Mr D stood and watched Nico disappear. He then turned and signed and spoke for mine and Percy's sake.

"Walk with me,"

"Where to?" I asked suspiciously. After my first encounter with Mr D at the Council of Cloven Elders, I hardly saw him. I would nod when I passed him et the Big House, but hadn't really seen him much. I wondered if he was still off trying to secure the minor gods loyalty.

"Just to the campfire, I was beginning to feel better, so I thought I would talk with you two a bit. You always manage to annoy me."

"Uh, thanks." Percy signed.

"I feel so special." I signed with a small smirk.

We walked through the woods in silence. I noticed that Dionysus was treading on air. He had gone back into his wild Hawaiian patterned shirts and cc aci shorts and sandals, which hovered an inch off the ground. I guess he didn’t want to get dirty.

"We have had many betrayals this summer." he signed with a heavy sigh. "Things are not looking good for Olympus. Yet you and Annabell and Waldo, and Roger-"

"Annabeth, Will and Raph?" Percy corrected, signing their names.

Mr D waved a hand dismissively, and continued to sign so I could follow the conversation, "you hooligans saved this camp. I’m not sure I should thank you for that though..."

"It was a group effort." I sighed.

He shrugged. "Regardless, I suppose it was mildly competent, what you two did. I thought you should know- it wasn’t a total loss."

We reached the amphitheater, and Dionysus pointed toward the campfire. Clarisse was sitting shoulder to shoulder with a big Hispanic kid who was telling her a joke. It was Chris Rodriguez, the half-blood who’d gone insane in the Labyrinth.

Percy turned to Dionysus. "You cured him?"

"Madness is my specialty. It was quite simple."

"But…you did something nice. Why?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I am nice! I simply ooze niceness, Perry Johansson. Haven’t you noticed? Ask you step sister. Her boy was also cured. His was a lot easier to cure..."

"Uh-"

"Thank you Mr D." I signed. I was genuinely thankful. And I smiled at him. I'm positive it was the fire that flickered over his face. But I swear he smiled back.

"Perhaps I felt grieved by my son’s death." He signed and looked at Percy, who looked confused and lost. "Perhaps I thought this Chris boy deserved a second chance. At any rate, it seems to have improved Clarisse’s mood. And your sister. So you're welcome." He signed even though he was talking to Percy, he still spoke in fluent signlaunge and I appreciated everything Mr D had done. He may have a bad rap, but I liked him. He was impertinent too and I liked that.

"Why are you telling me this?" Percy asked.

The wine god sighed, I could tell by the exhale and the way his body kind of sagged.

"Oh, Hades if I know. But remember, boy, that kind of act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet. I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now. Sometimes small things, like friendship, relationship...love...can become very large indeed."

He left Percy and I alone to think about that. And as we watched Clarisse and Chris singing a stupid campfire song together, holding hands in the darkness, where they thought nobody could see them, I had to smile. I squeezed Percy's hand and went to the shadow where Raph was waiting.

I slid up beside him and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I turned into him, and both arms now snacked around me and held me tight to his chest. I smiled as I hugged him back. I could feel the rumbles in his chest as he sang quietly along with the camp song. I felt a stab of sadness, I'd never hear his voice again, but it would be okay... if I still had him. I closed my eyes and pressed my face into his chest. I felt his arms wrap tighter, a hand buried into my hair.

🔆

At ten o'clock I stood on the top of Half-Blood Hill, with Percy waiting for the camp van that would take us into the city. I had said goodbye to cabin 7 and Selina and Clarisse and Beckendorf and the Stole brother and Chiron. Now, I stood waiting to go back to go mortal world.

Percy had made arrangements to leave Mrs. O’Leary at camp, where Chiron promised she’d be looked after. Tyson and Percy and I would take turns visiting her during the year.

I wanted to give Goode Highschool an actul effort for the year. Dad had worked really hard to get Percy and I a second chance. Chiron and Mr Miles worked hard as well working the mist. Mr Miles would actually be teaching art there again, and to keep an eye on me. Apollo had apparently talked to Chiron about me and what happened in the nursing home. Chiron, upon hearing this news had decided it would be good to have a seasoned protected in the school, especially if Percy and I were there together. We would attacked a lot of monsters. But, we were both addimite to try and give it our best efforts.

Mr Miles had volunteered his teaching skills. And I was excited to have him again for Art. As I waited I saw Annabeth and Raph making their way up the hill to come say good bye.

Raph pulled me into a hug and Percy and Annabeth slid slightly away. I noticed how stiff and awkward their body language was. I'd ask Percy later. But at the moment, I turned my full attention to Raph.

