The week ended far too early for my liking as reality sucker punched me hard. Ever since I woke up, I haven't been able to stay still for longer than a second. Whether I was moving by repeatedly tapping my fingers on something, or fussing with my hair, I just couldn't stay still. Even my siblings in the Hermes cabin had left me alone, feeling just as depressed as I was at what was to come this evening.

Honestly, I just wanted to be holding my older brother in my arms in a bone crushing embrace, knowing that no one was going to be taking him away from me again. If Luke had asked me to, I would go to Tartarus and back if it meant he would get to live out the rest of his life, but being the overly noble bastard he is, he silently accepted his fate, acknowledging that he should've died on Percy's birthday.

And that brought me to where I was now, glaring as Apollo's chariot raced to meet the horizon. The sky was alight with gold and orange and pink hues-a beautiful sunset for what was about to be one of my darkest days. Not even the nearing new year was enough to raise my spirits, despite all the cheery Christmas lights still shining from their places on cabins. The entire Hermes cabin was so depressed that when a young son of Aphrodite tried to start a snowball fight with the remaining snow on the ground, many of my siblings shot him a withering glare, sending him running back to his cabin.

The mood was somber as our cabin sat around the dying fire, each log slowly starting to burn out. I kept focusing on some of the wood, thinking of it to be Luke's lifeline, but inevitably, it caught fire and burned into ashes. Just like Luke's body would soon be burned.

I clenched my fists, trying to forget the day we had built the shroud. I had only added a small detail to it, one that no one would understand but Luke and me; I had found a beanbag figure of Hera's apples of immortality and sewed it onto the blue and brown fabric. I remember Luke smiling at the apple bitterly, tracing the scar on his face unconsciously. I had heard that he had failed the quest, but I explained it to him as the time Dad acknowledged Luke as his son in front of his fellow campers. My response earned me a full blown smile from Luke, as I tried not to cry at the thought of him no longer being around.

It was crazy how the person you hated most in your life could become someone you couldn't imagine living without.

When the sun finally disappeared over the horizon, Hades appeared in a whirlwind of shadows. My younger siblings hugged Luke fiercely, before running back to the cabin, not wanting to see the "bad man" as they had dubbed Hades take him away. For the first time in the few months I had been here, I saw Travis and Connor completely break down, saying how much they were going to miss their big bro, and that they forgave him completely for what he had done. Chris was more composed than the Stolls, but tears were still tracing tracks down his cheeks, and he thanked Luke for giving him a family even when Hermes didn't acknowledge him as his son, forgiving him for everything as well.

By the time everyone had left, I was the only one that hadn't said goodbye.

"Make it quick, girl," Hades spat bitterly. "I've wasted enough of my time here as it is."

I glared at the god of the Underworld for a few seconds, before trying to pull Luke as close to me as possible. I didn't even notice how hard I was crying, my anguish increasing even more when I felt Luke's own tears dampen my hair. He was shaking just as badly as I was, running his hands through my hair like I had gotten used to him doing.

"I love you," I choked out, still clinging to his chest like a lifeline. "Remember that, okay? I love you, and I forgive you." I gave him a watery smile that lasted for only half a second before my vision clouded over with tears again. "I-I'm going to m-miss you so much."

"I love you too, Layla," he said back, his voice cracking at my name. "And I always will." He wiped away my tears with his thumbs, before placing a kiss on my forehead like any older brother would do for their younger sister. He turned towards Hades, breathing shakily. "I'm ready."

Hades rolled his eyes, probably thinking how dramatic we mortals are. But right now, I could care less what he thought. Hades then grabbed Luke roughly by the shoulder, and the shadows enveloped them, leaving nothing behind but the smell of death.

I then promptly collapsed to my knees, feeling nothing but emptiness in my chest as a single tear slid down my cheek.

I spent the next few days holed up in my cabin, dressed in sweats, curled in my blankets, and boxes of tissues strewn everywhere. The rest of the cabin was pretty much the same, except some bunks had tubs of empty ice cream thrown on the floor. People had gotten the idea pretty quickly that something traumatic had happened to our cabin after not seeing any of us leave unless it was to use the bathroom or to eat.

We were careful not to bring up any mentions of Luke, especially around the younger kids, who cried at the mere sound of the letter L. That resulted in interesting conversations, one, and me being called Thea for a few days.

Right now, we were in the process of picking up the pieces, starting with making our cabin clean again. I had finally changed into actual clothing (a camp shirt and jeans), and was currently making my bed and picking up the trash littering my bunk.

Cabin cleanup was in full swing, except for touching Luke's bed. Resting on top of his sheets were the silken sheets that we would use for his shroud to be burned tomorrow. As for his body, Hades had promised Dad that he'd preserve Luke's body until our cabin was mentally stable to carry out a funeral. I had already spoken to Nico via Iris message, and he said he would tell his dad that we were ready. Well, as ready as one can ever be for these kind of things.

