I apologize in advance. I know at least one person is going to cry from this chapter. I, myself, had cried in the making of this chapter. Please enjoy.

Last time on Different War:

"And...I didn't want to say this, but...I found the Doors of Death. I went to Tartarus to find them and that's where I was captured by the twin giants. One side was in The Pit and the other was in Epirus. Annabeth killed Arachne by making her trap herself and she ended up falling into a pit."

"A pit?" Chiron asked, tail swishing nervously.

"Yeah, Tartarus. Annabeth was stuck to some webs that were attached to Arachne. We didn't know that until Annabeth fell towards the opening. Percy went with her." Nico looked haunted. "He told me to lead the others to the other side. And then they fell together."

Now On Different War:

~Thalia's Perspective~

Annabeth and Percy fell into Tartarus...they...

"WHAT?!"

"How could-"

"Why-"

"This is why we don't-"

"They died in Tartarus?"

Everyone froze at the last question. Crying could be heard as it sank in. Annabeth and Percy die in Tartarus.

"Ow!" Nico jumped. "What was that for?" He asked thin air. "Well, good for you, you figured out jabbing my ribs hurts me!"

"Nico, who is the ghost you keep talking to?" Annabeth asked, still holding Percy's hand in a death grip since Nico broke the news.

Nico frowned, staring at where the ghost must be. "Wait, the fates talked to you." A pause. "This whole time, when we were all trying to figure out why we're here and you knew."

"Well, what are they saying?" Leo asked, leaning around Nico to somehow see the ghost.

"He says the reason we're here is because of him." Nico frowned. "That's basically what you said." He closed his eyes, looking frustrated. "Then why are we here?" Another pause.

"What is he saying?!" Hermes and Apollo shout.

Nico doesn't move as Lady Artemis and Athena glare at them. After another minute, Nico pales. "W-what?"

The next that happened was unexpected.

There was a flash of light that seemed to fall to the ground. "Percy!" Nico screamed, and then a solid body hit the floor.

"I know! The fates are unreasonable and...why is everyone looking at me?"

"Percy..." Annabeth looked heartbroken.

The semi-transparent son of Poseidon blinked. "Schist! This is why I was against this idea the whole time. Stupid fates had to punish me for-" He stopped talking all of a sudden.

"What do you mean punish you?" Nico glared.

Ghost Percy raised his hands in surrender. "Hey! We both agreed we aren't sharing what happened between you and...him."

Nico blinked. "They punished you for-"

"Not wanting to put you through that situation. It was bad enough he made you go through it once with Jason, I'm not making you go through it again with everyone here."

"How do you-"

"Know?" Percy smiled. "Jason told me. He knew what I was going to do and felt that I needed to know before...well, before I died."

Nico flinched. "So you aren't-"

"Oh please, the fates allowed me to visit everyone before we all got here. I'm happy for you, Nico. I haven't seen you this happy since you first got to Camp Half-blood. He was able to do something that I could never do."

"I didn't stay because of him." Percy looked confused. "I stayed because of you. I stayed at Camp Half-Blood because that's what you wanted for me. You always wanted to make sure that I had a place to go home to and right now, I'm not allowed to go anywhere near the underworld. That's why I stayed." Nico finished with a small smile.

"Aww, Neeks." Watching Nico get hugged by a ghost Percy was definitely funny. "Watch out, Thalia, or you'll be next." His sea green eyes sparkled with humor.

I laughed. "You wish."

He stuck out his tongue as he let go of Nico. I laughed more.

"Percy?" We all turn to see Poseidon standing there with tears in his eyes. "Son, I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Percy smiled. "It's not your fault, I died."

"How did you die?" Annabeth asked, crying.

Percy smiled. "It wasn't from Tartarus if that's what you're thinking. I died making sure Gaea was stopped."

Nico frowned. "That's not how Jason described it."

"That's because Jason's an overly-protective parent."

Nico laughed. "Now that you said it, I can see it."

"That makes you the moody teenager." Percy laughed at the dark look Nico sent him.

"What are you talking about?" Jason looked really confused between our two cousins.

"Well," Percy cleared his throat. "You have to tell them something. The fates decree it." He rolled his eyes.

"Do you have a death wish?" Young Annabeth spoke up, staring disapprovingly.

"Look, I'm already dead. I did my time. I spent my teenage years fighting monsters, gods, and wars. I've done all I could in life. Yeah, being dead sucks, but I'm happy that I died giving my all and saving my friends."

Nico groaned. "I hate you."

Percy laughed. "Oh, come on. It was a great speech, NIco."

"You weren't supposed to hear it!"

"It wasn't the first time I attended my own funeral."

"Would you two brats shut up?" Dionysus glared, looking like he just woke up from a nap.

"Love you too, Mr. D." Percy smiled knowingly.

Dionysus looked taken back for a moment. "Whatever, brat." He started to flip through a magazine that appeared from thin air.

Jason blinked. "You just-"

"Shh, Jason, you'll figure it out eventually." Percy smirked.

"Wait, if you were here the whole time and you are one of the crew members of the Argo II, why couldn't you have told the son of Hades what to say?" Hera asked, frowning at Percy as if he were a bug.

"Lady Hera, there was a lot going on during the time and I don't know of everything that happened while we were split up a majority of the time. Besides, " Percy's eyes grew dark. "There are some things that are best left unsaid."

"But you know why we're here!" Luke exclaimed.

Percy looked away. "It's not that simple."

"Percy, what's going on?" Hazel asked, her gold eyes showing concerns.

He didn't respond.

"How about telling how you and Annabeth got out of Tartarus?" I demanded.