"You will come up for visits?" I asked, giving big puppy dog eyes.

"Yes." He signed. "I'm coming for Percy's birthday and your first Friday off. I'm coming to pick you up."

"Ooo. Percy's birthday, you'll meet dad. Ready to meet my dad?"

"I've meet Apollo...if I can meet him without burning to a crisp..."

I laughed silently. And smiled up at him. He tucked a stray hair, leaving a trail of electricity across my skin. He gently ran his fingers across my scar.

"I knew," he let go of me to sign. "that I was yours right after this." He ran his fingers over the scar.

"When I was bleeding all over the place?"

He shook his head. "you brought me back from the battle rage. You're the only one who has been able to do that."

I smiled again, looking up into his dark troubled eyes.

"What's wrong?" I signed.

"The prophecies."

"What about them?" I signed back and cocked my head. He frowned and signed the prophecy we all heard when I was given mouth to mouth by Hippy boho grandma from the attic.

"Daughter of Light the Healer and son of war: that was you and Will, and me. Must journey deep through twist and turn, clearly that was the Labyrinth. To find the sputtering flame who is asleep: find Helios, the Sun titan who's old and senile but was god napped from the nursing home. Awake the blaze within before the earth is dead and cold. That was you, finding your true powers and identify."

I nodded. Not knowing what he was getting at. I pulled my eyebrows together thinking.

"The other one." He signed, getting my attention back.  "Annabeth's one. There was a line missing. They don't make sense."

I agreed. I took his hand and marched over to Percy and Annabeth. Waving a hand to get both their attention I sighed bluntly.

"Annabeth, What was the rest of the prophecy?"

She looked at me hard for a long time, and then to Percy and then to Raph. She fixed her eyes on the woods in the distance, but she didn’t say anything for a long time.

"You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze," I remembered, and signed.

Percy signed and took over for me, I wasn't part of their half quest. "The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. We raised a lot of the dead. We saved Ethan Nakamura, who turned out to be a traitor. We raised the spirit of Pan, the lost one."

Annabeth shook her head like she wanted us to stop. I rolled my eyes.

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king’s hand," Percy pressed on. "That wasn’t Minos, like I’d thought. It was Nico."

"By choosing to be on our side, he helped save us and camp." I added. Percy nodded.

"And the child of Athena’s final stand- that was Daedalus."

"Stop!" She signed, stomping her foot.

"Destroy with a hero’s final breath. That makes sense now. Daedalus died to destroy the Labyrinth. But what was the last-"

"And lose a love to worse than death." Annabeth had tears in her eyes as she signed. "That was the last line, Percy. Are you happy now?"

"Does it have to mean you?" Raph asked, signing his words as well.

Annabeth looked at him.

"I mean... Clarisse lost Chris..."

"I lost Raph. I also lost Percy... Does it have to be you specifically?"

"Excuse you!" She snapped, "it was my prophecy!" Her sign was snappy and aggressive and her face twisted in anger.

"Slow down Goldie Locks! It was just a question! The other prophecy you got was about me so shut up." I snapped back, trying to take a step closer to her but Raph had a hand around my waist pulling me back.

"So you admit it WAS about you?"

I could tell she was yelling as she signed the words. "Daughter of the Light, ne'er she be.
The lost child of Ally, Foe an' Rivalry. Free she must the one to rise, To conquer Heavenly Light and Splendour Sight.
Seven journey home while light walks alone. The ancient rival rises in the west,
Unlikely allies keep hope safe before strife becomes thy biggest defeat."

"Ya? And?" I signed. "do you wanna know who I really am? Wise girl...more like a smart ass. Here. I am Daughter of Apollo, AND the original Titan god of the sun! So ya. I'm the daughter of a Titan. I have titan blood in my veins... A foe and Rival! Deal with it! I raised a fucken Pheonix! I was part of his rebirth and resurrection- so there's your free the one who rises again! We busted out of a dungeon jail cell together! I was also captured by Hyperion and Kronos. I fought them to escape. Your precious Luke tried to recruit me and then kill me. Nice guy. And I don't know who these seven are maybe they were you guys and Nico was the unlikely allie! Maybe it hasn't happened yet! So back off!"

As I signed my hands started to spark and flame ran up my arms. The air around me became hot and dry, as my frustrations and anger bubbles to the surface.

"I've done nothing to you all summer. And you decide to judge me based on a few lines from a cursed Orical my father is tiered and fed up with. Grow up."

