Thanks for the hits, everyone! I have nearly five hundred right now, and I guess that makes me happy… though what would make me happier would be if I had more reviews…but I should just be happy with what I get…

Thank you all. :D

Disclaimer: Rylin, Max, Ben, Alyssa, Aryryn, and Hanna are all mine! Percy Jackson and the Olympians aren't mine :(

* * * * * * * * * *

"Why is it," I muttered to myself as I stared up at the person, "that every time I think I've seen someone for the last time, it never turns out to be true?"

"It's your brain we're talking about here, right?" he answered my question with his own. "Your mind has always been different from everyone else's."

I looked deep into those blue eyes, drinking it all in desperately. I had never thought this moment would happen, and wait a sec. Freeze.

Hadn't I just been dying?

Ben looked down at me, his eyes glowing warmly. "They saved you." He murmured, answering my unspoken thought.

"Who?"

"Them." I looked around, still seeing no one.

"Ben, stop messing around," I said warningly. He just kept smiling, and then it hit me.

It wasn't real. None of it.

His feet were floating several feet above the ground. His eyes had a dark tint to them that hadn't been there in my memories. And he didn't remember who Hanna was. I looked beyond him, to the beautiful meadow, to the thousands of flowers that surrounded us.

"Cut it out," I whimpered. The smiling Ben was really beginning to creep me out. I looked down at myself, cold recognition striking me painfully.

I couldn't see my feet. And a chill was suddenly taking over my heart, coating it in ice. My whole body was transparent, the chill settling as if it intended to stay forever. I tried to breathe. I tried not to panic.

That's kinda hard when you can no longer breathe air.

And somehow, with or without air, I managed to scream, louder than I ever did when I was alive.

I had a feeling that I was never going to wake up.

* * * * * * * * * *

Rachel's face paled. "Rylin Becker, please." She repeated.

"I'm sorry, but that person is no longer available. Please press 5 to redial. If you wish to hang up, press 8." Isis's voice was pleasant.

Rachel's face turned even lighter, to an almost pasty white. Percy felt his heart sink, and he turned to Chiron sympathetically.

"There's nothing you can say," the centaur said angrily. "I knew it."

"I did too," said a quiet voice, right inside the door. Percy raised his head, his eyes widening.

It wasn't possible.

Bianca stood there, her blue eyes glowing fiercely. Nico was hesitating behind her, his eyes on the ground. If Percy had to put a name to the expression on his face, he'd say it was almost…guilty.

"Bianca!" Thalia cried, launching herself at the Hunter. She hugged her tightly, Bianca beginning to gasp for breath.

"Cut it out, Thalia," Percy said as he stepped up. The daughter of Zeus backed away, her eyes glowing happily.

"Welcome back, Bianca." Percy said, then swept her up in a huge hug, grinning.

"That's enough." Chiron's voice cut them off. "What are you doing here?" His voice sounded suspicious, and extremely cold.

Nico looked nervous, backing up almost unconsciously.

Bianca fixed her eyes on Chiron. "Nico brought me back."

"To raise someone from the dead you need another soul, one to energize the dead back into life. Whose life did you steal?" His voice was icy, almost as if he knew where this was going.

Bianca flinched, drawing her gaze to the ground. When she spoke, her voice was a whisper, easily lost in the room.

"Rylin Becker. She wanted to trade her life for Max Perry's, but my father lied to her. He lied, and said it would happen. I can't believe…" she broke off, her voice trembling. A tear cascaded down her face, and then another. Nico came up behind his sister, hesitantly wrapping his arms around her.

"Max Perry…" Rachel mumbled in recognition. "I could have sworn I've heard that name before…"

Chiron's head swung up.

"That prophecy!" He hissed. "What happened to Alyssa?!" He didn't seem aware that they were there, as he turned to Annabeth, grabbing the laptop back. He typed furiously, scanning the screen for any trace of the information.

"Chiron?" Somebody asked.

"What?!" he almost snarled.

"There's been news, from the west. Typhon is free. And Kronos is heading to New York at this very moment. The attack will come tonight." Everybody turned to the speaker, a kid about the age of twelve, standing under the threshold. He was visibly trembling, his eyes flickering nervously back and forth.

Then he looked confused.

"Some girl told me to tell you that the Titans are coming here. To Camp Halfblood."

"What girl?" Chiron said, his voice deathly quiet.

"She was totally creepy. Everything was dark around her, and the birds stopped singing the instant I saw her."

"What girl?" he repeated, gritting his teeth.

"She said her name was Alyssa. Alyssa Janaya."

* * * * * * * * * *

"They're coming HERE?!" someone exclaimed. Everybody broke out into hushed conversations, and Bianca just stood at the fringes of the crowd, exchanging looks with Percy. Clearly the demigods weren't taking the news that well.

Clarisse broke free of the crowd, standing up tall and demanding all attention. The murmuring hushed.

"So what? Who cares if they're coming here? We've fought them off before, at the Battle of the Labyrinth. We can do it again." Her eyes seemed to glow red in the firelight.

