Good news was that Will wasn't afraid of falling asleep during his watch. Bad news was he couldn't sleep at all after his encounter with Gaea, even if he tried.

Nico and Reyna had slept soundly through the whole thing, which made him think Gaea must have been talking to him in his head, the way she nearly hypnotized him at the zoo. The apparition of her couldn't have really been her, either. They would have felt the temperature drop or heard her footsteps. She wasn't really there. But she knew where they were, which only made Will more paranoid that she'd decide to change her mind and attack them at any moment.

He was putting them in danger. Part of him wanted to sneak off into the night and run as far away as he possibly could before they had a chance to stop him. But he wasn't naive. He knew he wouldn't survive out in the world alone for even a day.

Besides, he'd miss Reyna and Nico too much to stay gone for long.

Nico woke up first, immediately checking his surroundings to make sure Will and Reyna hadn't vanished in the middle of the night. He took one look at Will and his eyes widened.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, tugging his hands through his disheveled bed head. "You look like you've seen a ghost. And not the friendly kind."

Will realized he was still curled into the fetal position on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. His fear and paranoia probably showed in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and gave Nico a small smile.

"I'm fine," He said. "Just... lost in thought," He paused. "There are friendly ghosts?"

"If you know where to find them," Nico said. "Wandering spirits make great friends sometimes."

"Oh here he goes again," Reyna muttered, still half-asleep. "Are you going to reminisce about the good old days when you'd spend all your free time in the Underworld chatting it up with Persephone and playing fetch with Cerberus?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "No, I wasn't going to do that, Reyna. I thought you were asleep."

"I was," she said, sitting up and stretching out like a cat, "barely. Besides, we don't have time to waste sleeping; we've got a big day ahead of us. I say we Iris message Percy as soon as the sun's up high enough to make a rainbow. The sooner we talk to him the better."

Nico made a face at her. "Do we have to?"

"Yes," she snapped. "Face it, Nico, as much as you hate to do this, we have no other choice."

Nico groaned. "Fine, let's just get this over with." He stood and started making his way down the beach. "I'm going to go get some more fire wood."

Will tried to hide the smile on his face as he watched Nico walk away. It brought him an odd sense of joy to see Nico so unenthusiastic about this whole situation.

Reyna cleared her throat, catching Will's attention. He looked over to see her grinning at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You were staring," she said.

Will tilted his head. "I was?"

"Yes," Reyna laughed and shook her head. "You two are both so blind it's ridiculous."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Reyna sighed and laid back with her hands behind her head. "Nothing. You two will figure it out eventually."

Will didn't get a chance to ask her to elaborate, because Nico returned a second later with his arms full of logs. He knelt down and added them to the pile, wincing slightly at the tug on his left shoulder.

"It's still bothering you," Will said. It wasn't a question. Apollo had blessed him with exceptional power and he couldn't even fix a measly shoulder wound because he was too nervous around Nico to make the hymn powerful enough.

"Don't worry about it," Nico said, as if he could tell exactly what Will was thinking. "You tried your best. That's all that matters. Once we get to camp I can have someone in the infirmary take a better look at it."

Reyna helped him spark a small fire and the three demigods huddled around it, grateful for the heat. Even though it was summer, without the sun shining, the early morning brought brisk temperatures. They ate a makeshift breakfast of granola bars and leftover fruit from the basket Piper had given him.

At the break of dawn, Nico and Reyna set off to work creating the connection for their message. Reyna pulled a compact mirror from her bag and walked down to the shore of the beach, submerging it in a shallow pool of water. After a few minutes of adjusting the position so it was angled perfectly at the light and waiting for the sun to rise higher into the sky, a small rainbow reflected off the surface of the water.

"It's... smaller than I expected," Will said.

"But it'll work," Reyna said, taking a drachma from her bag and handing it to Nico. "I'll let you do the honors."

Nico reluctantly took the gold coin from her hand with a sigh. "Oh Iris, goddess of messengers, accept my offering," he murmured. He tossed the drachma and it disappeared into thin air. The rainbow shimmered in front of them and, a moment later, a messy head of curly blonde hair appeared in front of them.

"Huh?" Reyna tilted her head. "Annabeth?"

The blonde girl had been asleep in a dark room. She turned around on her bed and it took her a moment to realize where the noise was coming from, but when she recognized her old friends, she grinned widely.

"Reyna! Nico!" she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I thought I'd never see you guys again. But you do realize it's about two in the morning here, right?"

Reyna waved and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Listen, Annabeth," Nico said. "We need to talk to Percy. I thought I called for him, but-"

"Oh, he's here. Percy!" she called out. A few seconds later a young man, about nineteen, came into view. He peeked his head out from behind Annabeth's shoulders and squinted through the dark, muttering something about Annabeth interrupting his dream.

