"Are you sure that you want to go through with this, Forest?" Malcolm's voice was strained, cautious even. She could feel him shaking slightly from his hand in hers.

"I'm going through with this." Forest said for probably the thousandth time. "Just guide me to the memorials okay? We're wasting time standing here."

Malcolm gave a big heavy sighed but they proceeded anyway. He relaxed his grip on her and they started walking at a slow rate. She could feel the ground beneath their feet turn from grass to cobble stones to round stepping stones. The was a colder air to the place as shadows lurked from an unknown source, the wind playing along as her hair swished in the breeze.

"This place always gives me the creeps." Malcolm whispered to himself. "Always makes me feel like I'm at a graveyard."

"Technically this is sort've like a graveyard," Forest said. "Only the bodies aren't buried... they're burned at the campfire."

"Doesn't mean that ghosts can't be here."

She scoffed. "Honestly Malcolm. It's just the Memorials; the only place at Camp where dead half bloods actually have some spiritual remembrance."

"No surprise though that Silena's and Beckendorf's memorials are the most… presented. I mean, look at them! The gravestones are basically drowning in flowers. You have to be a fool to not look at them and say, "Who were these people? What did they do?""

She shot a look toward where his hand was coming from.

There was a moment of awkward silence as his face burned a crimson red. "Right, sorry." He said. "Forgot, my bad."

Forest shook her head at the ground. The Son of Athena and she stopped walking after a moment when he let her touch a cold metal slate.

"Here it is," he said somewhat proudly. "His memorial."

Forest gave a heavy sigh and nodded, running her slender fingers all around the gravestone. "You can go if you'd like." She said blankly. "I bet Annabeth maybe needs help on teaching those new campers how to read."

"Yeah probably." Malcolm's voice was awkward as he told her goodbye and ran off, the footsteps of his paced jog echoing in her head. "Bye Forest."

"Bye Malcolm."

There was a lonelier atmosphere to the wind as a small chill ran down the girl's back. Is this what Malcolm meant when he said that this place was creepy? She shook her head and focused on her senses, laughter from far off going through her ears.

"I'll beat you to the top!" Connor's excited laugh was coming from the climbing wall nearby.

"Not if I beat you first!" his brother's voice was deeper, somewhat calmer too. "You cannot beat the unTamed Travis!"

"Keep on dreaming butter boy!" Connor yelled back.

She smiled at their fun and focused on her senses for farther up north, towards the beach where Percy and his friends where having a water fight.

"No fair!" Chris was shouting. "You can control water!"

"All is fair in love and war!" Percy called back. How he came up with such a witty remark, nobody knew.

"Oh we'll see about that!" Will's and Jake's voices came from farther in the distance. Hm, maybe they were hiding in the forest from him.

Concentrate, Forest. She shook her head at herself again and sat down in front of the memorial she touched. Concentrate now. Heaving a deep sigh and touching the memorial with both hands, she gingerly traced the words that were carved into the stone:

Joseph McCleen

Son of Athena

Born 1997 Died 2010

Titan War II Hero

"Hi, Joseph." Forest said out of nowhere. "I miss you. Do you remember when we used to have those mud fights and play with fire? When we would always have fun with Phoenix and sneak away during the campfire sing-alongs? Do you remember that Joseph? I hope you do... Wherever you are."

The only response she got was a breeze coming and tickling her hair into a small wave. That and the getting colder because the warm sunlight disappeared over a cloud moving in front of the sun.

"I'm sure that Phoenix would miss you." She talked again to the memorial, not caring if she looked stupid or mental. "I want to ask you if you know where Phoenix went, and if she's alive, but I know that you won't be able to answer me. But if you can, then give a sign. Please. Something as small as a spider coming at my feet or something big like… like your spirit coming to talk to me. Can you do that for me?"

Not even the slightest answer other than the clouds moving again; unblocking the warm sun in a swift motion.

"I'll leave these violets here for you." Her hands went to the front of the memorial where out of the ground, Forest used her powers to sprout some purple colored flowers. "I hope you like them. You said that they were the colors of my eyes once; remember that?"

Wind brushed again at her hair. Another heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I figured so. But anyway I hope you like them and that they remind you of me."

