*Sigh* I am so freaking sorry guys. Really, I am. But I have no excuses, and no doubt you don't want to hear them, and I just want to close this out, so... here goes the epilogue!

(This is totally disregarding MoA, by the way.)

August 14

It was surreal, almost. As if every fiber of her being was electrified, pulsing with the expectation of seeing him again, and yet made freezing cold by her constantly increasing fear, even terror of the thoughts pushing their way into her attention. Painful, really. Her trepidation had her pacing along the deck, seemingly unable to sit for fear of explosion, whether physical or emotional.

She wasn't the only one; there, blonde hair glinting from summer sun, someone with his own apprehension stood at the prow of the ship, mind obviously taken with contemplations of their swiftly approaching decent. They were both studiously avoided, to her relief, as if any person's proximity would trigger some horrible detonation of expressive outburst.

They may have been right.

In any rate, she was experiencing for the first time on their voyage a semblance of solitude, away from pitying stares and heartfelt, though somehow still empty, platitudes of condolence. And yet she could not enjoy it; would not enjoy it until her mind was at ease.

Time, like the sneaky rubber band that it was, had gotten away from her. The past months it had been stretching, stretching, until now it snapped, at just the wrong second. A curious thing; she had been waiting for this moment ever since her world had stopped, and yet now, as it was occurring, it seemed as if she wished that it would not yet occur. No, that was not right; she was yearning for it, but yet something held her back, such as the feeling of intense dread as you are on the edge of falling. Waiting for the thrill of the dive, and yet some preserving instinct holds you back, glues your feet to the ground so the seemingly easy jump holds your stomach in knots and makes you sweat.

They were descending, 10 feet, 20 feet, 400. A minute had passed; no, it had been five, and they were closer, closer. She felt the jarring motion of the landing, the sudden shock as they hit the ground, and then-

And then time, in yet another wickedness, seemed to expand, floating out around her. The moment glistened in the air as a thousand inconsequential thoughts filled her mind, as the gangplank hit the ground, as she stepped up to disembark and she was swelling, swelling...

Everything stopped. All was motionless, as the crowded onlookers gazed at her, and she gazed back levelly, spine straightening of its own accord. She was a proud daughter of Athena, and looked so, for the first time in months. Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the other sea green pair that so complemented her own...

He was grinning. Months had passed with him just gone, and there he stood grinning at her. It made her want to cry, laugh, and strangle him, in no particular order. But it was perfect.

She was melting, she was deflating, she was rubber. Emotions poured off of her, and she let them go in tears, in words, in thoughts. She was in his arms (how did she get here?), both of them babbling-

"And then Leo fell off the Argo-"

"When the ghosts came, I thought we were dead-"

"I had a dream, and we found Jason-"

"Juno had me carry her across a river-"

They were prattling, interrupting each other constantly, hardly listening to the other's words, until Percy's mouth found hers, and their words were swallowed.

The kiss was like fire, worries, fears, longing expressing themselves in a storm of heat, more intense than ever. Yet it wasn't a battle; somehow the perfect balance of drive had been found in both, equals in a flurry of flames.

When air had become a necessity, he laid his head on hers, breathing into her ear.

"I missed you," he proclaimed quietly, nuzzling his forehead into the crook of her neck. She smirked.

"I know."

I hoped everyone liked the end of this story! I would give shoutouts, but I'm so freaking tired. I just got back from a month long trip to Europe today, so you're lucky to get this chappie. I just need to close out everything I'm currently working on, set a limit on my open ended multi-chapter fics, and start fresh on some new projects. It's been a great ride, and I'm so sorry for leaving you all like this!

-Iheartbd's