I can't help but love this chapter; I spent most of my time dreaming of how it would turn out. Thanks to all for reviewing- hey, it's been one heck of a ride for me, and I'm enjoying it as much as I can, but unfortunately Falling Star is coming to a close…at the most there's maybe three chapters left.

Disclaimer: Nope. In my dreams.

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I couldn't tear my eyes away from Lyss's face.

All those years, and I had always thought she was hatching yet another plot to destroy me; never in my lifetime would I have ever thought she was going to save me. I couldn't help the tears streaking down my face silently at her broken body, thinking of how in all those years I had never found it in my heart to forgive her. I couldn't help wishing I had seen her sooner, to let her know that I would finally be able to forgive and forget.

Then I remembered. I was back in business, baby. I had gotten my life back, and Lyss had said that my friends were in danger.

Not if I had anything to say about it.

I took one more meaningful look down at Alyssa, lying quietly down on the ground, her eyes closed. She had been my best friend once, you know…

Her cloak fluttered in the breeze. I reached out and grabbed it, wrapping it around myself for no apparent reason. I fixed the buttons, feeling strength surge through me angrily.

Then I whipped around, my heart hardening. Kronos had caused all of this, and now he was going to pay. And as I walked out of the clearing, the fire in my eyes rekindling instantly, I never looked back. All that mattered was the now.

And this time, I was going to put a stop to all of this once and for all.

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The trees flew by me, being fueled by my mounting anger and a new inner strength that seemed to come from everywhere. The forest was giving me its energy; the birds twittered eagerly above my head as they streaked along, the leaves rustled with a new-found impatience, and the animals scampered alongside me on the ground.

At last I arrived. The cabins were standing empty, all twelve of them lined up in two neat little rows. It was like a ghost town, the wind the only noise I could hear. But I knew better than that.

"Morpheus," I said loudly. "Stop hiding. I know you're here."

"Ah, so I am," He hissed smoothly, suddenly appearing. He was carelessly leaning up against Hera's cabin, the wind ruffling his dark, unkempt hair. His dark eyes were like deep, bottomless pits, and I couldn't even begin to fathom what expression was in them. "Very good, Rylin."

I stared expressionlessly at him, my eyes burning. "Where are they?"

"Now Rylin," Morpheus said, holding up his hands, "You know that's not the way it goes. Use your manners."

"Okay," I snarled, losing all patience. My nails bit into my hands as I curled them up into fists. "Tell me where my friends are, you scumbag."

"I warned you," he shook his finger at me.

I felt the sleepiness overtake me in one bound, feeling the raw power he was trying to force on me. He had put in enough to put Zeus to sleep for at least a century. I wasn't fazed. I shook it off like a duck shedding water, a smug grin on my face.

"What?" I asked innocently, fluttering my eyelids. "Were you trying something?"

He scowled, and I laughed. "Face it, Morpheus. You're outmatched AND outclassed," I grinned. "You can always let my friends go."

"Forget it," was his cold reply. "It isn't going to happen."

"You asked for it," I whispered.

I turned my eyes up to the sky, closing them gently. I thought of the rain, the light taste of it against my skin, the sizzling electricity that would follow the thunder. And Zeus reluctantly let me do it, clearly only because Thalia was in danger.

Dark clouds boiled above my head, thunder rebounding in the distance. The storm coiled up above me, a huge fork of lightning cutting through the air down to me, surging over my head toward Morpheus, who had a look of humorous shock on his face.

"That's new," he muttered as he held his hand out. The electricity was sucked in as he absorbed the jolt, looking thoughtful.

Exhaustion tugged at me, as he tried yet again to lure me into sleep. Apparently he had put more of a punch into this one, but it was still within my reach to shake it off. But it was slightly harder this time.

The animals surged through the forest on either side of me, growling and snarling together. A wolf tore away from my side, dashing through the rain to launch himself at Morpheus, his pack on his heels. I watched, filled with sorrow at all the lives that would be snuffed out by the end of this war.

The first wolf fell at Morpheus' feet, his head laid against the ground, dozing off. But there were too many for the Titan to throw into the realm of dreams, and soon he was overwhelmed. I delicately stepped toward him, my eyes furious as I looked over my casualties. Then I returned my gaze to his, beckoning the wolves away. They backed off, their eyes wild and their fangs bared.

"My friends, if you will, Morpheus."

"Never," he spat. I gestured toward the wolves; they stepped back up, circling Morpheus for the kill. I watched, satisfied. The rain drizzled down my face, my hair freely tumbling down my back.

