Nico brought them to Hades' throne room, the three of them alone there before Nico turned to them. "Just wait here," he instructed. "I'll be back."
"You're leaving?" Cressida asked nervously and Nico just gave her a small smile.
"I figure you'd like a bit of time together. And take as much time as you need. I'll be back after that," he explained before he vanished into shadows.
"So, I guess we're waiting for something then?" Pollux said as he was left with his sister.
"I guess so."
"So are you going to tell me what's happening with you and Jackson? I need to know if I need to cream the punk or -"
Cressida huffed. "Ok, you've been spending way too much time with Clarisse, first of all. Second of all, I love you, but you are the last person I'm going to talk to about Percy."
"Hey," Pollux said as he nudged her with his shoulder. "I just want to know if he's treating you right and making you happy."
"That makes two of us."
And the two of them whirled.
Castor looked alive. Asides from the faint white aura that floated around him, Castor looked alive. His blonde hair was uncombed like it normally was and he was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a camp t-shirt, his blue eyes shining.
"Castor!" Cressida cried as she went bolting toward him, so very grateful that she didn't go through him.
"Hey, Cress," he returned before he lifted his eyes up to his twin. "You gonna join the hug or continue to be a buzzkill, little brother?"
"Buzz off," Pollux returned but he was smiling before he jogged over and the three of them were squashed into a hug once more.
"Look at you two! I'm so proud of you! You guys did it!" Castor beamed.
"Castor-"
"Hey," he said softly as he cupped his sister's cheek. "None of that. No guilt and no apologies. You both, you especially Cress, have nothing to be sorry about."
"But I still have so much left to say to you. I need you -"
"Cress," he smiled, both hands on her shoulders. "You're growing up. You don't need us anymore."
"Are you crazy?!"
"No, but someone is. Isn't that right, Crazy Girl?" Castor asked with a knowing smirk as Cressida moved away.
"No. Absolutely not. I am not using my last time talking with you to talk about Percy," she said defiantly and while Pollux looked annoyed, Castor just continued smiling.
"First up," Castor began as he took a step towards her. "This isn't going to be your last time seeing me. I'm not going anywhere until you guys join me in Elysium at the end of your very long lives, Papa be willing. And second," he said before turning to Pollux. "Dude, don't you think you're laying it on a bit thick if Papa of all people approves of Percy more than you? I mean, I get wanting to protect Cress, but you have to admit, there are worse guys for her to choose. I mean he gave up immortality for her -"
"That's not true. He did it for -"
"He may have done it for all the unclaimed, but let's skip the part where we pretend that he didn't do it so he didn't have to let you go, shall we?" Castor said with a smirk as his sister blushed.
"Yeah, but -"
"And let's skip the whole, I'm dead, you're the only one left to protect her hoopla," Castor interrupted his twin. "Because I am dead, and I saw what Cress did against Kronos. She's plenty capable of protecting herself. Oh, by the way," Castor said as he spun back to face her. "Percy definitely won some points in my book after the whole Williamsburg Bridge incident and then after the whole 'for me' thing you did before destroying half the army."
More blushing.
"You really saw all of that?"
"I saw a fair few things," Castor grinned. "The scene Percy saw when he jumped into the Styx, that conversation you had on the terrace, his moment with Hera, that moment after he walked down the Cyclopes honour guard. Bonus points for annoying Pollux."
"I know right?!" she laughed, her cheeks still rosy with embarrassment and with curiosity at what Percy saw inside the Styx and worry about what he had to say to Hera.
"Elysium is fun but watching that soap opera drama was even better."
"Hey!" Pollux protested.
"Bottom line," Castor said. "Is that if she's in trouble and if she needs help, which, I don't think she will be, she will ask for it. Because..."
"Cress doesn't like asking for help unless it's from us," Pollux finished.
"Good," Castor smiled before spinning back to face Cressida. "Now that that's out of the way. As for you, little sister," he said with his hands behind his back. "You need to be happy. You need to live. You've survived for so long, you need to live. Do something normal. Fall in love, travel the world. I want to see my sister happy."
