The silence settled over the Big House once more, heavy as the cold mist before dawn. No more arguments, just the distant crackle of flames in torches and the wind whistling through the hills.
Chiron sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before speaking, his voice laden with a weariness that went beyond the battle.
"We need to tend to the dead."
The words hung in the air like an invisible weight on everyone present.
"We'll have to weave the shrouds," Chiron continued, sorrow marking each syllable. "And burn their bodies, as we always have."
This time, there were reactions. Some campers lowered their heads, shoulders trembling. Others clenched their fists, as if trying to grasp something they could no longer reach.
But there were no bodies scattered across the Camp.
When Ikki restored everything with a snap of his fingers, he ensured the dead weren't left strewn among the rubble, exposed to the survivors' gaze. Instead, they were all gathered inside ice coffins in the clearing, untouched and translucent as crystal.
Everyone saw it when they arrived.
Outside, the rain fell steadily, turning the ground to mud and filling the air with the scent of wet earth. It was early evening, but thick clouds hid the stars, leaving only the incandescent glow of magical torches and the ghostly moonlight reflecting off the ice coffins.
The campers watched the scene in silence. Shock still hung palpable in the air. Camp Half-Blood, once devastated, was whole again, as if the war had never touched it. But nothing could erase the void left by those who were gone.
Annabeth stood motionless beside Percy, her gaze fixed on the ice coffins. Her face was half-hidden by the shadow of her rain-soaked hood, but Ikki could see her jaw clenched, as if she were forcing herself to hold it together.
Sadie hugged her arms, shivering. "Okay… this is officially the most depressing moment of my life. And I've been thrown into a tomb with snakes and scarabs."
Walt gave her a sidelong glance but said nothing. Carter cleared his throat, as if wanting to say something to ease the tension, but realized no words could fix this.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The sound of rain filled the space between them, a reminder that the world moved on, indifferent to their pain.
Chiron cleared his throat, his voice graver than usual. "Ikki… you preserved them?"
Ikki met the centaur's gaze and nodded.
"Until dawn," he said, his voice steady but emotionless. "After that, the ice will melt."
He could keep them frozen forever, but he chose not to mention it.
Chiron's eyes glinted with something like gratitude, but also respect. He nodded slowly. "Then… at dawn, we'll honor them."
Thunder rumbled through the heavy sky, followed by a distant flash that briefly lit the ice coffins. The pale blue reflection shimmered in the raindrops before fading, leaving only the weight of silence.
Chiron looked at the exhausted campers, his stern expression softening slightly. He knew they all needed rest, for both body and soul.
"You fought bravely today," he said, his voice firm yet kind. "Now, return to your cabins. Tomorrow is a new day, and we'll honor our comrades as they deserve."
No one argued. There was no strength left for it.
The campers began to disperse.
Ikki remained still for a moment, watching the survivors vanish down the dark trail, their footsteps echoing against the wet earth. Annabeth hesitated before turning to him, her hood still covering part of her face.
"Thank you," she said softly, her voice nearly lost in the rain.
Ikki tilted his head. "For what?"
She pressed her lips together, choosing her words carefully. "For doing this… for the coffins. For saving us again."
Ikki didn't respond immediately. Something in her gaze—that stormy glint, that weight of unspoken things—made his chest tighten strangely.
"I did what needed to be done," he said finally.
Annabeth studied him for a moment before nodding and heading to the Athena Cabin.
Zia and Sadie didn't move right away. Sadie was quieter than usual, a notable feat. Her gaze flickered between Ikki and the coffins, as if she wanted to say something but chose silence. Zia, however, held his gaze, something unreadable passing through her amber eyes.
The centaur cleared his throat.
"And as for you…" He looked at the Egyptian magicians. "There's a building near the cabins, built a few months ago by Zeus. I know it was at Ikki's request. I assume he's already planned where you'll stay."
Carter raised an eyebrow at Ikki. "Oh, so you already planned where we'd stay?"
Ikki shrugged.
"Yeah…"
Sadie huffed. "And you didn't think to tell us earlier? Would've been nice to know we had a summer house at Camp Half-Blood."
"Summer house," Walt murmured, shaking his head.
Chiron ignored the exchange and pointed the way. "Follow this path. You'll find the building quickly. There's enough space for everyone."
Carter sighed. "Alright. Let's go."
He and Walt started ahead, but Sadie lingered, looking at Ikki.
"Hey… you gonna be okay?"
Ikki blinked, surprised by the question.
"Of course."
She narrowed her eyes. "Liar."
And with that, she turned and ran to catch up with the others.
Zia didn't leave immediately.
She stood where she was, amber eyes fixed on Ikki, glinting under the flickering torchlight. Rain streamed down her face, but she didn't seem to notice.
"You should rest too," she said, her voice softer than usual.
