Epilogue

It felt great to be back at Camp Half-Blood and reunite with Victoria, Emily and Demetria, all of us together once again. But at the same time, it felt kind of weird. It's amazing how much you can change in just a couple of days. A lot of people were waiting for us at Half-Blood Hill, but mostly our closest friends and colleagues. Markus, the Dionysus brothers, Serena's brothers and some friends to Victoria and Dana that I didn't really know.

- Welcome back, bro. – Markus said, patting me on the back – But next time I'll go with you. You'll see how things will run smoothly with a protector by your side.

- Where the hell were you all the time, by the way? You didn't even attend the celebration. – I asked.

- Been seeing this wood nymph, she doesn't let go of me not even one minute! – he whispered.

- Yeah, I know the feeling. – I said, while Dana hugged me from the back.

We all gathered under a pine in the Cabins Valley, Serena narrating all our adventures, exaggerating a little bit on the details, but just a little bit.

- And then I was trapped into this small jar and, next thing I know, I wake up on the beach with people staring funny at me. – she said at the end.

- That was great. Really courageous. – Nicholas said, making everyone stare at him. – I mean, jars are scary. They're closed and there isn't much air inside.

Kevin rolled his eyes and laughed.

- Can you believe this guy? "They're closed". Way to go, bro.

Serena came closer and punched the head of Cabin Twelve in the arm.

- Leave curly alone. He's just being nice. – she looked at Nicholas and smiled.

I would never admit this, but I felt a little bit bad. Damn, that girl moves on fast.

From where we were, I saw a lot of commotion in front of Cabin Six. The sons of Athena were screaming and crying, looking helpless at Chiron, who only nodded.

- Been meaning to tell you. – Markus said, beside me – Seems like Alexandra ran away from camp yesterday. Her brothers are going crazy, there's no sign of her anywhere.

- Do you think she'll come back? – Dana asked.

- We don't know what happened to her, if she's fine or not. But she didn't show up to sleep yesterday. Chiron thinks she ran away.

- Do you happen to know why?

Markus didn't answer, but Eric, Alexandra's younger brother, saw me in the distance and his stare left no room for doubt.

- Damn. – I whispered to myself, the hair in the back of my head standing up while my mom's words echoed in my mind.

I know I say this a lot, but I gotta say it again. I love my sisters. After dinner, they left Dana and I all alone, the Aphrodite Cabin all for ourselves. She threw me in my bed as soon as we shut the door and started kissing me, but I stopped her lips.

- Wait. Come on. – I held her hand and took her upstairs.

- Woah. – she said, before the huge bed surrounded by thick black marble columns.

- They say when a love is celebrated in it, it lives forever, that it can never be unbroken.

I saw Dana's big brown eyes analyzing the bed with curiosity. Right there, looking at her face, I knew for sure that I was more than willing to take the risk with her. She stared into my eyes and smiled.

- I love you, Paris.

- I love you too, Dana.

We lied on the bed and started kissing. The red silk sheets glowed like fire as our hands started discovering each other's bodies. The passion taking over our skin, our hearts beating at the same rhythm. She smiled and helped me take off my leather jacket, throwing it to the ground. I know I promised my mom, but I guess she wouldn't mind if I took the jacket off that one time. Or every single time after that. Love magic filled the air as we felt our love growing stronger, feeling each other's body, our souls becoming one. The sheets glowed like the sun and suddenly we both knew it.

Forever started that night.

Suddenly, I was back at Eros's office. The big glass windows showed the skyscrapers of Los Angeles all lit up like constellations of stars. My brother and Psyche stared at the horizon, while the fireplace burned with a purple fire, painting the entire room the same color as the aura of the goddess of the soul.

- Are you sure we can trust her? – she asked, her glowing eyes solid with doubt.

- My love, I thought this through. – Eros said – It says on the list. She answered my call. Believe me, she wants the same as we do. She's been my backup plan since the beginning.

Psyche stared at her husband when steps echoed inside the room. They turned around and saw a beautiful girl with long brown hair and big sapphire blue eyes, her usually tender face marked by tears and sorrow.

