"There" Rachel announced to the little girl she was breading her hair. The girl showed her a smile before leaving and then, Rachel had another one sat on her lap "Wow, guys... Slow down..." she chuckled. The girl simply giggled at her.

It was a tradition she had instated in Camp Half-Blood, after the war against Gaea, many years ago. Every Friday, the kids under ten years would have a sleepover. This would improve their confidence and will make them less shy around each other. At first, it was an experiment, but it worked out so well, Chiron said that once every two months, the kids will have a sleepover with the kids in Camp Jupiter, as a way to reinforce the bonds and trust between them.

This was one of them.

As the one that came up with the idea, Rachel was always chaperoning the kids. She didn't mind, because the kids were always playing nice and talking. The girls will always demand her attention, asking her to braid their hairs or asking for stories on how things happened. The boys normally played with wooden swords and metal helmets that she made Leo do specially for the occasion.

"Rachel?" the girl she was braiding, a six-year-old daughter of Apollo, called her.

"Yeah, Mel?" she answered, parting her hair.

"What should I be for Halloween?" The question took her by surprise. She had forgot about Halloween! She had promised the kids a party with the grown ups and she needed to start planing it now or there would be nothing next Saturday.

"I don't know, Mel... What you wanna be?" Rachel asked her. The girl put a thinking face, while some of the kids (boys and girls) gathered around "You guys have your Halloween costumes ready?"

"I'm going as Princess Leia!" a girl of seven, a daughter of Aphrodite, admitted. Rachel raised an eyebrow at her "But Piper won't let me use the bikini... She want me to dress like the bounty hunter..." Mental score for Piper and her Head Counselor skills!

"You're gonna get so cold!" a son of Vulcan of five, argued, logically "It's chilly to walk around like that..."

"I wanna be Belle!" a daughter of Athena mumbled, next to Rachel, a little shy "Because she likes to read..." Rachel smiled and made the four-year-old look at her.

"And you'll be beautiful besides smart..." she complimented her, earning a bright smile from her.

"Me and my sister will go as Hansel and Gretel!" a son of Apollo from Camp Jupiter announced, proudly.

"The kids who got lost in the woods and almost got eaten by a witch?" a boy from Demeter frowned at it, confused.

"But, we're gonna the the Witch Hunters!" At this, Rachel looked up at the boy, between curious and scandalized.

"Kyler, how do you know about that movie?" The stern question made Kyler fidgeted in his place and everyone look surprise. Rachel never had acted like this "Kyler..."

"The Stolls" he blurted out and Rachel sighed. She was going to kill the Stolls later.

"You shouldn't had watched it-"

"But the Stolls called me 'chicken' if I didn't and it wasn't that bad..." Kyler defended himself.

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you shouldn't had watched it because Aria would had wanted to see it..." Rachel explained, in deep thinking, knowing how close were those two, even if they were from different camps "Which explains her screams at night about 'witches that want to eat her heart'..." Kyler was pale at this, though Rachel knew he was remorsed. Rachel finished the braid of the girl she had in her lap and two others sat on her, looking to cuddle "OK, which other costumes have you been thinking?"

"I wanna go as Iron Man!" a boy from Hephaestus yelled, excited. Rachel smiled at him "Leo is gonna help me!"

"I'm gonna go as Rachel!" a girl with red hair, daughter or Hermes giggled at the blushed Rachel.

"I wanna be Rapunzel, because she has long hair..." an innocent three-years-old daughter of Aphrodite played with her newly-made braid.

"I wanna be Flynn Ryder!" a son of Mercury raised his hand. He was five and he was blushing at the Aphrodite girl "Can we go together?"

"Yeah!" Rachel smirked at them. They were so innocent... and she wanted them to stay like that for a long time... Because time is a cruel thing.


After sending the kids to sleep around eleven, Rachel walked back to her cave, yawning in the process. It's been years since her last vision as the Oracle, but she loved to spend time in Camp Half-Blood, a place she considered a second home. Was the place where her friend were, raising their kids some. Other, just still leaving and breathing.

After changing, she got into bed, thinking about all the things she had to do for the party. Sleep took over soon, with no ordinary dreams...

She was running through what it seemed to be a castle. She didn't stop to question it. Nor did she stop to question her wardrobe. She was wearing some blue dress with a white apron on top. She would ran around the hallways and stairs, avoiding monsters and the demigods that were defending themselves. She've seen weirder things than demigods fighting monsters.

She was screaming someone's name. She couldn't even hear herself because of the noise. But, she was running frantically, rushing to the superior floors. She kept screaming that someone's name, until she got a reply.

