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?

14. Chapter 13: Breaking Point

A/N: Hey Cupcakes! :D
Guess who's back from the dead? ;D
Biiiiiiig sorry for the long wait for this chapter, there was...a lot going on. I should have made a post of some sort, but in my naive mind I was certain things would calm down much sooner than they did.

But here it is! :) I'm sorry in advance. Suffer with me.

Heed the trigger warnings! (Also, in case anybody needs a watered down summary, don't hesitate to contact me.)
Next update should happen in two weeks!

Check out the Fanart! I made a new page for them on my Tumblr mel-chan366 - just add /fanfic-fanart at the end ;)
(Seriously, check it out. Beautiful. Cheers you right up after all the angst.)

Wish you all the best!
- Tári

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Trigger Warnings:
- Kyle
- Angst
- Depression
- Pain / Lack of Feeling / Anger
- Relationship Angst
- Graphic Depiction of Blood / Fighting / Near-Death
- Hopelessness / Fear / Dread / Giving Up
- Implied/Mentioned abuse/rape/torture/violence
- Hollowness / Existential crisis / Insanity
- Misery

---

Chapter 13: Breaking Point

Will had a nightmare that night.

The burning-up kind.

Jason had hoped they were past those, but apparently, he had hoped in vain.

The team was there, witnessing the effects for the first time, though they didn't ask or comment, instead rushing to help and watching them support and comfort their boyfriend with understanding in their gazes.

They didn't question them later that morning, either, instead bidding their goodbyes to face the world once more.

And what a world it was.

Jason gazed into the dull gray around them, the fog unusual for this time of the year, but so were the monster attacks at the border.

He got his boyfriends to breakfast, all three of them fighting demons of their own in battles he couldn't partake in.

Jason still wished he could, but he had to make do with the things he could influence, so breakfast it was.

It was barely 5:30am in the morning, but there were already a few campers up, or maybe they simply hadn't slept – but nobody bothered them, which Jason was glad about.

They had enough things to do today, including two burials that would very likely take an even bigger toll on his boyfriends and team.

Jason made them eat.

He told Will how important it was for him to eat, and he told Nico he needed his strength, and he rubbed over Percy's back and fed him his own breakfast when his boyfriend listlessly pushed around his own, and they ate, and Jason was glad they did.

They saw Annabeth, with her arms crossed and her expression grave, but she left them be, and he was glad about that, too.

He took them to the lake next, mainly so they wouldn't return to the cabin right away again, and because all three of them usually liked the water.

They watched the sunrise together, just huddled on the ground with their shoulders pressing against each other.

There was silence all around them except for the faint sounds of battle up at the border, but that wasn't their duty right now, and Jason wanted to keep it that way a little longer.

Will said something about having to check the infirmary, but Jason kept him there.

Nico whispered he would have to get started on the preparations, but Jason kept him there.

Percy said nothing, and Jason kept him there, too.

He wished he could keep them there forever.

Their team joined them, sitting down with them and watching the sun rising into the sky together, all of them with the same haunted looks on their faces.

Ash was the first to leave, whispering that it wasn't fair.

Sara left next, saying she would be in the arena to train.

Liam followed her shortly after, saying something about archery practice, so he would be of better use to the team in future.

Nico momentarily bristled at that, barking out an unnecessarily loud 'You're fine just the way you are, Liam', that more made the boy jump than reassure him, but Jason was certain he got the message Nico had been trying to convey.

Hannah was the last to leave, whispering she would let Andrew's girlfriend know.

Jason had forgotten Andrew had a girlfriend.

He found himself looking after Hannah, then he looked at his boyfriends, trying not to think of how it would feel to receive such a horrible message, himself.

Death was always just around the corner for demigods, Jason knew that. They all did.

But it still hurt, and Jason knew it would always be that way.

They left the shore only when the fog disappeared to give view of their Camp, their home, and the bright colors seemed dulled as Jason led them towards the Big House.

None of them wanted to recount their travels, but they had to get it over with eventually, so Jason wanted to get it out of the way.

His boyfriends followed him without complaint.

What followed was the longest hour of Jason's life, full of too long pauses and lowered heads, gazes either full of pain or eerily empty.

Percy remained silent throughout the conversation, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Jason wasn't man enough to move an arm around him, knowing he wouldn't be able to let go of him again.

Chiron wasn't swishing his tail anymore like he usually did. He also barely asked anything.

There was no annoyance or impatience, just pain and sorrow in his gaze, and he seemed older again, the color of his fur once more muted, dulled like the rest of the Camp.

Jason had to do most of the talking, helping when his boyfriends faltered.

Nico joined Percy's silence once they reached his coma.

At some point, Annabeth was there, too, though Jason couldn't tell just when she had joined.

Percy turned his head away when Jason told them about his arm, and about the battle. About Will burning up.

He didn't tell them that Will had 'exploded' and caused the deaths of those monsters, rather than healed, but he said Will had overexerted himself.

He left out Reyna's cape, but not Reyna.

He told them of their recovery, and their departure, and the battles they had faced on the way.

When he ended up faltering as they reached the first bus crash, Will helped him, filling the gaps that Jason couldn't.

Then, he, too, fell silent, and Jason took over again.

He didn't want to talk about this.

He didn't want to think about this.

But somebody had to do it, and better him than them.

He had to be there for them right now, in any way possible.

So, Jason talked.

He told them of the Hunters, even of the pitstops, until he couldn't hold off the last part of their return, and he started speaking of their second crash.

Jason felt Nico trembling next to him, and he knew Nico blamed himself.

He shouldn't, but he did.

Jason told them of Andrew's sacrifice.

Then, there was silence, and Jason lowered his head, too.

"I am sorry." Chiron said softly, but his words felt empty, even to Jason.

Sorry.

They had lost two members of their team, two wonderful people, children, who had still had their whole life ahead of them.

Sorry.

Chiron hadn't even wanted to let them go.

How many more would have died, if Will and Percy hadn't come along?

Sorry.

Would he have been sorry, too, if Will had died? If he hadn't told them about his vision and fallen?

Sorry.

What was the point of Chiron being sorry?

There was no point to it.

All it did was make Jason angry, and it took him a moment to contain that anger, to push it back down to think it through at a different time.

Anger only caused irrational thinking, rash actions, and mistakes. He had no time for any of that.

Percy had stopped clenching and unclenching his fists, instead staring blankly into space.

Nico had his eyes closed and looked ready to break down.

Will shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes squeezed shut and his shoulders hunched up as he trembled.

"If there's no further questions, we will take our leave now. There's much to do." Jason excused them quietly, because there was, and even though Jason didn't want to let his guys go out of his reach, he was aware of their duties.

Chiron gave a nod, letting them free.

Nico would have to prepare the burials, maybe Percy could help.

Will would have to check on his infirmary and siblings.

Jason would have to join the battles at the border.

Will trailed behind as they left, so Jason ushered Percy and Nico out, then stopped to wait for Will.

"Are you happy now?" He heard him ask, and looked back, just to find Will staring coldly at Chiron.

Chiron seemed surprised.

Annabeth, however, did not.

"This is what you wanted, right? Now, we won't leave anymore. You have us right where you wanted us all along. Here. I'll be your best healer, and Jason will be your best fighter. Nico, you have never cared about in your life, and Percy? Your favorite? The boy you oh-so hoped would fare better than the heroes of the past?" He spat, and Jason felt his skin tingle as the air around them became warm.

He glanced back at Percy and Nico, but they were already outside, walking slowly towards the cabins.

Jason closed the door.

"You destroyed him, Chiron. I told you what to do. You didn't listen. I told you the risks, you didn't listen. Now look at him. Look at what you caused with your ignorance." Will continued, and there was disgust in his voice. Anger. Hatred.

This time, Chiron's tail did swish.

Annabeth leaned against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She remained silent.

"I had to think of the Camp, first. Percy is grown now, more mature than many others his age. He will get better. The Camp only has the here and now." Chiron said quietly, and Jason felt himself bristling against his better judgment, even though this wasn't his argument.

"You used him like a doll. You have been using him like a doll. Going to his school, making him think of you as a person he could trust, just to then shove a prophecy at him. Just to tell him he's going to die. Just to make use of the fact that he didn't die. Just to have him fight even though you know how much he hates it!" Will exclaimed, and the air now turned scalding hot around them, a testament to Will's anger.

"He is a demigod, he has to fight to stay alive!" Chiron replied, and he was raising his voice, which made Jason twitchy and defensive.

Nobody yelled at his boyfriend. Not in that tone.

"Shouldn't it be your job to keep us alive?! Why aren't you out there, trampling monsters or shooting them with your arrows?! Why are the kids out there? Why do you let them get hurt on purpose? 'Oh, you have to fight, you're demigods'? Really?! That's the best you come up with? We're demigods, and he was just a kid! He needs treatment! He needs counseling! He needs help!"

Jason was reminded of that conversation they had with Chiron all those months ago.

Will had told him about the talks he had with Chiron before, how much he had to fight for every little thing, like that free day for Percy after Tartarus had plagued him in his sleep.

"He will recover." Chiron insisted, and Will stomped his foot on the ground.

"He's on the verge of breaking! Do you have any idea what you've done to him?!"

Chiron's tail swished again.

"I wanted to keep him here. It was you who insisted on taking him along on your travels."

There was a low growl filling the room, and Jason needed a moment to realize he was the source of it, his teeth bared the same way he used to do back with the wolves, to show them to back off.

Annabeth had pushed away from the wall, but she was still only watching.

Will, however, seemed to lose all the tension in his body as his shoulders fell and the anger left his eyes, making way for a blank, cold look.

"He would have gotten himself killed three days into being kept here. We have done all we could to keep him up, but it's not enough. It can't be enough. You've demanded too much of him, and now, he is suffering from it in a way you can't ignore any longer. His arm will never heal if he doesn't allow his mind to. And I want you to know what you're responsible for." He stated, and Chiron's tail swished again, though he didn't reply.

"I asked you to pull him from training. I told you not to take Nico away from him. I pleaded that you'd let him have more free time. But you didn't listen. You pushed and pushed and pushed, until he learned the only way to have peace is when he's incapable of fighting. Now, he is. So, are you happy now?" Will asked, and Jason saw Annabeth lowering her head, a pained look on her face.

"I am not. Far from it. I wish things could have gone differently, I really do. But we're at war. There was no way I could just send him somewhere for treatment. He was the best swordfighter, of course I needed him to train the campers." Chiron spoke up quietly, and Will's face twisted.

"There were other campers. You know there were other campers. And we're always at war! I told you this would happen, and you didn't listen!"

"You said his mental health would get worse, and that it would be a struggle for him to keep going. You've never said he would purposely cause himself to be incapable of fighting!" Chiron shot back, and Annabeth flinched, the same moment Will's eyes widened, his expression one of stunned shock.

Jason wasn't quite sure what had just happened.

All he knew was that the temperature in the room was suddenly rising again, and Jason's skin started tingling uncomfortably.

"So, that's how it is, huh?" Will asked, and his voice was unnaturally cool, especially considering the scalding heat in the room.

Chiron's tail swished again.

"Will, I want you to calm down."

Will ignored him.

"As long as it's just Percy's mental health, it's no big deal, is it now? No need to change anything, no need to throw him a bone. After everything he's done for you, after all your claims of how much you care about him and how he's your biggest hope. His mental health is not important enough to worry about, because, the Camp of course comes first. But then, how dare he get worse? How dare he develop somatic pain that renders him incapable of fighting, right? How dare he get himself out of fighting, right? Totally unexpected! I mean, how strange, that somebody who is falling apart from the inside out is actually going to show symptoms of it on the outside, too, huh?! Totally never happened before!" Will was raising his voice again, looking angrier than Jason had ever seen him.

No, that wasn't quite right.

He looked as angry as he had been when appearing on the battlefield in Camp Jupiter to save Percy's life.

Chiron actually took a step back now.

"That is not what I said."

"It is." Both Will and Annabeth snapped back, and Jason noticed that Annabeth, too, seemed livid.

He still wasn't quite sure what was happening.

He did, however, know that Will would tire himself out if he kept spilling his powers like this, intentional or not.

"I think we should all take a moment to step back and compose ourselves." He cut in, his voice loud and even, and all three heads snapped around to him.

Annabeth's eyes were cold and stormy, while Chiron's seemed almost grateful.

Jason half dreaded Will to argue, to glower at him and accuse him of siding with the centaur, but he didn't. Instead, he was grinding his teeth and looking back at Chiron with another look of contempt.

But he was also making an effort to take a deep breath and allow his shoulders to relax a little.

He also let Jason step up to his side and speak.

"Percy will help Nico with the burials. After that, he will decide what happens next. There's no more point in talking about what could have been prevented in the past anymore. Instead, we should focus on what we can learn from it, and how to make things better again from now on." Jason reasoned, and the heat slowly disappeared again around them, though he knew Will was still upset.

"With all the monster attacks, Percy will have to fight. There's been too many injuries of late, and the border is already weakened." Chiron told them, and Jason pinched the top of his nose, unable to believe the centaur had seriously just said that.

"You will pull Percy from the battles, or so the gods help me," Will snarled immediately. "He is injured, he needs treatment and time to recover, same as the other wounded in the infirmary. You wouldn't send anybody out there with a broken leg, so you can't expect Percy to go."

"I won't risk the lives of countless campers just because of an injury that's not actually there!"

Annabeth made an indignant sound – then she stomped past them and out of the door without another word, hands balled to fists at her sides.

"You are risking the lives of countless campers, no matter what you do, and I won't have Percy among those casualties!"

Will was yelling now. Jason didn't like it when Will yelled.

What he liked even less, though, was the way Chiron was moving like an agitated horse, hooves pawing the ground as his hind legs kept moving left and right, though he remained fairly rooted to the spot.

"This is why I told you to step back! You're too attached!"

"I'm just trying to minimize the casualties! If I had it my way Percy would be far away from here where he can have treatment, peace and all the love we can give him, but that's impossible, and wouldn't do any of the rest of us any good. This is the least I can ask for him, and the least you can do for him. If you don't act now, it's gonna be too late. Do you really want to have his blood on your hands, too? Because it's not gonna be a monster that gets to him!" Will exclaimed, and when Chiron's hoof slammed into the ground, so did Will's foot, both of them straightening their backs to look more imposing than the other.

Chiron was twice as big as Will, and half-horse – and yet Jason thought Will won this round, because the unmasked anger in his face and the clear message of 'I will make you regret this until the day you die' even caused Jason to shudder.

"Percy may help Nico with the burials. Then, I will speak to him. Alone. After that, we shall see what happens next." Chiron replied after a moment of silence, and Will clenched his fists, still trembling from head to toe.

Then he turned around without another word and stomped towards the door – just to stop with his hand on the doorknob.

"If anything happens to Percy…" He started, and there was a quiver in his voice that made Jason's heart ache.

Will turned his head to look back at Chiron, eyes burning the same way the room had burnt earlier.

"If anything happens to Percy, you will regret it. I will make you regret it."

And with that, he left, leaving behind an eerily cold room, a sighing centaur, and Jason.

Jason looked after him, then back to the centaur.

It was the first time he had ever heard anybody threaten Chiron.

Back with the wolves, or at Camp Jupiter, that would have been like signing a death sentence.

"By far not the first time somebody has threatened me." Chiron said with another sigh, though his swishing tail showed he was still agitated.

Jason considered his options, his fingers moving up to touch the locket around his neck, hidden beneath his shirt.

"With all due respect…" He started, hesitant.

Chiron gave him a questioning look.

Jason met it with a determined, challenging one of his own.

"Will won't be the only one making you pay." He finished coolly.

Then, he took his leave as well, following his boyfriend the same way he always would.

...

When he came back to their cabin, Will was only two steps ahead of him, and they found Percy and Nico all over each other.

Jason wasn't surprised, exactly, though seeing how rough they were with each other did make him uneasy.

Nico treated Percy as if he wanted to break him.

Percy reacted as if he wanted nothing more than to be broken.

Jason found himself standing in the doorway, not quite sure how to handle the situation, whereas Will immediately made for them and pulled them apart, demanding to be included.

Jason closed the door behind him, then looked back at his boyfriends.

They were hurting so much. All three of them.

He watched a moment longer, yearning for the intimacy and affection they had shared barely two days ago, though it felt more like a lifetime ago now.

Then, he started moving through the room to collect the luggage they had discarded in various corners last night, searching for their lube and condoms so his boyfriends wouldn't have to.

He placed them on the bedside table next to them, flinching a little when Percy let out a low whine, though he knew Percy had let out much worse sounds during past times with Jason.

Nico glanced up at him, as if waiting for him to join in, but he didn't demand it, and Jason found himself relaxing in relief when Nico gave him a small nod and returned his focus on Percy.

Jason lingered a moment longer.

Then, he left to take a shower.

They were in so much pain.

So much pent up anger, so much pent up guilt.

Of course they needed an outlet for all of that.

Jason wished he could help, though he also knew this was nothing he could do for them.

He didn't want to hurt them.

Percy was the only one he ever truly wanted to push down, but lately, with Percy seeming so fragile, even that urge had somewhat subsided, making way for Jason just…wanting to be soft.

Wanting to cherish.

Wanting to make love.

There was so much pain around them already, why would he want to cause even more?

Jason thought about that as he showered, the door ajar to show the others they could come in at any time once they were done, though he blocked out their noises for the most part.

Will was the first to come in, looking exhausted, but pleased, and Jason much preferred seeing him like that than when he had been angry, especially when Will came over to give Jason a quick peck on the cheek, ignoring the water raining down on them.

"They've calmed down now. Finish up if you want cuddles."

Jason didn't need to be told twice, immediately rinsing out his hair and stopping the water, before shaking his head to make the water fly everywhere, which had Will wailing.

"Dork." He insulted him as affectionately as always, and Jason took the towel he was offered gratefully to dry himself off somewhat.

"So, cuddles?" He asked hopefully, and Will snorted.

"You're still dripping wet."

"Yeah, but cuddles…" Jason pouted, and Will rolled his eyes, though he also tugged on Jason's hand and pulled him after him out of the bathroom.

"Such a softie." He complained, but his voice was soft, so it didn't sound much like a complaint.

"Guys, look who I brought."

Jason didn't wait for permission to flop onto the bed, pleased when Percy and Nico let out matching wails.

"Why is he wet?!" "Will, make him stop!"

Both Nico and Percy complained, but Will merely cackled along with Jason.

They seemed more relaxed, more at ease, and Jason made use of that to get closer to them, to touch, to kiss, to nuzzle against their cheeks and necks and show how much he adored them.

There. That was so much better than causing pain.

"I always thought that clingy attitude of yours was linked to orgasms." Nico remarked with a skeptical look on his face, but before Jason could reply to that, Will already snorted out a laugh.

"You'd be surprised, Neeks. Climax only makes him even needier to pamper us. If he could, he would be showering us in affection all the time."

"I wouldn't mind that." Percy said quietly, and Jason nudged his way between Nico and Percy to wrap himself around his boyfriend, trying to chase away the sad look that was trying to take over again.

His Percy.

His wonderful, beautiful Percy.

Jason didn't want to think about what Will had said earlier, nor did he want to think of the battles, or Chiron, or the future.

What he wanted was to keep Percy here and with him, with them, to keep him safe from trouble and to protect him until he was fine again.

Until he would smile the way he used to.

Percy smiled softly now, just for him.

Jason kissed him, wanting this to last forever, though he knew nothing did.

Jason held them tightly in his arms, all three of them, and he smiled to himself as he realized he was blessed to be the tallest with the longest arms, perfect for his need to hold them.

Then, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, because there was no use in crying, and he had to be strong now for their sake.

He would keep himself together to keep them together.

It was the least he could do.

...

Will made his way across the Camp grounds swiftly, trying to ignore the sounds of battle and the muttering of the campers around him.

The news of their arrival had traveled fast – just as fast as the news about their losses, but more than the usual gossip, people were scared.

The newer campers were scared because of the constant attacks, and the older campers were scared because of the constancy of the attacks.

The monsters had already claimed Peleus, too, which crushed spirits even more.

It was crazy. Simply crazy. Everything was, from the monster attacks to the monsters themselves to the act that they still didn't know where they came from.

But Will wasn't on his way to figure out where they came from or where they went – he was on his way to get his first overview of the infirmary.

Also, he just really wanted to see his siblings again, so he could reassure himself they were alright.

Will felt his stomach clenching uncomfortably as he realized he would have never been able to see them again if he hadn't changed his fate.

But then, he was already moving up the front steps and the door banged open and he spread out his arms, assaulted by what felt like all his siblings, at once.

Will laughed, then wailed, then laughed some more as he was confronted with a lot of noise, a lot of hands and a lot of teary-eyed faces that tried to push themselves into his line of view, Kayla and Austin at the very front and holding him the tightest, followed by Alec.

"Come on, guys, I haven't been gone that long!" He called into the embrace, though there was promptly that nagging at the back of his mind, telling him the 'I would have never returned' that he still didn't want to think about.

"Way too long! I did all the reports and it nearly killed me!" "You could have died and left us with this mess!" "It's so good to have you back! The patients are all yours!"

Alec, Austin and Kayla wailed, and Will loved their priorities.

