𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 ─── cabin eleven 

camp half blood, 7th september 2009

"𝔗his is it." The words echoed around the car, falling on deaf ears as Ellie stared through the front windshield at the ancient Greek lettering on the entry way far above her. Hermes was watching her carefully, his hand outstretched to help her from the car. "It's just over the hill."

"Hmm." Ellie made a non-committal sound of agreement, before taking his hand and climbing out of the car. Hermes sent her a reassuring smile, as Alabaster started to unbuckle the twins. He handed the eldest of the pair, Alex, to Hermes and clung to Wren as he joined Ellie's side. 

"Luke hated this place." Alabaster muttered, staring at the entry way above them with distaste. "I don't understand why he would ever willing leave things here."

"I doubt it was anything sentimental." Ellie shot the boy a sad smile. "But anything of his, or Ethan's, I want to take home. They were our family. They deserve to be with us, not in some child soldier camp."

"Ellie," Hermes reached her side. "I know that you're still in grief, but please be careful. Just as you are recovering from this war, so are they and a lot of them still see Luke as evil, despite what he did."

"My husband was never evil."

"They don't know that."

"Why not?" Ellie looked up at him with numb eyes. "Why don't they know what Luke sacrificed so that they could have the chance at a better life?"

"Because sometimes, not every hero gets to have their story told to the many. Sometimes, it's just down to the few to keep their stories alive." Hermes sighed, "and I'll keep his story alive for as long as I roam this earth."

Ellie nodded, before following Hermes up the hill and into Camp Half-Blood. As they reached the peak of the hill, Alabaster and Ellie paused, looking down into the valley that Luke had once called home. Further in the distance, they could see an amphitheatre and a large rock climbing wall, that seemed to glow orange at points. A big house was closer to them, surrounded by a large expanse of strawberry fields. To the left, close to a large lake, was a semicircle of cabins, though some were starting to be built.

It was peaceful, Ellie supposed, if she had been born in the Ancient Greek era and was unaware of what this camp stood for. But she knew far too much.

"This way." Hermes spoke slowly, leading them around a large pine tree (that had a dragon sleeping at the bottom of it, and a golden fleece flung over one of the branches) and into the strawberry fields.

Reaching down, Ellie grabbed two of the strawberries, taking the heads off of them and then holding them out to each of her children. 

"Berrie." Wren clapped her hand, and Ellie grinned, letting her chew on the fruit. Alex seemed more sceptical than his sister, but ate it all the same, grinning at her with his cheeks covered in strawberry juice. Ellie was quick to wipe it off, before picking her son up and holding him to her body.

"Chiron!" Hermes strode off to a shape in the distance, causing Alabaster and Ellie to stop walking.

"I don't like it here." Alabaster hissed, eyes darting around as he clutched onto Wren. "It's too exposed, full of people who hate Luke and Ethan. I want to go home."

"Soon, Al, I promise you." Ellie turned back to look at him, nudging his shoulder gently. "We'll go home and never have to see this gods forsaken camp again."

"Good, otherwise I'm gonna burn it down." Alabaster hissed, shifting Wren to one arm as Hermes came back towards them with, who the pair assumed was, Chiron. He was tall, with the bottom half of a horse and the torso of a man.

Luke had said that Chiron was a centaur.

Alabaster and Ellie both narrowed their eyes, standing taller and position the babies closer to their bodies. This was the man who sent children into war.

"Chiron, this is Arabella, Alabaster and then Ellie's children, Alex and Wren Castellan." Chiron stopped walking, looking between the four of them with wide eyes. After a moment, he dropped his head.

"I'm incredibly sorry for your loss." The statement sounded rehearsed, and Ellie wondered how many parents or loved ones he'd had to say it to. "To lose a bro-"

"A husband." Ellie cut him off, her eyes dull. "Luke was my husband and Ethan was one of my closest friends and please, save the fake sympathy. I already know what most of the people in this place think of them."

"I raised Luke, since he was young." Chiron looked offended. "He was like a son to me-"

"Don't." Alabaster spat the word out like a curse, his eyes wild with fury. "Don't you dare mention his name. You don't get to speak about either of them. I want to go. We shouldn't have come here."

"Alabaster." Ellie warned, holding out a placating hand and looking at Chiron. "We just want Luke and Ethan's things and then we'll go."

"Of course." Chiron nodded. "Lord Hermes, you know where our room for the dead is, perhaps you should take young Mr. Torrington-"

"It's Castellan." Alabaster corrected.

