Hey guys! I am so sorry about this taking soooo long :/ but I swear I had good reasons, as to why I made you wait. Well here's the next chapter, it's short but I'm already half way through the next one, so no worries. I won't make you wait this long again. So enjoy, and tell me what you think?

"Kyra! Kyra"

My eyes fluttered open, taking in three worried faces looming over me. Well two worried faces and one suspicious face… I was disoriented and it took me while to realize that I was lying on the ground, looking up at Percy and Annabeth who were kneeling next to me.

"What happened?" I asked with genuine confusion. The last thing I remembered was Khai… no I'd told them about the curse, and then I'd thought of Khai and then…Well then it was a blank.

"You collapsed. We thought that the curse must have gotten you too", Annabeth said, her voice genuinely concerned. Guilt washed over me in a hot wave, and disappeared abruptly as I remembered why I was doing this.

I felt weak and shaky, but I got up nevertheless, ignoring Percy's outstretched hand. I needed to look strong! But what had caused me to faint? Was it Khai's memory? The memories did seem to be getting stronger, more vivid and for a second I caught myself wishing that I could disappear into them completely, leave this world behind. I shook my head in hopes to shake of the heaviness that had wrapped itself around my heart like blanket. There was no going back, only forward.

"I'm sorry… I guess I was just exhausted. I've been following that shadow for days… didn't get much sleep."

That last part was true at least. I did feel tired, more tired than I should've felt at my age… the last two years were a heavy burden, a burden that wouldn't lift until I found Atlantis. I straightened my shoulders and looked at each of them, even Nico, not shying away from the suspicion in his eyes. Doubt me all you want, I thought, I'm your only hope.

"The poison can be cured… but the antidote has to be won from the same plant that was used to poison the camp."

I saw a flicker of hope cross Nico's face, lifting some of the worry from it. I felt a pang of jealousy that I quickly supressed. I had no feelings left for Nico, I was just irritated. Somehow I guess I'd hoped that he'd been pining over me, miserable because he blew it, and here he was, obviously in love with another. You fell in love with another too, a voice in my mind told me, but I told it to shut its pie hole.

"Where can we find this plant?" Percy asked, his voice full of determination, his hand gripping Riptide tightly.

Annabeth gave me a look that told me that she already guessed the answer, and Nico was looking out over the cabins, a frown on his face.

"Atlantis."

The reactions were about as enthusiastic as I'd expected, which is to say not at all. Annabeth nodded as if she'd expected as much, whilst Nico expressed feelings of outrage. Percy, as usual, didn't seem to grasp the essence of what had been said.

"Atlantis? My father's kingdom? That shouldn't be a problem, now should it? I'll just go down there, or call Tyson and we'll heal them all in no time."

I opened my mouth to explain, but Annabeth was faster. She put a hand on Percy's arm, making him turn towards her.

"Not that Atlantis Percy… I think Kyra's speaking of another Atlantis, although I don't completely understand that either…." She looked at me questioningly; waiting for me to explain. I nodded and sat down on the steps of the Big House. I was still feeling a little wobbly.

"The Atlantis you're speaking off Percy is just a remainder of the true Atlantis…. A skeleton so to speak. When Atlantis was destroyed by the Gods, they made a deal with one of the old Gods… My father… They'd worshiped him and they'd promised him servitude if he preserved them. Or at least their king did… I don't know if the people all agreed to this, but maybe they thought it would be better than drowning, or burning. Erebos agreed. So when the city was destroyed its idea, its essence if you want, was preserved.

Erebos took it up into his kingdom, turning the city and its inhabitants into shadows and thus making them immortal. They've been living as shadows for the last 10'000 years, and now they want to escape and return to the real world. Some of them were powerful magicians; they were evil and corrupt and created things such as the silver rose. They've been growing stronger… Strong enough to enter dreams and some can even enter this world and do damage, although only for a short amount of time, and only as shadows. That's what you saw today...

Some of them believe that they have served my father long enough and that it is now his turn to return them unto the real world, but my father won't help them. He's not stopping them either though, and so they have poisoned first my dreams, and now this camp to get what they want. They believe that the only way to save the camp is to bring Atlantis out of the shadows, and they think that I'll do it… That we will do it."

I looked up at them when I said those last words, making it clear that they'd been pulled into this war. There was a moment of silence after that in which Annabeth, Percy and Nico exchanged looks, thinking about what to say, and I took a deep breath. My vision was beginning to blur again and it took every ounce of self-control to not pass out again. What was wrong with me?

"Is it the only way?", Annabeth asked carefully. She was smart and had picked up on my wording. I took another deep breath, pushing away the darkness in my eyes. I'd need a good long nap after this.

"Maybe... you see Atlantis is hidden in the shadows… so if they can enter this world for a short amount of time, maybe I can do the same. The shadows are my father domain after all… but the door would still have to be opened, just a crack, so I could enter completely. Atlantis has been sealed by powerful enchantments that need to be unlocked. Enchantments made by those who don't want Atlantis to ever come out of darkness again. There are seven keys. I have one already in my possession, so there are six left to find. If we can find those keys, then maybe we can open the door just far enough for me to slip inside without them coming out and I can get the cure."

I looked them straight in the eye, my back straight and my face determined. Once again most of what I'd said had been true, just not the part with cracking the door open. I had every intention of swinging that door wide open and unleashing the entire world of Atlantis unto this one.

We were in the middle of discussing our plans when I fainted again, slipping into memories. I could hear them call my name but I had no control over my body. I barely felt my head hit the floor when I was already submerged in the past. This time it wasn't a pleasant one….