The Future Is A Dark Pit

by mel-chan1003

(For newcomers, please read the Advent Calendar first and proceed from there.) Once more, it seems like the end of the world is just around the corner - though this time, there's no prophecy to guide them as our four guys and their team take it upon themselves to get the contract signed, while everything seems to be falling apart around them. But will they make it through this?

10. Chapter 09: Help

A/N: Hey Cupcakes!

Here comes the next chapter!
I'd warn you about the angst, but I'm certain you already know what to expect by now..
Still, check the Trigger Warnings though, this is one of the bad ones.

Thank you so much for all the feedback and comments! They mean the world to me!
Special thanks as always to my amazing beta-reader. You're still the best(est) :3

Wish you all the best, and see you in two weeks!
- Tári

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Trigger Warnings:
- Angst
- Depression / Somatic Disorder
- Kyle is an asshole
- Fear / Dread / Panic
- Graphic Depiction of Battles / Fighting / Blood / Injuries / Pain
- Graphic Depiction of Surgeries / Medical Procedures / Severe Injuries
- Manipulation / Possession
- Possible Death / Death ! !
- Explosions

On another note, there's smut somewhere in here ._.

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Chapter 09: Help.

Percy stared into space, feeling rather detached from the rest of the world.

What even was the point? Of anything?

If there was a point, Percy couldn't find it.

He felt something slide off his leg and looked down slowly, watching the book about flower meanings falling from his thigh, then off the bed.

Maybe he could have caught it, but he didn't try, instead watching it fall and hit the ground with a quiet thud.

What was the point of looking through it?

Why had he thought flowers would be a good idea?

Jason probably didn't even like flowers.

Hell, chances were that nobody liked flowers, and it was just something the flower shops had thought of to get money.

'Hey, look here, you might think you don't like flowers, but they are awesome, buy them here!'

Nobody liked flowers.

Flowers were stupid.

Percy wondered how stupid he must have seemed to Jason when he had kept going on about them.

He had even made him take him to another park, and for what? For nothing.

Gods, Jason must have been positively embarrassed.

Not to mention Will, who had actually bothered getting Percy the book that was currently gracing the ground.

Percy gazed down at his hands listlessly.

They had to think he was nothing but a childish fool.

What was he doing, wasting his and their time with something so trivial such as flowers?

He should be doing something useful.

His exercises, for example, so he could get back into training and fight alongside Jason in the battles outside New Rome.

There was the sound of footsteps next to him, and Percy saw Will out of his peripheral vision as he bent down and picked up the book.

"Did you find anything suitable yet?" Will asked as he passed it back to Percy, but Percy didn't look at him, and didn't grab it.

What for?

It was all pointless.

Will kept holding out the book to him a moment longer, apparently still waiting for a reply.

Then he sighed and sat down on Percy's bedside.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is it no good? It's the only one they had on hand. If you want, I can send somebody to pick up a different one, thought."

Why would he bother doing that?

Oh, right, because Percy was a toddler that would undoubtedly be happy with some other stupid thing to keep him busy.

And there, he had thought if he only tried hard enough, he could cheer them up and get things back to how they were before.

What a wild fantasy, indeed.

Nico was still unconscious and didn't seem to be interested in waking up any time soon.

Jason was out there, risking his life without Percy, because Percy's arm was just as useless as the rest of him.

Will was busy healing them and the occasional camper from Camp Jupiter when there was an emergency, but not enough medics on hand.

Percy must have been delirious when he had thought he could be there for them in any way.

Maybe he could blame the pain killers, though he knew his guys knew him too well for that.

They knew he was an immature child.

They knew he was useless.

That was why Will kept him from training, and why Jason hadn't told him about the battles outside New Rome until he had come back beaten and bloody at 4am in the morning, outpowered and exhausted and at the brink of consciousness, but alive and whole.

Percy wished Nico was awake, because Nico would have surely yelled at Jason for doing something so stupid.

He had kind of thought Will might do the deed, but Will had merely jumped off his chair and had half-carried Jason to the small bed at the wall to lay him down and assess his injuries and take care of them, even though there had been no sunlight around and Will shouldn't have had enough energy left.

He must have gotten stronger.

Everybody was getting stronger.

Everybody, except Percy, who seemed to become more of a dead weight with each passing day.

"Percy? Talk to me, Gorgeous." Will said softly next to him, but Percy averted his gaze.

He wanted to be left alone.

In a way, he didn't want to be alone – he wanted Will to stay with him and hug him and lay down with him and let him feel the warmth of his body for a little while.

But at the same time, he wanted to be alone, he wanted Will gone, he wanted everybody gone and wanted his peace and quiet and he wanted to simply keep existing in this bleak bubble of nothingness that seemed to engulf him.

Will touched his shoulder, and Percy tensed, tempted to lash out at him.

But then, he realized that would take more energy than he felt he possessed right now, so he merely exhaled and kept his face averted, deciding he didn't care anymore.

What was there to care about, anyways?

The world had already taken everything he cared about, there was nothing more.

"How about I look through the book with you? I'm sure we'll find something nice and pretty for Jason." Will suggested, and Percy scowled, pushing the book away when Will tried to put it back onto his lap.

"What for? It's just some dumb flowers. Nobody cares, Will." He snapped, then felt a tinge of guilt as he realized Will was only trying to help.

He saw his blue eyes widen in surprise, and quickly turned his head away again.

Whatever.

It didn't matter.

Will should just leave him alone, and if he was as good at reading Percy as he kept claiming he was, then he should have known that, so it was his own fault for sticking around and bothering Percy.

"I care. And I know you do, too." Will then said quietly, and Percy crossed his arms in front of his chest, his sword arm promptly beginning to ache.

He ignored it, the pain just another testament to his uselessness.

"I don't. It's childish and stupid, and Jason won't care either way, anyways. He doesn't even want them, to begin with. Nobody would. It's all just bullshit." He ranted, and with every word, he felt more aggravated, yet when he finished speaking, he felt more drained than ever.

"I think it's a very sweet idea, and I know Jason would be very happy to receive flowers from you, especially after how much thought and effort you put into it." Will countered, and a part of Percy wanted to scream to drown him out, though he wasn't quite sure why.

He didn't care, either, though he didn't scream – instead, he turned his entire body away from Will.

Whatever.

Who cared?

Behind him, he could hear Will sigh, and the sound made his insides churn both in annoyance and hurt.

He hated it when they sighed.

It was just another way of telling him he had disappointed them.

Frustrated with himself and the world, Percy kept his back to Will, hoping he'd get the hint and leave, though he also kind of wanted Will to stay, anyways.

When Will did stay, however, he was only even more annoyed than before, though he simply gritted his teeth and kept his focus on the faraway window, trying to tell the time by the light outside – which was pointless and stupid, because the alarm clock was right next to him on his bedside table.

He didn't bother to look at it, though.

Instead, his focus shifted to the sound of turning pages behind him.

"I like that one." Will said quietly, and Percy scowled at the window.

Who cared what Will liked?

He was just trying to get Percy's attention so Percy wouldn't feel bad about himself.

Well, Will was out of luck, because Percy didn't even feel bad about himself anymore, he had already resigned himself to his fate and was just waiting for them to come to the same conclusion as he had.

"This one is also really pretty." Will mused, and Percy grumbled to himself.

Another page was turned, followed by Will humming thoughtfully, and Percy turned his head ever so faintly to maybe catch a glimpse of what he was doing.

Will wasn't paying him any attention, his gaze fixed on the book in his hands as he turned the pages and looked at photos of flowers, before intently studying the name and meaning beneath.

"Wow, I'd so get this one for you, Percy. You know, I never knew much about flower meanings. It was more of a thing for the Demeter kids, I only ever studied which ones were poisonous and which herbs to use for what. However, looking through this now, I definitely missed out. Did you know that the rose symbolizes love, but the tulip is supposed to be the declaration of love? Kind of unfortunate, because I don't like either." Will told him without looking up as he turned the pages until he was on the page for tulips once more, studying it with an almost pitying expression on his face.

Then, he went back to the page he was on before and turned it so Percy could look at it properly, even though Percy had clearly shown him he had no interest in that nonsense.

"See? It would be perfect for you." Will said, and Percy's eyebrow twitched as he felt the curiosity winning him over slowly but surely, his body turning back towards Will ever so inconspicuously.

Then, he grumbled to himself and caved in, moving closer to Will to take a look at what freaking flower he was talking about.

"Ha-ha." He huffed in disappointment and frustration and crossed his arms in front of his chest again, even if it made him wince.

Of course.

The snapdragon.

"Because I snapped at you?" He guessed drily, but Will only shrugged and grinned at him as he climbed onto his bed to sit down beside him, one of his legs promptly thrown over Percy's for no reason other than his comfort, apparently.

"That, too. And because of Festus and Peleus, because I know you like them. And because I thought you'd like the flower because it's exotic and has a cool name. Also, it apparently symbolizes graciousness and strength. So, definitely suits you." Will summed up, and Percy had to grudgingly admit that his reasoning made him feel a little better, even though he still thought all of this pointless.

Shouldn't Will be reading his textbooks that he usually devoured?

Percy didn't need a pity party, nor did he need anybody to entertain him.

He might behave like a toddler, but he didn't need the supervision.

"You know, I still have my flowers. They're in my photo album." Will said conversationally as he turned the pages once more, the book placed between them so they could both look inside, even though Percy hadn't said anything about wanting to look at it again.

"I still love them. They remind me of that day, and of us, and of smiles and sunshine and good things, you know? Good memories. You might think now it's just a small thing, something trivial, but then, you see those flowers and you just remember, and, sometimes, there's nothing better in the world than one good memory at the right moment." Will explained softly, and Percy tilted his head slightly, listening even though he had half a mind to discard his words immediately again.

He didn't, though.

Instead, he looked down at his hands – or rather, at his hand clutching his damaged sword arm, even though it wasn't really hurting right now.

Percy remembered, too.

He remembered seeing those little flowers and thinking of Will, and he remembered the way Jason had seemed so confusingly delighted once he had heard of his plan, and how he had crouched down next to Percy in the middle of the path, just to let him look at the flowers.

He remembered picking the prettiest ones and cradling them to his chest, worried they would die until he got them to Will safely, and he remembered the momentary rush of adrenaline and panic at the thought of Will laughing at him, or disliking the flowers, or brushing him off and sending him away.

Percy took the book from Will, remembering the surprise in his gaze when Percy had held them out to him, just those few little flowers that he hadn't even known the name of, much less the meaning, just something stupid and small that he had just found so unbelievably necessary in that moment that it couldn't have waited even an hour.

And he remembered the joy in Will's eyes and the happy grin on his face, same as he remembered the way Will had just grabbed and kissed him, and the world had seemed perfect for once.

It was a beautiful memory, and one Percy had only had a few days ago, when Jason had been by his side and Percy had tried so hard to think of something nice to tell him, any good memory that could cheer him up.

Percy turned the pages of the book, trying to find the ones he had taken into closer consideration earlier.

That was why he had wanted to pick Jason flowers, wasn't it?

To cheer him up, yes, but also to give him such a memory, too.

Something that wasn't 'Percy picking flowers for Will while I was around', but something that was 'Percy gave me flowers because he loves me the same way he loves Will and Nico, and he wanted me to see that'.

Percy just found one of his pages, when he snapped the book shut again, a sense of shock surging through him.

What was he doing?

This was stupid! There was no point in looking for flowers, he had already established that!

Just because Will was playing babysitter, that didn't mean Percy could just fall back into this nonsense!

He had to exercise, practice, train, do something useful with his time!

Percy deflated and stared at the closed book in his lap, trying to solve his internal conflict, but it only seemed to get worse the longer he stared at the book and did nothing.

A hand touched his shoulder, and he glanced sideways at Will, who met his gaze for a moment, before looking down at the book and nudging it gently.

"Are you ever ashamed of me because of the way I am?" Percy asked, and it was a stupid question, and Will would undoubtedly be confused as to where that even came from, but it was a question Percy felt compelled to ask.

"No." Will replied without a hint of hesitation in his voice, and Percy's heart leaped for a moment, before the doubts were back, and he wondered whether Will was actually serious, or whether he was just trying to make Percy feel better.

They were in a hospital.

People were dying.

And Percy was looking up what orchids symbolized.

"I mean it. Why would I be ashamed, Percy? You're one of the kindest and sweetest people I've had the fortune to meet. We share the same humor, your sass is always appreciated, and I must have told you a hundred times already that I love you just the way you are, no matter if you snap at me, drool into my hair when you sleep, or try to convince me to go ice-skating with you in the middle of the night before the ice melts." Will told him, and Percy remembered that, too, a small smile hushing over his lips before it disappeared once more, together with the momentary hint of joy.

That was just another example of how immature he was, wasn't it?

"You know, there's nothing wrong with being a little different than others, and there's definitely nothing wrong with doing something that makes you and others happy, Percy. Don't let stupid stuff like that tear you down. You didn't let it get to you before, don't let it get to you now, yeah? If anybody gives you a hard time because you want to do something you enjoy, let me know and I'll spike their next meal with laxatives." Will told him with a confident nod, and Percy huffed to himself.

"What if I'm the one giving myself a hard time?" He asked against his better judgment, and was surprised that Will didn't seem surprised in the slightest as he shrugged and let himself fall against him slightly.

"Well, in that case, I'd of course help you solve whatever inner conflict your facing."

Will said that so easily.

"And how would you do that?" Percy asked, intrigued despite himself.

Will leaned against him even more and let his head rest on Percy's shoulder with a thoughtful hum.

"How would you like to be helped? I can listen to what's bothering you if you wish to talk about it. I can hold your hand if you just need some physical contact. I can hug you and let you cry it out without ever mentioning it again if that's what you want to do. I could also kiss you and tell you repeatedly how much I love you and how badly I hope you're never gonna grow out of that childish joy you still possess sometimes." Will mused, and Percy hated how easily he said all that and still managed to get beneath his skin, making his heart beat a little faster and the rest of him tingle with hope and the faintest hint of joy again.

Percy let out a long, deep breath.

For a moment, he was so tempted to slump back against Will and tell him he didn't know what was happening to him, that this wasn't like him, and that he didn't know what was going on.

But Will already knew all of that, and if Percy had the choice, he'd much rather take those kisses than whine about things he wouldn't understand, anyways.

"I'd like that." He whispered, and even though he didn't specify what he meant, Will seemed to understand, anyways, because he maneuvered an arm around him and gave the side of his head a kiss.

