Hey, hey, hey! Welcome to another episode in Alx's life!

… My logical side keeps telling me 'stick to a regular upload schedule', and my impulsive side tells me 'post NOW!'... Can you guess which side I followed today?

Extra long chapter for you people today! Enjoy it, cause this the only time I'm doing this.

BTW, we are reaching the end of my pre-written chapters. Soon, you'll get me, struggling with writers block (I have been in a funk for months! Since May 2021, I think).

Chapter 8: The Worth of a Life

Alx Alizadeh

As a seer, Alx was used to expecting the worst case scenario and fortunately getting something a little bit better than that… but what happened in the last few hours was absolutely the Worst Case Scenario.

The good news: Nico was within his line of sight again.

The bad news: Everything else.

To summarize, Quintus was evidently Daedalus in his fifth body (because he was an automaton, apparently); Luke was in possession of Ariadne's string and was likely preparing for an attack on camp; Ethan had sworn his life and loyalty to a Titan; Kronos had risen by taking possession of Luke's body and had gotten his scythe reforged; and Nico (still a baby in Alx's eyes) had singlehandedly saved their lives with powers Alx didn't even know he had.

And oh, Rachel had hit Kronos in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush.

(That wasn't even mentioning the fact that they'd flown out of Daedalus's workshop on the same flimsy wings that had killed Icarus. Alx was just relieved they hadn't managed to repeat history and fall to their deaths).

All in all, today had been… a lot, despite the fact that Alx had seen the worst of it in his visions beforehand. It was never fun seeing it happen in real time, though, and the only thing keeping him from losing it was the fact that Nico was here. He didn't want to have a fit in front of the kid, especially because he was pretty sure Annabeth was about to have a meltdown of her own.

She'd been crying the entire time they ran from Kronos and his army, and once they came to a stop, she collapsed and put her head between her knees, her sobs echoing in the tunnel. Rachel was hugging herself, trying to catch her breath, while Alx, Percy, and Nico dropped their weapons in a pile, sitting down beside each other.

"That sucked," Nico muttered, which Alx thought summed up things pretty well.

"You saved our lives," Percy said.

Alx reached out to wipe the dust off of Nico's face and clothes as he answered, "It was Alx's idea to drag me along, and it was the only thing Annabeth and Rachel could agree on. We needed to help you, or you'd mess things up."

"Nice to know they trust me so much," Percy grumbled, giving Alx a side-eye. Alx just shrugged, unrepentant, so Percy moved to shine his flashlight across the cavern. Water dripped from the stalactites like rainfall in slow-motion. "Nico… you, uh, kind of gave yourself away."

"What do you mean?" Nico asked, frowning.

"That wall of black stone? That was pretty impressive. If Kronos didn't know who you were before, he does now. A child of the Underworld."

"Big deal," Nico said, shrugging, but Alx could tell he was scared. He could feel Nico's fingers shaking next to Alx's hand.

Not that Alx could blame him, really; he was scared, too. It was only a matter of time before Nico appeared on Kronos's radar, but he'd been hoping to avoid that scenario for as long as possible. Now, though, he knew there was no way Nico could remain safe and uninvolved in the upcoming conflict. He'd sealed his fate when he chose to help them escape.

And Alx was proud of him for it. Honestly. Alx just wished life could have been easier on the smaller boy.

After a while, Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. "What… What was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"

Alx winced at the line of questioning, and Nico shot him a worried look, reaching out to link their fingers together. Alx squeezed his hand, trying to silently reassure him, even though Alx felt hollowed out inside.

Kronos had risen and taken over Luke's body, just as Alx had seen in his visions. The prophecy had come true, just as Alx knew it would. This was not an outcome that could have been avoided. This was a fixed point.

But Annabeth was still in denial.

"No," she said, once Alx and Percy tried explaining. "That can't be true. He couldn't-"

"He gave himself over to Kronos," Percy said, sharing an uncomfortable grimace with Alx. "I saw it with my own eyes, and Alx saw it in his visions. I'm sorry Annabeth. But Luke is gone."

"No!" she insisted. "You guys saw when Rachel hit him."

Percy nodded, looking at Rachel with respect. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."

Rachel seemed embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had."

"It was the only thing you needed," Alx corrected lightly. "Better than what Percy could have done."

"Gee, thanks, Alx," he said, the sarcasm thick in his voice.

"But you saw," Annabeth interrupted, getting them back on topic as her voice went a little shrill. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses."

"So maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in his body, or whatever," Percy conceded, exasperated. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."

"You want him to be evil, is that it?" Annabeth yelled, which was the reaction Alx had been expecting. "You didn't know him before, Percy. I did!"

"What is it with you?" Percy snapped, finally losing his temper. It was clear the two of them had forgotten about everyone else in the cavern with them, because they didn't notice the way Nico shrunk against the wall and Alx shuffled a little closer to Annabeth, waiting for her inevitable breakdown.

"Why do you keep defending him?" Percy went on, his voice rising in volume.

"Whoa, you two," Rachel interjected, her eyes wide with surprise as she watched the situation escalate. "Knock it off!"

Annabeth turned on her furiously. "Stay out of it, mortal girl! If it wasn't for you…"

Whatever she was going to say, her voice broke. Here it was, Alx thought wearily. Considering he'd known this would happen from the beginning and hadn't told anyone, he felt partly responsible for this outcome, even though he knew it wasn't preventable. Still…

Alx wasn't very good at comforting, but he figured he owed Annabeth this. She was going through a severe heartbreak; Alx could at least try to lend her some sympathy.

Alx held out her arms, and Annabeth immediately threw herself at him, pressing her face into his neck and beginning to sob miserably. From over Annabeth's shoulder, Alx could see Percy's stunned expression, and Alx knew he was having a hard time comprehending what he had just seen. It made sense, really. While Alx had gotten more time to accept this reality, the others had only just realized what was going on; the high point of the war; the end of the world.

Alx was going to have so many nightmares in the year to come.

"We have to keep moving," Nico said. He was looking at Annabeth with something close to pity, but it was obvious he was the only one distant enough from the situation to keep them all on track. "He'll send monsters after us."

Nobody looked to be in any shape to run, but Nico had a point. Percy hauled himself up and helped Rachel to her feet, while Alx gently squeezed Annabeth's waist, grabbing her attention.

"Annabeth, we have to move. I'm sorry," he said softly.

"I know," she murmured tearfully in his ear. "I'm… I'm all right."

She was clearly not all right, but Alx helped her to her feet, anyway, because they really had no choice. They had to struggle through the Labyrinth again.

"Back to New York," Percy decided, sighing. "Rachel, can you-"

He froze, and Alx looked to see what had caught his attention. A few feet in front of them, his flashlight beam was fixed on a trampled clump of red fabric lying on the ground: a Rasta cap, the one Grover always wore. It looked like it had been stepped on by a huge muddy boot. The cave floor was mushy and wet from the water dripping off the stalactites, and there were large footprints similar to Tyson's, as well as some smaller ones. Goat hooves, leading off to the left.

"We have to follow them," Percy said frantically. "They went that way. It must have been recently."

"What about Camp Half-Blood?" Nico asked worriedly. "There's no time."

"We have to find them," Alx said. Nico was right. There wasn't any time, but they couldn't abandon Grover and Tyson now. He wasn't sure if they'd be able to find them later on. "Come on."

Alx placed a hand on Nico's shoulder, urging him forward as Annabeth picked up Grover's smashed cap and forged ahead.

The path was treacherous; it sloped at odd angles and was slimy with moisture. Half the time, it felt like they were slipping and sliding instead of walking. Eventually, though, they reached the bottom of a slope and found themselves in a large cave with huge stalagmite columns. Through the center of the room ran an underground river, where Tyson was sitting by the banks, cradling Grover in his lap. But what alarmed Alx most was that Grover's eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving.

"Tyson!" Percy yelled.

"Percy! Come quick!"

They ran over to him. Grover wasn't dead, thankfully, but his whole body trembled like he was freezing to death.

"What happened?" Alx asked urgently, placing a hand on Tyson's cheek.

"So many things," he murmured. He leaned into Alx's touch, seeming slightly traumatized. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords. But then… we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached the room, and he fell. Like this."

