"On that note…" Mahogany said slowly, sliding down next to Lyle. "Let's talk about…what's going on with the gods."

"What about them?" I looked at him.

"The war…we need to your power to help fight with them. But you don't know if you can control your power or not," Hyna said, sighing. "And I know that the Cyclops like to kick your ass. If we can't battle them, how can we battle Kronos?"

"Well," Garret said with a shrug. "Maybe some gods will help."

"I know my mother will," I said proudly. "And I'm sure she could convince my uncle. Plus, the other gods will already be fighting. Why do we need to worry about my power?"

"They'll be attacking the camp," Derek informed me. "If they weaken us, they weaken the gods. It's complicated, not a direct line of simplicity, but it's something." I saw Hyna staring at him, eyes melting. Oh. Fuck.

"Hyna," I said, nudging her arm. She blinked a few times before blushing and shaking her head.

"Sorry," she said quietly, then sat straighter. "Derek's right, though the vocabulary wasn't necessary." He shrugged, smiling, and she continued, "But the idea of what he was saying was true. The gods would protect their home and we don't think that they'll protect ours. Chiron left the other day, really big deal, to go help. We've been running the camp, with Hestia sometimes appearing and giving us some help, but it's not often. This war isn't gonna end well, or soon." She turned to me. "So we need to get you a teacher. No matter what the cost."

"But…the only one who could teach me…"

"…is her father," Lyle finished, looking up at me. I felt the tears well up as I shook my head.

"He won't teach me unless I join him. I don't wanna join him!"

"It won't be for long," Cyan said, smiling sadly. "Plus we'll use it to fight against him."

"I'll go with her," Garret said, standing up. "I'm not letting her go alone."

Lyle just rolled his eyes at him. "What help are you going to do? He won't let you join. He'll think you're a spy."

Garret glared at him. "Why would you think that?" I saw his fists clench.

"Natalie's dream of you evil. If you go you WILL turn. She's the only one who could resist the pull, and even that would be hard. You need someone to go with her who could also resist the pull." He stood up as well.

"Oh yeah? And who would that be? You?" Garret snorted. "You're a son of Dionysus. I'm a son of Zeus. Would do you think would be more powerful to help?"

Lyle's face turned red with anger. We were all too stunned to say anything, to even stop them.

"I'm her best friend," Lyle growled. "I have been since we were kids. I care about her more then you do. I can protect her, and you can't. He'll brainwash you. I know he could, and will, because you actually LOVE her. I love her like a sister. It's different."

"Then Hyna can go, or the twins, or Derek!"

"Why do you have such a big complain about him going, Garret?" I managed to ask through my stunned silence, looking up at him. He stayed silent, and Lyle began to laugh.

"I think he's jealous!" Lyle kept laughing and I stood up, slapping his arm.

"Not nice to laugh," Cyan muttered, and he pulled Lyle down on the couch next to him. I took Garret's hand and I felt him relax.

"I have to agree with Lyle," I said quietly to him. "He'd be better to come along. He cares enough about me to not turn, but doesn't care enough to be turned. If that made any sense at all." I paused and looked up at him.

"I want to be able to protect you," he whispered, putting his forehead against mine. "You're my girlfriend, right? How come I can't take care of you."

"You'll be safer."

"I don't care about being safe. I care about you being safe. And I don't get a good vibe from Lyle over there."

"He's my best friend, Garret," I said with a sigh. "He's the person I trust most, not matter how much you don't wanna hear that."

I saw his face twist from anger, to pain, to jealousy, then back to anger. "Fine. Let him go with you. But when you get back…you're mine for me to protect. And only me."

I nodded. "Of course."

He smiled at that, and rocked me gently. I put my chin on his shoulder, and heard Hyna quietly say, "Aww…" We looked over at her and she acted as if she didn't do anything, causing Garret to roll his eyes.

Hopefully I made the right choice with whose life I wanted to put on the line. Because I knew that if I got there, and brought someone with me, we both had an equal chance of not getting out, even if I was Kronos's daughter. Heck, he tried to eat Zeus and the others, what's the chance of him not hurting us? As I looked over at my best friend, him on the couch talking to Cyan and Mahogany, I really felt deep in my gut that I had to bring him along. He was my best friend, and I trusted him with my life, with the fate of the world, right?

…right?