Although my time with Luke had been short, it was like a shot of adrenaline that carried me forwards through the oncoming days. Like he'd promised Luke was gone when I'd woken up so that I didn't have to roll over and find a pair of golden eyes watching me, though when Kronos next summoned me he'd smirked rather knowingly but made no comment. He didn't even demand an answer from me but delivered his orders and dismissed me like he'd never even asked me to marry him. I thought I might count my blessings and think he'd forgotten, but unfortunately I didn't have that kind of luck. He reminded me a few days later that he expected an answer, so I'd hesitatingly told him that I didn't want to be a queen of everyone because that seemed like too much responsibility and hard work. I played it off as I wanted to be lazy and carefree for the rest of my days, and that with the war effort and everything else on my plate, I didn't really have any thoughts about what I'd do afterwards. Kronos accepted this for now, but he warned me that once the war was over he'd be renewing his offer, and I would be wise to consider carefully. In other words, I had no way out a second time.

My mind was made. Kronos definitely had to go, but how to do it without hurting Luke? I had no idea. I'd tried using this kind of…tolerance Kronos had developed for me to ask a little about what would happen to Luke, to see if I could discover something in his words that would tell me how to save him, but Kronos was either aware of what I was doing or there simply was no way. Still, I refused to believe it. Sometimes though when Kronos felt excessively tired, one of the consequences of the Curse of Achilles, he would fade away to sleep and Luke would return, where he and I would spend a precious few hours together, talking like we used to and sometimes just laying against one another. One time we watched a movie and he'd held my hand the entire time. It almost felt like a date, but I didn't let myself get to far ahead. It was just so refreshing to have Luke back from time to time, and sometimes I would even notice glimpses of him even when Kronos was awake and in control. It wasn't entirely reassuring as I still had no idea how to separate Kronos from Luke's body but with all the power of the gods, I didn't believe it was impossible. Perhaps even Chiron knew of a method. With time now seemingly moving swiftly forwards, I knew that I couldn't afford to hang around any longer, and more action needed to be taken. One by one I managed to sneak the children off the ship whenever we docked somewhere under the guise of going on an errand or training mission for me, but in truth I was sending them to camp with information for Chiron, though I didn't let him know it was from me and the kids were unaware that they were transferring messages.

To do this I had to let them go on their own which would be a test of their skill, but each time I would call out for Snowstorm and she would answer me, sometimes appearing within minutes because in truth, she had never really left me. She'd escaped but remained near at hand, so that whenever I whistled she would be there to respond, and each time I sent out one of the little ones they would not come back because Snowstorm would find them, then fly them to camp. She was a little unwilling to carry other demigods on her back other than myself, but as it was a favour to me she allowed it. So far, all but one had managed to be brought safely into Chiron's care, though Snowstorm would drop the child off then always return. I saw her little, but it was encouraging to know that I had such a faithful friend who refused to abandon me. Eventually all that remained was Jacob who seemed to be understanding what was going on as every time someone from his group failed to return from their quest, I would just smile and tell him I was certain they were in good hands. It was a vague answer that didn't exactly infer anything, but Jacob was rather bright. If he suspected something, he didn't say anything, and the kids were all beneath Kronos's notice to even realise they were missing. If he asked, I'd just say they were eaten by monsters. Some of the brutes around here were stupid enough that they'd say yes if I asked them if they'd eaten any of my wards.

This all happened across several months, however, through winter and spring until we were reaching the summer months, where word began to circle that an attack was planned on the Andromeda by Camp Half-Blood. It was then that I finally learned who the spy was, and was stunned to discover it was Silena Beauregard. Never in a million years would I have pegged her to be the traitor, but in one of the brief moments where I had been able to talk to the real Luke, I had manage to pressure him into telling me, whereby he also admitted that he had blackmailed her in order to keep her in his employ because she had changed her mind at some point, so now she was doing it against her will but was too afraid to come forwards. Kronos sent out his orders through me, though when he mentioned my brother I had to use all of my powers of self-restraint to keep from revealing anything. "And if it is your brother who comes, which in truth is more than likely, what will you do when you see him?"

"Capture him, if I can. I will protect this ship as best I can, however I do not wish to kill my brother, or see him harmed. If I were to have one wish, Lord Kronos, you know it would be the guaranteed safety of my brother and mother." This was the one deal that was open between Kronos and I, the string he thought he held that tied me to him, for as long as he promised the safety and survival of my family, I would be loyal to him and his cause. I had no intention of actually serving him because I knew both Percy and my mom would rather die than live under his domain and rule, but he did not need to know that. We were a family that would always stick together, so no matter what happens, we would fight on the same side. It would be what mom would want.

