A/n: I can't... I can't update on time, no matter how hard I try. Well, I guess it's good I decided to give you an extremely long chapter today. So, I hope you enjoy and... please don't hate me. (Keep in mind I made this chapter kind of graphic)

Third person pov: Keefe

Grumbling insults under his breath, Keefe ran out of the Neverseen base. So much for  that idea, he thought, I hope Annabeth had a backup plan. Dashing into the open space, he immediately hurried towards where he knew the others were. He didn't know where Tam was, but at the moment, he didn't care. Right then, he was worried about Sophie and the others.

As Keefe ran, he saw Tempest come up behind him. She had lost her cloak, leaving her in a grey tunic and black leggings. Her dark hair was plastered to her scalp, but she looked calm and as determined as Keefe felt. She met his gaze and nodded before dashing ahead. Frustrated, Keefe picked up his pace, annoyed at Tempest even though he had no reason to be.

Keefe didn't entirely understand why he didn't like Tempest, but something about her was off to him. She was overly confident and distant, sort of like he tried to be, except she was actually somewhat good at acting like everything was fine. The similarity between them annoyed him in a way he didn't quite understand.

Running towards the crystal buildings on the horizon, Keefe pushed his suspicions aside and hurried towards the one he knew Sophie, Dex, and Hazel were in. They were his top priority, and he didn't want any monsters reaching them first. He came up to the door and pushed it open, revealing the three teens standing ready. "We need to go," Keefe managed before grabbing Sophie and Dex by their wrists, dragging them out the door with Hazel following close behind.

" What happened, Keefe? " Sophie asked as they ran towards the other buildings to find their friends.

"They already knew what we were planning," Keefe gasped, "And they were ready for an attack of any kind. This wasn't going to work from the start."

" Where are Tam and Tempest? "

"Tempest ran ahead. I don't know where Tam went."

" We've got to find them," Dex stated, "Before the Neverseen does."

"I agree." Hazel sighed, "But right now we need to get everyone back to base."

Keefe and Sophie nodded in approval, "Hazel. Keefe. Go find Annabeth and the rest of the demigods," Sophie instructed, "Dex and I will gather the rest of the elves."

Keefe and Hazel turned and ran across the open grass. The demigods were waiting in various places around them, but they had to find Percy first. Percy could get everyone's attention, even without trying. "Annabeth said everyone would be hiding near their 'element'," Hazel recalled, "So we should look near a water source."

"There are tons of lakes and ponds in the Lost Cities," Keefe told her, " There's got to be one near here. "

The paused running for a while to look around. "Over there," Hazel said, pointing to a pond in the distance, " He's got to be somewhere around there. "

Keefe nodded and they continued their running. After a while, they arrived at the pond, and found Percy sitting on the bottom, having a conversation with... some fish. He didn't quite see how it happened, but Hazel was soon throwing a gold nugget down into the water. It landed in front of Percy, who looked up and saw them, and quickly made his way to the surface. "What is it?"

"We need to get everyone back to the base," Hazel instructed, "But we need something to bring them all here."

Percy grinned, "Get people's attention? No problem." Raising his hands, a powerful jet of water shot straight into the air. Soon after it went up, Annabeth ran towards them. She looked really tired, as if she had been running for a while.

"What's wrong, Percy?" Annabeth asked as she panted .

Percy shrugged, "They told me to get everyone here." He pointed at Keefe and Hazel.

Not long after, the rest of the demigods hiding there - which was all of them except for Jason and Leo - had come and met up with them. 

"We need to get back to base," Keefe instructed, "They know we were going to attack. Come on!"

Keefe took off running with Hazel right behind him. Sneaking a glance back at the Neverseen base, he saw a few figures in dark cloaks walking away from the entrance. Willing himself to move faster, he ran towards the buildings. He weaved between them until he found Sophie and the rest of the elves, including Tam.

 "You got everyone?" She asked him as he approached.

Keefe reluctantly shook his head, "Jason and Leo had a different part in the plan, remember? They weren't with the others."

" They're nearby, though, " Annabeth assured them, "Which is lucky for us."

Sophie nodded before turning to Linh. "Can you...?"

