A/N: I know, it's been an obscenely long time. I'm so sorry. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and I can't begin to apologize enough for the wait.

Luke swung the backpack over his shoulder, his hand laced tightly in Silena's. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, giving a final dab of eyeliner under her lashes. "Yes. Is Nate coming?"

"I think so," Luke replied. "He's just grabbing some more things for the road." Weapons. He hesitated, but decided to leave the issue unsaid. The prophecy had worried them all enough; he needn't remind her of the approaching strife.

With a last stare across the cramped Hermes cabin, he tried to pull her out the door. The endless rows of sleeping demigods... if it was the last time he saw that image, the image he used to despise, then he didn't want to dwell on it.

"Wait, Luke." She put a soft, buttery hand against his chest, holding him in place. "Don't you want to say goodbye to your siblings?" She cocked her head, and he could practically hear the edgy tremors of her heart. Regret began to swallow him, eating up the pride at being chosen by his friend; if they found danger on this quest, if she was killed... he would never forgive himself. Not ever. Nate asked if he wanted to bring her, and he said yes. He was to blame.

"Goodbye," Luke said awkwardly. Several of his half-siblings stood to give their sendoffs, even though they would be at the formal ceremony later. Silena probably assumed - wrongly, that is - that Luke wanted a more private moment with them. He didn't. They were only related on his father's side, what did he care for them? There was only one person he wanted to say goodbye to - two, depending how you considered it.

"Meet you at The Big House?" he asked, nearly pleading with her.

She raised a hand to stroke his face, brushed her glossed lips against his. "Sure." For all her vanity and obsessions with status, Silena had moments of unparalleled clarity. Besides her silky hair and voluptuous body, it was the reason he valued her presence in his life.

"Thanks." He broke into a sprint, though he couldn't explain the hurry. They wouldn't leave without him, surely. "Thalia." He sank to his knees before he realized what he was doing, and stretched his hands out to the mulch and earth. His spine curved a fraction further, extending his hands to the curves of her roots. "Thalia... if I die out there, I need you to take care of Annabeth." He snorted, the absurdity of the request dawning on him. Grover and Chiron would be more likely to look after her, Percy at their heels. The thought of the younger boy made him stiffen, and a frown bubbled up from his flawless face.

"I used to say that to you, when we hunted monsters," he said, his chest hollow. His voice thickened to an affectionate, plaintive timbre, and he wondered just how long he'd been missing her this hard. "On the nights you didn't insist on coming with me, I told you to take care of her. Whatever happened." His eyes narrowed up at the turban of green leaves, willing them fall and drown him here; if he could be with her, cuddled up inside that trunk, then it would all be better. He paused, shocked at the macabre of his thoughts. When was the last time he'd felt so depressed? Silena had made those months go away. "I hate my dad as much as I used to, if you're wondering. I'm not going on this quest to protect him..." he said, heaving a watery sigh. "They want us to kill some monster out there, a really dangerous one, and I'm doing it to protect Annabeth. But I hate Hermes," his voice rose, "I hate him!"

"You shouldn't say those things." The voice caught Luke by surprise, and the blonde boy felt his face flush. He turned, and found Chiron beside him. The centaur pursed his lips, at a bit of a personal crossroads. He'd avoided direct confrontation with Luke for months now, but it seemed time for a discussion. Though the boy seemed willing to follow orders, if only for his friends, he was clearly off his rocker. Troubled. Angsty enough to become a problem. Swallowing, Chiron trotted forward and inhaled deeply.

"You know Luke, my father is a Titan. Kronos." He smiled a wry smile, kindness brightening his eyes. "I'm not... well, I'm certainly not a fan, either," he said. "But Luke, we can't control our parents. We only have to know that, most of the time, they care about us in one way or another."

"Most of the time." Luke's voice was flat, infused with the even bitterness of someone thrice his age. "But not always." Too angry to hear the rest of the lecture, he tightened the bag around his back, swiped a hand over his face, and plodded back to the cabins.

Chiron followed with tentative haste, wanting to speak to him more, but Luke had been intercepted by the time he reached the boy.

"Luke!" Annabeth barreled straight into her older friend, blonde curls tangled around her head. She hid her face in his uniform, tiny body struggling to melt into his. "Take me with you," she begged, "Take me with you!"

"I can't, Annabeth," Luke muttered. He pushed her off with Grover's help, oddly annoyed. He'd planned to have a nice goodbye experience with her, tell her just how much he cared about her, but he felt too angry at the moment. Her sorrow over avoiding danger made him steam, if only because she could never understand this. Besides, he heard how she idolized her mother. The great Athena. The woman who left her under the care of two young kids... How the Hades did anyone think they were safe in this world?

"You okay there, Luke?" Grover asked. The Satyr looked worse for the wear, if not entirely tattered. He rubbed his horn twice before meeting Luke's eyes.

"I'm okay," Luke said, evincing an impressively bright smile. "Ready to set off."

Annabeth moaned quietly, and Percy gave her a funny look. "Why are you so upset, Annabeth? He's gonna come home real soon!" The childhood innocence of Percy's voice tap-danced on Luke's nerves in a way that nothing else could, and he had to clamp down on his tongue.

"He's my best friend," Annabeth said, defensive. "I don't want him to go without me." She strapped herself around Luke's waist, and the older boy felt flattered. His anger with her evaporated.

Percy's face fell. "I'm not your best friend?" His lower lip jutted out, and the two began to quarrel. It ended with Chiron's interruption, his shout that the send-off ceremony would begin shortly. Annabeth returned to Luke's leg, crouching on his far side, and Percy mirrored her behavior with Grover.

"Girls are stupid," Luke heard him whisper. Annabeth stuck out her tongue, but remembered herself quickly when Chiron held up his hand

"Today we send off three of our beloved campers," he said. Was Luke imagining it, or did the old Centaur's voice shake as he spoke? "They are leaving to fight a dangerous monster - one who poses great danger to our world." No demigod dared stir, though Luke did seek Nate and Silena out in the crowd. The former looked sturdy, proud at leading the quest, and Silena looked silently disturbed. He wanted to move forward and comfort her, but he couldn't desert Annabeth just yet.

"Under the lead of Nate Desdon, Luke Castellan and Silena Beauregard will be leaving camp on the first Quest of this year!" The crowd erupted with enthusiastic, not too jolly, cheers. Luke beamed in spite of himself, copying the expressions of his fellow travelers. "So," Chiron went on, "with the best hopes for their return, let's wish our campers a great departure!" Giving Annabeth a final squeeze, he strode forward with grim determination. Ready or not, this was it.

A/N: :D I hope you liked it! Please, please review (and try your best to forgive me for the wait). Much love.