"I am deeply offended. So, you only missed me because of all the work you had to do? I am heartbroken. So heartbroken. Put me to bed, I need treatment." He exclaimed as he acted exaggeratedly scandalized.

He knew full well his siblings had missed him for more than that – he could sense it in the air as well as their touches, not to mention from the way they looked at him, genuine relief and joy in their gazes.

"There's no bed to spare!" Kayla whined, and Will found himself being dragged into the building as they rambled about the lack of space, before beginning to update him on everything.

Will had to smile at their behavior and eagerness to tell him of everything they had managed to do on their own, though the situation inside the infirmary soon put a damper on that.

He had known what to expect, both from the talks to Annabeth, as well as the whispers around Camp, and the fact the youngsters were the ones currently protecting the Camp border.

But it was different to think about the numbers, and then seeing the real thing right here.

All the rooms were taken, several bunks having been added from less-frequented cabins, and the rest of the place was packed as well.

There seemed to be plenty of minor injuries, but even those could easily turn nasty if not treated properly, and the numbers made even Will stagger a little.

His siblings had done such a good job so far, though.

He had known he could count on them.

"Wait, hang on, Alec wrote the reports?" He asked in mild horror, only now catching that, and Kayla and Austin promptly acted innocent, while Alec put on a sheepish face.

"I did my best to keep it English. Or Greek. Sometimes, maybe a little bit of both. And a tad Latin, which is totally not my fault."

Oh no, Will would never be able to decipher those.

He sighed loudly, then when Alec hung his head, he reached out and ruffled through his hair, before putting an arm around him and tugging him along.

"Oh well, I guess you'll simply have to read them out to me while I start on the paperwork. The rest of you, please continue with the minor injuries, and I'll take over the rest once I have a proper overview." He told them, and found them grinning at him widely and nodding eagerly, before continuing their duties.

Alec also tried to sneak away by stretching and trying to escape Will's hold, but he only tugged him right back and after him towards his room at the end of the hall.

"Nope, no way, you're coming with me."

"But Will…" Alec whined, drawing out Will's name, but that had never worked before and surely wouldn't work now.

"Hm? What? Sorry, can't hear you. You know, got bad hearing and all."

"You've got near-perfect hearing!"

Yeah, Will did, though he was still going to mess with his half-brother as much as he wanted to – especially after they entered his little room and he saw all the work waiting for him.

Oh gods.

No wonder his siblings would have been devastated by his death.

It seemed he was going to be here for a while.

A long while.

Will regarded the unsorted piles of papers and files, then turned to open the door again.

"Kayla, Austin, I'm never letting you handle my infirmary again!"

"Remember that you love us!" They both called back, and Will grunted, leaving the door ajar in case of an emergency.

Then, he turned around and motioned for Alec to come along, who groaned loudly but followed.

Time to get this party started.

...

Percy gazed into space blankly as Nico hushed about, finishing the last preparations for the ritual they would hold later tonight.

Nico had let him help collecting the food and other various items he had claimed were necessary, but by now, he didn't really need him anymore.

Then again, nobody ever needed him.

Percy shook his head to himself, but it didn't change his thoughts.

Rin. Andrew.

Percy had let them both down.

He was letting them all down.

Percy lowered his head.

He wasn't even sad, or angry. Not anymore.

He had felt angry earlier, maybe even scared, but by now, he couldn't feel anything anymore.

Everything just happened, and it was just…so easy to let it happen.

Percy wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point, he had simply…taken a step back, somehow.

He had taken a step back, and now life was moving by like a show on TV, and Percy wasn't an actor in it any longer.

He was just the bystander, the watcher, watching it happen without having to let any of it touch him.

He was nothing to the show, and the show was becoming nothing to him.

"Percy? Are you listening?" Nico asked a little louder, and Percy minimally turned his head into his direction – but even though he was right in front of him, he felt so far away.

Percy kind of wished he could still be in bed with him.

He had liked that, earlier.

The way Nico had pushed him down, the way he had made him stop thinking, the way he had managed to make him feel, even for just that little while.

Percy still bore the marks, now, but they were barely noticeable due to the odd tingling of his skin.

He still felt so far away.

He wondered whether he had ever felt different.

The more time passed, the less he could remember, it seemed.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nico asked, and his voice was soft, but Percy couldn't see why.

He was fine. He was great.

Not feeling felt amazing, because it didn't hurt.

Percy couldn't quite manage to tell him that, though.

Instead, he tried to lift his head a little further and tried for a small smile, though he could feel the fatigue gnawing at him already.

He'd like to lay down.

There was nothing here for him to do, anyways.

There was nothing for him to do, anywhere.

Percy felt tired, though he also felt awake, and he would feel confused, but he didn't waste his time thinking about it.

Instead, he watched and waited.

Nico reached out as if to touch him, but then somebody called his name, and Percy watched him pull his hand back, before he turned away.

Percy watched him talk, watched him gesture with his hands, watched him showing some other kid Percy didn't know how far they had come in their preparations.

No. How far Nico had come.

"Percy?" A voice behind him said quietly, and Percy turned his head, watching Piper looking at him with a concerned look on her face.

"Hm?" Percy hummed vaguely, feeling…tired.

Exhausted.

He wanted to go.

He was of no use here, they wouldn't miss him if he left and went back to their cabin.

"You look a little pale. Are you doing alright?"

Percy wanted to open his mouth. Wanted to tell her he was great.

He shrugged, instead.

Nico was back, looking at him with the same look of concern that Percy was beginning to be familiar with.

Nico shouldn't be worrying about him.

Nobody should.

They had just lost Andrew, what were they doing, worrying about Percy?

He was great. He was fine. He was just…a little tired.

"Maybe you should go and see Will." Nico said cautiously, and Percy's throat suddenly felt thick, the tingling in his body increasing.

So, Nico wanted to get rid of him, too.

Percy gave a small nod.

He wanted to apologize, wanted to tell Nico he would be of more help next time, but he couldn't find the words, so he simply started moving.

One foot in front of the other, over and over again, and he was stumbling away, his throat burning, his body trembling.

There was a pulsing pain in his arm again, but Percy welcomed it – it gave him something else to focus on, other than…whatever this was.

Was he feeling? Was he not feeling? Who knew? Who would care?

Percy stumbled across the Camp grounds, not quite seeing the campers as he passed them, not quite hearing the talks until his befuddled mind caught up to various snippets afterwards, though nothing made sense to him, anyways.

He wasn't sure why he was going to the infirmary.

He wanted to go to their cabin, to bed, far away from people and his boyfriends and the world.

He didn't want to bother Will, didn't want to force him to accommodate Percy, and he didn't want even more of those looks of concern.

But Nico had told him to go to Will, so Percy kept moving, anyways.

On and on, then up the steps, then past the door.

There was noise all around him, more people hushing from one room to the next, but Percy didn't even look up.

He just walked on, not comprehending the risk of a collision, but nothing happened, and he reached the end of the hall, anyways.

The door was ajar.

Percy forgot to knock.

He only remembered he should, when his foot already nudged it open and he stumbled in, arms reaching out automatically as he spotted blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Percy? Hey, what's wrong?"

Percy wasn't quite sure.

He had his arms around Will, feeling exhausted and tired and empty, but the next moment, he was crying, anyways.

Though he didn't even notice that until he felt the tears running down his cheeks and the way his lips trembled as he buried his face at Will's shoulder.

"Alec, leave us alone for a moment, please." He heard Will say, and there was a series of sounds, as if somebody was jumping up and knocking something over, then a door fell shut.

Percy tried not to feel guilty about making Will kick out his own sibling.

"I'm sorry." He choked out, anyways.

Then, he started sobbing.

He couldn't even say why.

He simply was.

And to Percy, it felt like the most pathetic thing that had happened, yet.

Though that was no surprise.

Percy was good at being pathetic.

It was the only thing he was good at.

...

Will stroked over Percy's back, whispering soft words of comfort and encouragement.

He was such a mess.

Why was he such a mess?

What could Will do to make it better?

He wished he could heal him, somehow.

He would do anything to help him, to take this pain away from him.

But he couldn't, so all he could do was show Percy he was here for him.

"Talk to me, love." He tried again, hoping against hope Percy could somehow give him some sort of insight to what was happening, what had happened, what was causing him to feel this way.

But Percy couldn't seem to find the words.

He couldn't seem to find any words.

Will didn't know what to do, so he lowered them to the ground carefully to make it a little easier on Percy.

He was shaking so badly.

He was still in so much pain.

Will breathed out a helpless breath and squeezed his eyes shut, stroking over Percy's back repeatedly to somehow soothe him at least a tiny little bit.

It was fruitless.

"It's gonna be okay." He whispered, but it was an empty promise, and Percy didn't believe it anymore.

Percy didn't seem to believe anything anymore.

He seemed stuck in his own little bubble, but it was a horrible bubble full of toxic thoughts, and Will wasn't sure how he could get through to him.

"Everything is gonna be okay." He repeated, but he didn't believe it anymore, either.

"I've got you." He tried, because he did, but Percy didn't react, and didn't calm down.

Will held him tightly pressed against him, pressing kisses against his shoulder and neck, pressing kisses to the top of his head, pressing him even tighter against him.

Will looked up at the ceiling helplessly, but there was no solution or brainwave waiting there, either.

"You are wonderful, strong, and beautiful." He whispered softly, remembering the time he had heard those words, all that time ago.

"You have the prettiest laugh." He continued with his own words, and clung to Percy nearly as much as Percy clung to him.

"You are always so cheerful, and always go out of your way to make others feel better."

Percy didn't seem to be listening.

Will kept talking, anyways.

"I love your dramatic acting." He said quietly, his eyes closed once more. "And the way you sigh so contently when Jason smothers us."

Percy was still crying.

Maybe he was listening. Maybe he wasn't.

"You're so important to us." He whispered, but Percy only sobbed again, and Will's hand found his hair, stroking through it gently, while his other hand remained on his back.

"We love you so much, Percy. I love you so much."

Percy's fingers dug into his skin, but Will let him, just hoping that he heard him, that he was listening, that he understood.

"I'm sorry, Percy. I'm so sorry." He whispered, because, in a way, this was his fault, too.

If he had reacted sooner, if he had been a little more dominant towards Chiron, if he had done better research, if he was just a better healer, the doctor Percy needed him to be…

But he wasn't.

He was just Will, and depression and mental health wasn't his area of expertise, far from it.

"Do you remember when you barged into my cabin to ask me for help regarding Nico's birthday?" He asked when Percy's sobbing finally started slowing.

Maybe he was finally calming down.

Or maybe he was simply running out of tears.

"I still remember how you dragged me out of my cabin, barely dressed and halfway across Camp before I even managed to wake up all the way." He told him quietly, focusing back on stroking him soothingly.

Will closed his eyes, thinking back to that day, all that time ago, and a small smile tugged at his lips as he remembered Percy's nervous pacing.

"You took me to your cabin. I remember thinking your bed looked so comfortable. It smelled so good, too. Like you. Don't tell anybody, but I'm pretty sure I was already crazy for you back then." He said quietly, as if letting Percy in on a big secret, though he wasn't sure Percy was even listening.

"And you were so nervous, rambling about a birthday gift. It was so trivial, but so important to you." Will reminisced with a soft voice, his smile a little wider.

Percy sniffled, but stilled, hands clenching and unclenching in Will's scrubs.

"I complained so much. Partly because it was so early in the morning. Mostly, though, I complained to cover up for feeling like you were the most precious thing in the world. You always care so much about such small things. I love that about you." He continued softly.

Percy moved his head slightly, rubbing his face against Will's chest, as if listening to his heartbeat.

Will took it as a good sign.

"When I'm upset or feeling down, I like to think about moments like those. Those small things that others wouldn't think about twice, but that you care about so much…they really stick, you know? You always remember them. And they make me smile. You make me smile." He told him, and Percy shivered a little.

Was that because he was listening, or because the floor was cold?

Because the floor really was cold – and uncomfortable, too.

Will tugged him up a little, hoping Percy could find some comfort in his warmth.

"Do you remember when you first called me 'sun-bug'?" He asked as he stroked down Percy's spine.

"We were arguing about pet names, and I don't even know whether I complained about not having one, or whether I was just crying about it on the inside, but it doesn't matter. You gave me one, that night. And such a beautiful one, too. I've often doubted I deserve it, but every time I hear it, it makes my heart flutter a little. It's cute. I like thinking about that a lot, too." Will told him, and Percy shivered a little, again.

"What do you like to think about?" Will asked gently, hoping Percy would reply.

His boyfriend remained silent, but he had stopped clenching and unclenching his fists, so maybe he was lost in thought.

"I don't." Percy croaked at long last, and Will tried to keep himself composed enough not to pull Percy up and crush him in a bone-shattering hug.

Oh Percy…

"I think you think a lot. You're one of the smartest guys I know, after all." Will said carefully, and Percy started shifting, a sense of discomfort and unease washing over him.

He didn't believe Will.

Will made a mental note to mention more often how much he appreciated Percy's brains.

"Can you tell me what made you feel this way? The way you're feeling right now?" He asked cautiously, not quite wanting to corner Percy or upset him all over again, but if he knew what triggered these responses, he might be able to help Percy get past them.

Percy didn't react except for shifting a little more, and the discomfort grew.

"Was it something somebody said? Or did anything happen?" Will probed tentatively, and Percy hesitated, before he shook his head minimally.

A reply.

Will had gotten a reply.

"Was it a thought, then?" He tried, and Percy hesitated again.

Then, he tugged his shoulders up in a little shrug, feeling…ashamed.

Will shook his head and rubbed over Percy's back in more determined strokes, momentarily abandoning his hair.

"Shh, it's okay, Percy. Please don't feel bad. Thoughts can be horribly cruel sometimes, and they can be as ruthless as the monsters you battle with your sword." He tried to reassure him, and Percy trembled again, a small sniffle escaping him.

Will didn't want him to cry again, but he also didn't want to stop him from crying if it was better for him to let it out.

"But it's important that you fight these thoughts, the same way you fight those monsters, love." Will told him, and Percy tensed a little, before he slumped again.

"How?" He croaked, and it sounded so weak, so defeated, Will wanted to cry a little, too.

And Chiron wanted to send him out there to join the battle.

Will would murder those monsters himself if that was what it took for him to protect Percy from that fate.

"By realizing they're wrong and setting them right, Gorgeous." He tried, trying so hard not to sound like this was obvious, much less easy, because he knew it wasn't.

Gods, he knew.

Percy suddenly jolted, and Will flinched as Percy dug his fingers into his chest again, a choked sound escaping his lips.

"But I am no good, Will! I can't even protect you anymore. I'm useless. If it hadn't been for the Hunters, the monsters would have gotten Jason. If it hadn't been for you, I'd have died in that battle at Camp Jupiter. If it hadn't been for Andrew, I'd have just…I'd have just stood there and watched you die, right in front of me, just because I couldn't…I couldn't…"

Percy sucked in a sharp breath, and Will used his chance to wrap himself around him and pull him back closer, wishing he could be Percy's bubble.

"Shh, it wasn't your fault, Percy. And you're far from useless. You're so wonderful, Percy. You're strong and kind, and-…"

"I am nothing. Not anymore. Maybe I used to be. You just keep me around out of pity, now."

Will's chest clenched painfully at both the words and the bitterness they were spoken with, his voice momentarily escaping him as he struggled with the pain that zigzagged through him.

"We love you, Percy. We're with you because we love you, and don't you ever doubt that. You're so much more than you think. So much more than 'nothing'."

Percy only shook his head feebly, and Will wanted to cry.

"Please don't think like that, Percy. Those thoughts aren't true. They just want to tear you down, so don't let them." He tried again, but Percy only kept shaking his head, though the momentary anger he had felt had long disappeared again, making way for exhaustion and defeat once more.

"I don't know how." He rasped out helplessly, and Will rubbed up and down his back again.

"Start by thinking about something happy, love. Anything. And once you feel a little better, you can still return to that bad thought, and think about it with a clearer head. Or better, come to us, Percy. Let us help." Will tried, but Percy didn't immediately react.

"I…I can't find happy thoughts when…when those thoughts are there." Percy whispered, and he was feeling ashamed again, weak, even though this was a sign of strength Will would have never been able to show in his situation.

"Nothing at all?" He asked carefully, and Percy shifted.

"It…it doesn't…it just…it feels like…like I don't feel anything. It's…it kind of…scares me, a little."

It would scare Will, too. It did scare him.

"Can you feel this?" He asked, and rubbed his hand down Percy's spine again.

"Yes, but…it's not the same…" Percy whispered, but Will only shook his head.

"Can you focus on it?"

Percy fell silent again, and Will rubbed soothing circles into his skin.

"I…I guess so."

"How does it feel now?"

Percy shrugged feebly.

"Does it feel a little more like usual?" Will asked, and his boyfriend hesitated, before shrugging again slightly.

"A bit."

That was a progress.

"Your thoughts are the same way. You need to focus on them, Percy. On the good ones. You have to let yourself focus on them." Will tried to explain, and he tried to stomach the irony of being the one telling Percy all of this, when he himself had plenty of issues with his own head most of the time, too.

One would guess he would know better, but giving advice and following it were two entirely different things.

"What if I can't?" Percy whispered barely-audibly, but Will could hear him just fine.

"That depends. Do you think I can help you?" He asked, and Percy nodded again ever so slightly.

"Then come to me, Percy. Come to us. Let us help you. I know I can ramble about you for hours, I'd gladly do so to remind you of how wonderful and amazing you are, Percy." Will told him, and Percy was quiet again, but he seemed to think over his words, so it was okay.

"I'm sorry." Percy said at long last, but Will promptly shook his head.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Percy."

"I didn't want to bother you."

"You could never bother me, love. Though I know how you feel. I beat myself up about such things all the time, too." He tried, and Percy shifted his head a little to look up at him.

His eyes were puffy and red, but he had stopped crying, and the sea-green of his eyes seemed a little less subdued than before, so Will hoped that meant he was feeling at least a little better now.

"What do you do to…to not be like this?" Percy asked, and it sounded…shy. Sheepish.

Will moved one hand back up to Percy's hair, knowing how much he liked to have it stroked.

To be honest, he was still struggling with that.

Jason knew best, since Jason was usually the one insisting Will didn't have to apologize.

But even before Jason, it had been Percy and Nico constantly comforting and reassuring Will, and when you kept hearing the same words spoken with so much honesty and affection, you start to believe them eventually.

However, that wasn't what Percy needed to hear right now, it wasn't what he was asking.

"I remember that I have you three, and that you love me even though I'm the way I am. You love me with all my flaws, so why shouldn't I be able to do the same?"

Percy gazed at him quietly, then, but it felt different. It felt as if he was analyzing him, checking for a lie, but he wouldn't find any.

"But you're…" Percy started after a while, though he then trailed off, and Will smiled.

"I am many things, just like you. And sometimes, we feel things we shouldn't feel, or think thoughts that shouldn't cross our minds. We doubt ourselves, and we crave to be different, to be better, but that's okay, it's something we all go through at times. What matters is that we don't let those thoughts take control of us, and that we don't lose sight of all the good things life has given us, even if the thought may seem laughable at the time."

Percy was back to watching him, but Will only smiled back at him encouragingly.

"I'm still sorry for keeping you from your work over something stupid like…this."

Will shook his head and pressed his lips to Percy's forehead.

"I'm glad I can be here for you right now, Percy. Work can wait. It's not stupid at all. In fact, could you say that, for me? Out loud?" Will asked, and Percy shifted again, not meeting his gaze anymore.

"Say what?"

"That it's not stupid. Can you tell me out loud that your problems aren't stupid?"

"M-My…I…I mean…" Percy started stuttering, and Will was worried he had pushed for too much at once, watching and feeling Percy struggling with himself.

But he needed Percy to understand – and who knew, maybe saying it out loud would help him remember it.

Or it would scare him off.

Will prayed it was the former.

"I…my problems…aren't stupid. My problems aren't stupid." Percy pressed out, then suddenly slumped on top of Will, and it took him a moment to realize it was relief that was flooding through Percy.

Will smiled at him widely.

"Exactly! Percy, that was great. Could you do one more for me?" He asked, trying not to sound too eager, though he also tried to let it show how proud he was of Percy, and that none of that pride was acted.

Percy hesitated a moment, but he seemed hopeful, and a moment later, he gave a small nod.

"Say that you could never bother me. Because that's something I want you to know with every fiber of your being. I will always be there for you, Percy. Same as Jason and Nico. We will help you, no matter when or how."

Percy was silent, his face buried at Will's chest once more.

He seemed hesitant, but contemplative, and Will waited hopefully.

"I…I couldn't…I don't…" Percy started, his voice barely a whisper, but it was a start, and Will felt proud of him.

Percy moved his head to the side, his face firmly averted from Will as he seemed to stare off to the side, still struggling with his words.

Then, he took a deep breath.

"I'm not bothering you. I couldn't. Bother you. I have three amazing boyfriends who love me the way I am, and my problems aren't stupid, and I'm not bothering when I ask for help." Percy pressed out, and now, Will did cry a little, but it was tears of joy as he pressed Percy against him with a small, high-pitched sound.

He had known Percy could do it.

Percy was amazing, after all.

Oh gods, Will was so proud.

This might not fix Percy's problems, but it was a start, and so much more than what Will had dared to hope for, before.

It was a start.