"Please, Morpheus," I gave him one last chance. "Kronos wouldn't be very happy with you if you got killed before the Great War." I watched him closely, feeling the teeniest bit of sympathy at the collage of emotions that were flitting across his face. Obviously Kronos only cared for his brother's powers and didn't care a whit about his wellbeing.

"You will regret this, I promise you," Morpheus said icily as he faded from inside the ring of wolves. I heard cries of pain, and when I looked up from the place where Morpheus had disappeared, I saw kids everywhere, all of their frightened eyes focused on me.

"Ryley!" Percy yelled, shoving his way through the crowd. To my surprise, he grinned broadly at me, a pretty blonde girl pushing her way behind him.

My eyes widened as I searched through the crowd, a dull ache settling into my stomach. I bit my lip anxiously. Where were they? Had Kronos gotten to them first?

"Nice job," a quiet voice said behind me. I whipped around, practically scared out of my wits. The dull ache was fast disappearing, my heart doing somersaults instead inside my chest. My eyes fell on Nico's, surprised to see affection there. His black hair was ruffled, a cut just under his left eye, but he looked perfectly fine. My eyes reluctantly left him to examine Bianca, who was standing right beside him, her eyes shining.

"RYLEY!" she shouted, giving me a fierce hug around my neck. Her voice cracked about halfway through, and Nico and I looked at her in concern. I gently pried her arms off me, glancing casually at her throat. It was bruised, and I thought I could detect a hand print.

I looked anxiously back at Nico.

"Someone tried to strangle her," he murmured, taking his own look at his sister's yellow and purple throat. "I stopped them just in time."

"About time you showed up," Thalia grumbled, appearing out of nowhere. She was glaring at me, her hand resting on her spear. She was also unharmed, but looked furious, her eyes blazing.

"You're just lucky she decided to intervene, Thalia," said another voice. I was surprised, yet again, as a red head bobbed through the crowd.

"Rachel!" I cried delightedly.

The Oracle was beaming at me, her green eyes glowing. Then they dropped abruptly, and we were graced with the real Oracle's presence. Her glittering black eyes surveyed each of us in turn, at last they gazed at me.

"The War hasn't even begun, Rylin. So get off your butt and get the demigods ready," She grinned, baring her sharp teeth at me. "Kronos is none too happy with you, daughter of Pan."

"When has he ever been?" I muttered, staring at the ground. "It's always been back and forth with the two of us, others always getting caught in the middle."

"What can I say? You guys have history," Max's voice said.

My head shot up. "Max…?" I whispered.

"Over here," he called, his voice sounded faded. I turned to the forest, my eyes widening. He stood there quietly, his extraordinary blue eyes full of amusement. Ben was next to him, leaning against the tree uncertainly. Both of them were watching me, their faces in shadow. And behind them, standing with her arms crossed, her green eyes flickering in the sun, throwing her face into the light was…

Hanna.

"HANNA!" I yelled, my lungs practically bursting. I launched myself through the air, past the crowd, dashing with all my energy. Hanna caught me in a huge hug, swinging me around. Max and Ben laughed, their auras bursting into color around me.

"I thought you died a long time ago," I said to her in shock. "What happened?"

Hanna grinned. "I've become somewhat of a legend among mortals. I don't grow older. Gives the doctors migraines, trying to think about what's wrong with me."

"And you guys!" I whipped around to catch Max and Ben in the act of sniggering. "Helping Lyss! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" Beyond them I saw all of the demigods watching us, a strange look on their faces.

I caught Nico's eye and waved him over. He hesitantly looked at Bianca, then set off across the meadow toward us. Rachel caught on and dragged Thalia with her; Percy and the pretty girl followed, their interlocked hands swinging between them. I laughed at the look of indignation on Thalia's face.

"Thalia and Percy," I said, a smug grin crossing my face, "Meet your stepbrothers and stepsister. Thalia, Max and Ben. Percy, Hanna."

All of them looked at each other, and similar smiles broke across Percy's and Hanna's faces. Rachel, to my relief, had become herself again, and I looked around as they all greeted each other.

"Nico and Bianca," I said sadly, "Alyssa died giving me my life back. She was your stepsister."

Max fixed me in an emotionless gaze. "Lyss…dead? You killed her?"

I stepped back instinctively. A cold feeling of déjà vu swam over me, Ben looking shocked at his brother's behavior. I glared at Max's icy eyes.

"I didn't kill her," I said defiantly. "She gave me her life."

Ben held out his arm to stop Max from stepping forward. "Think about what you're accusing Rylin of, Max! Rylin could have killed Lyss years ago, but she didn't. Just listen to her!"