Ikki didn't reply right away.
He looked at the ice coffins again, the pale faces of young warriors untouched by destruction, preserved as memories of a moment that never should've happened.
"Ikki," Zia called again, stepping closer this time. "You did everything you could."
He let out a sigh, running a hand through his soaked hair. "I know."
She studied him for a moment, then reached out hesitantly, as if to touch him—but at the last second, she pulled back.
"If you need anything… you know where to find me."
Ikki met her gaze, and for a moment, time seemed to stretch.
But then, with a slight nod, Zia turned and walked toward the building Chiron had indicated, her silhouette fading into the rain.
Chiron watched the last campers and magicians depart, his gaze lingering on Ikki. The centaur's expression was hard to read—respect, exhaustion, perhaps a touch of concern. He sighed, adjusting the quiver on his back, the weight of recent battles clear in his shoulders.
"Tomorrow will be a hard day," he said, breaking the silence. "But you've already done more than anyone could expect, Ikki."
The young man didn't respond immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the ice coffins, their translucent surfaces reflecting the torchlight.
"It doesn't make it easier."
"No, it doesn't," Chiron agreed, his voice heavy with centuries of experience. "But even the gods can't change the past, only decide what to do with the future."
Ikki finally tore his gaze from the coffins and met the centaur's eyes. The rain still fell around them, its sound filling the gaps between unspoken words.
Chiron gave a small, sad, but genuine smile. "Rest a bit. You may not need it, but your soul does."
He nodded slightly and, without another word, turned toward the Big House, his hooves sinking softly into the mud.
Ikki didn't linger long before following his own path.
The rain showed no mercy.
He walked slowly down the dark trail toward the Zeus Cabin. The silence around him was almost deafening, broken only by the patter of rain on mud and the occasional distant thunder. The Camp was steeped in profound grief, and the storm seemed to share their sorrow.
He raised his eyes to the cloudy sky, letting water stream down his face. It wasn't like he could feel cold. It wasn't like it mattered.
Then he noticed someone standing in the middle of the path.
Percy.
The son of Poseidon stood motionless, hands shoved in the pockets of his soaked jacket, his sea-green eyes glinting under the faint torchlight scattered across the Camp. He looked hesitant, as if gathering courage to speak.
Ikki stopped a few steps away, saying nothing.
The two stood there, staring in silence, only the storm filling the void between them.
Percy looked away for a moment, kicking a piece of gravel before finally speaking:
"There's something I need to tell you."
Ikki kept his expression neutral, waiting.
Percy took a deep breath, as if the words were hard to get out. "It's about Silena."
The name hit Ikki like an invisible punch to the chest.
He said nothing, and Percy continued:
"She… before all this happened, she went after Luke." Percy's voice was low, almost hoarse. "She wanted to redeem herself for what she did, for what happened to the Camp… to you."
Ikki felt his fingers tighten at his sides.
"She went alone." Percy ran a hand through his wet hair, visibly uncomfortable. "She wanted to sacrifice herself to kill Luke…"
Ikki closed his eyes for a moment.
He already knew where this was going.
"She didn't come back," Percy continued, his voice heavy with something hard to define—guilt, perhaps. "I followed her, went with her, and I couldn't save her… But she… she made me promise to tell you this."
Ikki felt a knot form in his throat.
"Her last words were…" Percy hesitated, as if weighing whether to say it. But in the end, he did: "Tell Ikki… that I love him. That he was my best memory."
Thunder roared again on the horizon.
Ikki froze.
The rain kept falling, streaming down his face as if to hide any trace of emotion that might slip through.
The same girl who betrayed the Camp.
Who betrayed him.
Who chose Luke and Kronos's side.
The same ones who killed his mother.
But even after everything…
He never wanted her to meet this end.
Ikki felt something inside him twist.
He didn't know what to say. What to do.
The silence between him and Percy stretched, laden with meanings neither could put into words.
In the end, Percy just sighed. "I thought you should know."
After saying it, he stood there, eyes fixed on Ikki, waiting for some reaction—anything. But Ikki remained still, raindrops streaming down his face without him bothering to wipe them.
Finally, Percy sighed, running a trembling hand through his wet hair.
"Look, I don't know how you feel about all this," he said, his voice lower now, like he was treading on thin ice. "But I thought you needed to know."
Ikki still didn't respond. His chest felt tight, a strange mix of anger, sadness, and something he couldn't name. Silena…
He wanted to hate her.
He *should* hate her.
But she died trying to fix her mistake. Died trying to do something right. And in the end, her last words were for him.
His throat closed.
Then Percy sighed, running a hand over his wet face, as if trying to pull himself together. But Ikki noticed it wasn't just rain streaming down his skin.
"There's one more thing…" Percy murmured, his voice tense, hesitant.
