A tiger leapt from the glowing light surrounding Tigris, growling at the sleepy face in the dirt and burning very brightly, until silently the woman retreated, glaring all the while through closed eyes. It seized Luca and pressed a paw to his chest until the little boy threw up beside Tigris, unwell but alive. Jack's shuddering lessened and he finally gasped for breath. His eyes opened and he was thankful to still live.

"That was terrifying. I wonder why Connor ran off?" he asked. Looking up, he saw Tigris falter as the tiger vanished and she fell.

Leaping up, he stumbled and nausea threatened him. Luca made a face as he looked down at himself.

"Ick," he said rather mournfully, and Jack helped him out of his t shirt and draped a jacket around him. Looking to Tigris he realised something was horrible, terribly wrong.

She lay very still, almost as if she was asleep, and he ran to her, while Luca walked towards them slowly.

"Jack? What's wrong?" he asked, fear in his voice, while Jack checked for an absent pulse.

No, no. This couldn't be happening. It just could not happen to Tigris, Tigris who fought for her life. She would never give up so easily.

He was aware of Luca peering at her body, and he hugged the smaller boy awkwardly.

"Don't look." The boy was too young to know death in all its finality.

The sound of a van alerted him to Connor's return. The boy leapt out, shaken and swearing until he gained control, looking at Jack with a pale face.

"Hey, what the Hades happened? The van started driving by itself and…"

Jack understood instantly. Gaia had made the van drive away and made it seem like they were being abandoned. He should have known that the son of Hermes would never abandon them for a few seconds safety.

Connor caught sight of Tigris and he went even paler, rushing over as if he could help. Jack pushed Luca towards him and picked up Tigris' body, and propped it up so it seemed like she might just be asleep.

"She'll wake up, Connor. I know she will. She's not…" His voice broke and they started to drive back, Tigris never waking.

When they returned to camp, Chiron awaited them, along with a heavily bandaged Argus.

"Where is…" Chiron stopped as he saw Luca and the chariot. So the quest was completed.

Then as the campers began to gather, he saw Jack grimly bringing her body out of the van. He looked in shock. She could not be dead?

He noted her pallor and looked aghast, just as Toby and Will caught up with the rest. Will screamed, low and full of grief, while Toby stared in disbelief with tears running down his face. Percy held Annabeth's hand tightly as the blonde girl cried openly, and Clarisse buried her head in Chris' shoulder. The sorrow spread among the campers like a fever, all crying for their lost comrade.

The daughter of Apollo was dead, and not even the gods could have brought her back.

Apollo looked anxiously around for his daughter as he stepped into his chariot, but the tear-stained faces warned him against it. Rachel was weeping into her shawl and even Will was now crying.

"My daughter…" He murmured it in shock, and turned to Jack.

"She's dead?" He didn't need to hear the answer, he knew already, but Jack nodded, and he felt grief wash over him.

"No, it can't be…"

Will picked up a sunflower from Tigris' vase and left it on her bunk, bowing his head. A thousand memories of her flooded into his mind, and he thought he saw her.

Suddenly, a glare landed on his neck, and he spun. There stood his sister, royally cheesed off and slightly glad to be there.

"I hope you know that when I woke up it was a nasty shock to everyone, and you didn't even go near my near dead self? You are in so much trouble, Will Solace, brother of mine!"

He couldn't believe it until she flung her arms around and hugged him.

"The Fleece revived me… and I owe my life to it. To you too, I fought against being dead because of my family." Tears crept into his neck and he finally flung his arms around her, sobbing until she slowly let go.

"Sorry for scaring you."

So, how is that for an ending? Nice?

I will write more later but not for a while, kay?

Snow out, for the count