Haunted

Regret

"You have done so much." One man praised.

"But you still have regrets." Another commented.

Harper nodded and as she watched the images above the judges seemed to form together, to create a memory.

As Harper watched, they climbed the hill together. Once at the top she smiled, "Welcome home." He stared at her blankly, "This isn't my home."

She knelt so she could be eye level with him, "It is now."

The young boy shook his head, "No."

She smiled. "Will, this is your new home."

Tears began to slide down his cheeks, "No. My... my mom is at home. My home is a brown house. It has a blue roof and a wooden door." He looked around, "And this is not it."

She felt for this boy, "I know. But your going to live here for a while." She put her hand to his face and dried his tears.

"I know. Mom told me."

She patted his head, "Good."

He looked back one last time and waved to his mom and and new baby sister at the bottom of the hill.

Harper smiled down at him, "Ready?"

Will Solace nodded, "Yes."

As she watched she saw him grow. Before her eyes he went from a child into a hero. It hurt to see it, she knew what she had done to him. She had hurt him so much.

Three masked faces looked down at her, "Is that, regret?" one asked.

The other two nodded.

"What is it about this boy, that makes you regret what you did?" The first one asked.

"I- I wish we'd had more time." She admitted.

All three men nodded in agreement. "You didn't want to leave him haunted." They all said at once. She nodded, "I want him to move on."

"Wise."

The image changed and as she watched the older Will began to smile. He looked happier. She saw flashes of his life, she saw him saving lives. Then the images stopped, frozen on one where the son of Apollo stood, on half blood hill, in a black shirt with black stripes on his face. The look on his face was one she would never forget. The way he smiled was so kind, like he was looking at someone he loved.

"What about this one?" Another judge asked. An image of Blake flickered above their heads. As Harper watched their dark hair grew longer, their expression more sad. She wanted to hug him. Remind him everything would be alright. She wanted to apologize for doing the right thing.

The second judge seemed to read her mind, "You regret what you did?"

Harper nodded, "I know I did the right thing. But... I left him alone when he needed me."

"You gave him a chance to move on." The judge corrected. "You gave him exactly what he needed to leave."

"What about Shelby?" Harper blurted out.

The juges glanced at one another, "What about the child of Nemesis?"

"Are they... will they be okay?"

The three men stopped to ponder this, "Thats not something we can say."

She felt her heart drop. "But they are strong." The first judge commented, "They will make it through."

The third one cleared his throat, "You changed lives. You saved lives."

"And she regrets not being there for them." One commented.

"She knows she did the right thing. But wishes she had done more." The last one agreed.

"That is the mark of a true hero." The middle judge said firmly.

"Now, tell us your story."