The End (After the Blood Of Olympus)

I Accidentally (Mostly Purposely) Strangle A Pigeon

There's always a start to everything.

Parties, movies, relationships, school. They all have them.

Even if it isn't clear where, it's still there. Somewhere.

Like the one guy that finally shows up at a party, and suddenly everyone starts to have fun. It's like some sort of trigger to a gun. Once the pressure is gone, you let out a huge sigh of relief, and you start.

And if you can't see where it begins, you just have to make a new beginning.

There's always a beginning to everything.

Even a beginning of the end.

***

"You only grow by coming to the end of something and by beginning something else." ~John Irving, A World According to Garp

***

Percy Jackson

The first day of senior year started when a cyclops nearly squeezed me to death.

Even before then, it seemed like it was national "smash the guts out of Percy" day. All morning, my friends had wished me good luck on my last year of high school, wrapping me in death-crushing hugs and giving me a few very unwanted kisses from the Aphrodite cabin. Technically, it wasn't my last year of school. There was still college after that, and then I'd pretty much be grown up.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. A demigod like me couldn't possibly be allowed to grow up without getting attacked constantly by monsters. And of course you would right to think that. But it's not like I couldn't try, right?

Anyway, I felt like it was time to move on. Since Mother Nature (AKA: Potty Sludge) was asleep for another few thousand years, it seemed like a pretty good idea. Finish school, go to college, then maybe settle somewhere in New Rome. Of course, I hadn't dreamed of doing any of that without the smartest person I knew. Annabeth was the only one who could keep my head on straight. For most of the time.

Maybe I could avoid having to fight any demon teachers this time.

So, like I was saying, both me and Annabeth were finally finishing high school. And at the moment, I was getting a very pleasant and unpleasant hug from my overly excited cyclops brother.

"My brother all big now!" Tyson exclaimed, nearly breaking my back with another squeeze.

"Yeah." I wheezed. "A big kid."

Annabeth laughed. "A big kid with little kid problems. Like not being able to stop yourself from drooling so much."

"Hey!" I said once Tyson let me go. I barely managed to stand upright after that. "You have problems like that too, I bet."

"Nope, because I'm too perfect." She slung her backpack over her shoulder, tucking her New York Yankees cap in her back pocket. I couldn't help but smile at the memories that thing brought up. Capture the flag, Medusa's lair, the first time she kissed me in Mt. Saint Helens, which was right before I blew it up. Of course, none of those had been entirely enthusiastic situations.

I raised my eyebrow. "Well, why do you think you're my girlfriend, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth's face softened as she wrapped her arms around my neck so our noses touched. "Because I want to be, Seaweed Brain."

Before I could reply, she pressed her lips against mine with a smile, and I immediately kissed back.

One of the Ares campers whooped, and we broke apart laughing.