The whole Ares cabin roared in approval, stomping their feet on the ground.

"This isn't the same, Clarisse," Chiron said tiredly, hanging his head. "The Titans themselves are coming, and Typhon himself has woken up for the occasion."

"Are you already saying we're going to lose, Chiron? That there's no point in fighting?" Annabeth interrupted, her grey eyes flashing angrily.

"I'm not-"

"Chiron." Bianca suddenly spoke up, and everybody turned to look at her in absolute silence. "Rylin never gave up, even when she was dying. Believe me, I know. And you know what she'd say if she were here? She'd say that freedom was worth fighting for, that saving all those lives out there was worth the risk. We can't forget all of those mortals out there, depending on us. Their whole lives will be forever changed tonight."

Bianca sensed Nico coming up behind her, his footsteps completely silent. A chill stole over her, and she turned to look at her brother, something suddenly nagging at her mind. She could hear Chiron continuing to talk to the campers, but yet she didn't hear a word of it.

"Nico," she whispered. "I need to talk to you."

He nodded solemnly as he walked away into the trees, beckoning for her to follow. The trees seemed dark and forbidding as Bianca glided after Nico, the silence almost completely deafening to her ears.

"Alright," He said as he leaned against a tree. "What's this about?"

"It's about Ryley. How did she get into the Underworld?" Bianca tried to keep her voice from shaking. All she needed was for Nico to confirm it.

Her brother dropped his gaze to the ground, his guilty look dominating his face. Something clearly wasn't right here.

"I brought her there," Nico finally admitted, still unable to look at her.

"You betrayed her?" Bianca murmured painfully. "She trusted you!" Her voice grew louder. A current of anger ran through her, fire practically burning through her veins. She listened to her heartbeat race.

This life isn't mine, Bianca thought rapidly. I stole it.

She fed on that thought in her head. She was just as guilty as Nico.

"I didn't have a choice!" Nico snapped. "You were fine with it too! It wasn't like you were protesting. You wanted to be alive again."

"Of course I did," she mumbled. Of course I did.

"I killed her," Bianca whispered. "She's dead because I'm a filthy life sucking parasite."

Nico was looking at her in shock. "This isn't your fault, Bianca. It's mine. I can't believe I…" His black eyes were just as wide as hers now.

She concentrated, her powers jumping easily to her command. Darkness flowed around her, the light banned forever from the clearing. It should have been easy, yet she felt like it was the hardest thing in her life that she'd ever had to do.

The first thing that told her she'd done it was the pain. It wasn't hers, flowing over her and Nico.

The pain wasn't hers.

* * * * * * * * * *

It felt cruel, this longing suddenly tugging at my heart. Almost like someone was calling my name and I didn't know how to respond. The chill enveloped my whole body, extending from my heart and making me shudder violently.

Instinctively I knew I was being called back into the world.

I would be appearing there as a ghost.

The chill flooded me, magnified to ten times as strong. I couldn't hold back the wave, couldn't call on my willpower. Whoever was calling me was my master now.

Finally I felt like something was complete. I was back.

I opened my eyes, and wished I'd kept them closed.

* * * * * * * * * *

Bianca's eyes swept Ryley from head to toe. Her slender form was barely visible in the shadows; only the occasional breeze would allow her a view. The ghost was trembling violently, her thin arms wrapped around herself.

"Leave me alone," she said vehemently.

Bianca looked at Nico, and saw the pain sparkling in his eyes. What was wrong with him? He had betrayed this girl; he couldn't have cared more about her than he cared about Bianca, could he? She was the one he had brought to life, not this miserable, pain-filled demigod in front of her.

"The chill," the ghost's voice was a whisper barely heard. "The chill is eating me alive."

Suddenly her eyes flicked open to reveal a silvery blue color, the only thing that was slightly alive about her. The eyes swept coolly over her and rested on Nico.

"What do you want?" The ghost murmured weakly.

Nico continued to stare at Ryley, his emotions for once not visible on his face. His pitch black eyes were flickering.

"I'm not going to say I forgive you!" Ryley suddenly cried, the birds in the trees lifting off all at once.

"I didn't say that's what I wanted," Nico said smoothly, his eyes locked on the ghost's. She glared defiantly back at him, and Bianca briefly wondered if Ryley knew she was there. She only had eyes for Nico, and Bianca somehow knew that was why she had summoned the ghost. She couldn't stand to see her brother in such pain.

"Send me back then," Ryley muttered. "I have nothing to say to you." She immediately dropped her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Nico suddenly whispered, his eyes staring intensely at Ryley. "I never knew about Alyssa. I'm so-"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry! I told you I wouldn't forgive you." Her voice rose, and suddenly she was screaming, her face tipped to the sky. "This is what you wanted! Are you happy now, Lord of the Sky? Pan is finally dead!"

