Disclaimer: all belongs to Rick Riordan except the plot.
Th night was calm and clear. The stars visible and bright.
The Argo 2 rocked softly, swaying. On the deck sat a figure.
His legs dangling on the side. It seemed he where about to fall off but didn't notice. He was too busy staring at the stars.
Wondering what would happen if it was possible to reach and touch them. A group of stars seemed to shine brighter than others, outlining an image of a running person with a bow and arrow.
The Huntress, that's what it was called. The constellation seemed to be hunting, keeping everyone safe.
The figure opened his mouth as if to speak to the huntress. Even though it was dark the figure was recognizable, Percy Jackson.
"Hello Zoë." he managed to say. It had been a long time since he was able to see her clearly.
"Been a long time hasn't it?" He waited, as if she was speaking to him.
"A lot has changed," He continued, " I need to be a hero again." It seemed weird that Percy was talking to a star. This lead to thinking about the second Titan war, the lives lost.
Normally, those thoughts steered clear but the constellation seemed to trigger a string.
Footsteps where heard, and Percy stopped, not wanting people to think he was talking to himself. The deck door opened and out came Piper, Jason, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth. Percy looked away not wanting others to see the tears that where about to
fall.
He was supposed to be a leader, a role-model. They couldn't see him cry. He took a deep breath and looked to the stars again, pretending that he didn't notice the rest of the seven's presence.
Annabeth seeing Percy's discomfort, looked at what he was staring at. She knew straight away. Of course, she herself didn't know Zoë that well. Though even in those short moments she had respect for the fallen huntress. She looked around and caught glimpses
of confusion on others faces. She wondered what her face showed. She put on a face of confusion to mask the sadness. She didn't know if Percy was ready to tell the tale.
Piper was confused.
And as her eyes told her so was the rest of the seven.
She didn't know how they found him, and why he was like this. Percy was supposed to be outgoing. She thought she saw a flicker of emotion in Annabeth's posture but it must have been her imagination.
They all woke up at the same time with the feeling of depression hanging in the air. It was weird that such a feeling was around at a time like this.
Who else was awake? She got out of her room to look around. There she met with Jason, Hazel and Frank who told the exact same story as she did. A few minutes later after searching they bumped into Leo and Annabeth who, again had the same story.
Like a blanket a feeling washed over them, as if it wanted to show them something.
The feeling and sense lead them to the deck or Argo 2 where A dark figure was sitting on the edge. He, piper deducted it was a boy, had a depressing feeling rolling off him.
Somehow the stars got brighter for a second outlining the figure who looked extremely like Percy. "Percy?" Piper asked unsure. The guy that looked like Percy seemed to just notice their presence shifting his eyes from the sky to them.
His eyes where sea green, Swirling with emotions. She was right, the figure was Percy.
"Are you ok?" That question seemed to ripple through the awkwardness and leave them in dead silence.
Jason was wondering what was with the sky.
Not that he had a problem with it. His dad literally rules it, but the way Percy looked up there like he was trying not to remember something made him feel uneasy.
As if Percy knew the sky personally. After Piper asked the question it seemed like they where again in silence. Annabeth couldn't take it anymore and sat down next to Percy averting her eyes at them. At first Jason didn't understand, but he thought she
wanted them to sit down so he did.
The rest followed being as quiet as possible.
Percy seemed to ponder about the question for some time.
Was he ok? He looked back at the rest of the seven.
He looked back at the stars and sighed. He wasn't getting out of this.
When Hazel was little she always thought the stars in the sky were jewels. Like the jewels held a part of a persons soul when they died.
Later on the belief still held on. She loved just looking at the stars, sometimes talking to them so they won't get lonely.
Maybe she wasnt the only one.
Frank waited for Percy to answer piper's question.
He felt uncomfortable.
"Have you ever heard of the huntress?" Percy asked pointing up at the stars where faintly they noticed the outline of a constellation.
Most shook their heads, but Annabeth seemed near to tears.
Frank wondered if it meant something to the two. Percy seemed to be contemplating if to tell them something or not.
"Her Name was Zoë Nightshade." That sentence only came out in a whisper but still echoed around them, like a ghost.
Leo squirmed. He had the worst ADHD of them all.
Percy was talking like he knew this person personally. But it wasn't possible, the huntress lived thousands of years ago. Although in the demigod world, everything is possible.
"How do you know that?" Leo questioned.
He didn't mean to say it. It was his ADHD that was talking. He thought Percy was about to break.
"She was my friend." Was the only answer he gave.
Percy didn't want to say more. One more word and he would break.
She was one of the people he didn't manage to save. She died right in front of him.
He could have saved her. He tried to push those thoughts out of his head.
"She was our friend." Annabeth said. She looked at Percy. She saw a tear slip from his eyes.
Not once since the Titan war had he cried. And now there he was.
But she couldn't blame him, as a few tears rolled down her cheeks like drops of rain.
"She was a dam good friend." Percy said chuckling quietly. Zoë still didn't get it.
Those times seemed so far away. He got weird looks and only managed to say "inside joke."
And then something snapped. He shouldn't be grieving. It wouldn't do anything.
He should tell the Fallen heroes stories. They should be honored. They where the real heroes. And here he was, and only Annabeth understood.
"Let me tell you a story..." And he went on, about how Annabeth sacrificed herself for himself and Thalia, how Artemis got kidnapped.
The dreams. How he followed even though he wasn't supposed to go, how Bianca died, the dam joke. And finally the part where Zoë dies.
"Her last words where stars. So Artemis put her in the stars, and that's how the huntress was made." After that no word was said, he saw some tears trickling down Annabeth's face. One by one they all left until it was only Percy.
"I'm sorry Zoë." And he swore he saw the constellation wink at him.
Up in the stars Zoë looked down at the earth below her.
She spotted the Argo 2, some people known as the seven, sitting on the ledge. She listened closer and only heard the last sentence,
"so Artemis put her in the stars, and that's how the huntress was made." She smiled slightly.
She watched as one by one each of them walked back to their rooms.
"I'm sorry Zoë." Percy said.
All she did was smile and wink at him.
. . .
AN
I hope you liked it. I felt like making a one shot.
Read my other books!
Thanks,
Maaya
Word count: 1342