▬▬▬ CHAPTER THIRTY ONE ▬▬▬

IT FELT LIKE SIX YEARS of stress was being lifted from Esmerelda's shoulders as she descended down the elevator to the lobby of the Empire State Building. Her hand was still tightly clasped with Ethan's and her head was leaning against his shoulder.

There were still many things to deal with, like funeral preparations for her friends and siblings, workloads from Hades, and the rebuilding of the entire camp, but for once, she was allowing herself to relax and bask in this post-war happiness.

"Can't wait to take a nap," Ethan muttered. "You?"

"Same here," she hummed. "But I should probably tell my uncle that I'm okay."

Speaking of her uncle, he was probably still very upset with her about what she had done, but that was fine. He just didn't understand things yet. But she'd make him see reason and everything could be happy again.

The elevator dinged, and they all stepped out. Sally and Paul were arguing with the security guy who had returned to his post. The raised voices all stopped when they finally spotted Percy.

"Percy!" Sally cried out in relief, and the two adults rushed over to him.

Esmerelda smiled at the scene before calmly going over to the front desk to nab a piece of mint.

"Oh, give me some too," Ethan said.

She was about to hand him a piece when Nico suddenly ran in from the street, and his face told her that something was wrong.

She frowned. "Nico? What's wrong?" She asked nervously.

"It's Rachel," he replied. "I just ran into her down on 32nd Street."

Annabeth frowned. "What's she done this time?"

"It's where she's gone," Nico said. "I told her she would die if she tried, but she insisted. She just took Blackjack and—"

"—She took my pegasus?" Percy demanded.

Nico nodded. "She's heading to Half-Blood Hill. She said she had to get to camp."

The mint dropped from Esmerelda's hand.

"Camp?" She repeated faintly. She exchanged a panicked look with Percy. "She—she went to camp?"

"Oh no..." Percy breathed out. "We need to get to her."

"What? Why?" Annabeth asked.

But they didn't answer. Instead, they rushed out of the building.

The traffic was horrible. Everybody was out on the streets gawking at the war zone damage. Police sirens wailed on every block. There was no possibility of catching a cab, and the pegasi had flown away.

But Esmerelda saw a biker and his girlfriend park his motorcycle at the sidewalk and got an idea.

"Percy, will you guys be okay with finding a ride on your own?" She asked.

He nodded. "I'll find a way. I'm thinking the hippocampi. I'll meet you at camp?"

"Yep. Come on, Ethan, let's go." She grabbed his hand.

Ethan had no idea what was going on, so he let himself get dragged around.

"You ever rode in a motorcycle before?" She asked him eagerly.

"Uh no?"

"Wonderful! This'll be your first time then!" She beamed.

He paled. "Hold on, Essie, I don't think I can just learn how to drive it so quickly—"

"—What? Oh no, you're not the one driving. I am."

Several minutes later, she was speeding through the streets of Manhatten, trying to get to camp. Ethan was tightly hugging her waist, a bright pink helmet full of butterfly stickers protecting his head.

"Since when did you know how to ride a motorcycle?" He asked her, awe evident in his voice.

"During winter break," she answered. "My uncle bought me one for my birthday, and he taught me to ride it over the vacation!"

"Cool uncle," he replied, now feeling a little bad for eating his Subway sandwich a few months ago. "So who's Rachel?"

"Mortal red-headed girl? She was with us in the Labyrinth last summer?"

"Ah. Why's it bad that she's trying to get to camp?"

"Well," she began. "She's been getting weird prophetic visions lately, and Percy and I are worried that she's gonna try to become the Oracle. The last person who tried that was May Castellan, Luke's mom, and she kinda lost her mind because the process failed."

"Hold on what?!"

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Thanks to all the traffic violations Esmerelda committed, she and Ethan made it to camp in less than an hour, around the same time Percy, Annabeth, and Nico arrived as well.

It was surreal being back at camp, because everything looked so peaceful: no burning buildings, no wounded fighters. The cabins were bright in the sunshine, and the fields glittered with dew. But the place was mostly empty.

Up at the Big House, something was definitely wrong. Green light was shooting out all the windows. Mist—the magical kind that she was very familiar with—swirled around the yard. Chiron lay on a horse-size stretcher by the volleyball pit, a bunch of satyrs standing around him. Blackjack cantered nervously in the grass.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare stood at the bottom of the porch steps. Her arms were raised like she was waiting for someone inside the house to throw her a ball.

"What's she doing?" Annabeth demanded. "How did she get past the barriers?"

"She flew," one of the satyrs said, looking accusingly at Blackjack. "Right past the dragon, right through the magic boundaries."

"Rachel!" Percy called, but the satyrs stopped him when he tried to go any closer.

"Percy, don't," Chiron warned. He winced as he tried to move. His left arm was in a sling, his two back legs were in splints, and his head was wrapped in bandages. "You can't interrupt."

"I thought you explained things to her!"

"I did. And I invited her here."

He stared at him in disbelief. "You said you'd never let anyone try again! You said—"

"—I know what I said, Percy. But I was wrong. Rachel had a vision about the curse of Hades. She believes it may be lifted now. She convinced me she deserves a chance."

"But Chiron," Esmerelda gnawed on her lip nervously. "What if the curse isn't lifted? Hades is a very busy god, he might not have gotten to lifting it yet. She could go crazy!"