Linh raised her hands and gathered water droplets from the air, shooting them into the sky like a firework. Even though it seemed small compared to Percy's signal, it still got both Jason and Leo's attention. The two demigods arrived quickly.

 "Is something wrong?" Jason asked.

" We need to go, " Sophie said, grabbing a pathfinder from her pocket and holding it up to the light. Grabbing Annabeth's wrist, she opened her mouth to say something when Tempest ran up.

"Guys," she said, " I don't care how much you trust me, but you've got to believe me on this. The Neverseen joined forces with some of the monsters. They sent monsters out on some large city in the Forbidden Cities!"

"They sent monsters? " Sophie and Keefe asked at the same time, though Sophie sounded a bit more nervous than he did.

"Yeah. "

"How do you know that?" Piper asked.

Tempest held up a blue leaping crystal, "It takes you near where they kept the monsters. I went to see if they had allowed any to leave. As far as I know, they've only let out one so far."

Sophie shoved the pathfinder in Annabeth's hand, "Annabeth, get yourself and the rest of you back to the base."

" Where are you going? " Annabeth asked.

"We've got to get rid of the monsters somehow."

Annabeth smirked, "And you really expect us not to come along? You aren't stopping us."

Sophie gave an annoyed sigh, but her expression looked more relieved than anything. "Alright, if you insist."

Tempest held up the crystal and everyone joined in pairs, one elf and one demigod. Keefe ended up taking Hazel, and when he grabbed her hand, he felt her nervousness mix in with his own. Together they stepped into the light.

When they arrived, the city was in chaos. The Mist kept the humans from seeing what the monsters really were, but they saw the cloaked elves easily. Humans were running as monsters roamed the streets.

"I thought you said they released one." Keefe stated once Tempest appeared.

Tempest's eyes grew wide from the scene around her, "They must've let more out since I left."

Annabeth took command, "Alright, listen. If we're going to get rid of all of the monsters, we need to be fast and efficient. Find a monster you can easily counter and beat it. Keep yourself in groups of at least two. Go!"

Hazel and Keefe both ran in the same direction, towards a group of dog like creatures. Keefe only went towards them because they looked cool and were chasing a few humans away, so whatever they saw was still terrifying, but Hazel looked determined. Tackling one of the dog-things into the ground, he pulled out a small knife Ro had given him, trying to injure the creature enough for it to stop fighting.

Looking up, Keefe saw Hazel stab one through the chest, turning the creature into dust. "Keefe, you can kill it." She told him, " Don't worry. As far as I know, they won't stay dead forever. "

"I don't see how that's supposed to make me stop worrying, but..." Keefe trailed off and stared at the dog-thing for a few seconds before shoving the knife through it. Quickly, he jumped off as it dissolved, leaving his knife on the ground. "Woah."

"Good job!" Hazel exclaimed as she killed another one, " There's still a few left."

Keefe looked around and attacked another dog creature. Sure, he'd never killed anything before, but the idea of them not being permanently dead gave him a strange sense of comfort, even with how terrifying the idea was. It felt like everything he did could be changed, and that he wouldn't be taking another life permanently.

Soon the entire pack was dead. "What were those?" Keefe asked.

"Hellhounds. " Hazel explained, wiping the gold dust off her sword, "I'm surprised they attacked so lightly."

Keefe looked around. Everyone was fighting something, and they were all wining. Scanning the group, Keefe panicked when he couldn't find Sophie, Dex, or Tempest in the group. He frantically looked back and forth between each fight, willing at least Sophie or Dex to be in one. He didn't care about where Tempest was.

A sudden explosion drew his attention. An apartment building was covered in scarlet flames. Immediately, he ran towards it, ignoring Hazel's calls to come back. I swear, if Tempest did anything to Sophie or Dex- his train of thought was cut off when he saw what may have been one of the most terrifying monsters he'd seen this far. With the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent, it destroyed everything in its path.

Keefe heard footsteps approach beside him and heard Hazel's small gasp as she stared at the monster. "The Chimera? " she whispered, "How..." She shared a look with Keefe before they moved a bit closer.

The closer they got to the strange creature, the better Keefe could see what was happening. Flames burst from the giant creature's mouth, melting nearly everything it touched. There we're also two elves trying to dodge each attack and deal their own. Keefe nearly sighed with relief when he saw Sophie and Dex, and was about to run up to join them when Hazel grabbed his arm.