"Rachel!"

That filled her some kind of hope. She rushed until she reached the tower. She walked out to the balcony and saw that person who was calling her. That person she was looking for. But, he wasn't a person. Not one that was likely by the rest. He was a monster, he even said so himself. But she didn't believe it. She knew the truth.

"Rachel? You came back!" he was climbing the side of the tower, trying to reach the balcony. When he did, she also had reached the edge. She grabbed his hand and wanted to pull him to the other side. But he stopped her, moving the hand up to cup her cheek and look at her as if she was the only thing that was precious and valuable in his world. She couldn't look away from him either. From his skinny figure or his long blonde hair or his hopeful blue eyes.

But that was broken when someone stabbed him on the back. A monster she couldn't see was hanging from his back. Rachel was helpless, but the only thing that she managed to do was pulling him closer to the balcony when the blade had been pulled out of him for a second stab. Not being able to grab from him, the monster lost its footing and fell down, to its oblivion. Rachel managed to pull her monster to safety, over the balcony and lay him on the floor. She ignored the demigods that were gathering next to them.

"You came back" he mumbled to her, watching her like before. Rachel smiled at him.

"Of course I came back" she argued back to him, still smiling "I couldn't let them...Oh, this is all my fault" she blamed herself, looking around him "If only I'd gotten here sooner..."

"Maybe it's better this way..." he disagreed with her, but she shook her head.

"Don't talk like that. You'll be all right" she promised him "We're together now. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see..." she encouraged him to see her. She didn't know how deep was the wound, but she knew she had to relax him to see it.

"At- at least I got to see you one... last... time" he struggled with the words, allowing her to held his hand to her cheek, before dropping it limp next to his body, his head back and his blue eyes closed. Rachel couldn't help to cry at this. She didn't want him to leave her! She came back for him!

"No, no! Please!" she pleaded to him, hoping that would bring him back "Please! Please don't leave me! I love you!" she recognized. But that seemed very far away...


Rachel was wearing a very strange outfit, that consisted on light brown pants pants, with the edges almost cream color. Her black boots were hidden under the pant legs. On top, she was wearing some kind of long shirt, with a dark brown belt . The sleeves were loose around the upper arms, but tight with brown layers of leather around it. She also was wearing multiple belts with weapons and stuff.

Her helmet allowed her to see the room that was filled with monsters passed out because of the booze they drunk, asleep. This couldn't be more planned. She reached the furthest wall from the entrance, where the most precious trophy of the leader was held: a man, in his carbonite coffin-prison was hung from the ceiling, showing the guests the face of desperation.

Rachel quickly approached it and, despite the noise though she was careful not to make it, began to lower the carbonite block to the floor. Once it touched it, it made a very metallic sound, that made her look around, to assure she hadn't woke up anyone. But everything continued like if nothing happened.

This gave her hopes and goes where the controls that control the carbonite where to melt it and free the man. Only a few seconds later the melting process finished and she could stare at the man, checking if he was still alive. With her helmet on, she leaned over him to check for pulse, when was startled by the man coughing and gasping for air, his blue eyes open.

"Just relax for a moment" she told him, her voice a little distorted because of the helmet, trying to relax him "You're free of the carbonite" The guy raised his hand and began to touch around his eyes, desperately "Shh, you have hibernation sickness" she explained to him.

"I- I can't see" he complained, stuttering as if he hadn't used his voice in a long time.

"You eyesight will return in time" she reassured him.

"Where am I?" he asked, as if he was terrified of the answer.

"Gaea's palace" Rachel answered, knowing that name was synonym of troubles.

"Who are you?" he finally wondered, not recognizing the voice. Rachel smiled to herself, before taking her helmet off. And saying the words she waited for so long to tell him.

"Someone who loves you" she whispered to him. Her name escape his lips before Hades broke loose.


Rachel was laying down on the ground. She had been attacked and now, it was her time to prove her worthy. She didn't care she had dirty, mud and leaves on her hair. Or that her cream dress was dark brown. Nothing of that mattered. Not when the most important person to you is being attacked by a magical spell and being tossed around, like a log.

"The end is near, demigod" she heard the monster say to him, walking closer. Taunting him with his death "I wish I could say it would be painless, but... that would be a lie" It was her time to act. She couldn't wait any longer or he would be death. Without thinking it, she pulled out a very strange wand and attacked the monster right on the chest, sending it a few feet away from him, though it stood up really fast.

"Get away from him" she ordered in a low voice, trying to look braver than she felt. The monster had the audacity to smirk at her, also taunting her.

