The courtyard of the palace on Themyscira was quieter than usual.
The sounds of the training grounds echoed faintly in the distance—metal clashing, boots against stone, the sharp commands of Amazon generals. Normally you loved that sound. It meant strength. Discipline. It meant you were somewhere extraordinary.
But right now it only made your chest ache.
You stood on the marble balcony overlooking the sea, fingers gripping the railing so tightly your knuckles hurt. The ocean stretched endlessly before you, blue and powerful—like your father, Poseidon. Usually the water calmed you.
Not today.
Behind you, heavy footsteps approached. You didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.
Diana Prince rarely tried to hide her presence.
“Penelope.”
Your name sounded softer in her voice than it ever had before, but you still didn’t turn.
“I cannot understand why you would refuse this,” Diana continued, frustration threading through every word. “You would not be leaving everything. You would be gaining a home among the Amazons. My mother herself would welcome you.”
At the mention of Hippolyta, your throat tightened.
Hippolyta had been kind to you. So kind it almost hurt.
But that wasn’t the point.
You finally turned.
Diana stood there in her armor, golden bracelets gleaming in the sunlight, dark hair falling down her back in thick waves. She looked exactly like the warrior princess you had fallen for months ago at the summer solstice.
Strong.
Unmovable.
Certain.
“You don’t get it,” you said quietly.
Her brows pulled together. “Then explain it to me.”
Your hands trembled.
“You’re asking me to leave everything.”
“I am asking you to build a life with me.”
“And that life means never seeing my family again!” your voice cracked despite yourself.
The words hung between you.
Diana stiffened.
“My brother—” you swallowed hard, thinking of Percy Jackson. “He’s my family. My mom. My friends at camp. If I stay here… I lose them.”
“You would gain us.”
Your chest hurt at the way she said it.
As if that should be enough.
As if loving her meant the rest of your life had to disappear.
“You already belong here,” Diana insisted, stepping closer. “The Amazons respect you. My mother admires you. You would never feel invisible here.”
That word hit harder than anything else.
Invisible.
At camp you were always Percy Jackson’s little sister. The hero’s shadow. The extra seat at the table.
But that didn’t mean you could just erase your life.
Tears burned behind your eyes.
“That’s not fair,” you whispered.
Diana’s jaw tightened. “What is not fair is that you think choosing me means losing them.”
“It does!”
Her voice rose now.
“You are the woman I love, Penelope. I am asking you to stand beside me. To live with me. To build something together.”
“And I love you!” you cried. “But I can’t just abandon everyone!”
The word abandon landed like a weapon.
Diana flinched.
Just slightly.
But you saw it.
For a moment neither of you spoke. The wind off the sea whipped through the balcony, tugging at your blue dress, the shell headpiece you had made months ago for the summer solstice.
Finally Diana spoke again, her voice quieter now.
“If our places were reversed,” she said slowly, “I would choose you.”
Your heart shattered.
“That’s because everything you love is here.”
Silence fell between you again.
The distance between you suddenly felt miles wide.
Diana looked at you like she didn’t recognize you anymore.
And maybe you didn’t recognize her either.
“I thought you wanted a home,” she said softly.
You wiped a tear off your cheek.
“I thought you understood that I already had one.”
Neither of you moved.
Neither of you apologized.
And for the first time since the summer solstice—since the moment you first saw the Amazon princess training with Athena—it felt like loving Diana might not be enough.