I. WILL

It takes Will a little while to realize it's a dream. He's used to having vivid dreams. It's an occupational hazard of being a demigod. He normally would have spotted it sooner. But honestly Will didn't want it to just be a dream. This was something Will had wanted as a reality for a little over five years, so he felt his lack of realization should be excused. After all love was known to make people a little blind.

He was sitting on top of the hill overlooking Camp Half-Blood. Will was leaned back against Thalia's pine tree enjoying the warm pleasant day and soaking up heat. It was like his Dad had decided he needed the perfect day. The sky clear and blue and the sun resting just a little past halfway in the sky, allowing for some shadows to relax in. Beside him was a more intimate, but just as comforting.

Will turned feeling lazy and indulgent to find Nico di Angelo sitting beside him close enough their legs pressed together. It was much closer than Nico would usually allow and Will felt a mixture of pride at being allowed into the other boy's fiercely protected personal space and a secret thrill at touching his long time crush.

The day was made even more perfect by the fact that Nico was grinning at Will in a warm, open way that the son of Hades almost never showed anyone. It was a strangely sweet expression and made the smaller teenager look younger, more like when he'd first arrived at camp in one of the most dramatic entrances ever. The sight of it made him feel like a dragon, greedy and protective over this rare, hard won treasure. It made Will want to collect and hoard more of Nico's smiles.

Then Nico's hand settled beside his own the fingers brushing along beside Will's own hand. Not exactly holding it, but the soft, cool brushes made Will feel like a miniature sun was in his chest warming and melting his insides.

Part of him was slightly embarrassed at his flowery thoughts, but most of his mind was too busy enjoying the moment. Nico di Angelo was smiling at him! Nico di Angelo was touching him, for non-medical reasons!

Outside of the soft happy, glow around Will and Nico though he noticed a dark cloud had appeared on the horizon. Will looked away from Nico's smile to frown at the cloud. It made him feel cold. It was heading right towards camp, seeming to suck out the light from the areas it fell over making the grey and shadowed. When it hit the boundary instead of going around like it was supposed to it continued right on its way beginning to darken the valley.

The sight made Will's heart go cold and he saw it rapidly approaching Cabin 7 and he felt the cold slip inside it smothering the sun in his chest. Will didn't know what the cloud was, but he knew he couldn't let it get to the cabin. To his siblings. To the cabin representing his dad in camp.

Will moved to get up, but before he could Nico's hand grabbed his wrist in a strong, ice cold grasp. Will turned to the boy to find himself looking into pale green eyes.

All Will could think was how wrong that was. Nico had brown eyes. A dark brown that would sometimes appear black, but when he was happy it was a warm, calming color.

Not-Nico's smiles turned sad.

"The fall of the sun, the final verse." a voice sang out of Not-Nico, raspy and clearly feminine. Will wanted to scream.

The cloud fell over them and with it came winds, icy and fast stinging Will's unprotected face and arms. He's eyes watered and he wanted to look away, but in the gloom Not-Nico's eyes seemed to glow and kept him pinned in place as his vision blurred.

"The fall of the sun, the final verse." the voice whispered again. This time though it echoed through the wind and came from all sides of Will. It was as if there was more than one Not-Nico and all of them were talking to Will at once.

It had grown so dark that all Will could see was the outline of familiar shoulders and alien eyes. The winds roaring picks up and Will realizes with a shiver of horror that he can hear screaming in the winds. Then he recognizes the source of the pain filled screams and his insides hollow out.

It's his Dad's voice.

Will recognizes the voice from Winter Solstice field trips to Olympus, the only time he'd ever really seen his father.

A rare thing among Apollo campers, who would usually at least have met their father once in dreams by the time they reached Will's age. Lee had met him in person twice before he died. Michael had received a bow personally from their Dad. Kayla had seen him after a choral performance at her school where he'd complimented her singing. All the campers had at least one story. Except Will.

It was horrifying to hear his father for the first time and for it to be him in obvious pain. Will felt chilled and terrified.

The green eyes in front of him begin to flash and Will sees images in them. Quick and gone almost as fast as they appear. A monstrous snake, poison green and unbelievably huge. A golden bow with the string snapped. A roughly, hewn wooden cup, holding a flickering blue fire. A magnificent old medieval castle glowing brightly in a starlit sky. The images seared themselves into Will's mind.

Not-Nico is suddenly too close mouth next to Will's ear. In it he whispers something to quiet to be heard over the wind, but Will does anyway.

Go to Tinworth in Cornwall, England. At 10:23am on August 5, you will find answers. GO NOW SON OF APOLLO. The voice echoed in his mind as the cold froze him from inside out to the soundtrack of his father's screaming.

Will wakes up shaking with a scream lodged into his throat and a strong need to talk to Chiron.