Will felt the flutter of hope, and was happy to realize it wasn't just his own.

...

That night, they held the burials, and Nico tried not to look at the faces around him, the sound of the weeping and crying already bad enough, as it was.

He did, however, risk a glance towards his boyfriends, glad to find Percy in the middle, safe and sound.

Nico had felt bad for sending Percy to Will, but at the same time, he knew he wouldn't have been able to help Percy as much as Will had managed to.

Not right now.

Not when he could barely keep his voice even for the burials.

The shrouds were beautiful, which felt a little morbid, but they also didn't have any bodies, which was even more morbid, he guessed.

Nico tried to focus solely on his lines. His duties.

But even as he did, his gaze lingered on Piper for a moment, her words coming back to mind once more. He'd been pondering them over and over the last few hours.

'That thing with Kyle, with the possessing…we need to stop that from happening again. Annabeth said you might be able to train the campers to prevent it and fight back. When can you start with that?'

It wasn't as much a matter of when he could get started, but more about how, and what he would need to make it happen.

He had originally hoped for Clovis to help him, but…for obvious reasons, that wasn't possible.

Nico closed his eyes for a moment, then focused on the rituals once more, because Andrew and Rin deserved better than half-assed work.

He hadn't visited Clovis yet, and he wasn't sure whether he'd ever be ready to.

Another thing he could have prevented.

Nico spoke a little louder, trying not to think of Clovis when thinking about death, and he could feel a tug at his mind that let him know his dad wanted his attention as soon as possible.

Probably for Andrew and his judging.

Hades always liked to inform Nico when it was their turn, for some reason.

Maybe Andrew wanted to talk to him the same way Rin had, after her death.

Nico tried not to feel too queasy at the thought, instead clearing his throat and continuing his speech.

He was still relieved when he finally finished his part of the ritual and was allowed to move back to his boyfriends, glad when they tugged him in their midst easily – even Percy, who did look a lot better than before, though his eyes were still rimmed with red.

He had stayed with Will for the rest of the afternoon, undoubtedly helping him out with the bandages as they had done before, or maybe even with the paperwork Nico had heard Alec whining about when he had come to pick them up.

Nico wished Percy could stay and help Will permanently.

He seemed a lot happier with that than with training or fighting, and it would give him a chance to rest his arm.

Nico glanced at Jason, who had an arm around all three of them and looked around with a grim look, as if watching over them in case of an unexpected threat.

Jason also might have told Nico about the argument between Chiron and Will, though he hadn't been very detailed, the conversation happening in the short timespan between Percy taking a shower and Clarisse coming to pick up Jason.

Since then, Nico hadn't seen him until half an hour ago when the burials had started, and judging by his dirty clothes, grimy hair and grim attitude, Nico could guess where he had been.

The knowledge that his boyfriend had been pulled to join the battle when they were barely back at Camp half a day had Nico balling his fists, though he knew there was no use in getting angry over it.

It was to minimize the losses, and to give the kids a break.

Still, Nico was annoyed, anyways.

About everything.

About Jason having to fight already, about Percy struggling so much, about Chiron apparently being a dick, about Will picking fights without letting them partake, about Andrew dying, about himself letting him die.

There was another tug, and Nico gritted his teeth, before he sighed and caved in.

"I'll be in the cabin. My dad wants me to be there for Andrew's judging, I think." He whispered to Jason, but it was Percy who turned his head and snatched his hand.

"Can I come, too?"

There was something odd in his voice, and Nico blinked when he looked back at Percy and found him looking…sheepish, and rather uncomfortable.

Oh. So, he wasn't all that well yet, after all.

"Actually, let's all go. Tomorrow will undoubtedly be a long day, and some peace and quiet wouldn't do any of us any harm." Will put in as he got up and brushed off his pants. Percy instantly shot up, too.

Jason gave Nico a questioning look, but Nico didn't really mind, so he just shrugged back at him.

"Will you still be able to do the thing with your dad?" Jason asked as the four of them left the rest of the Camp to mourn, and Nico waved off hurriedly.

"Yeah, no big deal. I'm assuming it will be like with Rin, so I don't even have to leave. Dad seems to be as reluctant as Will to let me use my powers, after all."

"For good reason." Will huffed quietly, but Nico decided to ignore that.

Instead, he rubbed at his head when he felt another nudge from his dad.

With Rin, Hades had contacted Nico in his sleep, nudging his mind repeatedly until Nico had caved in and sought out the Underworld, much like when he had visited Clovis in his dreams all that time ago, in the war against Gaea.

This time, Nico hoped his dad would wait until he was at least laying down somewhere before demanding his attention, because he surely seemed insistent.

Jason and Percy were walking ahead of them now, and Nico noticed Jason was still looking around with a grim look.

He hoped whatever was bothering him would pass soon, because he wasn't used to seeing Jason so serious – not when he was alone with them.

Will put a hand on Nico's shoulder as he walked, and Nico found his gaze hushing over to him automatically, just to frown when Will started frowning, his lips a straight line.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just…the way he goes about contacting you feels a lot like when…back with Eris…" Will said evasively, but then trailed off with a conflicted expression.

Nico frowned.

Then, he remembered Will's headache, and his fainting, and Kyle being behind it, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"I mean, it's not him right now, of course. I can feel nothing malicious from it, so I'm sure it's your dad, Nico. I just…it just reminded me of that for a moment, so I thought I'd let you know. That's how it felt." Will rushed to explain himself, and Nico was glad for it, because he had already been in the process of panicking.

The last thing he needed was Kyle trying to possess him right now. (Or ever, for that matter.)

He deflated with a sigh, then started walking again. When Will fell into step next to him, Nico reached out for his hand.

"Thanks for telling me. Now I get why you didn't immediately tell us, I guess. If I wasn't already used to this being his way of contacting me in my sleep, I'd have never thought of it as more than the beginning of a headache." He muttered quietly, and Will let the ghost of a smile hush over his face.

"Told you so. Sorry for momentarily freaking you out, though. I should have phrased it differently right away."

Nico huffed.

"You really should have. I was already dreading the worst and thinking of how I'm gonna get away from you as quickly as possible to keep you safe. Not nice, Will."

Will stuck out his tongue in retaliation, and Nico tugged on his hand to get his cheek close enough to place a peck on it.

"Though I'm glad it's just my dad. And a little disturbed that you can just feel the difference with one touch alone. It's so impressive. You're getting better at this, aren't you?"

Will made a small noise, then he started glowing faintly, and Nico couldn't believe he had just managed to get his boyfriend flustered with nothing but a peck and the hint of praise.

"You know, I'm not surprised. You've become so much stronger in the past months, too. Your healing is superb, and I saw you pick up on that one kid's values before you even looked at him completely. You've really grown into your powers, sunshine." He continued, just because he could, and Will averted his face with another bunch of faint noises, his glow only intensifying.

Aww, he could be so adorable.

"Oh, stop it, you. I've still got plenty to learn. I might have…gotten a little better, but it's far from what it could be, if only I trained more. Plus, it's not gonna help much if-…"

"It's helping greatly, and I'll have you know that I have full faith in your abilities. The kids in the infirmary are going to be patched up in no time again, with you and your siblings working together." Nico smoothly cut in, and Will tried to argue, but then didn't. Nico squeezed his hand gently, smugly tugging him after his guys and towards their cabin.

His dad gave him another nudge, and Nico sent out a nudge back, just because.

Hades retaliated by letting the door to their cabin fly open as if to tell them to hurry up.

Freaking gods, being impatient all the while when they were immortal, to begin with.

Nico would never understand.

However, the thought of Andrew waiting on him with nobody but Nico's dad for company did make him rush up the front steps a little.

"No worries, just my dad." He told Percy and Jason as he passed them, who had stopped dead with matching looks of horror, undoubtedly spooked by Hades' little trick.

Will merely cackled behind him.

Hades let Nico take a seat on their bed – then Nico found himself out cold, not even capable of wishing his guys a goodnight.

Freaking gods.

...

Nico looked around the dark and gloomy room.

Nope, the Underworld surely hadn't changed in his absence.

"Finally." His father scoffed, and Nico turned his head to glower in his direction.

"Excuse me for having a life, dad." He retorted, and Hades' lip twitched.

"Fine, you may be excused." His dad said, before he moved past Nico and beckoned towards one of the skeletons near the door.

Nico rolled his eyes, but then he got distracted when the skeleton left through the door, undoubtedly to fetch Andrew.

It wasn't the skeleton that caught his attention, but more the fact that Nico caught a glimpse of the rather empty looking hall outside, which immediately threw him off.

Huh? The last time he had been here, the place had just swarmed with dead people anxiously waiting for their judging.

Odd.

"Don't look like that. I've been trying to clean up this place at your stepmother's insistence." Hades grumbled as he caught his glance, though Nico thought there was something odd in his expression.

Nico squinted at his dad, and his dad squinted right back at him.

"What?" Hades prompted, and Nico huffed, before admitting defeat and averting his gaze.

"Nothing." He muttered as he kicked at nothing, well aware of his father's eyes on him.

The silence stretched on, but Nico wasn't quite sure what to say.

He wasn't even really here, this was more…a projection. Or something along those lines.

It felt as if he was here, though.

What an unnerving thought – though the unnerving part was how much Nico didn't mind the thought of being back here.

In the Underworld.

With his father.

And the dead.

To be honest, he wouldn't mind, at all. As long as his guys were with him, he was fine with being anywhere, even in this gloomy place.

"It's good to see you on your feet again. I was worried about you." Hades said quietly, and Nico's head snapped up.

He was about to speak, when the door opened, and Nico snapped his mouth shut as guilt cut through him like a knife.

Andrew.

Accompanied by the skeleton.

Andrew.

Who was dead.

Andrew.

Who had died because of Nico's failure.

"Nico!" Andrew exclaimed, eyes filling with joy as he spotted him, and the next moment, he was already rushing right past the god of the Underworld to greet Nico.

Nico found himself rooted to the spot, confused by this reaction and a little concerned, because Andrew had never been one for…open displays of affection.

"Uh…" He tried to find any words, anything appropriate, anything to let Andrew know he was sorry, and that he would do his best to get him the best possible deal regarding his judging – but then Andrew was already hugging him.

Hugging him.

Nico had gotten him killed, and dead Andrew's first idea was to hug him.

Nico couldn't think.

"That was horrible! Dying sucks. Seriously, it was morbid. Do not let those Shadows get anybody else, dude. They're the worst. I was so relieved when the bus got crushed and I had my peace." Andrew babbled, and Nico wanted to move, wanted to hug him back, wanted to speak – but he just stood there and stared at nothing, trying to comprehend.

Hades cleared his throat, but Andrew ignored him – as if Hades was the projection, not Nico.

Nico stared into the distance, his mouth opening and closing uselessly, his arms and shoulders trembling.

Andrew was hugging him.

Andrew was talking – rambling, even.

To him. To Nico.

Andrew would have never done any of those things if he had still been alive.

Nico's shoulders slumped, and he moved his arms around the kid in front of him, finally returning the hug.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered thickly, and Andrew stopped mid-sentence, stilling in his arms.

Then, he pulled back.

"Sorry? Did the team mom just apologize? To me? Man, now I definitely know I'm dead." He remarked with a nonplussed expression and his hands already back at fidgeting.

Nico's jaw automatically clenched at the jab, but then his gaze hushed to the lack of tangle toy in Andrew's hands, and he instead averted his face.

"I'm sorry. I should have…" He started, but then wasn't sure where to start, and his words trailed off into a deep sigh as he moved his hand through his hair helplessly.

But Andrew merely waved off.

"It's okay. I did some calculations, and I knew chances were high that somebody would have to die."

Nico tensed, though he knew there was no use in arguing with the dead.

"There had to have been a way." He insisted, anyways.

Andrew stilled again, his eyes hushing over Nico's face, before his lips tugged into a small, sad smile.

"Maybe, maybe not. What does it matter now?"

He was right, of course.

Nico refused to admit it.

Instead, he turned his face away, taking in the empty hall around them.

Andrew clicked his tongue.

"I saw it, you know? You were planning to do the exact same thing I did. It was written all over your face; it was in your stance; in the way your hand settled on your sword. But you have a bigger role to play in all of this, everyone knows that. So, I did what was necessary." Andrew explained, and Nico's stomach filled with acid, bile rising in his throat.

"Your death was not necessary. And you're not replaceable, either." He pressed out thickly, and Andrew blinked, looking a little taken back.

"Are you…are you going to cry? Nico? Hey, team mom, no crying…" Andrew started, his voice higher than usual, and his expression turning a little frantic when Nico averted his gaze and tried to keep his lips from trembling.

He felt his father's concerned gaze on him, but ignored that, too, instead busying himself with looking around him again and swallowing repeatedly.

"Not crying. Just. Just saying. The…the team misses you. They…they stayed over last night." He told Andrew without looking at him, and saw him shifting out of the corners of his eyes, still fiddling with nothing.

"Really? Wait, you guys had a sleepover? Because of me? Wait, did Ash cry? I bet Ash cried."

Nico shot him a chiding look.

"Everybody cried, Andrew."

Andrew's lips formed a surprised 'Oh', and silence filled the dark hall.

"Everybody?" The boy asked quietly, as if to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Everybody." Nico confirmed, and now, Andrew was the one averting his gaze and looking to the ground, suddenly seeming sheepish.

"Oh."

Nico gave a faint nod, wondering what he was supposed to say or do now.

But then, Andrew already hugged him again.

"You know, you seem a lot more affectionate now that you're dead. I thought you hated touching people?" Nico couldn't help but ask, but mostly because he felt rather overwhelmed by having the boy in his arms again.

Which obviously didn't stop him from hugging him back, wishing stupidly that he could just shadow-travel them back to Camp and act like Andrew had never died.

"Oh hush. I'm dead, you're not real, so this obviously doesn't count."

Obviously.

Nico hugged him a little tighter, and this time, it was Andrew who started sniffling.

He let him cry against his chest, determinedly not looking at his dad.

"Wow, would you look at that? I'm dead and still get emotions. Despicable." Andrew huffed weakly into his shirt, and Nico shook his head with a small smile.

"Don't know what you're talking about. I was under the impression you just got something in your eye." He said quietly, and Andrew let out a feeble laugh, though he didn't pull back, and didn't look up, and still sniffled.

"Yeah, that's totally what's happening. Got some…Underworld dirt into my dead eyes. Yeah."

"That's what I thought." Nico agreed, and patted Andrew's back for a while longer. Until he was ready.

Andrew took another long moment, then he let go off him, wiping his tears away with the back of his hands.

"So much dirt here."

"I know right?" Nico agreed easily, and caught his father rolling his eyes out of the corners of his eyes.

He decided to ignore it.

"So, you're here for my judging, right?" Andrew asked a little louder, as if to lead the conversation away from their little heart-to-heart.

Nico gave a hesitant nod, eyes hushing to his dad.

Hades had his face averted from them for the most part, as if to give them some privacy, though he knew he had heard every word, even if he hadn't caught that eyeroll a moment ago.

"I think so, yes. Coming to think of it, where are the judges?" He asked and looked around again, though the room was as dark and empty as before.

True, where were those judges? He had never particularly liked them, and wasn't fond of the judging as it was, but he knew that they were necessary.

It seemed odd that his father would summon him before getting everything set up and ready to go.

Unless this wasn't about Andrew's judgement, at all, and Hades had just wanted to give him a chance to have a last conversation with Andrew, especially since it was his fault the boy had died.

"They're busy. I'll be doing the judging myself, in this case. You should consider yourself lucky, kid." Hades explained as he turned towards them, his eyes hushing over Nico again as if he had forgotten what he looked like.

Nico wasn't sure what to make of that, but even more so, he had no idea what to make of his words.

"I thought you're not allowed to do the judging alone? Wasn't there this whole ordeal with-…" He started with a frown, but his dad cut in.

"Yes, but that was back then, and now is now. Also, I would hardly consider myself alone. You are here as well, after all." Hades insisted with a pointed undertone, and Nico blinked.

Wait, he was supposed to partake in Andrew's judgement?

"But I thought only dead people can-…"

"Nico, he's the god of the Underworld. I'm pretty sure he can do what he wants." Andrew told him with an amused expression on his face, as if seeing Nico this confused was the best thing in the world.

Nico was about to glower at him and tell him to stop being a smart-ass – but then he remembered Andrew was dead, and he let it slide.

"Indeed. So, now, are we ready? Have you talked about everything you needed to talk about? Because, once we begin, I cannot allow for more personal conversations and exchanges." Hades explained, and Andrew and Nico exchanged a questioning look.

"Are we? Done?"

"I think so?" Nico replied uncertainly, and they both shifted awkwardly.

There were a lot of things Nico wanted to say to him, but most of them had already been said, and for the rest, he didn't know what words to use to best convey what he meant.

"I…can you tell the others that I'm sorry? I mean, I guess that's what people usually say, right? That they wanna apologize for leaving them behind and all that crap. I'm not really sorry. I did the right thing, I know that. But…maybe don't tell them what I'm sorry for. Then they can pretend I apologized for whatever it is I should have probably apologized for. Like the many times I tripped Ash, or that one time I called Sara a suck-up. Or when I told Hannah make-up wasn't going to fix her ugly face. I mean, it's not like I meant all that, anyways. Probably should have apologized." Andrew rambled, suddenly seeming a little frantic again.

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you really should have." He agreed automatically, and Andrew stopped to glower up at him.

Then, however, his expression softened again, and he averted his gaze awkwardly once more.

His hands were fidgeting with nothing again.

Nico gazed at Andrew's hands as he spoke again.

"We burnt one of your tangle toys."

Andrew looked up at him, all discomfort and awkwardness forgotten as his lips twitched with mirth.

"What a waste. Plus, you shouldn't burn plastic."

"We realized that, too. I don't even know who put that in the fire, though I'm pretty sure it was Ash."

"Probably. See? I told you they took one of my tangle toys. You didn't want to believe me." Andrew promptly insisted, and Nico made a face.

"Or it could have been one of your siblings, just trying to be nice." He put in hurriedly, and Andrew raised his eyebrows.

"My siblings? The ones from the Athena cabin? The super smart ones that would never do something so stupid like burning a tangle toy, even if in my honor?"

Nico crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You make a compelling argument."

"I know. That's why I was on the team."

"Has anybody ever told you that you're a smart-ass?" Nico grumbled, and Andrew laughed.

"What? Me? Nope, never heard of it. I think you're imagining things."

Freaking Andrew.

Nico caught his father still standing in the same place a few feet away from them, hands in the pockets of his robe (that thing had pockets?) and gaze on the faraway wall once more.

Oh. Right. The judgement.

Andrew seemed to remember the same thing, and the laughter subsided, making space for awkward silence again.

Nico looked down at his feet, his thoughts once more returning to all the things he wanted Andrew to know.

"I…I will tell them. That you're sorry, I mean. And…and I want you to know that I…I really am sorry. For letting you die, yes, but also…for how I was towards you." He pressed out, hoping against hope that it sounded better than it felt.

Andrew was silent in front of him.

So was his father.

Nico thought of Will always encouraging him to speak his mind, and took a deep breath to keep going.

"I mean, yes, you were pretty annoying, and petty, and oftentimes unnecessarily dramatic – especially whenever there was any medication involved."

Andrew huffed, but let him speak.

Nico still kept his gaze on his feet.

"But I…I shouldn't have been so harsh towards you. I did…I did value you a lot. As a member of the team. And…as a…friend. I'm…I'm proud of you. For what you've done for the team, and…and for being you." He continued, and there was shuffling in front of him, but now that he was already here, he might as well see this through.

"You helped us find our way when we got lost, and you did everything you could to keep us alive on more than one occasion. You might have insulted Liam's aim, but you helped him get better. You might have claimed to hate Ash, but you stood up for them. You might have tried to act distant from the rest of the team, but you took your time to get to know them and bond with them in your own way. And…yeah. I'm proud of you. You did well, Andrew." Nico finished, though there were so many other things he could have said, so many other things he still wanted to say, but the words didn't come to him, and he didn't want to drag this out even longer.

Though, at the same time, he would love to keep going, just so they wouldn't have to get to that judging, and he wouldn't have to say goodbye to Andrew again.

He waited in awkward silence for Andrew's reaction, his shoulders pulled up a little, his body stiff.

When Andrew didn't speak, Nico forced himself to look up.

The blonde was looking at him with wide eyes, tears pooling in them before running down his cheeks, and Nico felt his heart aching.

He really should have been nicer to him.

The boy might have been annoying at times, but he was just that: a boy.

A child, just as Nico had been.

He held out his arms, and Andrew hugged him for the third time, but it didn't matter.

"Thank you." Andrew whispered feebly, but Nico only shook his head and held him.

There was nothing to thank him for, he was merely telling the truth.

The hug didn't last very long before Andrew already pulled back again with a rattling breath.

"Okay. I'm ready." He said determinedly, then hesitated. "Are you ready?"

Nico hesitated, then gave a curt nod.

"If you're ready, so am I."

"So, you're ready?" Hades asked them both as if to tease them, and they both shot him matching looks.

Hades' lips twitched, then he gestured for them to follow him.

"Very well, if you say you're ready, we shall get started."

Nico still couldn't believe he was supposed to be part of the judging. He had watched many judgements before, sure, but that had been years ago, and they had always seemed rather…well, cruel.

