ASDFGHJKL I'm sorry for the wait! This chapter was a toughie because I didn't know if I wanted Percy back here or not. Well, my Cat decided for me when he brought me a fishy Cat Snak as an offering for attention- his name is Yin, BTW. I took it as a sign.

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.:X:.

Riddle and Reunions

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"Jimbo, this has gone on long enough- you got to snap out of it."

Jim was sitting on a sail-hold near the Crow's Nest fiddling with rope when Silver approached him that evening. The teen looked- in as few words as possible- like shit. His eyes had darkening circles under them- the nights he went without nightmares from the Supernova were few and far between. "It wasn't you're fault- we both know that when Percy has an idea, he'll see it through no matter-."

In a rage, Jim threw his rope out into the abyss and jumped down onto the deck in front of the old cyborg, blue eyes darkening to a storm of rage. "Don't you get it?!" The boy shouted up at Silver. "I didn't do enough to stop him! If I- if I just tried harder to convince him to find another way, he'd still be here! He wouldn't have gotten himself blown up, and everything would be fine!" Silver just watched as Jim let out what he'd held in for the past three weeks. "You have no idea what it feels like to have a person who's been next to you and believing in you sacrifice themselves so you could live!" Jim continued. "I'll never see him again, and you know what makes it worse?! He isn't still out there like my sperm-donor probably is! Percy is dead!" Jim was panting as he screamed out that last word.

All the pain that the locket couldn't wash away came back with a vengeance. Jim felt his knees shake with the exhaustion and grief and they gave out on him, slamming his kneecaps into the wooden deck under them. Jim's eyes burned, but he didn't have any tears left.

"He's dead, and he's not coming back."

Silver gazed at the shaking teenager before him before he knelt down in front of him. "Listen to me, James Hawkins." The cyborg began. Taking his flesh hand he gripped the boys shoulder before making him look up. "Perce knew what you were worth- he gave his life so you could live, aye?" Jim's red eyes were narrowed as he nodded. "Then do what he would have wanted you to do- Live." Jim's breath hitched. Silver's eye softened. "It's been written all over your face since you came into my galley, lad," He said, gathering Jim into a hug.

"You loved him, and that's alright- that's what you and he deserved." Jim buried his face into Silver's shirt. "It hurts," the boy said softly, eyes burning.

Silver nodded. "Yes… but it always will- it's just a matter of how you get past it."

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The next morning found Jim waking in the longboat once more. When Silver had left him for the night last night Jim felt… a bit more at ease. He knew he had to move on, but he felt a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he had to wait a bit more. What made the boy so frustrated was that he didn't know what he was waiting for.

With a sigh, Jim flopped out of the longboat and threw on is jacket.

Venturing down the hall he passed an intersection without a thought, but paused and backtracked. Jim rubbed his eyes to make sure before looking again. Then he pinched himself.

…Nope the guy in space-clothed was still there. Galaxies and stars and planets swirled and revolved like a hologram over his robes and his hair was a snowy white.. one eye was a pale silver and the other the darkest black in the irises. He was just standing there, tapping his foot almost impatiently.

"Hey!" Jim called out sharply, making the man jump and spin to look at the teen. "Oh, hello there! So you're the one, huh?" in a swirl of his robes the man made to turn around but suddenly appeared at Jim's right. "Hmm… I can see why- beautiful eyes, though that Rat-Tail is so tempting to sheer off with a blade- a wonder it hadn't been done 'accidentally'." Jim jumped back and reached into his pocket for Riptide, gripping the weaponized pen firmly.

"Who are you?" Jim asked lowly. The man's dichromatic eyes widened in excitement.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked~!" with a flourish he began to introduce himself. "I am the one that creates and destroys! I am the light and dark, I am One, I am All, I could be even called God or even… you. BUT! You may refer to me as~,"

He leaned in and murmured his name into Jim's ear.

"Chaos~."

Jim's eyes widened in shock. The oath Percy made on Riptide and the locket flashed in his mind and he narrowed his eyes at the Celestial Creator.

"And I'm here to let you in on a little test question: A way home is near, James. Would you be able to let what you love the most go should it be time to make the choice?" Jim's heart thumped at the question and his jaw parted. "Oh, you don't have to answer now, but I will await it when we next meet." The Creator held up a hand and a swirling portal of darkness and light came into being. "Till then, Ta-ta~!"

Waving as he stepped into the vortex, Chaos vanished. Jim was left standing in the hallway with wide eyes and a hanging mouth.

'Would I be able to let what I love the most go…?' the boy shook his head and looked up as he climbed the stairs to the deck. Going to the railing and looking out at the Etherium beyond, Jim thought the question was pointless, however it wouldn't allow itself to be disregarded. As the rest of the crew began to wake up and take on their duties, Jim sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, turning to join in his own duties.

*Crunch*

Pausing, Jim tugged his hand out of his pocket and produced a slip of parchment. In elegant handwriting, Jim read five words that made his blood freeze.

I'm coming for you, Solar Flare~!*

Eyes wide and jaw slack once more, Jim spun to the blue beyond and sucked air into his lungs before shouting as loud as he could, making the few crewmembers who weren't away jolt into the state, and those who were stop in shock at the shout.

"PERCYYYYYYYY!"