The Mist swirled around Rachel. She shivered like she was going into shock.

"Hey!" Percy shouted. "Stop!"

He ran toward her, ignoring the satyrs. He got within ten feet and hit something like an invisible beach ball. He bounced back and landed in the grass.

Rachel opened her eyes and turned. She looked like she was sleepwalking—like she could see them, but only in a dream.

"It's all right." Her voice sounded far away. "This is why I've come."

"You'll be destroyed!"

She shook her head. "This is where I belong, Percy. I finally understand why."

The house rumbled. The door flew open and green light poured out, followed by the the warm musty smell of snakes.

Mist curled into a hundred smoky serpents, slithering up the porch columns, curling around the house. Then the Oracle appeared in the doorway.

Ethan couldn't help it. He actually gagged a little when he saw her. Esmerelda couldn't blame him. This was probably the first time he had ever seen the Oracle and well... she did not rot away nicely.

The withered mummy shuffled forward in her rainbow dress. She looked even worse than usual, which was saying a lot. Her hair was falling out in clumps. Her leathery skin was cracking like the seat of a worn-out bus. Her glassy eyes stared blankly into space, but it was as if she was being drawn straight toward Rachel.

Rachel held out her arms. She didn't look scared.

"You've waited too long," Rachel said. "But I'm here now."

The sun blazed more brightly. A man appeared above the porch, floating in the air—a blond dude in a white toga, with sunglasses and a cocky smile.

"Apollo," Percy said.

He winked at them but held up his finger to his lips.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," he said. "You have the gift of prophecy. But it is also a curse. Are you sure you want this?"

Rachel nodded. "It's my destiny."

"Do you accept the risks?"

"I do."

"Then proceed," the god said.

Rachel closed her eyes. "I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate."

Esmerelda had no idea where she was getting the words, but they flowed out of her as the Mist thickened.

A green column of smoke, like a huge python, uncoiled from the mummy's mouth and slithered down the stairs, curling affectionately around Rachel's feet. The Oracle's mummy crumbled, falling away until it was nothing but a pile of dust in an old tie-dyed dress. Mist enveloped Rachel in a column.

For a moment nobody could see her at all. Then the smoke cleared.

Rachel collapsed and curled into the fetal position.

Annabeth, Nico, Esmerelda, Ethan and Percy rushed forward, but Apollo said, "Stop! This is the most delicate part."

"What's going on?" Percy demanded. "What do you mean?"

Apollo studied Rachel with concern. "Either the spirit takes hold, or it doesn't."

"And if it doesn't?" Annabeth asked.

"Five syllables," Apollo said, counting them on his fingers. "That would be real bad."

Ethan looked at Esmerelda in disbelief. "Is this guy for real?"

"Unfortunately," she heaved a sigh.

Despite Apollo's warning, Percy ran forward and knelt over Rachel. The smell of the attic was gone. The Mist sank into the ground and the green light faded. But Rachel was still pale. She was barely breathing.

Then her eyes fluttered open. "Percy." She murmured.

"Are you okay?"

She tried to sit up. "Ow." She pressed her hands to her temples.

"Rachel," Nico blinked. "Your life aura almost faded completely. I could see you dying."

Ethan, because he just couldn't resist the urge, said dryly, "You're just full of sunshine and daisies, aren't you?"

"Just much as you are," Nico jabbed back.

Ethan started for him, but Esmerelda had to push the two apart.

"Enough," she said sternly.

Am I going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life? She wondered miserably before turning back to Rachel.

"I'm all right," the older girl murmured. "Please, help me up. The visions—they're a little disorienting."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Percy asked.

Apollo drifted down from the porch. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the new Oracle of Delphi."

"You're kidding," Annabeth said blankly.

Rachel managed a weak smile. "It's a little surprising to me too, but this is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York. I know why I was born with true sight. I was meant to become the Oracle."

Percy blinked. "You mean you can tell the future now?"

"Not all the time," she said. "But there are visions, images, words in my mind. When someone asks me a question, I... Oh no—"

"It's starting," Apollo announced.

Rachel doubled over like someone had punched her. Then she stood up straight and her eyes glowed serpent green.

When she spoke, her voice sounded tripled—like three Rachels were talking at once:

"Nine half-bloods shall answer the call.

To storm or fire, the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

At the last word, Rachel collapsed. Nico and Percy caught her and helped her to the porch. Her skin was feverish.

"I'm all right," she said, her voice returning to normal.

Ethan looked apprehensive. "That was a prophecy wasn't it?"

She stared at him, confused. "What was a prophecy?"

"I believe," Apollo said. "That we just heard the next Great Prophecy."

"What does it mean?" Percy demanded.

Rachel frowned. "I don't even remember what I said."

"No," Apollo mused. "The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our Rachel will be much as she's always been. There's no point in grilling her, even if she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world."

"What?" Percy frowned. "But—"

"—Percy," Apollo interrupted. "I wouldn't worry too much. The last Great Prophecy about you took almost seventy years to complete. This one may not even happen in your lifetime."

"I hope not," Esmerelda muttered under her breath, but her stomach churned with anxiety.

She prayed that Apollo was right because this Great Prophecy sounded a lot worse then the previous one. Especially the line with the Doors of Death. That certain part sounded familiar to her. She was pretty sure she had heard of 'the Doors of Death' being spoken of in the Underworld a couple of times...

