As always, I am totally overwhelmed by the fact that you guys care enough to review; it makes my day! Thanks to Declan32, MarburyBlur (haha, you're right, also yeah, I like to pretend BoO doesn't exist [that ending sucked :(] and yeah I'm updating fast again! :D), Guest (heh, yeah xD), another guest (well, people like it!), AmberEmber7, (:D), Sophia the daughter of Nyx (thanks!), and Turquoise Crystal (thanks) for your varied reviews/favs/follows. And now, you're welcome, KitKat. Because this is one of your requests…

CHIRON

Chiron was sitting in his office in the Big House, flipping through some paperwork—or more specifically, written-on leaves and the like that various satyrs had sent him—when an Iris message shimmered to life in front of him.

He blinked, looking up, and saw to his dismay that it was Zeus himself showing in the cloud. The king of the gods rarely delivered good news. "Zeus? What do you want?" Chiron tried to keep his voice as polite as possible, but it was hard.

Zeus, for once, didn't seem to notice his annoyance. "Chiron, I'm afraid I have bad news."

I was right. "And what news would that be?" Suddenly horror engulfed him—Zeus was the source of his updates on the Seven. What if the new campers had died? Oh, poor cabins. He'd have to break it to them gently.

"Gaea is no longer a threat." Zeus sounded reluctant to say it, and Chiron was surprised, to say the least.

"How is this bad news?" he demanded.

"Well, Chiron," and here Zeus began to look distinctly uncomfortable, "I'm afraid that there is more news than merely that of Gaea's fall."

"What is it?" Chiron asked, and a knot of dread began to tighten in his stomach. Zeus didn't look happy at all.

"Chiron…" Zeus hesitated. "I'm afraid that Percy and Annabeth were injured in the fight."

Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. They were just hurt, though his heart ached for both—especially Annabeth. "How badly? When will they be able to return to camp?"

Zeus dropped his face into one hand. (In other words, he facepalmed. Sorry, I just had to say that.) "How do I say this?" he murmured. "Chiron," he said more gently than Chiron would have thought possible, "Percy and Annabeth were injured so severely on the battlefield that by the time I realized what was going on, it was already too late…"

Chiron's throat locked, and his heart skipped a beat. No. No, it wasn't possible.

He tried to say something, but failed.

Zeus must have seen something in his eyes, because his own gaze softened. "I really am so sorry, Chiron. I didn't expect this. If anything, I expected Aphrodite and Hephaestus' children to die, but don't tell them I said that. And at any rate, the two dead demigods are in Elysium. So they'll be happy and safe forever." He glanced down at his wrist, and some part of Chiron's mind dimly registered that he wasn't even wearing a watch. The rest of him was numb. "Well, I must take my leave. Good luck, Chiron." With a shimmer and a resounding pop, the Iris message disappeared.

Chiron stood stock-still for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. His heart was already slowly breaking, but his mind was still numb with shock. What had Zeus said? Percy and Annabeth…injured…too late…

No. No, Zeus was wrong. One of the gods had surely rescued them! Apollo? Hermes, maybe? Hestia? Artemis? Where had they all been at the time of the battle? Why couldn't they have saved Percy and Annabeth?

Annabeth. Chiron staggered, put a hand out to rest it against his desk, and missed. He almost fell over, but regained his balance as he remembered the first time he'd ever seen her—as a young girl, her eyes calculating even then. She'd been cute, but he had seen her innate power. She had loved him. And he loved her in return.

How was he supposed to run a camp without Annabeth there to see it? The thought was dizzying. In his thousands of years of life, Chiron had never met a demigod quite like Annabeth—sweet and kind, but powerful, smart and cool as well. She had been one of a kind, and now she was lost to him forever.

And Percy. His potential had been so great. He could have been as great as Achilles and Hercules, but now he'd be just another unsung hero of the gods, toiling to no end for no recognition. If he had only accepted the offer of immortality he'd been given! (Then he would be in my other story. Go check it out :D) Then this all would never have happened, and he might have been able to protect Annabeth.

Oh, gods. Annabeth. He would never see her again, or hug her again, or watch her return victorious from fights, time and time again….

Chiron staggered again, and this time he did fall. In a painful crash of legs and hooves, he found himself on the floor, and as he looked up at the lamp, hanging from the ceiling, he wondered dully how something could shine so brightly in a world without Annabeth Chase in it.

Heh. I actually like that ending. I am sorry for those ANs, but I really couldn't resist having them in there. But anyway, GO REQUEST AND REVIEW PLEASE. Thanks so much for reading and sticking with me so far. I love you all. Have an amazing life! :D

~ravenclawshadowhunter13