The day passed by in the same haziness I had grown accustomed to, with everyone zooming past me in a blur, while I felt like everything around me was still. Some campers would come up to me occasionally throughout the day, offering me condolences, before rushing off to wherever they needed to be. I was so out of it that even in my conversation with Will, I was responding completely absentmindedly.

"Lay, I need to tell you something," Will said, his voice deadly serious as he lowered his voice.

Blinking twice in an attempt to push my own worries aside, I turned to the younger son of Apollo, my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Will had gone as pale as the snow, and his eyes were focused on some fixed point off in the distance, refusing to meet my eyes.

"You can tell me anything, Will," I said softly, pulling him into a side hug. "You know I won't judge."

"I, uh, I have a crush on someone," he said rapidly, his face turning a bright red in embarrassment. "But I don't think they like me back."

"Well, who is it? I can snoop around, if you want me to that is." I ruffled his hair when he began to protest. "Daughter of Hermes, remember? If I need to find something about this girl, I will."

Will winced, turning his head away again. His face was a bright red color. "Err, it's not a girl."

Oh. I froze for a moment, trying to figure out what I should say to him. I would support Will no matter what, but kids were cruel. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him for coming out. Will stiffened under my touch, most likely taking my silence for rejection. Instead, I pulled him closer, kissing him on the forehead like an older sister, which he had begun to call me as such.

"Is that what you were so worried about?" I asked, smiling a little. "Will, I love you for who you are, and that will never change. Whoever ends up with you, boy or girl, is going to be extremely lucky to have you. Now that I cleared that up, who is it?!"

Will groaned at my childish antics, but he was smiling widely as the color returned to his skin. He hugged me one more time, thanking me for understanding, before rambling on and on about this boy that he had become smitten with. I tried to get a name out of him, but he never said anything, and after a while, I let the topic drop, just enjoying the sound of his jubilant voice fill the air.

I know that the gods control the weather and all, but I hope Zeus wasn't intentionally making it rain freezing cold sleet today. Chris had been glaring up at the sky through the window earlier, muttering that even after the gods had gotten what they wanted, they were still being ridiculously petty.

Smoothening out my black skirt, I threw on my bright green coat that was waterproof as well, clashing with my all black outfit. Sighing as I laced up my boots, I finished getting ready, and left the cabin in a rush. Not all of my siblings were going to attend the pyre burning-thank the gods-but it was many of the older ones, the ones that had known Luke the longest.

Typically demigods didn't dress in the traditional mourning colors, but Chiron had been tearful himself when he was planning for the burning. I guess Luke had touched more people than I noticed.

A few minutes later, but what felt like an eternity to me, I was holding a torch in my hand, and an electric blue shroud was lying on a marble table. My body was trembling as I set the flame on the fabric, stifling a sob with the back of my hand. A sole tear traced down my face as I bit the inside of my cheek hard, not letting myself break down in front of people outside of my cabin.

The entire pavilion was quiet as the smoke rose into the gloomy sky. By some miracle the sleet didn't put out the fire, and the fabric burned down to the last thread. Looking up, I saw lightning flash across the looming gray clouds. Zeus was such a drama queen! Honestly, he got the traitor executed, but now he was going to throw a temper tantrum, too?! Good gods, if I could, I would smack his arrogant ass into Tartarus for a few days to teach him some humility!

I handed the torch back to Nico, who had been the one running this entire thing, and he nodded grimly at me once. There was some emotion he was hiding as he refused to meet my eyes, and his shoulders were hunched over, but I had no idea whether it was directed at me or not. If he was still here later, I'd have to ask him.

As everyone began to disperse, I caught a flash of silver darting back towards the border of camp. Narrowing my eyes, I hastily pulled my hoodie over my head, before chasing after the figure, my bow and quiver already on my body. Notching an arrow, I noticed where the person was, and released it where they were going to be a moment before they were there. The arrow hit them, pinning them by their shoulder to a tree.

I sprinted over there, wary of whoever wanted to dart away this fast from a pyre burning. For all I knew, some traitor could've walked in here trying to make sure that Luke was really dead. I instead found an angered Thalia, trying to rip the arrow out of her jacket. Thank the gods, it didn't actually go through her shoulder, instead holding her in place by the stuffing of her parka.

"I've got this," I said stiffly, whipping out one of my daggers from my waist, before cutting off the arrow head from its shaft.

Thalia jerked forward, scowling at the tear in her hunting gear. Her body was sparking with electricity. "What was that about?" she exclaimed, visibly struggling to keep her composure.