"Maybe," Percy agreed. "But it didn't sound so good."

"No," Apollo said cheerfully. "It certainly didn't. She's going to make a wonderful Oracle!"

It was hard to drop the subject, but Apollo insisted that Rachel needed to rest, and she did look pretty disoriented.

After Rachel was given some rest and Apollo went back to Olympus, the rest of the group stared at each other apprehensively.

"You're thinking about the prophecy, aren't you?" Percy asked Annabeth knowingly.

"I guess we'll be looking at another war soon..." Ethan heaved a sigh.

Esmerelda elbowed him. "Don't say that!"

"Nine half-bloods shall answer the call," Annabeth recited. "I wonder who they'll be. We're going to have so many new faces next summer."

"Yep," Percy agreed. "And all that stuff about the world falling in storm or fire."

"That's normal," Esmerelda shrugged. "What I'm worried about is the 'Doors of Death' part. I hope nobody tries to break into the Underworld again." She sent Ethan a dirty look at that part.

"I'm sorry, okay? How was I supposed to know you'd be working there?" Ethan despaired.

"Nothing about the prophecy sounds good." Annabeth told them. "But yes, that part is concerning...  I don't know, but I don't like it. I thought... well, maybe we'd get some peace for a change."

"Wouldn't be Camp Half-Blood if it was peaceful," Percy snorted.

"I guess you're right... Or maybe the prophecy won't happen for years."

"Could be a problem for another generation of demigods," Percy grinned. "Then we can kick back and enjoy."

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

The rest of the day was as strange as the beginning.

Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasus, and chariot. The wounded were cared for while everyone else busied themselves with making shrouds for the dead.

Esmerelda had fifteen dead siblings, and one who was banished.

She made their shrouds with care, or at least, she tried too. In the middle of making Aiden's shroud, she finally broke down crying when she kept thinking about how much he used to love the movie The Lion King and how he would've wanted them on the cloth.

Ethan and Lou Ellen looked at her worriedly. The latter rose to her feet first, having finished Blair's shroud.

She gingerly placed a hand over Esmerelda's trembling shoulder. "Essie..." She began hesitantly. "You should take a break. Ethan and I will finish on our own."

"No," she shook her head. "No, I can—I can do it. Please let me help. I want to."

Ethan and Lou Ellen exchanged a look, and this time Ethan rose to his feet.

"Essie," he said gently. "You've been working harder then any of us. We'll take care of the shrouds, okay? You need to rest. We'll wake you up when it's... t-time for the funeral."

He choked up at that part, like an invisible hand had reached up to grasp his throat.

He knew those kids. He grew up with them in the army. He had trained them, took care of them when Alabaster couldn't, but he couldn't think of those happy moments anymore. His mind just kept going back to the Princess Andromeda and...

He had been the one to catch Beckendorf. And he hadn't even bothered to think of the possibility that he had already planted the bombs... If he had just been smarter then all those kids would've been alive today.

(And Essie's family wouldn't have been shattered beyond repair)

They wouldn't be here making shrouds for fifteen dead kids.

He swallowed thickly, trying to push those thoughts to the back of his head.

"Go rest," he repeated. "Please."

Essie looked down at Aiden's shroud. She had colored it into a shimmery, oceanic blue. It was his favorite color. Slowly, she released the fabric and nodded in acceptance. Ethan helped her to her feet and guided her back to the cabin, and he didn't leave until he was certain that she was asleep.

Around four hours later, all the campers had finished making shrouds for their friends and siblings, and the dead were given proper funeral rites at the campfire.

Esmerelda stared at hundreds of shrouds that were set ablaze.

Silena's shroud was hot pink, but embroidered with an electric spear. The Ares and Aphrodite cabins both claimed her as a hero, and lit the shroud together. No one mentioned the word spy. That secret burned to ashes as the designer perfume smoke drifted into the sky.

Even those who were part of the Titan army were given a proper funeral. After Ethan finished helping Lou Ellen with her siblings' shrouds, he went over to extend a helping hand to the ex-traitors. Their shrouds were more personal, more about who they were as a person rather then who their godly parent was—it was the way they would've wanted it anyways.

Esmerelda and Lou Ellen set their siblings' shrouds on fire next. While standing beside the girls, Ethan couldn't help but notice that there was one extra shroud.

"Why... why are there sixteen?" He asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Esmerelda stared off at the sixteenth shroud. It was a deep emerald color and made of fine silk.

"That one's for Alabaster," she answered softly. "He's not dead, but... he might as well be."

And that was the end of that conversation.

Dinner at the pavilion was low-key. The only highlight was Juniper the tree nymph, who screamed, "Grover!" and gave her boyfriend a flying tackle hug, making everybody cheer. They went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and Esmerelda couldn't help but be reminded of Silena and Beckendorf.

Mrs. O'Leary romped around happily, eating everybody's table scraps. Nico sat at the main table with Chiron and Mr. D, and nobody seemed to think this was out of place. Everybody was patting Nico on the back, complimenting him on his fighting. Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool.

Slowly, the dinner crowd trickled away. Some went to the campfire for a sing-along. Others went to bed. After making sure one last time that Nico had enough to eat, Esmerelda and Ethan headed over to the Hermes cabin for a rest when the Stolls intercepted them.

"I don't like that look on your faces..." Esmerelda trailed off, noticing the wide grins they wore.