Jim;s voice shot through the Etherium, going and going until it faded from even Captain Amelia's ears. She stood at the wheel, watching the boy with pitying eyes as Arrow stood beside her. The crew wasn't expecting a reply though.

"JIIIIMMMM!"

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Ten minutes Earlier

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"Alright! Everything's set! He got your note and is probably waiting for you right now"

Chaos stepped through the vortex and into his realm while Percy was fluttering his wings in anticipation, bouncing from foot to food anxiously. "Now, I can't have a portal form on the ship, and I can't do it next to it, so you'll have to fly a distance to get there. Like a mile or five." At the Creator's estimate Percy huffed. "I don't care how far or near you get me… I just want to get back to Jim." Chaos' dichromatic eyes glinted with a strange light. "That kid's a keeper, Perce. Rugged and a bad boy. You know how to pick em'!" shoving the boy through the vortex, Chaos didn't give the Son of Poseidon time to stammer his flustered defense.

"Go get Im'!"

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Present Time

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=›◊‹=

Play Wings by Marcus Warner

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Tumbling through black and white, Percy remembered all the times he and Jim spent together. Turning to the childish creator, Percy shot him a bright shining grin. "Thank you, Chaos!" the man smiled and waved at him, giving Percy his farewell- for now.

Percy didn't know how long he fell/rolled, but the next thing he knew, he was spit out in a blue nebula surrounded by baby stars. Seeing a few of his own and fish swimming around them, Percy shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness. He wasn't anywhere near the Legacy, that was for sure. He sent out his senses, looking for a ling that showed the signs of life unique to a ship vessel. Turns out, he didn't have to.

A voice pulled him home.

"PERCYYYY!"

Turning due east, Percy smiled brightly and in his excitement summoned a wave from the nebulous cloud to rise and boost his speeds back to the ship. When it was but a speck in his sight, Percy let out a cry of his own saturated with joy and excitement.

"JIIIIIMMMMM!"

Jim's almost couldn't believe his eyes- Percy was riding a wave towards the Legacy, wings shifting from their black and blue to green and blue. Regaining his bearings, Jim raced along the side of the ship's railing as Percy changed direction to circle the vessel. Ditching his wave of water, Percy spread his wings and flapped the rest of the way. Drops clung to his feathers and hair like dew but he was too excited to care. Percy was close enough to see Silver, his cyborg eye wide and gold and mouth split into a disbelieving grin. Scroop was on the shrouds watching his apprentice with gleaming golden eyes.

Amelia's green catlike orbs were shining with relief that Percy wasn't dead and Delbert was grinning like the canine-resembling alien he was. Percy was circling close rand closer to the ship, and when he was close enough he flew straight to Jim, smashing into his chest and sending both boys rolling across the deck in a flurry of limbs, feathers, and water drops.

Jim's arms latch around Percy's waist and tighten like a vise, feeling the winged boy laughing in joy, the sound lightening, alive, and colorful. Percy's body was real, alive, warm, and Jim finally found tears again- but this time, they were tears of joy.

"Oh, my god…! Holy shit you're alive!"

Percy shifted his position, sitting up as the crew cheered around them at the return of the one who save the Legacy from destruction. "A supernova is gonna have to up it's game to keep me from you, Solar Fire." Percy could almost hear Chaos' voice in his head, urging him to go for it and damn the watching eyes around them. sky blue met oceanic green and Percy tugged Jim upwards and pressed his mouth to Jim's.

Blue eyes widened as the taste of sea and wind and a hint of chocolate chip cookies fell on his lips. His eyes slid closed though, pulling the slightly smaller boy in closer before they broke apart, the duo a blushing mess.

"Mister Jackson, I must ask that you keep your personal reunions for later!"

Amelia's voice cut through the rejoicing teenagers and they scrambled away to sit at a reasonable distance, faces still burning. "However…" looking up at the cat-alien, Percy saw she was smiling down on him, eyes shining with a relieved light. "I will say this: Welcome Back."

Percy grinned. "It's good to be back."

Scroop skittered closer and swept the boy up in a hug. "Cabinn Boyyy… You have extra Work to dooo… your absssennnce caussed mannnny troubless." Percy laughed and patted the Arachnodyte on his clawed wrist. "I missed you too, Scroop." Silver patted Jim on the shoulder as he watched his old friend reunite with his apprentice. "Well done, Lad." He said to his own. "Well done."

Meanwhile, icy blue eyes flashed behind cold golds as Timepiece snarled silently at the return of one of the troublemakers. He fingered the clock hands band on his wrist before taking a deep breath and letting it out slow.

There will be time to sway them. our two figureheads have gone soft- the rest of them will not allow that.

A sinister grin formed over Timepiece's face as he sank into the shadows.

Nothing has changed.

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Ohbygods I'm so sorry for the wait! I had writer's block and couldn't figure out how to get this chapter out… ugh! Anyways, I'm going on Vacay to Colorado for a week in 2 weeks, but I'll try to update somewhere in the week I'm gone! Merry Christmas, ppl!

*If you look up this phrase on Google Translate in Greek, the sentence is in fact five words (Έρχομαι για σας ηλιακή φωτοβολίδα) not six! I took a leaf from Disney's Hercules, where Phil said "Two words: I. Am Retired." in Greek that is in fact two words!