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There was no one to bury. No tombstone. Just a gathering of strangers and empty words from an organisation with no answers worth giving.
Annabeth’s cousin called not long after the memorial came to a close. With a questioning look at Percy she stepped away to answer, wiping her eyes. Percy stood and waited for her to return staring at the ground. Keith hovered a few meters away, kicking at a stone with his black dress shoe. The weak winter sun shone through the skeletal trees of the Central Park.
They’d held the ceremony in New York. Matt and Shiro’s home.
A scene replayed in Percy’s mind.
Sally running down the stairs of their apartment to the street, where Percy and Annabeth had pulled to a stop, fresh from their road trip to Boston, Paul and a squalling Estelle hovering on the stoop. Sally enveloping him in the biggest hug, like she was making sure he wasn’t going to disappear again.
Then, the news.
Shiro wasn’t coming home.
Percy had fought monsters, gods and giants. At seventeen, he had been through two wars and had the list of fallen friends to prove it.
Shiro wasn’t part of that life. Shiro was part of what made home home . Shiro had been the one to teach him how to drive, the small voice behind the camera filming Percy’s first steps. Shiro had placed himself between Smelly Gabe and Sally more times than Percy could count. He was family. The last time they had spoken, he had been about to depart on a groundbreaking mission into the furthest reaches of the solar system. Percy had been too preoccupied with what was happening in the Titan War to really pay too much attention.
And now Shiro wasn’t coming home, lost to the stars he loved so much.
Percy had crumpled. There was no one to fight to make Shiro’s death mean something. There was no monster to blame. It was an accident, Sally had said. Pilot error.
Jason clapped a hand onto Percy’s shoulder, eyes full of sympathy. He, Leo, Piper and Nico were all standing silently, creating a perimeter. It was more of a symbolic gesture than anything. With the Doors of Death closed and the war over, the likelihood of being attacked in daylight was at an all time low. Still, Percy appreciated the backup all the same.
‘We have to go now,’ Jason said. ‘Our flight’s in a few hours.’
Percy nodded. ‘Thanks, man.’
‘Anytime,’ Jason paused. Just as Percy turned to go talk to Keith, Jason added, ‘And Percy? I’m sorry he’s gone.’
‘Yeah,’ Percy replied, voice thick. ‘Me too.’
Nico appeared from wherever he had been standing watch and went and stood silently next to Keith. Of all of Percy’s friends besides Annabeth, Nico knew Percy’s brothers the best. After the first time Nico had been persuaded to stay for dinner Keith had... latched on to Nico in a way that he hadn’t with any of Percy’s other friends. Percy had long since decided that Keith saw something of himself in Nico. Now, he supposed, those two had something else in common. Nico had lost Bianca, now Keith and Percy had lost Shiro.
Nico turned to Keith. It looked like he had said something, but with their backs to him and at this distance, Percy had no idea what was being said between them. He didn’t want to know.
Annabeth reappeared beside him, taking his hand gently. ‘Sorry about that, I’ve just been waiting for that call.’
‘Magnus?’ Percy asked. Annabeth nodded. ‘Everyone alright?’
‘Crisis averted,’ she confirmed. Well that’s one way to describe the end of the world , Percy thought idly. ‘Everyone home safe and sound.’
‘As if this world could get weirder,’ Percy muttered. ‘Greek, Roman, Egyptian and now Norse gods too?’
Annabeth smiled, but it was subdued and gone before it could really take effect. She tucked a few loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear. ‘You can’t help but wonder what else is out there,’ she said.
‘Aliens?’ Percy suggested. ‘Fairies? Ghosts?’
‘We know ghosts are real,’ Annabeth pointed out.
Percy chuckled, low and quiet. ‘Oh yeah. How could I forget?’ They stood in silence for a moment, contemplative. After a few minutes, Percy sighed, ‘It feels like so long ago.’
‘What does?’
Percy shrugged. ‘Oh, you know, when we only had one pantheon to worry about. When we had no pantheons to worry about. When we were normal.’
Annabeth smirked. ‘You were never normal, Seaweed Brain.’
Percy huffed a laugh. ‘Very true, Wise Girl.’
People were starting to pack up the dias where Shiro’s instructor had stood up to speak. Two women Percy recognised were watching it go down. He looked at Annabeth. ‘I should probably...’
‘I’ll be here,’ Annabeth replied and let go of his hand.
Percy kissed her forehead, then once, chastely on the lips. ‘Go say hi to mom, would you?’