"Shhh! Come on!" Travis whispered and without waiting for a response, both brothers ushered the two off to hide around the pavilion.

"What is going on?" Ethan grumbled in annoyance.

For some odd reason, a group of campers were hiding with them too.

"Shhh," Clarisse hissed. "Just shut up and watch!"

Ethan was about to retort until Esmerelda stepped on his foot.

"Oh my gods..." She whispered, her eyes growing wide. "Percabeth is finally happening!"

Ethan furrowed his brows. "What the fuck is—" And then he saw what was happening. "Oh."

Percy and Annabeth were left alone at the pavilion, and the daughter of Athena was actually sitting at Poseidon's table. There was unfinished cupcake on the table, and Annabeth was laughing at something Percy said.

And then Annabeth looped her arms around Percy's neck and kissed him.

Esmerelda let out an excited squeal.

Suddenly the pavilion was filled with torchlight and campers. Clarisse led the way as thee avesdroppers charged and hoisted the newly formed couple both onto their shoulders.

"Oh, come on!" Percy complained. "Is there no privacy?"

"The lovebirds need to cool off!" Clarisse said with glee.

"The canoe lake!" Connor shouted.

With a huge cheer, they carried us down the hill, but they kept the pair close enough to hold hands. Annabeth and Percy were laughing, their faces completely red.

They held hands right up to the moment they dumped us in the water.

They've been under there for several minutes now, and the group of campers were getting a little antsy.

"Uh, they're not dead, right?" Travis asked awkwardly.

Ethan gave him a deadpanning look. "Percy's a son of Poseidon, moron."

"Oh, right."

Esmerelda allowed herself to smile as she laced her hands with Ethan and began tugging him away from the docks.

"We should give the two some, ah, privacy. Come on guys, it's getting late anyways." She smiled.

They all trickled away, leaving Percy and Annabeth alone. When Esmerelda walked into the Hermes cabin with Ethan and the Stolls, her face fell when she spotted a slumbering Nico.

He was going to be crushed once he found out about Percy and Annabeth... Quietly, she walked over to his bed and gingerly pushed the blanket up a little higher. She gave him a chaste peck on the forehead before returning to the bunk.

"Goodnight," she whispered to those who were still awake.

She received some sleepy mumbled back, but Ethan was the one who went over to kiss her on the lips.

"Goodnight," he murmured. "Mind if I join you?" 

She shrugged, "Sure." They used to sleep next to each a lot when they were younger, so it wasn't such a big deal to her. 

They both climbed into bed and cuddled under the blankets. Esmerelda was the first one to fall asleep, and Ethan was just about to follow her until he was suddenly shoved off. The force was harsh enough to make him fall to the floor. 

He sat up in an instant. "Wha—you!"  He snarled at the person who shoved him. 

Nico gave him a stoic look before flipping off. And then he slipped under the covers next to Esmerelda, who was deep asleep and completely oblivious as to what had happened. 

Ethan's frame trembled with rage, and his eye twitched when he heard the not-so-quiet snickers from the other campers in the cabin. He whirled around to face them and they wisely shut up. 

"Fucking hate kids," he grumbled under his breath before flopping down on another vacant bed. 

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Camp went late that summer. It lasted two more weeks, right up to the start of a new school year for most of the campers.

Grover had taken over the satyr seekers and was sending them out across the world to find unclaimed half-bloods. So far, the gods had kept their promise. New demigods were popping up all over the place—not just in America, but in a lot of other countries as well.

That evening was the last night of camp—the bead ceremony.

The Hephaestus cabin had designed the bead this year. It showed the Empire State Building, and etched in tiny Greek letters, spiraling around the image, were the names of all the heroes who had died defending Olympus.

There were too many names, but everyone was proud to wear the bead.

"Never forget this summer!" Chiron told them. He had healed remarkably well, but he still trotted in front of the fire with a slight limp. "We have discovered bravery and friendship and courage this summer. We have upheld the honor of the camp."

He smiled at Percy, and everybody cheered.

"And now," Chiron continued. "Early to bed! Remember, you must vacate your cabins by noon tomorrow unless you've made arrangements to stay the year with us. The cleaning harpies will eat any stragglers, and I'd hate to end the summer on a sour note!"

Some of the campers returned home. In the previous years, they were usually driven home by Argus, but this time their parents personally drove to camp. They stayed passed the borders of course, but Esmerelda had never seen so many adults cry in one place before. She watched, with a weirdly painful sensation in her chest, as parents engulfed their kids tearfully.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Esmerelda asked Nico. "You've already finished your cabin..."

The Hades cabin was one of the first cabins to be finished, mainly because Nico had some undead buildings working on it too. Even though he was still the only kid in it, it was still super cool: solid obsidian walls with a skull over the door and torches that burned with green fire twenty-four hours a day.

Next to that were the unfinished cabins of Iris, Nemesis, Hecate, and several others she didn't recognize. They kept adding new ones to the blueprints every day. It was going so well, Annabeth and Chiron were talking about adding an entirely new wing of cabins just so they could have enough room.

In the corner of her eyes, she could see Tyson leading a group of Cyclops builders. They were hoisting huge stones in place for the Hecate cabin. It was a delicate job, and she hoped they all stayed safe.  Each stone was engraved with magical writing, and if they dropped one, it would either explode or turn everyone within half a mile into a tree. She figured nobody but Grover would like that.