"So, what flowers did you consider so far?" Will asked him softly, and it was still stupid, and still pointless, and still trivial, but Percy reached out for the book anyways and searched for his favorites, showing them to Will withed mixed emotions.

Will looked at them intently, as if trying to memorize them by heart, and Percy both anticipated and dreaded his opinion on them.

"Those are wonderful choices." Will said as he looked up to meet Percy's gaze, and it seemed honest, even though Percy was inclined to believe he was just humoring him.

"You think so?"

"I know so. They're beautiful. All of them. I can see why it's difficult for you to decide." Will told him, and Percy shuffled closer a tiny bit.

"I was…thinking of maybe getting him more than one. Because I can't decide." He muttered hesitantly, and Will started grinning.

"Oh, he'd love that. You know what a hopeless romantic he is. Hey, what if you make a whole bouquet of various flowers, and then have him figure out what they mean? Or! Even better! Write him a note, Percy!" He exclaimed, now seeming even more excited about the whole flower-idea than Percy had been, and Percy frowned at him in mild confusion.

"Why? He doesn't like reading."

"Percy, please, we all loved those notes you left Nico throughout December. You have no idea how many times I've fantasized about getting something cutesy like that, too – and no, you're not allowed to make fun of me for that. But, seriously, Jason loved that, even more than I did. Why do you think that I thought he was the admirer? He looked forward to those notes almost as much as Nico did." Will told him, and Percy felt betrayed.

When he had mentioned the idea of another Advent Calendar to Jason, Jason had been the one insisting it wasn't necessary, and that he would be happy with something simple like daily kisses – and now, Percy found out about this.

Jason would have some explaining to do.

"But I wouldn't know what to write! I used up all of my creativity for that Advent Calendar, and back then, I couldn't just go and tell Nico all those things I wanted him to know. With Jason, he already knows!"

"Who cares? Gorgeous, you could write 'Percy Grace' in your messiest handwriting on a tiny piece of paper, and Jason would probably get it framed or put it in his photo album with roughly 300 hearts doodled around it, and grin like a maniac every time he saw it. Knowing him, you could draw two stickmen holding hands with 'Percy and Jason' scribbled over it, and he'd show it off to everyone and brag about how wonderful you are. That…sounds like a proud dad, to be honest, but you get what I mean." Will rambled, and Percy felt both flustered at the 'Percy Grace' part, as well as indignant about the assumption that he couldn't draw more than simple stickmen.

Of course, he couldn't draw anything better than stickmen, but it was still mean of Will to point it out like that.

"If anything, I'd write 'Percy Di Angelo Solace Jackace', just so you know." He sulked, and Will snorted out a laugh and let his head fall back against Percy's shoulder.

"Of course you would. So, what do you say?"

Percy contemplated his options, and how pointless all of this was, but also how badly he wanted to do it, and that it couldn't be all that bad if Will was encouraging it, too.

Then, he shrugged off his doubts and smiled at his boyfriend.

"Let's do it."

...

There was a loud knocking on the door, and a hiss.

"Hey, hey, is this the right door? Guys, shut up for a moment, I can't hear anything. Will? You in there? We wanna surprise you, but we don't wanna barge into the wrong room or catch you guys at something. Hello? Anybody there?" Ash's voice sounded much too loud for their intentions, and Will glanced towards Percy, who was sitting in his bed with raised eyebrows and an amused expression on his face.

"This is the right room." He called over, and there was the sound of several people sighing in relief.

Then, there was the sound of several people arguing, before there were several hisses from the staff that they should shut up because this was a hospital.

Then, silence.

Will shook his head with a smile, while Percy looked adorably puzzled.

"Did they change their minds?" He asked, but right as he finished, the door was thrown open and five demigods came tumbling in.

"Surprise!"

The medics outside hissed and groaned and slapped their foreheads, but Hannah merely kicked the door shut to block them out.

"Guys! Hey! What a surprise!" Percy greeted them easily, and Will was still shaking his head to himself, though he gave them a nod in greeting, anyways, while putting Nico's charts into his bedside table and straightened his blanket a little.

"I know, right? Reyna finally gave her okay. How are you doing? Gods, it's so good to see you alive, Percy. Your boyfriends might not have told you, but you looked like shit when you were half-dead and covered in blood." Ash told him cheerfully, and Will wasn't surprised that this was the person Percy got along with best.

"Well, he was half-dead. I don't think anybody would look good in that situation." Hannah deadpanned, but Ash waved her remark off.

"You'd manage, princess."

Hannah opened her mouth to argue, then frowned and didn't, undoubtedly wondering whether this was meant as compliment or insult.

Will gathered from this that they still hadn't gotten past their issues.

"Gee, thanks so much for your brutal honesty, Ash. Much appreciated. Now, how are you five holding up? What are you doing? Where are you staying? Will didn't know anything." Percy said with a nod in Will's direction, and Will felt insulted, though it was the truth.

The only thing he had known about their team, was that Reyna was taking care of them and that they wanted to visit them badly.

Though he had also known they would visit them today, because Reyna had asked for his permission last night.

"Ha, tell me about it. The first few days, she wouldn't even tell us whether you guy were still alive. I'm pretty sure she doesn't trust us. Understandable, of course, but still." Ash rambled, and there seemed to be more to that story, though they only huffed and crossed their arms in front of their chest.

"You brought it upon yourself, Ash. I wouldn't trust somebody either after they tried to 'take a peek' at confidential material." Sara put in pointedly, and that explained it.

"I just wanted to know where they were! Plus, it was Andrew's idea." Ash sulked, and Andrew made a distressed sound in the back of his throat.

"Don't even try to frame me, Ash. I told you it was a bad idea!"

"No, you didn't! You told me to check the file if I really want to know where the guys are. How was I supposed to know Reyna has eyes on the back of her head?"

Will shared an amused look with Percy, who was grinning from ear to ear and seemed to vibrate with happiness – which was so much better than how he had been earlier, it already made their visit worth it.

Will had to admit he hadn't been sure whether to allow them here or not, but in the end, he had been forced to admit they had the right to see them, and it would be better for Percy, too.

It would have also been good for Jason, because Jason had worried about their team ever since the first day, but Jason wasn't back yet, so there was that.

Liam made his way past his arguing teammates and to Percy's bedside, a shy smile on his face and a small plant in his hands.

"We didn't know what to get you, because Ash said flowers are for lovers, and Hannah insisted that they are for dying people, but Sara still wanted to get you something. So…we settled on this. I hope you don't mind." The son of Hecate said hesitantly and placed the small blue pot on Percy's bedside table, while Percy looked ready to cry from surprise and joy.

"Thank you! You didn't have to get me anything, guys! Are those…stones? Not that I mind, they're pretty stones, and I guess that means I can't kill them, which is super considerate of you…yes, very pretty stones. Thank you so much, guys!"

Oh gods, Percy.

"It's a succulent, Percy." Andrew explained and shook his head with a disbelieving sigh.

"I knew that." Percy immediately claimed, though his eyes were full of question marks as he looked towards Will with an expression he read as 'What the hell is a succulent, and is it going to kill me?'.

"It's a plant. Like a cactus." Ash said with a serious nod, and Will had a hunch this was all they knew about succulents.

Percy inspected the blue pot curiously, then checked the pot Sara was holding that was probably for Nico, right before she moved towards Will to undoubtedly put it on Nico's nightstand.

Will tensed as she neared the bed, protectiveness flaring up inside him, but she only glanced at Nico for a short moment, before her eyes found his, and she quickly retreated after that, clearly sensing she shouldn't linger just yet.

Nico was weakened, which included his immune system.

Will would not have him catch something from them right when he was beginning to improve.

Will scolded himself for tensing and for behaving so distant towards his fellow teammates, but he still stayed by Nico's side, while their team crowded around Percy's bed, and Andrew began explaining about succulents and how to take care of them.

"It came as such a surprise when we saw Jason today! I thought he's bound to stay with you guys, at least until Nico is up and running again." Sara explained, and Will and Percy both grimaced.

"Yeah, you were surprised. Imagine how I felt, trying to stab that Hydra before it got to eat me, just to have Jason Grace randomly joining the battle and saving me from certain death. Man, I still get the chills when I think of how Reyna yelled across the Fields of Mars for him to get back to her this instant. Think he got in trouble for saving our lives?" Ash asked thoughtfully, and Will tensed, though it was nothing compared to the utmost horror on Percy's face.

Since Jason had shown to be distracted too easily and turned out to be a preferred target, Reyna had assured Will just last night that she would try and keep him at the sidelines and with the strategists, rather than the frontlines, at least until he was back in top form.

So much for that.

"How about we talk about something else? Where are you staying? A hotel?" He asked hurriedly as he caught Percy's face going blank, worried what these news might do to him.

The last thing he needed was Percy attempting to run off and join the battle to help Jason out.

He was getting better with his exercises and could make his bathroom trips by himself by now (though Will had still kept him company in the shower this morning, while Jason had watched over Nico before leaving on his mighty quest of getting himself killed), but holding objects was still painful for him – and if he could barely hold a pen, Will would be damned to let him near a sword.

"Oh, you wish. Reyna had us in one of those in the beginning, where we all had to share one room together – but that was still better than the barracks we're staying in now. It's cramped, it's uncomfortable, and the sounds of battle outside really don't help with anything, either. You have no idea how nice it is to be back in New Rome for a short while." Andrew lamented, and pulled the chair towards himself right as Ash intended to sit down on it, which resulted in Ash uttering a startled sound and falling – closely followed by Sara's squeak as Ash tore her down with them in a faint attempt to regain their balance in time.

"Andrew!" Ash exclaimed from the ground, while Liam tripped all over himself to help Sara up as quickly as possible, and Will and Percy shared another telling look.

At least their team was the same as always.

"Oops. Didn't notice." Andrew replied in a dry voice, not sounding sorry in the slightest as he watched Ash getting themselves off the floor and giving him a punch to the shoulder, while Hannah stood next to Andrew's other side and had her arms crossed in front of her chest and a frown on her face, as if she wasn't sure how to react right now.

Yep, same as always.

"You two are such children." Sara huffed, but seemed fine otherwise, whereas Ash tried to reclaim the chair.

"At least you're okay. It's so good to see you guys again." Percy mused with a small smile, and Will guessed he was glad he had decided to give Reyna his okay, after all.

"You have no idea. We were worried out of our minds. When I say Reyna didn't want to tell us anything, I meant it. We must have asked her a hundred times how you guys were doing, and she was just dead silent. It was madness. Sara and I already dreaded you guys didn't make it." Ash explained, and Will felt a pang of guilt as he thought of how that must have felt, especially after they had already lost Rin.

"Well, I already told you, it was for security reasons. There still seems to be a spy-issue here, so she wanted to make sure not to give out any information to outsiders until their states had stabilized. I mean, seriously, next to us, Hazel and Frank, nobody but the medics know you guys are even here, much less which room. The others don't even know you got injured, in the first place." Andrew put in, and Will instinctively felt grateful for that, though it also made him wonder about the necessity of such secrecy, as well as the fact that Kyle would undoubtedly find a way to find out about this, anyways.

But he kept those thoughts to himself, and instead watched their team sitting down on Percy's bedside to chat some more, about the cohorts, the differences to Camp Half-Blood, the battles (much to Will's dismay), and the rumors they had heard from the other campers.

Will stayed with Nico, knowing full well that the team was waiting for his okay to approach his unconscious boyfriend, but Will wasn't sure he wanted to give that okay just yet.

It had already been difficult enough for him to allow other medics to help him, he wasn't sure he could deal with even more people touching his Nico, ogling him with those pitying eyes and thinking they could judge him and his progress.

Will grumbled to himself, but then caught Hannah looking towards Nico again with a concerned look on her face, and he knew they only meant well, he knew they cared, he knew they needed to reassure themselves that he was going to be fine just the same way Will still needed to reassure himself, too.

He still didn't like it.

Then again, these days, he didn't like many things.

He didn't like that Nico was still in a coma, for instance. Or that Percy was in pain the moment he tried to close his hand around anything. Or that Jason was fighting by himself, risking his life because of his annoyingly righteous character.

He also didn't like that they were at war, and that he just knew Kyle was somewhere out there plotting even worse things than this.

But those were things he couldn't change right now, only ponder at night when he finished taking care of Nico and tucked Percy in and waited for Jason to return so he could wrap himself around him and tell himself everything would be fine eventually.

"You should tell them about your plans for Jason's party, Percy." He suggested quietly when their team finished telling all they had to tell, and Percy promptly perked up again, a gleam appearing in his eyes that Will cherished every time he got to glimpse it.

"Thanks, sun-bug, I nearly forgot!"

Aww, he called him sun-bug.

Will couldn't help but smile, his heart thumping happily in his chest.

It felt like ages since Percy had last called him that.

He watched how Percy gesticulated wildly as he talked, telling their team about Jason's missed birthday, and how he intended to throw him a giant party, right when Nico would be awake again.

The team took it with varying degrees of surprise and enthusiasm, Ash naturally all for it, while Andrew began calculating the costs and factors such as guests and space, while repeatedly pointing out that there still were battles going on that had to be fought.

Hannah ultimately made him shut up by stepping on his foot and telling him he wouldn't be invited if he kept ruining the mood, much to Ash's delight.

Sara and Liam were more reserved about the whole ordeal, though they didn't seem opposed, much to Will's relief.

Percy was adamant about a party, and Will knew he enjoyed planning it out.

He didn't want that to be ruined by negative reactions from people he cared about, especially not right now, with Percy's random bouts of self-doubt and resignation.

Will knew he couldn't protect him from the world, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"When will he wake up?" Andrew asked all of a sudden, and Percy, as well as the team, fell silent.

Will didn't have to look up to know they were looking at him, though he looked up, anyways.

It was a question he had expected, though he knew his reply would be anything but satisfactory.

"When he's ready." He said simply, and Andrew seemed to sulk, while the others remained quiet for another moment, before returning their attention to Percy and urging him to resume talking about his plans for Jason.

The reminder that Nico wasn't awake yet seemed to put a damper on the conversation, but Will didn't know what to do to help that.

He had done all he could, and all there was left for him to do now was to keep giving Nico some of his energy, in the hopes it would keep the darkness inside him at bay and let him regain consciousness soon.

Physically speaking, Nico was okay now, all his injuries healed and the bruises gone from his body.

He still needed the oxygen mask, but it was already a lot better than before, and Will was confident he would be good without it once he was awake – whenever that might be.