"Always funny seeing a mortal with a wand" the monster claimed, as if she was a joke "What are you going to do? Hit me with your love spell?" Rachel was furious for not being taken seriously and attacked again, with so much force, so much desire of protection, she broke in half the tree behind the monster, who had avoided the attack in the last minute "Not bad"

That sentence was the last Rachel heard before she was attacked by a dark spell, sending her away and to the floor. In a second, the monster was next to her, picking her up by the neck and suffocating her.

"Sacrificing yourself to save a human. Pathetic" Rachel thought that struggled for air was hard. Until she realized that being stabbed while you struggle for air was worst. The monster kept the blade inside of her enough to make sure she was deeply wounded.

"No!" Rachel was tossed face down to the floor, but she could hear the hits and punches that the guy that was with her was giving the monster. Suddenly, a large noise was heard and he was next to her, turning her around and cradling her in his arms while she coughed "Rachel. Hey..." he called her, giving her a perfect view of his face. Of his blonde hair and his blue eyes that she grew to love "Come here..."

She tried calling him out, saying his name, but the cough wouldn't help. Or that she was bleeding through her mouth and her wounded stomach. Not the fact that she couldn't even listen to her own voice.

"I- I tried to stop her" she explained, trying to justified her actions. She felt like she needed him to know why she did what she did. He only nodded and, even though he was serious, she could see the ghost of a smile on him.

"You did. You did good" She knew he was lying to her, but she didn't want to argue. She knew she wouldn't see him again, taking her last seconds to remember him. And for him to remember her...


Rachel woke up with a jolt, after feeling someone's arms snaked around her, as a light breeze. Panting, she sat up and looked around and saw only one person laying next to her. Well, more like sitting next to her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you..." the person replied, pulling her closer to it. She pushed away, trying to gather her breath.

"It wasn't- it wasn't entirely your fault..." she admitted, laying down back again, staring at the ceiling of her cave. The person next to her laid down too, on its side, watching her "How was the trip?" she tried to make conversation to fill the awkward silence.

"Filled with attempts of attacks and incompetent guards, not to mention the lack of communication with you..."

"Don't you dare lie to me..." she warned, closing her eyes. She felt a thumb wipe away some tears of her cheeks "Why are you here?"

"Because I just came back-"

"No" she interrupted, sitting up and facing the person she had in front of her. He was man, tall and skinny, but he was also built. His hair was blonde and straight, almost falling over his blue eyes "I'm tired of pretending this is real..."

"But, this is real..." the guy grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. But she felt nothing. She saw the action, she saw the intention, but she didn't feel it. And, that was killing her, because she wanted to feel it.

"No, it's not!" she argued, pulling her hand back "You are not-"

"Don't say it..." the guy begged her, cupping her cheek and placing a finger over her lips "Please, don't..."

"If I don't say it, I feel like I'm not being honest with myself..." she explained "You have to understand..."

"I understand... But, I'm not a memory nor a ghost... I'm real and I'm here..."

"No, you're not!" Rachel sobbed, hugging herself. She hated this kind of visions. The visions that could never be true. The visions that showed her what she could never have "You're not real..."

"Though, I know that, I can't seem to be detached from you..." he recognized "No, I don't want to be detached from you..."

"You have to..." she fought with him, tears that he couldn't touch, tears he couldn't wipe away in reassurance.

"You're my unfinished business, Rachel..." the guy confessed to her, hovering his hand over her face. Rachel closed her eyes and let herself pretend he was touching her. She could feel the connection, the spark between them, yet it was not there.

"Everyone will think I'd gone insane..." she whispered "If you keep showing up and staying..."

"I can't go unless you want me to... And, I know you don't want me too..."

"Is it bad to be selfish about it...?" she wondered, looking at him. The moonlight passed right through him, showing his ethereal figure.

"Of course not... That's why I always convince you to keep me around..." he chuckled, making her do the same.

"I dreamed I saved you..."

"You did... You saved me, even when I'm dead..." he reassured her. Suddenly, he turned around and saw the sun coming up "I need to go... The deal was that he couldn't see me when he came up..."

"Will you visit tomorrow?" she pleaded to him, wanting to hold his hand. He gave her one last smile.

"Just dream of me..." he mumbled, shimmering to fade "Just like I do about the day we see again..." Rachel sat there, watching as the only man she could ever love faded in front of her face. The only man she couldn't had a chance to love because the fates took him away too soon. She only got a soft murmur and echo around the cave. One that would be a secret that she'll take to her grave... The day she'll see him again.

"I love you..."

"I love you too, Octavian..."