I kissed Percy. "Good luck, Seaweed Brain." I put my hat on and ran. While running, I thought, Please, Seaweed Brain, make it out alive.

Suddenly, I heard him scream. My heart tore. Then, the volcano erupted. I heard "NO!" Then I realized it was me. "Percy, NO!" I fell to the floor, sobbing. "WHY?" I yelled at the sky. Percy couldn't be gone. He couldn't be. And I had run away, like a coward, even when I knew he had been lying. I had seen the fear in his eyes.

I hauled myself up, and ran back to Hephaestus. The whole time, endless tears poured down my face.