"This will depend upon his cooperation. I may have no other choice but to kill him if he proves too much a nuisance. Then there is the prophecy…" Kronos trailed off, sliding his golden gaze across to me to observe my reaction, but my face was as unrevealing as blank marble.

"I…understand sir. I should be able to persuade him. He will listen to me." Our conversation ended there, and now all we had to do was wait. Of course we acted as if we had no idea that they were coming, keeping the watch on minimum and seemingly being a ghost ship until the alarm was raised to alert everyone else on board that Percy and his companion were on board. My pulse quickened and felt like lead moving through my veins as I armed myself, brushing my hand against my bracelet before then reaching into my back pocket, though I wasn't entirely sure why. The handkerchief that Hermes had given me was there, having carried it on my person every day since then as I had got the feeling that he had given me this thing on purpose, and his warning to always have it with me was because it would be useful for a moment when I needed it most, though I couldn't fathom what it could be. Still, it had been useful for mopping up juice spills, it really did absorb everything without getting wet or staining. My mom would probably love it as a cleaning item so I thought I might give it to her once this was all over.

When the alarm went up through the monsters, I rose with it and dreaded meeting Percy again, here of all places. However, I knew that this would be a chance. Perhaps the only one that I'd ever get to actually get all of the data I had been hoarding and collecting on Kronos and his army to Percy and everyone at camp. I needed to make sure that not only Percy survived this assault, but also, he went with the data. In my pocket the memory stick felt heavy, which was understandable because it was pretty much carrying the hopes of the modern world as we knew it. Inside I'd saved details on Kronos's armies, their attack strategies, formations, entries for every single monster and demon in his service as well as the minor gods and titans under his thumb, their armour, weaponry and artillery, and most importantly, all the information I had gathered concerning their attack on Mount Olympus that Kronos had planned. He was playing it close to the chest so not even I knew the full details, intending to give out his orders on the day, but I knew enough that I could guess where some of the platoons would be entering from, as well as a warning that Kronos was using Typhon as a diversion and that he intended to make a land assault on Manhattan in order to get to Olympus through the Empire State Building entrance. All that in a little stick. No pressure. I moved calmly, searching the ship until I came across Jacob who was staggering slightly in a daze. "There…there was this guy…he said to get of the ship if we wanted to live." Immediately I grabbed Jacob and steered him around. "What's going on? Will Kronos be mad I didn't beat him?"

"No Jacob, because Kronos isn't going to find out. Come on." With a sharp whistle I roused the other demigods, no more than a handful, and ordered them to get to the lifeboats and depart the ship. I told them that it was a safety precaution and that I would help the monsters deal with whatever was going to happen, but Jacob seemed quite adamant not to leave me behind. I had to wrestle him through the door to the lifeboats then slammed it shut between us, promising that he would be alright and that I'd find him soon. Turning on my heel, I bolted straight for the main deck, though I passed Ethan on the way and barked at him so ferociously to get to the lifeboat as other monsters descended for the engine room in order to check if the explosives had been set, because Silena had already told us the entire plan. Ethan was bewildered but stumbled off in the right direction, allowing me to continue running. I ran so fast that I had completed the length of the ship in under a minute, and as I burst out onto the main deck, I shouted. "Percy!" I saw him tense up and his eyes widen in horror upon seeing me there before he then sent a pleading look at Beckendorf, who looked like the monsters had not been gentle with him. Kronos smirked.

"Ah, Lily. Glad you could join us. Come." He invited to me and even held out his hand, which I knew if I refused would make him angry so I gingerly walked forwards and touched my fingers to his palm. It were as if there was no life in his body, as it was as cold as a block of ice. I could feel both Percy and Beckendorf staring at me as I was pulled to Kronos's side and I had to hide my face from them as he placed his hand upon my shoulder, anchoring me directly next to him. I heard Beckendorf mutter a curse at me. "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson, your sister not included of course. She has been most helpful and dedicated." Please don't, don't give Percy the wrong impression. Just shut up. "But no matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks, haven't we my dear?" Forcing myself to look up, I somehow managed to piece together my voice enough in order to croak.

"Yes, my lord." Chuckling darkly, Kronos then showed Percy the silver bracelet he wore with his signature scythe upon it in the form of a charm, his communication device which was what Percy recognised it to be. He was still staring at me and looking so inconsolably hurt that I wanted nothing more than to go over there and hug him, if he'd let me, but Kronos still had me in a firm grip.