Once he was awake, Will would be able to do more, starting with the normal rehab and ending with some more scans to make sure there was no permanent damage to Nico's brain due to the coma.

So far, though, he seemed alright – one might even think he was just asleep for a prolonged amount of time, like Sleeping Beauty.

(Just that Will's kiss couldn't magically wake him, he had already tried that.)

When Will looked up next, Hannah was on the other side of Nico's bed and looked from Nico's face to the monitor and back.

When she had moved, he had no idea, because the others were still talking, and next to the fact that Percy was looking at him now, rather than at them, everything was still the same.

Hannah made eye contact with him, the mute question of 'May I?' hanging in the air between them.

Will didn't like it.

Will gave a small nod and pulled away from Nico's side to give her a moment of privacy.

He tried not to regret it when suddenly, everybody was crowded around Nico's bed, while Percy kept his eyes on Will and seemed to try and gauge his reaction.

As if Will was going to do anything.

"He looks so weak." Andrew commented, and Will was tempted to throw the chair at him.

"He's in a coma, what do you expect? That he flexes his muscles? That he swings around a sword without looking? That he grunts in a manly fashion and declares war on-…"

"Okay, okay, I get it! Geez, calm your jets. All I meant to say is that he looks weaker than I hoped he would. But still a lot better than when he kept disappearing." Andrew interrupted him, and Will snapped his mouth shut, stepping further away from the team so he wouldn't be tempted to grab them and throw them out.

Instead, he made his way over to Percy, who automatically reached out for his hand and took it, which made Will calm down almost instantly due to the familiarity and gentleness of the touch.

He closed his eyes, allowing Percy to pull him closer a little as he tried to tune out the muttered conversation taking place at Nico's bed.

They were judging.

They had no right to judge.

Nico was doing so well already, compared to before.

Will knew he would wake up soon, his if now a when, and it had taken him so long to get Nico here, he wasn't going to let anybody ruin it now.

He wasn't going to let their judgment get to him, nor was he going to let it get to Nico.

Percy tugged on his arm, and Will peeked at him through one eye, humming in question.

His boyfriend patted the side of his bed with his free hand, and Will looked back at their teammates, all ogling Nico as if he was on display, though he knew they didn't mean it that way.

Then, he gave in and sat down on Percy's bedside to let him stroke over the back of his hand with his thumb, reassuring him in his own way.

"I don't like it." He whispered quietly, and Percy smiled in understanding.

"I know."

Will knew that, too.

He still didn't like it, though.

Will was glad when they left at long last.

...

"Will! Will, please, help!" Hazel yelled into the room as she tore open the door, ignoring the outcries and hisses from the medics around.

Percy woke up with a start, hand shooting out for his sword, though it wasn't there, and he hissed in pain a moment later, but Will couldn't rush to help him, because he was already at the door and with Hazel, cupping her face as she started breaking down and crying.

"What's wrong? Help with what? Hazel, calm down!" He urged her, trying to figure out what was happening based on her values alone, but she seemed to be perfectly alright, except for the fact that she was absolutely terrified.

A monster? No.

Injury.

Who? Jason? No, unlikely. Or was it?

No, not Jason, they would have brought him directly to Will.

Somebody close to Hazel, though.

Reyna?

No, unlikely, she had switched placed with Frank today and would be with the strategists, not the-…

Oh no.

Frank.

Hazel was sobbing uncontrollably now, trying and failing to make herself understood, but Will only wiped her tears away and nodded hurriedly.

"Where is he? Get me to him." He said, and she looked so grateful it was heartbreaking.

"What's going on?" Percy called after him the moment she pulled on his hand to lead the way, and Will didn't know how to explain something he couldn't assess yet.

"Frank. Watch over Nico, Percy. I'll be back." He called over his shoulder, and Hazel sobbed again, pulling him after her with much more strength than one might have expected her to have.

They rounded the corner, then went down a flight of stairs, then turned another corner, and Will realized they were making straight for the ER, though that was reserved for only the worst cases ever since demigods had been tumbling into this place more and more thanks to the battles.

He swallowed, but tried not to assume – until Hazel threw a door open and he was met with the sight of six medics around one of the beds, sheets red, blood everywhere, and outcries of pain coming from the victim.

Frank.

Hazel stopped and had her hands over her mouth as she sobbed and looked at Will with silent pleas in her eyes, and Will was there in an instant, pushing past the medics (why were there so many, they would only get into each other's way!) to assess the damage.

He winced.

Yes, definitely Frank.

Frank, mid-transformation, with half of him still in the shape of what had probably been a bear, the other half human.

Part of his face was so bloody he couldn't tell whether all of it was damaged or whether it was just a very well-placed head wound that had caused so much blood, but what really got to Will was the wounds scattered all across Frank's body.

Also, the most prominent issue of all: He was missing an arm.

He heard the medics around him talk, arguing among themselves about how to proceed.

They didn't seem to be very experienced, but Will wasn't surprised, considering the number of wounded in this hospital, the ongoing battles, and the fact that the people here often had to struggle with insane shifts that also required enough breaks in order to not kill them.

In other words, this was probably the best they had right now.

"Make space. You, get me anesthesia, sterilizer and more gauges and bandages, now. You, the instruments. You two, help me keep him still. And you, where is his arm? I need it. Now, did you give him anything already?" He asked sharply, pouring as much authority into his voice as possible, and they immediately did as they were told, rushing out of the room or forward to hold Frank down, who howled in pain and thrashed around, most of his words rendered incoherent thanks to half of his face still being morphed into that of an animal.

"He was brought here just moments ago, we didn't know what to give him. He might be allergic." One of the two said, and Will pursed his lips to bite back his remark, instead deciding to cut this short by grabbing Frank's intact arm.

Pain.

So much pain.

Will winced, but tried to focus on what else he could sense, though Frank's flailing didn't help one bit, and the fact that he was still mid-transformation only made things all the more complicated.

Where was the guy with the anesthesia?

Where were his needed supplies?

How was he supposed to do anything when there was nothing even mildly prepared?!

This was an ER, one would expect there to be all he needed, on hand.

Will pulled his hand back from Frank's arm and shook his head, trying to collect his thoughts, while Hazel still sobbed in the background.

"Hazel, leave. This is going to be very painful for him, and you don't want to see that." He ordered, and she shook her head wildly and cried even more, but when he shot her a warning glare, she left.

"Frank, can you hear me? I know this hurts, I know you're scared, but I need you to transform back. Can you do that for me?" He asked through clenched teeth as his fingers danced over his body, just to get thrown off repeatedly by the uneven patches of fur and bear.

He didn't know how to treat bears, only humans.

Frank didn't reply, instead screaming in agony, and Will pursed his lips and looked around the room for anything he could use until the others came back, wherever the hell they had gone.

So. Many. Cupboards.

Wait, something had to be inside those cupboards, right?

A moment later, he pulled open all the cupboard near the wall he could get to, and found nearly everything he needed, making him wonder whether those idiots had stormed off to find the storage room on the upper floor or something.

Under shock, people tended to do the strangest things.

Will shook his head and rushed back to Frank, setting to work with the IV and anesthesia.

"His good arm. I need his vein." He said without looking, trying to block out anything that wasn't his current task at hand.

"Still in bear form!" The girl exclaimed as she clung to Frank's arm, even though he still flailed around with it – and her – without any signs of restraint.

Will cursed whatever thing or being that had attacked him and wished it the most gruesome death possible.

"Do you have any inhalational anesthesia?" He asked, fed up already with this place and the people, though he knew they weren't at fault, and he knew from that one tour he had gotten ages ago that they did have everything, they had so much more then he had at Camp Half-Blood, but, for the love of all the gods, why did Romans have to be so organized and sorted and horrible?!

How was he supposed to know in which of those ten thousand cupboards and rooms was the stuff he so desperately needed right now?!

The two slackened their grips on Frank in order to look around, and Frank nearly leaped off the bed, but Will grabbed him by the front of his torn shirt just in time and shoved him back down.

Frank screamed in pain again, but, by some miracle, stilled for a short moment.

Will reacted instinctively and jumped onto the bed, grabbing hold of his intact half-bear arm to keep him down, while his other hand disappeared in his medic pouch to pull out the small square box with paralysis powder he had gotten as a gift from Coach Hedge ages ago.

Temptation was great to sniff at it to test whether it was still any good as he opened the box hurriedly, but he had to trust his instincts, and his instincts said he had no time to waste.

Will held the box right under Frank's bloody half-bear-half-human nose, and Frank inhaled sharply at the undoubtedly awful smell that had to hit him, especially with heightened senses.

Under normal circumstances, this would have never worked.

Under normal circumstances, he would have never dared to treat any patient this way.

Under normal circumstances, Frank could have also gotten himself killed if he had continued thrashing around like this and losing even more blood.

Frank stilled, his body tensing and slacking but not thrashing anymore, and his eyes stared up at him full of fear and pain.

He stared back, trying to mutely tell him he was sorry.

"You, check where the other guys went. You, pass me the tools I need, that will save us time." He told the two kids that stared at him with wide eyes as he climbed off Frank and the bed, pocketing his box once more and moving to his discarded IV to resume his work.

They stared at him a moment longer, but then, both nodded and rushed to comply, one storming from the room, the other one rushing forward to help him, holding open the IV bag pouch for him so he could pour part of the IV solution into it until there were no air bubbles left inside the tube.

It took nearly two minutes to get everything ready to go, including finding Frank's vein on his mostly-bear arm, and then another long, long moment before the anesthetic took effect, and he watched with an apologetic look as Frank struggled, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body sagged together like a ragdoll.

Then, he took a deep breath and stepped closer to his now unconscious patient, and set to work, assessing the extent of his injuries and beginning to categorize them by severity and urgency.

The worst damage was at his arm, but until he had the rest of it on hand, he couldn't mend it, only stop the bleeding and keep it still.

The damage to his face was luckily minor, considering the amount of blood, but if Will didn't get to it soon, it would definitely scar, and Frank might lose part of his vision in his left eye.

There was a head wound as Will had expected, but not very deep, so that was already reassuring, in a way.

Frank also had a gash at his chest, which was definitely one of the more severe injuries and would need attending before others, to make sure there wouldn't be too much loss of blood, and to keep his heart and lungs functioning as best they could, given the circumstances.

The rest of his body was littered in cuts, bites and bruises, and his right leg had been broken several times at different spots, indicating a rather harsh impact.

Taking the burns into account, Will was going to make a wild guess and say there had been an explosion, and Frank in the middle of it.

Will kept his breathing forcefully calm and regular, knowing he had to keep a cool head if he wanted to save his life, though images of Leah, Rin, and all the others he had failed in the past, kept popping up whenever he closed his eyes to blink, and he could only hope Frank wouldn't join the seemingly endless list.

Will attended his arm, first, cleaning it up and working on stopping the bleeding, though he didn't attempt to stitch it up in any way, still hoping for the rest of his arm, though he knew that, if the guy didn't show up soon, he would be forced to make do with what he had, and Frank would be one arm short.

The girl who had stayed behind was helpful, and Will was glad for her quick reflexes and understanding when he asked for the various tools he needed as he moved on from his arm to his chest wound.

Even so Will found himself wishing he had more than two sets of hands so he could work on several things simultaneously.

On top of everything else, there was internal bleeding he hadn't yet managed to trace back to its source, though he was almost positive it was in his lower abdomen area.

He wouldn't be able to heal that from the outside, which meant he would have to resort to his own powers.

Will was a little reluctant to use his Greek powers on a Roman demigod, though he told himself there would be no difference.

His father wouldn't help him here due to the Greek/Roman difference, most likely (also, because he had completely stopped responding to his kids and prayers altogether, by now, so Will wasn't even sure the guy was alive anymore), but Will's own powers should technically just be a form of healing just like the rest.

He still didn't want to jump into action right away, though, knowing that, if he rushed things now, he wouldn't be aware enough to take care of the rest of Frank's injuries.

Back when he had healed Jason, it had been so urgent and with no other solution on hand, he had been forced to do all the healing with his powers.

Now, he had the ability to perform the necessary surgeries by hand and do the rest with his powers, which would be less intrusive for Frank and would also allow Will to keep some of his energy, in case there were more cases such as Frank that might need his help after this.

His hands began glowing as he focused on stitching up the wound at his chest, glad it was 'just' a puncture wound rather than a sucking chest wound, which would have most likely resulted in Frank's death by now.

It was still bad though, and all Will could do was keep going and thank the girl when she kept cleaning the skin around the wound to allow him to see properly.

He poured more of his energy into Frank, trying to stabilize him and checking that the infusion and anesthetic was dosed correctly. At the same time, Will was also trying to find the source of internal bleeding, even as he moved up Frank's body to his head, taking care of that injury, next.

As expected, it wasn't very deep, and had luckily not fractured his skull, but he still worried about a possible concussion.

He cleaned up the wound as best as he could as the girl stayed at the chest wound and checked back on the arm, now becoming more active than passing him the tools, though he could only hope she would stay focused enough to keep doing that, else it would slow him down.

Will noticed that he kept talking, mostly to himself, about Frank's injury, the extent of it, possible ways of healing it, and what he ultimately decided on.

He considered stopping, but it helped him focus, and the girl was listening intently and nodding along, so he continued.

They worked alongside each other well, and he cleaned up Frank's face next to stitch it up and heal it, focused on keeping the scaring to a minimum and securing Frank's eyesight.

Frank didn't make this very easy as he began jolting away repeatedly, but when Will checked again for the dosage, it seemed high enough to keep him knocked out, and he didn't want to risk going higher in case of an overdose, which would be lethal.

The girl helped him keep Frank still as he worked, stitching along the bridge of his nose and upwards across his forehead, giving him a rather Frankenstein look, but Will assured both Frank and himself that he would heal him later so it wouldn't stay that way.

First, he had to make sure the rest of him was okay, though.

His life was more important than a handsome face, after all.

The girl followed him as he battled the paths of destruction all across Frank's body, then he took his time inspecting Frank's twisted and battered leg, before he announced seven separate fractures, which had the girl looking sick.

In the past, Will had dealt with many broken bones, but the most fractures he had encountered had been four.

It would be hell to get this mended correctly.

"Compound fractures, damaged muscles. We'll have to set them, and see whether the muscles can be reattached properly."

"Wouldn't it be smarter just to amputate the leg?" The girl asked doubtfully, and Will looked up at her in confusion.

Why would he amputate a perfectly fine leg before even trying to fix it?

Sure, it would be difficult, and they would have to be certain everything was to a 100% set correctly before putting his leg into a cast, but it wasn't impossible.