So this was Percy Jackson. Will glanced over at Nico, whose eyes had widened and cheeks were flushed bright red. It took him a second to realize why: Percy and Annabeth had been asleep together. In the same bed. Oh.

Both of them were still fully clothed, of course, and they didn't seem the least bit embarrassed to be seen like this, so it shouldn't have bothered Will much. But he could still feel the heat rising to his cheeks. No doubt his face was as red as Nico's. Reyna, one the other hand, looked completely unaffected. As if she were used to things like this.

"Well this is a nice surprise," Percy laughed. "I thought you two might have disappeared off the face of the earth. It's good to see you two again." He glanced at Will and his smile wavered slightly. "Who's this?"

"A friend of ours," Nico said quickly, not bothering with the full introduction, which Will was grateful for. He got tired of the shocked and awed expressions when people realized who he was. He didn't exactly think his tragic childhood deserved praise and admiration. "We had something we needed to ask you. I - we need your help with something."

"Name it and it's done," Percy said immediately.

Reyna and Nico exchanged a concerned glance. "Well," Reyna said, "it's kind of a ridiculous request..."

"Are we talking pink poodles ridiculous or murderous grains ridiculous?"

Reyna blinked twice. "What?"

"Nothing, never mind," Percy shook his head. "What are we dealing with here?"

"You know the Athena Parthenos, the giant ancient statue that caused the whole Greek and Roman rivalry?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, the name rings a bell," Percy said sarcastically.

Annabeth turned and whacked him on the shoulder. "What about it, Nico?"

"We have it right here on the beach," he replied casually, leaning out of the way and gesturing back with his thumb, revealing the view of the statue to them. "And we need to get it across the Atlantic Ocean. Preferably by tomorrow. And we need your help."

Percy and Annabeth stared blankly.

"I know it's an outrageous request," Reyna said. "but you understand how important this is, right?"

Percy paused to think for a moment. "Of course we understand how important this is. It could change everything. But I can't guarantee anything. The Gods are still in limbo. If it's Neptune we're dealing with, this may not be so easy. But if Poseidon is on my side, it just might work."

"So what you're saying is you'll do it?" said Reyna.

"Of course," Percy said. "I'd do anything for you guys." The connection started to flicker out and the image of Percy and Annabeth started fading. "I'll be on my way first thing in the morning. Where are you?"

"Lisbon," Nico said quickly. "We're on a long beach in the west. I don't know the exact coordinates but maybe I can-"

"Don't worry about it," Percy cut him off, the connection becoming more unstable every second. "I'll find my way there. See you in a few hours."

"Thank you," Nico said. Not a second later, the image of Percy and Annabeth disappeared and the three of them were left staring out into the ocean. Nico groaned and flopped back onto the sand. "Well that could have been worse," he muttered.

"Stop being so melodramatic," Reyna rolled her eyes. She stood, walked over to the Athena Parthenos and leaned against it casually. "You're lucky we have weird friends like Percy and Annabeth who will hear things like 'Yeah, we stole a statue and need you to travel more than three thousand miles in a day to come pick it up for us' and they agree without hesitation. I mean, who else could say they have people who'd do that for them?"

Nico groaned again. "Don't remind me. I talk to him for the first time in three years and this is what I ask for." He kicked his feet in the sand and hid his face in his hands out of frustration.

"Where exactly did you steal this from?" Will asked, dragging his hand across the base of the statue. "I remember you mentioning guards looking for you when we first met, but where exactly were these people guarding it?"

"A high-security, world renowned museum in Rome," Reyna said. "It was a piece of cake compared to some of the other things we've done. It was originally hidden underground, but long story short, word got out about its possible location and it was retrieved and put on display. The legend behind the statue dates back centuries, it's popular among even mortals, so they jumped on their chance to have a legendary symbol of Greek and Roman history in their museums."

"Which of course means we stole it back within a week," said Nico. He sat up and folded his arms across his chest. "Retrieving the Athena Parthenos was originally a solo quest granted to Annabeth by her mother -"

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume she's Athena's daughter," Will said.

Nico nodded. "She barely got started on her way before the incident where they were driven away from Camp Jupiter. It wasn't really Leo's fault that he fired on Camp and essentially started a civil war, of course, but in all the chaos and violence, we were all driven even further apart and the seven of the prophecy were never able to finish their quest. The second Great Prophecy never came to pass."

"Second Great Prophecy?" Will asked. "What was the first?"

"The first centered happened when the Titans Kronos and Krios tried to overthrow Olympus a few years ago," Nico explained. "The second is: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall, an oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the doors of death. Foes being Greeks and Romans of course.

"You've already met five out of the seven mentioned in the prophecy," Reyna said. "Piper, Hazel and Frank, and of course, Percy and Annabeth. The other two are Leo Valdez and Jason Grace."

