This is for kaetlynzjk. Hope you like it (though I may have gotten a bit carried away), but I really liked your request, and this is the first one I actually finished on the same day as it was requested.
_
Percy Jackson had thought about death a lot (how could he not, with the life he was leading) and had long since come to terms with the fact that he would probably never reach old age and die peacefully (though the gray hair would still come soon enough, thanks for that, stress).
Don't get him wrong, he didn't want do die, he would very much appreciate staying alive, mind you. Especially now that things had finally quieted down. He was in his late twenties, there had been no large-scale battles since the Queen Dirt-face fiasco, no new wars or should-we-kill-Percy-Jasckson votings (he hoped, you could never be sure with Zeus and his temper).
Things were good. He and Annabeth had settled down, a small house near long Island Beach, close to Camp Half-blood, but still far enough away to lead an independent life.
From time to time, young demigods would come knocking, scared, confused and in desperate need of help. Their home had become a beacon of safety for half-bloods, a place where children knew no harm would come to them, and that Percy and Annabeth would get them safely to camp.
The shadow of the past, of war and loss and pain would always linger in the back of their minds, but they learned to deal with the terrors of their childhood. They would never stop mourning their friends (the latest was Jason, the message of his death had hit them both hard, causing them to return to camp for a few month), but the couple (married for a few years now) was keeping close contact with the friends they still had, the people they loved.
Both heroes had started a life together, with a house with a white picket fence and two small children.
The boys, twins, had Percy's sense for mischief and Annabeth's calculating eyes. The smaller one of the two, Luke (the name was Percy's idea, Annabeth had been touched to tears, a grateful smile playing on her lips) had his jet black hair, through it was curly like Annabeth's. His eyes were a dull green, beautiful and perfect.
Their other child, Jason, (when they'd asked Piper to be his godmother, she had showered them with hugs for months), had lighter hair, the brown curls fitting perfectly with the blue-ish/grey-ish colour of his eyes.
Their life wasn't ideal (with the occasional monster attacks and all), but it was good, everything Percy'd ever wanted.
So of course, in true Percy Jackson fashion, things had to go downhill like a baby on a roller coaster.
Until today, Percy and Annabeth still had no idea how the fire had started, if it was accidental or if someone had actively tried to kill them.
(And succeeded, for that matter)
But in the end, it didn't really matter anyway.
Their house had burned like a sea of gasoline shot with a laser beam. (Heh, that rhythms)
It had been in the middle of the night, so the smell of smoke had woken them far too late. A falling beam from the ceiling had pinned Percy beneath it, the heat too great to concentrate on using his powers (not to mention the shock of being buried under a very heavy, burning piece of wood).
Annabeth had taken the children outside, before coming back in to help him. It had been useless, the ceiling carving in, burying the couple beneath layers of stone, grime and wood.
At least their deaths were immediate, not like some of the ways demigods used to go out.
At some point, Nico had summoned them, giving them a chance at a last goodbye to their children. Jason and Luke swore they would become great heroes and make them proud, their small, teary but determined faces resolute in their decision, and Nico (who had been crying, no matter what he stammered about monster goo in his eyes) had promised to protect the twins and train them to be just like their parents.
Which lead to the current situation.
The demigods, both clad in Camp Half-blood shirts, their necklaces and even matching hats that had been part of an event trying to sell more raspberries, stood in a - lobby? Foyer? - with hundreds of other souls, some demigods, most mortals (and was that Abraham Lincoln?!)
Percy glanced around, noticing the round layout of the room, the artful pillars rising to the marble ceiling high above their heads. The walls were painted with images of old Greece, graceful heroes and vile monsters, vivid colours and strong images created and conveyed by a few brushstrokes.
He usually wasn't much of an art fan (don't tell Rachel), but even Percy had to gape at the beautiful creation.
Annabeth was even worse (was she breathing?!) and Percy grasped her jaw to gently close her mouth, chuckling slightly.
"It's beautiful," she whispered, craning her neck to admire the picture of the Olympian gods on the ceiling.
Percy personally thought that it was a bit overkill, his dad and the whole merry group were already watching his every step in the living world, did they have to be able to spit on his head here, too?
When he said so to Annabeth, she simply whacked him across the head, almost knocking the hat down in the process.
He grumbled an apology, rubbing the sore spot. "Where exactly are we anyway?" he wondered, glancing around the people. No one was even looking their way, they all just... stood there.
"The dead who have not yet been judged have to wait here," Annabeth explained, sounding way too excited, considering their current situation. "When your name is called, the judges will decide whether you go to Tartarus, the Asphodel Meadows or Elysium." She gave him a pointed look. "Which you should already know."
Percy grinned sheepishly, shrugging in a what-can-you-do way. "How long do we have to wait here? I really gotta pee," he asked. Percy hoped not too long, if that guy with the weird beard really was Abraham Lincoln, he would have had to be here for, like, 200 years or something.
There was a creaking sound overhead, and then his and Annabeth's name were called over hidden loudspeakers (who knew the underworld was up-to-date with electronic devices).
Percy couldn't believe his eyes when Stan freaking Lee came up to them, asked them to follow him, please, the judges were now ready to see them.
"That's Stan Lee," he whispered excitedly, nervous energy starting to make his arms do weird gestures. "Stan Lee," he repeated, and Annabeth laughed disbelievingly, nodding her head. "I can't believe it," she muttered and they both stared at each other, hysterical laughter bubbling up inside of Percy.