Annabeth nodded. ‘I will.’
Percy turned and made his way over to where the dias was being dismantled, weaving through legions of empty chairs. Colleen saw him first. She waved him over with a small smile.
‘Hello, Percy,’ she said. Her voice shook slightly, but otherwise, she was remarkably collected given the circumstances. More so than Sally was, anyway.
‘Mom wasn’t sure you’d come,’ Percy said into her shoulder as she pulled him in for a brief embrace.
‘Katie didn’t want to,’ Colleen admitted. ‘But I talked her around.’
‘Hey,’ Percy said to Katie, standing at her mother’s shoulder with her arms crossed, glaring at the Garrison volunteers as they worked.
‘Hey, Percy.’ She didn’t bother to look up at him.
Colleen said, ‘I don’t think it will ever feel like they’re really gone. I think part of me will always believe they’re out there somewhere, in space.’
Percy frowned. Shiro hadn’t been buried. Was he waiting on the shores of the River Styx for passage across to the underworld? In his mind’s eye he saw Shiro in his garrison uniform pacing the bank of a black river, surrounded by the cries of the dead and had to fight the urge to throw up on Katie’s shoes.
‘HEY!’ Katie snapped, darting forward surprisingly quickly for a fourteen year old mortal. She was yelling at someone's retreating back. ‘I have some questions for you!’
‘Katie!’ Collen cried, reaching out to grab her daughter. Katie ducked her mother’s arm and powered across the green. Percy followed her trajectory and felt a wash of his own anger at the sight.
Iverson, Shiro’s former commanding officer.
‘Wait!’ Katie ordered, though she was hardly in any position to do so. ‘I’m talking to you!’
Percy and Colleen jogged after her. ‘She’s been saying things,’ Colleen explained as they moved. ‘About the accident. She thinks they’re covering something up.’
Iverson had stopped on his way to his shiny black car. Katie stood in front of him, feet planted and fists clenched, yelling as he stood there and waited it out.
‘I’m so sorry!’ Colleen rushed to apologise to the commander, grabbing Katie’s hand and trying to drag her away.
‘No!’ Katie shrieked, fighting to be free of her grip. Tears spilled down her cheeks. ‘He’s lying, mom!’ she sobbed, her voice rough with emotion. ‘I know he’s lying about what happened to Matt and dad, I know he is!’
‘Katie, stop it!’ Colleen begged, her own brown eyes filling with tears. ‘Please!’
‘But-’
‘Your brother father are dead, Katie!’ Colleen blurted, and Percy watched in horror as the dam burst. Tears spilled over and she trembled with the force of them. ‘What does any of it matter?’
Katie collapsed into her mother’s arms, who seemed to have lost the strength to stand. Percy caught them both as they want down, steadying the confused tangle of limbs and keeping them from falling to the ground in a heap. 'It matters to me,' Katie choked, voice muffled by her mother's cardigan. 'It matters to me.'
Percy felt something heavy and cold settle on his chest. Katie slipped from her mother's trip and ended up kneeling in the grass, brittle from the New York winter. Colleen fought valiantly to pull herself together, trying to smooth things over with Iverson. Percy ended up kneeling in front of Katie, no doubt getting grass stains on his suit pants.
'Hey,' he said gently. 'Remember when we all came round to your house and Matt decided we should play charades?'
Katie sniffed. ' He tried to act out mitosis.'
Percy frowned. 'Wait, that's what he was doing? I thought he was trying to be the Flash.'
That got a watery giggle from Katie. 'Wow you really didn't pay attention in school did you?'
Percy shrugged. 'School and I never really got along.'
Katie finally looked up at him, her tears beginning to subside. 'Why not?'
Percy ruffled her hair. 'Its a long story, Pidge. Maybe I'll tell it to you one day. If you're lucky.'
Katie managed a brief smile. 'I'll hold you to it.'
'Good.' He glanced up to see Annabeth walking towards him, a picture of elegance in her black dress. 'I gotta go now,' he told Katie. 'But you need to look after your mom okay?'
Katie nodded silently. Percy stood and left her with her mother, returning to his own family. 'Sally is starting to get nervous,' Annabeth said quietly. 'She didn't know where you'd gone.'
Percy sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to him. 'Thanks, Annabeth.' Having her in his arms didn't erase the grief of losing Shiro, but it took the edge off and right now, that was enough. Over the top of her head, he spied Keith holding Estelle as his mom and stepdad gathered their things.
'Come on,' Percy said. 'Time to go home.'