"Hazel, shouldn't we help them?" Keefe asked her.

Hazel sighed, "You're right. We should help. But look," she pointed over to the side of the Chimera, where Tempest was standing, watching the fight, "There's got to be a reason she's just standing there."

Keefe felt his face turn into a frown, "I don't care about what Tempest does, Hazel. I just have to help my friends. "

Hazel sighed again and let go of his arm, "I get the feeling. Just, be careful."

Keefe grinned, " I'm always careful! "

"I highly doubt it," Hazel replied with a smile.

Keefe turned and started moving towards the fight. His smile slowly fell as he realized the situation his friends were in. The Chimera was slowly tiring them, and whatever efforts his friends had used were seemingly in vain. Each time they dodged a stream of fire, or the pointed end of the tail, it was but an increasingly small amount. I don't like this...

As he ran up, Sophie managed to see him. She gave him a small smile before transmitting to him as she fought: Don't join the fight.

What do you mean, "Don't join the fight"!?! He thought, You need help!

I don't want you to die, too.

...what? Foster, you won't die.

Sophie seemed to laugh, Well, it's either going to happen now, or at the hands of the Neverseen. Better to complete the prophecy sooner than later.

What are you talking about?!? Foster, you aren't going to die. No one is going to die!

Sophie smiled at him again as she dodged another attack from the Chimera's tail, I'm not going to try to, Keefe. I want to stay alive. But I don't know if that will happen.

Sophie, listen. Everyone will be fine. This is just one difficult monster. You won't...

Sophie looked at him through a stream of fire, which was melting a bunch of those weird transportation box things. Her expression made it clear that her mind was made up, and that she wasn't going back.

Love you, Keefe. And don't be sad. I'll see you soon.

Any sense of judgment Keefe had left was thrown away as he ran towards  the fight. He watched as Sophie looked away and threw a throwing star down the Chimera's throat. Whether or not that actually did anything, he couldn't tell, but it definitely caught the monster's attention, because he swung his head towards her and opened his mouth. Sophie's eyes widened as she stumbled to the ground, facing the horrible monster. She met Keefe's eyes and smiled at him just before the flames surrounded her.

As the Chimera was distracted, he ran below it and tried to use his knife to cut through it's legs. It wasn't much, but at the moment he couldn't think of anything else to do. It also drew attention away from Sophie, which was what he was aiming for. Don't die, Sophie. He thought, Don't die.

"Look out!" He heard Dex call, and he looked up just in time to dodge the Chimera's tail, which had been coming at him.

"Thanks, Dex." Keefe gasped before running towards Sophie.

"No problem, Keefe."

Keefe ran over to what used to be his closest friend. Her body was covered in dark ash and burns, and he could barely recognize it was Sophie. She laid limp on the ground, her skin warm to the touch, with no life showing in her dull brown eyes. 

Unwillingly, Keefe found himself crying. Sophie had been his closest friend, and the only one willing to actually understand how he felt. And now, here she was, laying in his lap, dead. Keefe smiled as he thought about what she had told him. Don't be sad... Well, that's going to be hard. But I won't. A final request.

"Keefe!" Dex called again. When Keefe looked up, he saw the Chimera had decided Dex wasn't a big enough problem, and was now going for him.

Standing, Keefe looked over at Tempest, "Tempest! Are you going to do anything?!?!" He yelled at her. However, he didn't have time to hear her reply because he was running from a jet of fire.

When the flames stopped, Keefe saw Hazel running towards him. She was joining the fight, along with Biana and Annabeth. They all ran towards the Chimera, Annabeth and Biana using their vanishing abilities to stay hidden. Keefe strayed away from the fight, and found himself carrying Sophie away from the Chimera. Once her body was far enough away, he turned, and ran back to the fight.

The 5 of them made much better progress than just Dex and Sophie had. Slowly, they managed to defeat it, though it's tail and fire were still on the table. "Stay as far away from the tail as you can!" Annabeth shouted, " It's poisonous. "

So, of course, the tail became harder to stay away from.