"We'll do that if there's no other alternative." He told her, then returned to his work of trying to get Frank out of his torn pants.

How come he was still half-bear, yet he still had his clothes? It was a mystery to Will how their powers worked, sometimes.

Then again, he wouldn't want to run around naked after transforming back into a human, either, especially not in the middle of the battlefield, so he guessed he was glad Frank's powers worked the way they did.

Though he didn't appreciate the struggle his pants put up right now, and Will lost his patience a moment later and cut them off, deeming the fixing of his leg more important than the possibility that he was ruining Frank's favorite pair of pants or the like.

Again, his life was more important than trivialities like that.

He cut the fabric off right above his thigh, but then moved higher and cut the entire thing apart to check his hip, not surprised in the slightest that the first fracture started at the upper part of the femur.

This was where he had to start, then make his way down, he guessed.

Will took a deep breath, then set to work, and the girl helped him as best as she could.

She was a good assistant, and he was confident she would become a good doctor once she managed to gain more experience.

He set the bone, then checked for additional damage to Frank's hip, but was glad there was none. There was also no spinal damage, and he finally managed to rein in the internal bleeding, coming from a tear in the liver he hadn't been able to detect up until now. He tried his best to mend it properly, while also concentrating on the next fracture in Frank's leg.

This one was an open fracture, and far from pretty. The bone was broken in two places, and Will held the disconnected piece in place with his hand as he reached the wound.

The girl looked sick, but stayed with him and carried out his orders with still hands and impressive focus.

The femur was nothing compared to Frank's shattered kneecap.

Will told her as much, and she looked torn between wanting to laugh at his strange attempt at positivity, and wanting to cry as she checked Frank's knee.

They fixed everything to the best of his abilities, then moved lower, just to find the severed muscle that was going to be Will's main problem, along with his twisted and out of place leg.

If he didn't get that fixed correctly, Frank's body would attempt to do the deed, which would be all good and well, but experience showed that the muscles tended not to work as efficiently and smoothly after such injuries, often resulting in pain when used too much or in too straining ways.

For a demigod, that could very likely mean death.

To preserve the flexibility and strength of his leg, Will would have to get the scar tissue aligned and integrated with the muscle fibers correctly.

"Or, we could amputate it." The girl suggested again, and Will guessed she liked amputation.

He, however, did not.

"I still need that arm. If they can't get me the arm by the time I'm done with the leg, we'll have to close the wound at his arm, and he'll be one arm short already. Are you sure you want Frank to lose a leg, too? We're in the middle of war, there's no way he will have enough time to adapt to the change quickly enough to join the battle again anytime soon, as it is." He pointed out as he set to work on first fixing Frank's leg, first turning it back into its original position, then fixing the muscle, grimacing throughout the procedure.

Somewhere in the middle of his work, the door banged open and the two medics came rushing in with medical supplies he didn't need anymore, and Will was glad that he had found everything he had needed, because, at this rate, Frank would have been long dead.

He didn't tell them that, though, instead thanking them and sending them back out to get him the other demigod with the arm, though he mostly wanted them gone to keep the room as silent as possible.

The girl busied herself setting up the machinery to get a good reading on Frank's values, even though Will hadn't asked her to.

He didn't really care, knowing from the physical contact that Frank was still doing well enough, given the situation.

Will finished up as best as he could, then moved to the rest of the fractures in Frank's calf and ankle, but they were easy to deal with in comparison to what they had just handled.

He took a step back to assess his work, and once more noticed that Frank reminded him a lot of Frankenstein's monster right about now, with all his stitched-up skin and bruises and discoloring.

He was also still part bear, but at this point, Will didn't care anymore, and when he set out to patch up all smaller injuries, he simply shaved off the fur that got into his way.

If Frank woke up later to find half his chest hair shaved off, Will would simply tell him that had been the girl's doing.

Will must have said that out aloud, because the girl huffed indignantly, though she also told him her name – even if he forgot it a moment later again, due to a cut at Frank's side that made no sense.

No claw or fang would make such a clean wound...?

Will frowned and checked for poisoning again, but found none, and the wound wasn't deep enough to really worry him, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth.

That was no monster wound, that was from a blade.

Either a bigger dagger, or a thin sword, but a blade, all the same.

Which meant there must have either been an accident involving a fellow camper – or Frank had been deliberately attacked by a demigod, which meant either there were demigods joining the opposite frontlines now, or Frank had met the traitor in their ranks.

Will's mind worked frantically as he tried to think it all through, trying to put himself into Kyle's mindset just for a moment to see any possible reasoning behind that, but he came up blank.

It wouldn't make sense.

The camp was already busy enough as it was, so if distraction was what Kyle was aiming for, he already had it.

The spy was as undetected as ever, so having it take up arms against fellow campers and possibly outing itself would be more than a little stupid.

Unless Kyle was the one taking up arms and possessing campers in order to do more damage?

But wouldn't that put a strain on him, too? How far did those powers of his go?

Will remembered that moment in New Rome, when he had first heard Kyle say his name in a voice that hadn't been Kyle's, and he wondered how he had done that, how he had taken control of somebody without that somebody putting up a fight like Percy, Jason and Nico had.

But then, he was forced to let go of those thoughts in order to focus on the situation at hand.

One way or another, Frank was alive and would wake up, so he could tell them who or what had attacked him, unless he suffered from amnesia due to his very possible concussion, the head wound, and/or the anesthetic, since everybody reacted differently to that.

However, the chance he would be able to tell them what he did know was very high, which also meant that whoever had attacked him might not wish to take that risk, and thus, Will deemed Frank's life in danger and promptly told the girl to alert Reyna.

Better safe than sorry.

"Also, bring me that freaking arm! How difficult can it be? Didn't he come with it? Who would just leave an arm laying around somewhere?" He called after her, but she didn't reply, and gods, were Romans weird.

He had reattached so many limbs in his life, it should probably be disconcerting, but what he found disconcerting was this simple 'Oh well, guess he doesn't need that arm anymore if he loses it'-logic these people here seemed to have.

Will sighed and shook his hair out of his face, then looked back at Frank.

"Sorry, buddy. I really hope they'll find that arm. If not, I hope you're not going to be too upset with me." He said quietly, then proceeded in cleaning him up as best as he could and cutting him out of the rest of his clothes, the hospital gown at the ready next to him. Then he took a moment to reassess his work.

He really looked like Frankenstein's monster – or Sally from The Nightmare before Christmas.

Should he attempt to heal all of that now?

Will wasn't sure, and with the rather prominent risk of more attacks on Frank during his recovery, he definitely didn't want power himself out too quickly.

Not when Nico was still in a coma, as well.

That thought made his insides churn, but he trusted Percy to keep him safe for the time of his absence.

He would also have to trust his own judgment regarding Frank's injuries.

There was a timid knock on the door, and Will draped the hospital gown over Frank's body to maintain his privacy.

"Yes?" He called, wondering why the medics didn't simply come barging in like before.

His question was answered when the door opened slowly and he felt Hazel's presence, though he wasn't sure since when he could feel presences that way, especially from so far away.

"Can I…help? Please, I can't wait outside any longer. Is he going to be okay?" She asked, and he was glad she had stopped crying, though she seemed more of a wreck than he had ever witnessed before.

He contemplated his options for a moment.

Generally speaking, he disliked having friends/family members around a patient when he wasn't yet finished, especially in a case such as this, because it usually didn't do any of them any good, leading to immense fear, nightmares, and often trauma for the friend/family member, discomfort for the patient once they were awake, and a nuisance to Will because nobody ever listened to him when he said to stay away or not touch something.

However, on a personal level, he could understand Hazel and her wish to be close to Frank, and he knew she had seen plenty of injuries in her life, already – not to mention that she had already seen the extent of Frank's injuries earlier, and he technically was better, now, with less blood covering him from head to toe and all the gashes stitched up.

Plus, since he had sent the girl out, he didn't have anybody else to help him out anymore.

"Alright, but I need you to stay calm and focused. If I feel like you're too unstable, you'll have to go. Understood?" He asked her, and she hurriedly nodded and came over, sucking in a sharp breath as she took in the appearance of her unconscious boyfriend.

Will watched her intently for a moment, but she didn't start crying again, and even if her hands shook as she started moving around the gauges and bandages on his medical table, she seemed capable of lending him a hand for a bit.

"I'm still waiting for his arm. If they don't come back with it, I'll be forced to sew the wound shut completely. Do you have any idea whether there are prosthetics in this place?" He asked, because that was his only other idea, even if he didn't know how this would work with Frank's transformations.

Chances were, the entire thing would malfunction and break off the moment he transformed, leading to only more pain and constant hospital visits.

In other words, he desperately wanted that arm.

"I don't know where it is. Dakota and Naomi were the ones who got him off the battlefield, I only helped getting him here as soon as possible. If they're looking for it, it's probably still somewhere on the Fields of Mars. I don't know about prosthetics. I've never seen one." She said with a shaky voice, and his hopes sank.

There was no way those medics would run out onto the battlefield to look for Frank's arm.

If anything, they would run to whoever was currently in charge, and try to get them to send somebody to look for it, instead, which could take forever.

Will didn't have forever.

However, using a prosthetic as a placeholder was unlikely, too, especially with the difficulties of getting it attached, and Will not being familiar with this hospital's models, or whether they had any, in the first place.

Which only left the option of sealing the wound.

He took a deep breath, then shifted the gown to put his hands over Frank's chest wound, beginning to heal it carefully, even though he knew he was just trying to buy time right now.

"Did they say what attacked him?" He asked, hoping for some insight to what had happened, though he deliberately used 'what' rather than 'who', just in case he was wrong with his assumption.

"No. Naomi said something about an explosion. I don't know any more than that." Hazel told him, and he gave a small nod, his eyes fixed on the ugly line of stitched-up skin that he was currently trying to mend.

"Does he often have issues with his transformations like this? I mean, does he get stuck mid-transformation a lot?" Will asked next, because it seemed strange to him that Frank hadn't turned back into a complete human after losing consciousness.

He had never asked, but this indicated that Frank also changed shape subconsciously and remained in said shape for a prolonged amount of time.

While it wasn't of importance to the current situation, Will couldn't help but wonder whether that meant he changed in his sleep, as well, because that could pose problems during his recovery process.

It would be counterproductive to have Frank suddenly turn into a limbless snake when his leg was meant to be in a cast, after all.

Though the fact he was part-bear also made possible bandaging more difficult in case he suddenly turned back into a complete human.

"No. This is the first time I've seen him like this. I'm sure he can transform back once he's awake, though." Hazel said hesitantly, her eyes hushing over Frank's patched-up face, before hushing back to Will.

"Are there any other ways to induce such a transformation? It will be very painful to him in his current state, and I'm not sure I can ask him to do that." He pointed out, but Hazel shook her head.

"He changes into a pug a lot when he's asleep, but as far as I know, he can only change back once he's awake and conscious."

A pug, huh?

Well, then Will was glad Frank was part-bear at the moment, not part-pug.

He continued merging skin and trying to fix the discoloring and bruises, but at long last, he returned to Frank's arm.

He had waited.

If he waited any longer, it would only make everything worse.

Will made eye-contact with Hazel, and she had tears in her eyes again, but she gave him a small nod, anyways.

"He's strong." Will reassured her, and she nodded again, wiping away her tears before they could roll down her cheeks.

It wasn't the end of the world, but it would certainly be a change for Frank.

However, he was confident Frank would manage.

With those thoughts in mind, he stepped closer to Frank to get started, Hazel right beside him.

...

It took longer than expected until Will finished up everything he felt capable of doing for Frank, including putting his leg into a cast and mending the skin on his face to leave nothing but a faint hint of scarring that would hopefully heal up in time (or until Will possessed more energy to take care of it at a later point).

Hazel remained with him, as did the girl that returned to inform him they couldn't find the arm, and that it had most likely gotten lost in the explosion.

Due to the burns being on the other side, he highly doubted that, but left her in her belief and focused on his work, until, at long last, he was finished, and Reyna was with him to discuss what to do next as they moved Frank from the ER to the next floor, close to the room Percy and Nico were in, to make sure Will could check on him regularly the next few hours and monitor his progress, even though he had briefed the girl on what to do, and he was confident everything should work out in their favor.

Unless there was an attack on Frank, of course.

Will was reluctant to share his conclusion with Reyna, but once he left Hazel and the girl behind with Frank and had Reyna to himself outside, he did end up telling her about the blade wound, and about the very possible chance of a demigod behind the attack.

She took the news well, not even blinking twice as she asked whether he was certain, though he could feel her fear at that revelation, indicating that there weren't yet any demigods on the opposite frontlines.

It reminded Will of the two younger demigods they had picked up, and what Celine had told him about Kyle killing her family, which indicated he was recruiting.

He told Reyna about that, just in case she didn't already know.

She did, but she let him speak, anyways, while she seemed to think things through and come up with a solution.

"I'll tell them he is comatose. Telling the Camp that he is dead wouldn't do anybody any good and only result in more disputes when I refuse to announce a new praetor, but if it was known he was healing, that might attract unwanted attention. Comatose means out for an uncertain amount of time, which might lead whoever it was behind the attack to keep their focus on other things than taking him out." She mused, and Will agreed, though it was still risky.

It also made him worried for Jason.

Frank was a great fighter.

If they could get to Frank like this, they might also succeed in bringing Jason down, especially since he wasn't in his best shape at the moment, to begin with.

However, he knew he had to trust in him, even if he was still scared.

"If there is a demigod attacking fellow campers, though, we need to take them out. If they managed to get to Frank, that means they have to be in our closer circle of trusted ones, else Frank wouldn't have been close enough to be attacked." She said quietly, and Will knew how much this had to bother her.

"Did you try the planting I've talked about?" He asked tentatively, and she nodded.

"We have, but the thefts and rumors have stopped shortly after your group left the Camp, and I believe it matches with the appearance of Kyle at your Camp, indicating he was behind it. Or it's somebody from your group." She said and studied his face intently, and Will met her gaze with a cold one of his own.

Oh, she wouldn't dare to accuse his team.

"Who did you have in mind? Please take into consideration that I trust our team with my life, and with the lives of my boyfriends. I've already told you that Kyle can possess people to do their bidding, he has done so before. Chances are much higher that he has somebody inside your ranks, or that he possesses somebody from inside your ranks. Keep the team out of it."

"Ash has attempted to gain access to confidential material. On more than one occasion." Reyna pointed out, and Will made a face.

