Okay, so this chapters a little short, oh well. We're getting near the end, but don't worry, I'll make their trip back interesting, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. :) Anyways, enjoy!

I was dreading this moment, the moment the train left the station, taking us out of Alaska. I was dreading Vancouver because that meant saying goodbye to Daniel, and I wasn't ready for that.

"You sure you won't come to camp with us?" I pestered him again.

Daniel gave me the exact same answer he gave me the last hundred times I asked him. He smiled and said. "Naw, I think I've had my fair share of fighting for my life to last me a lifetime."

"What about after the war?" I asked, the words slipping from my mouth.

Daniel thought about it for a minute. "Maybe." He said at last. "Maybe during the summer."

I smiled. "That'd be great! You could stay with Raymond since you're a descendant of Poseidon and we can team up for capture the flag and train together."

Daniel laughed at my enthusiasm but I didn't care. I just wanted the war to end so we could meet up at camp in the summer.

"We can be the three musketeers." I said.

"Wait, three?" Raymond said with a frown. "There's four of us."

"Sorry Raymond." I said with a smirk.

"Hey!" He protested but he was smiling.

We just laughed and goofed around until Jessica fell asleep on Raymond and he fell asleep with his head resting on hers.

I smiled at them and turned to Daniel. He raised his eyebrows and I stuck my tongue out at him, making him try not to laugh. I moved on a sudden impulse and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for everything." I whispered, my face burning. Daniel blushed to but he managed a smile.

"No problem, and back at you." He said.

I smiled. "You aren't gonna kiss my cheek, are you?"

He laughed. "Come here." He said teasingly. I laughed and grabbed the arm of my seat, leaning forwards and sticking my cheek out to him.

For a second I actually though he was gonna do it, he leaned in . . . and then blew in my ear. I squeaked in surprise, almost falling but he caught me, pulling me back up and I ended up sprawling in his lap, laughing. "What was that?" I asked.

"This." He said, leaning down and blowing into my ear.

"Stop!" I protested, smiling. It felt really weird, and it sounded weird to, like I was in a wind tunnel or something.

"Alright." Daniel said. "You asked for it."

"For what?" I asked, right before he started tickling me. I laughed and tried to escape but he had me pinned on his lap. "Stop!" I cried, giggling. "Stop it!" Tears poured down my cheeks as I struggled to get free.

"I'll stop if you give me my jacket back." He said teasingly.

"Never." I managed to gasp out. After a lot of squirming and threats I managed to get free, falling to the floor in a fit of giggles, my sides aching from laughing and my face hurting from smiling so much.

I looked up at Daniel as he smirked at me and I realised in that moment that I liked him, like – liked him. Which was really confusing considering I still hadn't sorted out my feelings for Harry.

I decided to ignore my feelings for now, sort them out later. I was going to live in the moment and enjoy my trip home.

The train ride seemed like forever yet no time at all. We got off at Vancouver and headed out of the station at around supper time, Daniel practically running in his eagerness to get home. I got caught up in the rush and smiled.

I ran at Raymond, jumping onto his back. He laughed and began to carry me until I gave him a wet willy. "Ah!" He cried. "Really Dianna?"

"Revenge!" I yelled gleefully, jumping down. "You're it!" And I took off down the street.

Jessica laughed and Raymond chased me. "Get back here Ross!" He yelled.

"Come get me Rodriguez!" I yelled.

He caught Daniel, who caught Jessica and she made Raymond stop, catching him. Then Raymond finally caught me, lifting me up and over his shoulder. "Raymond!" I laughed. "Not again!"

"Don't worry." Raymond said. "I won't drop you in a hay bale."

I huffed and put my elbows on his back, awaiting whatever he was going to throw at me. Thankfully he carried me the Zhang mansion and set me on my feet. I straightened my dress. "I could've walked you know." I said.

"I know." Raymond said with a smirk. "But as your brother –"

I laughed. "Oh, shut up."

"Whatever you say sis." Raymond said with a smirk.

I was expecting Daniel to walk in or unlock the door, instead he knocked. I frowned at him and he winked at me. I heard a woman shout: "Just a minute!"

Then the door opened and Daniel's sister stood there, she gaped at Daniel for a second.

"I'm not late for dinner, am I?" Daniel asked.