Whether it was Ben's touch or his words, Max shook himself, his eyes blossoming back into himself. "Sorry, Ryley. I just can't believe she's dead…" His voice trailed off as a deadened, haunted look took over his face.

"I know you were in love with her, Max," I murmured, ignoring the demigods' hushed mumbling and focusing on Max. I hesitantly put my hand on his shoulder, and to my surprise, he picked me up in a bone crushing hug.

"And she was your best friend," Max whispered into my hair. "I've forgotten over the years how close you guys were. All she could think about for the last forty years was you."

I was speechless, but Max continued. "And if you'll have us, Hanna, Ben and I are here to help."

He held me at arm's length, his eyes looking deep into mine, misinterpreting my pause. "I'd understand if you didn't want-"he added quickly.

"Are you kidding?!" I burst out, everybody looking at me with wide eyes. "You think I want to face Kronos' army with just this lot? Are you insane?!!"

A warm smile spread across his face, but before he could speak, Hanna was yelling "Group hug!!" just like she used to and everybody was piling on top of us, pressing me against Max. Nico was on my other side, looking at me with hollow eyes. I met his gaze questioningly.

Finally everyone let go, and I caught sight of Nico walking away, his head down.

"Scuse me," I muttered to Max, and he dropped his arm from around me as soon as he saw where I was looking.

I walked quickly after him, my feet making no sound against the forest floor. No animals followed me now; they all seemed to sense that I wanted to be alone. His hands in his pockets, Nico halted, turning around to face me.

"What's wrong, Nico?" I asked quietly.

"As if you don't know," he said, his voice just as hurt as his expression. Understanding hit me like a lightning bolt, and my eyes widened in surprise. Before I could help it, I had taken five quick steps forward, staring into his pitch black eyes.

"Max just lost Alyssa," I whispered. "He loves her, not me."

Nico's eyes broke away. "Doesn't look that way."

I sighed, like a whisper on the wind. If jealousy was going to blind him, well, there wasn't much I could do. Except tell him.

"Do you remember that time in front of the cave? When we were about to go down to meet your dad, and I froze you for no good reason? Well I did have a reason." I paused, my blue eyes wandering now. I noticed how the sunlight sparkled off the leaves like dew, how the wind was gently ruffling my hair, how blue the sky was. My storm was far on the horizon.

I continued. "I didn't want you following me. I didn't want you to see me die. And if you were there, I wouldn't be able to convince myself to just give up, because that would have meant giving up you." I stopped again, aware of just how sappy that sounded. "The reason I froze you was because that was the moment I realized I was in love with you."

All the noise in the forest went silent. It continued for a long time.

Why won't he say anything? I thought, my blood going instantly cold. I swallowed. In all my years of being alive, I had never been as nervous as I was now. I bet he hates me now.

I couldn't even see his face, couldn't see his eyes which might give me a clue to what he was thinking. In battle, my instincts had always been the best because I knew how people would react to this attack, how they would block that one; but my instincts were giving me nothing here. I had no idea how Nico was feeling now, and that was what made me nervous.

Finally I made up my mind. If he was just going to ignore me, well, he'd have to suffer the consequences. I would go straight back to Max and do all I could to annoy Nico.

I turned away, giving him the cold shoulder for a second, and then in that second he spoke.

"Wait, Ryley."

I froze. Then a second later wondered why I was listening as hard as I could.

"You're in love with me?" Oh crap. Why had I even said that I was?

I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me. "Yeah."

Nico still didn't turn around. The forest still sounded like it was completely devoid of life, but this time it was for a different reason.

I straightened up, forgetting Nico for just a second.

"Kronos is here." I narrowed my eyes, picking out dark shapes crawling through the forest. I grabbed Nico's hand, practically dragging him behind me.

"What are you doing?!" he spluttered before a particularly big dirt clot shut him up.

"Saving your ungrateful life," I snapped back.

We burst into the clearing, and I tripped, quite undignified, right over Nico's leg. I glared at him as I grabbed a hold of the nearest tree, hauling myself up. Everybody's eyes were on us.

"Kronos is here!" I announced loudly.

Suddenly all the demigods were scrambling, grabbing their weaponry and checking each other's armor. To my surprise nobody was panicking. Yet.

I waved at Bianca, trying to get her attention. She looked directly at me. "I can hold them off, but I need Aryryn!" She nodded, her eyes earnest. I turned to Max and Ben and Hanna.

"I need you guys to help me out too."

"Just like old times, eh?" Ben flashed a smile, his spear appearing immediately out of nowhere in his right hand. Max pulled his double-edged sword an inch out of the sheath, wearing a grin identical to Ben's. Hanna leaned against Ben, her elbow on his shoulder.