"Ash has proven themselves trustworthy on more than one occasion, too. They were worried and wanted to find out what's going on. Same as all of us try to. Just that they thought they might find out more by reading files they shouldn't have touched. I apologize for their behavior, but I stand by my word." He defended his teammate, and Reyna studied his gaze with a searching one of her own.

"Very well. I'll take your word for it. However, know that I'm keeping a watch on your group for the time being, not only to supervise their actions, but also for their protection."

Will shrugged.

"Fine by me. Jason has chosen them for a reason, and I've come to trust them. You won't find anything on them, and I'm glad for the extra protection. Especially when there might be an enemy demigod on the loose out there." He said, and she nodded.

He heard a faint shuffling, and turned his head towards the door of their room with a frown.

Reyna caught his look and shifted her focus, as well, her eyes searching his in question on how she should react, and whether this was a threat.

Will shook his head, identifying the limping as Percy, which meant he was either going to or coming from the bathroom.

Or, he was listening in on their conversation.

He heard the bathroom door close, and relaxed again.

Okay, no more talking about enemy demigods on the loose.

In the end, Percy would hear and see it as a reason to rush his recovery and jump into battle to help Jason.

"Will?" Reyna asked when he moved to open the door and return to his guys, and Will looked back at her in question.

"Thank you. You saved Frank's life." She said quietly, and he shrugged.

Frank was a friend.

Will had already started helping out the medics around here due to the sudden shortage of capable staff thanks to the battles, so it wasn't like he would have simply let anybody die.

He considered telling her that, or telling her she should look out for Jason, in return.

But, in the end, he said neither.

"It was the least I could do." He replied, instead, and Reyna searched his gaze again, before inclining her head and bidding him goodbye to return to Hazel and the girl that would supervise his progress for the next few hours.

Will watched her go, then opened the door right as Percy left the bathroom, though he promptly changed course to wrap his arms around Will and pull him close.

"How did it go? Is he alright? What happened? Nico is fine, but you have no idea how worried I was! Will he be okay? Are there others? Is Jason okay?" He bombarded him with questions, and there was so much fear and dread inside him that it made it difficult for Will to breathe, and the bone-crushing hug wasn't helping, either.

"Percy, he'll be fine. He had a few injuries, and he'll need a hand when he wakes up, but otherwise, he'll be okay. Jason should be okay. I don't know of any more casualties or injured." He explained hurriedly, and, while Percy sighed in relief, he was still scared, and still didn't let go of Will.

"Did you heal him? With your powers? Do you need to lie down? Are you very exhausted? Want me to get you something to eat? There's blueberry juice on my stand, you can have it. I promise I can walk without falling, I can get you something." His boyfriend babbled, but Will shook his head and hugged him back to soothe his worries.

"I'm okay, Percy. I didn't use too much of my own powers because I didn't want to wear myself out, so I'll be fine. We did a few normal surgeries, and he is all patched up now. I'm not hungry, and you're not supposed to be drinking blueberry juice." He pointed out, and his boyfriend pulled back with a grimace.

"Don't confiscate my blueberry juice. Jason went through such lengths to smuggle it to me."

Will gave his boyfriend a long, telling look.

"Gorgeous, you're not supposed to tell me that. I told you two before, anything I know of will be confiscated. Now, I'll go wash my hands in the bathroom. When I'm back, I'll confiscate that blueberry juice." He explained to his boyfriend, and turned towards the bathroom.

Of course, he had known about the glass of blueberry juice, same as he knew of the two bottles hidden beneath Percy's bed, but since nobody had deliberately pointed either out to him, he had elected to ignore it.

He would be damned to take away Percy's little joys in life, after all.

Though he was still against sugared or carbonated things for the time being, until Percy was back on his feet properly.

"Will you drink it?" Percy asked skeptically, and Will shook his head.

He didn't feel like juice. Water would be better right now.

"Then I'm not giving you a chance to pour it away!" Percy exclaimed and rushed off towards his bed, and Will smiled to himself and went to wash his hands, taking extra long to give Percy enough time to drink.

When he came back out of the bathroom, his boyfriend was sitting in his hospital bed, smiling innocently at him, and the glass that had previously held the blueberry juice was empty.

"And I bet you're so proud of yourself now." Will commented dryly, and his boyfriend's grin widened as he let himself fall sideways onto his bed.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Good.

Will went to check on Nico, but there was no change, so he moved over to Percy's side to give him a kiss on the forehead, his mind still mostly with Frank and the blade wound and the battles and Jason.

All he could do was trust Reyna, so that was what he was going to do.

Percy tugged on his sleeve, so Will sat down beside him and stroked through his hair as Percy shifted and kissed his lower back through the clothing.

"I'm so glad Frank will be okay." He said quietly, and Will smiled.

Yeah, he too.

Now, he only hoped Jason and the others would be okay, as well.

...

"Hey, Will?" Percy asked quietly as he gazed down at his hands, unable to believe he was seriously going to ask this.

Only five hours ago, Will had disappeared to save Frank's life, and now, Percy was seriously going to ask this?

"Yes?" Will replied from his spot next to Percy's bed, his book immediately snapping shut so he could give him his full attention.

Percy swallowed, then shifted.

Then, he told himself this was far from the worst thing he had ever asked.

What was the worst that could happen?

Oh, right, Will could decline, and Percy would have to be mortified until the end of time.

Nah, it would be okay.

Again, it was far from the worst thing he had ever asked, right?

"Can we…uhm…can we make out? Just a little bit?"

Okay, he took that back.

This had to be the worst thing he had ever asked.

The timing was off, Will clearly wasn't thinking sexual in the slightest, he had only just saved Frank, which must have involved so much blood, he was certain, plus, Nico was still in a coma right next to them, the beeping wasn't exactly making for a romantic setting, either…

Maybe Percy should have simply asked for a kiss, and hoped to woo Will like that.

Too late for that now.

But, come on, it had been so long!

He just…he just wanted to…well…to feel again…feel those touches again…the intensity…the heat…everything…

Will blinked, seemingly taken aback by the question, and Percy already felt his face warming, though he also thought he saw Will licking his lips, which had to be a good sign, right?

"I…erm…sure? If you're sure? Do you have anything specific in mind?" He asked, but Percy was too relieved he had actually said yes to really register the rest of his sentence. He let out the breath he had been holding in a rush, laughing awkwardly, before biting his lip.

"Really? Ah, no, nothing specific. Just…it's been a while, I guess?" He muttered awkwardly, and, gods, considering all the things they had done in the past, this should be the last thing to make him blush – yet he did, and he knew Will had to notice.

Will got off his chair and was with him in less than a second, leaning over him with a quiet hum.

If…if Percy didn't know better, he'd say it had been a while for Will, too.

He'd also say Will wasn't opposed to this, in the slightest, which was a really great thought to have.

"What would you like to do?" Will asked. His voice had dropped to a near-purr that had Percy's skin tingling.

"Just…kiss, for starters? Kissing sounds nice." He replied weakly, unable to comprehend that this was actually happening.

Sure, he had just asked for it, but he hadn't really thought Will would go along with it.

Not with everything being the way it was, and with everything that had happened today.

But Will was in his bed now, straddling his lap, with his hands moving up to cup Percy's face.

Percy swallowed thickly, his heart beating in his throat.

Then, Will was leaning down to press their lips together, and Percy rushed to meet him, which would have probably made their heads crash together if it wasn't for Will's hold on his face, stilling him at the last moment.

Percy made a small sound in the back of his throat, though he wasn't sure whether he meant it to be an 'I'm sorry' or a 'Hurry up'.

But then, their lips finally met, and Percy was in heaven, pushing up against Will and somehow working his arms around him as a happy sigh escaped him, everything inside him feeling weightless and great.

Will smiled into the kiss, and now Percy knew what Jason had complained about the last time they had kissed, because, as nice as smiling was, it definitely got in the way of kissing.

Percy pinched his side to get him to stop, but that only led to Will pulling away momentarily to huff out a small laugh. Then he was back, lips pressing clumsily together and fingers moving from Percy's face to his hair, stroking through it and pulling him closer.

Percy let his own hands move over Will's back, relishing in the warmth and sneaking beneath his shirt to get to his skin, and he felt Will shivering in response, though he didn't stop him.

Will licked over his bottom lip, and Percy was melting in his arms.

He was pretty sure he mewled somewhere in the middle of their frantic kissing, but Will didn't laugh anymore. Instead, Will was pushing against him, kissing him and uttering pleased little sounds until Percy was pressed into the mattress with his legs wrapped around his boyfriend and his hands in his hair.

Will laid claim to Percy's his skin, using lips and teeth along Percy's neck and collarbones, driving him crazy in a matter of what felt like seconds.

This was better than Percy could have dared to hope for.

"How far do you want to take this?" Will breathed against his lips as he moved to kiss him again.

Without waiting for an answer, Will's hands moved under Percy's shirt (which was actually Jason's) to graze over his skin with his fingernails, making Percy swallow and arch his back into the touch helplessly.

It had been way too long.

He was reacting way too strongly to such simple things, as if he had never felt the touch before, and while it was amazing and felt terrific, it also made him feel oddly vulnerable and flustered.

Will, however, didn't seem to mind in the slightest, and didn't make fun of him for it.

"How far are you willing to go?" Percy replied weakly, because, wow, this bit of making out would already be enough to make him blow, but he would also love to take it further.

But then again, just the thought of Will making love to him right now already seemed like too much, so he wasn't sure he could even make it until then.

"How far do you think you can go?" Will breathed and pinched his nipple, and Percy had to bite his lip not to moan out loud, once more arching into the touch needily.

"While I'd love to do…so much more…I think…I'm not gonna last very long." Percy admitted in huffs, his face burning as he realized this always seemed to happen with him.

First with Nico in the shower, now with Will.

Next, he would fall apart beneath Jason in a matter of seconds.

Oh, the shame.

"Speak for yourself, I'm two touches away, myself. Just enjoy yourself, Percy." Will breathed into his ear with the hint of a laugh, then kissed down his neck again, while his hands pushed his shirt up and then moved down to his sweatpants.

Percy's heart seemed ready to explode in his chest.

Then, Will's lips closed around his nipple, and he palmed Percy through his pants.

Percy made a feeble sound in an attempt to keep himself together just a little while longer.

Two seconds later, he whimpered and came, and this had to be a new record.

Not even Nico had blown this quickly when the four of them had just gotten together and started figuring things out.

Such thoughts and more zigzagged through his mind while his body first tensed, then slumped back into the mattress, and everything tingled and felt amazing, especially with Will still kissing over his chest and nipping at his collarbone, though at the same time, Percy wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole, and his boxer shorts felt awfully sticky.

There he had asked for some making out, and then he blew before they even got to see each other naked.

"That was quicker than I had hoped." Percy grumbled in shame, but Will merely grinned up at him and had the audacity to wink.

"In your defense, it has been quite a while." His boyfriend pointed out cheekily, then moved up his body to press their lips together in a soft, gentle kiss.

Percy decided on a whim that this was outrageous, and reacted accordingly by bringing his knee up and rubbing it against Will's crotch.

The reaction was as instant as it was breathtaking, and Percy was more than pleased as Will's smile slid off his face, together with any hint of composure, before his boyfriend was the one clinging to him and letting out a rather unfiltered and absolutely delightful sound of pleasure and bliss.

Yep, this was exactly what Percy had been craving.

"You know, I don't think you're any better, actually." He teased, before biting his lip and moving his leg to lure some more sounds out of his boyfriend.

It worked, though his next moans were strangled and he brought his hand up a moment later to muffle the sounds, altogether, much to Percy's dismay.

Then again, they were in a hospital.

"Didn't Jason take care of you?" He asked, because, wow, Will was trembling like a leaf now, and he knew his boyfriend well enough to know that he usually didn't react this intensely to this sort of thing.

Nico, yes, and with the right foreplay, Jason (read: that one time Nico attempted to do a lap dance, and gods had it been a success), but not Will.

"We were…a little preoccupied…keeping you alive…" Will wheezed, then shuddered and moaned softly again.

Percy blinked.

Wait, really?

They hadn't…? At all?

No wonder Will was so tense, then.

This explained everything – at least in Percy's post-orgasmic mind.

He shook his head with a huff and pulled Will closer, promptly deciding that, if he ended up coming that quickly, Will would have to, as well.

With his new goal in mind, he tilted his head and nipped at Will's ear, and his boyfriend jolted in his arms, Will's arms shooting out to wrap around him (one of which smacked him rather harshly against the shoulder in the process, though by accident), and Will let out a low, barely muffled howl, which Percy took as confirmation of a job well done.

He held him and stroked over his back as he waited for him to catch his bearings again, feeling immensely proud and flattered for getting to turn Will into such a mess.

"I can't believe that…after all this time with you…we still are like this…"

Aww, a haiku, just for him.

(Yes, his wonderful boyfriends had pointed this out to him, and Percy had been a fool for not noticing, himself.)

If there was one thing he loved about his life, it was moments such as these.

"You know, I'm not surprised." A voice from the door sounded, and Percy's head shot up immediately, though Will merely held up his middle finger.

Jason shook his head at them with a grin, though Percy had no idea when he had come in, and could only hope they hadn't been seen (or heard, but he knew that was highly unlikely, even with Will muffling his sounds).

"If you had come sooner, you could have joined in." He remarked, his indirect way of saying 'Maybe you shouldn't have left, in the first place', but Jason didn't seem very perturbed.

"Ugh, I know I have to check on you, but give me a moment to catch my breath, yeah?" Will mumbled weakly, his head still resting against Percy's shoulder, but in his opinion, he could totally stay like this for the rest of the day.

"Take your time. Reyna had me go with the others to get checked, so you would be able to save your powers for actual emergencies. She told me about Frank. Let me get you some water." Their boyfriend announced and disappeared into the bathroom, and Will huffed against Percy's neck.

"Always so considerate. Percy, why is he such a dick?"

Percy frowned a little, not quite sure how 'considerate' translated to 'dick', but he was a little distracted by Will's exposed lower back, granting him a perfect view of sun-kissed skin and some of his favorite freckles, so he didn't blame his mind for not being able to keep up.

"Is he a dick, though?" He muttered thoughtfully without pondering his own question, and his fingers sneaked out to stroke over those freckles curiously, just to feel Will shivering in response.

"That tickles. And yes, he absolutely is. I want to wrap him up in a blanket and put a chain with lock around it to keep him here, yet I know I can't, because he has to make his own decisions. Horrible, isn't he?" Will complained, and now that made more sense.