She didn't expect an answer that time so she breathed in the fresh air and moved her shades to the top of her head because already tears were threatening to sprout. There was a hopeless feeling stuck in her chest as time stretched out slower and slower. She felt like she was soon going to drown within her own body and tears.

"What would you say if you were here?" Forest asked one last time. "What would you say if you could talk to me?"

No answer again.

Battle of Manhattan: Forest Lyf's Point of View

"Katie!" I was basically screaming at my cabin leader by now. "You have to let me fight! We're already down in numbers and I'm fit enough to handle a sword!"

"No, Forest." Katie's voice was deep, stern and powerful like it always is most days. "This is not a place for you to be swinging around a sword or aiming an arrow at point blank."

"We're fighting a goddamn war here!" I felt like screaming. "Do you want more people to die while I just stay in this hotel waiting to see who's survived? Do you want me to keep on staying here all alone while Phoenix is out there fighting to the death and Joseph is battling like there's no tomorrow? Really, Katie. Just let me fight. Please."

"No Forest." She said again. "That's the final time I'll ever say it too. This conversation is over."

I heard her footsteps grow distant before I finally got the courage to yell out at her. "It's because I'm blind isn't it?"

Katie stopped dead in her tracks and thanks for my special perfume that heightens my senses, I could hear her turn around and face me.

"Yes, Forest." She said bitterly. "I won't let you fight because you're blind. Okay now? Now why can't you just stay here and help the Apollo kids-"

I had grabbed the sword strapped to me back and went straight at her face. Knowing that she always had a sword as well, she caught the blow using her own weapon.

"I may not be able to see," I sneered. "But I can still hear and feel." I put as much pressure as I could on the sword and pushed the daughter of Demeter back slightly. "And you can go on seeing me as handicapped-"at the last unexpected moment I kicked her legs out from under her body and sent her sprawling across the ground. "-but I can always beat you in a fight. You know that Katie."

There was a small noise of grunting as Katie got up from the ground and glared at me with daggers that I could easily feel. "The monsters can figure out that you're blind." She said stubbornly. "Just one look at your face and they see it; no fierce, battle hungry look in your eyes or angry, vicious snarl coming out. It's only a blank look they get and that's all. Even Luke could see that you're blind."

"Luke's dead." I hissed. "He-who-must-not-be-named has taken over his body and is leading all of this damn bloodshed. He's killed more than a third of our fighters and you're here telling me not to fight because I'm freakin' BLIND?"

"The Apollo people need you." She reasoned. At this point her voice was sounding irritated. "You are a big help to the medical aid staff and can grow all of the healing herbs that we need."

"But you know that's not the case here." I took a stepped close enough to the girl that I could feel her breath on me. Lowering my voice more I said, "You know that the chances of winning this war are grim. Percy may be the prophesied child and have the curse of Achilles, but if we don't get every fighter we have out there then we all die."

"We'll also die if nobody attends to the wounded."

When it came out, my voice was colder than ice. "We'll all die in the end ether way; so why not let me die as a war hero?"

"It's better to die on your feet then live on your knees." Katie recalled; that was an old quote that Joseph had once told us. "You really do think you can fight out there don't you?"

"Why shouldn't I?" there was a calling for medical aid as people came running into the hotel. I could recognize Annabeth's strong moan and Silena's scared crying.

"Di Immortales!" Katie cursed. "Annabeth what happened to you?"

"What's going on?" I asked. "Tell me what she looks like."

"There's a big knife gash on Annabeth's arm, its kind've green and oh!" I heard Katie take some footsteps and the sound of a body falling. I figured that maybe Silena had lost grip on Annabeth so Katie rushed in to catch her.

"I just took a knife…" Annabeth winced. "It's no big deal. Its…" her voice faltered. I detected weakness and more pain that she was letting on.

From over a yard away, I took in a new sniff that was coming from the Daughter of Athena: poison. "There's venom in the wound." I immediately said. "Get her to an empty room and make sure she gets an Apollo camper straight away."

"I'll take her to the room, Silena you better call Percy and tell him to get an Apollo kid." Katie said. There was a couple more winces are Annabeth went and leaned on Katie.