She laughed and then threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace, making him yelp in pain.

"Oh shut up." She said, laughing. "I'm glad you didn't die little bro."

"So am I." Daniel said, his voice laced with pain. She finally pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"Broke my collar bone." He said.

She smacked him upside the head. "You idiot." She said, her voice laced with affection and worry. "How the Hades did you manage that?"

"Cave in."

She wrinkled her nose. "Is that why you smell like oil?"

"Yup." Daniel said with a nod.

"Come on in, take a shower." She said, examining Daniel up and down. "You either really need it or you got a lovely tan."

"Glad you like it." Daniel said with a chuckle as he walked in.

"Who is it?" Marian asked, walking in and drying a dish. When she saw Daniel she dropped it and it shattered on the floor.

"Hi mom." Daniel said with a smile.

Marian rushed forwards and began examining every inch of Daniel, looking for injuries. Then she checked all of us over and forced us into the kitchen, making us eat the fish she prepared as she began to cook soup for us to. She rambled on about how we should have called, or how glad she was that we were okay, or smothering us about our injuries. After eating she sent us up to clean up, giving us fresh clothes that she had bought for us after we left.

I was touched.

At the end of the day Jessica and Raymond fell asleep together on the bed but I was restless. I got up and snuck over to Daniel's room, wondering if he was still awake. I peeked in and saw him putting the photo's we gave him into a scrap book with a smile.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one that has a scrapbook." I whispered, making him jump slightly.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." I said, standing in the doorway. "Mind if I come in?"

"Come on." He said, so I closed the door and sat next to him. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yea, that and tonight's our last night together for Gods knows how long." I said, frowning when Daniel flinched at my words. "You okay?"

"The last night." He sighed. "Those were her last words. Hazel's. Gaea asked her if delaying his rise was worth their lives and she responded by saying the last night, which is what I said to her."

"Daniel." I said softly, realising he was crying. "Her death is not your fault. You did what we asked you to do. Your words gave her the strength to oppose Gaea, she was a hero, she is a hero, and you gave her the strength to be it. In a way, you saved her. I bet she's in Elysium right now, not suffering, happy."

"But she's dead." Daniel whispered.

I gave Daniel a hug and let him cry it out, we fell asleep like that, tangled up in each other, offering support and comfort.

We woke up together, not even embarrassed. While we waited for the others to wake up we leafed through his scrap book and he told me about his life, we swapped stories and laughed. Then we looked at the last few photos. There were some group picks, some of just him and Jessica, some of us and we laughed at the last one of us on the dock.

I looked up at him and smiled. "I'm gonna miss you." I said softly.

He nudged me gently. "Hey, this isn't a final goodbye, remember?"

"I know." I said. "But still."

I didn't bother telling him it very well might be, if the Apollo campers couldn't heal my stab wound then . . . well, I didn't want to think about it.

We heard Raymond and Jessica walking around so we headed out and downstairs, where Marian was making pancakes.

We told her our story at breakfast, everything that had happened to us since we left. She offered to buy us some tickets but said she couldn't get us tickets for the whole way. That meant we'd have to hike the last hundred miles or so. Oh well.

"Thanks for everything." I said as we prepared to leave. "And I'm sorry about losing the knives."

"No worries." Marian said. "I was going to let you keep them anyways."

I smiled and hugged her, grateful tears filling my eyes. She was like the mother I never had. Then I hugged Daniel, the tears streaming down my face. "You visit." I whispered, my throat closing up.

"Yes ma'am." He whispered, hugging me with his one good arm.

I laughed, remembering our first meeting. I stepped back and smiled, curtsying. He laughed and did a mock bow and I hugged him again, before stepping back and letting Jessica at him. Raymond went next, giving him a bro hug.

Then we boarded the train, leaning out the window as it sped away, waving at Daniel and Marian as they got smaller and smaller, until they were gone.

Then it was the three of us again.

Our train took us all the way to San Francisco, I'd like to say we got their fine but I'd be lying. That stab wound was eating away at my life force and it hurt, a lot. We got off in San Francisco and started the final leg of our journey home.

So, they're almost back, although there's still 3 chapters left and then the epilogue. Some chapters are a little short but I wanted to end on a 0. :) See ya in 4 days!