Percy hummed, pleased to know what he was talking about.

Then, Jason came back with two plastic cups of water, and Will actually peeled himself away from Percy's shoulder and sat up correctly, much to Percy's dismay.

He watched his boyfriend beaming up at Jason, and pouted to himself, wondering what would happen if he told Jason what he had just said about him.

Then, he smirked.

Time to find out.

"Jason, Will called you a dick."

"Percy, you have just lost your chance for any more make-out sessions, like, ever." Will remarked darkly, while Jason raised an eyebrow, but he didn't seem offended, nor surprised.

"Did he now? Well, I guess that's too bad. What do you think I should do now?" He asked, and Percy bit his lip, eagerly trying to think of something good, while Will wailed and slumped back into his arms, both because he was trying to seduce him into having mercy on him, and because he tended to need a while after climax to get his bearings completely again, which Percy always found endearing.

As if on cue, he remembered Will's constant punishment-ideas for Percy, and his grin widened.

"Ground him."

Jason laughed, Will cursed him to hell and back, and Percy grinned broadly, proud of himself.

Then, he glanced over at Nico's bed, where their boyfriend was still lying unconscious and oblivious to anything around him.

He wished he could partake in this right now, too.

Percy returned his attention to his two blondes, still grinning at them as he started complaining about the discomfort of his sweatpants now, thanks to Will (which had Will first defending himself, then priding himself for it, that dork).

Still, Percy's mind stayed with Nico, stayed with Frank, stayed with what he had overheard Will and Reyna talking about, and he knew what he had to do.

He tugged Will closer again and kissed him, and a part of him said 'I love you'.

The other part of him said 'I'm sorry'.

...

Frank looked like shit!

Percy stared at his friend, unable to believe what he was seeing.

When Will had told him he would be fine, he had assumed he would be fine, but damn!

And what the hell, when Will had told him 'Frank would need a hand when he wakes up', Percy hadn't actually thought he would be missing his whole freaking arm!

If this was how Frank looked after Will had taken care of him, how had he looked before?!

Jason exhaled next to him, and Percy didn't have to look around to know he was as shocked as he was.

"What happened?" He asked, because, seriously, Frank was an awesome fighter, what could have possibly gone wrong to lead to this?!

Also, that was one massive cast.

Percy had never seen such a big cast before.

Was his entire leg in that thing? Amazing.

Percy was pretty sure one could knock a giant out with that cast alone.

"I don't know. Reyna put me with the strategists, so I mostly had to deal with the distribution of the troupes and yell orders and formations. I only know he was near the Little Tiber, and that there seemed to be some sort of explosion due to unknown causes. It killed the monsters, and only a few of the troupe were injured but could still fight, so we assumed it to have been an attack move from one of our own. I only heard about Frank later, when our spots were taken by the next batch." Jason explained quietly, and Percy's mind traveled back to what he had heard Reyna and Will talking about.

An enemy demigod on the loose.

Maybe the same one that had set off the explosion?

It had to have been.

Percy wondered whether Jason knew.

He didn't tell him, though, because Jason would undoubtedly ask Will about it, and then Will would know Percy had overheard him talking to Reyna.

Will wasn't allowed to know that, because he was smart, and Percy knew he wouldn't let him out of his sight if he knew.

He approached the bed slowly, and Jason followed.

It had been Percy's idea to visit Frank, just to see how he was doing, while Will was with Nico.

They had already met the medic that would be taking care of Frank for the time being, and she had explained to them that Frank had already woken up after the anesthesia had worn off, but that he would need a lot more rest, and would probably not wake up again for the next few hours.

Percy could understand that only all too well, knowing how often he had randomly fallen asleep on his first few days awake and alive.

He still looked like shit, though.

Percy inspected the heavily bandaged shoulder, and the lack of arm.

That could be him, right there.

Will had explained to him that he had performed a surgery on him in order to keep his left arm functioning properly.

(It was so ironic that it was his other arm that was causing him problems, seriously.)

If Will hadn't done that, he might be one arm short now, too.

Which would leave him with no arm at all.

Jason put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him close.

"Come on, maybe we should come back later, when he's actually awake." His boyfriend suggested, but Percy didn't want to leave.

He wanted to sit down by Frank's side and wait for him to wake up, because Hazel had left to get some suitable food as well as clothes for Frank once he was awake, and the medic had left to take a short break.

Nobody should have to be alone in a time like this.

Percy didn't say any of this, but he still hesitated, and Jason of course noticed, because Jason always noticed.

His boyfriend didn't say anything, but he did move over to the small table that seemed to be in every room, returning with two chairs and motioning for Percy to sit down.

He really had the best boyfriend.

They sat down next to each other, shoulders pressing together as they watched Frank sleep, his expression relaxed and pain-free, which probably meant he was high on pain-killers (also something that Percy knew from experience, now).

He wanted to ask Jason whether he thought Frank would be fine, but of course he would think that, Will had told them so, after all.

Will didn't lie about things like these.

"When will you have to leave again?" Percy asked quietly, instead, and Jason glanced sideways at him, though Percy kept his gaze on Frank.

That could also be Jason.

The longer Percy sat around and did nothing, the higher the risk became that it would be Jason.

They had each other's backs. Always.

Who would have Jason's back now, when Percy wasn't around, the Camp was in dispute, there was an enemy spy, and there were different batches of demigods that were there for quantity, rather than quality?

Nobody would look twice at Jason, and the ones that would, would think he'd be fine, because he was son of Jupiter/Zeus.

"Tomorrow morning is the next switch. Reyna wants me with the strategists again, but I'm not sure it will work out this time." Jason said quietly, and Percy glanced at him, then away again.

A part of him wished Jason could stay with the strategists.

The rest of him knew it would be a waste, because Jason was stronger than that, and his strength was needed in the frontlines, where he could put it to best use.

"You should go to bed soon, then." He mumbled, and Jason smiled next to him.

"Are you worried for me?"

What a foolish question.

"Of course I am." Percy replied, and Jason turned to look at him, all soft smile and affectionate gaze, and Percy hated how he could make him melt like that with just one look.

"I'll be fine, Percy. Just make sure you take your time to heal up properly and do your rehab exercises like Will tells you to, yeah? Don't you go and rush things because you're worried about me."

Percy deliberately didn't meet his gaze as he gave a faint nod.

"Mhm." He replied vaguely, then reached out to poke at the tube sticking out from beneath the blanket, wondering where it led, though he didn't check.

Jason moved an arm around him and leaned over to let his head rest against Percy's shoulder.

"Thank you, though. For trying to take care of me, even though you don't have to."

Percy had a very different opinion on that matter, but he didn't argue, instead letting his head rest against Jason's.

"I'll always try and take care of you. Somebody has to have your back, after all, right?"

"Right." Jason agreed quietly, and Percy was satisfied with that.

They remained like that until Hazel came back with the medic, both of them surprised, but pleased to see them still with Frank, even if he hadn't woken up.

Then, they returned to Will and Nico, giving an update on Frank's progress to the best of their abilities, before Jason indulged him and went to lay down with him in his bed, rather than the one Jason and Will shared.

When Percy fell asleep in Jason's arms, it almost felt like he was back in their cabin.

But only almost.

...

That night, Will did a lot of check-ups on Frank, based on a simple hunch that proved right.

Frank woke up on an almost hourly basis, always confused when he realized he had been asleep, and more often than not rather disorientated.

His speech was still rather slurred, but by now coherent, so Will had declared it an after-effect of the anesthesia and side-effect of the painkillers he was still getting, rather than anything linked to his possible concussion or other injuries.

He was there every time, bringing him water to sip on, telling him where he was and that he was going to be fine, and reassuring him that Hazel would be back first thing in the morning, and that she was fine, too.

Sometimes, Frank asked about the other campers, murmuring something about the battle and names Will couldn't put faces to, but Will did his best to reassure and calm him, while also regularly checking the IV.

Since Frank kept jolting, he was running the rather high risk of ripping out the tube by accident if it was too short, too close to anything it could get stuck to, or too long and run the risk of wrapping around Frank's arm or hand.

The girl Will had assigned to the task (well, that Reyna had assigned, but since Will had told her to, he saw no difference) was currently at home, sleeping after her sixteen-hour shift, and would be back by morning, as well.

Frank asked about his arm a lot, too.

Will's heart ached every time, though he kept telling him he would be fine, and that he was sorry for not being able to save his arm.

Frank always sagged back into his bed, but never blamed him.

Then, at 2am in the morning, there was another crisis, because, right in the middle of waking up, Frank had suddenly transformed into a giant python, the IV of course breaking off, together with the catheters and cast, and Will was never going to forget the scream of utmost agony Frank had uttered as he had transformed back.

Will had healed him, then, unable to take it, even if it weakened him.

He had healed him until Frank had stilled, until Frank had fallen asleep, until Frank's leg had mended completely and the hole at his shoulder had healed over to the point that it would not need much bandaging anymore.

It left Will exhausted and on wobbly legs, but he had managed to reattach the IV and re-place the catheters, hoping against hope that Frank wouldn't transform again until he could make do without the tubes.

He hadn't set another cast, instead massaging Frank's leg to check for any more deformations or issues, and to make sure the muscles were working properly, especially the one he had been forced to mend.

In the morning, he would have to do the first exercises with him to assess the flexibility and assure the proper functioning of his limbs.

He would have preferred it if Frank could have healed by himself, since it would have avoided a situation much like Percy's, where Frank's body would be okay externally, but he still had to catch up to the changes internally and adapt to the new situation mentally.

If Percy had had the chance to heal slowly as well, maybe things would have turned out differently, and for the better.

Will worried about that a lot, lately, same as he worried about Percy doing something stupid.

He was suffering from Major Depression Disorder, and what Will assumed to be a Somatoform Disorder. Will knew that much now, and even if Percy seemed fine for the most part, Will knew he was struggling, and he knew it could get much worse in the shortest amount of time.

He was doubting himself a lot more than before, especially regarding his arm, and Will just knew it was only a matter of time before Percy would ask him to start training again.

If he didn't just leave for the battle before then.

Will really wished Jason could stay with them, just until Nico was awake.

Once Nico was awake, Will knew he would be able to keep Percy here, because Nico would take one look at Percy's troubles holding a pen, and he would not hear another word of complaint on the matter until Will would assure him Percy was ready.

If Jason stayed, Percy wouldn't be so intent on rushing his recovery to join him on the battlefield.

If Jason stayed, Will could also make sure nothing happened to him, either.

He knew he could trust his boyfriends.

He knew they knew how to fight - he had seen them fight plenty of times before, after all.

But Frank also knew how to fight, and Will also trusted him to be smart about his actions, yet here they were, and he didn't want his guys in the same position, not after only just getting Percy back on his feet, to begin with.

Not when Nico was still unconscious.

Not when Will felt like everything could slip through his fingers at any given moment.

Will wrote a note for Hazel in case they missed each other in the morning, telling her of his healing and that she should tell Frank once more he should not perform any transformations for the time being, or at least try not to, in case he couldn't control it completely.

He also left a message for the girl on Frank's charts, so she knew about his healed leg and the very real chance that she might have to reattach the tubes and deal with Frank being in any non-human form.

He also documented his behavior after waking up throughout the night, so she knew what to expect, and that it was slowly getting better.

Will remained by Frank's side until shortly past 4am in the morning, after Frank woke up another time, then he left, certain the medic would arrive around 5am, if not even sooner than that.

He returned to their room, first checking on Nico and whether there had been any change (nope), then on Percy and Jason, who were still snuggled up in Percy's small bed together and sleeping peacefully.

Will collected the discarded blanket off the ground and folded it to place it on the chair next to the bed, then he moved over to the bed against the wall that he would now be sleeping in alone.

He pitied that for a total of one second, then he let himself fall facedown onto it and was asleep before he even registered his head hitting the pillow.

.

When Will woke up again, it was because of Jason, who was sitting at his side and stroking through his hair, before kissing his face.

What a dork.

Will huffed indignantly and grumbled, half-heartedly trying to turn his face away from that horrible person that kept covering his face in small kisses.

Then, Jason buried his face at the side of Will's and blew a raspberry, and Will squeaked – before he hummed contently as Jason nuzzled against his ear, all gentle and timid and loving again.

"Shouldn't you be leaving?" He mumbled as he peeked up at his boyfriend through one eye, but Jason only hummed and kissed the other one, before showering him with kisses all over again, until Will pulled his hands up to protect himself, rather high-pitched and embarrassingly flustered sounds escaping his lips.

That didn't really stop Jason, though, who only proceeded kissing his hands and fingers, before letting his hands sneak underneath Will's shirt to stroke over his tummy.

Will wasn't quite sure what to do, though he automatically giggled at the tickling sensation of Jason's fingertips, and he could feel Jason being rather proud of himself for whatever reason.

"You're a sap, do you know that?"

"Yep." Jason replied smugly, and Will pulled his hands away from his face to look up at his boyfriend with a scolding look, just to change his mind and lean up to give him a kiss on the lips, instead.

He smiled when he felt Jason being his usual bundle of happiness, all in love and euphoric about something as simple as a kiss.

They parted again, then came back together, before Jason started climbing into their bed and on top of Will, his hands back on his tummy and chest beneath his shirt, pushing it up further and further until it was up at Will's neck, exposing his upper body to Jason, who immediately abandoned Will's face (freaking traitor), in favor of showering the rest of his body in kisses.

Will wasn't sure where this was going, but he definitely loved it.

"You're unusually affectionate today." He commented wryly as Jason blew a raspberry on his tummy before pulling away to look down at him again, and his boyfriend smirked cheekily.

"I'm always unusually affectionate." He stated defensively, and Will grinned up at him before making grabby hands at him to come back down and give him another kiss.

Jason complied, then he lowered himself onto Will slowly, careful not to squish him, his arms wrapping around him to hold him tight.

Will held him, too, completely awake now, and aware that it had to be at least 6 or 7am, which meant Jason really did have to leave.

"You should leave, Handsome. You'll be late." Will said softly, and Jason hummed again to show he had heard, though he made no move to pull away.

"If you want, we can shower together once you're back." He suggested tentatively, and Jason huffed a small laugh against his skin.

"I'd like that." His boyfriend replied, and Will smiled, stroking over Jason's back and trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong.

They were demigods.

There would always be fights to fight, and his boyfriends were the fighters, that was simply how it was.

"I wish you didn't have to go." He admitted quietly, because Jason already knew, anyways, and he just wanted to say it once to know he had said it, at all.