The Hermes cabin was also a lot less crowded now, because most of the unclaimed kids had received signs from their godly parents. It happened almost every night, and every night more demigods straggled over the property line with the satyr guides, usually with some nasty monsters pursuing them, but almost all of them made it through.

"I have to help my father out with some things," Nico replied. "And... and well, you know what else..."

Esmerelda followed his line of sight and frowned sadly when she saw Percy and Annabeth talking to Rachel.

"Oh Nico... I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. They make a cute couple, I guess..."

She went over to hug him tightly. "You visit me as much as you want, okay?"

He nodded, hugging her back. When they pulled away, he gave her one last wave before melting into the shadows.

Ethan walked over to her, arms crossed as he stared at the spot Nico once stood.

"He's not staying?" He asked with a frown.

"No," she replied sadly. "He has to, um, help his father out with some things. So are you all packed up?"

"Not like I got much," he muttered, gesturing to his backpack. That was pretty much all he had now, with the addition of a brand new sword. The Hephaestus cabin, understandably, were wary about giving him a new weapon, but they built one anyways when Esmerelda pleaded with them. So now Ethan had a whole new stud earring that could turn into a deadly Celestial bronze sword.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay at your uncle's place?" He asked her.

"I sent him a letter saying that you and the Stolls would be living there, but he never replied back. Just like with all the other letters I sent..." He only replied to the one where she said she was alive and okay, but all the other letters she sent after that received no replies back. He was still upset with her. "It'll be fine. He likes the Stolls and, um... he'll like you in time. Besides, you guys need a place to stay since you'll be starting school soon and all that."

Now that they didn't have to worry about any major wars or their impending doom, most of the campers decided that there was a chance they could actually have a good future. The Stolls and Ethan were one of them, and they decided the first step was to actually attend school for once.

It wasn't that hard. Percy pulled some strings with his stepfather so now Goode High School was about to gain three new students!

She didn't want to think about the sort of chaos the Stolls would cause in a high school setting, so she hoped Ethan would be enough to reign them in (and maybe with Percy's help too).

"It'll be fine," she said with a beam. "Now come on, let's go drop off our things. You promised me a date, afterwards, remember?"

He smiled as he grasped her hand. They walked down the hill and passed the camp borders.

"Today's date, and many more to come." He promised with a boyish grin.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Several weeks later...

Nico was pacing around Percy's living room. Paul and Sally were busying themselves in the kitchen, wanting to make a good meal for their (very skinny) young guest.

"Now do you get it?" Nico said once he finished explaining it.

"Oh gods," Percy groaned, his hands over her face. "I can't believe it. I mean, I had my suspicions after that dream but to think that Essie really is your mom... Dude, please don't tell me your dad still has the hots for her."

"That's not the point, Percy!" Nico cried out, no longer pacing. "How am I supposed to tell her? I can't just go up to her and say, 'Hey Essie, you're the reincarnation of my mom. Here's a bunch of gifts to make up for all the times I missed Mother's Day'."

But Percy was barely listening.

"Oh my gods, I watched them kiss," he said, turning a little green. "And that part with Regulus—! Hecate is such an asshole. I can't believe she's Essie's mom..."

"Are you even listening to me?" Nico glared.

"Holy Hera," Percy breathed, another epiphany coming to him. "That explains why you always act like a little mama's boy around her."

Nico's face reddened. "You're one too! Don't be a hypocrite!"

"Oh I'm not denying it," he said shamelessly. "But dude, Italian guys are, like, hardcore mama's boys."

Nico threw a pillow at his face. "I need to tell her," he muttered to himself.

Percy nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah, definitely. But not right now though. I heard she's out on a date with Ethan at that new Italian place—huh, funny, considering she was Italian in a previous life."

Nico's eyes glinted and he sat up a little straighter. "Are you talking about Romano's?"

Percy gave him a suspicious look.

"Nico," he said in a warning tone. "Don't think I don't know that you've been interrupting their dates." Ethan had been in a pissy mood about it since school started.

He scoffed. "He's not good enough for her."

Percy sighed. "That's what every hardcore mama's boy would say. Even I wasn't like that with Paul."

"Shut up. I'm leaving. I'll see you later."

Percy shot up to his feet. "Don't you dare, Nico!"

But Nico had already shadow traveled away.

"Ah man..." Percy winced.

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a quaint little Italian restaurant, Esmerelda and Ethan were having their—what was it now, their hundredth date since they left camp?

"Oh Ethan, come on, you've barely touched your gnocchi," Esmerelda sighed. She eyed the four-cheese gnocchi hungrily. "If you're not going to eat it, then I will."

He slid the plate farther away from her. "No," he said. "And I was just... looking around."

She gave him an unimpressed look. "For the millionth time, Nico is not here."

"Maybe not, but he will be," he replied with a steely look in his eye. He watched the other restaurant-goers distrustfully, as if believing that one of them was Nico in disguise.

"I swear to gods if you cause another scene like what happened back at the park—"

"—He was actually there!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Right." She snorted, thinking of that embarrassing memory.

Ethan and Esmerelda were running around Central Park. They had done a couple of rounds now and were slowing down for a little break.

"So," Esmerelda began after gulping down some water at a fountain. "Are you excited to start school? When was the last time you've been there? Do the classes at camp even count?"

