Hey you guys... I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in forever, I've just been extremely busy and had a few *setbacks* in my writing and drawing... TwT Shame on me... well, here's another chapter... PLEASE enjoy.

I was suddenly so tired that I nearly passed out the second we got back up to the underworld. I had an odd empty feeling in my chest, like I had lost something very important. I had only experienced this feeling once before—when my little sister died. This was the exact same feeling.

I fell to the ground—clutching my chest—gasping for air.

"Natalie!" Nico and Luke yelped. Percy and Annabeth just yelped and crouched beside me.

I noticed Luke had neglected to change back to un-Luke form, and he looked like himself. "I'm fine," I gasped. "Nico, does the underworld have cell phone service?"

"Um…" he started, slightly confused. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I've never actually tried to make a call from down here…"

I nodded my head quickly and pulled out my phone, and dialed my mom's cell phone number. I got her voice mail. I called two more times and got her voice mail both times. I then called our home phone number, but got the voice mail.

"Something's wrong," I murmured. My mom always picked up the phone, no matter what, and she always had her cell phone with her. There was no way that she wouldn't have gotten my calls. "Nico, I'll be back later. There's somewhere I have to go."

I took off, running at a dark corner, and shadow traveled home.

The sweet vanilla scent of my home hit me in a heavy wave. I realized how much I actually missed home.

"Mom?" I called. No answer. "Mom? Mom? MOM!"

I ran through the house desperately. The microwave beeped loudly. It had a cup of water in it that had been heated for tea. The cup and water were still hot—a sign of recent activity.

The kitchen was empty. All of the bottom floor was empty, and no one replied to my call. I looked in my room. It was vacant. Only one room remained…

I pushed open my mother's bedroom door carefully. "Mom?" I asked softly. And there she was, lying peacefully on the bed.

Dead.

"MOM!" I screeched, propelling myself onto the bed at her. She lay still—unmoving, lifeless. Tars slid down my face in hot streams. This was what I got for not being careful… for falling down. I curled against her chest, listening for even the slightest heartbeat, but there was nothing but cold skin.

I sat there sobbing for what felt like hours, until I heard rustling behind me. There stood Nico and Luke in fresh clean clothes.

"She… She died, and it's all my fault," I cried.

Luke and Nico crossed the room to me and enveloped me in hugs.

"It'll be okay," Luke said. I buried my head into his chest, soaking his shirt. Nico patted me awkwardly on the back.

"It's okay, Nico. You don't have to be here if you don't want to. I know you're not good at the whole emotions thing."

He sighed. "Thanks, Natalie." He gave me a hug and then shadow traveled out, leaving me alone with Luke.

I collapsed into his arms, shaking with sobs. He wrapped his arms tightly around me in a reassuring hug as we lay there on the bed with my mother's dead corpse. He didn't seem to mind much.

Luke was better with dealing with emotions. He patted me softly on the back as I sat shaking in his lap against his warm chest. His hand slid up my arm, across my collar bone to where it rested on my chin. He tilted my head up and he looked at my puffy red eyes, leaned down, and kissed me.

The kiss sent a shock through me, filling me with warmth. It was good—it replaced the emptiness and coldness that my mom had left. His kiss felt right—the way his lips fit mine perfectly,

"I'm sorry," he muttered, resting his forehead on mine. We were nose to nose, and his sweet breath blew across my lips.

"Don't be."

"Why?"

"Because, I've been waiting for you to do that for a very long time." I pressed my lips to his again. "Thank you, Luke."

"No, Natalie, thank you. Thank you for liking me for me… and not caring that I almost wrecked the world."

I ran a cold finger down the length of his scar. "Eh, everyone has their moments. Yours just happened to be more devious than others. But that won't stop me from liking you."

I turned myself so my legs were on either side of him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in closer to him. He kissed me lightly on the tip of my nose before kissing me again on the lips.

I'm so torn between mourning for my mother, and loving Luke. I know that my mom wouldn't want for me to mourn for her, but the feeling of guilt seeps over me. It's my fault that she's dead. I duck my head in shame.

Luke tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "What's wrong?"

"I feel bad… it's my fault she's dead. And I miss her. I mean, she's my mom for heaven's sake! She's not supposed to be dead!" And I started crying again.

Poor Luke probably thought I was having a bipolar attack. He cradled me in his arms, softly humming a tune I didn't know to me.

Sometime amidst the crying, I fell asleep in his arms. It's a peaceful feeling when you've let everything you have inside of you out, and you can peacefully drift off.

When I woke up, I was staring up at the ceiling in the Hades cabin. I was back at camp Half-blood. I looked around, but didn't see anyone in the cabin with me.

"Nico? Luke?" I called. I stood up, only to fall over. My legs gave out. How long had I been out? I crawled to the door and looked out the window. A wave of nausea swept over me, but I ignored it as I tried to see what was going on. There was a large crowd of people outside in the dark. I could hear loud noises—both happy and angry yells—right outside the window. I absentmindedly got to my feet, ignoring the dizzy feeling I got, and walked outside groggily. I could tell from the sleepy feeling I had that I had been sleeping on some sort of a medicine.

"Natalie!" Someone yelled as I walked out of the cabin. It was a familiar voice—Luke's.

He pushed to the front of the crowd and hugged me tightly. He was in Lucas form, not normal Luke. I pressed my face into his chest and breathed in his nice clean smell. "What happened? I don't remember anything after…"

"I brought you back here. You were burning up with a fever."

"I still don't feel good…" Now that he mentioned it, I felt hot, like how you get when you have a fever.

"You need to go lay down, Natalie." He smoothed down the hair on top of my head.

I shook my head. "No. I don't want to be alone."

"Natalie, you need to lie down. You're sick." He had a parenting tone in his voice, like he wouldn't take no for an answer.

I looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Can you come with me? I don't want to be alone… not now."

He put an arm beneath my knees and behind my upper back, and picked me up into his arms, and carried me back into the Hades cabin. He set me down on my bed and started to leave. "No, Luke, stay with me. Please."

"Natalie…"

"Please, Luke. I want you to stay with me." He sighed—but not in an upset way, more of an I give in… sort of way. He slid next to me into the bed, and slipped an arm behind me, so I rested against his side. "Thank you, Luke… have you been Lucas the whole time that we've been back, though?"

He nodded sadly. "Yeah. I've been too scared to not."

I reached across him, grabbed his wrist, and pressed the little red button that made him Luke again. "There, now you don't have to do it yourself. Just don't be Lucas again. I want Luke, not Lucas." I pulled the watch off of his wrist.

He leaned down and kissed me on top of the head. "Alright."

And at that very moment, I was the happiest I had been in a very long time.

Well? They finally got to this point! *sighs* And now to go further into the plot. I said this might get a little sappy at times, and I meant it. It won't get rated R or anything, but you know, it won't be rated PG either.