"You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way, and so should you apparently. Perhaps siblings are not everything, hm?" He was doing this on purpose, to drive a wedge between me and Percy and although I hoped that Percy would see through it, his expression had now shifted from hurt to anger and betrayal. Such a dummy, he should know me better. "Now drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friend dies." Percy didn't move and as I glanced between them, I noticed a little exchange between him and Beckendorf, who even mutely mouthed for Percy to go. Although restrained, Beckendorf's left arm was free on account of the other giant who had been holding him was now apparently fascinated with a bag full of tinned peaches which I didn't have time to question. He was moving it gradually, towards something on his right wrist. A watch. I knew enough about magical items that they could appear in any form, and more so, a creation of a child of Hephaestus which was what Beckendorf was. If there were explosives down there, then he would make sure to keep the detonator as inconspicuous looking as possible. I felt a slight panic but tried not to react. They were going to blow up Andromeda…I felt a twist of pain but even as I considered trying to save her, I felt a deep rumble from the engines. A sigh. Soft and contented. Andromeda was telling me she was ready to go, that she would rather sink to the bottom of the ocean than to continue ferrying monsters around, and that I should not worry for her.

Of course this upset me all the more, but by this point one of the dracaenae had noticed what Beckendorf was doing and seen the wristwatch he was wearing, which forced me to make a decision. To let Andromeda sink. I hope dad will take good care of her, at the very least. She deserved that much. In the blink of an eye Percy flung his sword directly at Kronos who thrust me forwards just as a shout came from behind me. "Lily!" Jacob! What was he still doing here?! Everything was a sudden mess, Kronos frozen in surprise from having a sword lobbed at him as I had whirled around to find Jacob tackling me. I grasped him by the back of his shirt and hauled him close to me as monsters scrambled around us in order to lunge at Percy who had flung himself over the side of the boat. Beckendorf must have hit his watch before they could take it from him, which meant I only had a split second to react. I used all my strength to force my way through the rush of monsters, becoming lost from sight to Kronos as I dragged poor Jacob along with Amaryllis appearing in my hand in the form of a sword, because the trident would give me away and I needed to stay out of sight. In two quick flashes I killed the giants holding Beckendorf then turned, thrusting forwards with so much force that my sword sliced through the armour of the dracaena and in a moment, all three had turned to dust. Beneath our feet explosions started to rip through the ship and I felt the hull be breached, making me cry out softly as I flung a dazed Jacob at Beckendorf who instinctively caught him as I sheathed my weapon and my hand went instinctively to my back pocket.

I don't know what made me do it, but I pulled it out and whirled it around where the fabric which was only large enough to make a fine silk handkerchief rapidly expanded, swirling around like a canopy before it then seemed to take a life of its own as I forced Beckendorf to lower his head down which was a challenge in itself because he was huge, muscular and now he had recovered enough to start fighting me even with Jacob wedged between us. We wrestled against one another as the now supersized napkin draped itself over us, wrapping us in a silk white cocoon entirely so that no matter how we stepped and trod we were trapped within it just as I felt the explosions from the engine room suddenly burst free and all at once, I felt the ship be tore apart from within and erupt in flames. Beckendorf had me in a tight headlock ready to twist and snap my neck but he paused, seemingly wondering what on earth I was doing as we saw the bright burst of green fire and the screams of thousands of demons and monsters as they went up in smoke, but even though we felt a slight warmth and even the sensation of force nudging against us with each ricocheting boom, it was dulled and muted, like we were experiencing it from within a bulletproof box. Despite the fire that raged outside with only a cloth to protect us, it actually felt rather cool in here, like we were submerged in water but we weren't wet or drowning. "Let her go!" Jacob beat against Beckendorf's arm as best he could with his tiny fists, but we were now so tightly pressed together with little space to move or even breathe, it wasn't doing us any favours. The ground had vanished beneath us and we flew through the air, probably looking like some kind of giant snowball being launched from the wreckage of the Andromeda, and as I sensed her presence begin to fade, I willed her to send us some lifeboats if she could, because I really did not want to sink to the bottom of the ocean and join her.

I felt her murmur softly, a peaceful sound in my mind like a farewell as we continued to fall, and then she was gone with a great groaning and straining sound from the strain of metal and parts as everything was lost to the sea, Andromeda sinking down and never again rising. I couldn't help it. I shed a few tears. We landed thankfully upon something buoyant, striking it though our impact seemed to also be absorbed by the handkerchief before we then settled, bobbing up and down with the three of us awkwardly tangled in what could have been seen as a giant bear hug, were it not for Beckendorf considering ripping my head off right there and then. "What is this? Why are you saving me?"

"Because you dumb brute, I'm a nice person!" I snapped back as I felt my neck beginning to strain. "Can you at least ease up? I feel like my head's going to burst any second now. If you haven't noticed, we're all still alive thanks to me!" Beckendorf growled the way he did whenever he was thinking deeply. Trust me, he looked and sounded like a bear, but I knew him to be a good guy who had worked the camp forges and had treated Tyson kindly when he'd first arrived even when no one else did. He thought deeply, then slackened his grip. "Thanks." He grunted back at me. "Jacob, you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so…what happened exactly? What is this?"

"A gift from Hermes. He gave it to me when he stopped by once, I think he knew I'd need it for this. It's super absorbent, able to soak up water like anything, but other things too like force and impact. It's fireproof too. A little too perfect for this kind of situation, and Andromeda sent us some lifeboats to save us before you sent her to the bottom of the ocean. She was my friend you know." I scowled with my face still pressed into the fabric since I didn't have any space to twist around and glare at Beckendorf who seemed confused about who I was talking about. Eventually we were released from the giant handkerchief as it flopped open and we each sucked in a deep gulp of air. It shrivelled against my hand, returning to the size of a handkerchief whereby I gripped it tightly and sighed deeply. "I give thanks to Lord Hermes for this gift. You really saved our necks." A warm breeze fluttered and I was sure he'd heard me.

"Explain yourself." Beckendorf demanded in a tone so deep and low I wondered how it didn't just vanish into the earth. I ignored him for a moment, sitting up and placing a hand on Jacob's shoulder, but my eyes were focused upon the green glow in the distance, Greek fire still burning even underwater as it sank lower and lower, illuminating the form of a destroyed ship like a ghostly vessel before it then sank out of sight, too far in the trench of the ocean to be seen. "Whose side are you on, Lily? You've been gone over two years…why didn't you ever come back?" Now I turned and gave a sad smile to Beckendorf, feeling so immensely gratified to see a familiar face from the old days that I almost couldn't find my voice, but I knew I had to. If I wanted to keep my head, I'd have to tell Beckendorf a few things.

"I'm on Percy's side, duh. Always have been." His brow furrowed and he frowned deeply. "I've been worming my way into the ranks and learning everything I could so that I could come back with good information for you all. I'm even the commander now, I control a great deal of the army. If I suddenly up and leave, his ranks would be all the more crippled because they won't know who to follow. I've been planning this pretty much since the moment I got left behind on the Andromeda after finding the Golden Fleece." Looking at Beckendorf, I could tell that he didn't entirely believe me, but he also saw some sense in my words. "Look, I've come this far, I don't want to ruin everything now by suddenly vanishing. I don't think we were spotted getting tossed away from the ship, so as far as I'm concerned, you and Jacob sank to the bottom of the ocean with the Andromeda."

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked before his bright eyes then suddenly lit up, illuminated by the moonlight as we bobbed and swayed peacefully in the middle of the ocean far away from land. "Am I finally going to get to go to the camp you always talk about? Is it my turn now? Will I see Molly again?" Jacob and Molly had been as close as siblings, so it was cute to see him so excited so I smiled at him as I ruffled his hair, Beckendorf now looking stunned as I promised Jacob that it was indeed his turn, and that he had to promise to be good and listen to Chiron as well as train hard. "I will!"

"Wait, wait, you sent those kids to the camp? The ones that turned up on that same pegasus? That was you?" Beckendorf questioned with disbelief and I nodded my head. "And all those warnings we got from someone about raids on the camp and locations on enemy strongholds and warehouses, as well as other half-bloods…that was all you?"

"Of course it was. I told you. I'm on Percy's side, he's my baby brother and I will obliterate anyone who threatens him off the face of the earth." I growled stoutly, shifting in the boat in order to make myself more comfortable as I stuffed the handkerchief away, making a note to make a really big offering of some kind to Hermes to properly thank him. "I know you don't trust me, but you should know how much I care about Percy. I'd never do anything to hurt him." Now Beckendorf was looking more convinced, studying me closely like I was some kind of schematic or machine, trying to understand how I ticked until finally, he nodded his head.

"Alright. I believe you." Thank gods, I can keep my head. "So what now? Percy's gone, I doubt he'll hear us if we shout and demand a rescue." Giving him a grin, I cupped my fingers to my lips and whistled sharply in a specific tune, calling to Snowstorm so that she knew I needed her. She came within minutes, calling out to me as we remained afloat in the middle of the ocean which, for the moment, was calm and rather dead. I saw her in the distance, bright against the deepening sky and I waved to her as she called out.

'My lady! I see you have gotten yourself into trouble again. I suppose you want me to carry these to back to camp for you?' She did not sound happy about it, but as she flapped her wings and hovered above the water I reached out in order to rub her nose which always soothed her temper.

"Yes please, that would be great. Beckendorf will give you a bunch of apples and sugar cubes for me once you're there. Right Beckendorf?" Totally unfazed by the fact I was talking to a horse, he merely nodded his head before carefully standing up, making sure not to rock the boat. Jacob and I had to do our best to try and balance out the boat so that as Beckendorf grasped hold of Snow's mane, he pulled himself up and swung his leg over her back in front of the wing joint though she yelped and complained that he was heavy and had pulled on her precious mane. Jacob was easier. I could just pick him up and toss him up to Beckendorf once he was correctly positioned though he mumbled that Silena was a better rider than him. Hearing her name suddenly reminded me, so before they could fly off I grabbed his hand. "You heard about the spy that told us your plan, right? Well I know who it is. It's Silena Beauregard." When I spoke her name, I hadn't expected Beckendorf's reaction. He tensed up so bad Snowstorm had squealed in pain as his eyes suddenly blazed, ragged breaths coming from him as he almost dropped Jacob into the ocean as he glowered down on me.

"That's a lie! Silena would never do that!"

"What? No, it's the truth. Luke told me himself." Beckendorf snarled, saying that both Luke and I were lying in that case, though he then seemed confused about how Luke could have spoken to me but I didn't bother explaining because there wasn't time. Soon enough people would come looking for me and any other survivors. I doubt Kronos would let me go that easily. He'd probably turn back time on me even if I had died. "Listen, Beckendorf, I promise it's the truth. What's got your spanner all twisted?" Still glaring at me, Beckendorf then sheepishly looked away and told me that he and Silena were dating. Blinking, I then broke into a grin. "That's great! Oh gods finally! You two were always mooning after one another, I'm glad you both finally got together. I'm sorry, if I had known I would have broken the news more gently, but there's more. Don't be too angry with Silena, she isn't doing it because she wants to. She's being blackmailed, so I suggest you talk to her about it before you decide what to do. I know Silena. She's a good person at heart, she was just…led astray." By Luke, but I didn't point that fact out. Turning towards the horizon, I saw a pale light beginning to bloom. "You have to go now. Carry them swift and true, Snow. You're the best."

'Hmph. Of course I am.' She huffed, clearly still annoyed about Beckendorf hurting her. As a last question of pure curiosity, Beckendorf asked how come I wasn't blind anymore, because Percy had been wondering about it too since the last time we'd seen each other in the Labyrinth, it was clear I could see. "Ah, that. Kronos reversed time on my eyes before I was cursed by Zeus, so I can see again now. It was a gift, but I'll probably lose it when he realises I'm not on his side. Now hurry! Jacob, take care of yourself and tell the other's I'll be okay. You guys have to look out for each other from now on, alright?" He nodded his head with his grey eyes misting over slightly, and I couldn't wonder if perhaps he was a child of Athena, like Annabeth. He was certainly smart enough. The last order of business was to hand over the all-important memory stick to Beckendorf, whose hands I trusted far more than Jacob's since I had seen Beckendorf craft beautiful works of art with those giant hands, whilst Jacob was a little…clumsy. Anyway, I told them to give the drive to Annabeth as she would know what to do with it before finally letting them go. Waving at me a little sadly, I watched as Snowstorm flew away with them, quickly becoming a pale blur before then vanishing like a star popping out of existence, leaving me alone in the vast ocean. Now I felt slightly daunted. With no other choice I began to paddle with the oar as I used my impeccable nautical bearings to start towards New York harbour, though thankfully after a few hours Michael and a few other half-blood friends of mine came looking for me and found me, pulling me up onto the back of his pegasus in order to take me back to Kronos, who had survived with little more than a singed shirt. He studied me when I approached him, but rather than grilling me about what had happened, he merely smiled and told me he was glad I was alright and expected nothing else from his commander, before then turning his back and continuing with his war preparations. I couldn't help but feel relieved, but also tired. So tired that the moment I found a bed somewhere to sleep, I crashed into it and slept for at least thirty six hours straight.