I'm skipping ahead of time a bit here, not too badly though, but here we go….


Toni's family gathered around her steel bed quietly. Dan and Luke had their hands over their mouths, looking thoroughly shocked and saddened. Olivia was sobbing in a corner – Toni had always been her favourite. Percy was being brave, though tears were leaking from his oceanic eyes. But Annabeth was the worst.

See, Toni had a bad relationship with her mother. They'd spend hours yelling and screaming at each other, in which Toni would be sent to her room, fuming, slamming doors and drawers and generally cursing her mom in English, Latin and Greek. Annabeth would usually walk away, cursing her daughter's stubbornness and behaviour. They'd both go red in the face, nose to nose, hollering at the top of their voices. It had been clear –Annabeth grudgingly loved her youngest daughter, and Toni certainly did love her mother, but they both forgot to show it.

But now, here she was, bawling her eyes out over Toni. I felt fresh tears of my own resurfacing as I stroked her hair gently. She couldn't be dead. Could she? The Fates weren't that cruel, were they?

"Is she – " Dan started.

"Dead?" Luke finished solemnly. All eyes looked down. No one answered. They didn't have to.

"No." I said. "She's not dead."

They all looked at me like I was delusional. "Her spirit lives on," I continued, my eyes brimming, "Her memories will stay with us forever."

Annabeth nodded gratefully. Percy put a tender arm around the rest of his family and slowly steered them away. They couldn't bear seeing her like this, whereas all I wanted was to see her.


Rachel walked in and sat by me, looking forlorn. Her wild hair (so similar to Toni's, only shorter) was scraped into a messy bun but strands were falling around her face. In her hands she was clutching a tattered old book. She handed it to me wordlessly.

The first page read: This is the property of Toni Sally Jackson. DO NOT READ THIS. If this is Dan or Luke reading this, I will personally rip out your vocal cords. If it is Olivia, shut the damn book before I hit you. If it's anyone else, prepare to die, because this is private.

It was so Toni. Even her writing was filled with her bubbly, if slightly rude attitude. I smiled weakly and turned the page.

She lives in the shadow of a lonely girl,

Voice so quiet you can't hear a word,

She talks all the time but she can't be heard, (Little me, by Little Mix)

"These are song lyrics!" I realised. "Wait, Toni wrote them?"

Rachel smiled at me wanly. "She wrote lots of songs." she sighed, clearly upset.

"She…never told me she was a songwriter." I mused quietly. Rachel touched my shoulder gently, her hand unnaturally cold. I winced.

"There was a lot of things she never told you about herself," she whispered back, "Her singing, her songs, her poetry, and her undying love for you." She added softly.

I froze. She…she loved me? Rachel smiled mournfully and walked away, head bowed.


"I'm so sorry." I whispered into Toni's ear. "So, so sorry."

She sighed. Wait, what?! She sighed. She sighed. SHE SIGHED. SHE WAS ALIVE!

"Toni, Toni, Toni," I said, running my fingers through her knotted hair, "Are you alive? You are! C'mon, you can wake up. Do this for me."

Her eyes started fluttering. Amelia, the Apollo camper, came in, to see Toni struggling to lift her heavy eyelids. She squeaked and ran to fetch everyone.

Toni's eyes opened. They were ocean-green, just like her dad's. But they were brighter than, more vibrant and entrancing and beautiful. She shifted herself into a sitting position, her eyes pooling.

"AJ!" She cried.

"Toni!" I replied. (Oops, that rhymed.)

She hugged me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder yet I knew she was smiling. The Jackson's walked in yet again, this time smiling tearfully. Toni continued shaking in my arms.

"AJ…" She murmured again, squeezing me even tighter. I felt her warm breath on my neck and was reassured that this was real. We finally broke apart. Toni took a second to analyse her surroundings, then looked back at me.

"Err…" she began awkwardly. "Could you get me my shirt?" She pointed over to the desk. I blushed deep crimson.

"Uh, sure." I handed it to her. Both of us looked like tomatoes. Olivia ran forwards and proceeded to squash the life out of Toni. Soon, the rest of them joined in until it looked like a game of pile-on.

Toni's eyes darted around the room again. Then she looked back at me, and my hand…

"Where did you get that?" Toni asked, her voice deadly calm. I realised I was still holding her song-book.

"Σκατά. Rachel gave it to me. Your songs are real good, y'know. I never knew you wrote songs 'til now. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Now it was Toni's turn to blush. "I…never mind. The point is, it's private, so you should not be looking through it." She folded her arms and huffed, rolling her eyes at me.

Toni swung her legs out of the steel bed and stood up unsteadily, on hand balanced on the metal edge of the bed.

"Toni, you're supposed to stay in bed for an extra two days." I informed her. As usual, she scoffed at me.

"Like, who cares? I can at least walk." She took a step, and her legs collapsed. Luckily she grabbed onto the windowsill and less-than-gracefully pulled herself up again. I smiled at her stubbornness – she was still refusing to ask for help. A sure sign she was getting better.


Toni: I know it's a bit early for this, but Kacie is going on holiday soon so...
AJ: Happy...
Toni: EASTER!

I lurve easter! There's chocolate, and bunnies, and flowers, and chocolate, and LOTS OF BABY COUSINS FOR ME (yeah, I know), and chocolate. Did I mention the chocolate?

Anyways...REVIEW! I know that Mila-is-a-bookworm101 will review, but will anyone else?