Title: Before the Battle
Word Count: 1,478
Rating: PG for darker themes
Characters/pairings: Told from Lee Fletcher's perspective. Also includes Austin Lyman, Michael Yew, Will Solace and Kayla Emmans. All of the Apollo cabin is present.
Summary: Takes place the day of the Battle of the Labyrinth. Lee Fletcher struggles with preparing his siblings - and himself - for battle. Up to the very start of the fighting. I guess I should remind everyone that Lee Fletcher died at the hands of a giant's club during this thing.
Author's Notes: Um, so I RP Lee Fletcher in demigod_elite 's Facebook Roleyplay and in said roleplay the Apollo family is very close. I got the idea riding home from my cabin and could not pass it up. Hopefully I managed to capture all the minor character's personalities! In semi-companion to this fic, written by the talented heyjuliee . Basically I made it my headcanon for this fic. Many thanks to bubblexdreams and heyjuliee for betaing and being my springboard. Comments and feedback are appreciated!

As sunlight streamed into the big, dirty windows of Cabin 7, Lee Fletcher wiped his brow and surveyed his work. The cabin members prided themselves on the large windows that let in lots of sunlight, but they were extremely hard to clean. Inspection was in 30 minutes but, as usual during this time of the week, none of his campers could be seen anywhere near their cabin. He leaned down to dip his rag in the bucket of soapy water when he heard the screen door bang open.

"Michael, this is ridiculous." The annoyed voice belonged to Will Solace, just three years younger than Lee. His dark hair had been blown around by the wind and his eyes were full of frustration.

It was Will and Michael, fighting. Again. It seemed to be happening more and more with those two, and it was all Lee could do to keep them from tearing each other's heads off. Something about them did not click. Where Mike was hot-tempered and impulsive, Will was laid-back and thoughtful. Lee loved them both, but it was hard not to get aggravated by their constant feuding. Frowning, he turned to the angry face of Michael Yew, his beady eyes upset.

"What is it this time, guys?" Lee's voice did not hide its own irritation; things at Camp hadn't been easy the last few days, not with the quest in the Labyrinth going on and Kronos rising. Now was not the time for petty fights.

"It's all Will's fault, I swear. We were having an archery competition and he cheated. He moved the arrow on me! Can you believe that? He cheated me!" Before Mike could get another word out came Will's hurried defense.

"Michael, that's stupid. I'm not a cheater! Lee, can you please explain to him that I am obviously just the better archer?" Will's tone was both bothered by Mike's accusation and teasing, as he obviously enjoyed his small victory. Lee just sighed.

"Mike, if Will says he didn't cheat, why can't you just take his word for it? And Will, why do you feel the need to compete with Michael over everything? Gods, some days it's like you boys forget you're brothers." His tone was more cutting than he had intended, and after seeing their faces he instantly regretted it. "You guys just need to grow up and get over this… this bullshit. You're both better than that, and one day I won't be there to referee your arguments. So, make yourselves useful and help me finish cleaning. Inspection's in less than 20." The pair gave similar grumbles as they accepted two rags to finish the job Lee had already started.

-

Lee had been watching her for the last five minutes as she watched the forest on the outskirts. Kayla Emmans' usual cheer and smiles had been replaced by a stony resolve and fierce determination. Her long blonde hair was tied up and her bright blue eyes were now steely. She was staring at the forest, willing it to start, willing it to end. He approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Kayla." He whispered just her name, in an attempt to draw her attention away from the stillness. It didn't work. She refused to look at him.

"It's coming. It's soon. I can feel it." Her words were grim. This was the most serious Lee had ever heard her talk. It was worrying him more than it should have. "This could be it. People will die. I'm old enough to know that. I just… I just hope it's not anyone…" She trailed off, but Lee knew understood what she could not verbalize. She hoped against all hopes it wouldn't be anyone she cared for, or in a perfect world, anyone she knew. He saw these worries weigh down on her slim shoulders, though she tried bravely to hide it. Lee placed his other hand on his younger sister's shoulders and turned her towards him.

"Listen to me. You can't worry about it. It'll only distract you from the task at hand – beating the enemy. You need to push that deep inside, so far you can't feel it. It's hard. You won't like it. But it will make this a lot easier." The advice was pointless, and if we were quite honest, an outright lie considering he was the biggest hypocrite on Earth according to it. Then he watched as her tenacity faded. She slipped back into her usual self.

"B-but Lee, I'm scared. So, so scared." Kayla managed. "What would happen if… you know…?" Again she trailed off, this time knowing exactly what she should have said. But she could not bring herself to it. Lee's expression changed from encouraging to severe.

"Then one of your very capable older brothers would take the lead. Simple as that." He softened a bit. "But Kayla, you should leave the worrying to me. We'll all make it out just fine, you'll see." As he wrapped his arms around her and put his head on hers, he prayed to all the gods listening that what he just said could be true.

-

It was starting. It was coming. They were close. These words kept pounding themselves in his head as Lee checked Will's armor for the last time. It looked fine. But he triple checked it just to make sure. Will set his hand on Lee's, stopping the rhythmic motion of going over the latches and chinks.

"Lee. I'm good. Seriously." Will wasn't annoyed. He didn't seem bothered that Lee was spending more time with him than the others. He sounded calm. Or at least, he was acting calm. Whether he really was would remain a mystery. But he sounded… mature. And as Lee walked away to make certain Maggie put enough arrows in her bow, he realized he only checked over the already secure armor so he wouldn't have to walk away from his brother for what might be the last time. And he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who would take his place. If the need arises, he reminded himself.

-

Austin Lyman. Just the name brightened Lee's heart. He watched over as Austin gave direction to Michael and James, showing them the places he and Lee had mapped out hours before. If anyone could give him encouragement, it was Austin. He walked over, knowing he only had seconds before he would be asked to prepare his campers.

"Hey, Lee." The simple greeting and smile meant more than Austin would ever know.

"Hey, Austin."

And that was it. That was all it took. And that was all they had.

He was called over by the others. Kronos' army would attack soon. Time was running out.

-

He examined them, all lined up, with chaos in the background. The Hephaestus kids were rushing around, planting the last of the Greek fire while the Athena cabin made sure everyone knew the plan. He saw blurs of his fellow campers in his peripheral, but he focused on those before him.

These were his campers. His archers. His family.

"I stand before you the proud leader of this cabin." He started in, hiding all signs of doubt and worry. "We have trained hard for this. Every single one of us." Lee raised his head and narrowed his eyes, pacing in front of them. "I expect only the best from you. You are all skilled healers, archers and warriors." He sighed. "I know that the prospects are daunting. We're up against a lot, and I know it seems impossible." He watched as several heads already sank to the ground in defeat. They couldn't think he was giving up. Not now. He raised his voice, using the tone of leadership reserved for Capture the Flag. "But that does not mean we give up. That means we go out there, together, and we make our father proud." He took the precious minutes to look each of them in the eye and to shake their hands, starting with little Lea down at the far end of the ranks.

She was whimpering quietly.

Abandoning the idea of doing something as foreign as shaking her hand, he hugged her quickly and whispered quick encouragement before moving on to the next one.

Down at the opposite end they stood. Austin, Michael, Will and Kayla. The ones he had always been closest to. Austin with his small, yet winning smile. Michael with his layered armor and fierce expression. Will with his now serious eyes and deep breaths. Kayla with her blond curls and reassuring nod.

Before he could say anything more the conch blew. He grabbed his prepped bow and arrows and pulled Michael and Will aside for some last second instruction on where to be and where to expect him. And then… it began.

This was it.