"Did he say anything?" Percy asked.

"He said, 'We're close.' Then hit his head on rocks."

Percy knelt next to Grover, exchanging a look with Alx. Alx knew he was thinking the same thing he was: the only other time they'd seen Grover pass out was in New Mexico, when he'd felt the presence of Pan.

Percy shined his flashlight around the cavern. The rocks glittered, and at the far end of the tunnel was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal that looked like diamonds. And beyond that entrance…

This is it, Alx thought, a chill running down his spine. He hadn't felt such a strange, ancient presence since their quest last winter, so he knew what it was. This was Grover's destiny, waiting for him patiently on the other end of the room.

"Grover," Alx called. "Wake up."

"Uhhhhhhhh."

Annabeth solved all of their problems by kneeling down next to him and splashing icy cold river water in his face.

"Splurg!" His eyelids fluttered. "Percy? Annabeth? Alx? Where…"

"It's okay," Percy reassured. "You passed out. The presence was too much for you."

"I… I remember. Pan."

"Yes," Alx said. "Something powerful is just beyond that doorway."

Percy moved to make quick introductions, seeing as Tyson and Grover hadn't met Rachel yet. Tyson told Rachel she was pretty, which made Annabeth's nostrils flare like she was about to blow fire. It was a nice bit of comic relief after… everything.

But it couldn't last forever.

"We have to go," Alx said, reaching out to wrap an arm around Nico. He wanted Nico nearby, just in case. "Come on, Grover. Lean on Percy."

Together, the waded across the underground river. The current was strong, and the water came up to their waists. Percy, being the son of the sea god, managed to will himself to stay dry, but that ability unfortunately didn't translate to the rest of them. Alx could feel the water soaking through his clothes, although weirdly enough, it wasn't exactly cold. More like lukewarm. Still, he could see everyone else was shivering, so he pressed Nico closer to him for warmth.

"I think we're in Carlsbad Caverns," Annabeth said, her teeth chattering. "Maybe an unexplored section."

"How do you know?" Percy asked.

"Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she replied. "That would explain last winter."

It made sense. Grover's swooning episode had happened when they'd passed through New Mexico. They should have known Pan would have been nearby, but Alx supposed they had bigger problems to focus on at the time.

Eventually, they managed to get out of the water and continue walking on solid ground. As the crystal pillars loomed larger, Alx started to feel the power emanating from the next room. He thought he'd gotten used to being in the presence of gods before, considering how much time he spent around Apollo, but this feeling was very different. His skin tingled with living energy, and his weariness fell away, like he'd gotten a rare good night's sleep, one devoid of nightmares and future visions. Alx could feel himself growing stronger, like a plant in one of those time-lapse videos, and the pleasant scent wafting from the cave was nothing like the dank wet underground. It smelled of trees and flowers and a warm summer day.

Grover whimpered with excitement, and Alx felt too stunned to talk. Even Nico seemed speechless, but it was when they stepped into the cave that the shocked awe really settled in.

The walls around glittered with crystals, red, green, and blue. In the strange light, beautiful plants grew: giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals. The cave floor was covered with green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it… but they were animals that shouldn't have been alive, ones that had gone extinct long ago. There was a dodo bird, something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger, a huge rodent, and an actual wooly mammoth.

On the bed, though, was an old satyr. He was watching them as they approached, his eyes intelligent and bluer than the clearest sky. The rest of him, however, looked rather frail. His hair and beard were white as snow, and the goat fur on his legs was frosted with gray. A set of reed pipes hung around his neck, similar to Grover's, but his horns were enormous, glossy and curved. There was something incredibly ancient to him that Alx hadn't felt since some of his oldest visions about the gods of Olympus; a heaviness to him that made Alx shudder.

Grover had no qualms, though. He instantly fell to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!"

Alx almost couldn't believe it. After so many years of searching, they had finally found him. It was a historic achievement, something that would be talked about for years on end… and yet Pan didn't look like this was a happy occasion.

The god was smiling kindly, but there was a deep sadness in his eyes that made something inside of Alx wilt. He was used to sad endings, and for some reason, this felt like the beginning of one he wasn't sure he wanted to be involved in.

"Grover, my dear, brave satyr," Pan said, a warmth to his voice that reminded Alx of the feeling he'd get under his favorite duvet during winter. "I have waited a very long time for you."

"I… got lost," Grover apologized weakly.

Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. The tiger-wolf sighed and rested his head on the god's knee. The dodo bird pecked affectionately at the god's hooves, making a strange sound in the back of its bill. It almost sounded like it was humming "It's a Small World."

Still, despite the atmosphere, Pan looked tired. His whole form shivered as if he were made of Mist, and Alx got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You have a humming dodo bird," Percy commented stupidly, which almost cheered Alx up.

The god's eyes twinkled, which was a kinder reaction to Percy than most gods had. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."

Dede the dodo looked offended. She pecked at Pan's knee and hummed something that sounded like a funeral dirge. Alx swallowed thickly, the knot in his stomach tightening.

"This is the most beautiful place!" Annabeth praised, seemingly too awed to notice the wrongness Alx felt. He could tell by the troubled furrow to Nico's brow, though, that he sensed something off, too. "It's better than any building ever designed."

"I am glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed… for a little longer."

"My lord," Grover urged, "please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They'll be overjoyed! You can save the wild!"

Pan placed his hand on Grover's head and ruffled his curly hair. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well."

"Chose?" Grover repeated in confusion. "I… I don't understand."

Pan's image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke. The giant guinea pig scuttled under the bed with a terrified squeal. The wooly mammoth grunted nervously. Dede stuck her head under her wing. Then, Pan re-formed.

"I have slept many eons," the god told them forlornly. "My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now, we are near the end."

"What?" Grover cried. "But no! You're right here!"

"My dear satyr," Pan started, shaking his head. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. He lived in Ephesos, and he tried to spread the word."

"The old story." Alx remembered now, and the knot in his stomach grew taut. "A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead.'"

"But that wasn't true!" Grover insisted, horrified.

"Your kind never believed it," Pan said gently. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end."

"No!" Grover's voice trembled.

"Dear Grover," Pan said sadly. "You must accept the truth. Your companions, Nico and Alx, they understand."

Nico nodded slowly. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This… This is more like a memory."

"But gods can't die," Grover said, dismayed.

"But they can fade. You know that, Grover. It happened with Helios, long ago," Alx reminded quietly.

"Your friend is right," Pan agreed, smiling at him softly. Something about that smile lent Alx some comfort, even though he knew Pan was on his deathbed, even though he knew this was the end. "Gods can fade when everything they stood for is gone; they cease to have power, and their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, and the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan is dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. I cannot. The only salvation you must make yourself. Each of you must-"

He stopped and frowned at the dodo bird, who had started humming again.

"Dede, what are you doing?" Pan demanded. "Are you singing Kumbaya again?"

Dede looked up innocently and blinked her yellow eyes. Alx almost smiled at the small bout of emotional relief, but it felt inappropriate to do so at such a dark moment.

Pan sighed. "Everybody's a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling."

"But… no!" Grover whimpered, and Alx felt terrible for him. This had been his dream for years, and it was turning out like this.

"Be strong," Pan said emphatically. "You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken by all of you."

He wasn't just talking about satyrs, Alx realized, but everyone. Half-bloods and mortals alike.

"Percy Jackson," the god said. "I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts. But I give you this news: when the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear."

He turned to Annabeth. "Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined."

Then, he looked at Tyson. "Master Cyclops, do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you, Tyson, your name shall live among the Cyclops for generations. And Miss Rachel Dare…"

Rachel flinched when he said her name. She backed up like she was guilty of something but Pan only smiled. He raised his hand in a blessing.

"I know you believe you cannot make amends," he said, "but you are just as important as your father."

"I-" Rachel faltered. A tear traced her cheek.

"I know you don't believe this now," Pan said. "But look for opportunities. They will come. As for you, Alxandar Arash Alizadeh …"

Something tangible seemed to pass in the space between them as they locked eyes; like all of the sights and sounds had frozen around them. Alx could suddenly smell flowers in the air… hyacinths, in bright full bloom. "I know what you have seen. I know your mind is clouded with dark thoughts. But do not despair. You are, and will continue to be, very, very loved. Your ancestor is closer than you might imagine."

Alx swallowed thickly, his fingers shaking as he raised them to his mouth, like he was trying to hold something back. A cry, maybe, that he didn't want anyone to hear out loud. Nico pressed his shoulder against his, a solid weight when he felt intangible, and Annabeth reached out to lay her hand gently on Alx's.

Finally, Pan turned back toward Grover. "My dear satyr," he said kindly, "will you carry my message?"

"I-I can't."

"You can," Pan insisted. "Your friends have told you this. You are the strongest and the bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me."

"I don't want to," Grover looked agonized, which was just about what Alx felt at the moment.

"I know," the god. "But my name, Pan… originally it meant rustic. Did you know that? Over the years, however, it has come to mean all. The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you."

Alx thought of Calypso, alone on that phantom island, surrounded only by flowers; and he thought of the moonlace in his pocket, waiting for a garden of his own to plant. Maybe the wild could start there.

Grover wiped his eyes. Then, slowly, he stood, his shoulders back, like he was ready to face the world. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now… I release you."

Pan smiled. "Thank you, dear satyr. My final blessing."

He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided into whips of energy, filling the entire room. A curl of smoke went straight into all of their mouths as the crystals dimmed. The animals gave them each a sad look, before they turned gray and crumbled to dust amidst the withered vines.

All that was left was a dark cave, and an empty bed. Because the world had forgotten what true nature looked like, and it was left barren for it.

Annabeth folded her fingers around Alx's palm and squeezed.

Percy switched on his flashlight.

Grover took a deep breath.

"Are… Are you okay?" Percy asked him tentatively.

He looked older and sadder, carrying the type of weight that came from something tragic. Alx would know. He saw it every time he looked in the mirror. Grover took his cap from Annabeth, brushed off the mud, and stuck it firmly on his curly head.

"We should go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."

-{}-

After Alx and Percy promised to stay in touch with Rachel and sent her off, a flock of pegasi flew them back to camp, where Alx knew the end would come. The end of this quest's prophecy, and the end of the visions he'd had for this summer.

He wasn't ready for it.

He'd had months to mentally prepare himself, of course, but there were so many unknown variables when it came to changing the course of events, an Alx had never tried doing so with such high stakes before. This would be different from pulling a classmate out of the street and warning a neighbor about a house fire. This would be real battle, and Alx knew seers did not do well on the battlefield.

He wasn't like his friends, who had abilities and powers and experience and training. All he had from Fate were dreams and nightmares. Percy could control water and make things explode, Annabeth was fiercely and dangerously intelligent, Thalia could conjure storms and lightning. What could he do in comparison to all of that? Give advice? Make sure things stayed on track? Seers were important in the myths, Alx knew. And yet sometimes, he felt woefully inadequate.

Castor would get murdered by an enemy half-blood. Lee Fletcher would get clubbed down by a giant. Alx had seen both deaths in his visions, and so he had a responsibility to prevent them. What else was he good for?

But he didn't know how he'd manage it. With how chaotic the battle would likely be, he wasn't sure if he could keep track of the two of them, and he didn't know exactly when they would die. These unknown variables made things very, very complicated, but he had to try. He didn't think he could ever look Apollo or Mr. D in the eye again if he didn't.

Alx had never spoken to either demigod; he honestly didn't know much about them outside of what he'd seen in his visons, but that didn't mean they weren't worth saving.

Still, a part of him wondered whether any of it would be worth it when he knew the darkness to come next summer. Alx thought of Hangman scribbled out on a chalkboard, and handprints, and the war outside and the end going on back home. How many people had died in his visions? How many people would die today? And how many more times could these demigods keep fighting until all of them were dead? The monsters would never go away, and the gods would always cause their tragedies. Alx didn't know how he could live the rest of his life this way, seeing the worst and being unable to stop it.

But he had to keep going. He had to make an effort. Fate had given him these visions for a reason, and if he could make an actual difference when all of the seers before him had failed…

Well, he had to do it. No one else could, and it was his duty. His emotions didn't matter when it came to saving lives.

Regardless, the gravity of what he would soon have to do intimidated him. It was looking to be the largest military operation Alx had ever seen at camp. Everyone was in the clearing, dressed in full battle armor, preparing for actual combat. The Hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance of the Labyrinth: razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge. Beckendorf was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at Zeus's fist. The Ares Cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. The Apollo and Hermes cabins were scattered in the woods with bows ready. Many had taken up positions in the trees. Even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.

Annabeth went to join her siblings from the Athena cabin, all of whom had set up a command tent and were directing operations. A gray banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. Argus stood guard at the door. Aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armor and offering to comb the tangles out of their horsehair plumes. Even Dionysus's kids had found something to do. The god himself was nowhere to be seen, but his two blond twin sons were running around providing all of the sweaty warriors with water bottles and juices boxes. It made something inside of Alx's stomach clench to think one of them would die soon, if he didn't manage to stop it.

In all honesty, he had his doubts about these preparations they were setting up. It didn't seem like enough considering the army Kronos was building, and he knew he was right when Chiron said as much as he and Percy walked up to stand beside him.

Alx almost wished Dionysus was here to lend a hand, but even if he had been, Alx was sure he wouldn't have been able to do much. When it came to war, the greek gods were forbidden from interfering directly. Unfortunately for them, the Titans didn't believe in restrictions like that.

Over the edge of the clearing, Grover was talking to Juniper. She held her hands while he told her their story. Green tears formed in her eyes as he delivered the news about Pan.

Tyson, on the other hand, was helping the Hephaestus kids prepare the defenses. He picked up boulders and piled them next to the catapults for firing.

"I saw Kronos," Percy suddenly spoke up, and Alx could see he still seemed stunned by that fact. "I looked straight into his eyes. It was Luke… but it wasn't."

Chiron ran his fingers along his bowstring. Alx had an inkling he was recalling some unpleasant memories. "He had golden eyes; I would guess. And in his presence, time seemed to turn to liquid."

Percy nodded, looking understandably troubled. "How could he take over a mortal body?"

"I do not know. Gods have assumed the shapes of mortals for ages, but to actually become one… to merge the divine form with the mortal… I don't know how this could be done without Luke's form turning into ashes."

"Kronos said his body had been prepared," Percy remembered.

"I shudder to think what that means. But perhaps it will limit Kronos's power. For a time, at least, he is confined to a human form. It binds him together. Hopefully, it also restricts him."

"Chiron, if he leads the attack-"

"I do not think so. I would sense if he were drawing near. No doubt he planned to, but I believe you inconvenienced him when you pulled down his throne room on top of him." He looked at Percy and Alx reproachfully. "You and your friend Nico, son of Hades."

A lump formed in Alx's throat as Percy shifted guiltily.

"I'm sorry," Alx blurted out. "I know we should have told you. It's just-"

Chiron shook his head. "I understand why you two did it. You felt responsible. You sought to protect him. After Bianca's untimely death, I do not blame you. But if we are to survive this war, we must trust each other. I assume, Alx, that you saw Kronos's rise in your visions?"

He winced. "Yes, I'm sorry-"

He held up a hand. His eyes were grave, but not unkind. "There is no need to apologize, Alx. Not with this. You cannot prevent every tragedy there is."

"No, I can't," Alx admitted, even though it made him feel like he was choking on gravel. "Kronos taking over Luke's body… that was inevitable. I couldn't prevent that tragedy, but I can prevent one today. Do you both trust me?"

Chiron raised his eyebrows, but he didn't seem doubtful. Percy, on the other hand, just looked at him like the answer was obvious.

"Once the battle starts, I have to go off on my own," Alx said calmly, even though it felt like his heart was going to burst straight out of his chest. Percy wasn't as discreet in his alarm.

"What? No way! Alx, you'll be killed," he said.

His concern was valid, considering the horror show they'd gone through so far this summer, but Alx didn't have the time or patience to explain to him and Chiron the specifics of his plan (which he… didn't really have, but he didn't want to dwell on that fact too much; he was already anxious enough).

So instead, he just said, "Trust me."

And they did, he knew. He just had to make sure of it; he had to bank on their faith in him.

"Be cautious then, Alx. Whatever you are planning, I hope it will be well worth it," Chiron said grimly. "As for you, Percy, stay with me. When the fighting begins, I want you to wait until we know what we're dealing with. You must go where we most need reinforcements."

Percy frowned, shooting Alx a worried looks. "But-"

"Don't worry about me. Listen to Chiron. You're our best fighter, and I have something I need to do on my own," Alx said.

Before Percy could make further protests or convince him to bring someone to fight alongside him, at least, the ground underneath them began to tremble.

Everyone in the clearing stopped what they were doing. Clarisse barked a single order. "Lock shields!"

Then, the Titan lord's army exploded from the Labyrinth.

"I'll be okay!" Alx shouted, leaving Percy with a firm squeeze around his shoulder. "I know what I'm doing!"

He did not know what he was doing. It was a rare moment for him.

He'd been in fights before, of course, but this was a full-scale battle, similar to the ones he's seen in his visions. The different with this one, though, was the enormous influx of monsters.

The first thing he saw were a dozen Laistrygonian giants erupting from the ground, yelling so loudly his eardrums hurt. They were carrying shields made from flattened cars and spiked clubs made from tree trunks. One of the giants bellowed at the Ares phalanx and smashed it sideways with his club, throwing the entire cabin: a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like rag dolls.

"Fire!" Beckendorf yelled. The catapults swung into action. Two boulders hurtled toward the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. Apollo's archers fired a volley, dozens of arrows sticking in the thick armor of the giants like porcupine quills. Several found chinks in armor, while some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.

But just when it looked like the Laistrygonians were about to be overwhelmed, the next wave surged out of the maze: thirty, maybe forty dracaenae in full battle armor, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. Some hit the traps the Hephaestus cabin had laid. One got stuck on the spikes and became an easy for archers. Another triggered a trip wire, and pots of Greek fire exploded into green flames, engulfing several of the snake women. But many more kept coming. Argus and Athena's warriors rushed forward to meet them. Alx saw Annabeth draw a sword and engage one of them. Nearby, Tyson was riding a giant. Somehow, he'd managed to climb onto its back and was hitting him in the head with a bronze shield: BONG! BONG! BONG!

Chiron calmly aimed arrow after arrow, taking down a monster with every shot. But more enemies just continued climbing out of the maze. Finally, a hellhound, not Mrs. O'Leary, leaped out of the tunnel and barreled straight toward the satyrs. Alx could make out Chiron's voice yelling for Percy to join the fight, but he couldn't risk looking back to see where he was. He couldn't even risk looking for Nico, no matter what his instincts were telling him. He had to trust his friends would be okay. His presence today was required elsewhere.

And so he searched for the two demigods that needed him most.

It didn't take long to find them, but something horrible occurred to him as he drew nearer.

They were too far away from each other, he realized. He wouldn't be able to reach the two of them in time. He'd never be able to save both of them, if he could even intervene and save one. He'd have to choose.

But Alx couldn't. They both had to survive; he'd spent months working for this outcome, and even though he had no idea what future was in store for them in a timeline where they were originally meant to die, he thought they deserved a chance to find out.

The nameless demigod he'd seen kill Castor was getting closer, and the giant he'd seen murder Lee was within his line of sight. Alx's gut twisted into an excruciating knot. There was no more time to think; no more time to come up with a plan. He had to act, or it was over, they were dead, he would fail-

Terror sunk slowly into his body, amidst the wandering mess of his intestines. A violent tremor ran down his spine. This was it. This was it. They would die, they would die, and he couldn't let that happen, he had to save them, he had to-

Time suddenly felt slow and distant, like the world was buffering in front of his eyes. White noise filtered through his ears, crackling like static, and the ash in his throat built and built and built. A shockwave went through his brain, like he'd been hit by lightning. His vision briefly whited-out, as if a hammer had just caved his skull in, and things went dark, dark, dark-

The sensation crept up on him like a dreadful paralysis.

It started with a pounding headache. An intense, stabbing pain at the back of his skull, like twenty migraines layered on top of one another. It was quickly followed by hallucinations: fleeting, horrific glimpses of dead monsters and spikes that came out of the ground. He could feel a full-body shudder go through him, a coldness crawling up his limbs.

It felt like death. He wanted the monsters around him to die, and he wanted Castor and Lee to live. He thought he might just give up anything for that to happen.

The blood rushed to his head, and the sounds around him suddenly became more amplified, absolutely deafening. His sight narrowed down, focused on the monsters several feet ahead of him, and ethics were shot to the Yomi.

And

Then

His mind cracked.

Somebody was screaming. The universe maybe, or maybe it was just the sound of his own voice. The world around him shivered, tore free, and exploded into a shower of dirt spikes and stardust.

And then he was falling, falling, falling; humming bright with the frisson of the ache across his skin. Blood was suddenly everywhere, flickering endlessly. The darkness in front of him was foreboding. A chill licked at the back of his head, whispering something in a language he couldn't understand. His eyelids fluttered as he landed, and he just barely managed to register Castor yelling, Lee Fletcher grabbing him and saying, Alx, don't you dare, before nothing.

His last thought before his vision faded was that someone was crying, and that he'd always assumed, in the end, that it would be his love for Apollo that killed him.

-{}-

The next several hours were full of snippets of conversations. Sentences he couldn't fully understand, voices he only barely recognized, emotions he could barely take in.

"What was that? How did he do that? He just took out half the monsters by himself-"

"He overstrained himself. I don't know how he managed it when he's never shown signs of having powers over the earth-"

"Is he dying? Is he going to wake up? Tell me, tell me right now-"

Mania. Desperation. Fear. Horror. He could hear it. Taste it in the air.

"You have to give me space, Jackson, none of you can be in here-"

Apollo. Was that Apollo?

"Alx, I'll never forgive you if you don't wake up." It was a threat, he could vaguely register, but there was no heat behind the words. The voice sounded ragged, like the person saying them had been sobbing. "I spent two weeks thinking you were dead; you can't die on me now-"

Annabeth. Maybe? Alx couldn't be sure. He felt groggy, empty inside, and his mind felt fractured except for in one vital spot. Snatches of words filtered in and out, only a few of them loud enough to capture his attention, but he didn't understand what was going on.

What had he done? Where was he? Was he dying?

It didn't seem that bad if he was.

"You saved my life," someone said wetly. It sounded close by, like it was right near his ear. "I've never even talked to you before and you saved my life. I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. Alx, please wake up."

A flash of blond shuddered inside of his mind's eye. A twin, something inside of him whispered. Hadn't he wanted to save someone? Had he done it?

"Fight it. You have to fight, Alx. You have to live," a clear voice urged. It reminded him of a warm summer in Athens. Lee Fletcher, he realized, although he didn't know how he knew that. "Alx, are you listening to me? You gotta get through this. Who's going to call Michael out and make fun of his height if you're dead?"

Michael. Michael Yew. He was a friend. Was he waiting for him to do something? He couldn't understand what was happening. Everything was so dark.

"Silena and Annabeth haven't stopped crying. Tyson and Grover haven't left the room. Percy and my dad almost killed each other trying to get to your side. You've got people who love you here, Alx, and I want to get to know you enough to where I can be one of those people, too."

Being loved. That sounded nice. He wanted that. It was so lonely here, wherever he was. His mind felt shattered. It was hard to remain present, hard to keep track of the voices. He wanted to go to sleep, maybe forever. It would be safer that way, he knew. No more dreams, no more visions, no more nightmares.

It felt like the darkness was trembling with every rattling, strained breath he took. He waited for the ground underneath him to break, to peel loose from the earth like a rotted hangnail and lower him into a coffin, to spatter him into the shape of the pieces of his heart and take him, at last, far, far away.

He imagined himself leaping over rooftops, sprinting over the highest edge. Imagined himself falling small and smaller into the beautiful white eye of the sun.

"Alx," a soft voice babbled, warbling in his ear, "Alx, don't go-"

Long fingers curled around his, chasing the numbness away.

"Alx, you have to stay," the wretched voice whispered. It sounded like candy wrappers, like heartbreak in the snow.

Nico, he realized.

"Alx, I can't lose another sibling."

He held on.

-{}-

Alx woke up with a killer headache. It felt like his tongue was made out of sandpaper, like his brain had just combusted, and he was pretty sure he'd almost died.

Right. That was fine. He was fine.

He was alive at least, and in the infirmary, apparently. He could smell the pungent scent of whatever the Apollo cabin used to heal reckless half-bloods like himself.

But when he opened his eyes and took a bleary look at his surroundings, he realized it wasn't any of the Apollo demigods taking care of him, but Apollo himself. He supposed it made sense. He didn't think ambrosia and nectar would work on him. And if it did, it wouldn't work as well.

Apollo was at his bedside, dressed in a white lab coat, already looking at him by the time he'd sensed Alx's presence. His hair looked faded, not the golden blond it usually was, and his face was a washed out gray. Alx thought there was something wrong about the picture he made. He should have been brighter.

Something about the look on his face as he stared at him unsettled Alx greatly. It was incredibly intense. His gaze was feverish and haunted.

"How are you?" he finally asked cautiously.

Alx whispered back, without thinking, "Still alive for you."

He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say or not, but all thoughts about what was right or wrong dissipated when Apollo laid a hand on his cheek; his fingers felt soft and jittery.

"You gave us all quite a scare, you know," Apollo said. His voice was low, almost dangerous, teetering on the edge of something horrific. "Your friend Nico said you were barely holding on. It was very touch and go for a while. I'm not sure what would have happened if I hadn't been watching the battle and arrived after you fell."

Well. That was… a lot, but Alx didn't even try sitting up or attempting to process how close to dying he was at the moment. He still felt out of it.

"What happened?" Alx groaned.

"You saved two demigods, one of which was my son, and turned at least a dozen monsters into a pile of bloody goo."

"… Was it really that bad?" he croaked.

Apollo settled himself by Alx's arm, reaching to thread his fingers carefully through his hair, untangling the tangles that had formed while he was unconscious.

"I'm still not completely sure how you managed it, Alx, but you took out about half the monsters on the battlefield. Spikes came out of the ground, and they impaled every single monster. It was rather gory, actually. Haven't seen that much explicit violence since the Trojan War." His voice was kept deliberately casual as he told Alx this, completely light, but Apollo's eyes held shadows. "I didn't realize you were the descendant of a son of Poseidon of all people. I could sense Poseidon's power while you were unconscious, but I thought it was the remnants of your fall to Calypso's island."

There came a dizzying moment where Alx was quite sure he was going to fall. He knew, rationally, that he'd hit the floor at some point, but a part of him thought that once he fell he wouldn't stop, that whatever black abyss was trying to worm its way inside of him was too eager to swallow him whole.

"I don't… I don't know how I did that." Alx's voice was completely hollowed out, faltering in all of the wrong places. "I just… wanted to save them. But they were too far away from each other, and it all happened so fast, and I just-"

Slowly, as if trying not to frighten him off, Apollo lowered his head, his eyes terribly focused on him. "Hey, it's okay."

It wasn't. Alx felt flayed raw, like his heart was trying to claw its way out of his throat. He dug his nails almost painfully into Apollo's palm, and he bent his golden-cut face, scraping his teeth softly against Alx's wrist. It felt like there was a solar flare going off in Alx's chest.

"No one is angry at you," Apollo said. His voice was soothing, almost dizzying, like he was injecting some sort of sedative into it that would keep Alx calm. "You did really well, kitten. You acted out of fear, you activated a power you didn't know you had, but you saved a lot of lives. You just overworked yourself a little."

He almost died, and he could tell Apollo was still extremely upset about that fact, but he seemed to be pushing past his anger in an effort to keep Alx from going crazy.

"I lost control," Alx said shakily. "I could have hurt someone-"

"Percy Jackson literally destroyed an entire section of the United States and killed dozens of telekhines in order to save you and himself, and you don't see him beating himself up over it," Apollo said dryly. "You're a pair, both of you are. And maybe you're dangerous. Prophecy children always are. But I don't think either of you would cause disaster deliberately unless pushed to extremes. Stop worrying, Alx. You saved Dionysus's boy, and you saved my son. You've done more than enough."

Maybe Apollo was right. He'd done what he set out to do: he'd saved Castor and Lee. He'd prevented their deaths. And yet he still felt sick to his stomach, now that he knew what he had to do to accomplish that.

"Perhaps you did too much," Apollo said, his voice a tired thing, "but I can't fault you for doing it. You saved Lee, and I can't thank you enough for that. But you also nearly died, Alx, and I don't know how I could have gone on if I hadn't managed to stabilize you; if Nico hadn't managed to convince you to stay."

"I'll try harder," he told Apollo quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Apollo closed his eyes, before pressing his forehead to his. "You are the good in me."

It wasn't the three words they couldn't bring themselves to say, but it spoke the same sentiment.

"We gods aren't built for nothing," Apollo murmured feverishly, gripping one of Alx's hand tight, "and if I lose you, that's as good as the same thing. I can't go through another loss."

"I'm sorry," he apologized again. He didn't know what else to say. The anguish was biting at his insides like a pack of rabid dogs. "I'm sorry. But I had to do it. I had to try to save them. I don't know what else I could have done, but if something like this happens, if I end up dying-"

Alx wanted to tell him to prepare for the worse, to move on if things went horribly wrong, but his voice faltered when he saw the look on Apollo's face.

"You will not die." It didn't sound like a desperate plea, but a fact. The only reality he could accept.

"But if I do-" Alx insisted tremulously; but Apollo didn't let him finish.

"You will not die, because even if you do, I would tear the Underworld apart to get you back. I would steal your soul and pry your heart open," Apollo murmured, nosing against Alx's throat, "with my bare hands."

Something stirred in Alx. Something rather frightening as the god pressed his lips in a lingering against his neck. Alx wondered if this was what it felt like to be on the cusp of something dangerous, something that could last forever.

Apollo moved his face to meet Alx's eye, and there was something velvety, deep, and pleasant about the glint in his gaze as he regarded Alx. An odd sensation clenched in his stomach, like he'd just been electrically charged.

Their lips met, and it felt like his mind was exploding again, but this time in a shower of colors; in a shower of endless light.

Alx placed his hand over Apollo's heart, and his mouth softened, the world wobbled and stilled. There was something delicate here, in a world that only ever punched out hurt.

"You should probably tell the others I'm awake," Alx said once they parted, if only to divert attention away from the flaming heat crawling up to his face.

"I'd really rather not share you," Apollo drawled lowly, but when he dived to meet Alx's mouth again, Alx pressed his hand against his shoulder and pushed Apollo away, ignoring his offended whine and instead giving Apollo his best do-as-I-say-or-I'll-kill-you look.

It seemed to be effective, because Apollo eventually sighed and got up, grumbling all the while.

"Fine. But I'm going to have fun with it," he said.

With that declaration, Apollo strode with exaggerated cheer from the room, throwing open the door.

"Congratulations!" Alx heard the sun god call, "It's a boy!"

He couldn't help it. Alx laughed, louder than he was used to, as he waited for the stampede of people to clamor around his bedside.

-{}-

It was a very long reunion. Alx was still recovering his energy levels after what he'd done, so the others only had time to catch him up on everything that had happened while he was unconscious before he had to pass out again: Chiron getting injured, Nico summoning a huge amount of dead soldiers, Daedalus and Briares and Mrs. O'Leary joining the fight and killing Kampe, Daedalus gifting Annabeth with his laptop and asking Percy to care for his pet hellhound, Nico finally accepting Bianca's death and releasing Daedalus's spirit in the hopes of taking the Labyrinth with him. A lot had happened after Alx had been taken out of the battle, but Alx had contributed significantly to the fight, and Alx had to rest.

The next time Alx startled awake, it was to Percy standing over him holding a blanket.

"Hades gym shorts!" Percy yelped, jumping away. "Oh my gods. You're so scary."

Alx became acutely aware of his surroundings in an instant. He was still in the infirmary, it seemed to be night outside, his limbs were tangled together, and his back felt clammy with sweat.