In Nico's opinion, it was cruel; to review a person's life in front of them and judging their decisions and mistakes and impact.

Now, Nico was supposed to do the same thing. For Andrew.

For somebody he knew.

Wasn't he too close to the case to be included, in the first place?

Couldn't his father just do it by himself?

Nico didn't even know Andrew's past, how was he supposed to actually 'judge' anything but the time Andrew had spent with him and the team?

Hades led them to where the judges usually sat, and had Andrew stand in the little circle in front of the seats, while motioning for Nico to sit.

Nico didn't want to sit.

Couldn't he stand by Andrew's side? Maybe hold his hand through this whole ordeal, to make it a little easier on him?

He was trembling, Nico could clearly tell.

He had to be scared. Or maybe he was just feeling cold. Who knew what the dead could feel?

Nico wished he could have had more time to prepare for all of this, then he could have packed a tangle toy and some warmer clothes than the ones Andrew had died in.

Sure, the dead weren't allowed to carry possessions with them into the afterlife, but he was certain he could have bribed his dad to let it happen now, when Andrew was already in the afterlife. Sort of.

Nico hovered next to Andrew, but the boy put on a brave face for him.

"It's okay. Kind of curious to see how you'll do, team mom."

Of course, Andrew would say something like that.

Nico still hesitated a moment longer, before he dragged himself away from his side and reluctantly moved closer to the stone seats, settling for the one to the left.

His eyes hushed to his father, who gave a reassuring nod and sat down beside him.

Then, his gaze was back on Andrew.

"Have mercy on me, this is my first judging." He blurted, just so he could say he had apologized for whatever was going to come from this.

Andrew grinned at him.

"Really? Mine, too."

Next to him, Hades face-palmed.

Nico had never seen him do it before, but it looked disturbingly humane, and he wanted him to stop that immediately.

He was about to tell him as much (along with telling him this whole thing was stupid, and why couldn't he just send Andrew to Elysium right away, anyways?), but then his father already cleared his throat loudly.

Nico promptly snapped his mouth shut.

"Alright. Andrew Basil Cooper, are you ready to face your judgement?" Hades asked loudly, and Nico's eyebrows shot up.

Andrew promptly shot him a look that told him not to say a word or he would regret it.

"Yes, sir."

Andrew's last name was Cooper? His middle name was Basil?

Seriously?

Why had nobody ever told Nico?

Hades waved his hand with practiced ease, and Nico watched in amazement and unease how a black, smoke-like screen appeared between them and Andrew – reminding him a little of Iris messages, but much bigger.

Also, on the empty space next to Hades' other side, a golden scale appeared.

"Then we will now see the key moments of your life. This will show your smallest mistakes and your biggest struggles, your greatest accomplishments as well as your worst moments. The Scale will objectively sort these key moments, and offer the third voice necessary for this judgment. Be prepared."

Hades' voice was quiet, and unusually kind.

Nico watched how Andrew steeled himself, his back straightening a little as his hands stopped fidgeting, his body tense as his eyes hushed from the scale to the black screen.

Hades waved his hand once more, and the screen exploded into color.

Nico had thought he wouldn't want to look, that he would be able to avert his gaze.

However, the moment he saw the first images, he was unable to look away.

He had seen judgements before. He had never experienced one quite like this.

Andrew, barely a toddler, standing at the side as the other kids played together, ignoring him.

Andrew, a little older, waiting to be picked up in the cold, but nobody came, and the kids laughed at the way he sneezed and shivered.

Andrew, sitting in front of what seemed to be a director's office with a back eye and ice on a bruised arm, while there was yelling behind the closed door.

Andrew, turning his face away as he saw another child being harassed and pushed around.

Andrew, yelling at his father and slamming the door in his face.

Andrew, in what appeared to be the nurse's office, a blonde woman dabbing something against a new bruise on his face, while he looked at her as if she had hung the stars in the sky.

Andrew, trying to spend more time with the woman somehow, clearly infatuated.

Andrew, huddled in a corner, facing his first monster in the form of an empousai, and forced to outwit her all by himself in order to survive.

It took Nico a moment to realize that the empousai hadn't come out of nowhere. It had been disguised as the woman.

Andrew, opening up to a boy his age who seemed nice, just to have him leave him behind in favor of hanging with the cool kids, joining in on the taunting.

Andrew, trying to find friends, but either finding monsters or assholes.

Andrew, pushing away the awkward boy who kept trying to talk to him, snarling at him and insulting him.

Andrew, getting saved by the boy he had repeatedly rebuffed, who turned out to be a satyr.

Andrew, getting to Camp and not calling his father, unwilling to speak to him.

Andrew, lashing out at the kids in the Hermes cabin for getting too close.

Andrew, puking his heart out when one of the kids retaliated by putting something in his food.

Andrew, trying to run away from Camp, just to get dragged back by Clarisse, even as he screamed and thrashed and bit her arm.

Andrew, in the infirmary, sulking as Will talked to him in a quiet, soothing voice, Clarisse standing right behind him with her bandaged arms crossed in front of her chest.

Andrew, getting claimed by Athena after outwitting Malcolm per chance during a Capture the Flag game.

Andrew, immediately showing off to the Hermes kids and rubbing it in he was somebody, after all.

Andrew, trying to connect with his newfound siblings, just to find them either busy or uncooperative, rebuffing him like everybody else had.

Andrew, watching the other kids with envy as they practiced and played together, while also snarling at everybody who tried to approach him.

Andrew, seeing Ash for the first time and promptly picking a fight.

Andrew, sitting in the infirmary with a broken nose, while Ash sat across from him with bite marks on their arms.

Andrew, calling his father at Chiron's insistence, just to blame everything on him and hang up.

Andrew, sitting at the Camp Fire away from the others, watching an older girl laugh and brush her hair back.

Andrew, trying frantically to get better at everything at once to apparently impress her.

Andrew, trying to pick a fight with Liam and instead finding a friend, though he keeps pushing him away, anyways.

Andrew, still trying to impress that girl, approaching her tentatively.

Andrew, getting his first date because she said yes.

Andrew, getting taunted by a bunch of kids for showing interest in an older girl, just to have Rin step up for him, though she makes it obvious she hates his guts.

Andrew, hanging out with Rin because of their mutual dislike for each other; training with her and being frustrated when he can't beat her.

Andrew, going on another date with the girl, trying to impress her with all sorts of things, though she doesn't seem impressed.

Andrew, crying to himself at night.

Andrew, watching Jason asking around for members for his contract journeys, and mocking the people interested in going out of spite.

Andrew, trying to run away from Camp again, just to time it so badly he stumbles right into the contract group, and quickly declares himself a member to cover up.

Andrew, staying away from the rest of the group and minding his own business, the only familiar people being Liam and Rin.

Andrew, returning to Camp and watching in envy how Jason gets assaulted by Nico, Percy and Will.

Andrew, looking for the girl again to ask her out another time, just to have her agree once more, much to his apparent confusion.

Andrew, yelling at her in the strawberry patches because he was scared she was just toying with him.

Andrew, getting hugged by the girl and allowing his guard to drop for the first time in a long time, crying against her shoulder.

Andrew, now having a girlfriend, trying to be a little friendlier.

Andrew, still getting teased and deciding he rather snapped at people than be friendly.

Andrew, getting his pills switched with laxatives by some kids from the Hermes cabin as a joke.

Andrew, throwing a tantrum at finding out Ash was joining the contract group.

Andrew, watching warily how everybody in the contract group immediately bonded.

Andrew, looking intensely satisfied when Hannah and Ash seemed at each other's throats.

Andrew, constantly getting approached by Liam and Sara, while he sought out Rin.

Andrew, still finding it difficult to trust pills and Will, but trying, pacing in front of the medic tent and talking to himself as if he tried to build up the courage to go inside, apparently wanting to apologize, though he decided against it in the end.

Andrew, watching the team fight and trying to help somehow.

Andrew, saving Nico's life by making Liam shoot a monster none of the others had seen.

Andrew, saving Jason's life at the museum by screaming, just so Jason would come running for him, instead of running into the trap only Andrew recognized.

Andrew, watching Rin sacrifice herself.

Andrew, crying to himself in his tent, just to have Ash come in and sit down next to him, not speaking, yet offering comfort, all the same.

Andrew, punching Jack in the face behind the cohorts, after hearing him talking bad about Ash and Hannah to others.

Andrew, staring at the succulents when the whole group went through a flower shop.

Andrew, watching Nico a lot and trying to approach him repeatedly, just to retreat at the last possible moments.

Andrew, clearly trying to gain Nico's approval, just to get rebuffed.

Andrew, staring at the monsters on the highway with wide eyes full of realization, before the crash and the corn fields.

Andrew, looking ready to kill but getting held back by Sara when Nico and the Hunters had their argument at the gas station.

Andrew, IM-ing his girlfriend behind the bus, looking at her as if it was the last time he was going to see her.

Andrew, watching Percy watching Nico as Nico looked around the battered and beaten bus, looking ready to die.

Andrew, watching Will with his eyes glazed over, before they cleared and their eyes met, just to have Will quickly avert his gaze.

Andrew, rushing at the Shadows, throwing himself at them with nothing but a tiny dagger and his fists, looking back to see Nico hovering.

Andrew, being left behind with the Shadows, snarling at them and trying to keep them from going after the team.

Andrew, being dragged back and covered by the Shadows, screaming bloody murder and thrashing as much as possible, before the bus got crushed.

The screen abruptly turned black, and Nico jumped a little at seeing the real Andrew across from him.

His mind was blank.

His heart was hammering in his chest.

His mouth felt incredibly dry.

Nico was aware he was gaping.

Nico tried to close his mouth and look away, but he couldn't.

Andrew wasn't meeting his eyes.

Nico glanced towards his father, feeling helplessly overwhelmed.

He…he had never known.

He had never known any of that.

He had been around Andrew for months, yet he had never bothered to ask about his past or whether he had any friends.

He…hadn't really asked him anything, to be honest.

Nico swallowed thickly, and found his father gazing at him with a questioning look, as if he was asking whether Nico wanted to step away for a moment to regain his composure.

He swallowed again, but gave a faint shake of his head, anyways, his eyes hushing back to Andrew hesitantly.

Andrew was shuffling a little, but otherwise didn't move, and didn't look at him.

Hades sat up a little straighter.

"You have just seen the key moments of your life. Is there anything you would like to add to that?" His father asked, and Nico looked back at him, unable to see how he could be so composed after seeing all of that.

"No, sir. That's all." Andrew said quietly, and Nico's focus snapped back to the boy.

"Very well." Hades said with a small nod, and Nico wasn't sure who to look at.

He was completely out of his comfort zone.

During the judgements he had witnessed, there had never been a screen like this one, and Nico had never seen anybody else's life summed up like this.

There had been lots of arguing and petty quarrels between the judges as they loudly consulted each other right in front of the person being judged, but they had simply known what had happened in that person's life. Nobody else had to go and see it.

Hades looked at Nico again, but Nico didn't look away from Andrew, even though the boy still wasn't meeting his gaze.

"You have been rejected by those you approached, yet you have also rejected those that have approached you. Your life was filled with anger and resentment at the injustices you have experienced, yet you have shown the same injustice to others. You have condemned your father to a life of worry for his son, wishing for his safety but never knowing whether he was even still alive, all over a fit of pride and the urge to be more than you are, coupled with the disappointment and resentment at not getting your will." Hades started telling him quietly, and Nico's head snapped to the side, staring at his father in disbelief.

But…but…

Hades glanced at him briefly, then continued.

"However, you have also accomplished great things. You have gained vital knowledge to support your team, you have defended those important to you, you have saved lives, and you have made sacrifices for the sake of others. Those are no easy feats, Andrew." Hades explained, and Andrew glanced up at them briefly, before glancing to the scale, then looking back down at his feet.

The scale.

Nico was a little apprehensive of looking towards it, even though he argued with himself that Andrew had nothing to fear. He might not have been that great of a person, but he had done great things!

He had saved lives! That had to count extra, right?

Nico still felt queasy as he urged himself to look past his father at the golden set of scales.

His stomach plummeted.

They were even.

But how?!

"What do you think, Nico?" Hades asked him, and Nico stiffened to a board.

What was he supposed to say?!

Why did he have to partake in the judging, anyways? This was horrible!

And why were the scales even?! Andrew had saved lives! He had sacrificed himself for the sake of the team! That stupid scale should be tipped all the way in Andrew's favor!

"I…I think that…the…uh…the good…outweighs the bad? I mean, he saved all of us, repeatedly, and…and saving lives is…uh…really good?" He tried awkwardly, annoyed when his tongue seemed intent on gluing itself to the roof of his mouth repeatedly and causing him to make weird sounds as he spoke.

Hades eyed him from the side quietly for a moment, then he gave a small nod, before returning his attention to Andrew.

"Very well. Andrew Basil Cooper, you have one judge in your favor, and the scales determine your life as balanced. Are you ready for your third and final judgment that shall decide your afterlife?" Hades asked, and Nico's head was swimming.

What was going to happen?

Was this going to send Andrew to the Fields of Asphodel?

Balanced, the scales said balanced, and if his father would say the same, then Andrew would be rendered to an aimless soul in the plainest plains.

Nico stared at his father with a pleading look, wishing he could get his mouth to open, but his jaw was clenched too tightly for that to happen.

"Yes, sir." Andrew muttered feebly, his voice weak and frail as he started shaking again.

Nico wanted to walk up to him and hug him.

Instead, he kept staring at his dad, trying to mutely plead with him for Andrew's mercy.

Hades, however, didn't look at Nico, instead studying Andrew in silence for another long moment.

A way too long moment.

When he did open his mouth to speak though, Nico was the one jumping and wishing his dad took a bit longer, just to make sure he wasn't rushing his decision.

"I agree with my son. I also believe your feats outweigh your misdeeds." Hades said, and Nico didn't even know how tense he had been until he found himself slumping back into the stone seat with a relieved sigh.

Thank the gods.

Andrew's head snapped up, too, looking at them with wide eyes full of surprise, and Nico managed a weak laugh at the sight.

"Excuse me?" Andrew asked, his voice high-pitched and disbelieving, and Nico caught his father smiling for the fraction of a second.

"You have saved more lives than you have influenced negatively. Your feats outweigh your misdeeds. Are you aware of what this means?" Hades asked patiently, and Andrew stared at him owlishly, his mouth opening and closing without saying a single word.

Nico found himself grinning now.

Hades gave a little wave with his hand, and the screen disappeared between them as he stood.

"Andrew Basil Cooper, you may choose between Rebirth or Elysium for your afterlife." Hades announced loudly, and Andrew jumped a little, before his lips split into a wide, elated grin.

He was shaking again, but this time, Nico was certain it was from excitement.

"Seriously?! Awesome!"

Yep, excitement.

Nico couldn't blame him.

In fact, he was tempted to whoop along with him as he stood up as well to stand by his father's side.

Hades glanced at him with a clearly amused expression, and Nico beamed back at him to show him that he fully approved of this judgment.

"Rebirth, rebirth, here I come!" Andrew exclaimed and made a bunch of moves that were apparently supposed to resemble dancing, and Nico had to restrain himself not to laugh.

Hades watched the blonde wiggling his hips with raised eyebrows, then shot Nico another look.

"You certainly have peculiar friends, son."

Nico grinned at him.

Yeah, he sure did.

Nico watched amused how Andrew danced around a while longer, before hurriedly trying to put on an indifferent expression once more and nodding along seriously as Hades explained to him what was going to happen next.

Then, he and Nico hugged again, and Nico tried to keep up his smile, even as his heart ached a little.

Rebirth.

This would be the last time they saw each other.

But that was okay, it was Andrew's choice.

He still held him a little tighter than necessary though.

"Enjoy your new life." He whispered, and Andrew pulled back with a smirk.

"Oh, I will. Hopefully, I'll keep my superb brain. But maybe without the whole demigod-business."

Nico certainly wished him the best of luck.

He accompanied him to the door and patted his hair for a last time, something he had never been allowed to do before.

Something he would never get to do again.

Hades shot him a knowing look, but didn't comment on it, and gave them another moment for their last goodbye.

Then, he took Andrew with him, and Nico remained behind in the empty hall at his father's wishes, alone with himself and his thoughts, and the knowledge he would never see his friend again.

...

When Nico woke up next, he felt sluggish and exhausted.

Andrew's judging certainly had been more draining than initially expected, but Nico knew the main reason for his exhaustion was the fact that he had only managed two hours of fitful sleep between Will and Jason, thanks to Will's nightmare.

Nico wasn't as unsettled by said nightmares anymore as he used to be, but they still bothered him.

Seeing Will that distraught bothered him, and they were nowhere near solving the mystery of his nightly visions.

They were nowhere near solving any of the mysteries.

It bothered Nico, making him twist and turn in his sleep and ruining his dreams, but other than taking his chance for rest from him, there was no change in the situation.

He didn't suddenly figure anything out.

He didn't have some sort of sudden idea or brainwave like Will had back in the Underworld with Hades and the contract.

It was maddening.

Will stroked through his hair and kissed his forehead, leaning over him while Nico remained on the bed, unwilling to get up.

Nico merely huffed and turned his face to the side.

"Don't be like that, grumpy. Come on, smile. We have a long day ahead of us, better lift our spirits at least a little to face it."

What a mindset.

Nico grumbled, then shifted and moved his head under the pillow, successfully pushing Jason's head off it, who was only just waking up.

He heard a low growl, then shifting, and the next moment, cold hands found their way under the shirt he was still wearing.

"Jason!" He screeched and shot up, before slamming his pillow into Jason's face full-force.

Freaking cold!

Will snorted out a laugh, while Percy whined and tried to escape the bed as precaution.

Unfortunately, Nico snatched his arm and pulled him right back in.

No way would he escape this.

'This' of course turned into an all-out pillow fight that had them put enough force in their throws to knock Nico backwards off the bed, just to retaliate by jumping back into it with a loud war cry and the promise of death.

Needless to say, nobody died, but they sure had their fun.

Until there was a knock on the door and a camper asking for Jason, so he could be briefed and put back on the border, followed by the girl asking what she should tell Chiron because of Percy and Nico and their training schedules to get them back in shape.

Nico was pretty sure he had never seen the mood drop so quickly than at that moment.

Especially when Will threw a mute tantrum and slammed the door in her face, before storming off to the bathroom and slamming that door, too.

Jason was back to looking grim as he put on clothes hurriedly and moved a hand through his hair, apparently not staying for even as much as a shower.

Percy was sitting on the bed with his face in his hands and his shoulders hunched up, no trace of his earlier smiles left.

Nico's heart ached, but Percy hit him the hardest, because he had just stopped looking so upset, and now he was right back there, and Nico wanted to punch a wall if only it helped him let out the anger bubbling up inside him.

There was a loud thump in the bathroom, and he was pretty sure Will was feeling the same way.

"I'll be back." Jason told him as he moved his arms around Nico in a short hug, and Nico met his lips in the quick peck he knew he would get, though he didn't stop frowning.

"Be safe." He said, though it was a pointless thing to say, because there was no safety here any longer.

Jason gave him another peck, then he let go of him to move over to Percy, who hadn't moved an inch.

Nico watched how Jason crouched down in front of him and reached out to cup his face, whispering something Nico couldn't catch.

Then again, he also wasn't trying to catch what they were saying, too distracted and upset about how miserable Percy looked.

He still nodded, though, and Jason gave him a couple more kisses than he had given Nico, but he didn't care.

They hadn't even eaten anything, yet.

They hadn't even brushed their teeth.

It was 6am in the morning, and they were supposed to already be out and about to fight and train to be ready to fight.

Nico clenched his fists.

He hated this.

Oh, he hated this so much.

"Will?" Jason asked as he moved towards the bathroom, but the door remained shut.

"I'll be going now." Jason called, but there was no reaction.

"Take care of them for me, and don't overwork yourself, alright? I'll see you later." Jason bid his goodbye to the closed door, and Nico looked down at his feet.

Jason sighed, but then left, anyways, hovering in the doorway for another moment, just in case Will changed his mind.

Will didn't.

Nico couldn't blame him, either.

As a matter of fact, he'd like to be locked in that bathroom, too.

Better yet, how about they all locked themselves in that bathroom?

He would have to remember that for tomorrow – nobody would be able to fetch them if they weren't there, after all.

Jason closed the door behind him, the girl long gone already, and silence settled over the Hades cabin.

"This is bullshit." Percy said at long last.

Nico agreed.

...

Will was testy and agitated, pacing in his infirmary to keep it down, but the fact that Percy had been taken from him a few minutes ago for that accursed talk with Chiron didn't make anything any better.

After locking himself in the bathroom hadn't helped, he had insisted on Percy coming with him instead of following Nico to the training arena, hoping against hope that he would somehow be able to hide him away there, safe from the rest of the world.

But that had failed, too.

Will walked down the hallway again, trying to at least make it seem like he was checking in on the patients left and right, instead of just pacing aimlessly.

When he passed the only closed door for the third time, he halted in front of it.

Clovis.

He wasn't ready to see him just yet.

His siblings had explained to him to the best of their abilities what had happened, and Will had read through the file Alec had filled out, but Clovis was the only one he hadn't yet visited personally.

Mostly because he was scared of what he would find.