I went to turn away and storm down the hill when a sparkle of light appeared next to us, like someone had opened a gold curtain in the air. Standing on the hill was a tall woman in a white dress, her dark hair braided over her shoulder. I exhaled heavily and rolled my eyes. I felt Raph's hand on my back.

Hera, the holy cow! Where was Nico when I needed him? Someone else to meddle with my life. The goddess smiled a tight looked smile as she regarded us. She spoke. I blinked blankly not knowing what she said, but she was looking at me expectantly.

I signed, "someone tell her to speak up."

I felt the vibrations of Raph's body. Hera looked at Raph and then back at me and continued to speak.

"Nope. Still can't hear. Louder please. Maybe some hand gestures. I'm pretty good at charades."

I saw Percy trying hard not to laugh behind her back. I left my face as blank and impassive as if I was looking at a white piece of paper. She finally figured out I was messing with her. She didn't look happy, at all.

"Ya I'm deaf. Thank your step daughter."

She narrowed her eyes and looked around waiting for someone to translate. Again Raph's body vibrated with his deep voice. I crossed my arms.

She turned slightly red and said something, probably more like hissed it. Percy signed for her.

"She says she apparently had hardly anything to do with your quest." Percy signed.

"Good. One meddling god was bad enough!"

Percy snorted and clapped his hands tight, to keep from laughing. Raph suddenly had to cough. Hera was narrowing her eyes again. And said something else. If I wanted I could read her lips, if I really tried...but I didn't want to. So I looked to Raph and Percy to translate as she talked.

"She says to watch it demigod. And something about a threat." Raph signed quickly.

"Great. I'm used to those." I signed back for everyones enjoyment. "I've even been cursed! But Apollo doesn't like when I'm cursed. Same with Auntie Artie..."

The guys were going red trying to keep straight faces. Annabeth however was looking at me like she had only just meet me. Something like begrudging respect on her face.

"You found the answers, as I knew you would. She says our quests were a success." Raph signed as Hera kept talking.

I followed the conversation back and forth, glancing at Raph as he interpreted for me

"A success, Annabeth asked.

I glanced at Annabeth and her face twisting in anger.

"Annabeth says, Luke is gone, Daedalus is dead. Pan is dead. Helios is dead. How is that- Hera cut her off and says our family is safe. Those others are better gone, and she's proud of you, well proud of Annabeth..."

I balled my fists. I couldn’t believe she was saying this. Helios and Pan were gods and she was saying it's better they were no more. That would be like me saying it's between that Lee died, my family is safe.

"You didn’t care about Nico!" I signed and Percy translated for me, because I saw him watching my hands and his mouth moving and Hera's face getting angrier and angrier. "You were happy to see him turned over to the Titans. You wouldn't have cared."

Hera waved her hand and rolled her eyes.

"Hera says..." Percy's sign said, "oh, please. The son of Hades said it himself. No one wants him around. He does not belong."

I was completely disgusted and I wanted to cuss out another god. Raph sensed my immediate flash of anger and protectiveness and as I took a step closer, ready to Super Nova this goddess of the Karen's. Before I could do any kind of lasting damage, he swooped me up and carried me away from the conversation. As he had me over his shoulder, I signed some pretty inappropriate things at her. If she knew how to read sign language, I would have been smited right then and there. And I wouldn't have cared. No one says stuff like that about my family, about the KIDS who fought in a stupid battle because these stupid immortals couldn't get their eternal lives together for ten seconds and wrap it before they tapped every single mortal they saw or bothered to claim their kids or bothered to be responsible!  I internally raged and screamed. If I could have made noise I would have screamed every cuss word I knew at Hera, the Holy Cow.

Raph dumped me on the grass a ways away from Hera and the other two and squatted down in front of me. I looked away, angry bitter and hot tears ran down my face. He took my chin and made me look back at him. He didn't do anything for a long moment. Just looked into my eyes and held my chin firmly in his grip. His dark intense eyes bore into mine, I was mesmerized. I could feel my heart speeding up and I felt Raph's irragar heartbeat. Like he was suddenly nervous and excited. His thumb gently brushed my bottom lip. The muscle in his jaw clenched and did the thing that made my stomach flip flop. A lopsided smirk appeared on his face. His eyes softened and with his other hand he gently brushed the few stray angry tears from my cheek with the back of his knuckles.

He rested his arm back on his knee. His hand still held me in place. He made my head tip up just slightly. He signed four simple words.

"I love you Sunshine."

My heart stopped and my lungs forgot to work. I bit my lip and looked up at him through my lashes, with numb and shaking fingers I signed back.

"I love you too, Hot Head."