"I'd say they do," he replied, running a hand through his sweaty hair. "But I doubt it matters anyways. I still missed, like, three years of schooling. The army didn't give us many lessens either, they were always centered around 'most painful ways to kill people' or 'how to interrogate and torture your enemy so they would spill top secrets'."

"Fun," she commented. She was just glad Hogwarts didn't start until next month. 

"Yep," he agreed. "You wanna head back, now?"

"No, no! I wanna go back to that vendor selling tacos..."

And whatever she wanted, she got. And so, the pair of them headed over to the taco vendor for a snack. They ended up walking around the park while eating.

It was pretty peaceful. Esmerelda had never felt so light before. Things were really starting to look up and not just for her, but for everyone too. The cabins were finally finished, more demigods were coming into camp, and the older demigods were beginning to see a new hope for their once grim futures.

She glanced over at Ethan, before spotting something that made her laugh.

He glanced at her and rose a brow. "What?"

She giggled. "You've got salsa on your chin."

He flushed a little, but she was still giggling. His eyes narrowed playfully and he leaned down to kiss her, the salsa getting on to her her skin as well.

"Hey!" She cried out, jumping away from him.

"You deserved that," he teased before rushing over to her to give her another messy kiss. Before he could reach her, something small hit his cheek.

He froze. "What...?" He looked down and saw an acorn. "What the fuck?"

"Hmm?" Esmerelda quietly approached. "What was that?"

"An acorn," he answered, staring down at it. He blinked. "How did—did someone throw that at me?"

She gave him a funny look. "What? No, Ethan, it probably just fell from a tree."

"Yeah..." He muttered.

But when Esmerelda looked around to find any nearby trees, it happened again. Another acorn hit him. This time, it the back of his head.

"Another acorn?!" He spun around, and a third one hit him in the middle of the forehead. That was when he realized who was the cause of all this. "Nico...!" He growled.

"What?" Esmerelda stared at him like he was insane.

"It's that little shit again! He's throwing acorns at me!" He snarled. Another one smacked the back of his head for a second time.

Esmerelda didn't see it because she was in front of him. "Ethan," she said. "It's probably just a squirrel."

"Yeah, a squirrel named Nico di Angelo," he scowled. "It's him, Essie, I swear. He came to interrupt us again!"

"Nico doesn't mean to do that," she defended him. "I told him he can come visit me whenever he wants."

"And you don't think it's a little suspicious that he always visits you when I'm around?" He pointed out, seething.

She rolled her eyes. "Ethan, come on. You're being ridiculous."

"I am not! That kid is always trying to ruin my day and now he's throwing fucking acorns at me!" He blew up, looking around to find the perpetrator.

An acorn hit him square on the eye patch.

"THAT'S IT!" He roared, removing his earring in one swift movement. In the next second he was holding his sword. "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU FUCKING BRAT?!"

Esmerelda's eyes widened in horror. Her jaw dropped. "Ethan! Stop it!"

But it was already too late. The second he brandished his sword, the mortals were already screaming and fleeing the scene. She heard one of them screaming about a kid with a gun, while another shouted about a machete-wielding psychopath.

And then she heard the police sirens.

"Oh gods," she groaned. "Not again!"

Ethan shrunk a little in his seat when she mentioned that day. "He was throwing acorns at me..."

"Right. You're lucky I got us out of that situation." She said firmly, pointing her fork at him.

"What is it going to take for you to believe me when I say that kid's evil?"

"He is not evil," she was aghast. "Nico's a sweet boy!"

"Yeah, to you," he scowled. "Remember when he slept over that one time? He had a zombie wake me up the next day. I nearly had a heart attack."

"He didn't think you'd freak out," she said.

He groaned. She was going to see Nico as nothing but an angel for the rest of her life. There was no use convincing her otherwise.

"Nico doesn't hate you, you know," she cooed, reaching out to grasp his hand. "And I know you don't hate him either. Don't think I didn't I see all those times where you two would joke around about the dumb things you'd see Percy do at school."

"Hmm..." He agreed, grasping her hand back. "We do enjoy making fun of him..."

"And that time you introduced him to Law and Order," she added.

"It's a good show. Him not knowing about it was a crime."

"And all those times you helped him play video games against Stolls." She smiled.

"The way he plays was so pathetic, I had no choice but to help him," he scowled, but it was a lot softer now.

"He's still new to all the technology," she rolled her eyes before giving him a sweet smile. "But you get my point. You two don't really hate each other."

He grunted in response, his face getting warm at being called out. Truthfully, he didn't really hate the son of Hades even after all the dumb shit he would do. Ethan tolerated him. But just barely. And that was mostly for Esmerelda's sake anyways.

"Now let's continue with our lunch, please?" Esmerelda asked him.

"Fine," he sighed. "I'm sorry for getting so riled up about that brat."

"Don't call him that. And it's fine." She said sweetly.

He smiled at her, and lifted her hand up to give her a chaste kiss on the knuckles until he heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.

He froze when Nico di Angelo came strolling forward. The kid placed his chair right between them and set down his own plate and utensils.

"Is that gnocchi?" Nico asked, as if he hadn't just interrupted yet another one of their dates. "I love gnocchi." And then he had the audacity to scoop some up from Ethan's plate.

"N-Nico...!" Esmerelda stammered, looking between him and Ethan. The son of Nemesis had grown dangerously still. 

She wisely collected all the knives from the table before regarding the younger boy nervously, "Er, now isn't really the best time..."