He could pick up on values, much better than he used to, and he could feel the pain and the concern and the fear of all the patients in the infirmary right now.

The only thing he could sense from behind that door was a feeble heartbeat and a struggling body.

There was nothing else.

Will closed his eyes and blew out a deep breath.

Nico had made it. Nico had woken up from his coma, and he was fine now.

There was no reason why Clovis wouldn't be able to do the same.

Will shuddered, then he started pacing again, until Austin called for him and Will helped heal a bunch of cuts and bruises and a broken ankle.

He should go and see Clovis.

He owed that much to him.

Will was still reluctant, anyways, so he busied himself for another thirty minutes with fixing more broken bones and open wounds, until the waiting area in the front was empty for the first time since Will had come back.

He knew it wouldn't last, but he also knew he couldn't just stand around and wait for new patients, so he heaved a heavy sigh and looked back towards the closed door at the end of the hall.

The irony of it, that they would put Clovis in the very room that Will had managed to let himself get cornered in, before.

Will took a deep breath again, wishing Percy could be back with him already, or that Nico would show up to check on him.

Anything so he wouldn't have to go alone.

He could ask his siblings, but they seemed so happy about not having to do anything right now, he didn't want to take that from them.

So, Will went alone, walking up to that door like a man walking to the gallows.

He didn't knock, but he was slow in opening the door, as if hoping for somebody to yell at him to stop and leave Clovis be.

But nobody did.

Will stepped inside and closed the door behind him, trying to ignore the beeping from the only monitor they had in this place, trying to ignore that this was the only room that didn't have three more beds crammed into it to make space for more patients.

Trying to ignore the feeling of death that was so much stronger in here than the hallway.

Will steeled his nerves and took a step towards the bed, but he was trembling, anyways.

His hands were sweating when he finally reached the bed, looking down at Clovis' unmoving form.

For a moment, Will saw Nico again, defenseless, unconscious, weak. Out of his reach.

Then, there was nobody but Clovis, and he looked so much worse than Will could have imagined.

He was ashen, pale as a ghost, and he had lost so much weight he seemed almost unrecognizable.

Gone were the baby fat and the pudgy face, his cheeks instead hollow and his arms like twigs.

Will automatically went to check on the IV, glad his siblings knew how to use the scarce equipment they had at this Camp.

There were flowers on the bedside table, and a blanket was draped over the back of the chair next to the bed.

Will didn't sit down, instead walking around the bed to pick up the clipboard that tracked Clovis' progress – or, in this case, the lack thereof.

His heart sank as he looked back at the boy.

Then, he swallowed thickly and reached out to take his hand.

Will forced himself not to recoil, even as he gasped and choked out a small sob, the tears escaping his eyes, after all.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, though it made no difference.

Will let himself fall into the second chair next to the bed, his hand tightly grasping Clovis'.

He had never felt anything like this before, but he never wanted to feel it again, either.

"I am so sorry." He repeated, his words echoing in the small room a little.

Clovis was like that echo, too.

Fractured, weak, a feeble memory of what once was.

Will dropped forward onto the bed, weeping because he didn't know what else to do.

There was nothing he could do.

Clovis was out of his reach.

"I'm so, so sorry." He breathed out between his sobs.

Clovis couldn't hear.

Clovis wasn't there. Not anymore.

...

Kyle stood at the edge of his makeshift Camp, arms crossed in front of his chest as he watched the battles from afar.

Mr. Jealous was back. He could see him flying every here and there, though he knew the boy wouldn't be able to spot him.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, though he knew the monster wouldn't have dared to bother him if it wasn't a hundred percent certain.

"I saw it with my own eyes. He did the exact thing with the glowing, as said by the-…"

"Don't speak of that here." Kyle cut in as he turned his head sharply, and the monster scurried back in fear, just to move back into the center, eyes hushing anxiously to Kyle's skiés and back.

Kyle rolled his eyes and looked back to the battle taking place at the border.

This changed things.

He had wanted to play a little with William, a small game of give and take, just to see how the boy would react.

However, if William really did possess those powers they had heard of…

Kyle tapped a finger against his chin in contemplation.

"Get out." He ordered sharply, and the monster hurried off immediately.

How boring.

Oh well, at least the air was free of fear and the stench of rotting meat once more.

Kyle turned and walked towards his table, looking down at the overview he had created of the area, the Camp, and his resources.

He could strike now.

But that incident a while back at Camp Jupiter had taken its toll on them, so he would be forced to pull forces from that Camp to make sure to have enough backup here.

Nobody had yet managed to explain to him what had happened back then, either.

Some stupid explosion.

Kyle grimaced, but resisted the urge to flip the table.

An explosion.

What sort of explosion killed his forces, but apparently none of the demigods around?

His informant had been spared, too, that cowardly piece of trash.

Kyle had taken care of him already, especially after learning how he had acted out, carelessly injuring one of the praetors.

The damage he could have done if they had caught the boy…

Kyle shook his head and took a steadying breath, then studied the position of his subordinates some more.

What if he took out the girl?

It would be easy, to possess one of the campers. He wouldn't even have to tell their spy.

If he took out the girl, they could break the border easily, and then Kyle could sweep in and get what he wanted.

Oh, he would just love to see William's face if he appeared out of nowhere to take him with him.

Would he scream? Would he cry?

Oh, he had always made such sweet sounds…

Kyle smirked to himself, then pulled away from the table to move back to the edge of his Camp, looking for Mr. Jealous.

If Grace was there, Jackson and the Hades offspring had to be there, too.

They were so sickeningly in love, after all, they wouldn't dare to separate.

Kyle's smirk widened.

It would be a shame if something…happened to them.

"We have new intel!" A boy screeched somewhere next to him, and Kyle's smirk slid off his face immediately, replaced by a scowl.

"Don't yell around, kid." He scolded, but the boy seemed too hyped up to listen.

Kyle faintly recognized him as being one of the new kids, the ones they were using only for infiltration and information.

And, sometimes, to warm Kyle's bed at night, when he felt like it.

"But there's new intel! I met with the informant, and there seems to be a lot of stuff happening." The boy rambled, and Kyle shook his head at the skia that was trailing closer to the boy.

No, this one was of no interest to Kyle.

Dark hair and dark eyes. Boring.

"Yes, that's what happens when there's a war. A lot of 'stuff' happens." He replied in a bored tone and walked back to his table, wondering whether he would get away with engaging in battle to take out William's 'boyfriends'.

He had been told to lay low until they reached the third stage, but if William posed a threat, Kyle of course had to go and do something about it, right?

"Apparently, this one guy knows how to 'seal the mind' or something, and he wants to teach the rest of the Camp. Also, there's this boy in the infirmary, and I swear he must have single-handedly healed the lot of them, because all the wounded are running around again. The informant was very concerned about that." The kid rambled on, and Kyle froze.

Then, his expression darkened.

The Hades kid.

Di Angelo.

Kyle grinded his teeth, then turned to look at the boy, who wasn't looking at him at all, instead hopping on the spot and looking around with curiosity burning in his dark eyes as he kept blabbering.

Maybe Kyle should bed him just once, so he would learn to shut up.

"When are those lessons supposed to take place?" He interrupted him, and the boy jumped a bit, wide eyes settling back on Kyle as he seemed to notice the anger and impatience.

"Uh, I don't know. It's supposed to be a short-notice thing, and all the informant said was that it was gonna be taught as soon as possible."

Then Kyle had no time to waste.

He gestured for the boy to get lost, then started pacing, going through his options and quickly discarding those irrelevant to him.

Then, he looked back out at the battle, watching as Mr. Jealous struck down some of his monsters with lightning.

"Go. Keep him and those other fools busy." He ordered his skiés, before he left, himself.

He couldn't get into Camp.

But he had other ways.

Now, it was only a matter of luck whether he would first stumble across the girl, or his William.

Kyle smirked to himself again, then felt for his powers before he slipped away into the darkness.

...

Percy stared at his hands as he left the Big House.

What was he doing?

Will was going to murder him.

It was obvious Will didn't want him to fight.

It was obvious Jason and Nico didn't want him to fight, either.

But then what was Percy supposed to do?

Stand by and do nothing?

Fighting was the only thing he was good at!

Percy turned his hand this way and that, moving his arm and trying to ignore the pain that was pulsing through him.

He wished he could just get used to it.

Maybe he would, if only he kept going.

He had tried to rest it, but it hadn't made any difference, so why bother?

The Camp needed him to help, so he would have to, no matter whether he liked it or not.

Will would understand. Eventually.

Percy felt his shoulders slumping a little and took a deep breath, his arms dropping to his side as he tried to focus on something else.

But what was there to focus on?

He looked at the Camp, this day a lot friendlier than yesterday, the colors a little stronger and the sun shining a little brighter.

It was a pretty Camp.

The lake was glittering, and the flowers were blooming, and Percy was certain that he would be able to hear birds singing if only it wasn't for the sound of clashing weapons and screaming and monsters roaring.

Percy glanced towards Thalia's pine, but he knew he would first have to talk to Will and Nico before he left to join Jason.

He took two steps towards the infirmary, then stopped again, feeling the unease inside him grow once more.

They would be so angry.

Especially Will.

Will had already been livid about Jason leaving this morning, not to mention when Percy had been fetched for this talk with Chiron.

Honestly, Will had looked ready to murder, and that had been before Percy had agreed to take up his spot on the battlefield again.

Maybe he should go talk to Nico, first.

Nico might be a bit more understanding, and he would surely help Percy with Will.

Percy changed direction towards the training arena, then stopped, again.

He…didn't want to go there.

He touched his damaged arm hesitantly, a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He really didn't want to go there.

Then again, he had to.

He wanted to join Jason at the border, right?

…No. Not really.

The last time he had joined Jason, he had nearly gotten them killed.

What if this time he would really get them killed?

With this attitude, he surely wouldn't be of much use.

Percy was aware that he was just standing uselessly in the middle of Camp, and he could feel eyes on him, though he didn't check how many kids had to be watching him right now.

He had to go somewhere, now.

Either to Nico, or to Will. To let them know.

So he could go and fight. With Jason. To protect the Camp.

Percy took a deep breath, but then, he changed course a third time, this time going towards the cabins.

He was just…going to fetch something, first.

Maybe a new shirt.

Maybe just some courage.

Percy hung his head, buried his hands in his pockets, and trudged off towards their cabin.

...

It would be so easy.

Kyle considered that as he stood there, smirking to himself as he saw the boy.

He was already so miserable, it would be so easy to possess him.

Just how much damage would it do to the Camp to see their favorite hero turn on them and attack them?

Oh, it would be so delightful.

Or even better, what if Kyle gave him some more…ideas?

The last time had failed, sure, but that had been because Kyle had left it to others to do his job.

Now, he could make sure Percy Jackson would do just as he wanted.

It would be so, so easy.

Kyle felt his vessel struggling a little, and immediately pulled back and switched with the next kid, a boy much closer to the Big House, perfect for watching Jackson a moment longer.

It was almost too easy.

Kyle looked back towards the forest, contemplating his original plan, but this one seemed so much better.

Who'd have guessed Jackson to be here, rather than at the border with his beloved?

But Kyle shouldn't play. He had a job to do, and he was on a tight schedule.

If di Angelo really intended on teaching the campers how to fend off Kyle's attacks, then he would have to solely rely on his informant, and when had that ever gone well?

No, he needed to strike now.

Kyle thought that, but then, just as he made the boy move towards the forest, he found himself stopping again, something else catching his attention.

Blonde hair. Blue eyes. A rather adorable scowl on his face.

William.

Kyle smirked and started moving, the kid too young to fend him off, already buried deep inside the realms of its own mind, unaware of what was happening.

Kids were so easy to manipulate.

One just had to make them see their fears, and they would recoil into themselves in a heartbeat and stay, cornered by the monsters under their bed.

Kyle grinned at that and bent down, acting as if he was picking something up as he watched his William walk from the infirmary towards the Big House, di Angelo right beside him.

Interesting.

So, Mr. Jealous was by himself, huh? How unusual.

Kyle watched Will rambling about something, looking wonderfully agitated.

What could possibly be so upsetting? Kyle hoped he had something to do with it.

Oh, how he wished he could just walk up and snatch him right in front of di Angelo's eyes.

If that boy really thought he could one-up Kyle by training the kids to fight him, then Kyle would just love to watch him bleed in retaliation.

He always got what he wanted.

And, looking at Will now, he definitely knew he still wanted him.

Kyle straightened his back and turned away from them, smirking to himself as he followed his original plan.

This boy he was using was no good for kidnapping, he wouldn't even be able to break a nose with those tiny fists.

He would, however, be good enough for what Kyle needed him for.

And now that he knew where Will was…

Kyle quickened his pace.

Oh, he could barely wait.

...

"What do you mean, he already left?" Will asked incredulously as he found himself face to face with Annabeth.

She shrugged, looking a little confused, herself.

"Well, he did. A couple of minutes ago. He looked like he wanted to be left alone, so I did, and I figured he'd go right to you to tell you." She explained, and Will started tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

"Tell us what? I swear, if Chiron made him-…"

"He did." Annabeth said quietly before Will could even finish, and his blood ran cold.

"He didn't." He said, in a surprisingly calm voice, considering the curses and images zigzagging through his mind of just what he was going to do to that centaur's hide.

"He did. I wasn't allowed inside either, so I listened in from outside. Granted, it wasn't difficult to persuade Percy, I think he intended to go with Jason, no matter what might be more sensible. But yes, he did."

"But he can't! Percy can barely even hold his sword, much less swing it! Sure, he can use his other arm, but he hasn't trained enough for that! He needs a break, he needs rehab, he needs time!" Will exclaimed, disbelief and anger making him throw his arms up and wish for common sense to rain from the skies.

Unfortunately, it was a rather bright and sunny day, so no such luck.

"I know. Will, I know. But you know how Percy is. Of course he'll try to fight. It's all he thinks he's good at. You and I both knew he would jump the moment somebody told him he's needed. It's who he is. He will fight or die fighting."

"He will die fighting if he's sent out there right now. Does nobody realize this is murder?!"

"More like assisted suicide."

"Could you two stop talking about death?" Nico grumbled next to them, and both Annabeth and Will crossed their arms in front of their chests.

"So, what's the plan now?" Annabeth asked, and Will huffed.

Oh, he had a few ideas, alright.

"No murder. Percy agreed willingly, there's not much we can do about that, Will."

"Watch me." Will snapped.

"This is stupid. We should go and look for Percy." Nico cut in as he grabbed Will's arm, and Will reluctantly followed him and Annabeth down the front steps of the Big House, away from the centaur Will wanted to scream and yell at.

Seriously!

"He probably went to the arena to tell you, first, Nico. With Will behaving like this, I wouldn't have willingly walked into the infirmary to tell you anything, either." Annabeth put in, and Will instantly deflated.

That…she was probably right, yeah.

He would have stormed out of the infirmary and skinned Chiron alive if Percy had walked up to him and told him 'Oh yeah, I'll be fighting again. Sorry and goodbye.'.

Oh man, he was still going to murder Chiron, just for disregarding everything Will had told him just yesterday.

Didn't the centaur have eyes in his head?! Couldn't he see how badly Percy was faring?

How much he was struggling?

They had other campers!

They had Clarisse, they had Annabeth, they had Piper, they had all the cabins full of demigods capable and willing to fight!

Why Percy?!

"I'm not sure. He would have had to pass the infirmary to go there, and I didn't see him from the window." Nico put in, and Will looked up to Thalia's pine.

Worry and dread coursed through him, overriding the anger easily.

Was he up there already?

Would Jason be able to keep him safe?

Was he at least wearing armor, this time?

"He wouldn't have left without telling you." Annabeth reassured him, but Will wasn't quite sure.

"He did before, though." He muttered, though it was unfair of him to say it, because Percy hadn't been himself back then.

"You mean when-…" Nico started, when suddenly, there was an ungodly screech, followed by the air around them feeling too tight, and an explosion-like sound coming from the border.

"What the…" Annabeth started, and Will gasped as he swayed on the spot, grasping at his chest as he felt an immense pain, though it wasn't his own, and nowhere close by.

Then, he picked up on values that definitely shouldn't be there, and he choked out a startled cry as he stumbled back.

Nico was in front of him in an instant, sword drawn and his expression between frantic and confused.

"It's the Camp border! It's…" Annabeth started, but then she, too, saw what they were seeing, and her words died in her throat.

A few feet away from them, in front of the Big House, limbs started appearing as if out of nowhere, dark glass shards fusing together to form a body that had Will's heart drop to his feet and his pulse roaring in his ears.

"Run." Nico said, but Will didn't comprehend it as he stared, his eyes wide and his mouth dry.

"Run!" Nico repeated as Kyle stepped out of whatever that darkness was, his scythe ready and the smirk on his face cocky and triumphant.

"William."

No.

Gods, please no.

"Run, now!" Nico yelled and shoved him, and Will snapped out of his stupor, immediately turning on his heel and running as fast as his feet could carry him.

He tried to look over his shoulder, but Annabeth blocked his view, running right behind him with an ashen face.

The next moment, he thought he could hear what sounded like the clashing of metal, and his chest clenched, his pace faltering a little.

Please, no, Nico was nowhere near his normal shape, he would be no match for Kyle!

Annabeth's hands found his lower back and pushed, keeping him from slowing or turning around and running back.

"But-…"

"No! You know he's here for you, don't let him have what he wants, Will!"

But what about Nico?!

Will automatically made for the cabins, but then realized a closed door would be no hindrance to Kyle, so he changed direction to the forest, instead.

They were just rushing past the first trees, when Will heard Annabeth curse, though when he tried to turn his head, she gave him another shove.

"Keep running! Don't look back, and keep running!"

He understood a moment later, when he could hear Kyle's laugh as he pursued.

No.

"Nico…" He whispered frantically, already out of breath and his heart beating so hard and fast it hurt, but the fear inside him was worse.

"Keep on running, Will! Don't let him get you!" Annabeth ordered sharply and this time, he did turn his head, because she wasn't pushing him anymore, and when he looked back at her, she was slowing down and pulling her cap out.

What was she-…

He nearly collided with a tree and only managed to dodge at the last possible moment.

When he next looked over his shoulder, she was gone.

Will wanted to stop, wanted to turn around, wanted to protect her from getting hurt because of him, too.

"Keep going." He heard her voice, and Will swallowed thickly as he turned his head and continued running.

He didn't know where he was going.

He didn't know what he was doing.

All he knew was that he was alone, and Kyle was somewhere behind him.

Will kept on running through the undergrowth, his heart in his throat and his pulse in his ears, but there was no place he could think of that could possibly protect him.

Then, he heard Annabeth's scream, and a choked sob escaped his lips as his eyes teared up.

This was all his fault.

What was he supposed to do?

Will couldn't hear Kyle yet, but it was only a matter of time until he would, and there was nothing Will could do about it.

He couldn't outrun him. He had never been able to.

He couldn't outsmart him. He had never been able to.

There was nobody here who could protect him. There never had been.

Will stumbled, pain shooting up his legs though he tried his best to ignore it as he kept on running, zigzagging between the trees and trying not to make too much sound, but it was futile.

Kyle would find him. He always did.

What had Will been thinking? That he could actually escape him?

He should have stayed with Nico. That would have protected Annabeth, at the very least.

He should have jumped into Kyle's arms the moment he had appeared. That would have saved both Annabeth and Nico.

He should have gone with Kyle, all those months ago. It would have saved all of them from this.

Will tripped over some roots and crashed into the ground, his lungs aching as he struggled for breath.

He tried to get up, but everything was blurry from his unshed tears, and he felt dizzy.

Kyle would catch him.

Will should have known.

Will stared off into space unseeingly as he sat there, unable to move forward, unable to go back.

It was over.

Will could hear the telltale sounds of twigs snapping, of something getting closer.

He could sense it being Kyle without looking.

Will let another tear run down his cheek, then he pushed himself off the ground, though he knew in his heart that it was pointless.

Still, he had promised, right?

He had promised his boyfriends he wouldn't let Kyle win.

They were counting on him.

Another tear ran down his cheek, his lips quivering as he struggled to keep going.

He had to keep going. For them.

He had promised.

A laugh reached his ears, and he sobbed helplessly as he knew how much closer Kyle already was.

He had always been faster than Will.

Will should have never thought he could outrun him.

He stumbled and caught himself on one of the trees, glancing over his shoulders against his better judgment.

There he was. Already so close.

Too close.

Will pressed on, dimly recognizing the trees around him, though he wasn't sure why until he broke through a couple of bushes and was in their clearing.

Their clearing.

This was just like his dream, all that time ago.

Maybe that had been a vision, after all.

Will sobbed again, then he tripped and crashed into the ground.

His body was shaking, his legs aching, his lungs screaming.

His mind was static.

Will heard footsteps slowing down, entering the clearing.

He had him.

Will pushed himself up and off the ground, turning to face Kyle as a sense of hollowness filled him.

"At last." Kyle said, almost softly, and Will took a step back as Kyle took one towards him.

There was no escape. There had never been.

Will still took another step back, anyways. Then another.

Kyle didn't seem perturbed in the slightest, grinning at him in a way that showed he knew he had won.

Of course he had. He always did.

Will heard splashing as he took another step back, water soaking through his shoes and socks almost immediately, but he didn't care.

