Note: I do not own Percy Jackson, nor any of the characters related to it. I would like to point out, however, that only the invention of Percy Jackson, Camp Half Blood and other half bloods belong to Rick Riordan. The Gods and Monsters belong to the culture of Ancient Greece, a place held in high regard amongst history. I do, however, own both Echo and the Camp of Immortal Heroes. They are of my own invention and I do not wish for any other to use them. I have not profited from this fan fiction.

I know, I know, you guys HATE me for leaving it for so long. I'm sorry. Life has been hectic; and yes I realise that is always my excuse. I have a new job now (Engineer, GO FIGURE) and I've moved out. So, yes. I SHOULD have more time to write, but I'm not going to promise. I don't want to let you guys down. I love you all for still following!

Echo sat on the shore, feeling the power of the waves and the setting winter sun empower her. The building was going well; she'd been overseeing it most of the day. The Hades Cabin was now completed, but Echo was concerned about Nico, who seemed restless. He'd been travelling so long, Echo wasn't sure he'd settle in one place now. For the past few days, Percy had been trying to convince him that staying put until he'd had more training was the best option, but she wasn't sure Nico was going to accept it. After all, the kid was more than capable of looking after himself. He'd proved that.

Rachel was settling into her abode, placed a short way from the big house in a manmade cave the Cyclops' had fashioned. She also seemed worried, but her worry was more obvious. Despite her new position as the Oracle, she was still mortal, and therefore still had no choice but to carry on her life in the mortal world; which, for Rachel meant going back to back to a Ladies Finishing School.

Echo sighed, her mind weighed down, watching the sun finally sink below the horizon. They'd still made no progress in who had killed Porkpie, and it was never far from her thoughts. It had been months now, and nothing had happened since the new rules had been put into place. Mr D didn't understand the new rules that had been firmly enforced, but he'd allowed Echo to do it anyway. She rose to her feet, brushing her jeans and orange CHB hooded jacket of sand. Her bare feet took in the cold sand gratefully. She'd never belonged to any place more than she did right here, at Camp Half Blood's beach. She headed away from her refuge to see Percy, watching her. She cocked her head, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her bronzed ear.

"Percy?"

Percy smiled down at her, and waved. He'd got taller since the summer, now taller than she was, and he was hitting the middle of puberty. He supported slight stubble, and had a tiny pimple on his chin, which she thought he might be a little self conscious about. His body was strong and lean, and his hands were now huge. He wore pretty much the same as she, his necklace proud against his collarbone. She admitted that her brother was turning into a very good looking man.

"Alright, Echo?" He asked, curiously. She nodded. "I'm fine, brother. Just a little stressed with the building, and worried, what with Nico, Rachel, the Aphrodite Cabin issues with Drew, the problems the Hephaestus cabin seem to be having, AND that loose dragon wandering about. Nothing is going as smoothly as we hoped." She said, with a shrug. She wandered up to him, and gave him a hug.

"It's good you're back, Perce. I missed you." She murmured. Percy chuckled, and returned the hug.

"Yeah, Echo, I missed you too... Look, I was wondering if you were here. I, well, I need your help. You know… with Annabeth." He said, awkwardly, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Echo gave him an incredulous look.

"Right… Because I clearly know Annabeth as well as you do, Perce. What are you on about?" She asked.

He walked toward the shore, which meant he was more nervous than she'd thought. All Children of Poseidon had been most comfortable by the sea; almost as if they all felt their Father's power engulf them, and make them stronger. He took in a deep breath, and sighed.

"Well, I don't know what to… You know, do. I want to go more than… Kissing and touching... We've got the stage where we've been holding off… You know, I mean… It's been months now… But, I… I don't know what to do, how to do it. I just don't want to mess it up." He said, embarrassed, stammering over his words. Echo's godly vision could pick up his bright red face like a beacon. Echo smiled, giving out a gentle laugh.

"That's half the point, Perce. It's one of the reasons that sharing your first time is so special. It's not just the fact you're sharing yourself, it's the learning curve too. You're learning something amazing together. You're not supposed to know everything at once. She's supposed to tell you what you're doing wrong, and vice versa. You'll both share the most intimate moments with each other. It's… Well, bonding. It's practical teaching on the most sacred level. It's not just a BOOM, done!" She said with a smile, walking up beside him. "Besides, I can assure you the most important thing… Is that Annabeth loves you. The most special part of the entire act, is that it's between you and Annabeth."