I could hear some buttons clicking and the swishing of hair as Silena used a cell phone. "A-already o-on i-it." She said to my cabin consoler. My ears may have been playing tricks on me but it sure sounded like Silena was now bawling more than ever.

()~()~()~()~()~()~()

I listened again as the only thing I heard was groups of demigods coming in from the retreat that was ordered. The sound of winces, crying, moaning, and breathing heavily was all a tiny blur as I focused in on two sounds that I could detect anywhere.

"Forest! Forest Lyf!" Phoenix Ride called out. "Forest, where are you?"

"Over here!" I raised my hand up to let her see in the mass of people we were probably in.

"Thank the gods!" she whipped me in a hug that didn't feel as tight as her usual ones. I sadly remembered that she had just been fighting; all of her strength was probably drained.

"You're alive!" I exclaimed. "You didn't die out there."

"You're alive too." I could sense the weak smile growing on her face. "You're alive…"

"Where's Joseph?" I let go of her hug and took her shoulders in my hands. "When did you last see him?"

There was a chill to the air as Phoenix took an extra second to respond. "I last saw him when the battle started. We were fighting side by side when we saw Jake singlehandedly battling two hell hounds and I rushed to go help him but… but Joseph went the other way to go help Malcolm against a giant."

I pressed my lips together but nodded, "you both wanted to help your brothers. I don't blame ether of you for separating."

"Is Malcolm still alive?"

"Yeah." I had detected Malcolm's familiar winces from a couple yards away when the retreat was first ordered. His and Jake's when the people first came into the hotel. "Jake's alive too. He made it out."

She heaved a breath of relief, a weight of worry almost gone from her shoulders. "What about Connor? And Travis?"

"I don't know."

Silence.

I took a full feeling of how tired my best friend was. "Phoenix, Fire Bird, you need to get some rest. Please."

"Oh-okay." there was some stumbling as I blindly guided her over to a couch in the lobby to rest on. While at it, Katie called me to help make food for the demigod soldiers.

"Alright, I got to go Phoenix. But I'll see you again okay? I promise." I could hear air slightly moving as she nodded her head.

"Be safe, Robin Violet." I froze as she called me by my real name. I wondered if anybody heard. "Promise me you'll be safe before you leave."

"You know that I can't promise that Fire Bird. You know what it's like as a demigod." My voice shook slightly as I talked.

She took a grip of my hand. "Promise, Robin. Promise it, please. For my sake and Joseph's sake." Her voice was now beyond its weak point. "Promise that you will be safe."

"Forest!" Katie called from a couple of yards away. "Get over here!"

"Fire Bird, I have to go." I tried to release myself from her grip but I knew that this could be the last time I ever saw Phoenix. I didn't want to leave her.

"I love you, Robin." She whispered. "Say hi to Joseph for me will you?"

I realized what was going on now. "Fire Bird, you're not going to die. You can't. Not right now. Not right here."

"I have to. How else am I going to make sure that you and Joseph will make it out alive?"

"But what about Jake and Lance?; all of your other half brothers?" I was starting to cry. "You can't let them go!"

"I don't have to." Her grip was growing weaker. "They know my choice."

"But Joseph doesn't!" I wailed. "He'll die if you die; as would I. you can't leave me alone Fire Bird. You just can't…"

"We're all going to die in the end, Forest." She switched back to my fake name and even though I was blind, I knew that she was looking at me with those wise eyes that not even Malcolm could pull off. "You just got to know how you're going to live."

"Fire Bird?" I touched her face and gripped her hand harder, Katie coming over and pulling me away. "Wait no!" I cried to my cabin leader. "You have to let me stay with Phoenix! She's dying! She's growing weaker! She's-"

"Forest." Katie's voice was colder than ice. "It's over now. Let it go."

That was the last time Forest ever felt trust for Katie. The last time she ever felt Phoenix too because the next time she was allowed out of Katie's sight, she searched everywhere for the poor Fire Bird. There was no sign of her, no Joseph ether. Forest didn't want to believe they were dead, but when Joseph's shroud was burned and Phoenix was still nowhere to be seen…

She just couldn't believe it. She didn't want to. Not then, not now. Not ever.