"I thought you were a spy," I said simply, brushing off her betrayed look. "I didn't know you were coming, okay? So sorry for thinking the worst of someone suddenly sprinting out on my brother's pyre burning."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Thalia in a small voice, lowering her eyes as her shoulders hunched forward. She laughed humorlessly for a moment, saying, "You know, Layla, Luke was just as much as a brother to me as he was to you. I don't know if he ever told you, but he never forgot about you, always saying that he was staying away to keep you safe. He didn't want the monsters coming after you."

"I just wish he would've come back sooner." I probably sounded selfish, but I'd deal with the consequences later. "Not that I wanted the monsters after me, or for him to abandon you and Annabeth, but I can't help but feel like I was one of the things that convinced for him to turn to Kronos. I know I shouldn't be loading all these 'what if's' on myself, but I just wish there was something I could've done so that none of this would've happened."

"I feel the same way. I'm pretty sure Annie feels like that, too."

I smiled bitterly. "She and I can't even hold a civil conversation. Annabeth still thinks I'm a murderer for using that necklace on Luke. The prophecy was still fulfilled…either way, he's still dead, but at least I gave him another six months of life. Six more months that she would never have if Percy had listened to her!" Clenching my fists, I slowed my breathing to keep my composure. "It's just…hard not seeing him anymore, that's all."

I turned to walk away, wanting nothing more than to go hole myself back in the Hermes cabin, wishing that Luke would somehow come back to me. But Thalia caught me by the arm, her face showing the amount of grief I must've been in.

"You know, Layla, my offer still stands. I've heard how much of a wreck you've been ever since…never mind. The Hunt can give you a purpose, something that you won't ever achieve here."

"Okay," I decided.

"Seriously, you have no idea…wait, what?" Thalia was looking at me in confusion. Every time she had asked so far, my answer had always been the same: No. "Are you serious?"

"Completely. Give me five minutes; I'll be right back."

"Okay, but be quick about goodbyes-those are the messiest."

Nodding quickly, I hurried back to the Hermes cabin. I sheathed the rest of my daggers (four of them total) in their scabbards hidden under my clothes, as well as slinging my newly acquired broadsword across my back. In a small pouch, I had drachmas and a prism, as well as two well-worn pictures-one of my mother, and one of Luke. I scribbled a note hastily to my cabin mates, taping it on the wood above my bunk for everyone to see.

There were two last things I needed to do before I could leave, and that was say goodbye to the boys that saw me as their older sister. I found Will in the infirmary first, and when I broke the news to him, he was a crying mess, but he understood why I was leaving. He made me promise that I would visit whenever I could, and I told him whenever Lady Artemis allowed for me to, I'd visit him.

Things were a bit messier with Nico, who looked at me like something inside of him had broken. Anger then flooded his features as the shadows swirled around him like a black cocoon. "You too?!" he had shouted. "Why does the Hunt take everyone I love from me?!"

I immediately pulled the younger boy into my arms, still feeling him shake in anger. He was tense under my touch, but I knew that was since he didn't like people touching him. "Nico, I can't promise you that I will live forever, because I know that's not true. But I can promise you that I will keep myself as safe as I need to be while still making a difference. I'm also a little more experienced than Bianca, Nico, so if that's any comfort to you-"

"If you wanted to stay safe for me, you wouldn't join the Hunt!" Nico protested, his eyes pooling with tears that he furiously wiped away.

"Nico, I don't have a place here. I'm not happy with my life; the Hunt can maybe fill that void. I love you, fratellino. If you ever need me, send me an Iris message or come and visit. I'll be there as long as you need me."

The next thing I knew, Nico was the one pulling me closer to him. I knew this would be hard on him, seeing that Bianca had already died by joining the Hunt. I hugged him back just as fiercely, hoping that that would let him know I would try my hardest to stay alive for him and Will. Both are still impressionable children, and I promised to myself I'd be the best big sister for these two while still being happy with my own life.

"I've got to go," I said, kissing him on the cheek. "And don't be afraid to call me in the middle of the night, either," I added cheekily, ruffling his hair.

By the time I had gotten ten feet away from the border, Nico had already melted into the shadows. I sighed, knowing that he probably went to the Underworld, looking for comfort amongst the dead.

Thalia was leaning against her tree, hitting the snow off the lowest branch. She perked up as she noticed me. "Ready?"

I looked back at Camp Half-Blood for a few moments, before giving a content sigh. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Smirking, Thalia led me out into the wilderness outside of camp, before blowing a hunter's horn. With that, a silver light enveloped the both of us, and we disappeared.

I surprised myself by finding the time to write this chapter for you guys, so I hope you enjoyed it!

And on an unrelated note, for all my readers in the Southeastern U.S., please stay safe! My family's already prepared for Matthew to hit us after midnight, and I hope everyone is prepared whether that be by riding out the storm in your home or evacuating somewhere else.

Love ya, Sparks! Cya whenever this cursed hurricane is over! ;)