The next morning was full of excitement. An Aethiopian drakon had been spotted at the border of camp before Lee, and a handful of his archers chased it off.

"It's still out there," Lee told us during the morning announcements. "Twenty arrows in the damn thing, and we've just pissed it off."

Chiron patted him on the shoulder. "This has happened before, and it will happen again."

Quintus, the new sword instructor, whom I'd been ignoring since he got the job. I couldn't remember exactly why, but he gave off bad vibes.

As soon as breakfast got started, Chiron brought Grover over to the Poseidon table, Tyson looking nervously as the satyr sat, leaving the dining pavilion.

There was some chit-chat, and I apologized for messing up Grover's hearing before Annabeth took a seat next to me.

"Hell yeah, stickin' it to the man!" I cheered, ignoring the raised eyebrows and muttering from the other campers. It was technically against the rules for campers to sit at tables that weren't their parents, but it happened enough that I'm not sure anyone but Mr.D cared.

Nico and Thalia joined us, Thalia sitting next to Percy, and Nico sitting next to me, across from the son of the sea god.

"Listen, I know the conversation that's about to happen, and I'm not interfering. Just let me zone out in peace, and let me know when you leave the table?" I asked Annabeth, watching her roll her eyes and explain her theories on Pan and how to help Grover, while I finished my breakfast and thought about what I was gonna do while they quested. If the same four went, maybe I could convince Chiron to let me go on a mission.

"I'm sorry guys, but I have to go," I mumbled, standing and leaving without really paying attention if they heard. I was busy looking for Chiron, finding him in the big house.

"Uh, sorry. I don't wanna interrupt, but can we talk?" I asked, catching him, ending an Iris message.

"I can spare a moment. Come in, you three." The centaur told me, and I turned to figure out what he was talking about, Thalia and Nico right behind me, the fact of which made me scream in fear.

"Don't do that. That is terrifying." I told them once I'd gotten my nerve back and walked further inside.

"I'd ask you both to leave, but this must be fate," I mumbled, looking at them both. Yes. Aside from my father, they were the ones most likely to live.

"I defy the gods when I tell you, but -" I was interrupted by Thalia.

"Alex is from the future. He knows what's coming." She told him, Nico getting excited at the thought of me being some sort of time traveler, but he kept silent for now.

"Uh, well, I guess I'm not defying the gods after. That's how I know so much. And when I was face-to-face with Luke, I felt a connection, and I knew that it was because of me. Luke and I are the same soul. I am Luke's rebirth." I told him, pausing to give a dramatic finish to my plan

"I think I know where Luke is, and if don't get to him soon, there's no going back for him. I need to go on a mission to save him, to try to at least, because I'm not just some random guy from the future, I'm Luke's rebirth." I told him, my words getting more frantic the more I spoke.

"Would that not remove you, changing such an important thing?" He asked, rolling his chair over. It seemed that I'd had his curiosity before, and now I had his full attention.

"No, I kind of exist outside of the normal rules of time. When Luke died, his body was the vessel for Kronos, and since their body turned to ash together, Kronos chose to be reborn with Luke, their essence becoming one in the next life. I'm not a diety, but that's because I gave up my power and immortality for the safety of the Ophiotaurus." I explained, going into too much detail before finally stopping.

Chiron didn't speak for a moment, the atmosphere heavy in the room as we waited for him to speak.

"Do you truly believe Luke can be reasoned with?" He asked, and I could see that he let himself have a small bit of hope before it left his face.

"When I saw him, my soul cried out with his own. He's hurting, afraid, and thinks he's in too deep now to come home. That isn't true. It's never been true."

Chiron listened closely, and I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking.

"This would be a mission of total secrecy. No one outside this room would know, and should you require aid, it would not come to you." He warned us, and his grave tone drove the message home.

"I'm aware of the risks, and I accept them." I turned to Thalia and Nico, trying to gauge their responses.

"I wanna go!" Nico told me, excited at the idea of going on a quest.

"Luke's my friend. If there's a chance to save him, then I want to go." She spoke, confident in her choice.

"Then the matter is settled. You will be leaving as soon as you're packed. You are welcome to take what you need from the camp store." Chiron spoke, the three of us looking at one another before heading to get our stuff.

Of course, I managed to run into Annabeth outside of Cabin Three, waiting for me. She could read expressions better than me. Or maybe my worry was just that easy to spot. This was my idea, but I didn't want to get my family killed.

"What's wrong?" She asked me, and I almost told her what we were doing.

"Going on a mission for Chiron. Thalia and Nico are going with me."

"To do what? How long will you be gone?" She asked me, and I silenced myself by kissing her forehead, taking a moment to gather myself before I lied.

"Our mission is secret, but we'll get back before you do," I assured her, not getting to finish my sentence before I was pulled down into a proper kiss.

"Come back alive, all of you." She told me as she let me go, not questioning my cryptic wording. Instead, my pinky wrapped around hers, and we shared a moment of peace.

"I will." Came my breathless reply, letting go only so I could grab my things, coming back out and finding Nico and Thalia waiting with Annabeth and Percy.

"Have fun fighting giant scorpions." I joked, slinging my bag over my shoulder and looking at the other two.

I stopped to whisper to Annabeth, not wanting to upset Thalia before I kissed her cheek and pulled away.

"Okay, guys, I'm gonna steal a car, so let's get going." I half-joked, walking to the border of the camp.

"Alex, I, I just, I-" Annabeth called, and I turned, walking backward with a grin.

"I love you too, Annie," I called back, waiting until I could see her turn bright red before turning back, glad I could tell her, just in case I couldn't keep my word.