"What were you doing?" he asked Percy. He was still clutching onto the blanket like a safety net.

"Dude, I came to check on you and I saw you kicked your blanket off in your sleep, so I was about to tuck you in because I'm a good friend, but then I thought you were about to attack me, oh, man, after all I've don't for you-"

From anyone else, Alx would have been annoyed, but since the dramatics came from Percy, Alx knew he was just exaggerating to make him feel better.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, then. Thanks." Alx sat up and took the blanket from his hands, before throwing it over his lap and patting the space next to him. Percy joined him without pause, scooting close enough to where their shoulders were pressed together.

There was no hesitation in Percy's movements. None at all. His face was still so full of affection and relief as he looked at Alx. It made Alx's heart twinge. Percy wasn't scared of him, or wary of him, or mad at him. He just looked really, really, happy Alx was alive. Alx's breath shuddered in his lungs as he met his eyes. Percy's mouth was pulling weird and wonky to one side, kind of like a fish. He looked like he'd barely slept. His shirt was all crinkled and still smeared with monster blood.

"Are we okay?" Alx asked hesitantly, like a frayed hem or picking at a seam. A little thing, coming undone.

"Yeah," Percy said, his smile a gentle sliver. Alx had saved two lives (and probably many more) that should have been lost in another life, and there were no bodies to bury. "We're okay."

Alx smiled a little at that, a line of poetry in his mouth he couldn't say out loud as Percy stretched his arm and pulled Alx into a hug.

Alx breathed out shakily into the collar of Percy's shirt, and the sea god's son fingers latched on and clung to Alx's back, desperate in a way that was unfamiliar to Alx.

But there were no words needed here. Just this.

The next day was spent treating the wounded, which was almost half of the camo, although no one had been hurt to the same extend as Alx had. At noon, however, the Council of Cloven Elders held an emergency meeting in their sacred grove, and Alx was allowed to attend despite his condition, considering what the topic of the meeting would be.

The three senior satyrs were there, along with Chiron, who was in wheelchair form. His broken horse leg was still mending, so he would be confined to the chair for a few months, until the leg was strong enough to take his weight. The grove was filled with satyrs and dryads and naiads up from the water. Hundreds of them, anxious to hear what would happen. Alx, Percy, Juniper, and Annabeth stood by Grover's side. Although, Alx, admittedly, had some trouble standing. Percy had to wrap an arm around his shoulders and Annabeth had to hold an arm around his waist to keep him upright. Despite his state, however, Alx still managed to listen attentively to the proceedings.

Silenus wanted to exile Grover immediately, but Chiron persuaded him to at least hear evidence first, so Alx and the others told everyone what had happened in the crystal cavern, and what Pan had said. Afterwards, several eyewitnesses from the battle described the weird sound Alx had been told Grover had made, which drove the remnants of the Titan's army back underground.

"It was panic," insisted Juniper. "Grover summoned the power of the wild god."

"Panic?" Percy asked, confused.

"Percy," Chiron explained, "during the first war of the gods and the Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry that scared away the enemy armies. It is… it was his greatest power. A massive wave of fear that helped the gods win the day. The word panic is named after Pan, after all. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself."

"Preposterous!" Silenus bellowed. "Sacrilege! Perhaps the wild god favored us with a blessing. Or perhaps Grover's music was so awful it scared the enemy away!"

"That wasn't it, sir," Grover said, sounding far calmer than Alx suspected he would have if this had happened weeks before. "He let his spirit pass into all of us. We must act. Each of us must work to renew the wild, the protect what's left of it. We must spread the word. Pan is dead. There is no one but us."

"After two thousand years of searching, this is what you would have us believe?" Silenus cried. "Never! We must continue the search! Exile the traitor!"

Some of the older satyrs muttered assent.

"A vote!" Silenus demanded. "Who would believe this ridiculous young satyr, anyway?"

"I would," said a familiar voice.

Everyone turned. Striding into the grove was Dionysus. He wore a formal black suit, a deep purple tie, and a violet dress shirt, while his curly black hair was carefully combed. His eyes were bloodshot as usual, and his pudgy face was flushed, but there was an odd awareness to him that Alx wasn't used to seeing. Behind him was a woman of exceptional beauty, with a silver robe, silvery-black hair tied in a braid and Asiatic features. It was Alx's mom. Tsukuyomi pressed a delicate finger to her lips, indicating to Alx to stay quiet. Alx gave a subtle nod even if he was flustered that his mom of all people was here… again. She always seemed to show up whenever Dionysus was around.

The satyrs all stood respectfully and bowed as Dionysus approached. Tsukuyomi went to stand behind him as he waved his hand, and a new chair grew out of the ground next to Silenus's. A throne made of grapevines.

Dionysus sat and crossed his legs. He snapped his fingers, and a satyr hurried forward with a Diet Coke and a plate of cheese and crackers. Tsukuyomi had her hands dangling behind Dionysus, sometimes messing up his hair. If he noticed, he didn't let on.

The god of wine looked around at the assembled crowd. "Miss me?"

The satyrs fell over themselves nodding and bowing. "Oh yes, very much, sire!"

"Well, I did not miss this place!" Dionysus snapped. "I bear bad news, my friends. Evil news. The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy." Alx winced at that, and Annabeth tightened her grip around his waist, as if in a gesture of comfort. "Hecate, Janus, and Nemesis as well. Zeus knows how many more."

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Strike that," Dionysus drolled. "Even Zeus doesn't know. Now, I want to hear Grover's story. Again, from the top."

"But my lord," Silenus protested. "It's just nonsense!"

Dionysus's eyes flared with purple fire. "I am not in a good mood, Silenus. If it weren't for the seer's intervention, my son would have died, and he has advocated in favor of Grover's claim. You would do well to humor me."

Silenus gulped, and waved at Grover to start again.

When Grover was done, Mr. D nodded. "It sounds like just the sort of thing Pan would do. The search is tiresome. You must start thinking for yourselves." He turned to the satyr. "Bring me some peeled grapes, right away!"

"Yes, sire!" The satyr scampered off.

"We must exile the traitor!" Silenus insisted.

"I say no," Dionysus countered. "That is my vote."

"I vote no as well," Chiron put in.

Silenus set his jaw stubbornly. "All in favor of the exile?"

He and the two other old satyrs raised their hands.

"Three to two," Silenus said triumphantly.

"Ah, yes," Dionysus drawled. "But unfortunately for you, a god's vote counts twice. And as I voted against, we are tied."

Silenus stood indignant. "This is an outrage! The council cannot stand at an impasse."

"Then let it be dissolved!" Mr. D exclaimed. "I don't care."

Silenus bowed stiffly, along with his two friends, and they left the grove. About twenty satyrs went with them. The rest stood around murmuring uncomfortably.

"Don't worry," Grover told them. "We don't need the council to tell us what to do. We can figure it out ourselves."

He told them again the words of Pan. How they much save the wild a little at a time. He started dividing the satyrs into groups: which ones would go to the national parks, which ones would search out the last wild places, which ones would defend the parks in the big cities.

This was his destiny, Alx knew, and he had full faith in him to succeed.

"Well," Annabeth said to them, a proud glint in her eyes, "Grover seems to be growing up."

Alx spent the rest of the day in the infirmary under the care of Will Solace, who seemed to have adopted him under his fervent care, even though he looked about Nico's age. It was endearing, though, so Alx allowed it little protest. He was pretty sure he had a soft spot for kids with big, puppy eyes.

Despite Will's fretful behavior, though, he luckily allowed Alx to attend dinner that night, which allowed Alx to notice when Nico turned and disappeared into the woods afterwards. He decided without to follow him, and Percy seemed to have the same idea, because he'd joined Alx by the time they reached Nico.

"We missed you at dinner," Alx said, reaching to cup Nico's cheek. "You could have sat with one of us."

"No, I-I was all right," he croaked out, turning away from Alx. But he still stilled reached down to wrap his hand around Alx's wrist, pressing his fingers against his pulse, like he was checking to see if Alx was still alive. Alx couldn't blame him after what had happened, so he allowed him to do so without saying anything.

