The Afterlife (HoO Fanfiction)

Epilogue

Five years after the death of all the gods, a lot had changed, but most people hadn't noticed. Mortals around the globe continued to worship a divinity and continued to find solace in them. Only the high ranking religious officers had noticed that something had changed. However, they didn't want to say anything, in fear of alerting and scaring the world for nothing. As the years passed, people started to get used to this new normal and got along with their lives as usual.

In many different religious cultures, immortal creatures roam the Earth. After the gods died, the minor divinities and deities started to grow old and match their years with a normal human life spawn. Some of them, having been granted immortality in their old age, died almost right away, all of natural causes. As for the others, who were younger in human appearance, started to change as it is normal when the years pass.

Former demigods started to build communities around the existing camps. New Rome was now a dynamic little city, with parks, libraries, hospitals, restaurants and cultural hot spots. The city was buzzing with activity. Some young mortals moved in New Rome, getting quickly along with hundreds of young, energetic people. New Rome became the world's city with the lowest inhabitant's average age.

Tonight was special because it was the anniversary of the final battle on Mount Olympus. Percy and Annabeth had invited their closest friends in one of New Rome's largest parks for an evening picnic. When they arrived, they set their blanket on the ground. Their kids were being babysat by Sally and Paul. Sally as still waking up at night, dreaming about the time when her grandchildren were abducted. Her son and daughter-in-law never blamed her, on the contrary, they even thanked her every time they saw her for her bravery.

Guests started to join in. There was Nico and Will, Frank and Hazel, Leo and Calypso, Jason and Piper, Thalia, Reyna, and Rachel. They all took out their own blankets and set up in a big circle. It was summer, so even if the sun was starting to go down, it was not cold. Everyone started to share food and drinks, laughing.

"Look, is that Chiron?" asked Thalia, pointing to the path.

It was. Since the gods had vanished, Chiron had been stuck in his wheelchair. He had also visibly aged. He was on the path, but he couldn't get on the grass to join the party without help. So Thalia got up and ran to him to push him to the circle. Thalia had also aged. She was now a young adult. She would eternally look several years younger than her brother Jason, even if she was the elder, but that was just something to get used to.

"Hi, guys," said a shy voice. It was Adelaide. In one hand she was holding a picnic basket. On the other, she was grasping Delilah's hand.

The whole circle cheered. After the battle, the girls went back home to Europe to settle some things. Percy and Annabeth had reached out to them, inviting them to join for the five-year reunion. Delilah, who had moved in with Adelaide's family, had accepted right away. Adelaide was more reluctant, but finally, decide to go with Delilah.

"I'm sorry we're late, we got lost from the hotel to here," Delilah apologized.

"And by that, she means that we took the long way here. It is truly a magnificent place to live in!"

The two girls took their place in the circle and opened their basket, adding what they had brought for the picnic.

"What about James and Killian?" Nico asked.

"James..." Adelaide sighed. "We don't know where he is. But I understand if he doesn't want to have contacts with us. He lived traumatic things."

All nodded. They were a bit disappointed, but they could understand very well and they couldn't hold it against James.

"But Killian is doing great!" Adelaide continued. "He is studying to become a therapist. He wants to work with children. He wanted very much to be here today, but he has a lot of work. He has to prepare for next year's exams. But he says hi!"

"So how are you guys?" asked Rachel. She looked radiant. "I'm happy to announce that my exhibition is opening next week at the New Rome Museum of Fine Arts! it's very small, only a few paintings, but I've worked so hard on them!"

"Congratulations, Rachel!" said Piper. "Well, as you know, I'm in working in Reyna's office. We are already preparing the campaign for her reelection as mayor of New Rome. But what you may not know is that she is running unopposed..."

"Unopposed yet," Reyna muttered under her breath, blushing." No one could hear her remark, though, as they all started to cheer and congratulate Reyna."

"Percy landed a job as a guest speaker at the University of British-Columbia next year," said Annabeth, beaming proudly at Percy. "The family is moving to Vancouver for a year. I'm going to sneak in his lectures about the sea."

"That, or you could build them a new open-air theatre, as you did here in New Rome. Or even take it easy for a year," Percy added.

It was true. Since Annabeth had come back from Mount Olympus, she hadn't stopped working. In New Rome, she had worked on a new wing dedicated to children at the local hospital, where Will was working. Then, she had taken out old blueprints she had designed and drew them over to build a wonderful and modern open-air theatre. During the summer, concerts, plays, and even lectures were given there. It had become a favourite landmark in the city.

"Hazel, Frank, how are your babies?" Jason chimed in.

"The twins are wonderful," Frank said, proudly. "And they don't fight too much... yet."

"They are starting to walk!" Hazel exclaimed.

She fished out her phone from her pocket and showed everyone a video of her baby boy and baby girl hoisting themselves up from the side of a couch. They quickly fell down seating, looked lost for a split second, then burst out laughing and attempted to stand again. All the guests laughed in delight.

"I can't wait to go back to work," Hazel said. "Maternity leave is great, I had a fantastic time with my babies, but it also gave me the time to think about what I want to do next. We have done great things to make this city the more inclusive as possible, but there is still work to do. There is always a way to do better."

The rest of the night was calm and joyful. It was nice to relax and enjoy life. The demigods were still getting used to that. They were getting used to living normal lives, to leave the house in the morning and be certain to come back at night and sleep in their own bed. The sun came down and the stars turned on in the sky. The night was clear and it was easy to discern different constellations. The guests laid on their backs and looked at the stars.

Up above, the Moon was smiling down on the Earth. It was all there was. It was a frozen rock, a satellite to this planet, giving out light during the night and regulating the tied. It was all there was. A planet floating into the void, ruled by laws of physics, no longer by the will of the gods. The universe was dark, cold, scary and unknown. But at least now there was a certainty: if they were to die tonight, it wouldn't be because of the gods. 

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And that's it! Five years later, we finally put the final point to this fic. It was a wild ride, but it was worth it. Thank you so much for your support. We hope that you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more stories in the future. 

Stay safe!

-Emma and Calliope