Will immediately recognized Valdez as the last name of one of the women Gaea had mentioned the night before, one of the women she'd killed along with Marie Levesque and Adalynn Solace. No doubt she was Leo's mother.

"They were on their way to Rome to retrieve the statue and close the doors of death in hopes to reunite the two sides so they could fight together to destroy Gaea. Needless to say, that last part didn't really work out..." Nico awkwardly let his sentence fade off.

Will decided not to comment. Of course, it hadn't been the other demigods' faults that his life had turned out the way it did. Gaea had controlled and destroyed all of their lives since they were young. They couldn't have prevented his fate any more than he could. Instead he decided to ask, "What are the doors of death?"

"Thantos' personal gateway into the Underworld," said Nico. "Gaea took control of them and left them open in Tartarus. At one point I was planning to venture down there myself to see if I could find them, but I never got a chance to."

"That's why the war is so difficult right now; souls can freely return from the dead," Reyna added. "Technically, Percy and the others could continue their quest where they left off and they could still succeed. Annabeth failed following the Mark of Athena, but with us returning the statue, it might help put them back on track."

"So that's why you're doing this?" Will turned to Nico. "To help Percy?" He sounded more hostile than he intended. He saw the way Nico looked seeing Percy and Annabeth together; he knew there was still something there, however small that something may be. He tried not to show it, and he hated to admit it, but he was slightly jealous. "And your other friends?" He quickly added.

"That's part of the reason," Nico said carefully. "That, and the fact that I want this war to be over. I want there to be peace between both sides, and I want to be accepted again..." he became very quiet. "And I don't want anyone else to be hurt by Gaea's evil. I don't want her hurting anyone else ever again. I want you to be safe."

Nico stared directly at Will. It was the same endearing look he'd given him at the campfire the night before. Suddenly some of that jealously melted away and was replaced with flutters in his stomach and his heart beating hard against his ribcage.

He silently scolded himself. He'd already decided the night before that his life was so fairytale, and Nico definitely was no prince charming. They had a quest to complete and an evil goddess to destroy. He couldn't let his budding feelings complicate things more. And yet he couldn't shake the fluttering feeling he got in his stomach at the idea of Nico caring about him that way. After all, he'd been in love with Percy. The idea wasn't too far fetched.

"You're doing it again," Reyna muttered.

Nico tore his eyes away from Will and looked at Reyna. "Doing what?"

"Nothing," Will lied. He wracked his brain for the first excuse he could come up with. "Sorry, I can't really focus. I'm just... tired." It wasn't a total lie. He was so distraught from Gaea's appearance the night before that he hadn't even thought he could get to sleep if he tried. But now it was well into the morning and the exhaustion was creeping up on him.

Reyna folded her arms over her chest. "Oh, really?"

"Really," Will insisted.

Nico, however, seemed to think it was a legitimate enough answer. "Get some rest," he said. "Reyna and I will wake you if anything happens."

Will nodded gratefully and walked back over to their campfire without another word. Drowsiness washed over him the moment he laid down on one of Reyna's pillows and shut his eyes, and within two minutes, he was asleep.

The nightmares came almost immediately.

He was on a hill, hiding in the shrubbery with two unfamiliar teenagers, a boy and a girl, both dressed in bright orange tee-shirts. He guessed they were younger than him, but all three had camouflaged themselves so it was hard to tell what either one really looked like. He was younger, he could feel it. Maybe fifteen?

Nico was there too, albeit shorter and paler than his present self. And he and Will were arguing.

"We know," Will was saying. "But if you're planning to shadow-travel to that command tent, forget it."

Nico glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Coach Hedge told me all about your shadow-travel. You can't try that again." He didn't know who Coach Hedge was. Majority of what he was saying made no sense. So much of the nightmare was unfamiliar, yet he felt an odd sense of connection with what was happening around him.

"I just did try it again, Solace. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I'm a healer. I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. Even if you made it to that tent, you'd be in no shape to fight. But you wouldn't make it. One more slip, and you won't come back. You are not shadow-traveling. Doctor's orders."

But Nico didn't listen. He defiantly summoned the shadows around him to surround him. Suddenly his face contorted into a look of pure horror. Nico fell backwards into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness, fading away, screaming for help. The souls of the dead seemed to be reaching out, dragging him down and shrieking in delight. "Join us!" they said. "Come be where you belong!"

The scene shifted.

Reyna was being held up by the arms by Noah and Caleb. Claire lay unmoving at her feet, unconscious... or worse. Reyna didn't even put up a fight, and instead she was reduced to tears staring at the body of her friend. Octavian stood a few feet away, cruelly smiling and caressing a sharp knife in his hands.

"That's what happens to traitors, Reyna," he shook his head, as if he had even a hint of regret. "Now it's your turn."