"Nico, you can't miss every meal," Percy said, concerned. "If you don't want to stay with Hermes, maybe they can make an exception and put you in the Big House, like they did with Alx last winter. They've got plenty of room."

"I'm not staying."

Alx had suspected as much, but Percy was more stubborn. "You can't just leave, Nico. It's too dangerous out there for a lone half-blood. You need to train."

"I train with the dead," Nico said flatly, his grip tightening around Alx's wrist. "This camp isn't for me. There's a reason they didn't put a cabin to Hades here. He's not welcome, any more than he is on Olympus. I don't belong. I'm not like Alx. I have to go."

Alx could tell Percy wanted to argue, but he didn't, and neither did Alx. He didn't like it, of course, but he knew from the little he'd begun seeing of Nico's future that he would have to find his own way. What had happened back in the cavern only confirmed that, because Pan had addressed each one of them individually… except for Nico.

"When will you go?" Percy asked.

"Right away. I've got tons of questions. Like who was my mother? Who paid Bianca and me to go to school? Who was that lawyer guy who got us out of the Lotus Casino? I know nothing about my past. I need to find out."

"Makes sense," Percy admitted. "But I hope we don't have to be enemies."

He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry I was a brat. I should've listened to you about Bianca."

"Don't blame yourself, Nico," Alx said, using his free hand to card his fingers through his hair. "You've made some mistakes, but you've done a lot of good, too. I wouldn't be alive now if it weren't for you. Your voice called me back."

Nico ducked his head, raising Alx's wrist to his lips. "I wouldn't have let you die. Never."

"And I didn't want to leave you," Alx said softly.

While they'd been talking, Percy had busied himself with fishing something out of his pocket. When Alx looked over to see what it was, he recognized it as the Mythomagic figurine of Hades Nico had abandoned last winter.

"Tyson found this while we were cleaning the cabin," Percy said. "Thought you might want it."

Nico hesitated. "I don't play that game anymore. It's for kids."

"It's got four thousand attack power," Percy coaxed.

"Five thousand," Nico corrected. "But only if your opponent attacks first."

Percy smiled, and it almost felt like everything was going to be okay between them. "Maybe it's okay to still be a kid once in a while."

He tossed him the statue.

Nico studied it in his palm for a few seconds, before slipping it into his pocket. "Thanks."

Percy put out his hand, and after an expectant look from Alx, Nico shook it reluctantly.

"I've got a lot of things to investigate," he said. "Some of them… Well, if I learn anything useful, I'll let you two know."

Before he could go, Alx leaned down to give a fierce hug. Percy, as the great friend he was, turned away to give them some privacy.

"Your existence isn't a mistake, Nico," Alx told him quietly. "No matter what anyone says. And I know you won't stay, no matter how many times I ask, but I want you to know that I'll miss you. I already do."

"I'll miss you too. You're my brother. I've always thought of you as that," Nico said, just a quiet, as he slowly, almost reluctantly, pulled away. "I'll come visit when I can."

"And I'll always leave the window open for you," Alx told him. "Keep in touch, Nico."

Nico nodded, before turning and trudging off into the woods. The shadows seemed to bend toward him as he walked, like they were reaching out for his attention.

"There goes a very troubled young man."

Alx and Percy turned to find Dionysus standing behind them, still in his black suit. As usual, Tsukuyomi was right behind him.

"Walk with me," he said.

"Where to?" Percy asked suspiciously, moving to hover protectively by Alx's side.

Dionysus rolled his eyes at the movement, but didn't say anything about it.

"Just to the campfire," he replied instead. "I was beginning to feel better, so I thought I would talk with you both. You always manage to annoy me in particular, Peter Johnson."

"Uh, thanks," Percy said dryly, but he still acquiesced to the god's request, linking his arm with Alx's as they walked through the woods in silence. Alx noticed that Dionysus was treading on air, his polished black shoes hovering an inch off the ground. He supposed he didn't want to get them dirty, which he could respect. They looked rather expensive. Tsukuyomi, on the other hand, was walking on the solid ground, her hands connected behind her.

"We have had many betrayals," Dionysus said with a deep sigh. "Things are not looking good for Olympus. Yet the two of you and Annabeth saved this camp. I'm not sure I should thank you for that."

"It was a group effort," Percy said, ignoring the last part, which Alx thought was rather good of him, considering he was usually rather impertinent.

Dionysus shrugged. "Regardless, I suppose it was mildly competent, what you three did. I thought you should know it wasn't a total loss."

They reached the amphitheater, and Dionysus pointed toward the campfire. Clarisse was sitting shoulder to shoulder with a big Hispanic kid who was telling her a joke. It was Chris Rodriguez, the half-blood who'd gone insane in the Labyrinth thanks to Minos's shenanigans.

Alx turned to Dionysus, the relief flowing through him like rain. "You cured him?"

Alx didn't know Chris, not personally, but his situation deeply troubled Alx. His former state had been a literal manifestation of Alx's worst fear, and to know Dionysus had managed to cure him of that… it soothed an ache inside of him he couldn't explain.

As if the god knew that, his eyes met Alx's. "Madness is my specialty. It was quite simple."

"But… you did something nice. Why?" Percy asked, because his tact could only last for so long.

Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "I am nice! I simply ooze niceness, Perry Johansson. Haven't you noticed?"

"Uh-"

"Perhaps I felt thankful for what the seer did to save my son. Perhaps I thought this Chris boy deserved a second chance. At any rate, it seems to have improved Clarisse's mood."

"Why are you telling us this?" Percy asked.

The wine god sighed. "Oh, Hades if I know. But remember, both of you, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet. I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now. Sometimes small things can become very large indeed. Perhaps this will be important for you to remember in the future, but as for you, Alx Alizadeh…"

He turned the full force of his attention on him, and Alx felt Percy's grip tighten around his arm. Alx wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting from Dionysus, but it wasn't this considering, almost soft look in his eyes.

"You saved my son. I will remember that," he said simply. "If things do not go well with Apollo, know that I will step in to smooth things over."

Alx could read between the lines, because he knew the same thing Dionysus did. That if his relationship with Apollo turned into a tragedy, it would either end in death or madness. But should the second option happen, Dionysus would make good on his promise to cure him.

A fate he had spent years fearing was suddenly something he didn't have to worry about as much, and Alx didn't know what to do with that lack of weight. He wasn't sure how to convey his thanks, but by the look in Dionysus's eyes, he understood.

"I married a mortal girl, long ago, and I still love her dearly, despite my mistakes. Your tragedy is avoidable, Alx Alizadeh. Keep faith."

And with that, he patted his shoulder and left him and Percy alone to think about his words.

But as they watched Clarisse and Chris sing along to a ridiculous campfire song together, holding hands in the darkness, where they thought nobody could see them, he and Percy had to smile at each other.

Things would be rough, Alx knew, but not everything had to be tragic.

-{}-

The rest of the summer seemed strange because it was so normal. The daily activities continued: archery, rock climbing, Pegasus riding. They played capture the flag (though they all avoided Zeus's fist). They sang at the campfire. They raced chariots. They played practical jokes on the other cabins. It was all so easy, and it was actually quite fun, which was something Alx wasn't used to experiencing. He spent a lot of time with Tyson, playing with Mrs. O'Leary; with Percy, enjoying some time together that didn't involve near death experiences; and with Annabeth, comforting her about Luke and bonding over their silly boy problems (Percy and Apollo might be very different personality-wise, but they both had their stupid moments he and Annabeth could relate to each other about).

But it wasn't just his usual tight-knit group of friends he'd hang out with. He'd also made some new ones.

Silena was tiring to talk to, if only because her main interests were things Alx had barely spared a thought to on a regular basis, but she was sweet and accepting and a good listener. Alx felt comfortable around her, even though she spent most of her time subjecting Alx to various torturous makeovers and playing Jumanji with his hair.

Alx had also gotten close with some of the kids in the Apollo cabin, which was not something he'd ever expected to happen, considering his rather embarrassing circumstances with their father. But no one seemed fazed by it at all, which he supposed made sense. Gods never really stuck with one mortal for long (it was in their nature to be flighty), and it would have been a waste of energy to project any negative emotions toward him when Apollo had some of the most kids at camp and when he'd been a considerably better father to them than most gods were to their kids. Besides that, they seemed to think Alx was cool with his prophetic visions and his earth spikes stunt back during the battle, so it looked like he'd scored all of the approval points in their book, apparently. Speaking of the spikes stunt, though, Alx had figured out who he was a descendant of. It had taken a lot of searching, and quite frankly more nightmares than he wanted to be subjected to, but he had figured it out. It was Theseus, the founder of Athens.

Going back to the Apollo cabin, he'd saved their head counselor's life, and he was their dad's only chance at getting a happy ending he'd been deprived of for centuries. That was enough to secure Alx's status in the eyes of the rest of the cabin forever.

Speaking of their head counselor, he'd been spending a lot of time with Lee Fletcher these days, which was something he still had trouble wrapping his head around. Somehow, within less than a year, he'd gone from being virtually friendless to having a whole group that actually liked him, and he didn't really know how to handle that. Sometimes, it even got overwhelming for him to accept, but Lee was good at coaxing him out of his head and helping him find some breathing room. Alx had even started seeking him out after his nightmares. Not every night, obviously, and he never told Lee what they were about, but he was always kind to Alx when he came shuffling over to him the next morning, and he was never judgmental.

Lee seemed to have decided he owed Alx everything (which he kind of did, though Alx would never take advantage of it), and he was sort of like the older brother Alx had never had. Dionysus's sons weren't all bad, either, although they didn't hang around as much as Lee did. But they'd started sharing their juices boxes with Alx and going out of their way to joke around with him whenever it looked like Alx was starting to get too deep into his own head, so Alx appreciated their effort and thought he might even keep in contact with them once summer ended.

All in all, it was… nice, having friends.

July quickly passed like that, with fireworks on the beach on the Fourth. August turned so hot the strawberries started baking in the field, until finally, the last day of camp arrived. The standard form letter appeared on Alx's bed after breakfast, helpfully warning him that the cleaning harpies would devour him if he stayed past noon.

At ten o'clock, he stood on the top of Half-Blood hill, waiting for the camp van that would take him and Percy into the city. He'd invited Alx to stay with him and his mom for a few days to celebrate his birthday, and Alx had easily accepted, partly because Percy was his best friend, and partly because he wanted to eat some of Percy's mom baked goods again.

Percy had made arrangements to leave Mrs. O'Leary at camp, where Chiron had promised she'd be looked after.

Alx and Percy had hoped that Annabeth would be riding into Manhattan with them, but she had only came to see them off. She told them she'd arranged to stay at camp a little longer to tend to Chiron until his leg was fully recovered. She also wanted to keep studying Daedalus's laptop, which had engrossed her for the last two months. Then, she would head back to her father's place in San Francisco.

Alx decided to give her and Percy some privacy, since Percy wanted to ask Annabeth about the rest of the prophecy she'd never finished telling him about. As he waited a little ways away from them, he noticed an orange form making its way up the hill, and as it neared, Alx realized it was Lee.

"I just wanted to see you off," he said, before reaching down to write his number of Alx's hand, just as Rachel had done to Percy months before. "Keep in touch with me, yeah? Don't call often, obviously, wouldn't want to summon the monsters to either of us, but if you get sick of emailing and Iris-messaging me, give me a call."

"I will," Alx promised. "I'm staying with Percy for the next few days, but once I get back home to Seattle, I'll shoot you a message."

Lee gave him a lazy, teasing smile, but his eyes shined with sharp attention. "You and Jackson teaming up. Why does that sound like the most terrifying combination in the world?"

But there was no insult behind his words, and Alx didn't take offense. He felt the softest pressure on his hand, and he looked down to see Lee's thumb brushing against his, before he folded their fingers together. Lee reminded Alx very much of Apollo, just then. For all the arrogance that ran in that side of the Olympian family, they were incredibly generous with their affection.

"See you, Alx," he said, shooting him a blinding white grin, before he pressed a playful kiss to Alx's knuckles and ambled back down the hill.

Just in time, too, because when Alx turned around to rejoin Percy and Annabeth, a sparkle of light appeared next to them, like someone had somehow opened a gold curtain in the air, and the Queen of the Greek Gods appeared.

"Hera," Annabeth said, as Alx moved to stand by Percy's side, an uneasy feeling gripping his heart. Alx didn't know why, but he didn't think this interaction would end happily.

The goddess smiled at them. "You found your answers, as I knew you would. Your quest was a success."

"A success?" Annabeth repeated, her voice going high with disbelief. "Luke is gone. Daedalus is dead. Pan is dead. How is that-"

"Our family is safe," Hera insisted. "Those others are better gone, my dear. I am proud of you."

Alx hid a grimace behind his hand. He'd been aware of Hera's true colors, of course, considering the visions he'd had of her, but now he knew Percy and Annabeth were seeing them as well.

"You were the one who paid Geryon to let us through the ranch, weren't you?" Percy asked, his hands balled into fists. Not a good sign, Alx thought wryly.

Hera shrugged, her dress shimmering ironically in cheerful rainbow colors. "I wanted to speed you on your way."

"But you didn't care about Nico," Percy said, his eyes narrowing as he reached down to entwine his fingers with Alx, likely sensing his growing unease. "You were happy to see him turned over to the Titans."

"Oh, please." Hera waved her hand dismissively. "The son of Hades said it himself. No wants him around. He does not belong. You would be better off without him, Alx. There is no helping that boy."

That rare, fierce anger gripped Alx again. After all Nico had gone through, after all he'd lost and suffered, it wasn't right that so many people looked upon him in fear. He was just a little kid. It wasn't his fault who his father was, and he was just trying to make the best out of a difficult situation. But Hera didn't care about any of that, Alx knew, and he doubted after all these centuries of thinking the way she had, she would ever change her mind.

So Alx held back his fury (albeit barely), but Percy, predictably, did not have as much self-control.

"Hephaestus was right," he growled, tightening his hold around Alx's hand. "You only care about your perfect family, not real people."

Hera's eyes turned dangerously bright. "Watch yourself, son of Poseidon. I guided you more than you know in the maze. I sent you to Calypso's island. I opened the way to the Titan's mountain. Annabeth, my dear, surely you see how I've helped. I would welcome a sacrifice for my efforts."

Annabeth stood still as a statue. She could have said thank you. She could have promised to throw some barbeque on the brazier for Hera and forget the whole thing. But she clenched her jaw stubbornly, as Alx knew she would. She looked just the way she had when she'd faced the Sphinx, like she wasn't going to accept an easy answer, even if it got her in serious trouble. That aspect of Annabeth's character could be irritating at times, but Alx had to admit it was one of the things he liked best about her; something he almost admired.

"Percy is right." She turned her back on the goddess. "You're the one who doesn't belong, Queen Hera. So next time, thanks… but no thanks."

Hera's sneer was worse than an empousa's. Her form began to glow. "Perhaps you should learn some respect from your friend Alx Alizadeh. You will regret this insult, Annabeth. You will regret this very much."

Alx narrowed his eyes defiantly at her as the goddess turned into her true divine form and disappeared in a blaze of light.

The hilltop was peaceful again. Over the pine tree, Peleus the dragon dozed under the Golden Fleece as if nothing had happened. But Alx knew Annabeth's behavior would have its consequences. Hopefully, the girl would be able to handle them as they came.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth told them. "I-I should get back. I'll keep in touch."

"Listen, Annabeth-"

Alx could tell Percy was desperate to fix the tension that had developed between them with the inclusion of Luke and Rachel and Calypso, but Argus honked his horn down at the road, and he lost his chance.

"You'd better get going," Annabeth said. "Take care, both of you."

She jogged down the hill, and the two of them watched her until she reached the cabins. She didn't look back once.

"So much for that," Percy muttered sullenly.

"Cheer up," Alx said, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "It'll all work out, Percy, but we have to go now."

"Yeah." Percy glanced over at him, trying for a smile as he bumped his shoulder with Alx's. "Let's go home, Alx."

BTW, there was another version of this chapter, that is in relation to Alx's prophecy...

Let me know if you guys want to see it, I might post it to Scenarios.