The tears came back now.
"But I miss you. I don't know how to do this without you," she cried.
"Shh," Castor soothed as he hugged her. "You can. I told you, I'm always going to be here for you, I'm always going to have your back. Even if you can't see me, I'm there. And you've been doing a pretty good job without me so far. But, if you really want my help-"
"I do."
"Then listen closely," he said as he pulled away to meet her eyes. "When you leave, you're going to stop putting your heart on hold. You're going to tell Percy how you feel. You're going to be happy and you're going to live life to the fullest. Promise me. Not on the Styx because we all know the warning that your boyfriend gave you-"
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Not yet."
And Cressida couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Promise me?"
She took a deep breath. "I promise."
"Very good."
"The same goes for you, little brother," Castor said with a hand on Pollux's shoulder. "Live a little. Stop being so depressed and such a buzzkill all the time just because I'm dead. Enjoy your life. I did. And I want both of you too, as well."
Pollux seemed to have a lump in his throat, not knowing if he could promise his big brother and his other half all of that. While Cressida had spent the first part of her life without them, Pollux had never spent more than a few hours away from his twin since birth. He didn't know if he could do it. But Castor knew he could. And an understanding passed between the twins.
"How can you be so calm about this? So nonchalant about the fact you're dead?" Cressida asked and both brothers turned to their little jewel of a sister.
"I'd like to know too," Pollux piped up as he looked to Castor and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I could be angry that I was taken away from you guys, but, what good would that do? It's like Hephaestus said to you," Castor answered. "You can't fight fate, merely accept it."
"So it took you dying to become this wise and all-knowing?" Pollux teased and his twin huffed a laugh.
"I'll have you know that I've always been wise and all-knowing. You just didn't realise it or accept it until now."
"This is coming to an end, isn't it?" Cressida said sadly and her brother's smile was soft.
"It is. As much as I wish for it, you guys don't belong down here. And gods forbid Cressie's boyfriend comes down here looking for her with his little invincibility curse."
"Castor!" Cressida scolded.
"You say he's not your boyfriend now, but I'd give it two hours at most when you return."
"I say four," Pollux added. "I doubt that Sea Scum is good at professing his feelings."
Castor just shared a knowing smirk with his sister.
"Is that a bet?" Castor challenged. "Because if I win, I want your entire dinner plate sacrificed to me at dinner."
"You're not a god though."
"An offering is an offering, and you get so cranky when you haven't eaten that it's funny," Castor reasoned and Pollux rolled his eyes.
"You have way too much faith in him," he said. "You're on."
They all knew that no matter what, Pollux wouldn't demand anything from his brother if he won. Not that he would win. Like hell Cressida was waiting two hours, much less four to talk to Percy (and maybe to kiss him again, but she didn't tell them that). Obviously, she'd wait an hour at most to have a shower and at least feel clean after days spent in war, covered in blood and sweat and gods knows what else.
Castor then hugged Cressida to his side. "Tell Percy that he has my approval so long as he doesn't hurt you, because if he does, I will haunt his ass."
Cressida gave him a saddened smile. "Look at you swearing. Especially in front of me."
He kissed her temple. "You're sixteen. You're hardly a kid anymore."
"But, you'll always be our kid sister," Pollux added before they both crushed her in a hug again and she didn't waste her time wishing that she could stay there forever. Instead, she just savoured the feeling of being hugged by both her brothers because she knew it would be a really long time before she'd be hugged like this again.
"I love you, Polly," Castor said to his little brother.
"I love you too, Cas."
"I love you, Cressie," Castor said and her voice broke.
"I love you, Cas."
"And tell Papa, I love him too. That I was proud to be his son."
"I promise," Cressida swore.
"And take care of yourselves, both of you."
"We promise," they said.
And she felt him kiss her head one last time before he faded away and Cressida was left hugging Pollux as they finally said goodbye to their brother.