It was a public execution A surrounding crowd of Roman demigods roared enthusiastically as Octavian took four agonizingly slow steps up to Reyna and gently placed the knife against her chin. Will cried out "No! Stop!" He tried pushing his way to the front of the crowd to no avail. He was trying to get someone, anyone to notice how wrong this was, to stop Octavian. But he was invisible among the sea of Roman legionnaires.

Octavian slashed across her neck in one swift motion. Will screamed out as the river of blood poured from the wound before the scene changed again.

Hazel, crying and screaming as the world collapses around her. Frank, growing weaker each second as a flaming stick burns away in his hands. Piper, desperately grabbing at the hands secured tightly around her neck, gasping for breath. Percy and Annabeth, clutching one another as they fall into endless darkness. The images flashed by quickly, death and pain and despair, one right after the other.

Then suddenly everything stopped moving. He was back to his present-day age. This time he stood alone in a desolate field. But he wasn't really alone. He could feel her all around him, seeping into his bones, rattling him to the core.

"Give up, Will, or this is the fate your friends will face." Gaea's voice crept into his mind again. "Don't forget, I have complete control. You may have gotten away once, but you'll never stay away from me forever. I will have you back, Will Solace. And anyone who helped you escape will pay with their lives."


"Why don't you two just tell me the truth?"

"Which is...?" Nico questioned Reyna.

"That you're developing a massive crush on him, and he probably feels the same way," Nico opened his mouth to protest but Reyna didn't give him a chance to defend himself. "You can't deny it, Nico. "

Nico frowned. "Oh, right, like you can't deny the way you were making cow eyes Claire. And then you stayed up for two straight days thinking about her."

Reyna gaped. "I did not! I was just worried about her, that's all."

"Right," he teased. "It took you a year to compliment my sword fighting skill, and you were just showering her with praise twelve seconds after she bumped into us - which, by the way, really hurt." He exaggeratedly pouted at her for emphasis.

"I said something about it once. Maybe twice, but that's it! And it's only because I remember how awful she used to be when she first got to camp. She's older than when I last saw her, obviously," Reyna said. "And she's extremely brave, braver than I was when I was her age. She's an amazing fighter. Definitely improved from how she used to be. But-"

"I was just worried about her, that's all," Nico mimicked, rolling his eyes.

Reyna glowered at him. "Iré a meter mi pie hasta el momento por el culo serás al gusto lo durante una semana."

"I'm going to pretend that was a compliment."

Reyna shook her head and laughed sadly. "What are we even doing here? Talking about feelings and relationships when we have a world to save."

Nico nudged her with his elbow. "Who says we can't do both?"

A strangled cry tore them away from their conversation. Will whimpered loudly in his sleep, tossing and turning. Nico and Reyna were on their feet and at his side immediately.

"Should we wake him up?" Reyna asked.

Nico shook his head. He knelt down and gently pushed the blonde curls from Will's face. At his touch, Will stopped fidgeting and relaxed a bit. After a few more minutes, his dreams ceased entirely and he lay as still and peaceful as ever.

"Wow," Reyna breathed. "How are you doing that?"

"I'm not doing anything special," Nico shrugged. "My mom would hold my hand or hug me close to her and sing me lullabies in Italian when I was little and I had nightmares," He said quietly. "Bianca did it too, when I was a bit older and mom wasn't around. It always helped me calm down. I figured it would work for him too. There's just something soothing about it, the contact combined with the music... That does not mean I'm singing for him," he clarified. "I don't sing. That's his whole deal."

They sat in comfortable silence for a long while after that. Occasionally, Will would start fidgeting in his sleep again and Nico would take his hand and slowly rub circles into the back of it with his thumb. Eventually he resigned to letting Will sleep with his head rested in his lap, which seemed to effectively stop the nightmares altogether.

"You're right," Nico said to Reyna sometime later, after the sun had begun to set and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore reduced to a faint splash.

"About what?" she asked.

"Me. And him," Nico replied simply, gazing down at Will's sleeping face.

Reyna smirked. "Oh, I know. I just wanted you do admit it."

Admitting it out loud wasn't even the strangest part. He'd found it weirder that he'd admitted it to himself so easily. For years, he was in denial about who he was and how he felt towards Percy, and it had taken him so long to open up to someone about it. With Will, it seemed much easier, much more natural.

To think, the confused and naive and insufferably annoying demigod boy he'd met a week ago was actually growing on him to the point where he could honestly say he felt something growing between them. Nico wasn't that same ten-year-old hopelessly idolizing someone who'd never love him the same way. It felt liberating.

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise in the distance. He glanced out onto the dark horizon, where we could just barely see a ship breaking the surface of the otherwise calm waves. Standing at the boy of the ship was a young man whose dark hair was tousled by the wind. The ship was traveling at an insane speed; the ocean seemed to be using every wave it could muster to push the ship, like it was being controlled by another force. Which could only mean one thing:

Percy Jackson had arrived.