When Percy came back to the cabin I was waiting for him. He didn't have much time because time was now apparently of the essence, so all he could do was pack up the few things he had been given by the camp. I listened as he shoved his spare set of clothes and toiletries Luke had stolen for him into a bag that Grover had found for him as I sat on my bed, trying to think of something useful to say or do. In the end, I just went over and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry." I told him, because I meant it and could think of nothing else to say. "I'm sorry this is all on your shoulders, I'm sorry I can't protect you out there, I'm sorry that I can't go instead, or even go with you. I'm sorry that I'm so useless. I'm so sorry Percy, I'm sorry…" For once Percy didn't fight me off because he could tell how upset I was and instead hugged me back.

"It's okay, I'll be fine. The prophecy said that I'd return what was stolen, which means I'll live, right?" I didn't care about some stupid prophecy or a war between the gods. I just wanted my little brother to stay safe.

"Never mind that, just because you have a prophecy doesn't mean you can slack off!" I warned him tersely, pulling back in order to grip his shoulders tightly, considering even now tying him up and tossing him into a closet somewhere to keep him from leaving. "You have to be alert out there and never let your guard down! I swear to god Percy, if you get yourself killed, I am marching straight down to the Underworld and raising you from the dead just so I can kill you myself!" Horrified at my own suggesting that Percy might die, I crushed him into my arms again.

"It's fine, that's where I'm going anyway." Now I frowned, stiffening in place before letting him go so that he could talk properly, because my hug had stifled his voice. Demanding to know what he meant, Percy explained to me what Chiron had revealed after I had left. That he believed Hades was the one who had the lightning bolt stolen, and that it was with him in the Underworld because of all the gods, he would benefit most from Poseidon and Zeus destroying each other. "Besides it might work out well, because you know how souls go to the Underworld? Maybe I…maybe I can bring back mom." A pale coldness swept over me as I stared at my baby brother, who at twelve years old, was being forced onto a deadly quest to retrieve a stolen lightning bolt and face the Lord of the Dead, as well as considering trying to bring back our mother.

"Perce…" I wanted so desperately to encourage him, to tell him that it was a great plan to bring back mom, because I so wanted her to be alive once again so I could bury myself in her arms and never leave them, but I couldn't. "Percy, you have to be serious here. I want mom back just as much as you, but there's no point if you don't come back alive from this. Do what is necessary, get the bolt and shove it in Zeus's face, but then come back to me. We can think of a way to save mom together, maybe when we're a little older, stronger, we might have more of a chance then. It's what she would want, you know she would hate to think that you threw away your life trying to save her." I hoped he'd take my words to heart and I couldn't be sure because I couldn't see his face and Percy had mastered the art of keeping his voice and tone level so that I couldn't always determine what his true feelings were.

"Yeah I know, I figured the same thing so don't worry. I'll be alright Lils. Maybe I can bring you back a souvenir?" He offered lightly, though I scowled at him in warning. I thought about what he'd told me about the night mom vanished. She wasn't dead like I'd thought, because dead meant there would be a body, and Chiron had told me before Percy had woken up there had been none. It had baffled and confused me, and I was terrified that maybe mom had been eaten by the minotaur, but after Percy was awake and I'd worked up the confidence to ask him, he had told me that mom had vanished into some kind of powdery light after being caught by the minotaur. I had no idea what it meant, maybe that's how people died when they were killed by monsters, but something in the back of my mind told me this wasn't the case. Anyway, I can't think about that right now, because Percy was packed and ready to go. He walked on ahead, but just as we were starting towards the boundary, I grasped hold of Grover, catching his backpack and hauled him back in order to face me and gave my most terrifying glare as I heard him bleat in fright.

"I don't care what you have to do, but you bring back my brother alive and in one piece, or I swear to the gods I shall make you suffer for the rest of your life, Grover Underwood." He shuddered under my grasp and I felt the ground rumble as I used his name, thinking briefly that names had power and that I probably shouldn't use a full name unless I meant whatever it was I was saying. Good thing this was one of those times. "No matter what, even if the quest fails, you bring him back."

"Yes, yes I promise!" He squeaked so I let him go, satisfied that he had been warned. I would have felt bad, but nothing mattered more to me than Percy, and as Grover hurried to lollop away as fast as he could after Percy, I felt an awful aching twist in my chest as my mouth filled with a taste like acid. I didn't want to let him go at all, but there was no other choice. If I forced him to stay, Zeus would kill us both and I couldn't protect him from the King of the Gods. If we ran away, we'd be hunted forever by every monster under the sun until we were then killed. If I went, I'd fail because I'm pretty useless and blind. This was Percy's only hope, though when I realised that Annabeth was going with him and Grover, I felt a little better. She was clever and had a lot of experience with this kind of world, which meant that Percy's chances of success had suddenly skyrocketed from the pitiful numbers from before.

We met Argus, a guy who Percy swore to me had eyes all over his body, the chief of security at Camp Half-Blood, and apparently also a chauffer according to Percy's description. Before anything much could be said, I heard someone running up the hill after us and turned just as Luke shouted. "Hey! Glad I caught you." He continued until he was standing with us, breathing a little heavily as I listened to him closely. "Just wanted to say good luck, and I thought…um, maybe you could use these." Passing something over to my brother, Luke then spoke a word, something like Maia. I then heard the sound of what I could only describe as wings fluttering as my brother started, making me all the more confused. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" Luke trailed off and even sounded a little depressed so I reached out and, I don't know why exactly, found his hand in order to give it a light squeeze before then quickly letting go. I guess I just wanted to comfort him like he'd done for me. "Oh Lily, they're sneakers, but they have wings that can make the wearer fly."

"Now that's pretty cool. Say thank you Percy." I instructed my brother just to make him blush in embarrassment, because I knew he wouldn't forget to say thanks but I couldn't resist my natural big sister urge to embarrass him, even now of all times. He was probably bright red right now as he said thanks to Luke.

"Listen Percy…a lot of hopes are riding on you. So just…kill some monsters for me, okay?" He stayed in order to say goodbye and I listened as he moved from my brother to Grover and then finally to Annabeth, though I couldn't help but smile slightly to think that she was probably blushing just as deeply as Percy had as Luke hugged her. I mean I guessed he hugged her, they were pretty close after all. After Luke left, Percy started to tease Annabeth, telling her that she was hyperventilating though she just snapped back at him in denial. It was kind of cute to hear them bickering, but at the same time I hoped this didn't become a problem during the quest, so as Annabeth was stalking away, I cautioned him to not make her angry because she was probably going to be the one rescuing his butt out there. To this Percy did not argue because we both knew it would be true, though as he took the gift from Luke, I sensed him suddenly grow despondent.

"I won't be able to use these, will I?"

"Luke meant well, Percy, but taking to the air…that would not be wise for you." At first I didn't understand, not seeing the problem but then it hit me. Being a child of Poseidon who was currently in an argument with Zeus, being in the air which was Zeus's domain was like painting a target on your back and asking to be struck down. I was grateful when Percy decided to give Grover the sneakers, though it sounded like his first trial run didn't exactly go well as his bleating shout swiftly receded down the hill and I could only imagine what it must have looked like. Picturing it, I laughed. Hard. Now all that remained were myself, Percy and Chiron, who was now lamenting over the fact that he had not trained Percy better and that there had not been more time, though Percy was acting like a champion and didn't complain about it. "What am I thinking? I can't let you get away without this." Digging around in his pocket, I listened as something new was then handed to Percy, who blankly told me it was a pen. A pen? "Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one." I recoiled from reaching out when Chiron said it was a gift from Poseidon, pointedly turning up my nose at it.

The next thing I heard was the sound of something sharpening and ringing lightly, like the sound a sword makes when it's drawn from a sheathe, though Percy informed me that he'd taken the cap off just like when he was on that fieldtrip and vaporised Ms Dodds. "The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into. Its name is Anaklusmos." Riptide, Percy and I both translated together. "Use it only for emergencies, and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case." I continued to scowl at the sword as I debated with myself. Sure Percy needed a weapon, but did it have to be that one? I wouldn't accept anything from dad even if it was the most powerful weapon in the world. Though Percy did ask the question that also made me curious, at how a sharp blade wouldn't hurt ordinary mortals. "The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you; as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Well that's encouraging." I drawled sarcastically at Chiron, thinking that perhaps this wasn't the best way to start Percy off on his first quest. He acquiesced to this then instructed Percy to recap the pen, which I assumed turned it back into a normal looking pen. As it turned out, apparently Percy wouldn't be able to lose the pen because it was enchanted to always reappear in his pocket. It made me think of my bracelet and I started to wonder, because I never lost my bracelet no matter where I put it down and misplaced it, always returning to me one way or another. Then there was the fact that I had sometimes felt it grow hot at certain times. Should I ask Chiron about it? Would he even know? No, I'll just leave it. My mom gave me this bracelet, there's no way she could have got it from dad considering he'd left us by that point. Maybe I was just going crazy, it wouldn't be the first time I'd thought it. Besides time was nearing that Percy needed to go, so after a few more hints and encouraging words from Chiron that really did not serve well as a pep-talk, I tackled my brother with a hug. "Bye Perce. Take care out there, okay? You'll do great. Somehow you always seem to pull through things, so just don't do anything rash or stupid, if you can." Smiling to him, I tried to look brave and confident for him, ruffling his hair and even forced him to let me kiss his head.

I listened to him walk away until all I could hear was his form moving through the tall grass until he was in the car and driving away. Now I allowed myself to panic, fiddling with my bracelet nervously and struggling to keep my breath under control. "He will be alright, won't he Chiron?"

"Of course, my dear. Of course he will." He did not sound convinced.