My heart stopped, the world seemed to tilt and I felt like I was about to pass out. "Alive? But..DAD! That's not even possible!" I protested. This couldn't be happening, I'm dreaming I know it. If anything weirder would have happened, I'm sure I would have died on the spot. And people in the future would come to this spot and say, "this is where Emily died of weirdness".

"Now, Emily. Don't argue with me!" He bellowed, the clouds above us growing darker. I knew that there was no point arguing because that would just make it worse, and right now I didn't need that.

"Dad. I watched his heart give out. You can't deny that! Can you?" I looked at him, if a daughter or son of death died, could they bring themselves back to life? If they could, nobody ever told me about it. Because I would have gladly done a lot of things if I would have known I could just revive myself if I died!

"Well, that's the thing Emily. I don't know." His face was contorted with confusion, and there was nothing anyone could say because nobody knew.

That was the first time I'd ever heard my dad say he didn't know. Normally he would say, he knew everything, but I just didn't need to know certain things. "You know that is the first time I have ever heard you say, I don't know."

"This is no time for small things being noticed! I'm stumped. I can send you into a wild goose chase if we have no idea if it's about him, and I wanted to know if you knew something I didn't." He looked at me expectantly as if I was going to say, "Nico didn't really die, we've just been hiding him from you because he didn't like you."

Instead I replied, "Well, obviously we don't. So it's time for you to go now! Bye dad!" I tried shoving him away, he really needed to leave before he did anything stupid, I wouldn't be able to bear the shame he could put me into if he did anything more outrageous than wearing that stupid biker outfit.

"Wait! I'm not leaving yet! I haven't seen you in forever, and you were sitting with people this time I saw you!"

I wanted to shoot him! Which wouldn't have worked anyways, but it would have been worth it. "Dad!" I said in an angry whisper.

"What?" He whispered back.

"Do you really want to scare away the only friends I have?" I hissed. He was not taking this one in a lifetime chance away from me. Even if he was my dad, I had finally made friends and he WOULD NOT ruin this for me. Even if one of them seemed to be my arch enemy.

"Of course not!" He exclaimed.

"Then, GO!" My voice had rose from a whisper, to a yell. I pointed down, hoping he would get the idea that he needed to LEAVE.

Someone tapped me on my shoulder, "Um Emily?" Zach asked.

"Yeah?" I whipped around, slapping Percy in the face with my ponytail in the process. My eyes were burning with anger, and Zach stepped back a little bit.

He regained his posture and stepped back towards me, "Well, don't you think he might be able to help us?" He shot a glance at Hades, I saw the fear in his eyes. Hades never helped anyone, other than me to help me decide what to wear to church. Which I always ended up putting back in the drawer because I didn't like it. He would never make it as a fashion designer, I mean have you seen those boots?

I chuckled. "He doesn't help, people. That's not Hades image."

I glance over at my dad and he was grinning at how much I knew him, but his smile went just as fast as it came, "Well, Emily. If helping is what you want, than I'm helping."

I looked at everyone nervously. They all seemed to want him to help, but I certainly didn't. "I guess…"

My dad knew this tone. He knew I didn't really want him to help. "Actually, Persephone is down in the Underworld at the moment, and the dogs are having some troubles, so I'm sorry but… I just can't right now." He looked my way, winked once then I heard in my mind, The dogs aren't in trouble, and I'm sure Persephone is fine, and know you don't want me here, so I made an excuse. I love you. I replied, thanks dad.

"What's wrong with the dogs?" I asked. Hoping to get a good answer so it seemed like the dogs were really sick or something, because that would convince the others that Hades really couldn't help.

"They have fleas." He lied smoothly, now I knew where I gotten my lying skills from.

"Oh. Tell me when they are better okay Dad?" I smiled sweetly, I would normally care a lot of the dogs really were sick and I probably would have left with him if the dogs were really sick.

"Of course."

In a puff of black curling smoke, my dad vanished. To go "tend to the sick dogs". "Darn. I thought he would help." Percy said.

"Like I said. He doesn't even help me decide which cereal to get." That was a huge lie though. He always insisted I get Lucky Charms because that was his favorite too. He wouldn't let me get any other kind. He was such a 4 year old sometimes.

"Really?" Annabeth asked unsure. She could see through my lie, as I could see through hers.

"Yeah, okay so we found out my brothers not dead, but that doesn't mean that the prophecy has to do with him right?" I said. I knew that was so untrue. Great, now I actually had to CARE about this quest, but it was kind of unsettling how my first quest targeted me so much. It's like an arrow pierced my heart.