"Oh," Nico frowned. "I really wanted to visit you, though..."

"It's fine!" She backtracked. "Have you eaten? Gods, is your father not feeding you enough? Here, have some garlic bread. Do want some of my chicken marsala? How about calzone? Ethan, give him some of your calzone, please."

Ethan was silently simmering with rage when Nico took a bite of his calzone.

"What," he seethed. "Are you doing here?"

"I wanted to visit Essie," Nico replied 'innocently'. "I have something important to tell her. You need to hear about this too."

Ethan was glowering. "And you couldn't wait until after we finished with our date?"

Nico just stared at him. "Oops."

Esmerelda eyed the fork Ethan was gripping onto with caution. "Um, Nico," she cleared her throat nervously. "What important thing did you need to tell us?"

"Well," he began, discreetly shooting Ethan a look that promised nothing good. "When we first met, you told me you felt something familiar about me and Bianca, right?"

"Mmhmm."

"And sometimes you'd get these weird visions that don't make sense. And feelings too. And sometimes you would get these weird pieces of information that you couldn't remember learning about—like how you know Italian."

"Yeah..." She said thoughtfully.

"Essie," he said carefully. "In those visions, do you see me and Bianca? Back when we were little kids? And do you sometimes see my father too?"

She turned red, and for some odd reason, couldn't look Ethan in the eye.

"I—um, well, yes, b-but—"

"—Where are you going with this?" Ethan asked him suspiciously. "Just spit it out."

Nico looked like he had been hoping he would say that. "Well, if you say so. Essie, all these weird visions, thoughts, and feelings you've been getting? Those are memories. Of a past life. You're the reincarnation of my mother, Maria di Angelo."

Esmerelda was about several seconds away from fainting due to shock.

Ethan, meanwhile, was staring at Nico in pure horror.

No, he thought. No, no, no. This can't be fucking happening. Say sike right now—

And then Esmerelda slid off from her chair and he was scrambling to catch her. Murmurs surrounded the restaurant and everyone was staring at them in concern.

"Oh shit," Nico cursed. "I-I didn't think she'd faint..."

"You just said she was your mom, what were you expecting?!" Ethan cried out. "Can you shadow travel us out of here? We should... talk about this in a more private setting."

Nico nodded guiltily. He grabbed onto the both of them and shadow traveled themselves back to the penthouse. Nico nearly doubled over from exhaustion, but Ethan caught him before that could happen.

"Sit down, kid," Ethan instructed.

Nico sat on the hippo couch while Ethan draped Esmerelda right next to him. At that moment, she let out a groan and stirred to consciousness.

Ethan and Nico stared at her.

She stared back, her face paling. "Oh gods..."

Nico looked down sullenly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you. I thought... I thought you'd be happy or something—"

"—No!" Esmerelda cried out, reaching out to hug him. "No, I am happy, Nico. I don't remember much, but I'll try to from now on, I promise. I'm glad you told me this. I just... I've just been so confused with all these weird feelings and memories... To think that I was actually remembering bits and pieces of my past life..." 

"When did it all begin?" Ethan asked curiously. 

"When I first saw you and Bianca," she answered, turning to Nico. "I had glimpses of you in my head. You two were a lot younger then. Bianca liked to try on my clothes and makeup and you were always begging me to play with you. It was cute." She added when Nico's face turned pink. 

But then her smile fell. "I didn't understand why I kept feeling so off though, so I tried to stop thinking about it. When Bianca... when she was asked to join that quest, a part of me—the part that still remembers my life as Maria—was screaming at me to stop her, but again, I pushed it back," she said despairingly. She wondered what would've happened had she remembered her old life much earlier. "And then I had that awful dream of how she died... It was horrible. I was so sad and I didn't understand why. I'm so sorry, Nico, I knew you had it worse."

Ethan's eye widened in realization. "Back at the motel," he muttered shakily. "I heard you crying, but I didn't—that was it, wasn't it? That was when you got the dream."

She nodded wordlessly. 

"It's okay," Nico told her earnestly. "You couldn't remember, none of us could. But you're not upset about all this, are you? About being my mom? Or at least, the reincarnation of her?"

"No," she shook her head. 

Nico was still confused. "But... but why did you look so horrified then?"

She reddened and sent a glance over at Ethan, suddenly looking awkward. "Er, well... a few months ago, I kind of had a vision. One of my clearest ones. It was, um, of me... kissing Hades. When you told me all this, I thought 'oh gods, that explains everything' and then I just fainted."

Ethan looked like he had been punched in the face. "Of all the memories you could've gotten about your past life, you get that one? Are you kidding me?"

She turned red with embarrassment. "It's not like I have control over them!"

"Wait," Ethan realized another thing. "Oh my gods, you had sex with Hades."

Nico blanched.

"ETHAN!" Esmerelda turned even redder.

"You had sex with him twice." He croaked.

"Ethan, stop it!"

"I just..." Ethan sat down on the Jason Voorhees coffee table, head in his hands. He looked like he was going through an existential crisis at that very second.

Nico eyed him curiously. "You're taking this a lot better than I expected." He was actually kinda disappointed about that.

"I'm freaking out, you evil dwarf!" Ethan shot him a scathing look. "I just found out my girlfriend's the reincarnation of Hades' lover and your mom! Oh gods... does this mean I'm technically a homewrecker?"