"I know. Me neither." Jason replied, and Will sighed, but he let go of him, anyways,

Jason kissed him again, gently, then showered his face in kisses once more until Will couldn't help but smile, before he finally pulled away and climbed off the bed.

"Don't forget about the shower." Jason told him cheekily, and Will made a shooing motion at him as he sat up.

"You know, I'd die for a bath, though." He remarked, and Jason's expression turned wistful for a moment.

"Bubble bath." They both said at the same time, then grinned at each other.

Then, they both sighed in unison, because they both knew there was no way they could take a bath anywhere.

Will should seriously get Percy into some water, though.

That would definitely help him with his exercises and training, and it would undoubtedly cheer him up.

However, Will didn't want to leave Nico alone at any given point if he didn't have to, so that would have to wait a while longer.

He had already mentioned the idea to Reyna before, and she hadn't seemed opposed, so he was confident he would get her okay when the time came.

"I'll get going, now." Jason said quietly, and Will made grabby hands at him again until he stepped closer and moved his arms around him in a faint half-hug.

Somehow, their goodbyes always were like this.

Will would send him away, but Jason would linger just a little while longer, and both of them would try and cling to the other for as long as possible.

"Be careful." He said quietly, and Jason nodded and kissed the top of his head.

"I'll be back in a few hours. Take care of Percy and Nico for me. And Frank."

Will only hoped that list wouldn't grow any longer.

"I'll do my best."

"Same here." Jason assured him, and Will smiled sadly.

Then, they shared a last kiss and Jason tore himself away from him and left the room hurriedly, undoubtedly already finished with saying goodbye to Percy and Nico.

Will remained sitting on his bed for a moment longer, listening to his footsteps hurrying away outside, before he let out a heavy sigh and got up.

It was that moment that he noticed Percy seemed to be feigning sleep, laying very still in a sideways position with his eyes squeezing shut the moment he noticed Will looking.

Will eyed him warily for a moment, then smiled and decided to leave him be, instead checking on Nico's monitor and values.

Then, he rounded the bed and let his fingers dance up Percy's arm.

Percy tensed, then turned his head and peeked up at him innocently.

"Good morning?" His boyfriend tried tentatively, and Will gave him a pointed look.

"Good morning, my little eavesdrop." He returned the greeting, and Percy promptly sat up in bed with an offended expression.

"Not my fault you two act like it's the end of the world. Dude, that goodbye took like, what, ten minutes?"

Will only shrugged.

"Yeah? So what? Jealous?"

Percy snorted out a laugh and let himself fall back into his pillow.

"Nah. He kissed me first. Our goodbye took at least fifteen minutes. Ha. Take that."

Oh dear.

"What? Outrageous. You're making out with Jason before making out with me? I am disappointed, Percy. So disappointed. And there I thought you loved me!" He acted aghast and grabbed his heart in mock pain, and Percy tried very hard to refrain from laughing, which looked absolutely adorable.

Will dropped onto his bed, still clutching his heart and acting like he was dying, and Percy promptly turned towards him to take his hands and act like a distressed lover.

"Oh no, my love, I didn't mean it like that! Of course I still love you, my dear little…uh…flower. Yes, flower."

Will tried not to laugh, instead putting an arm over his eyes and lamenting some more.

"No, you love him more than me. Admit it, you scoundrel!"

"Scoundrel?! Excuse you, who was the one just making out with Jason for ten minutes? Don't think I didn't see him showering you in kisses. You got at least five kisses more than I did, which makes you the scoundrel." Percy retorted indignantly, and this time, Will did laugh, just to find out it was one of those laughs that wouldn't stop once they started, just intensify, and he turned towards Percy to hide at his chest as he kept laughing and giggling.

His boyfriend didn't fare much better, of course, laughing as well and holding his stomach for the most part.

Now this was a nice start into the day, if Will dared to think so.

They slowly calmed down, but once they looked at each other with matching tears in their eyes, they started laughing all over again, and this repeated for at least three more times, before they finally managed to fall silent, still next to each other in Percy's tiny bed with their arms between them and their gazes on each other.

Then, Will leaned forward and gave Percy a peck on the nose, which had Percy making an incredulous face, before he tried (and sadly succeeded) to tackle Will.

But Will didn't really mind.

He much rather had Percy in a splendid mood like this, than have him upset about not getting to fight.

This was much better, and made both of them feel great.

"By the way, I demand that you shower with me today, too." Percy declared as he started tickling Will, and Will wanted to groan and roll his eyes.

Apparently, he'd be getting two showers today.

And there, all he really wanted was a nice bath and Nico awake.

Oh well, he guessed he had to be happy with what he had, else the Fates would take that away from him, too, he was sure of it.

...

Kyle made a face.

The boy was reconsidering.

There he went through all that trouble to access that fool's dreams in whatever messed up location they were hiding, and this was his thanks?

Kyle wished he could get into the mind of somebody a little more focused than Percy Jackson.

But he would have to make do.

Kyle strained his toy's mind a little further, trying to see whether Clovis could still do his bidding when the boy was awake, but Clovis struggled same as he always did, even though his body's weakness posed the actual problem by now.

He wouldn't hold out much longer, unless he finally decided to leave the Camp.

If he only just left, Kyle could collect him and make sure he was fed, then he could be of so much more use.

But no, Clovis was trying to be a hero.

Of course he was.

That was the very thing that had gotten him here now.

All those thoughts of 'Why do others get to be the hero, but people like me don't?', and all that wishful thinking accompanying it had led the boy here.

Weakened, alone, battered and beaten by wind and weather and the unforgiving environment he had put himself in.

Kyle would be impressed that Clovis had managed to fight him off for long enough to get so deep into the forest not even Kyle had managed to lead him back out of it, not even when he had taken over completely.

But he had managed to keep the boy alive.

In a way, Clovis should probably be grateful.

Then again, considering what Kyle had in mind next, he probably also shouldn't be.

Kyle pushed him a little further, trying to access Percy Jackson's mind, but Clovis wasn't meant to access minds, only dreams.

It was such a shame.

Kyle would do it himself, of course, but unfortunately, in his current place, he couldn't.

Not without knowing exactly where those fools were.

It had to be the Roman Camp, but somehow, he hadn't yet managed to gain any more insight than that.

His placeholder there had seen Jason Grace, and there was talk about William in the hospital, but that didn't mean Percy Jackson and that accursed offspring of Hades was with them.

After Kyle's first attempt at finding out more through direct action, and the repercussion of William actually gaining insight from him, instead, he hadn't dared to risk it again.

He had used Clovis as a means to an end, nudging William's mind in his dreams, but there had been a whirl of text, of medical terms, of phrases and memories and wishes and dreads, and Kyle had been forced to retreat when it had become apparent he couldn't get through that.

He had tried with Grace, next, but that fool had nothing but love and devotion in his dreams, entirely useless to Kyle, since he couldn't properly access anything that positive.

Nico di Angelo…whatever he was doing, and wherever he was, he had remained shielded from Kyle for mysterious reasons, and nothing he had done to Clovis had managed to change that, as frustrating as it had been.

He would have loved to get some sort of control over that boy, if only to show him he was nothing compared to Kyle.

Percy Jackson was his only chance at direct action.

He had been hard to find, but Kyle had managed, and now, Clovis was already much quicker in finding him once he was asleep, which seemed to happen more often these days, but for a lot less time, much to Kyle's continuous frustration.

He wanted to know where they were and what they were doing.

Unfortunately, Percy's dreams gave absolutely zero intel on that, because they were a mess of memories and mismatched faces and locations and things that might have happened or might have not.

More often than not, he dreamed a bunch of bullshit, and Kyle despised him for it all the more.

Clovis' mind groaned as Kyle pushed him to keep trying, but all he needed was to make the boy go.

Join that battle.

You're useless, otherwise.

Clovis struggled against his hold, but Kyle pushed relentlessly, trying to get the message planted inside Percy's head.

If only he knew where he was, then he could do it, himself, and everything would be so much easier.

Then again, Kyle would lie if he said he didn't love a good challenge.

Unfortunately, this challenge also forced him to decide.

Either he retreated now and waited for Jackson to make up his mind and hopefully join whatever battle he was both anticipating and dreading to join – or Kyle kept pushing and made sure it would happen, but at the risk of losing his toy in the process.

Kyle smirked.

Well, that wasn't a very difficult decision, was it now?

...

Percy watched Will leave the room to check on Frank, telling him he would be back in a few minutes.

He didn't mind.

It wasn't as if he was alone, or anything.

He had Nico, after all.

Percy rubbed at his temple, feeling a slight stabbing pain.

Great, was he getting a headache, now?

Percy sighed and glanced towards the window, wondering how Jason was doing.

Hopefully well.

Percy's stomach churned, but he just…

He wasn't sure.

It seemed like a bad idea.

Both Jason and Will had told him explicitly not to go without Will's okay, and that he should take his recovery seriously and take his time.

He didn't want to sit around idly, but at the same time, he couldn't just…leave, right?

Yesterday, that had seemed like a much…well, better idea.

Now, however, it seemed foolish.

He couldn't very well sneak out, and Will was right when he said Percy couldn't even hold his pen correctly at the moment.

What made him think he could seriously fight?

Of course he wanted to have Jason's back the same as always, but what good would he be if he joined now?

Chances were, he would only get in the way.

Then Jason would only run an even higher risk of getting injured, and Will would skin him alive once he found out about his stunt – and, gods, Will would find out.

No, that seemed like a truly horrible idea.

How had Percy ever even had that idea, in the first place?

He shook his head and closed his eyes as he let himself fall back into his bed, listening to the even beeping coming from Nico's side.

It always lulled him into sleep, so he had to make sure not to let that happen, this time.

He wanted to be awake when Will came back, so they could resume their rehab exercises, and Percy could continue to woo him with his horrible pickup-lines.

But you'll be useless.

Percy stilled, the thought just suddenly…there.

Then, he turned to his side, away from the window, away from the room, trying to think of something different.

There was a lot to think about, after all.

Join the fight.

Bad idea. Horrible idea. Why would he do that?

He should much rather wait here for Will.

He thinks you're useless.

Percy deflated, looking down at his sword arm.

He was useless, wasn't he?

What was he doing, laying around here without doing anything?

Join the fight.

Maybe he could hold his sword.

Plus, the pain was bearable. He could just take some painkillers and do it.

What if Jason needed him?

He had to have his back, after all, right?

He needs help.

Maybe he did.

Percy mused this, then shook his head, because this was Jason, he would be fine.

But what if he won't be?

Unwillingly, pictures filled his head, of Jason hurt, of Jason getting cornered, of Jason dying.

No, he couldn't let that happen.

But Will…

Will is going to be fine.

Percy thought so with utmost conviction.

Of course Will would be fine.

He could heal. He was strong.

He wouldn't skin Percy if Percy ended up protecting Jason.

Percy made his decision, wondering faintly how he had ever doubted it, in the first place.

He hopped off the bed and slipped out of his sweatpants in exchange for one of his jeans he got out of the backpack, then rushed to his shoes.

The next moment, he was out of the room, then down the stairs, then on his way to the exit.

Nobody stopped him, of course.

They didn't even look twice at him, but in this case, Percy was glad for it.

Time to join the fight.

...

Kyle grinned to himself, trying to catch a glimpse of what Percy was seeing, but Clovis prevented it, the fool still putting up so much fight.

It was pitiful, really.

Unfortunately for Clovis, it was also annoying, and it promptly ruined his good mood.

"You're mine. Let me see what I wish to see, or you will pay for it." He let him know, but Clovis practically held up his middle finger in his face as he broke off the connection to Percy Jackson's mind, and Kyle retaliated instinctively.

He shoved forward, into Clovis' mind, and the screech and shattering pain that followed was one of the most satisfying things Kyle had witnessed today.

Clovis' mind strained, and he could feel the tension in the boy's body, even from this distance, and how he was struggling to keep his sanity.

How he was struggling to keep his life.

Kyle considered his options, for a moment.

He had given the Jackson boy enough of a push with his suggestions, his self-doubting nature making him so much more gullible and formable than initially expected.

From here on, the boy would join that battle, and if it was the same one Grace was fighting, then that meant he could get them both taken out at the same time.

Which meant, William would lose them both in one go.

Kyle knew what that would do to him, and knew it would be so easy to get him, after that.

Of course, if he still put up a fight at that point, Kyle would have to let them kill him, he guessed.

But Kyle was certain the blow would be big enough to turn William into the submissive tool Kyle wanted him to be.

And once he had William, Nico di Angelo or his daddy wouldn't be able to do shit anymore.

Kyle smiled.

In other words…

He pushed a little further, then retreated almost entirely, and Clovis sagged together in his hiding place, a small heap of misery and pain.

Truly beautiful.

Kyle bid his farewell to the boy.

He was no monster, after all, he knew how to be grateful for his service, though it could have been better.

Then, he let his mind cut through Clovis' like a knife, and the satisfying snap was enough to make Kyle shiver in delight as he lost contact with his toy, for the last time.

He had done well.

But he was useless to him now.

Kyle turned around and left his tent to walk over to Polybotes, who was tending the fire and waiting for that other good for nothing giant to get back here so they could plan out the next batch of monsters for both Camps.

Not that Kyle needed either of them, but he had been given orders, and he knew to follow them.

At least his orders, anyways.

"I have a job for you." He called up to the giant, and Polybotes looked down at him with his ugly face, clearly not impressed as he continued scratching at his backside.

Disgusting, crude creatures.

"I take no orders from a puny human like you." The giant replied in a bored voice and turned his back to him, but Kyle rounded him immediately, knowing full well who had the say here.

He was second-in-command.

Not the giants. None of them.

"You will do as I say, and you will hear me out. Have Enceladus contact our informant at the Roman Camp. Special focus on Jason Grace and Percy Jackson. They should be part of the battle right as we speak."

"Percy Jackson?" Polybotes repeated, clearly perking up at that name, though Kyle had no interest in his history with Jackson.

"Yes. And Jason Grace. I want them dead, and soon. Make it happen." He announced, and Polybotes seemed to struggle between wanting to follow the order, and the apparent urge to step on Kyle.

He only looked up at him with a determined, unafraid look, knowing he was the one in charge, no matter how much these fools liked to think different.

"I will take him out, myself. We still have a score to settle."

And, of course, he was only speaking of Jackson.

Kyle felt his patience wearing thin.

There he had just had such a good mood, too.

What a shame.