Percy, Micah, and Annabeth shook they're heads. "I'm pretty sure Emily that this quest has to do with Nico. Sorry." Annabeth patted my shoulder.

I fell to my knees on the sand. I started to cry. I had never cried so hard in my life. All of them were good tears though. Nico was ALIVE. I could save him, bring him back! I was crying so hard that no tears were actually coming out my body was just convulsing and sobbing. "Emily? I'm sure that he's okay." Percy comforted me.

"I know! These are good tears." I smiled weakly at him, wiping away tears that weren't even there.

"Good, tears?" He asked confused.

"Yeah. Okay so think about it. Tyson has been dead for 3 years, and you just found out he's alive! Wouldn't you boil over with happiness, so much that you cry? Good tears." I explained. I was still boiling over that Nico was ALIVE! ALIVE! I stood up and regained myself, I sucked back the last few sobs into my throat, "I need to talk to my dad again." Realizing how stupid this sounded, I almost took it back, but I needed to hug my dad in happiness.

I looked at Annabeth. She seemed really worried, and the weird thing was, my feeling of hatred for her, didn't flare up when I saw her hand in Percy's, I felt… happy. Happy that she was here. I realized, she was my friend. "Annabeth?"

"Yes?" She answered hopefully. I think she realized that my hatred for her had died and she had finally cracked my shell.

"Would you mind coming with me to see my dad, and Persephone?" I asked hopefully, I think I would have been devastated if she had said no.

Her eyes opened wide, and I was sure she was surprised, but hey, change is good right? She sighed and replied, "Sure, let's go. We should be quick though, we're going to want to find your brother as soon as possible right?" I nodded fighting back my big smile, I was going to see Nico again!

I thought about my neon orange and black bedroom, queen bed with its black comforter and zebra striped sheets too, wishing to go there with all my might. I opened my eyes, to find the picture I had conjured up in my head, was now in front of me in real life.

I was sure that my dogs had scented me by now, so I counted down in my head, 3-2-1. My door burst open, and a super large odd looking ball of matted fur raced in and tackled my face with its tongues. "Hey there! Oh gross! Cerberus!" A deep growl lifted from all three dog heads. They started to advance on Annabeth. "Cerberus! Friend." Then they barked and rubbed their heads on her legs.

"Nice place…and pets." She chuckled. I'm glad she wasn't freaked out by the three headed dog that was currently wrapping itself around her legs. I had to smile too, I'd never seen Cerberus be so nice to someone before. Come to think of it, I never bring people here so why would I even know that?

I could hear Persephone's voice echoing through the castle, "Emily? Are you here?" She finally burst into my bedroom, and about sobbed, "Oh! I just KNEW you were here!" She gathered me up into a huge hug. "HADES! Get it here! Our daughter…uh your daughter blessed us with a visit!" I was glad she corrected herself. Persephone isn't my mom, but she was the closest thing I had to one.

He sauntered in with a glare in his eyes that read, What the hell are you doing here? I couldn't decipher why he would give me that look until he practically hissed, "What made you pay a visit?"

Persephone glared at him and snapped, "Why would you ask her that? Who cares?" She hugged me again and started dragging me towards the kitchen saying, "Oh there's so much we have to talk about! How is camp? Did you make any friends? Boyfriends? I just happened to bake-"

I took a deep breath and pulled her hand off my wrist. "Dad's right, I am here for something." No reason to waste the time. I glanced back over at him and he was shaking in anger, why was he doing that? I pushed that to the back of my mind, "You see, I came here for answers. I feel like you can give them to me Persephone."

She looked at me shocked and gasped, "Anything I can do to help."

Dad butt in, "Why don't we stop being so serious and go do something fun?"

Crinkling my eyebrows I asked, "Why on Earth would we want to do…" Then it hit me. He hadn't told her Nico was alive yet. I whispered, "You haven't told her yet?"

He shook his head and Persephone asked, "Tell me what? Oh, why am I always the last one to know things in the family?" She blew her hair out of her face and plopped down in one of my oval chairs hanging from the ceiling.

I took her hand in mine, a tear dripping down my face, "Nico is alive."

I swear she almost passed out but instead she sobbed, "I knew it! I always knew it!" She then looked at my face and smiled. "My tough girl it crying?"

I stifled a smile and replied, "I can't help it. Can you?"