I've finished transferring the last of my notes for this particular installment of "Legacy of Camp Half-Blood", which means that with only a few more chapters (unless I come up with some extra material, or get a sudden burst of inspiration or request for something special) this first story will come to an end. Maybe 3 or 4 more chapters, and that's it (then I can work on some of my other stories while coming up with the plot for the next installment). Therefore, if anyone wants to weigh in on that, feel free.

On another note...it looks like I'm getting some good reactions to the little reveal last chapter, and I will continue on with that little surprise next chapter. For this one, though, I'll be nice and let them go home.

And...throw in a little extra twist at the end.

Nico's P.O.V.

It feels like every minute stretches on for an hour. Annabeth has returned from Chicago, her current project on hold for a few days so that she can make sure that her daughter is alright. Not that the mortals know that. They only know that there is a family emergency that requires her attention. She could hardly tell them that her daughter was kidnapped by a manticore and dragged down into the Underworld. Taking shifts with Percy, she's currently sleeping off her anxiety in the Poseidon Cabin.

Percy, on the other hand, has been fidgeting constantly since I told him that Ciara was alive, safe, and the boys were on their way back.I'd be surprised if he lets Ciara out of their cabin for the rest of the summer. Not that I won't try to make him decide otherwise. It's just not healthy to keep a twelve year old girl cooped up in a cabin for a month, overprotective father or not.

Finally, his fidgeting has frayed my nerves enough that I need to put my foot down. Or rather, my hand. "Percy, she's going to be fine." I hold his hand down on the table, looking across as him with the calmest expression I can muster. "Jules-Albert is driving them here right now. And you know what traffic is like in Manhattan at this time of the day, and it's been almost eight hours. They'll be here soon." If there were no traffic, it might be a six hour drive, but with our luck, they probably got caught in rush hour.

Five minutes later, Caiden races into the pavillion, unsteady from just landing, even though he should be on border patrol near the camp gates right now. "They're back!"

It feels like time freezes for a second, then, Percy is on his feet and bolts, heading straight for Thalia's Pine. Caiden looks pretty worn out, so I pat him on the shoulder. "Alright, you go and sit down for a bit. We'll take care of this now."

He nods tiredly, collapsing to the floor in a heap of limbs and armor. "I think a nap would be nice..."

I chuckle lightly, disappearing into the shadows right in front of his eyes. I think we could all do with some sleep right about now. I re-materialize in the shadow of the great pine tree, right next to Peleus, our guard dragon. And despite the distance between the pavilion and the tree, Percy joins me less than a minute later.

The seconds tick by painfully slowly, like single drops of water falling. Until the shadows in front of us start warping, moving of their own accords. And out of them tumble four kids, falling together in a heap. A series of pained groans come from somewhere near the bottom that sound distinctly like that little Zeus kid that likes to give my brother such a hard time.

Percy's eyes widen, and he makes a beeline for the pile, picking up the tiny form right on the very top of the pile. Looks like whether they meant to or not, those boys managed to protect her from a bad landing... I smile and shake my head as I approach the pile, carefully dragging off the second unconscious kid. Jeez...looks like you pushed yourself too hard this time, Kai. My little brother must have dragged them through the shadows to get from the bottom of the hill, which would explain how he knocked himself out.

Luckily, Sam and Will are still conscious, and with Ciara and Kai extracted from the pile, the two of them can push themselves to their feet. Sam is the first one up, bouncing up like he wasn't just the bottom of a doggy pile. "We made it!"

"Yes, you did." Percy's face is almost glowing with happiness as he turns to the two boys. "Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me that you've brought her back." And surprisingly, he manages not to cry. I actually expected him to, considering how emotional I know he can get. But the tender smile he has as he looks at his daughter's face expresses his feelings more than enough.

But, that just leaves one thing to do. I smile wryly at Percy. "Let's get these two to the infirmary."

Percy's gentle smile turns into a full-blown smirk. "Why? So you can ogle your man-candy in his scrubs?"

I roll my eyes sarcastically. "You sure you're not the one fantasizing?

He shrugs. "Will's not my type. Though I still don't get why I'm not yours!"

I resist the urge to smack my head against a tree. "...Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

Will (Solace)'s P.O.V.

It's been a quiet night in the infirmary. In fact it's been a rather quiet week. Though, I think I'd rather have been busy, instead of having lots of time to think about the psychological chaos going on instead of the regular physical violence that we usually see. Because I'm about one more nervous breakdown from ordering Percy, Nico, and all of Ciara's little friends off their patrols and various shifts and into bed for some much-needed rest.

"Will!" Nico's voice, much lighter than it has been for the past week, flies through the air of the infirmary. "We've got them!"

Disbelief shoots through me as I turn around to see Nico carrying his little brother, and Percy with his daughter in his arms. "You've...got them..."

Nico nods as he lays his little brother down on one of the beds. "These two were unconscious when they arrived, we sent the other two back to their cabins to get some sleep."

"I see." I reach for my stethoscope and a pen-light. After checking his heartbeat, which is a bit slower than I'd like it to be, I shine the light into Kai's eyes, as well as his mouth, nose, and ears. Because for some reason, we demigods like to bleed from anywhere and everywhere. "Well, it looks like he's just pushed his powers too far, but..." I don't like the aura I'm feeling around him. "He feels...weak for some reason. Physically, he's exhausted. But it feels more like his spirit is drained."

Nico's eyes narrow at his little brother. "I see..." And judging by the way he's looking at the boy, I think that he actually does. Then, his eyes flick to the next bed, where Percy is sitting next to Ciara. "I think...that when they found her, she was probably almost dead."

Percy's eyes flick up and grow cold and concerned. "Then why does it seem like she's just asleep?"