"You will tell Enceladus to contact our informant and get it done. I don't care what you do. Go join the battle yourself, if you wish. If you think you can make it there in time." Kyle couldn't help but tease at the end.

Who knew, actually, the thought of a giant joining the battle and making sure Jackson and Grace were taken care of wasn't actually all that bad.

In fact, it was quite amusing to think of the horror and shock everybody else would suffer from.

Especially William.

That would serve him right for making things so difficult.

He could have just come with Kyle and spared himself all of this, but no.

He had just had to spite him, and now, he just had to keep posing problems.

Yes, this would teach him a lesson.

Polybotes bristled, then proceeded to yell at him about all the great deeds he had done, but Kyle wasn't paying attention, already picturing William back at his feet.

He would be his again.

No matter what his master said, he had no interest in killing the boy unless utmost necessary.

It would be such a waste, after all.

"Get it done." He repeated, and Polybotes cursed him in reply, but his honor and the fear of their master's wrath would ensure he did as Kyle had told him.

The boys would die, one way or another.

Nico di Angelo wouldn't even know what had happened, before they would be dead, and William would be his again.

Oh, he could barely wait.

...

Jason was yelling formations to his assigned group, when he saw it.

A glimpse of black hair between all the Roman helmets.

Orange shirt amidst armor and purple.

The gleam of Celestial Bronze, contrary to Imperial Gold.

It couldn't be.

Jason felt his heart beating in his throat for other reasons than the battle surrounding him.

No.

No, please no.

Two demigods jumped out of the way, followed by a hellhound on fire, and the next moment, Jason had a clear view.

Oh no.

Jason discarded his designated spot, ignoring he yells and calls that followed him, a buzz in his ears and cold dread in his heart as he started moving, towards the one person that shouldn't be here right now, but was.

Percy.

...

"Yes, just give him the dosage I wrote down, and it should be fine. I'll be back later for more exercises, but I stand by what I said, STR would do more good for him. I'm not schooled in that, I can only do what I know, so if you can find a professional, that would be much better for Frank in the long run." Will explained as he left Frank's room, and the girl (Dilek, as he now knew) nodded at him and made her own little note, so he bid his farewell (again) and closed the door with a sigh.

Alright, that had taken longer than expected.

Will shook his head and moved down the hall towards their room, wondering whether there would be any significant change regarding Nico now, though he highly doubted it.

But Nico would have to get better.

One day, there would have to be a change.

Or maybe there was a change, but it was so gradual Will hadn't picked up on it yet?

Will sighed again and opened the door, eyes downcast on the papers he had taken with him so he could read up on a few things regarding Frank, just to make sure everything was in order.

Also, he wanted to know how he would go about attaching a-…

Will stopped dead at the sight of Percy's empty bed as he looked up, his mouth already opened in greeting.

Then, his eyes hushed to the open bathroom door, showing the empty interior.

Oh no.

Will's gaze snapped to the discarded sweatpants on the floor, and the missing shoes.

No.

Will cursed and dropped his papers, before whirling around and running from the room again.

He saw a medic as he spun around the corner and down the stairs, and it was one of the ones he knew by now.

Nico flashed across his mind.

"Hey, you! Watch over my boyfriend while I'm gone." He called over, hoping against hope he would get to Percy before he got himself killed.

That fool.

What was he thinking?!

Will had told him not to go, and Percy hadn't given him the slightest impression that he would go against that, at least not today!

Yesterday, it had seemed like a very real possibility, but today, Percy had been cheerful and in good spirits and much more inclined to follow Will's advice.

He had even said they should do more exercises once Will was done with his check-up on Frank!

Had he seriously outright lied to Will?!

Will couldn't quite believe it.

He left the hospital in a hurry, running down the street as quickly as his feet would carry him.

How long had he been gone?

What if he had left right after Will had left the room?

He must have been gone for half an hour, at least.

Enough time for Percy to leave and get to the Fields or Mars, easily.

Enough time for Percy to join the battle.

But Terminus wouldn't give him his weapon, right? Terminus would have to know Percy was in no state to fight…right?

"Oh, why, hello? Third one of the bunch, huh? Your boyfriend came through twenty minutes ago, as well, to pick up his weapon and join the fight. Show that monster scum what you're made of, shall you?" Terminus greeted him easily as Will rushed through the exit of New Rome, and he slid to a stop to whirl around at him.

"You idiot! How could you let him go?! He can barely hold a pen with that arm of his and you give him his sword?!"

The limbless statue of the god looked as taken aback as he looked offended, but Will didn't care, and didn't wait for his reply as he stormed off towards the Fields of Mars.

Stupid Terminus.

Stupid battle.

Stupid monsters.

Stupid Percy!

Oh, Will was going to rattle him when he got to him – if he got to him before he got slaughtered!

If Percy died, Will was going to kill him.

Will heard the battle before he even saw the first traces of it as he ran in a straight line towards the battling demigods and monsters, the stench as sickening as the sound of clashing weapons and screams of agony and the roars of dying monsters.

As if on cue, the moment Will whooshed past the first armored demigods, his visions hit him, as if they had never left, in the first place.

He saw people, ones he knew and ones he didn't, and he saw monsters, and he saw death, and pain, and his guys, back to back, then separated, and then there was pain, and death, and monsters, and people, and – not on Will's watch!

He zigzagged through the crowd of screaming demigods and roaring monsters, evading blows from both sides as he trusted his instincts to bring him to his guys.

Will found Jason, first.

Jason, on the ground, grounded, surrounded, cornered, outnumbered.

There was thunder, then a series of lightning bolts, and the numbers diminished, but still left behind enough of a threat, and Will could see what could happen, but he wouldn't let it happen.

Will rushed past Dakota and leapt on the back of a passing hellhound to not get trampled beneath, his hand shoving inside his medic pouch as he leapt off its back once more.

He landed on an advancing empousa that didn't see him coming, and the next moment, his scalpel was in the side of her throat, her words dying before they could leave her lips, shortly followed by her disintegrating.

He was by Jason's side a moment later, whooshing past him as his boyfriend whirled around to meet the monster attacking him from behind, leaving his back defenseless to the hellhound that was advancing on him.

Will's scalpel cut across the hellhound's face, then he jumped back and grabbed hold of Jason's sword as he finished his blow, and Jason, in his stunned surprise, instinctively let go, his lips forming a silent 'Will?'.

He ignored him, same as he ignored the heavy weight of the sword in his grip, knowing he could handle it for the one thrust he had to do with it as he shoved it into the monster advancing on both of them from another side, before passing it back to Jason hurriedly.

His hand disappeared in his medic pouch, searching for what he knew was in there, and his fingers promptly closed around the small tube he had been looking for, pulling it out and popping off the stopper, before tossing some of the contents at the once more advancing hellhound.

Jason yelled something behind him, probably at him, but Will paid him no mind as the hellhound yelped and tried to slide to a stop, but it got too close, and Will's scalpel met just the right places to cause it to disintegrate with a mournful howl.

He may not be a fighter, and he may not be very strong, but he knew all the weak spots on all known monsters, and he knew how to use that knowledge to his advantage.

His visions snapped through his mind, and it was confusing, but it was clear, and Will would never understand how he could comprehend so many things at once, but at that moment, he failed to care.

Instead, he whirled around to Jason.

"Sword!" He yelled, and his exhaustion from the run here made the edges of his vision blurry, but his anger kept him going.

Not his guys.

Not now. Not ever.

Not on his watch.

Even though Jason had never worked with him before, especially not like this, he still reacted instinctively and threw his sword towards him, so Will could catch it and toss it tip-first into the Shadow that had tried, and almost succeeded, to sneak up on them.

Then, he let Jason retrieve his sword himself as he pushed forward and through the crowd, running for his Percy.

Jason yelled after him, but Will couldn't hear what it was, though he knew he would follow him.

He found Percy, on one knee on the ground, his sword in his left hand, his body battered and beaten, but he was alive, and that was what mattered.

However, Will knew what would come, and he knew what would happen, and he didn't know what to do, but he wouldn't let them take his guys away from him.

It was one monster, it was many, it was a shadow that was there then gone.

It was quantity, and it was quality, it was well-rested monsters against weakened demigod.

It wasn't fair.

It was his guy.

It was in Will's hands.

There was a crackling in the air, a sign of more than there was, and Will felt the anger inside him numbing him, his chest still heaving with every breath he took, but the burning in his lungs stilled as all sound seemed to die around him, all his focus on his Percy, on the monsters advancing on him, on the sneers on their faces and the broken look on Percy's.

Time seemed to slow around them, but Will kept on going, fighting through it as his anger made his skin tingle and his worry for Percy his stomach clench.

Then, he was there.

He was in front of Percy.

There was a yell that was his own, a testament of 'You will not touch what's mine'.

Something inside him snapped.

A flash of white.

Monsters turning, trying to run in terror and fear.

A searing hot flash of pain inside Will, tearing him apart from the inside.

Not his guys.

Everything turned white.

Then everything turned black.

...

The Fields of Mars lit up white, a shockwave of unbearable heat knocking them back, and Reyna pushed herself to her feet hurriedly again to take up arms against that godforsaken Hydra before it got to claim any more of her men – but the Hydra wasn't attacking anymore, instead winding and unwinding and curling in apparent agony as it started disintegrating in its alive state, its skin practically burning off its body and dissolving to dust.

Reyna stared at it, then around at her legion, trying to assess the damage.

But the demigods that had fallen got back up on wobbly legs, looking around in confusion as the monsters all around them started screaming and howling in agony, meeting the same fate as the Hydra Reyna had been facing.

What…?

"No!" Somebody yelled, and she knew that voice, but that voice should not be here, that voice belonged to somebody stuck in a hospital bed with the direct order of not coming here.

Her eyes found Percy, and Jason, who must have been closest to whatever silent explosion had just occurred, and who were making straight for the very center of it.

The very center, with the grass scorched into oblivion, and a small heap of something laying there, instead.

"Will! No!" Percy yelled again, and Reyna stumbled, needing to hold onto one of her men to keep her balance as she tried to stomach the knowledge that something was a someone.

"Assess the damage. Get the troupes together. Reassemble." She announced, trying to sound sure of herself and in charge, and she was lucky the others around her seemed as stunned and beside themselves as she was, the majority looking around in confusion and poking the remnants of the monsters they had just been fighting.

There were none left.

None.

Nothing.

Reyna let her eyes travel the expanse of the Fields of Mars, but there was no sign of life other than that of her people, and the grass that had before been sullied with blood was now scorched to a pale yellow-brown, and burnt off entirely the closer it got to the center – to Will.

"Jason! Jason, do something!"

Reyna's gaze snapped back to the boys, who were with Will now, who were holding him in their arms, but who hissed as they did so, and she saw their skin turning pink where they met Will's, before it turned darker.

Burn marks.

Reyna had seen somebody die before, like that.

An overdose of nectar, mixed with an overuse of his powers, and Reyna would never forget the fearful eyes and the screams of pain as he had suffered, burning up from the inside out, his skin scalding hot and burning anybody who dared to touch him.

She had tried to help, back then, but there had been nothing she could do.

There was nothing she could do now, either.

"Water. Get him to the water, Percy. We need to cool him down." Jason exclaimed, and Reyna found herself moving towards them slowly, while the other demigods around her followed her orders and went to reassemble at their meeting point, not realizing what was happening, not paying enough attention, their focus still on the sudden lack of monsters, and the inexplicability of it.

She watched as Percy lifted Will up as if he weighed nothing, rushing off towards water – the lake, not the river, Reyna noticed, and she agreed.

The river was further away right now, and there might still be monsters outside this circle of destruction.

Jason followed right behind, his face ashen.

Reyna was still walking, her body wanting to follow, her mind still trying to comprehend.

Why were they here?

She watched Percy reaching the lake in record time, diving right in and disappearing from sight, together with Will.

Jason was there a moment later, standing knee-deep in the water, watching, hoping, dreading.

What had happened?

She watched Percy's head breaking the water again, could hear his anguished cries and his pleas as he kept Will in his arms, stroking his hair out of his face and shaking him, trying to get him to regain consciousness.

How had Will done that?

Jason went splashing into the water to help Percy somehow, both of them holding onto Will as if their life depended on it, when it was the other way around.

Would he make it?

There was a gust of wind, making her hair fly around her face, and it picked up in intensity a moment later, the breeze leading towards the water, surrounding the water.

Clouds came appearing on the before clear sky, the distant sound of thunder making her shiver.

Reyna watched as they clutched their boyfriend, hands on his cheeks, hands in his hair, hands everywhere and nowhere, their words sometimes whispered, sometimes yelled, sometimes in between.

Rain came crashing down on her, ice cold and yet burning, and she watched them struggling to save him, struggling to cool him down, struggling to keep him with them.

What now?

Reyna didn't know how much time must have passed, but she reached the lake, and they were still right there, both of them with their eyes closed and silent tears streaming down their faces, while Will was between them, still unresponsive.

From this close, she thought she could even see the water steaming, showing how hot he still had to be, even with the cold rain pouring down on them.

Reyna stared, hoping for the unbelievable, while dreading the inevitable.

"Help." Percy whispered, and when she looked at him, she found his gaze on her, his eyes full of fear and pain.

Reyna didn't know how to help.

She turned her head to look towards where the troupes were, near the entrance to New Rome.

She thought of her medics, but Will was different from them, and she wasn't sure what they could possibly do to help him.

She thought of Will's team he trusted so much, but none of them would be of help now, either.

There was nobody.

Nico might have been able to help, but Nico wasn't here.

Will might have been able to help, if it wasn't he himself who was dying.

Reyna looked back at Percy with a helpless look, and he closed his eyes again and turned his face away.

Jason had his arms around both of them now, keeping them pressed against him as the storm picked up around them, a feeble attempt at dropping the temperatures even further.

Reyna stepped into the water, herself, the wind billowing around her and the water feeling like countless needles piercing her skin.

She moved further into the lake, approaching them and undoing her cloak, remembering Athena's bestowed blessing.

She thought of Will, kneeling on the ground and trying to save Nico with all that he had.

She thought of Will, bossing around her medics as he collected everything he needed for a surgery on Percy to assure the functionality of his limbs.

She thought of Will, offering his help to her medics as the number of patients became overwhelming, preventing the loss of even more skilled demigods.

She thought of Will, saving Frank's life and assuring his safety.

Reyna moved her cloak over him in the water, and Jason and Percy helped wrap him up in it without question or hesitation.

She didn't know whether it would help.

She didn't know whether they could save him.

All she knew was that they had to try.