"Yes," Nico answered.

"Shut up," he said automatically. "Wait, hold on..." He looked over at Esmerelda anxiously. "You don't, um, still love him, do you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I barely remember my past life. And besides, it was just that. My past life. I'm Esmerelda Black now. I'm not saying I'm going to put it all behind me—I welcome my life as Maria with open arms, but I won't let the past hold me back either."

She no longer loved Hades. Hell, she couldn't even remember much about him and even if she did, she wouldn't go back to him. She loved Ethan now, and she would always love her kids—or Maria's kids, whatever. Most of her memories and feelings were centered around Nico and Bianca anyways. 

Ethan relaxed, and so did Nico. Nico had spent years wondering about his mother, he would've been crushed if Esmerelda chose not to accept him.

"So..." Ethan said, turning miserably to Nico. "I guess I should be expecting you to pop up a lot more, huh?"

"I guess so," Nico replied. "Gotta protect my mom from sleazebags like you."

Ethan snorted. He took one of the pillows and threw it at the younger boy's face. When it fell back down, Nico was grinning. It was as if all the years of hardship and pain had faded away. For that single moment, he looked like an actual kid again.

( BONUS! )

"You can do this," Nico muttered beside her. "It's just like yanking out a band aid." 

"This sort of thing is not easy to tell someone!" She squeaked as they entered the prison/apartment building. "Even you struggled to find a way to tell me! And I ended up fainting! Ethan almost had an existential crisis too!" 

The upper corners of his lips lifted up. "That part was kinda funny."

"Oh gods," she muttered fearfully. "We're getting closer to his cell. What do I say?!" 

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Try and ease him into it?" 

"My dad's the type of person who appreciates getting straight to the point," she moped. "I'll have to metaphorically rip out the band aid... but I can't just bluntly announce it to him! He'll be so freaked out!"

"You can do it," he said, which didn't really help her much. 

They finally reached the cell. Nervously, Esmerelda stepped in with Nico following behind him. 

"Hello, Esmerelda, Nico," her father drawled, too busy reading some book titled You Survived the Apocalypse, Now What? to look at them. 

She inhaled deeply, feeling her palms sweat. "I... I have something important to tell you..." 

He finally looked up at them, a brow arched. He set his book down. "Alright," he said. "Well, what is it?" 

"Um..." She swallowed thickly. How do you go about telling someone that you were the reincarnation of a god's lover and the mother of two demigod kids?

"You wanna do it or should I?" Nico whispered after ten seconds of tense silence passed.

She winced. "I'll do it." She took a deep breath and addressed her father.

"Dad..." She began. "I... So you know about reincarnation right?" She stalled lamely.

Nico facepalmed beside her.

"Yes, Essie," Regulus answered monotonously. "Of course I know about reincarnation." He literally lived in the Underworld, how could he not?

"O-oh well... you see Nico's mom, Maria, chose to be reborn after she died and..." She trailed off. "And um... her soul kind of... her reincarnation is, uh..."

Realization dawned on his face, which was kind of a relief because she really didn't know how to break it to him.

"It's you." He gawked. "Isn't it."

Nico and Esmerelda nodded.

Regulus looked between them, growing more and more horrified with each passing second. "Oh Merlin..." He looked like he was going to be sick. "You and—and Hades? Twice?"

"I don't remember that part!" Esmerelda squawked. "And can people please stop talking about that?!"

The amount of IMs and text messages Percy had sent her about that were numerous. It didn't help that Ethan would act like a bitter baby whenever he thought of that too. She wished they would stop bringing it up...

"Then," Regulus whispered, his eyes darting over to Nico. "Then you're..." 

"I'm your grandson," the boy said bluntly. 

Regulus cupped a hand over his mouth, like he didn't know whether to scream or sob. She couldn't blame him.

"Dad..."

He put up a hand to stop her.

"I just," he inhaled deeply. "I just need a moment."

He looked like he needed an eternity, but Nico and Esmerelda waited.

And waited...

And waited...

And waited...

"Oh no," Esmerelda said in a small voice when Regulus did nothing but stare at the empty space before him with wide, traumatized eyes. "I think we broke him..." 

END OF BOOK FOUR

— author's note —

I GOT SO MANY HEADCANON AND ONE SHOT IDEAS FROM THIS CONVO I HAD IN QUOTEV AROUND THE TIME I PUBLISHED CHAPTER 24!!!! It was hilarious, I'm not even gonna summarize it, I'll literally show you guys the screenshots:

Absolutely beautiful. Ideas that were inspired by the convo include:

- Ancient Greece AU with Ethan falling in love with Essie and doing what all men did in Ancient Greece... kidnap their prospective wife 💀

- Couples therapy with Ethan and Essie!!! 😂 😂 😂 (RIP the therapist tho)

- Awkward family dinner between Hades, Persephone, Demeter, Nico, Essie, Ethan, Hecate, and Regulus. Expect lots of drama, yelling, and (future) in-laws

Ethan when anything inconvenient happens to him:

Nico: Essie's the reincarnation of my mom

Ethan:

WE ARE FINALLY DONE WITH BOOK FOUR EVERYONE!!!!!!! NOW THE REAL PAIN BEGINS, ISN'T THAT GREAT?!?!?!?! :D

YOU KNOW THE DRILL, I'LL UPDATE AGAIN ONCE I RELEASE BOOK FIVE!