Hola! Just added the finishing touches on this chappie this morning- hope you like it as much as the ones before! I'd like to thank all my faithful reviewers…you guys rock!

Disclaimer: No duh.

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Seconds later I was looking down at him, blinking away the tears in my eyes, hating myself with all my heart, wishing desperately that it could have been me instead of him…

Blood was pooling on his chest, and it looked like the giant had gotten him with an axe, the wound was so deep. I tore Alyssa's cloak off me, pressing it gently against the cut. I stared in horror down at his closed eyes. His ragged breathing was all I could hear, blocking out every other sound on the battlefield.

I barely noticed Bianca freeze, the giant seizing his opportunity. She fell to the ground, bleeding freely.

I whirled around, Aryryn slamming the giant across the head. He flew back fifty feet, crashing instantly into a tree. I watched, unseeing; as soon as he crumbled to dust, I turned my attention back to Nico.

"I'm not dead yet," he croaked, his eyes suddenly flying open. "Take care of my sister."

His voice accepted no refusal.

To my surprise, I leaned over him quickly, my lips brushing against his for a fraction of a second. I blushed for a moment at my own daring, relieved that he had closed his eyes again.

I turned quickly, but apparently not quick enough. "Thanks, Ryley," Nico breathed unconsciously, his breathing returning to normal to my relief.

I focused my eyes on Bianca. It looked to me like something was broken. There was no blood, she was just extremely pale. My hands were shaking as I pressed gently against her stomach; she let out a cry of intense pain.

"I'm sorry, Bianca," I whimpered. "Sorry."

I was torn, the two sides of me arguing. On one hand, I was in love with Nico; I couldn't just let him die if it was in my power to save him. On the other, I couldn't help but think of Bianca as the sister I had never had; she had always been there for me. I wanted so desperately to save both of them, but if I had to choose one of them…?

Suddenly someone shouldered me to the side. "Leave her to me."

Who…?

Artemis grinned at me, her teeth sparkling. "You've done enough, daughter of Pan. My thanks go to you for bringing Bianca back to me." The goddess hovered around her Hunter, and I watched, overcome with awe, as Artemis' Hunters made a protective circle around us. Thalia was at their head, looking pleased with herself.

I gave Artemis a grateful smile, turning instantly back to Nico. He was looking slightly better; at least his breathing had returned to normal. Alyssa's cloak was soaked with blood, dripping slightly when I gently lifted it from the wound.

The wound had disappeared.

I widened my eyes at Alyssa's cloak, which was blowing innocently in the wind. There was no way…had Lyss known something like this would happen? I felt so amazed at the brilliance of Lyss's whole plan. She had brought Max back from the dead, found Ben, and somehow managed to convince him to find Hanna. She had then orchestrated my death like she was planning a party, returning to give me my life back.

Had all of this been her plan from the beginning? Was she more powerful than I had ever given her credit for?

I stared in wonder as Nico pushed himself up, my hand gripping Lyss's last gift tightly.

"So," he said quietly. "I believe I owe you for saving my life."

His black eyes were full to the brim of some unnamed emotion. I found myself entranced, frozen and hanging on his next words. But there weren't words to describe how I felt, or what was happening inside me. Time had stopped in its tracks; the only thing I could see at all was Nico. And I didn't want to see anything else.

Maybe at last I had found my place in the world.

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"No!" the Lord of the Sky's voice rebounded around the room. "I will NOT allow such madness."

"You are being blinded, brother, by your hatred. It has nothing to do with her, and yet you persist in your accusations!" Poseidon's voice grew stronger; this time a hint of anger weaved in between his words. "She has done all she could to try to earn your respect when it was her father that betrayed it in the first place! You are allowing this to scatter your judgment as it has before in the case of Hades' children."

Zeus shook his head furiously at his brother. "I will not allow this! I forbid it."

Athena's eyes were fiercely glowing. "With all respect, brother, we will go to war with or without your permission. Typhon has been awakened, and the matter is no longer entirely in the demigods' hands."

"Pan is dead, and yet you continue to blame the girl for her father's crimes." A voice said thoughtfully, menacingly. "You have no evidence to support that she has done anything wrong. Even now, your daughter is down there, helping out the girl. Perhaps we should do the same."

Hades walked casually out of the shadows, a floating apparition following in the form of a girl. "My own daughter says the same, don't you, Alyssa?"

The ghost nodded fervently. "Lord Zeus, Rylin has done nothing wrong. Please do not pile your blame on her; she already has her hands full fighting for your children."

Poseidon spoke again. "Perhaps you are thinking not only of Rylin's father, but also of her mother?" He gripped the trident, feeling a wave of fury fill him. Zeus could be so stubborn.

Alyssa sucked in a breath. What?