Percy looked up, with a slight smile. After a few moments, it turned to a frown again. "But, what if I hurt her? I've heard that it hurts women the first time."

Echo shrugged. "It's mostly overplayed, but it depends entirely on the woman. Don't be worried if there's a little blood, but at the same time, don't worry if there isn't. Sometimes, the hymen breaks from vigorous exercise, and Zeus knows Annabeth does enough of that. Look, it's simple. I can't tell you how. But I can give you a bit of advice, which is simply 'be gentle'. She'll be nervous too. And you… Well, tense when you're nervous, if you know what I mean. Just take it slow and gentle. Eventually, you'll build up." She smiled, before shrugging. "And, don't expect much the first time, either. It's not the 'incredible rush of pleasure' that you hear about until you're more experienced. It's the practise that's fun."

Percy nodded, taking it all in. He seemed far more relaxed now; Echo quickly realised this had been on his mind since he'd come back to camp. She berated herself silently for being too busy to notice.

"So, how is Annabeth? I've only seen her briefly since you two came to camp a few days ago. We haven't managed to catch up, since she's been busy with the building designs." She asked as they both stood on the beach, watching the sea.

Percy shrugged, though a smile touched his lips. "She's Annabeth. Always busy, always thinking. Other than that, I'm not sure. We only see each other on weekends, you know, with being on the opposite ends of Manhattan. But she's still worried about the new Great Prophesy. I can tell she's thinking about it. "

Echo smiled wryly. "Mnm, definitely sounds like Annabeth. There's been about 7 Great Prophesy's in my time, and every single one of them has almost been the end of the world, dear. It also takes a while for them to come into effect, but I'm not going to assume. Annabeth is wise to treat it as though it could happen tomorrow. I'm assuming the same thing." She sighed.

"Come on, let's get to camp. We're getting too deep. I think a good meal, a stupidly loud sing-a-long and a night's sleep would do us both some good, yes? Just think about what I said and stop worrying." She said, with a smile. "Besides, I don't want us getting too depressed. My wedding is tomorrow. You get to see how the Romans got married, and I know you're excited about that."

Percy chuckled with a slight nod. "I hope it's more interesting than normal weddings. I normally fall asleep in those. Oh, and I don't want to sing." He said with a meaningful stare.

Echo winked. "I'm not saying a thing!" She'd refused to tell any of the campers about the wedding, and all those that had looked up Roman weddings (Just the Athena Cabin) were sworn to secrecy. She wanted it to be a novel experience; she'd loved weddings as a kid. She quickly pushed the thoughts of her wedding night away, feeling herself become slightly flushed.

Percy grinned and threw his arm around his elder sister's shoulder. Echo laughed, and hooked one around his waist, and together they wandered back to camp. She genuinely loved Percy. He reminded her of HER Perseus, of her twin. Indeed, the two were so similar; sometimes it made her heart thud oddly in shock. They were brave, gentle, caring, thoughtful, strong, and completely unable to make any sacrifice that involved people they loved. It was their fatal flaw, and she loved them both for it. She always had. Even physically, the only differences were Percy's green eyes, compared to Perseus' blue. Percy was the brother she had lost.

She had been worried about how he'd treat her when she changed, if they'd lose the bond they had gained during the War. But they hadn't. He had treated her in precisely the same way; he made fun of her, protected her against the more judgemental campers, he still treated her as if HE were the elder one. The only time you could tell he was younger was when he would come to her for advice. Echo, in return, would be a more relaxed person when she was with him. She was a naturally serious person, but Percy brought out her more fun side, and she was proud to call him her brother.

Echo knocked on the Athena Cabin door. Her circlet twinkled on her brow in the winter sun, her ice blue eyes shining. Malcolm, a friendly, intelligent boy of 14, answered quickly, looking as though he'd had very little sleep. She cocked her head.

"Everything alright, Malcolm?" She asked, concerned.

He nodded slightly, his brown eyes drooping slightly. "Yeah, just calculating some physics for my paper. I've been taking extra classes, and Annabeth's been helping me understand it. I've got it, but now I want to do it all at once. Good news is I'm almost done."

Echo smiled gently, rolling her eyes. "Oh, Malcolm…" She said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Speaking of Annabeth, is she inside?" Malcolm nodded, with a light blush, and stepped aside to let her in. Annabeth was curled up, still fully clothed, napping. Echo grinned, looking down at her fondly. "Has she been sleeping long?" She whispered.