"Stop running, William. You know it's a foolish thing to do, and you always wanted to be so mature." Kyle said sweetly, and Will stared blankly back at him as he took another step back.

Maybe, if he threw himself into the water, he could drown himself before Kyle could get to him.

In Will's mind, it would be a victory.

"Finally, you'll be mine again." Kyle said with a triumphant smirk, and now, he was reaching out for Will.

Will closed his eyes and let another tear run down his cheek as he accepted the inevitable.

It was over.

.

He heard the whooshing sound first, before he heard the snarl.

He felt Kyle's fingertips grazing along his arm, before he felt another set of hands grab him and pull him back further into the lake.

A body pushed itself in front of him, and Will's eyes flew open just in time to see the water surging left and right past him, straight for Kyle and knocking him back several feet.

"Hands off him!" Percy snarled viciously, though he didn't rush after Kyle, standing his ground in front of Will as the water moved around them like a shield.

"You!" Kyle snapped back as he got off the ground, but the moment he stretched out his arm and seemed to try and summon his scythe, Percy moved his arms and the water attacked him again, knocking him right back down.

Then, it kept attacking.

Will found himself staggering a little at the onslaught of values and emotions and pain, watching in horror how Kyle was thrown from left to right and back, hitting the ground, hitting the trees, stuck in the water that Percy commanded.

Will knew what he was seeing, but at the same time, all he could think about was, that, at this rate, Percy would die.

Kyle would never let him get away with this.

Kyle always got what he wanted.

Will's legs gave way as he shook from head to toe, and he slumped into the water, staring, watching, pleading, praying.

Kyle looked like he was drowning, but then he wasn't.

One moment he seemed at Percy's mercy, but then he wasn't.

Instead, he suddenly had his scythe, and Will watched incomprehensively how he cut through the water, just to have the water crashing to the ground as if it was…nothing but water.

Percy stiffened in front of him, and Will knew he had to know they were doomed.

But Percy was stronger than Will. He kept fighting.

Jets of water shot out at Kyle, but Kyle merely swiped at them with an almost bored expression, as if swatting away an annoying fly.

"You know it's pointless. Give me William, and I might spare you."

"Fuck off!" Percy snarled back, and Will could feel the water moving around him, nudging him, trying to get him to move.

Percy was trying to get him to go. He was trying to get him to safety.

Will didn't move, instead tearing his eyes away from Kyle to stare up at his boyfriend, taking in his drawn-up shoulders, his defensive stance, the way his right arm trembled.

The water kept pushing at him, then Percy turned his head to shoot him a pleading look that had Will's chest clenching again.

He couldn't go.

He had already abandoned Nico, he couldn't do it again. He couldn't abandon Percy, too.

"Oh, how sweet. Trying to protect your loved one, even though you already know you'll fail." Kyle taunted, and Percy's gaze left Will.

He was so close already.

It would be so easy for him to attack Percy, especially since he didn't even have his sword out, yet.

Why didn't he have his sword out?

The water shifted around them protectively, and Will could feel it building an extra circle around him, but Kyle was right.

It was pointless.

Will should surrender, then Percy might survive.

Will found he couldn't move, much less talk.

"You won't touch him. I won't let you." Percy spat, and he tried to attack with the water again, but Kyle swatted it aside once more, not deterred off his path.

"So brave. Full of misery and despair, with no way to cope, yet so brave when it comes to your lovers. You know, my mother used to hate you. Now, I think she would call you beautiful." Kyle said with the hint of a laugh, and Will felt himself reeling even though he was sitting.

Percy twitched, but otherwise didn't respond to Kyle.

Kyle didn't seem perturbed, instead smirking at Percy like a man who knew he had won.

Because he had.

"Yes. Nearly perfect, even. You know, the only thing missing now, is-…"

They didn't find out just what it was that was missing, because the moment Kyle raised his scythe and Percy adapted a defensive stance, there was the sound of twigs breaking, and Kyle barely had enough time to jump back as Nico appeared out of nowhere, practically leaping at Kyle.

Will stared in amazement and horror how Nico swung his sword in a wide arch, missing Kyle by inches as they both growled at each other aggressively, then his boyfriend landed swiftly on his feet, the epitome of elegance as usual as he already whirled around to meet Kyle's scythe with his own blade.

They started slashing at each other, Nico's movements quick and precise as if his coma had never happened, while Kyle's attacks were ruthless and his defense seemingly impenetrable.

"Do you really think you can beat me, Nico di Angelo?" Kyle sneered, and Will trembled, still kneeling in the water like the fool he was.

Percy turned to look at him, his expression concerned and a little frantic, before it turned grim.

Will felt the shift in mood and trembled even worse, opening and closing his mouth as he tried and failed to find the words to make Percy stop whatever he thought he was going to do.

"I can and I will." Nico snarled, and when he next lunged at Kyle, he rebuffed the scythe, whirled his body and sword around, and struck Kyle right at the side of his neck, only short of decapitating him because Kyle once more managed to move away at the last possible moment.

Blood spilled from the wound – not much, but enough to make Will's world turn upside down, his skin crawling as he felt hot and cold at the same time.

'Cut him and he will bleed.'

Kyle snarled viciously as he jumped back and moved a hand over the wound, icy blue eyes staring at Nico with contempt and hatred.

"You will regret that, boy." He threatened, and Will's blood ran cold again, only faintly noticing that Percy was moving.

"Not so high and mighty now, huh?" Nico taunted, clearly not afraid, but all Will could do was whimper as he felt the attack before he saw it.

There was a whooshing sound, and then Kyle was already in front of Nico, moving quicker than before, quicker than their eyes could follow, and his scythe was already raised to strike, to cut, to kill.

Will pushed himself up with a silent scream on his lips, but he would never make it.

Percy, however, did.

Percy was between them, Riptide raised to block the scythe and shove it back, before he shifted his weight and slammed one foot into Kyle's abdomen in a near-perfect side kick.

Kyle toppled back with a pained snarl, but Percy didn't attack again, instead snatching Nico's hand and moving back towards the water, which seemed to develop a life of its own once more as it shot out and past them towards Kyle, forcing him even further back as he caught his balance.

Then, Percy had Nico in the water, with Will, and Will automatically reached out for Nico, needing to touch, needing to feel, needing to heal.

But Nico didn't let him touch, instead immediately turning around with his sword raised, ready to protect, ready to fight, ready to kill the same way Kyle was.

Percy whirled back around towards Kyle, and the water shot up in front of them, the whole lake bending to Percy's will.

"I won't let you." Percy repeated coldly, and there was something off about his voice, but Will didn't know what, and then his eyes were already drawn back to Kyle, who was back on his feet and glowering at them with a dark scowl.

Then, he charged, and Percy flicked his wrist immediately.

It was still shocking to see how close Kyle got in that short moment, his scythe nearly touching Percy before one jet of water met it and shoved it upwards, before another jet hit Kyle square in the chest and forced him several feet back again.

There was a short pause, then Kyle attacked again, and Percy kept defending them.

Kyle's scythe still managed to cut through the water easily, but now, Percy didn't give him the chance to make any progress, attacking nearly constantly, the water obeying his every twitch and flick.

For the first time, Kyle wasn't smiling anymore, and there was no air of triumph around him either.

When Percy stomped his foot on the ground and the water lunged at Kyle and shoved him all the way to the edge of the clearing, Kyle remained there, dripping wet from head to toe, and his expression one of bottomless anger.

"Get out of our Camp." Percy spat, and Will saw Nico tensing, a hand moving to his hip.

Will only now noticed there was blood dripping down from a long gash.

Oh no, he was injured.

Will swallowed and tried to reach out for him, but then Kyle started laughing again, and he found his body freezing once more.

"You think it's over? That you've cornered me? You can't beat me, Jackson. If I truly wanted to, I could easily make you do my bidding, and then not even your water could save you." Kyle taunted, and Will dreaded he would follow up on his words, that he would possess Percy again, that he would finish what he had started.

Nico seemed to expect the same thing, immediately hefting his sword higher.

"You will do no such thing. Not as long as I'm here."

Kyle only looked at him with an expression akin to pity.

Then, he sneered again.

"How precious, always protecting each other. But, I do have to wonder…who do you think will protect your other beloved?"

It took a moment, for his words to sink in.

Then, Will choked out a horrified cry as his head snapped around, away from Kyle and Percy and Nico and their clearing, and towards the little he could make out of the rest of the Camp.

Of the hill. The border.

Jason!

Suddenly, everything happened at once.

Nico was moving, expression fearful as he seemed ready to swim all the way back to the border.

Kyle scoffed and hefted his scythe.

Percy let out a low growl and charged, the aura around him changing to something foreign to Will as the water slashed forward, snatching Kyle mid-attack and consuming him, tossing and whirling him around before seemingly squeezing the life out of Kyle.

The earth started cracking.

"You will not. Touch. Jason." Percy growled, and his voice was eerily low and vicious as he had both arms outstretched and so tense they trembled along with the entire rest of his body.

There was a sudden drop in his powers, and Will found himself staggering in response.

Then, there was an ear-shattering explosion coming from the border, followed by the entire hillside lighting up in a blinding white.

Nico gasped, Will stared, and Percy lost his focus for the split second it took Kyle to regain control of himself and his scythe, freeing himself from his confinement faster than any of them could have expected.

But, instead of attacking, he, too, looked towards the Camp, a dark scowl on his face as his form started flickering.

"The bitch is still alive." He muttered, as if to himself, then his head snapped back to them, and Will instantly recoiled further when blue eyes fixed on him.

"I will get you, William. Mark my words. This isn't over, yet."

Percy snarled, and the water shot out again, but before it could reach Kyle, he was already jumping back and dissolving, the darkness that built around him so much like Nico's shadows, yet so different.

Nico cursed and tossed his sword, but by the time it reached Kyle, he was already gone, and the blade impaled one of the trees, instead.

"Fuck!" Nico yelled in utmost frustration, but Will could only close his eyes with a sigh of relief as he felt himself staggering and falling, the water splashing loudly when he hit it.

"Will!"

Kyle hadn't gotten him.

Will had gotten away.

Will wouldn't get away again.

Kyle had found a way in.

Kyle would find a way in, again.

Will was safe.

They were safe.

Somebody was dying.

It wasn't Jason.

Will felt Nico's and Percy's hands on him, and he knew he said something, but he wasn't sure what it was.

Only that his guys reacted by Nico lifting him up and rushing from the clearing, Percy right behind them.

Somebody was dying.

Will could feel it, and he knew Nico could, too.

It wasn't difficult to guess who it was.

But Will didn't want to guess, and didn't want to know, and he lived in his bubble of denial until they broke through the trees and ran back towards the Big House.

His siblings were already crowded around a person on the ground, Dylan and Bill standing next to the group with pale faces and their shoulders pressing together.

Somebody was dying.

Nico let Will down, and Will stumbled to join his siblings, Alec instantly making space when he saw him.

Will tried to focus on his powers, but found he couldn't, so he chimed in with his siblings' chanting.

Calypso was dying.

And the border protection right along with her.

Will couldn't breathe.

...

Dylan paced in front of the infirmary, arms crossed in front of his chest and his eyes on his feet as he tried to think.

Hopefully, they had gotten Calypso here in time.

He shook his head.

Wrong thing to think about.

Well, not wrong, but…not what he wanted to think about right now.

What had that been?

It made no sense.

Dylan glanced at Billy, who was huddled next to the stairs of the infirmary, a small heap of misery.

"We did all we could." He said, unable to leave him be.

"I know. It's just…it was all so sudden, Dylan. One moment we're at the Camp border, fighting; the next, you grab me and we run off and find Calypso nearly bleeding out, just in the middle of the woods. Like, how did you know?!" Billy asked, but Dylan shushed him, looking around hurriedly to check whether anybody was nearby to overhear.

Then, he sighed and moved over to his friend, sitting down beside him.

"I don't know. It's just…it was a hunch. There was this snap in the air, and I just…I knew it was the border, so my next thought was: Something must have happened to Calypso. And I just…well, I just went with what my gut told me. I guess. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?! Dylan, it's thanks to you she has a chance to live, why would you apologize for that?!" Billy snapped at him, and Dylan flinched away a little.

"Well, you seem upset about it…" He mumbled defensively, but then shrunk away further when Billy straightened out his back and legs and glowered at him.

What? What had he said?

"I'm not upset about saving her! I'm upset because she nearly died! Because I don't know what's going on! Because you are seriously beginning to scare me with your freaky powers!"

As soon as Billy said it, Dylan saw the regret on his face, though it didn't help the pain in his chest.

He was still having trouble understanding his powers.

He knew they were…unusual. He knew he was scared of them sometimes, too.

But…he had kind of thought Billy, of all people, could accept them. Could accept Dylan.

"I'm sorry." Dylan muttered quietly.

It was strange, how often he apologized these days. But somehow, after a while, it had become easier to say the words, even if the meaning hadn't lessened.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. It's just…I didn't know what you were doing. You just grabbed my arm and ran away from battle, and I just…I didn't know…" Billy whispered and withdrew back into himself again, and Dylan watched him quietly from the side.

"I thought you were running away. That you were abandoning the border. But then, there was Calypso, on the ground, and the way you immediately made straight for her, as if you just knew she was there, it just…it just felt like…like you…"

Billy didn't have to say it for Dylan to know what he meant.

Funnily enough, he couldn't even feel offended.

"You thought I was the one that attacked her." He summed up, and Billy flinched.

Then, he pulled his knees up further and buried his face in them.

"I wasn't sure what to think. I couldn't think. I know you would never…but…it just…"

And with that, Billy started sniffling, and Dylan found himself in the rather uncomfortable position of having to give some sort of comfort.

"I'm sorry. I promise I had nothing to do with it. I really just went with my gut and dragged you into it. I don't know why I did it. Next time, I'll just go alone…"

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say, because the next moment, Billy leaped to his feet and looked ready to strangle him.

"Don't you dare! If Calypso, a goddess, can get injured like this, what do you think they'll do to you if they find you?!" He snapped, and why was he so angry?

Dylan blinked up at him, feeling more than a little uneasy at all the anger directed at him.

Then, however, he found his gaze traveling down from Billy's face to his chest, confusion flaring through him.

Billy immediately wrapped his arms around himself, letting out a strangled sound as he turned away from Dylan.

"Don't. It…it tore. During the last attack, before you pulled me away. I had to take it off earlier. Don't look. Please."

Billy's voice sounded so vulnerable, it made Dylan's chest ache in an entirely different way.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Is there anything I can do to-…" He tried tentatively as he pushed himself off the ground, but Billy only shook his head briskly.

"Just. Don't look. I'll deal with this later. I just…I have a few loose shirts, and my chest plates, it's gonna be fine."

He didn't sound very fine to Dylan, though.

"It's really not all that noticeable." He tried, but Billy seemed more uncomfortable by the second.

Dylan lowered his head, along with the hand he had apparently moved towards Billy's shoulder, as if he had intended to touch him.

"How about you go back to your cabin? I'll stay here, and once I know anything new, I'll let you know, okay?" He suggested, and already knew Billy would agree when Billy was still contemplating his words.

"Yeah…okay. But you'll come right away, yeah?"

Dylan was about to reply with an immediate 'Of course', but then found a tinge of…guilt, which gave him pause.

He…wouldn't tell Billy right away? But why would he not?

That made no sense.

"Don't worry, you won't be left in the dark." He replied instead, trying to get behind the odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, though it seemed pointless.

Billy eyed him a moment longer, then he sighed again and clapped Dylan on the shoulder with one hand, the other arm still covering his chest, though there really wasn't much to see there.

Just…a bit of boob, Dylan guessed. If one looked closely.

Oh man, he had made Billy uncomfortable because of something so stupid.

"Alright, thanks, man. And…I'm sorry for what I said. Your powers do freak me out a little, but…I trust you. You and your powers, I guess. I just want you to know that." Billy said quietly, and Dylan tried for a smile.

"It's okay. I freak myself out on a regular basis, too. You should hear my frantic screech whenever I look in a mirror."

That was a lie. Dylan had never screamed when looking in a mirror. He never screamed, at all – well…okay, maybe sometimes.

Billy still smiled though, so Dylan was glad for his obvious lie.

He waved, and Billy did half a wave back, before he trudged off towards the cabins with his arms wrapped around himself, looking a lot less confident than usual.

Dylan watched him go, then crossed his arms in front of his chest again, before he began pacing once more.

It still made no sense.

What had that been?

Why had Calypso been attacked? To weaken the Camp border, yes, but why?

The monsters hadn't seemed to know what was happening, so the effort had been wasted, for the most part.

By the time the first hellhound had accidentally passed into the Camp grounds, Calypso had already been in the process of getting healed, so the border had strengthened again, and the next monster had slammed into it while the hellhound had been struck down.

It still made no sense.

Even if some of the monsters had managed to get inside the Camp, there hadn't been enough monsters in the battle to really make much of an impact.

If the border had been swarming with monsters, which had happened before, then Dylan would understand how much damage it would do to the Camp and campers if they got inside.

But…this…?

It made no sense.

Also, what had the guys been doing?

Dylan could have sworn he had seen Will running through the forest with a horrorstruck face when he had run through it with Billy.

Had he been the one to…no, that was stupid.

Dylan didn't need his gut to tell him Will had nothing to do with Calypso's wounds.

He did need his gut though to give him some sort of clue about what Will had been doing in the woods, at all.

They had come from the woods, too.

Will and Jackson and Nico, all three of them looking like they had just seen a ghost.

What had happened? Why the forest?

Grace had been fighting at the border, so why would they be so far away?

It was too unusual for them, to get sidetracked by anything and just…leave like that.

Dylan stopped pacing and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to make sense of the things flooding through his mind, looking for the solution.

"Hey, kiddo." Clarisse's voice interrupted him, and he opened one eye to glare at her as she left the infirmary.

"Hello."

They got along better since his rather embarrassing outbreak on Chase's phone, but only marginally so.

"So grumpy. Anyways, I heard you and Billy got Cal here just in time. Good job, kid. Always knew you had it in you." She said and bumped her fist against his shoulder, and Dylan wished people would stop doing that.

Billy was always doing that, and he swore his shoulder was going to permanently bruise at this rate.

"It was just luck." He replied, but Clarisse merely shrugged and stood next to him, looking down at him with half a smirk on her face.

"If you say so. So…you and Billy, huh?"

Dylan felt his face heating involuntarily as he jumped away from her by at least a foot.

"W-What? What makes you say that?!" He exclaimed, unable to comprehend how talking about saving Calypso suddenly led to this.

"You and him, alone in the woods? Come on, that's not something you just do. And don't tell me it was 'just luck' that you ran into each other there, because I'm not buying it."

Dylan was going to murder Billy's half-sister.

"It wasn't like that! We…erm…we just…I heard something weird, so we went to check it out."

"Sure." Clarisse agreed with a serious nod, but Dylan had the very strong impression that she didn't believe him one bit.

"Whatever. We're not like that. I'm not gay." He insisted and crossed his arms in front of his chest again.

"Of course you're not. You like that other girl, too, right? If anything, I'd guess you're bi. Possibly poly, too."

Dylan made a strangled sound and clapped his hands over his ears.

Those were things he was still trying to figure out, himself, and he didn't need her talking about them and confusing him even more when there were so many muchmore important things to figure out right now.

"I can't hear you! Get away, demon, before I drench you in holy water!" He exclaimed, but Clarisse only laughed loudly, her hands on her hips and her expression one of glee.

Freaking monster, she was.

"Where are you going to get holy water from? Oh man, I'd love to see that. But fine, you're still in denial. You do you, I guess."

Dylan acted as if he couldn't hear her.

Clarisse merely punched his shoulder again.

Oh man, he needed to get some sort of brace. Or armor. Yes, armor would be awesome.

"Oh well, I got to go. Lots of stuff to do, now that Annabeth is out of commission, too."

Dylan immediately perked up.

"Annabeth? What happened to her?" He asked, perplexed, because she hadn't been at the border, and where else could anything have happened to her?

Unless…unless Calypso's assaulter had also found Annabeth…

Dylan felt rather nauseous when he realized that this did feel like the truth. A lot like the truth.

But…how…

"Still a bit sketchy, because the guys are a bit beside themselves right now. I mean, just look inside and you'll see what I mean. But from what I gathered, that Kyle-guy got inside the Camp somehow, and he went after Will again, for whatever reason. Annabeth tried to stop him, I guess. She'll make it, but she got injured rather badly. Jason brought her in earlier. I'm surprised that you didn't see it."

That must have been when Dylan had been inside the infirmary to maybe get a chance to talk to Will, just to have Billy exclaim he couldn't stand this and rushing outside.

He had known it was Jason who had passed him when he had run out after his friend, and he had known he had been carrying something, but he honestly hadn't stopped to think about what or who that could have been.

So, Annabeth had been wounded by Kyle.

And Annabeth had been attacked by the same person that had attacked Calypso.

Dylan frowned.

Okay, that made no sense again.

Kyle might be behind the attack, seeing as it explained the big why – a weakened or nonexistent border would of course allow Kyle inside Camp even with his ban, and it would pose a wonderful distraction to keep the rest of the Camp busy.

However, it wasn't possible for Kyle to be the attacker both times, because, he was banned.

Dylan had asked about that ban several times, he knew Kyle wouldn't be able to take one step past the Camp border.