"Young Mr. Castellan to go and get Luke and Ethan's belongings." Chiron corrected himself. "I can take Mrs. Castellan to Cabin 11."

"Ellie?" Hermes looked over at her, waiting for her nod of approval before taking Alabaster and leading him towards the big house, as Ellie followed Chiron.

"The only things in Cabin 11 will be Luke's flying shoes and perhaps some things of Ethan's."

"What about their shrouds?"

"The shrouds?" Chiron's eyebrows furrowed. "It's tradition to keep them in the cabins, as reminders of those who came before us."'

"With all due respect," Ellie meant that with little respect for the centaur. "You burned my husband and best friend's bodies without me here to say goodbye. I'd quite like to have some part of them that I can bury and hold my own funeral for. As hard as it is for you to believe, they both had friends and family outside of the demigod world."

"Ah, I see," Chiron nodded. "Well, in that case, it'll be in Cabin 11 with the other things."

"Thank you." Ellie nodded, looking around in barely hidden awe at the circle of cabins, each unique to the next. 

"This is Cabin 11. Luke was cabin councillor here for most of his years."

Cabin 11 was made of wood, radiating a homely feel as Ellie heard the sound of children chattering and laughing. Chiron knocked on the door, pushing it open but not stepping in. As soon as the teenagers saw him, they stood up and grinned innocently.

"Cabin 11, this is Arabella and her son, Alex." The cabin all waved as Ellie felt her heart pause. Some of them looked so much like Luke. "Where are Connor and Travis?"

"Here." Two boys popped out in front of them, near to identical though one had a small scar on the bridge of his nose and the other was freckled. "What can we do for you, Chiron? Is this a sibling of ours?"

"No." Ellie shook her head. "Not a sibling, more like a nephew."

"Oh." The boys looked around, before their shoulders drooped. "Sorry for your loss. I assume the father was one of ours."

"Yeah, he was." Alex cooed, burying his head into his mother's neck. "I'm here for the shrouds and his things."

"Sure, what's the name?" The one with the scar asked.

"Luke Castellan and Ethan Nakamura." The boys went still, eyes going wide. "I'm not here to argue over morals, just to get my husband and best friend's things back."

"Sure." The younger one hurried off, as the older one stood in front of her with wide eyes. She cocked an eyebrow, before he sighed and shook his head.

"I understood Luke's intentions, and I know he did wrong," He mumbled, looking up at her with sad eyes. "But he was a good older brother. He always looked out for me and Connor."

"He just wanted everyone to be safe." Ellie tightened her grip on Alex, pressing a kiss to his head as the other boy, with the scar came back.

"Here." He held a box out to her. "This has Luke's shroud in it, and Ethan's and it also has Luke's flying shoes. This would have been the only things here though. Everything else is up at the Big House."

"Thank you." And Ellie truly meant it.

∘☽༓☾∘

3rd August 2008

Dear Ellie,

I am praying that you never have to read it and I can burn it after this entire, gods forsaken war is over. Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to be the case. I really wish that this entire war is going to be something that we can laugh about later on.

I hope you know, that if there was another way to get around all of this, to kill Kronos and right the wrongs that I started, I would take it. But there isn't another way, not one that will keep you and Beans safe indefinitely and that's all I want in life. I want you, and Beans, to be safe.

I know that I'm breaking my promise to you, that I would be there for every milestone we aimed to reach but please remember, that even if you don't think I'm around, I am always going to be watching over you, Alex, Wren, Ethan and Al. I'll be there for every milestone in spirit, and when the time comes, I'll be waiting for you at the gates of the Elysium so we can have eternity together.

Always remember that I love you more than life itself, even if I am not by your side to tell you that everyday. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there for you as much as you need me to, and for all the hurt and pain that you suffered being dragged into the mess of the demigod life. Just know, that if I die, my final thoughts will be of you and only you and fate will not keep me away from you, in this lifetime or the next. 

We'll get our happy ending.

I love you so much, more than you can ever know. I know that you will be the best mother to Beans and Al, and they're going to become great people with you and Ethan looking out for them. We'll see each other soon.

Love Luke xx

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

Ellie adopted Alabaster which is why Alabaster is Castellan and not Torrington. If you didn't quite catch it, that was Luke's final letter to Ellie and this is the final chapter of the book. We have two epilogues coming up and because I love you, there's a bonus chapter for if Luke and Ethan had lived :)

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx