I HAVE BEEN AROUND the 7 seas many a time but never have I seen a traveling piece of ice. At first I thought I was hallucinating. That fighting monsters daily and having not eaten or slept in 2 days had finally gotten to me. Then I thought of April.

For the last two days, I have been swimming, non stop. Monsters have been following me like anything and I haven't slept. The doubt has started creeping in that maybe I will never find April. What If she dies and I never get to apologise.

I was definitely far from Camp. I had started going north but had probably deviated from that path quite a bit. I was still underwater but as of late, I had been noticing the parts I was swimming through were deserted.

That's when I saw it.

The sea around me had turned dark and foggy but that wasn't what I was looking at.

Deep in the middle of the fog I saw her. Her bent figure was silhouetted as she walked. At first I thought I must have fallen asleep, that I was floating somewhere and dreaming. But after sufficient pinching, I realised this was reality. I called her name out softly and she looked up. Her face exploded in joy and she ran towards me.

"April!" I cried as I caught her. I hugged her and she smiled at me. That sweet smile I had missed so very much. I held her like I used to, wishing we could stay like that forever, but we had to go.

"Come on." I said and we started swimming off.

"NOT SO FAST." Behind us, there were 6 lanky men. They had long ginger beards and their skin had an oddly disgusting green ting to it. They actually reminded me a bit of leprechauns. They smelt of carrots and stale milk. Just like the sticky note. They ran forward, ready to take the tired boy and girl down while they weren't in good health. But I was going to go down without a fight. I uncapped Riptide and we began.

I stood in front of April The whole time as I fought. I slashed and kicked at them but their injuries just made them better fighters.

"Get someone." I yelled to April. "iris message!" I turned and slashed, cutting one of their legs, but the cut healed and he carried on.

"I need to be overwater." April mumbled and her fingers tried to pull the sea onto a rainbow but it was obviously not working. Then I had an idea. "Cover me from all sides I told April." She nodded and the water around me began to circle. Soon, Me and April were wrapped in a whirlpool and the lanky men were out of sight. I began to raise my arm, slowly the water rose up and we went with it.

I directed us to the cliff top and let April stop the whirlpool. The poor girl looked like she was going to faint. I helped her up and we turned around. My face dropped in dismay as I noticed that I had brought the leprechaun dudes up with us.

"You just won't give us a break will you!" I said, trying to keep the attention on me whilst April prepared an Iris message.

"It's payment for what your girl did to our master." The tallest one replied shaking his sword at us.

"You know you can't kill us." I replied. "You will be…uh –Cursed! Yes cursed, if you kill us."

They all shuffled back slightly. "Cursed?" One of the stuttered. "I don't want to be cursed. The tall one smacked him on the head.

"Don't be silly, they can't curse us. Just kill them." He turned around. "Where's the girl anyway."

They all turned around and I desperately shouted. "Curses and plagues, I can bestow many horrors upon you!" But they pushed me aside so they could kill my sister.

"April Run!" I yelled as I hit the floor. I saw her turn from the fountain of water and jump up in surprise. But she was too late. One of them smacked her away like a fly and the iris message went down as April lost concentration. Two other green people went at April, ready with daggers to take her life. From what seemed like no-where, she produced two daggers of her own and began to spar with them.

For a moment I sat dazed on the floor, watching her in awe. She fought like it was a dance, expertly weaving and dodging. At one point, she paused, letting the dagger swipe so close to her before reacting, that I almost cried out to her.

As I got out of my daze, I attacked the other three green people from behind. I sliced at the first one, watching in satisfaction as he wailed in pain. The second one came for me and swung. I ducked and rolled behind a rock. I felt the floor as he lumbered towards me and crept backwards. Hearing a crumble and a splash, I realised with dismay I could not run any farther back. I stood up and noticed the three green people were some way in front of me.

"Yeah!" I yelled. "You're too scared to approach. That's what I thought."

"We are fearless." The tallest replied, once again taking charge.

"prove it." I said. As one, they growled and jumped. I waited till the last second, when even I was scared they would get me, then I ducked. They sailed over my head and landed hard with a thump. The rock underneath their feet shuddered and they fell, down back into the sea.

"Get 'em dad!" I yelled as they fell.

"Don't worry he will." I looked up to see Annabeth, Piper and Tyson standing beside me. Annabeth held a hand up and I took it.

"We'll take the other three," Tyson said and the three of them ran off. None of us noticed the green hand reach over the cliff edge.

I ran over to where April was and helped her up as the other 3 leprechauns where hurled off the cliff edge. "You're ok." I whispered in her ear as I hugged her once more.

"We all are." Tyson declared happily.

There was a grunt and we turned to see that one of the leprechauns had kept hang on the cliff. "Not for long" It happened like a blur. He raised his other hand and threw a spear. I dimly noticed it sailing towards me as I stood protectively in front of April.

"MOVE! PERCY MOVE!" I heard Annabeth yell.

"No." I whispered. "If I die, it will be protecting my sister."

Suddenly, I was propelled sideways. As I was pushed, I watched in horror as April stood where I had.

Then the spear impaled. April stumbled back on impact and her face exploded in a look of sheer pain.

"No" I shouted as I caught her as she fell. I cradled her head on my lap as I gently pulled the spear from her stomach.

"You weren't meant to get hurt." I whispered. "You were meant to be fine, and we were meant to become friends."

She smiled through the pain, which literally broke my heart. "Will you really never sing again?" She whispered. My heart almost melted there and then. This girl could be dying and she cared about me.

"Of course I will sing again." I said, starting to cry.

"good." She breathed and her eyes began to flutter closed.

I couldn't let her go, I was determined to keep her awake, so I sang for her.

Stay with me. I sang. Because you're all I need. La la da di da dee dum. So baby stay with me. I repeated the 4 lines like a mantra, trying to keep her awake, but eventually, her eyes fluttered closed and her face went slack.

"No" I cried. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Annabeth's tearstained face looking down at me.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Me too. "Tyson said as he bawled.

But I refused to believe she was dead. I had one last card to pull. Slowly, I raised her body up and carried her. I stumbled to the edge of the cliff and whispered. "Please help her dad." Then I let go. As she fell, her hair rising up, the water rose to meet her. The liquid split like ribbons and wrapped around her and she was gently pulled under.

I sat leaning against a rock as Annabeth laid her head on my shoulder and the other kept their respectful distance.

"You did what you could." Annabeth said. But I knew I hadn't done one thing. I still hadn't apologised.