Then they passed huge double doors, painted with pictures of the underworld, some beautiful, other horrific (he recognized some parts of Tartarus, shuddering and turning his head away)
The hall they entered was smaller then the one they had just come from, but still huge. Marble plates decorated the walls, the right side black, the left white. The ground was once again sporting images of greek wars, he thought he might have stepped on Heracles head accidently.
On the far end of the hall were three people, the podium they sat behind reminding Percy of human court rooms.
Stan Lee - Percy still felt the urge to giggle hysterically, why the hell was Stan Lee working for Hades? - ushered them forward gently, before leaving the demigods alone with the three judges.
Annabeth nudged him not so softly and he quickly bowed to Rhadamanthys (or just judge #1, how was anyone supposed to remember that name?!) and Aiakos (#2), but refused to show Minos respect, not after the shit show he'd pulled with Nico.
"Perseus Jackson," #1 greeted him, then turning to Annabeth, "and Annabeth Chase-Jackson, you have come before us to be judged and sentenced."
Minos, who was glaring at them with hateful, milky eyes, demanded them to be sent to Tartarus, to which Percy just rolled his eyes and Annabeth crossed her arms in exasperation.
The other two judges seemed just as irritated.
"Minos, how often do we have to tell you not to judge souls based on personal grudges?! I swear, I will fill another complaint to Lord Hades and have you wipe the floor again!"
Percy snort. Yes, please. Minos jutted out his lower lip in a pout (seriously?) but kept his mouth shut, letting Rhadamanthys and Aiakos do the judging.
To no one's surprise, they were both sent to Elysium, a swirling vortex of gold and green appearing before them.
The judges sent them through and the... Portal, Percy guessed, closed behind them.
Annabeth grabbed his hand and squeezed, both of them taking in the new environment.
They were on a hill, looking down at... Camp Half-blood? But there was something different, he just couldn't put his finger on it. The cabins were the same, encircling the campfire. The pavilion was present, as well as the Big House and the stables. The strawberry fields were blooming, a lonely volleyball lay on the playing fields.
"What is this?" he muttered, overlooking the familiar scenery once more. His Wise Girl squeezed his hand, before pulling him down the hill, carefully observing their surroundings. "There is no one here."
Ah.
That's what had been so weird, so different. There were no demigods rushing around, no Hermes kids pranking the other campers, no Demeter children getting revenge by making plants swallow the Hermes cabin.
The heroes walked through the peaceful camp, enjoying the sun on their faces. It was strange, there was no hectic here, everything was quiet and restful.
And then there were voices from the arena, because he just had to jinx it, huh?
The arena was also the same as always, just that there were occupant there, half the seats were filled by demigods, some he recognized, fallen heroes from both wars, some he didn't.
Down in the training grounds were to fighters, one holding a sword, the other a golden lance. They circled each other, thrusting their weapons forward to test the other's reaction.
Annabeth's intake of breath confirmed his suspicion; he'd recognize that fighting style everywhere.
They carefully made their way through the roaring crowd, which fell silent as they passed, some half-bloods watching them in awe, other whispering to each other, while some observed them with open curiosity.
The two competitors in the arena stepped away from each other as they noticed the hushed crowd, both staring at the couple.
Jason was grinning madly, waving his hand, small sparks igniting from his fingertips, while Luke was looking at Annabeth like she was the sun, his eyes never leaving her.
"Well, would you look at that."
The voice belonged to one Charles Beckendorf, who had come up behind them, joined by Zoë Nightshade, Silena Beauregard and a few of the other heroes the couple had been friends with. "Percy and Annabeth, in the flesh."
He smiled brightly, Percy's own face splitting in a grin, bowing to the crowd. "What can I say, the living world already had enough Percy Jackson-ism, it was high time the dead got a taste, too."
Jason landed on his back, sending them tumbling to the ground. "You're right, without the catastrophes following you around, life - death?- has been boring as hell."
He laughed, Annabeth helping him to his feet. "Obviously."
Someone cleared their throat and Percy turned his attention from Jason to Luke, who was fidgeting awkwardly a few feet away. Those who had been around for the Second Titan War had fallen silent, glancing between the three.
"I..." began Luke, avoiding eyecontact with the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena, fiddling with the hem of his training shirt.
Annabeth was on him before he could get another word out, Luke humpf-ing as he was crushed beneath her hug, shoulders shaking. Luke was still for a moment, seemingly overwhelmed, before he carefully wrapped his arms around his childhood friend, pressing her close.
He shut his eyes, breathing in Annabeth's scent.
Percy smiled, a gentle look in his eyes as he watched the reunion, both demigods weeping now.
"This is not how I imagined this to go," whispered Beckendorf in ear, and Percy chuckled. "Oh, believe me, she's gonna yell his ears off later, maybe - probably - add a few cuts, too."
But for now, things couldn't have gone better.
He let Silena embrace him, Zoë pet his shoulder and Beckendorf was still next to him, grinning. "You gotta tell me what happened after... well, y'know, we've only heard Jason's part of the story so far, and you apparently got stuck in an aquarium?"
Percy sighed heavily, throwing his head back theatrically. "Yes, yes that did happen."
And so, he spent the next hours filling his friends in on the other war they had missing, only discontinuing as Annabeth chased Luke across the arena with his own sword. In the evening, they moved to the campfire, singing songs they all knew by heart.
Percy smiled, the warm glow of the fire illuminating his face.
Death wasn't so bad after all.