Thunder crackled overhead, and suddenly a huge fork of lightning darted down, straight toward the ghost. She raised a finger over her head and the electricity shot off into all directions, none of them even touching her. Bianca barely noticed that none even came within a foot of her and Nico.

Ryley had her face in her hands, shuddering. "I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry, father."

All the birds rushed toward her, spiraling around Pan's daughter. One broke into birdsong, and Ryley slowly lifted her tearstained face toward it, reaching out her hand. The bird tried to land, but it only fell through her transparent arm.

Finally she turned back to Nico and Bianca, her eyes clear.

"Go ahead. Send me back to my underground hell. I know you want to." Ryley's voice was strong and defiant, her form sparkling in the shadows. "I've had enough of this world. Let me rest."

"Ryley, Kronos is going to attack us tonight." Bianca finally spoke up from Nico's side.

The ghost shrugged. "So? There's nothing I can do. You're alive and I'm not. You have Aryryn?"

"Of course," Bianca said as she pulled the sword off her back.

Ryley's eyes roved over the sword, her eyes glowing in happiness. The blade glowed in response, almost as if it knew she was there.

* * * * * * * * * *

The light pierced through the chill in my body, and suddenly I was exploding with warmth. I lifted my finger to the bird one more time, desperate to touch something living before they sent me back.

The bird landed on my finger. I could feel the brush of its feathers against my finger, warmth brushing against my heart, which was quickly thawing. Bianca slid Aryryn back into its sheath, but the feeling lingered.

I raised my eyes to Nico, knowing I'd probably never see him again.

What was wrong with me? He had BETRAYED me for goodness sake! I couldn't just let myself forgive Nico, no matter how much I was in love with him. It wouldn't make me feel better to forgive and forget. But it would help Nico, and I suppose that was about the only thing that made sense about what I did next.

His pitch black eyes looked directly at me, and for the third time in my life I felt like he could see everything in my eyes. I stared as he stepped forward, closer and closer until he was inches away.

The chill wasn't there anymore.

"Nico, I forgive you." I breathed.

His eyes cleared. "I'm sor-"

"Don't you dare." I growled. Leave it to Nico to ruin my moment.

Suddenly he raised his hand and brushed it against my cheek. I shuddered again, but not from the cold this time. I could almost feel my heartbeat again.

"Do you know the price of what you just did?" I murmured.

"Of course. That's why I did it," he whispered back, winking at me just like Alyssa all those years ago. He looked slightly paler from the contact. I supposed I looked more alive to him now, more solid.

"Don't drain yourself," I warned. As much as I longed for Nico to do it again, I didn't want him to kill himself.

Instead he turned to his sister. "Bianca, could you give us a moment? I…want to say goodbye."

Bianca grinned, giving her brother a quick wave.

"Be careful, Nico. Don't do anything you'll regret." She muttered as she brushed past him, heading farther into the forest. I heard loud cheering in the distance.

"Wait a sec. Am I at Camp Halfblood?" I asked in amazement.

"Yup."

I looked around. I was slightly disappointed at the lack of deathly obstacle courses, screaming campers out for your blood, or perhaps just the lack of anything, really.

"So," I said. "Am I dead enough for you now?"

His face paled. "I wasn't thinking when I said that. How could I know that…this would happen?" He gestured at my transparent body, and I felt a slight breeze.

"Nico, can I get you to promise me something?" I looked up into his face.

"Anything," he whispered solemnly. I was a little taken aback by the honesty in his voice.

"Don't get killed," I said. "Kronos won't hesitate, I promise you that. Don't lose your life like I've lost mine."

"I won't." Nico promised, the sunlight sparkling off his hair. And I believed him.

The chill was beginning to settle back in. It was all I could do not to flinch when darkness settled back over me. I still felt Aryryn's strength flowing through me.

I closed my eyes and waited for Nico to send me back to the Underworld.

I waited. And waited some more.

Finally I opened my eyes and found him looking at me. I stared back.

"Aren't you going to send me back?" I directed sternly. "C'mon now; I've got an appointment with your father at two. You know I can't miss that."

Nico smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Send you back. I just don't know." He raked his hand through his hair, his eyes flickering in the dark.

"You don't want to?" I asked in surprise. "I thought you'd be glad when I'm gone."

Nico hesitated, and I saw it for a second. As quickly as I saw it, though, it was gone. But I knew.

"I heard the pain in your voice, Ryley. When you talked about the chill. And even now, when you stood there with your eyes closed, dreading the moment I would send you back. How could I do it when it feels like when I betrayed you?"

All the hurt built up in me flowed out. "What do you care? As long as your sister's alive, it doesn't matter, right?"

"I didn't do it because I wanted to!" Nico snapped angrily. Suddenly his voice lowered. "It hurt me too, you know. That's why I refuse to let you go this time."

As much as I wanted to believe him, I felt like I couldn't. "Why did you betray me, then?"

His eyes were earnest.

"Alyssa asked me to."

* * * * * * * * * *

Whoa. Betcha didn't see that coming…well obviously Rylin didn't either.

R&R please!