Half-Bloods and Hogwarts...

Chapter 23

Percy's POV:

We had taken the wizards back to camp with us. Yeah, under normal circumstances they wouldn't be allowed in but the circumstances were anything but normal. When we appeared in the dinning pavilion everyone thought that Harry, Ron and Hermione were new recruits. They thought that Nico's body slung over my shoulder was just him passed out from shadow-travel. Not that he was dead. Butch, a son of Iris, took his flying chariot to Camp Jupiter to get Hazel, Frank and any other demigods who want to come say their last good-byes to the son of Hades. Not many would come. But I would keep my promise to him. Just like he lead the crew of the Argo II to the doors of death I'd fulfill his last wishes.

Annabeth's in the infirmary. Will says she'll make a full recovery in time. Right now she's unconscious.  Apparently she has a broken wrist, multiple monster bites, one of which is infected, and is general battered and bruised. Some kids from the Hecate cabin came and they really hit it off with the wizards, who are now chatting with them in their cabin. Something about comparing their magic's? After Nico's funeral they'll return to Hogwarts.

I'm not going back to Hogwarts. Believe me, I thought about it. But Nico has been one of the main ambassadors between camps, whether he admits it or not. The war last year did unite the camps. That does not mean we're all besties now.  Maybe Hogwarts did need me. In fact, they certainly did. And I needed them. Without the wizards we'd have had no idea what we were up against. But if they hadn't been there Nico might still be alive, a dark voice whispers in the back of my mind. What more could I have done? He wasn't killed, he chose to save Annabeth.  If I hadn't been so untrusting of him at Charon's ferry might he still be alive? If I hadn't been so harsh would the outcome have been different? But Annabeth would be dead. That's what it all come's back to, Annabeth. Nico decided that her life was more valuable then his. That's not true, every life has the same worth. But that dark whisper in the back of my mind is back. If it had  been Annabeth would I be sitting on the beach, lost in thought? Mourning quietly? Even as I try to convince myself I would I know it's not true. I'd be storming up to Olympus, demanding that Hades free her. I would destroy everything in my path until I got her back. Maybe Nico knew that. If he did he would also know that I'd never get her back, that it would tear me apart. He knew I'd be upset over his death but the world as a whole would have no real consequences. What if the destiny isn't Annabeth's, but mine? A destiny I could never fulfil if I was mourning.

The waves crash against the beach as Butch brings the Romans to camp. To my surprise there is not only Hazel and Frank but also Reyna, Gwen and several other demigods I don't recognize. It gives me hope, hope that prejudices can be overcome, that good deeds are rewarded, that maybe the world isn't as messed up as I thought. Nico's dead. There's nothing I can do to change that now. He knew the cost. It was his choice. There was nothing I could do to save him. I haul myself to my feet and force them to carry me towards the fire that's been light in Nico's honor. It wasn't my fault. For the first time in my life when I think of someone who died because of me, no for me, I don't feel an overwhelming sense of guilt.  So when tear's fall down my cheeks as Nico's body burns they're not tears of guilt, or regret. They're tears of a man who lost a man who was like a brother to him. They're the tears of a man who will miss someone to whom he owes his life. They're the tears of a man who is glad he a least got to say good bye. So as Piper slips her arm over my shoulder, comforting me, I offer her a smile. Because we cannot change others actions, only our own.