Percy 

I stood in the middle of the gardens, staring down at the black ring on my index finger. It had been a gift from Nyx, and I remembered how happy the Primordial had been when I accepted it. 

My lips curved up into a bitter smile as my thoughts wandered back to a certain ex-huntress. Alex had confronted me about that, and he told me to stop about thinking about her. 

But how the Hades was I supposed to just forget about her? How was I supposed to move on?

I slipped my hand into the right pocket of my jacket, my fingers curling around a velvet box. I pulled the object out and used my other hand to pry it open. 

Inside, lying in the middle of the box, was a small diamond ring. 

I exhaled slowly before tilting my head back to gaze up at the bright blue sky. I was planning on proposing to Zoe before the fight against Nico and his ragtag army, but I had decided to wait. 

And that had been my mistake. 

My beautiful girlfriend had been killed, and I remembered the disbelief and pain that I had felt. 

My grip instinctively tightened on the velvet box that I was holding as my anger, along with my grief, grew. 

I never should have left her side. I should have stayed with her, I should have fought with her. Instead, I assumed that she would be perfectly fine with my army. 

She died before I was able to propose to her. 

"My Lord?" A soft voice cut through my thoughts, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Ruby standing behind me with a worried look on her face. 

"What is it?" I asked as I closed the lid of the box. I really had no idea why I was still holding on to it, especially since Zoe died more than a month ago. 

The daughter of Nemesis looked down at her feet before muttering "Nothing, I just wanted to ask if you were feeling okay." 

I opened my mouth to tell her that I was perfectly fine, but hesitated before I could get a word out. I was obviously not fine, and Ruby could most definitely tell that something was troubling me. 

I closed my eyes briefly before a sigh escaped my lips. "I'm sure you know the answer to that." 

Ruby frowned at that before her gaze landed on the box in my hand. "My Lord-" "Take a look." I interrupted, tossing the box to her. She caught it easily, but paused before opening it. 

The daughter of Nemesis gasped as she stared at the diamond ring in shock. She covered her mouth with a hand and looked at me with wide eyes. 

"Yes." I said wearily. "That was supposed to be Zoe's engagement ring. I was going to propose to her, but she died before I was able to do that." 

Ruby closed the box before she walked up to stand in front of me. She reached out to grab my hand, and I watched as she pressed the object into my palm. 

"I never got the chance to meet Zoe, since I was one of the newer recruits." Ruby said quietly. "But I'm sure she was an amazing person. I'm sorry for your loss, My Lord." 

I swallowed before gently pulling my hand out of the her grip and slipping the box back into my pocket. "Yeah. She.... She was. She was my greatest supporter, and she was always there when I needed her. I miss her so much." 

Ruby pursed her lips before she lifted her head up slightly to meet my gaze. "Can I hug you?" 

I blinked in surprise, and the daughter of Nemesis blushed fiercely. "Shit, I'm sorry My Lord, that was terribly inappropriate! Please forgive me!" 

"No." I said slowly, and Ruby gave me a confused look. "There's no need for you to apologize. I.... I would very much like a hug." 

Her blush deepened before she reached out to pull me towards her. Her arms wrapped around my waist and she put her head on my shoulder. 

As I stood in the middle of the gardens in Ruby's embrace, my mind wandered back to Zoe. I knew I had to accept the fact that she wasn't going to come back. 

It was definitely time to move on. 

"Thank you." I murmured as I gently pulled away from Ruby. "That helped quite a bit." She simply smiled at me and gave me a slight bow. "It was nothing, My Lord. It is my duty to serve you, after all." 

I scoffed at that and shook my head. "You're not some sort of tool, Ruby. You're part of my army, and I cherish you all."

The daughter of Nemesis laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know that, My Lord. Are you certain you're feeling better now?" 

My hand slipped back into my jacket pocket, my fingers brushing against the velvet box inside. Was I really feeling better? 

Talking with Ruby certainly made me feel as if some sort of weight had been lifted off of my chest. She obviously wanted nothing but the best for me, as she had easily been able to tell when something was troubling me. 

"Yes." I said as my lips curved up into small smile. "I am. You've helped me a lot." 

Ruby lifted her hand to her forehead to give me a salute. "I'm always here for you, My Lord! And I'm definitely not the only one who cares about you." 

I lifted my gaze up to the sky again and closed my eyes. "I know. I'm aware." 

I'll love you forever, Zoe.

Leo 

"I win." I said, locking eyes with the son of Khione. My sword was pressed lightly against his throat, and if he were to make any sudden movements, then he would be cut. 

Andrew raised an eyebrow before the ice spear in his hand disappeared. "It would seem so, Valdez. Congratulations." 

I clicked my tongue and lowered my blade away from his neck. I glanced at my half frozen arm and groaned in annoyance. "Did you really have to do that?" 

Andrew shrugged as he brushed some of his hair out of his face. "Not really. But you should be able to use your amazing fire powers to melt it." 

My eye twitched before I lifted my hand and pressed it against my frozen arm. My palm grew warm, and steam rose into the air as I melted the ice. 

"See? I don't know what you're complaining about." Andrew said dismissively as I lowered my hand. "You made it look effortless." 

"I will burn you." 

"I've heard that one before." The son of Khione turned to gaze at the half frozen training room. "Ah shit. I might have gone a little overboard." 

I frowned at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "A little overboard? Please, just admit that it was more than a little." 

Andrew heaved a sigh as he moved to face me once more. "Okay, maybe more than a little. Can you do me a favour and melt this?" 

I stared at him in disbelief. Was he being serious? "What!? No way! You froze more than half of the room! That's your problem, not mine!" 

"Oh? You're not strong enough to do that? What a shame. I guess I'll just wait for it to melt on it's own then." 

I ground my teeth together in frustration as I knew exactly what Andrew was trying to do. Judging from the smug look on his face, he also knew that I was going to give in. 

I'm so going to kick his ass. 

"Whatever!" I hissed. "I'll do it. I'll clean up the mess that you made." 

The son of Khione gave me a triumphant smirk and patted me on the shoulder before leaving the room. I glared at him before turning my attention to the half frozen room. 

Oh boy. This was going to take forever. 

Word count: 1348

i just want to say that percy is not going to fall in love with another girl.

unless y'all want him to......