- Alexandra. – Eros said – Come closer.

She walked till the middle of the room, staring furiously at the gods. But I knew that rage wasn't directed at them.

- You said you could help me. – her voice sounded deep and cold, so different from the one I remembered in my head.

- Tell us what you want. – Psyche said, peeking inside the daughter of Athena's soul, getting to know every single feeling that moved her. A devilish smile cut through Psyche's flawless face.

- I want Paris Monroe dead, buried, humiliated. – Alexandra said, tears rolling down her face – I want to make him pay for what he did to me.

Eros and Psyche glanced at each other and smiled.

- We are here to help you, Alexandra. – Eros said.

My heart raced and I opened my eyes. I was in Cabin Ten, my sisters sleeping peacefully around me. But I didn't feel relief. Reality didn't bring me safety and reassurance. That was no dream. I just knew it, with every cell in my body.

I put on my jacket and walked out of the cabin, heading to the shore. The sunrise painted the sky orange and blue, making the sea shine even more beautifully. I felt the sand on my toes and filled my lungs with the ocean breeze, it was almost the same as feeling her smell.

- You seem happy.

I opened my eyes and saw my mother beside me, the wind blowing through her perfect hair, every aspect of her shining in even more beauty than the sunrise in front of us.

- When I think about her, I am. – I said, my smile slowly fading away – But I had this dream last night.

- Yes. – she nodded – But you knew this was going to happen.

I sighed and nodded. It was my fault that was happening. Entirely my fault. Aphrodite smiled and held my hand, trying to comfort me.

- You couldn't have prevented this, even if you knew ahead. It was her destiny. But you need to be ready, this will be your biggest challenge yet. – she smiled and pointed at my jacket – How do you like your other present?

I took out the green rose and held it in my hand. It may look like just a flower, but I could feel in my grasp all the power it carried. The same power that burned inside of me, running through my veins, making me feel like I was ready to face anything.

- Its name is Synaisthimata, the sword of feelings. It's blade will always reflect what you feel in your heart. Make sure it never makes you lose track of the feelings that really matter.

My fingertips touched the green petals and the sword appeared in my hand, glowing in a pink light.

- Are you thinking about her? – my mother asked, a smile as huge as Demetria's marking her features.

I smiled, feeling my heart beat strong.

- One of mine and one of Poseidon's. – Aphrodite gasped – It reminds me of London, but that was almost 400 years ago.

- What?

- Nothing, that was another time, another story. – she came closer and kissed me on the forehead – I'm proud of you, sweetheart. Even after you disobeyed me and went after her.

- I had to save Victoria, mom.

- I know, my love. And I was naive to think that I could keep you safe away from her, from both of them. You are the only thing that stands between them and their goal, and they won't rest until it's over. That is your destiny, Paris.

I glanced at her and swallowed dry.

- Is that what the prophecy about me said?

Aphrodite bit her lip and stared into the sunrise.

- I won't get into details, not now, not yet. – she looked into my eyes – But you, Paris, are the only one who can prevent the fall of Olympus and the end of western civilization as we know it.

I tightened my grip around Synaisthimata, feeling the weight of those words on my shoulders. Everything seemed peaceful now, but that wouldn't last for long. I thought about the last few days and sighed, trying to imagine what was still to come. Only one thing I knew for certain.

That was only the beginning.

THE END

A/N: Just wanna let everyone know that I'll work in another story before coming back to Paris and the gang, so it might be a couple of months, maybe more till you get to read the sequel.

Also, just to clarify, I use dashes instead of quote marks because that's how we write in Portuguese, which is my native language, and it's how I'm used to write. But due to requests, I'm gonna start using quote marks in my stories from now on, so don't worry, and thank you for not letting that prevent you from enjoying the story.

A special thanks to my girlfriend Dana, who served as inspiration and support. I love you so much. You are my everything.

I hope you all check out my next project! And don't forget that Paris will be back…

Thank you all! Writing this was pretty fun,

Pedro.