"Uh, Sis, you're sparking." I took a calming breath.

"Well?" I glared at my ghost cousin. He didn't reply and turned away from everyone even more.

"Thalia," Nico spoke up instead. "Don't."

"I want to know something about what happens!" Athena shouted, looking worried for her daughter.

Nico sighed. "A lot of things happened during our trip to get to Epirus." Percy laughed, but didn't say anything. Nico scowled and Percy sent him a grin.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Hazel asked.

Nico blushed and Percy somehow started choking. "N-no!" They shouted.

"It's not like that-"

"There is nothing-"

"What makes you ask that?" They both asked in the end, causing them to blush more.

Everyone started to laugh at them.

Younger Percy frowned at them. "If you don't want to talk about what happened in Tartarus, can you tell us what happened next on the quest?"

Ghost Percy shrugged and looked over at Nico. The son of Hades sighed. "A lot of things happened. Each one of us changed in some way."

"What do you mean changed?" Leo tried to look brave, but his eyes showed how terrified he really is.

"You did something that I wasn't able to."

"Percy-"

"No, Nico." Percy glared. "Hazel learned how to use the Mist. She proved to Hecate that she was more than capable of defeating Sciron and used Pasiphaë's own tricks against her. She was even able to summon Jason's sword from the bottom of the sea after they traveled half a mile.

"Frank, who was dealing with Mars and Ares screaming in his head, was able to take down hundreds of Katoblepones to earn him favor from his dad so he can get a snake to fix a chariot to save Hazel and you. That was the first time he felt a blessing of Mars which made me change physically. And then in the House of Hades, he was made praetor and felt the blessing of Mars again as he controlled a whole legion of undead Romans that you summoned. He was also approved by Reyna to be praetor.

"Leo sent Kerkopes after the Romans that were planning on attacking Camp Half-Blood in exchange for not sending them to Tartarus after they stole his toolbelt and Piper's knife. Then when the fight with Khione happened, he was sent away. He ended up finding someone who I failed years ago. He helped Frank with his firewood that's tied to his life by giving Frank a fireproof pouch. Leo made an oath promising the impossible. He helped Hazel and Hecate defeat Clytius. And after the war, Leo fulfilled his promise and brought his girlfriend back to Camp Half-Blood with him.

"Jason was there for you when you went through one of the worst times of your life. After he had a dream about what was happening with the Romans who were quickly approaching Camp Half-Blood and Reyna was told she needed to meet up with the crew of the Argo II to stop the war between both camps, he immediately knew where to go. He went to Split to find Diocletian's scepter which you and Frank used in the fight at the House of Hades. He took up the role of leader while Annabeth and I were in Tartarus. While Leo was gone, he stepped up to get help from the South Wind to find him and fix the ship!

"Piper used her charmspeak to wake up Festus which somehow brought him to life! Reyna traveled to meet us in Epirus even though she knew she would be stripped of her praetorship. She ended up having to kill her own pegasus, Scipio, because of how injured he was. All because she was following a note that Annabeth sent from Tartarus to Rachel to give to Reyna. And Annabeth was the one to figure out one of the lines of the prophecy while we were down in Tartarus!" Percy was breathing heavily from his long-winded speech.

"I was turned into a corn plant! I wasn't much help during the quest!"

"Better than getting rescued from a river by your own girlfriend because she was I would drown!"

"You saved Annabeth quite a few times in Tartarus-"

"All I did in Tartarus was..." Percy choked up, looking sick.

Nico sighed. "What happened in Tartarus doesn't define you."

"Annabeth told you-"

"No," Nico frowned worriedly. "All I know is that something happened and it scared both of you."

Ghost Percy's shoulder slumped. "We wouldn't have made it out of Tartarus if it wasn't for Bob's guidance, and I have you to thank for that one."

Nico shrugged. "You were busy with school and your family." Percy flinched. "He was my responsibility because I owed you and Thalia for helping me on that quest."

"You were the one who led the rest of the seven to Epirus, you and Hazel both shadow-traveled all of us out of the House of Hades, and you were the one who shadow-traveled the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood with Reyna and Coach Hedge."

"What's even happening anymore?" Leo asked quietly to the group of demigods and Chiron.
"I think Percy feels like he was useless during this part of the quest." Annabeth explained, narrowing her eyes at the ghost of her boyfriend. "Although, maybe it is something more..."

Frank frowned. "He didn't seem like this when he didn't have his memory."

"I've never seen him like this." Hazel agreed.

"Well, he did die." Alive Percy noted. "Wait, I mean I died? I will die?"

I laughed. "Don't hurt yourself, Kelp Head."

We laughed over the argument of the two future demigods. Even though Percy's going to die sometime during the war against Gaea, I don't think it's really sunk in that he really is dead. He seems so alive right now...

"Percy, you survived Tartarus! You helped defeat the giants!"

"But I died!" The son of Poseidon shot back, daring Nico to say something good about that.

"You died stopping Gaea!"

"No, I didn't die because of Gaea!"

Silence. What is that supposed to mean?!

Well, I guess the ghost was revealed in this chapter after all. Please don't kill me?

Anyway! This is was fun to write! And there is only one more chapter and then the epilogue. So sad!

Okay, seriously though, this story should have been finished years ago. I really am sorry about that.

I have started working on the next chapter, but I plan on writing more of it tomorrow as I've done the majority of this chapter today so I'm tired. Besides the amount of reading and preparing, I had to do for this chapter was crazy. Expect the next chapter within the next few days.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you soon!

~MsPenguingirl1234.

Published: May 6, 2020.