Every time someone tried to go in and destroy the creature, the Chimera's tail would stop them in their tracks. Keefe had to rely on where the tail was going in order to know if he could attack, which meant patience. He didn't want to be patient after what the Chimera had done to Sophie, but it was the only way to defeat it.

"Biana!" Keefe heard Dex call, and he looked up to see Dex pushing Biana away as the Chimera's tail whipped towards him, the end of its tail forming a hole in his side. He stumbled for a bit before regaining his balance, but he was growing more and more pale as the fight went on.

"Dex, are you ok?" Biana finally asked him.

Dex didn't reply, and Annabeth ran over, handing him something Keefe couldn't identify. "It's ambrosia. Eat some of it, and it should help."

Dex nodded, and Biana brought him a small ways away before coming back. She met Keefe's eyes and ran over to him. "Keefe, where's Sophie?" She asked, worry lacing her words.

Keefe hesitantly raised a shaky hand and pointed to where he'd brought Sophie, "She's... right there." His voice cracked as he held back tears  

Biana gasped and gave him a small hug before letting go, in case the monster saw them. "I'm sorry, Keefe."

He sighed and smiled, "Well, she told me not to be sad. I think she meant all of us."

Biana smiled and quickly vanished, reappearing with a small knife in her hand, "What do you say we get revenge?"

Keefe adjusted the grip on his knife and gave her a genuine smile, running towards the Chimera. He'd gotten an idea, but he felt stupid for not thinking of it sooner. Hiding below the monster, he started levitating up until he reached it's stomach. Looking to the side he saw Biana doing the same thing. Without giving it a second thought, he dragged his knife through the flesh above him.

He didn't know if that was actually what caused it, but the Chimera squealed, turning into dust as they dropped. Quickly Biana and Keefe ran away from the disintegrating monster before wrapping each other in a one armed hug. After the creature was entirely gone, Keefe moved away from Biana and walked back over to Sophie, stopping and dropping to his knees beside her.

"Heh, you always make everything difficult, don't you, Foster?" He whispered as he picked her up, "I mean, 'Don't be sad'? That's asking a lot." A tear leaked down his face.

Keefe walked over and set her down beside the others, including Tempest, who'd finally decided to do something besides stand still. 

"Sophie." Dex whispered as he looked at her.

 Biana sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

" As monsters come let humans die, let the Moonlark spread her wings and fly. " Annabeth recited, tears falling, "That's not how I imagined it happening."

"That's how prophecies are. " Hazel whispered.

"Dex, are you okay?" Keefe heard Biana ask again.

When everyone looked over at Dex, he was shaking and pale as snow. He muttered something that started with again? before turning to face Annabeth. "Well, I guess you were right about the poison thing... "

"Didn't the ambrosia help? " Hazel asked.

Dex shrugged, "Maybe for a little bit. But it's not going to heal this."

"Dex, you'll be fine," Biana assured him, " We can get you to Elwin, and he'll help. "

Dex laughed sadly as he turned towards Biana, "Maybe..." he sighed and smiled at her, "Hey, Bi... Can you do something for me?"

" Dex... " she fought back the flood of tears that was welling up in her eyes. 

"Please, Biana?"

" Dex, if you want to do something, do it yourself, once you're better. "

"And if I don't?"

" You will! " Tears were running down Biana's face now.

Dex sighed, "Please. Just, in case I don't. Can you promise me something? "

Biana smiled at him, but it was hard to tell through the tears. "What is it?"

Dex looked at Sophie's charred body, "Tell our parents that I'm sorry. Please? "

"Dex, you have nothing to be sorry for-"

"Actually, I do." He took a shaky breath, "Please, Biana. Can you?"

Biana wrapped her arms around Dex in a hug, "I promise." Her voice was quiet and broken.

Dex smiled before he stopped moving. 

"No..." Keefe muttered as he watched Biana pull away from Dex's unmoving body.

" Dex...? " She asked him, "Dex?" She shook his shoulders gently. "Dex!" She stared at his pale lifeless face, tears streaming down her face. Sobbing, she hugged his body tightly as if that would wake him up. 

Keefe knelt down and wrapped an arm around her, staring at his two lifeless friends. Really, Sophie? Don't be sad. You're making this a lot harder than I want it to  be.