How would he possibly be able to get in here and injure Calypso?

"You still with me, kiddo?"

He really wished Clarisse would stop calling him that.

"Just thinking about some things." He muttered evasively, and she tilted her head a little as she regarded him, but then she only shrugged.

"Well, alright. Don't break your head over thinking so hard. See you around, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you." Dylan mumbled with a faint wave in her direction, then put his hand to his lips as he frowned at the ground.

There was something else there that wasn't adding up.

Why would Kyle go through the hassle of getting inside the Camp, just to pursue Will again?

Hadn't he done that before and failed? Why would he try again?

What was so important about Will, anyways?

Dylan thought of the blonde healer, and felt his face warming, though he tried to push it down.

He had to be neutral about this. Also, he definitely did not have a thing for that guy. At all. Ever.

He was not gay!

Unbiddenly, he thought of Jason, and started grinding his teeth. Not gay for him, either.

Dylan thought of Billy, and threw his hands up with a loud groan.

"Wow, what a manly display of emotion." Fae deadpanned behind him, and Dylan screeched and jumped away in terror.

"F-Fae! W-What are you doing here? I mean, it's great to see you! Billy left for his cabin, though. I'm just standing here, pondering nothing. I mean, I'm doing nothing. I mean, I'm doing something…"

Yeah, he was making a fool of himself. Again.

Fae raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him, then tossed her hair back with a practice nudge of her head that made Dylan want to sigh.

Now, that girl he did have a crush on.

She was just…so pretty. And nice. When she wasn't scowling at him, that was.

"You're rambling again, Dylan."

"Yeah, I am…" He agreed with a nod and a dreamy smile, before realizing he was making an even bigger idiot of himself.

Fae didn't seem surprised in the slightest.

"Anyways, Dimitri said that Kayla said that Will said that Calypso will make it. She's still very weak and hasn't regained consciousness yet, but apparently, she's out of the woods. Just thought I'd let you know." She summed up, and Dylan let out a sigh of relief – both because of the info, and because she spared him the fate of making even more of a fool of himself.

"That's great!" He said a little louder than necessary, but Fae only gave him a questioning look.

"So, will you tell Billy, or should I? He seemed apprehensive while he was in there, so I didn't want to bother, and he clearly wanted you around more than me." She stated, and there was something almost bitter in her voice.

Wait…

Wait, was she jealous?

Dylan cringed inwardly, knowing this was just another proof that she was not interested in him in the slightest, but completely into Billy.

He was about to assure her Billy would love to see her, when he hesitated.

Billy's binder was broken. He was uncomfortable and unhappy.

Fae didn't yet know about Billy being transgender.

What if Billy didn't want her around right now? How would Dylan know whether it was okay to let her go to him?

Then again, wouldn't this be perfect for them? It would bring them closer together, right?

It had certainly brought Dylan and Billy closer, after all.

Now, if Billy confided into Fae, she would undoubtedly be able to ease his worries and make him feel better, and then, those two would be closer than ever, and undoubtedly…start dating…

Dylan felt his chest aching, and he swallowed down the lump building in his throat.

"You can go and tell him. I'll stay in case there's any more news." He decided, and Fae blinked, seeming surprised.

"You…what? But what news? Calypso will make it, isn't that what you and Billy wanted to know? What else would there be?"

Yeah, what else would there be?

Dylan wasn't sure, but it felt wrong to leave just yet.

Not when he hadn't yet figured out what had happened.

"Just go talk to him, please. He's…a little upset, I think." He muttered evasively again, and she gave him an odd look.

"Did something happen between you two, Dylan?" She then asked skeptically, but he didn't meet her gaze as he shook his head and kicked at some stones on the ground.

Oh man, the path to the infirmary was so worn down there wasn't even anything growing here anymore.

Just stones and dirt. How ugly.

"Not really."

"Then why would he be upset?"

Yeah, why would he be? Dylan felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he thought of the discomfort in Billy's gaze, and the way he had covered himself so frantically.

"Maybe you should ask him about that, yourself. Anyways, if he asks, just tell him I'm gonna stay here a while longer. Just…yeah." He replied at long last, though he wasn't sure why he bothered.

He already knew Billy wouldn't come looking for him, at least not today.

Same as he already knew he wouldn't stay here for too much longer, though he didn't yet know why.

"Well…alright. If you say so. But…are you sure you're alright? You seem…weird." Fae said hesitantly, and Dylan rejoiced a little at the knowledge she did care for him, even if only a little.

"I'm great. Just…thinking over some stuff." He replied, and it had sounded way cooler in his head than when he said it to her, because that just made him sound borderline dismissive, which wasn't his intention at all.

"Well, alright…I just thought I'd ask, because of the whole thing with the possessing, you know? I heard Nico di Angelo is going to give lessons soon, so we can ward off future attacks and protect ourselves. Then again, I doubt anybody would want to possess us, right? We don't even know anything." Fae mused, and Dylan stared at her.

Something in his mind clicked.

Ah. That's how that connected, then.

"Yeah, you're right. I think we're safe for now, but I do think those lessons sound really cool. We should totally go. I mean, unless we're separated in groups and won't be able to go together – or, I mean, if you rather go without me, or with Billy- I mean, of course you're going to want to go with Billy, but I hoped I could come along, if you don't mind – or he, for that matter. Oh, who am I kidding, you probably do, and I'm just-…"

Oh no, here he went, making a fool of himself all over again.

Would that ever stop? His gut cruelly told him no.

He was freed from his torture when Fae chuckled, the sound like music to his ears and instantly making him shut up to listen.

She was so pretty. And kind. And sweet.

Such a lovely girl.

Oh man, he had it bad for her.

"Oh, you're yourself, alright. Nobody else could possibly ramble like that. Anyways, I'm sure Billy would be okay with you coming along, in case we can go together. I'll be going now, alright?" She told him, and there was a smile on her lips, just for Dylan, and Dylan was the happiest boy alive.

"Sure. Tell Billy I'm sorry for not coming over to tell him about Calypso, myself. I told him I would, but I think he'll prefer your company right now." He told her, and she rewarded him with a bright, hopeful smile.

"You think so? Well, I'll let him know you're here, just in case he wants to see you."

He wouldn't, but Dylan didn't tell her that.

Instead, he nodded and held up a thumb, like the idiot he was.

"Thanks a bunch, you're the best."

She winked at him.

"Don't I know it. Have fun thinking."

Oh, he wouldn't have any fun with that, but her smile surely brightened his day.

"Will do. See you later."

"See you." She said, then left, and he watched her go with a sigh.

Wow, he had really sent her to Billy. He couldn't quite believe it.

But hey, this would give Billy a chance to come out to her like he had wanted to do, and once that was done…oh, whatever.

Dylan ignored the ache in his chest as turned his back to her and the cabins, instead pacing once more.

There were more important things to worry about right now than that.

Like this thing with Kyle.

So…he had possessed someone to hurt Calypso, then, once the border was weakened, he had slipped inside to…go after Will. Again.

Why?

Dylan paced in front of the infirmary, knowing it was pointless to ponder all of this without more intel, but also feeling like this was the right time and place, so he lingered.

People came and left the infirmary, mostly limping or bleeding on their way in, and all patched up by the time they got out.

Dylan saw them out of the corners of his eyes as he paced, though he didn't pay much attention.

"It's amazing, though. A couple of days ago, that place was packed. Now, Will has only been back two days and everything seems so much more organized. I heard they even managed to empty out some of the beds." A kid said to his friend, and Dylan glanced over his shoulder with no interest, watching both of them hop down the steps.

"I know! I bet it's because he can do that thing with the glowing. He heals injuries so much faster than the others. I heard that he's using his own powers for that. I mean, how cool is that? I wish I had healing powers like that, too." The friend replied, and Dylan rolled his eyes, before pacing again.

What was it with these people, always wishing they had different powers than their own?

Dylan should wish for other powers, something that made him better at fighting or more useful to Billy, but no, he had weird powers that weren't actually powers.

More like…an enhanced and improved gut feeling, he guessed.

It would be great for filling out questionnaires, but battles? Not so much.

Now, Dylan rolled his eyes to himself.

No, he was good with his powers. They were his mother's powers, and he would cherish and hone them to the best of his abilities, if only to let his other mother know that he had tried.

He was always trying, these days. Trying to be a better person, trying to atone for his past behavior, trying to help people, trying to be more open-minded.

Dylan felt his concentration wavering, and pulled himself back to the matter at hand.

Why had Kyle come back for Will?

If he had wanted him, he should have snatched him while he was out and about with the guys.

If Kyle really thought he couldn't catch Will when he was on the move with Grace and the others, then there was no way he could have expected to catch Will once he was back in Camp – which meant something must have happened that forced him to take action.

From what Dylan had gathered so far, the man was smart.

He wouldn't just do something for the hell of it, so he must have had a reason.

If only Dylan knew the whole story of why he had wanted Will, to begin with…

It couldn't just be because of that fucked up background of theirs, it just didn't make sense.

Sure, Dylan's gut told him that Kyle's feelings did play a part in the whole, but it wasn't all there was to it.

Dylan groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Then, he started becoming annoyed by all the people leaving the infirmary, because they all got to bear witness to his open display of dismay.

Wait…

Dylan turned around and looked at the infirmary, thinking over the conversation he had just overheard.

Then, he started walking up the front steps and slipped inside, expecting to see all the chairs filled up and medics rushing about.

But the waiting area was mostly empty, and other than Kayla, there wasn't even any Apollo kid around.

There was Jackson, though, cowering in one of the chairs with his arms on his knees and his face in his hands, looking unusually defeated.

Grace was also there, pacing.

He was still dirty from head to toe, but the injuries on his arms and face had apparently been taking care of.

Dylan couldn't even see a scratch on him anymore.

He squinted at them, though they luckily didn't take notice of him.

Neither did Kayla, so Dylan walked down the hall to the open doors, peeking inside out of curiosity.

There were only a few kids, a marked change from the many injured campers that had been stuck in here the past weeks. Most of the kids that were still here were already done, just sitting there chatting with others or inspecting the lack of wounds on their arms and legs.

Then, Dylan came to the next to last door, and watched Nico di Angelo with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his pants gods knew where, just standing in the middle of the room in his underpants, which was something Dylan had not needed to see.

However, that wasn't where his focus was, anyways.

It was on Will, who was kneeling next to Nico with his hands hovering over what Dylan assumed was Nico's hip, where he could also spot what looked like dried blood.

Will's hands were glowing a warm gold, and his expression was one of concentration, though Dylan couldn't hear him chanting.

"This won't take long, Nico. I'm more than fine with this."

"I don't care. You shouldn't wear yourself out so much, Will. I know you're on the verge of breaking down, especially after all that earlier. I don't want you straining yourself unnecessarily. Preserve your powers." Nico replied, and his voice was unusually soft, much softer than Dylan had ever heard before, much less expected to hear now.

"I'm fine."

"I hate it when you say that, sunshine."

Yeah, he really did, Dylan could tell.

He wondered what the background behind that was, but had a hunch, all the same.

Then again, it wasn't important.

His little revelation was, though.

Dylan stepped back, and saw Will turning his head to shoot him a questioning look, so Dylan instantly stilled to give him a chance to get a good look of him.

He didn't want him thinking he was sneaking around or doing anything sketchy, because that was the last thing Dylan needed.

Will's eyes narrowed a little, and Dylan made a face.

Great, he was still upset with him about the whole thing with Jason. Typical.

Dylan should probably try and apologize to him at some point. (Again.)

He gave him a tentative nod, trying to show he meant no harm, while also trying to signal that he didn't want to talk or bother him in any way.

Will eyed him warily for another moment, then he nodded back with pursed lips and a slight frown, before he averted his gaze again and focused back on his healing.

Nico didn't take any notice of Dylan, but that was okay, Dylan didn't care about him, either.

Instead, he took this as his cue to leave, so he did.

When he got back to the waiting area, Grace had stopped pacing and was crouching in front of Jackson, his hands resting on Jackson's knees and their faces pushed close together, a silent conversation taking place.

Seriously, what was wrong with Jackson, anyways? He seemed so…down, lately.

It would worry Dylan, too, but he guessed he couldn't solve all mysteries today.

Dylan nodded towards Kayla when she glanced at him, but she wasn't paying much attention, already back to watching the guys.

He didn't care, instead hurriedly leaving the infirmary.

So, Kyle had come to Camp to get Will…because Will could heal without godly help?

No, that didn't seem quite right. Because Will was more powerful than originally expected, maybe.

Yeah, that was closer.

Dylan watched a couple of kids that were on their way to the cabins from the arena, weapons still strapped to their sides.

Maybe Kyle was concerned that Will's powers could be used offensively, not just for healing.

From what Dylan had just seen, it was basically light.

Kyle seemed to mostly consist of dark stuff, similar to Nico. It would make sense for him to fear Will the most.

But then why try and take him, rather than just killing him? Just because he still wanted him?

Dylan pondered that, then decided to push it aside to focus on the next question.

Why now?

Was he in a rush? It hadn't seemed like it.

Dylan thought back to what Fae had said, and started nibbling on his bottom lip as he hopped down the steps of the infirmary, eyes still far away.

Because Nico was going to give lessons that would prevent Kyle from possessing people.

That was why he had acted now.

But had Kyle been doing that until now, then? Possessing people? Was that how he got his intel?

No, there was still the spy…

The spy…

Dylan looked back at the kids running around, some on their way to the arena, some coming from there, some moving up to the border, some coming from there.

The spy.

If Kyle had known about Nico's lessons, that meant the spy must have told him.

Dylan had to ask Fae later who had told her about those lessons, because this had been the first time Dylan had heard of it.

All in all, the spy had to be somebody close to them, most likely a friend of Chase or McLean, since they were the brains here.

But how did the spy communicate with Kyle?

Iris-Message? That required so much money, though. Money nobody here had.

So, private talks?

Dylan felt a twinge in his gut and started frowning again, feeling annoyed and frustrated with himself.

He wished his gut could just tell him things, rather than forcing him to ask himself a hundred different questions an hour.

But he guessed everyone had to make do with what they had.

He looked into the distance again, taking in the lake and the sun reflecting in the water.

Nobody would be able to just leave Camp and come back, unless they were fighting at the border – and there, everyone kept a close eye on each other to prevent any kidnappings or the like, so there was no way anybody could sneak away, either.

But then how did they talk? Did Kyle have any special way of communication that they didn't yet know of?

No. No, that wasn't it.

Dylan huffed out a frustrated breath and tore his eyes away from the lake, instead looking at a bunch of kids huddled together and muttering.

So many new kids these days.

So young, too.

Dylan was pretty sure the youngest camper was now a six-year old, which was insane.

What family allowed their six-year old to just leave and stay at a Camp for such long amounts of time without other people their age? Not to mention, at that age, monsters usually showed no interest unless the kid was especially powerful.

Which…wasn't the case for this six-year old, as far as Dylan could tell.

Dylan frowned a little.

There really were a lot of younger kids here these days.

He thought back to that girl that came a while back, the one with the deaf boy.

Dylan only remembered her because she had been so angry and resentful in the beginning, snarling at everybody who dared to attempt talking to her, including Billy.

(Dylan could never sit still whenever Billy was upset, and man did he look heartbroken when that girl bitched at him.)

She hadn't made it a secret why she hated them all, though Dylan had never heard the whole story.

Something about her family, and demigods attacking them, which had sounded like a bunch of bullshit to Dylan.

Now, however, he found himself contemplating whether…

Dylan looked at the kids, then towards another bunch that were near the lake, then towards a single boy running around near the woods.

The youngsters were too young and inexperienced to fight yet, so they didn't have to bother with too much training.

There were also so many by now that it was hard for Dylan to keep track.

Dylan started moving.

They would be perfect for carrying messages.

Nobody would notice one of the youngsters missing for a bit, but moreover, nobody would know if there was one that didn't belong to Camp.

What if Kyle was using kidsas messengers?

Dylan's heart started beating faster as he started walking faster, not quite knowing where he was going yet, but knowing his feet would carry him to the right place.

It would explain so much. If Kyle or his people had truly attacked that girl's family in order to get to her, chances were, he had tried to get other demigods, and who would want to recruit little kids for their army?

However, for spying, they would be so perfect it was laughable that Dylan hadn't immediately thought of it.

Now, for the spy…

Nobody would suspect somebody to be sketchy just because they hung out with kids every here and there.

Nobody would look twice if they saw someone talking to one of the youngsters.

It had to be a friendly, open person, easily approachable.

It had to be an older person, old enough to either be friends with Chase and McLean, or with somebody who was close to them, and their group of trusted tended to be rather tight.

(Dylan had to know, seeing as he wasn't in it.)

It had to be somebody who supported Kyle's motives – and Dylan didn't know these yet, but everything about Kyle seemed mysterious and dark, so his plans for their future certainly weren't ones Dylan was interested in, he could already tell that much.

Dylan felt so close to the answer, he could feel the tingling spreading from his gut to his entire body.

But then, he also found himself faltering.

What would he do once he knew? Tell Chase? She was out of commission. McLean? Then what would she do?

Nico hadn't taught anybody anything yet, Kyle could still possess people.

Once he knew his spy had been caught, he would undoubtedly try and dispose of the spy as quickly as possible to prevent them from finding out anything.

And worse, he could just send a new spy in, have one of his youngsters sneak in here and mingle with the others.

It would be so easy, too, because they barely had any way to keep track of campers anymore, and Dylan had seen how quickly these kids accepted new ones without question.

Most of the satyrs had gone missing as it was. Dylan wouldn't be surprised if Kyle's people held some of them hostage somewhere, just in case.

It would be so simple to let one of those go free and bring a kid to the Camp with a dramatic story of near-death and battles. They could even wound the satyr and threaten to kill the kid to prevent the satyr from talking, and if the satyr ended up dying from its wounds, even better.

Dylan stopped walking and moved a hand through his hair with a deep breath.

Okay, but something had to happen.

He had to find the spy.

If he didn't find the spy, then they would keep sending info to Kyle, and the Camp would be doomed.

How could he find the spy and stop this, all without exposing the spy?

Dylan thought through the various scenarios in his head, trying to find the one way that eluded him so far.

Then, he found himself thinking of Clovis, who was still in the infirmary, and who still hadn't regained consciousness.

Mitchell still visited him daily. Dylan knew, because he sometimes visited, too, and there were always fresh flowers on the bedside table – and, sometimes, Mitchell was still there, sleeping on the chair or sitting at the small table in the corner with a lost look on his face.

Nobody knew whether Clovis would recover.

Nobody but Dylan.

But sometimes, it was better to let people hope.

Dylan looked up at the sky again, noticing the clouds that were building just past the border, indicating another storm.

If anything, Clovis' fate showed him not to get too involved, because this wasn't a movie, and he wasn't the main character of the story.

If he got too involved, a fate much worse than Clovis' might befall him.

Dylan looked towards the cabins – mainly the Ares one.

However, if he didn't get involved…was he really willing to sit by idly and do nothing? Was he willing to risk Billy's and Fae's lives, just out of fear for his own welfare?

It was dangerous thinking, of course.

One always had to look out for themselves, else they would die without sense or reason, and that wouldn't do anybody any good.

Throwing one's life away was never good, after all.

Dylan looked down at his hands, contemplating his options once more.

Then, he made his decision.

If he couldn't expose the spy…

He could still find it.

He could follow it.

He could manipulate what the spy found out, and thus manipulate what Kyle knew.

And if he ended up getting too close to Kyle in the process…

Dylan looked up and started moving again, following his instincts.

Then he could still become the spy.

...

One step. Then another.

A broken nose to heal.

An arm to bandage.

Will tried not to think.

He was…calm, for the most part.

On the outside.

On the inside, he felt hollow. Empty. Like a shell. About to break.

In his mind, he was still outside, ankle-deep in the water, and Kyle was in front of him.

Will blinked and continued with his job.

A cracked rib. Will healed.

A sprained ankle. Will healed.

His boyfriend's worried face. Will healed.

"This is it, we're leaving, sunshine." Nico snapped at him, and Will guessed he shouldn't be surprised.

He let Nico tug him with him though, out of the room he was in, and past the others.

Will would let them do anything.

He saw his siblings' faces flashing by, all of them full of worry, all of them full of understanding.

What were they even worried about? What did they think they understood?

Percy and Jason were next to the door, apparently just waiting for them.

What were they even waiting for? Will was still out there, about to be snatched from their midst.

It was a dream.

This was nothing but a dream.

What was he doing, staying with the guys? He should run, run as far as he could, where they couldn't find him, where only Kyle could find him.

So they could be safe.

Will stared forward unseeingly, wondering faintly what he had been thinking these past weeks.

Months.

Maybe even years.

Escape Kyle? Fight him?

Laughable.

Will was nobody. Will was Kyle's.

Kyle would never let him go.

Will's gaze moved down, watching green blurs of grass.

He should be scared.

But he wasn't.

Once one accepted their fate, they didn't need to fear it anymore.

A hand squeezed his intently.

He didn't react.

Somebody said something.

He didn't hear it.

A door was pushed open, and Will was tugged inside.

He let it happen.

"Will, look at me." Nico said, and Will dragged his eyes up, though it was difficult to focus on the face in front of his.

"I'm fine." He said, because it was so much easier to lie, than to articulate what was going on inside him.