Malcolm nodded. "The past 8 or 9 hours. She told me to wake her up after an hour, but she was exhausted. She's going to kill me, but she's only human. She can't survive with such little sleep."

Echo chuckled. "Well, Malcolm, take your own advice and get some sleep. Your physics will come along a lot faster if you give your brain a rest. Now, go on… Into your bunk." Malcolm looked as though he was going to argue; it was about 5 in the evening. "I'll bring you some food myself in a few hours. I promise." She said, with a laugh. "Ham and chips, it's your favourite, right? Just go to sleep."

Malcolm hesitated, but then smiled and climbed onto his bunk, and closed his eyes. Echo had waited about 5 minutes when his breathing evened out, and before long he was fast asleep. Echo chuckled. She regularly had these kinds of arguments with the Athena Cabin members, and as such, she'd come to know all of them quite well. As a matter of fact, she knew pretty much every camper that attended Camp Half Blood, especially the year-rounder's, but she endeavoured to get to know all the new campers too. She wanted to govern the camp through respect, not fear… Something her brother had taught her, a long time ago.

She sat down, alongside Annabeth and gently shook the girl awake. Annabeth began to mumble, attempting to get away from Echo's intruding hand. Eventually, the stormy grey eyes opened, trying to focus on Echo. She shook her head, and sat up, running slender fingers through her long, wavy blonde hair.

"Agh. How long have I been sleeping? Where's Malcolm?" She asked, her voice croaky with sleep.

Echo gestured up to Malcolm's bunk. "I've only just convinced him to sleep; you've been asleep for most of the day. It's about 5 in the evening, sweetheart. Come on, I need your help with something."

Annabeth growled slightly in frustration, flopping down on her bed. "I had things to do today! I had to finish designing the Heca-" Echo lifted a hand to stop her.

"The building has now been held off for the next couple of days. Don't tell me you forgot the wedding tomorrow?" Echo said, her eyes creasing in amusement. Annabeth blinked, before smiling a little. "No, but I didn't know it was so soon… I've been busy." She said, slightly sheepishly.

Echo shrugged, standing up. "Now, you have to help me. I have the Aphrodite cabin on the job, but I want your opinion." Annabeth groaned slightly.

"Wait, if the Aphrodite cabin is involved, it means it's something to do with what you're wearing. You know I'm not good at that…" She muttered, laying a hand over her eyes.

"You're one of my best friends, Annabeth, age difference aside. If I'm getting married in this, I want your opinion. Besides, you've finished your gift for your mother, haven't you?"

Annabeth's face lit up. "Yes, the cabin finished their papers the other day, though Malcolm was struggling with the physics. I still don't know how you managed to persuade Zeus and the other gods."

Echo had returned to Olympus upon an idea for the camp. On the day of her wedding, each God would come down and be presented a gift from their children. For the Gods that had no children, the entire camp banded together. It had been hard convincing Zeus, sure, but it she had presented the same reasoning Percy had when the War had been won. Seeing their children would cement the relationship between Gods and Demi-Gods; and Demi-Gods would be far less likely to turn upon their parents. After a few hours of coaxing and reasoning, and a little help from Athena, Apollo, Poseidon and, surprisingly, Hestia, they managed to convince the King of the Gods.

"So, are you coming?" Echo asked, rising from her seat on the bed. Annabeth sighed and nodded.

"If it means that much to you, Echo, of course I will."

Echo grinned and clapped her hands happily in a rare loss of control. "I'll give you five minutes to freshen up! I'll be waiting outside."

Annabeth smiled at Echo; it warmed her to see the Warrior she'd come to respect so much act like a mortal. Annabeth had very rarely seen Echo smile during the War, much less laugh or be merry. The only time she'd ever really seen Echo express emotion had been to do with Percy, or a death. Now, she could barely contain her excitement, despite the problems the camp had been facing.

Annabeth watched Echo walk out of the Athena Cabin and then headed to the Bathroom with a change of clothes. She splashed some water on her face and began to smile without even realising what she was doing; a memory of Percy had leapt into her mind. She blushed slightly, and shook her head, brushing the thoughts away while she ran a comb through her tangles. She took a deep breath, and looked at her reflection in the mirror, before turning away and walking out to Echo, who looked at her and beamed.

Together, they made their way to the big house. Curfew had been revoked for the evening, though Councillors had been warned to keep a close eye on their siblings. The Harpy's were guarding the stables and the woods, under Echo's command. The big house was currently derelict; most people were at dinner. That evening, preparation would finalize, and the camp would sleep in the next morning and wake to prepare for the ceremony in the afternoon. The Aphrodite cabin had been working on outfits for an entire month; everyone in the Camp had their own personalised outfit. Echo had worried she had put too much responsibility on the Aphrodite cabin, but they had taken the challenge and dove into it headfirst. Echo guessed they were glad of the distraction; something to keep their minds from their fallen councillor, Silena, and their dominating new councillor, Drew.

The Demeter cabin had already been at the Big House; massive creeping vines of Honeysuckle spread across its walls. Large vases of clay spilled out beautiful flowers; roses, jasmine and lavender being just a few, infecting the air with their subtle musk.

Echo quickly pulled Annabeth up to her own room. Annabeth was startled. She'd never been in Echo's room before, and was amazed to see the Roman set up. The couch, incense burner, chests, mosaic floor and even the tapestry depicting the Gemini on the wall was authentic. Annabeth looked around in wonder.

"It's… It's completely amazing, Echo!" Echo looked to the young girl and smiled. "This room is a replica of my own when I was young." She gestured to Annabeth, and pointed out a marble bust. Annabeth walked over to it, and touched the woman's eyes, the contours of her face, the lips, the long flowing hair… She knew who it was before Echo told her.

"That's my Mother. A very accurate depiction, actually, ordered by Octavian himself. I came into possession of it not so long ago, but I could never bear to part with it now. It means too much. Her name was Horatia. She was an amazing woman, in more ways than one. She had only 3 lovers. One was my Father, the other was her husband, my… Stepfather and Octavian himself. After Pollio died… Octavian took her as a lover, and allowed her to be an unmarried woman because of his affection for her. It was a rare thing at the time. Of course, we couldn't visit her often."

Annabeth smiled slightly. She had read about the Roman times, although she disagreed with a lot of it, but it always intrigued her to hear Echo talk about her past. She wondered what it was like to live for as long as Echo had. "What was she like?" She asked quietly, not averting her eyes from this long lost woman's face.

Echo chuckled and sat on her couch demurely. "She was kind, caring… Protective. She was intelligent, though the intelligence of a woman was wasted back then. And she was beautiful, Annabeth. That depiction simply doesn't do it justice. She had this… Aura. Self assured, confident, but burdened. She suffered for a long time, whilst with my Stepfather. Pollio, his name was." She said, speaking his name with barely disguised venom. "He would do unspeakable things to her. He was a despicable man, and I hope he's spent his afterlife in Tartarus for what he did. She could see through the mist. But most of all… She loved my Father more than anything in the world, apart from maybe me and my brother."

Annabeth span around in shock. "You had a brother?" Echo looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. "Yes. My twin."

Annabeth watched Echo's face, which had become a mask; hiding what she truly felt, Annabeth knew. She'd stepped upon something, and she knew it. "What was his name?" She asked, cautiously.

"Perseus." She said, looking up. Suddenly, Annabeth understood the bond between Percy and Echo, though she was certain Percy had no clue.

"Where is he now?" She asked, frowning slightly.

Echo rose from her seat. Her relaxed composure was gone, and in its place came the regal aloof expression. Annabeth's heart constricted. There was more to this story and it was painful. Curiosity burned within her. "He's gone. I don't want to talk about this anymore, Annabeth. Come."

She walked into an adjacent room and there, stood proudly in the middle of the little room, was a beautiful gown. It was obviously Roman, but also had more modern twists to it. The fabric must have been enchanted, because as the breeze blew it, it shone in every colour of the rainbow, but the effect was subtle. It put Annabeth in mind of a more regal, pure version of Circe's dress. There was a beautiful headdress, golden with patterns of seashell's and other sea creatures. It was beautifully crafted; a present from Hephaestus cabin, Annabeth guessed. It had tiny green buds dotted around it, waiting for the Demeter cabin to open them.

Beside that was a beautiful mantle that was to be draped around Echo's shoulders; a Palla. It was an item of clothing that only married women were allowed to wear in roman society. It was made of a beautiful golden fur that Annabeth couldn't quite place. Annabeth looked over to Echo, who was leaning casually in the door way, watching her intently, all signs of tense thoughts forgotten. Annabeth smiled, and walked over, embracing her.

"Echo, its perfect."

I hope it was good enough for you guys! You guys are awesome. I hope to update soon!