"The daughter of Pan doesn't know, does she?" Zeus said quietly, directing his question at Hades. "About her mother?"

"Of course not," he said smoothly. "That secret has long been buried. I have made sure of it."

"The Titans have been our enemies for so long," Athena murmured to herself. "We should make her the only exception. Look what she has done for us. Even now she's giving her life for the fight; look how fiercely she fights for the demigods, even though she is not one of them…"

Alyssa couldn't help it; her eyes widened. "Father," she whispered. "Rylin IS a demigod."

Hades looked at Zeus, who nodded at him. The Lord of the Dead fixed his eyes on his daughter.

"Not at all. She's a goddess." Hades explained, his dark eyes emotionless.

"That's why you wanted her soul so bad," Alyssa muttered. Then in a louder voice, she added, "Who was her mother, then?"

Zeus raised his eyebrows in surprise, gripping his lightning bolt in one hand.

"Why, Gaia, of course."

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I stared blankly at Nico, my heart doing cartwheels. What the heck is wrong with me?

As if he was thinking the same thing, he looked away, toward the figure of Artemis leaning over his sister. I caught a quick glance at his eyes as he turned; they were full of uncertainty.

"Nico," I sighed impatiently, "You still don't believe me, do you?"

"It is a bit hard," he admitted, and I saw how his eyes fell bitterly on the far away figure of Max, who was forcing his way through the crowd of demons toward us. I felt a surge of annoyance, and it must have flitted across my face, because Nico stared impassively at me.

"Max is just my friend," I insisted, turning my head. "You mean more to me than he does. And I'm gonna prove it to you." Aryryn lay across my lap, the blade gleaming in its own special way, the light flowing across Nico's face. He was so close…

He leaned in toward me, and I shivered, closing my eyes. I could feel his cool breath against my face, and anticipation spread through me. Nothing mattered anymore; the battle didn't matter, stopping Kronos didn't matter, Max didn't matter.

At last his lips gently pressed against mine. They were ice cold, burning lightly in a good way, sending waves of ecstasy through me. I had never been this happy. His forehead brushed mine, and as we broke apart, I looked deep into his eyes. He was still only inches away, and a numb feeling filled me at the thought of the war. What if he didn't come back…?

As if he was reading my mind, or reading my eyes as he had always been able to do, Nico moved closer to me again. "I'm not leaving you. The war can wait."

I met his gaze, feeling like I had betrayed him with my feelings. "I have to, Nico. I need to fight this war; I'm the only one who can stop Kronos. Well, besides-"

"Me," Max said calmly, plopping down next to me in the grass. "You're not gonna ditch me, are you, Rylin?"

I felt Nico open his mouth behind me; I elbowed him sharply. "No, you know I won't, Max. I've been waiting all my life for this." I toyed absentmindedly with Aryryn's strap. Max's gaze slid past me and rested on Nico, his blue eyes curiously devoid of emotion.

Suddenly Zeus's son leaned in close to me. "You're not seriously going to throw everything away for Alyssa's stepbrother?"

I looked at his eyes and saw the concern hidden there. "I love him, Max," I murmured. "And I'm only doing what you would have done for Alyssa. Not me. Lyss."

He recoiled back from me like I had stung him, and I heard Nico sigh with satisfaction behind me. I whirled angrily on him. "Couldn't you possibly be more sensitive?!"

Nico's voice was full of venom. "Not with him."

I turned back to Max, anxious to see how he was faring. But he was doing quite well on his own. His eyes were hardening into blue ships of ice as he glared at Nico. And that was when I realized who they looked like. Zeus and Hades had quarreled, long ago, but I had still been there to see it. And they had looked exactly like my two best friends; like at the first chance they had they would stab each other in the back.

I stood up abruptly, my eyes blazing angrily. "Could you guys possibly stop fighting?! We have enough going on without you two biting each other's heads off! If you won't stop for the war, then stop for me, before I go kill myself!"

I watched, fuming, as Nico made a valiant effort and failed. Meanwhile, Max had somewhat regained control of himself (and from one look told me it was entirely because I had threatened to kill myself) and was studying Nico coolly, like he was some interesting squashed bug he had found on the bottom of his shoe.

Nico's face was flickering. Finally he settled for an impassive expression that barely hid his loathing. I sent him a look. "Behave yourself," I hissed under my breath.

Max ignored Nico completely. "I'm going now," he informed me, his voice slightly icy. "With or without you."

I shot a quick glance at Nico. "I'm coming."

Nico looked grim, and suddenly I knew what he was going to say right before he said it.

"Count me in."

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Just so ya'll know, Gaia is the Titan of the earth and Kronos' mother- that makes Rylin his stepsister! Surprise surprise!

Whoop! Nico and Ryley and Max vs. Kronos! Couldn't get much better than this… R&R PLEASE OR I WON'T WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER.