•as the world caves in•

•whats lost is found•

We stopped when Rachel folded over, heaving. I hunched over and let out sobs, Annabeth doing the same.

Luke was truly gone from us. Nothing would bring him back.

"What was wrong with Luke?" Annabeth asked through sobs.

Percy told us everything. The way Luke was in a coffin with Kronos's name on it, the last piece of his sprit entering when Ethan pledged his loyalty.

"No," I gasped. As much as I tried to accept Luke was gone, this was the final blow. "That's not true! When Rachel hit him he was dazed, he came back to being Luke!"

Annabeth sat down, holding her knees as she cried. I scowled at Percy, tears running hot. "You want him to be evil! You don't know him like we do!"

"What is with you?" Percy snapped. "Why do you two keep defending him?"

"Knock it off," Rachel tried.

I turned to her. "Stay out of this! If it wasn't for you..."

My voice broke and I slid down the wall, sobbing. Annabeth grabbed my hand and squeezed it, I squeezed it back. We were the only ones who really understood our pain.

Percy knelt next to me. "Coriane, I'm sorry. We need to move."

I was surprised he actually called me Coriane. But I got up and wiped my eyes, bringing Annabeth with me. "Yeah I know."

Percy froze and I looked to where he was focused on. His flashlight was lit on a Rasta cap. The one Grover wore.

I grabbed his cap and quickly forgot about camp as I chased the footsteps, seeing Tyson holding Grover. Tyson explained something to Percy. Grover was almost seizing in his lap. Annabeth grabbed water and splashed it on him. "Pan! He's beyond that door."

"Carlsbad Caves. New Mexico." I muttered as Grover leaned on me. "Explains Grover's episode last year."

We waded through chilly water until we reached an area where a dodo bird stared at us. On the bed laid a satyr, watching us.

Grover fell to his knees. "Lord Pan!"

Pan looked tired and smiled weakly. "This is one of the last wild places. This one will be undisturbed for a little longer." He smiled to Grover directly. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true, I chose well. I have slept many eons, my dreams have never been so dark. I wake up and each time my waking is shorter. We are near the end. I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago, I announced it to Lysas, and he tried to spread the word. Your kind never believed it, sweet and stubborn satyrs read used to accept my passing and I love you for that. But you only delayed the inevitable."

Nico looked sad. "He's dying. This is more like a memory."

"Gods cannot die, but they can fade." Pan explained. "When everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power and their sacred places disappear. Grover, the wild is so small, so shattered that no god can save it. My realm is gone, that is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, the dryads and other spirits of nature that I am dead. They must stop waiting for me to save them. You must take up my calling. Everyone." Pan told all of us our futures, and he looked to me. "Daughter of Aphrodite, your time is coming you will play a great role, and earn so much, though it's not what you expect."

Grover nodded slowly as Pan finished. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now... I release you."

Pan turned to smoke, wisps of his energy. The animals looked to us sadly before turning to dust. The cave was dark now. A little of the smoke went into me, I was part of Pan.

Grover stood and took his cap from me. "We should go and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."