Ikki looked up at him, and for the first time that night, he saw how… broken Percy looked.
"Grover…" Percy started, but his voice faltered. He swallowed hard before continuing, forcing the words out. "He… He died."
Thunder exploded above, a deep roar that shook the ground.
Ikki felt his heart stop.
"What?" The word slipped out in a hoarse whisper, barely audible.
Percy clenched his fists, as if holding himself together to keep from crumbling right there.
"Kronos killed him. In the Titans' palace. I—" Percy's voice broke, and he had to take a deep breath to continue. "He was killed because of my mistake…"
Ikki couldn't breathe.
Grover.
His first friend after Percy. The satyr who was always there, believing in him, laughing with him, treating him like part of the nature he loved so much.
And now he was gone.
No.
"It can't be…" Ikki murmured, his voice barely audible.
Percy gritted his teeth.
"I saw it happen. I tried… but I couldn't do anything." He looked at Ikki, his sea-green eyes brimming with guilt and pain. "I'm sorry."
Silence followed Percy's words…
Ikki stood motionless.
The rain kept falling, streaming down his face without him caring. His gaze was distant, lost somewhere beyond the storm, beyond the moment.
Finally, he took a deep breath, his voice low but firm:
"They were heroes."
Percy frowned. "What?"
Ikki turned his face slightly toward him, his blue eyes glinting coldly under the lightning. "Silena and Grover didn't deserve this, but they both died fighting for something they believed in. They died trying to do what was right."
His expression remained unchanged, as if he were merely stating a fact, devoid of apparent emotion.
Percy felt something twist inside him.
"That's it?" His voice came out sharper than intended, but he didn't care.
Ikki looked at him, unblinking.
"That's it?" Percy repeated, his frustration growing. He took a step forward, anger burning in his voice. "Two of your friends died, Ikki! You don't feel anything?! You're not gonna say anything besides they were heroes?"
Ikki didn't respond.
His face remained the same—calm.
But then Percy saw it.
The blood.
Small scarlet drops silently dripped from his hands, falling into the mud, mingling with the rain.
He'd been clenching his hands behind his back the whole time.
Clenched so tightly that his nails had pierced his own skin.
Percy's anger wavered.
Ikki wasn't indifferent.
He was holding himself together.
Percy swallowed hard. His fury ebbed, replaced by something heavier, darker.
"Ikki…" he started, his voice more restrained now.
Ikki looked away. His tone remained calm, but Percy could see it—the rigid control, the flawless mask he wore to hide what he felt.
"There's nothing we can do now."
Percy clenched his fists.
"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."
Silence.
Percy swallowed hard, trying to ignore the awful feeling squeezing his chest.
And then he mustered the courage to say the last thing.
"Luke told me…" he murmured.
Ikki blinked, finally showing something close to a reaction.
Percy continued, forcing the words out.
"When I went after Silena… He told me something before he escaped." Percy closed his eyes for a second, steadying himself.
Ikki stayed silent, but Percy felt the shift in the air around them. Like electricity about to spark in the middle of a storm.
He took a deep breath.
"Kronos and he are waiting for you," Percy said, his voice grave. "On Mount Elbrus. In Russia."
He waited for some response, anything to indicate what Ikki was thinking.
The silence between them grew heavy, almost suffocating.
The storm roared around them, but Ikki remained still, his gaze lost in something Percy couldn't see.
Then Percy huffed, crossing his arms.
"You're not gonna tell me you're falling for such an obvious trap, are you?"
Ikki blinked slowly, as if returning from somewhere far away.
Percy continued: "I mean, it's practically a neon sign: 'Hey, come here so we can kill you!' You know Kronos is waiting for you there. And it's not because he wants to have tea."
Ikki finally turned his gaze to Percy, but his expression remained unchanged.
"You think I'm stupid?" Ikki asked, his voice so calm it made the hairs on Percy's neck stand up.
"No," Percy replied, holding his gaze. "But I think you're pissed enough not to care."
Another thunderclap exploded in the sky.
Ikki took a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes before meeting Percy's gaze again. His voice came out firm, but strangely empty:
"I need to be alone."
Percy opened his mouth to say something but closed it immediately. There was nothing to say in that moment. He just watched as Ikki turned and walked toward the Zeus Cabin, rain streaming down his face, his hands still clenched behind his back, red drops mixing with the mud.
He stood there, rooted, feeling a suffocating weight in his chest. He knew his friend was going to do something stupid. Something irreversible.
Had he done the right thing by telling him?
The weight of guilt and sorrow crashed onto his shoulders like an anchor. He'd lost Grover. Lost hundreds of campers. Everyone counted on him… and he'd failed.
And now, watching Ikki's silhouette fade into the darkness, he feared he was about to lose another friend.