karina's eyes drooping deeper. they were almost closed.

"i love you, percy jackson," karina whispered. her voice was almost gone. "forever . . . and always."

percy's sobs racked his body as he held karina to his chest, his head over her's as he cried so deep, that they almost echoed through the valley. "i love you, karina ashwood," he sobbed. "i love you so much. please, please don't leave me."

she brought her hand to his face, and rubbed her thumb over the skin softly. it was wet from tears, but she merely brushed them away. "i will always be with you," she said. her voice was barely audible. "i promised you that i'd never leave. i . . . i never break my promises."

percy sobbed harder. her time was almost up. "i want you here," he said. "i want you with me. not where i can't see you. i— i need you, rina. please."

"you . . . " her voice was weak. she brought a calm hand up to his heart, where she gripped his shirt softly. " . . . can always find me here."

percy looked down at her eyes one last time. green against green. he had never met someone more beautiful than karina rhea ashwood. he watched as the freckles above her skin glittered in the setting sun, her face being illuminated by the golden glow. she was shining in all of her glory, even as she was on the verge of death. her bright green eyes stared into his, as if they were magnets that couldn't be torn away. her face . . . so flawless, stared up so beautifully at percy, that it was almost as if she were going to sleep. she was crawling into a deep slumber, where nothing bad will ever happen to her ever again.

she can finally have peace.

percy watched as her body slowly stilled, her chest, that so elegantly moved up and down, stopped moving, and her eyes, that had such a lively shine to them, faded into a soft, calm green. the twinkle that once shown in them, now faded, along with the slow, and rhythmic breaths of karina ashwood.

cries were heard from hazel levesque and frank zhang as the daughter of pluto collapsed in his arms, her sobs shaking her small body as frank tried his best to hold her together— all the while he was slowly falling apart as well.

he held her tight as tears streamed down his face. he was trying his best to hold in his sobs. he needed to stay strong for hazel, who was crumbling as she wailed into his chest. her best friend, the first person to ever accept her in the legion, was gone.

the one person who had always been there for her— the one who always let hazel knit clothing for her. the one who was always there to make hazel laugh when she got picked on by the legion. the one who would beat up the said people who picked on her in the legion. the one who trusted hazel enough to share her deepest, and most sensitive parts of her life with. karina ashwood was the most important person hazel had ever had in her life.

and now she stared at her lifeless body.

but . . . karina didn't seem to be lifeless at all. even though she wasn't breathing, her body still had such a earthly, and lively glow, that it was as if she wasn't dead at all. maybe she was only in a deep slumber, as percy had thought before. maybe . . . maybe karina was just asleep. she was finally at rest.

the rest that she had deserved to have her whole life.

the sight of reyna walking up made everyone turn their head. her purple praetorian robes bristled elegantly in the wind behind her, as did her hair, revealing her sharp facial features that were plastered with shed tears.

this was the first time that any of the crew had seen her cry.

reyna stared down at percy as sobbed over karina's body, his cries sounding so putrid and deep, that it was hard for everyone not to give in to the urge to plug their ears and run away. accepting the fact that karina ashwood was gone was the hardest part— and listening to the sounds of her friends cries made the acceptance feel even more rushed than it had to be.

the praetor, despite the prominent tears falling down her face, had a serene look on her face, almost as if she were just as relaxed at karina in this moment. her face was soft, and accepting as she looked karina, who was still staring into the eyes of percy jackson, her green eyes soft and warm— not cold and hard as people would come to believe.

she knelt down beside her friend, and placed a hand over her face, running her fingertips along the tops of her eyes, closing the lids softly. so now, it really looked as if karina were only asleep— as if she was just resting from her days of hard work.

"she can rest now," reyna said softly, another tear trickling down her cheek as she thought about all the years of friendship that her and karina had in the past, and now, that friendship will remain in the past. she thought about their late night adventures when they were kids— how they would swim in the lake in the middle of the night, play man hunt in the field of mars past curfew, sneak off into each other's rooms and gossip for hours until one of them fell asleep. she thought about how they had gotten closer to each other when jason disappeared. how karina and her worked alongside each other for months as praetors. she remembered how determined karina had been to prove to the legion that she was strong enough to be praetor, and that she deserved that ranking.

and as she looked down at the form of karina ashwood, beaten and bloody, laying in her rest after making the ultimate sacrifice, she realized that nobody deserved that ranking as much as karina did.

and they never would.

reyna remembered everything. but most importantly, she would never forget, karina ashwood.

the cries of her friends didn't stop, and no one expected them to. a few miles away, past the tree line, waves crashed and churned onto the rocks and dock as percy jackson sobbed over the body of girl who he gave his heart to. the girl who taught him what it was like to feel true love. she was the one. she was the one for percy jackson.

and that would never change.

but now, as the crowd of campers all stood around karina ashwood, one thing was known throughout every single mind on this field.

karina ashwood lived, and died, a hero.

ANTHÍZO