"Don't." Percy hissed, but Will didn't know what else to say.

"I still haven't gotten a chance to heal you." He said instead as Nico made him sit on the bed, but Percy immediately recoiled.

"Don't. I'm not injured." He insisted through clenched teeth, too far away for Will to reach.

Will gazed at him, but his eyes kept drifting, rather settling on Percy's cheek than his eyes, and rather on the faraway wall than Percy's face.

He dimly knew Percy was struggling, that he needed reassurance and love.

But Will couldn't give it. He couldn't give anything.

"What happened?" Jason asked, and the way he said it showed he must have asked this question a lot in the past hours.

"Kyle." Nico spat, and Will didn't even flinch, merely letting his shoulders fall as resignation filled him.

Kyle.

He was everywhere.

Always. At all times.

Will would never be able to escape him.

Nico's hands grabbed his shoulders, and Will tried to look up at him with more than the emptiness he felt inside.

"Will, snap out of it. He won't get you. We won't let him."

Will couldn't help it.

He smiled.

"But don't you see? He'll find a way, Nico. He always gets what he wants."

Nico looked like he had been slapped.

Will half expected to be slapped, too.

"What. Happened." Jason asked again, and now, his voice was low and threatening, but Will wasn't scared.

He couldn't find it in him to be scared.

His worst fear was already coming true, there was nothing else anymore.

"He won't get you. Will, you saw us fight. We can fight him again! And next time, we'll be prepared. We'll be stronger." Nico insisted, but Will only closed his eyes and shook his head with a small smile.

He had seen them. The way they had suffered, the way he had hurt them.

There wouldn't be a next time.

Will couldn't let it happen.

"I'm sorry." Percy said, so quietly it was barely even audible, but the Hades cabin was always a little quieter than quiet by itself, so they heard.

"You did great, Percy. You stood your ground, you fought back, and you were amazing." Nico instantly insisted, and Will knew he should nod, knew he should agree.

He didn't.

Instead, he put his face in his hands and kept his eyes shut, trying to ban the images from his mind.

"Can somebody please tell me what happened?!" Jason repeated, but Nico didn't do it, Percy couldn't do it, and Will was beginning to rock back and forth a little, finding the motion rather soothing.

Hands snatched his shoulders again to keep him still, but Will didn't bother looking up.

"Will! Look at me!" Nico repeated his earlier demand, and there was something near frantic in his voice that should have made Will react.

However, he didn't.

"Will, please…"

Please was a horrible word. A weak word.

Will would never get away with saying please, again.

Then again, had he ever?

"You can't just give up like that. Come on, where's your willpower? You said you trusted us, you said you believed in us. Where is that now?" Nico asked, and he sounded hurt, yet hopeful.

Will, however, was still out there, and he would never come back.

"You said you would fight him, Will. That you wouldn't let him control you anymore. Why are you trying to make it easier for him now? You should be plotting against him, Will. You should look me in the eye and tell me you're stronger than this, because I know that you are. I know it, Will. I know you. You've gone through so much, and he is nothing. He's nothing, Will. You hear me?"

He heard him.

But Will had seen the way Nico had struggled, and he knew how weakened he was, and he knew how much stronger Kyle had been.

It was pointless.

He had signed their death sentence.

"Will, don't do this to me. To us. Come on, look at me! Look at yourself! Is this what you want? Do you want to be back there? Do you want him to get what he wants?"

It had stopped being about what Will wanted a long time ago.

Had he ever wanted anything? He couldn't remember.

"Well, I don't want it, Will. Do you hear me? I don't want that. And neither do Percy or Jason. We need you here, with us. You hear that? We. Need. You."

Nico could talk so beautifully. The way he punctuated his words, the way his voice turned higher when he was scared.

He was scared.

Of course he was. He hadn't accepted his fate, yet.

"What did he do?!" Jason asked, still not giving up.

It didn't matter.

He would give up eventually.

Hands pried his away, followed by his face being pushed upwards, but he didn't flinch, merely trying to focus on Nico's face.

He was sidetracked by the light on their ceiling, such a bright contrast to the rest of the world.

"Will, don't do this! Snap out of it! Smile, laugh, cry, but, for the love of all the gods in the world, stop looking like that."

He was so scared.

Didn't he understand?

They were already dead.

"Do you want me to heal you?" He asked, because it was all he could think of, and all he could do.

Nico shoved him away.

"No! I want my boyfriend back! My sassy, loud and obnoxious boyfriend, who smiles brighter than the sun and carries his heart on his sleeve!"

Now he was crying.

Will had made him cry.

Will lowered his head, but there was nothing he could do to help him anymore.

"Can we just talk, just for one moment?!" Jason asked, and his voice was strained.

This time, Nico did him the favor and reacted.

"What do you want to know, Grace?! While you were forced to fight off monsters, some asshole injured Calypso and the border broke. Kyle got in, immediately went after Will, I failed to contain him, Annabeth nearly got cut in two, Will got pursued, I ran after them, found them in our clearing with Percy fighting him off, joined the fight, he threatened us with hurting you, you and your sister pulled the lightning-stunt the same moment Calypso regained some energy, the border got put intact again, and he was forced out. Happy now? Is this what you wanted to hear?!" Nico yelled at him, and Will should be the one calming him, calming them, telling them everything was going to be okay, that there was no need to yell.

Instead, Will started rocking back and forth again.

"Will is going crazy, and Percy looks like he wants to commit suicide any moment now. I really have other things to worry about that keeping you updated, for fuck's sake!"

He was going crazy, Nico said.

But didn't he know that Will had been crazy all along?

He had seriously believed they could do this.

That they could win the war.

That he could find a way to protect his guys.

"I'm sorry." Percy whispered again, and he could feel what Will couldn't, because he was crying, and Will wasn't.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Percy!" Nico exclaimed in frantic agitation.

"It's already over, anyways." Will said quietly, and suddenly, there was silence again.

"Do you really believe that?"

Nico's voice was quiet, almost a whisper just like Percy's, a breath in the wind.

Will dragged his gaze back up to him.

"Don't you?"

Nico's bottom lip quivered, though he was shaking his head, looking at Will as if he was a farce, a fake.

"Do you really have so little faith in us?" He asked, and his voice was so fragile, it would have torn Will to shreds at any other point of his life.

"I'm sorry." Will said blankly. It was all that came to mind, though he wasn't sure whether he meant it.

Nico stared at him with a pain in his gaze that would undoubtedly haunt Will for the rest of his days.

"Then go."

"Nico, no!" Jason snarled, but Nico held up his hand, his eyes on Will as if he saw him for the first time.

Will met his gaze with an empty one of his own.

"Then go. Make it easy for him, Will. Be his again. Let him mistreat you, let him abuse you, let him rape you the way he promised he would. Go." Nico said, and his voice was cold and calm, but Will could see the tears streaming down his cheeks and the way his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed repeatedly.

Will closed his eyes for a moment.

Then, he got up.

Percy let out a sound Will would never be able to put into words, heart-wrenching and cruel.

Jason drew a sharp breath.

Nico only gave Will a cold stare, even as he swallowed thickly.

Didn't they see?

Will was already dead.

One step. Then another.

"Will…" Percy breathed, pleaded, prayed.

"If you truly want to go, we're not stopping you. If you truly think you're better off with him, then do it. Abandon us. Leave us so you can heroically throw your life away for nothing." Nico said coldly, and Will stared blankly past him at the door, seeming so far away, and he felt so heavy.

Another step.

"He's being delirious. You can't seriously do this, Nico." Jason tried to negotiate, but Nico shook his head.

"Are you going to force him to stay, Jason? You and I both know he's going to leave the moment we let our guard down. You and I both know he's going to run away. What will you do, tie him to the bed?"

"If it's what keeps him safe, then so be it." Jason growled, and Nico growled right back.

"He won't understand. In his mind, he's already back with Kyle. He's a puppet, Jason. If he doesn't snap out of it by himself, he's going to do everything he can to get back to his master."

Another step.

"So, what, you're just going to let him go back?! Are you out of your mind?! In what world does it seem like a good idea to let him get himself tortured and killed?"

"Like this, he's already dead!" Nico yelled back, and Will passed him.

Then, he left him behind.

He left them all behind.

Will lowered his head, though he tried not to think.

Was he even capable of thinking?

"I'm not letting you do this, Nico!" Jason snarled, and Will could faintly hear the sounds of a struggle behind him, though he didn't turn to check.

Instead, he stumbled onwards, towards the door that seemed so impossibly far away, while his body screamed at him in agony.

"Enough." Percy whispered into the sound of snarls and thuds and crashes.

Will took another step.

"You're not doing this!" Jason yelled.

"Watch me!" Nico yelled back.

"Enough." Percy whispered, a little louder.

Another step.

It was so far away.

Why was the door so far away?

This was supposed to be easy.

The easy way out. The only way out.

He had to do this, if he wanted to keep them alive.

Will struggled, his body working against him at every move.

Gods, did he want to keep them alive.

It was all he wanted.

It was all he had ever wanted.

He had to do this. It was all he could do.

Behind him, there was a loud crash, two bodies slamming into a wall, then the ground.

"Enough!" Percy yelled, and suddenly, the world came to a halt in one long, blissful second.

Then, the light exploded, followed by the water fountain in the corner, followed by the sound of ceramic bursting in the bathroom, followed by somebody screaming outside, followed by the roar of the lake and the sea.

Followed by Will turning his head, just to find Percy standing in front of the bed, his hands balled to fists at his sides, his eyes obscured by his bangs.

Jason and Nico were on the ground, staring at Percy with wide eyes, though they didn't say a word.

Then, Percy moved forward, towards Will, and Will averted his gaze to the ground, eyes closing as he readied himself for the blow.

It didn't come.

Instead, a hand took his, fingers threading together with his own.

"Where you go, I go. I promised not to leave you unless it's to let you go. I can't let you go." Percy said, and Will knew he meant it.

'Promise me you won't leave me unless it's to let me go.'

He had asked Percy to promise that, all that time ago, after he had first had that vision of his fall.

He had been a fool.

He should have taken that fate the moment it had offered itself to him so kindly.

Will turned to look at the door, but found he couldn't move.

Not when Percy was there.

He couldn't take Percy with him.

He was doing this for him, too.

He was doing this for them.

It would hurt now, but one day, they would understand.

His throat started burning.

"Then we might as well all be dead." Nico said blankly, and Will gazed back at the ground once more.

"Is that what you want, Will? Will it make you happy?" Nico asked, but Will didn't respond.

Happy?

What was his happiness, compared to their lives?

What was his life, compared to their welfare?

He would gladly throw all of himself away for them, until there was nothing left of him.

And he would do it over and over again, if only to save them.

It was all he had. It was all he could do.

Will took another step, trying to let go of Percy's hand, but he held his in an iron grip.

Something wet ran down his cheek.

"Do you really love us so little?" Nico asked, and Will stopped, blinking, once, at the absurdity of the question.

"So little?" He asked, and there was an air of incredulity in his voice as he turned his head, another tear joining the first.

"I love you." Will continued, and he knew he was beginning to shake, but his body was just so tired.

"I love you more than anything in the world, Nico. I love you so much that it physically hurts me, at times. I love you so much, I don't even know whether I've ever loved anything else quite like I love you. I love you so much, I don't even know how it felt like when I hated myself. I love you so much, I would rip myself apart if only to keep you safe. I would go to hell for you. I will go to hell for you. I will do whatever it takes if only it keeps you alive. I will protect you with every fiber of my being, no matter what he says or does. No matter what awaits me, I will face it, if only to keep you out of it, if only to keep you safe and alive, even if it's not with me."

But Nico was only shaking his head.

"Do you still not get it, Will? We don't want that. We don't need to be safe, we just need you. We don't need negotiations and the empty promises of a monster, we need you. We're not fine, we're far from flawless, but we very well love each other, and you can't tell me that you didn't enjoy every moment of our time together these past months, Will. We had good moments, we had bad ones, you saw us laugh and cry and make fools of ourselves and break down. We saw all of each other, and we accepted that, and we became one whole. When are you going to realize you are part of that whole? When will you realize we love you just as much as you love us? When will you realize we need you just as much as you need us?"

The room didn't have enough oxygen.

Will felt his lungs struggling for air as his body seemed to abandon him entirely, but he had to keep going.

He had to do it.

It was the only way.

Why did nobody understand?

"But then who will go, Nico? Who will give him what he wants?" Will asked faintly, but Nico only kept shaking his head, his shoulders slumping.

"Nobody, Will."

Will didn't understand.

"He always gets what he wants. He will slaughter you, Nico. He will take everything from you. Everything." He tried to get him to understand, but Nico kept shaking his head.

Why was he doing that?

"If you leave, he already has everything, Will." Nico said softly, and Will looked from him to Percy, then to Jason, but they only looked at him with the same sad looks that were on Nico's face.

Will looked down at the ground.

"I can't let you die." He whispered, but then Nico was in front of him, one incredibly gentle hand touching his cheek as if he was a jewel, not a broken chain.

"Then stay with us and fight, sole mio. That's what I told you to do last time, and it's still what's necessary now."

But Kyle was too strong.

They would never make it.

"We would die." He whispered, and Nico moved his chin upwards so he could meet his gaze, though Will's vision was too blurry.

"Then we will die. But we will do so standing tall and standing together, with you in our midst, Will. No sacrifices. No giving up. Just fighting until we can't fight anymore."

But now, it was Will shaking his head.

His shoulders shook, too.

As a matter of fact, he was pretty sure his entire body shook.

"But I can't fight, Nico." He whispered helplessly, and Nico stroked over his cheek again, so crazily gently, it made something inside Will strain and crack, and his tears only intensified as the helplessness increased.

"What do you think you've been doing all along, sole mio? You're a fighter, just like us. You've been with us all this time, do you really want to abandon us now?"

Will bit his lip, though it took another moment of struggling for him to shake his head the faintest way possible.

"I want to keep you safe."

They were standing so close, even Jason, but Will couldn't feel them, stuck in his own vortex of feeling and not-feeling.

"Then keep us safe, by staying here. With us." Nico insisted, and Will kept staring at the ground, sniffling to himself.

They would die.

He was signing their death sentence.

They were as good as dead.

Was this truly what he was going to do, just for the sake of a few more days or weeks by their side?

"I can't…" He whispered with a soft shake of his head, because he couldn't do this.

He couldn't do nothing.

He couldn't wait around.

He had waited around now, and Kyle had gotten him, and it was already over.

"Do you want to go, Will?" Nico asked again, but it was such a foolish question, why did he keep asking it?

"I would die for you." He replied weakly, but Nico again decided to shake his head.

"I would rather you lived for us, sunshine."

Why would Nico ask this of him?

Didn't he see what Will being alive did to everybody else? To them?

Will wanted to scream.

Will started wailing, instead.

Nico flinched back in surprise, but Jason moved, instead.

One moment, he was behind Percy and Nico, watching Will with that indecipherable look on his face.

The next moment, he was behind Will, wrapping his big arms around him in a bone-crushing hug that kept him in place, that kept him grounded, that did all the things he didn't want it to do.

He didn't want to be calm, he didn't want to stand still – he wanted to scream and yell and thrash around, anything to get rid of Nico's words inside his head, of Kyle under his skin, of the pain bubbling just beneath the surface, beneath the apathy he was hiding in.

Will did start thrashing, wailing and howling, screaming bloody murder as he tried to get away, away from Jason, away from them, away from the crushing grip on him that hurt but felt so good, away from everything that was making him feel.

"Let go! Let go, let me go, let me! No!" He screamed, cried, scratching at Jason's arms and throwing his head back against Jason's chest, but Jason held him, one leg moving between Will's as Will started trying to kick around, and the next moment, he could have sworn he wasn't touching the ground at all, anymore, but Jason kept holding him, anyways, not wavering, not faltering, and not letting go.

He couldn't do this.

He couldn't.

It was too much.

Will felt every bone in his body ache and burn and scream along with his screams, his voice cracking and his face burning everywhere his tears touched.

And then, it was like tipping over a glass of water, and Jason uttered a surprised sound when he was pulled along as Will curled forward in agony, everything coming crashing down on top of him.

Kyle. His boyfriends. The fights.

He had left Nico behind.

The fear. The dread. The not-knowing.

He had left Annabeth behind.

The doubts. The pain. The static in his mind.

He had failed them.

Slurs filled his mind, abuse he had long forgotten, punishments he had blocked out.

He was going crazy.

To add salt to injury, his mind chose that moment to split, to let him see the ground at his feet at the same time he saw the battle before him, a battle already fought, a battle not yet had.

He saw Kyle's sneer, he saw Percy's hollow gaze, he saw Nico slashing at Kyle, he saw Percy in the eye of the storm.

He saw Jason being scared, he saw Jason on the ground bleeding and broken, he saw blood pouring from Annabeth's chest, he saw a storm building of the likes he had never seen before.

He saw anger, he saw hatred, he saw Nico fighting, he saw Nico screaming.

He saw Percy…

Will slumped in Jason's arms, his breathing fast and loud and painful, his entire body trembling so hard it only added to his pain.

No.

It couldn't be. That couldn't happen.

He couldn't let it happen.

He had changed their fate once, he had to be able to do it again…

Will wasn't sure whether he was screaming anymore. He couldn't seem to hear anything.

His eyes were wide open, but the moment the visions stopped, he couldn't see.

Jason held him, keeping him tightly pressed against him for centuries longer before he lowered them to the ground carefully.

Will stared at the ground, not sure he even blinked.

"Will?" The voice was Nico's, and it was quiet, tentative, fearful.

Will could hear the sounds of a storm outside, rattling their windows and shaking their roof.

"I'm sorry." Will choked out, and a hand moved to his shoulder, making him flinch.

What had he done?!

"It's going to be okay." Nico told him quietly, his hand lingering on his shoulder for a moment, before he crouched down in front of him and carefully moved it to his face.

Nothing was going to be okay. Not anymore.

Nico's hand was cool and smooth, a striking contrast to Will's burning cheeks, and he felt as if he had been slapped, though it felt so good at the same time.

This was his doing.

Jason curled himself around him from behind, and there was something wet dripping into his neck where Jason's face was, but he kept holding him, and he didn't speak.

Images zigzagged through Will's mind, and he found himself lifting his head, looking up, up, up.

Until he was looking at Percy, the way he just stood there, arms loosely at his side, his posture drained, and his face…

Will choked out another weak, brittle sob that tore at his throat.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, because it was all that was left.

He was looking at Percy, and Percy was looking back.

Somehow, it felt as if he knew.

...

It was a fitful night, full of tossing, turning, crying and screaming.

Nico had never been in so much pain as when he was watching Will fall apart between them.

He tried his hardest to calm him, to somehow get him back to his old self, but Will's eyes remained wide and haunted whenever he had them open, and his body kept shaking.

The storm outside was restless, a testament to Jason's agony he tried not to let them see.

Jason was the one holding them.

He was holding them, he was crushing them, he was doing the grounding Nico couldn't do.

It was Percy who started talking, sometime past midnight, words whispered into the rare moment of silence.

"Blueberries. Jason's morning kisses. Bone-crushing hugs."

Nico felt Will and Jason shift a little.

"Nico's blush. Hot Chocolate. Will glowing from happiness."

Nico closed his eyes, listening.

"My mom's candy, Nico trying to look scary, Jason's looks of utmost affection." Percy continued, then his voice broke and he curled together with a small sob.

Nico opened his eyes again, sad and lost.

"Five minutes more in the mornings, comfort sweaters, breakfast together." He whispered, and Percy stilled behind him, before he held him a little tighter than before, nose buried at his spine.

"Smiling into kisses, Percy's gleaming eyes when he's happy, Will's diet plans." Jason continued for him, and when Nico tried to get a glimpse of his face, his expression was softer than before, less grim, less serious.

A beat of silence as they waited for Will.

Another beat of silence when he didn't speak.

Nico lowered his gaze again, staring back at the pillow they were laying on.

"Ice-skating at night, pillow corners, showering together." Will whispered barely audibly, and Nico's hands twitched, while Percy started nearly crushing his hip with his hand, the other clutching the back of Nico's shirt.

Percy spoke again, and they began trading thoughts, trading memories, pointing out all the positive things life had given them, even as the storm around them raged on and the darkness seemed eternal.

"I know who his godly parent is." Percy whispered, hours later, when they had finally fallen silent.

Nico turned onto his back to look back at Percy better.

"Who?"

Will shifted and let out a low whine, curling into Jason's embrace as the blonde kept him safe.

"We met her before, Nico. That's why he seemed so familiar to me. It's the same aura." Percy said, and Nico frowned.

What was Percy talking about?

Who had they met? When?

Eris? She had said Kyle wasn't her son, though. It wasn't the right aura, either.

A memory started resurfacing in his mind, a face long forgotten, words long rejected and discarded.

Nico sat up sharply.

No.

"That's impossible." He said, giving Percy a hard stare as he felt his mind reeling.

It couldn't be true.

It couldn't be! She…she wasn't just a goddess, she was…she was…

"Who is it?" Jason asked, even as Will whined and told them not to say it, not out loud.

Nico looked at Percy, pleading mutely, but in his heart, he already knew the truth.

Percy's expression made him close his eyes, before he turned his head towards Jason.

They both did. They both spoke.

"Akhlys."