"What about us?" Percy asked as he raced up, Thalia and the blonde girl at his shoulder.

I studied them thoughtfully. Percy was gripping Riptide so hard his fingers were starting to turn white; Thalia's expression told me she didn't care what I was going to say, she'd do the exact opposite; and the blonde girl's grey eyes were hardening, like she had plenty of experience in battle.

"Is Ares' cabin here?" I asked, randomly remembering that they were supposed to be the most skilled in war.

"You bet we are," A dark haired girl said, an electric spear glowing in her hand. A gang of tough kids were standing behind her, all holding their weapons at the ready. "What about it?"

"Clarisse," Percy sighed.

The girl gave him a venomous glare before turning back to me.

"I need you to back us up," I said, gesturing to myself, Max, Ben and Hanna. "You'll be joining Percy, Thalia, Bianca, and, er…" I looked at the blonde.

"Annabeth," she said, smiling hesitantly at me. "My name is Annabeth."

I smiled back and opened my mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"What about me?"

I looked down; Nico was still sitting on the ground, glaring at me. I stared right back, my muscles tensing. "What about you?"

He rolled his eyes. "I can fight too."

"Fine," I said, slightly reluctant to put him in any danger. I could put him with Bianca; she would do all she could to protect him. "You can join Bianca."

Nico nodded, satisfied; his eyes darkening, if that was even possible.

"Ryley! Heads up!" Bianca called as she tossed me Aryryn's sheath. I caught it, feeling the surge of excitement the sword shot me. I slung it over my shoulder, my eyes narrowing in determination. I nodded at Max.

"Time to go," I said, whipping around, looking quickly over the camp. There were still a couple of stragglers, but for the most part the entire camp had gathered behind me, their faces showing no fear, only determination to protect their camp. "I'll call you when I need you," I said to Percy, before setting off into the forest, my old friends following.

"You nervous?" I heard Ben ask Hanna in an undertone. She nodded bravely.

"This is the first time in forty years I've headed off to battle," she muttered. "Hope I live to see the next sunrise."

"Don't worry; you will," Ben said confidently, and to my surprise he kissed her gently. I looked at Max, whose blue eyes were watching me lazily. I could see my reflection in his eyes, my own wide with shock.

"Believes in love at first sight, the idiot," Max said affectionately, casting a glance at his brother. "But that went away the moment he actually spent some time with her. Fell in real love then."

I grinned. "Was that how it was for you and Lyss?"

He looked down at the ground. "Yeah." He didn't sound so sure. I felt confusion ripple through me for a second, then I focused my eyes on his again.

"You liar," I said smoothly. "You've been in love with her forever."

"Not at first I wasn't," he admitted uneasily as we strolled (yeah right) through the forest. "She scared me. And at the time, the only two girls I knew were her and you…"

"Oh no way!" I snorted, then stopped at the look on his face.

"I was different back then," he commented quietly. "So were you. Did you know it's possible for a person to fall in love more than once in a lifetime?"

"No," I lied. This conversation was beginning to be a little uncomfortable. I couldn't imagine falling in love with anyone but Nico, but I wondered if my life had gone in a different direction, could I have fallen in love with Max instead?

"Yes, it is. I have."

"With who?" I asked, surprised. "The tooth fairy?"

This time he was the one who snorted.

"I remember you when you were younger," I warned jokingly. "It's no laughing matter."

Then he looked at me solemnly.

"With you." Heck no. Don't do this to me, Max… The look in his eyes was a faraway look, as if memories kept coming back to him. His blue eyes were shining. I hated to burst his bubble, but…

"If you haven't noticed, in the eight years I traveled with you, I've never mentioned an unconditional love for you," I muttered, adjusting Aryryn on my back, my fingers shaking.

"Who said anything about unconditional?" Max snapped back playfully. It seemed like he thought I had some hidden love for him somewhere. Maybe I did, and that was what making me so grouchy.

I ignored him, suddenly focusing on the forest. Not a sound.

"Get down," Max hissed in my ear, pulling me down beside him. I fell obediently on my stomach. Ben and Hanna crouched down behind us.

"Come out, Ryley," Kronos' voice broke the silence. "Be brave for once in your life…"

I shook Max off and rolled away from him. "Wait!" he growled.

I was shaking when I stood up, drawing Aryryn in one stroke. The blade glittered, and suddenly the forest exploded around me.

The birds twittered angrily, shrieking loudly as they dove toward the Titan. The ground cracked under my feet, zigzagging toward Kronos, shuddering. It was then that I noticed that we weren't alone.

Hundreds of demons were facing me, their mouths erupting into malicious leers and snarls. Their eyes glowed evilly in the semi-darkness, as red as blood.

"So this is all the demigods can spare," Kronos laughed coldly. "Just you. Again."

"You never seem to be able to handle me alone anyway," I pointed out, Aryryn's point quivering. "This is just like Athens all over again."

"Not quite, Rylin," A voice whispered behind me. I whipped around.

Chiron was pointing an arrow directly at me, the centaur pawing the ground with his back hooves. My old teacher looked exactly as he had all those years ago. Except his once black hair had turned to gray. I couldn't help it; my eyes widened hugely to the size of dinner plates.

"What are you doing?" I spat.

I heard Kronos chuckle quietly behind me. "My son has finally realized where his loyalties lie. With his father."

Chiron was the betrayer? I felt my eyebrows go up in shock, then I slowly lowered them, narrowing my eyes.

"Alright. We'll see how much has changed," I said, taking a step forward, Aryryn pointed at his heart. "We'll see whether the student has become the master."

I intentionally avoided looking at Max and the others, instead fixing my eyes on Chiron. He looked hesitantly at Kronos, who nodded encouragingly. The centaur's eyes hardened as he turned back to me, instantly releasing the arrow. It sped at me, and I could have sworn it burst into flame as it came within five feet of me. But I wasn't looking at it; I was already dodging, the shaft bouncing neatly off Aryryn and zooming back twice as fast at my old teacher. A satisfying look of surprise flitted across his face before the mask came back as he plucked it out of the air.

At my command, Aryryn burst into flames, the blade racing with tongues of fire that lapped at it angrily. The ground shuddered beneath me as the crack came zigzagging back around from Kronos to Chiron.

"All I want to know is why," I murmured quietly behind him, my glowing blade raised. "Why you betrayed everything you've ever known."

"I haven't," Chiron said in a hoarse whisper. He wheeled around from me, and, setting an arrow to his bow, let it loose at his own father.

Kronos let out a loud bellow as the arrow halted in midair, exploding into a thousand shards that flew in every direction. He pointed at the pair of us, and in a gravelly voice said, "Get them."

The demons flew forward, and to my relief Max, Ben, and Hanna sprang up at my side. The first wave of demons crashed over us, and I forgot about everything as my instincts took over.

Aryryn cut down the first demon, then the second, their bodies disintegrating into dust. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Max's sword flash, instantly plowing through three giants at once. They showered him with dust, and as he launched himself forward at the next one to line up, he winked at me. I grinned briefly back, swinging my sword fiercely at a hellhound that was tracking my movements with its eyes. It let out a mournful howl that resounded even after its ashes had blown away in the wind. The flames dancing along Aryryn flared in the breeze, and in the light I could see the fear in my enemies' eyes.

Finally I had managed to cut a path after Max, and instantly saw where he was heading; straight at Kronos. There was no way I was going to let him beat me, so I pushed myself ever so gently off the ground, vaulting over a Cyclops's head. He swung a huge axe at me, managing to barely nick me along my arm. Aryryn flashed once; the head of the axe slid off the handle, the Cyclops twitching on the ground gripping his slit throat, right before he collapsed into dust. I landed lightly in a crouch, Aryryn poised to strike.

There was no need; my reinforcements had arrived.

Riptide was whirling around in Percy's hands as he neatly sliced through a hellhound; Thalia was a blur as she pounced, the spear barely visible in her hands as she swung it at a demon's head; Annabeth was dodging the fierce blows of a giant, his huge fists smashing into the ground repeatedly as he missed; Bianca and Nico were fending off two Cyclops, their blades sharp edged knives of flowing darkness.

I had caught up to Max; the demons made a ring around the two of us. I stumbled backward, and was surprised to feel his back against mine. Adrenline flowed through me, and I beckoned at the nearest demon; it flung itself at me, fangs bared. Sword met flesh in an instant, and soon I was being peppered in the face by little bits of demon. I danced tauntingly out of the remaining demons' reach; they hissed angrily and moved to the attack. Max's sword flashed in front of me, killing the rest. I glared at him.

"Those were mine."

"You snooze you lose," he shrugged, nonchalantly separating a giant's head from its body. He looked briefly into my eyes, just long enough for me to realize he was kidding, and suddenly he was off.

I moved to follow, but then I heard a cry.

Bianca was fighting hand to hand with a giant, leaning over the fallen body of someone who looked a lot like…

"Nico," I whispered brokenly.

No.

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Gasp. Somebody call the ambulance!!!! Just kidding… *cough* I just ruined the atmosphere…

Well anyway, please R&R!!!!!