"Probably because she is." Nico's eyes travel between the two kids. "I think that my reckless little brother literally gave her his life, using his aura to restore hers."

That is not quite what I was expecting. I turn to Ciara's bed, repeating the same measures with her. "Well, she seems to be doing better than him...and I can definitely feel the influence of his power in her." Her aura feels a bit cooler, and a bit wispier than it usually does, rather than the strong, flexible aura I've felt from her before. "But there doesn't seem to be anything particularly wrong with them. So I'm prescribing a few days of bed rest, as well as servings of nectar and ambrosia with every meal." I write down the instructions on two pieces of paper. "Don't feed them too much at first, and let them build up their appetites. Apart from that, I'd suggest that they recuperate in their own cabins, since there's nothing better for recovery than a good night's sleep in your own bed. And absolutely no using their abilities for at least a week and a half." I hand a paper to Percy, and one to Nico. "Doctor's orders."

Nico smirks at the phrase, tucking the paper into his pocket and picking his little brother back up. "Well then, who am I to defy the doctor?" His quiet laughter echoes through the room as he disappears into the shadows, no doubt returning to his cabin to put his brother to bed.

Percy carefully slides his daughter into his arms, treating her almost like a fragile glass sculpture. "You know, this is why I never wanted her involved in our world..."

Memories of old conversations come to mind, popping up from time to time throughout her childhood. "I know, but she's your daughter. If she's going to be a part of this world, then all we can do is train her, teach her, and hope that she learns fast enough to be properly prepared for everything that's out there." I shoot him a reassuring smile. "We were caught off guard this time, but we won't be next time. Because next time, she'll be carrying a trophy back into camp, not being carried back as part of a rescue mission."

Nico's P.O.V.

After giving myself enough time to make sure that Kai is tucked into bed, and a quick visit to my father to ask for some answers, it's time for me to drop by the infirmary for a personal visit. Will's had more than enough time to sleep, and knowing him, he's probably been at the infirmary since the sun started to rise. Plus, after a whole night of worrying about the state of my goddaughter and my little brother, I need someone to talk to. And that's code for some snuggle time.

I creep quietly into the infirmary, making a very nice use of Shadow Travel. And as Will sits at the desk, checking over some papers, I sneak up on him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and earning a small jump from him. "Nico?"

"Yep." I nuzzle my face into his soft golden curls. "So, the kids are out of the danger zone..."

"Yeah…" Will sighs. "Although I'm thinking of proposing a list to Chiron. A list of powers and abilities that campers aren't allowed to use. For their safety, of course. It's been long overdue...we should have put it together years ago."

"Oh?" It sounds like an intriguing idea. But I can't help but be suspicious of his motives. "And exactly what brought this on? I thought that you weren't mad about that whole Shadow Travel thing anymore."

"I'm not. It's your brother I'm worried about." Will sits up straight, brushing my arms off and turning to face me. "I realize that without that power of his, that ability to restore someone's life aura with his own, Ciara would probably have been dead before they could even get her out of the Underworld. But it's not a power that he can use all the time. It nearly killed him!" Even though he's started to recover already, his energy was alarmingly low, so it's not a power he can use very often, that's fairly obvious. "And somehow, I get the feeling that this isn't the kind of power that will get easier to use over time."

Though the general idea is not what I was hoping to hear, I have to agree. "Leo's fire ability is rare enough, but Kai's happens maybe once every four centuries. And…apparently it's been fatal before." After paying my father a visit to ask about it, it started haunting me a little. "So…if that's your reason for wanting to make the list, then that's fine by me. Just don't put Shadow Travel on it. I've already explained to Kai what happens if that power gets pushed too far. And I doubt that he's going to be hauling forty foot statues across the Atlantic Ocean any time soon, since he can barely keep an accurate path over five kilometers, so I don't think that it'll be an issue."

Will sighs. "Fine. But that life transfer power of his is going to be the first on that list. It's all well and good if he manages to save someone with it, but he put his own life at risk in the process. No matter how noble it is, it was stupid and reckless. And he is never to use that power again unless his beloved is on their deathbed." Well, I've never accused Will of not being a romantic at heart. He's just given Kai the most romantic of outs.

"His beloved, huh?" I can easily imagine resorting to that kind of power if anything were to happen to Will. Though he would definitely yell at me for it later. "About that…" There's something I still haven't told anyone, but I've done enough people watching to guess at what's going on. "There's probably something that you should know."

"Nico?" Will tilts his head, looking so adorably like a puppy, a golden retriever puppy. "What's up?"

This is not something that's going to be comfortable to explain, not even to Will. "I'm not entirely sure if they know it yet, but from what I can tell, Kai already has a crush on Ciara."

Will's eyes widen a little. "Already? But they've known each other for barely a month!"

I try not to laugh at the point he's trying to make. "To be fair, it didn't take me long to have a crush on you. I'm pretty sure that I was nursing one by the time my three days in the infirmary were up."

"Nico!" Will blushes brightly, his usual reaction to when I bring up the time when we were a couple of awkward teenagers working their way around a brand new gay romance. And that's with the complication of one of us being from one of the most homophobic time periods in history. Then he sighs, his face still flushed. "Okay fine, I get it. I guess it could happen. But what's the problem then?"

Getting to the problem is not going to be comfortable. "Well, the problem is that I don't think that he's the only one with a crush on her." At least, if my analysis of the kids' actions are anything to go by. And I would hope that my vast amount people-watching over the years has yielded some skill in interpretation. Because I may not be a psychologist, but I'm pretty sure I know what jealousy looks like.

That elicits a frown from Will. "Might I point out that Sam and Eran have been flirting almost non-stop since the legacies arrived?"

"It's not Sam or Eran." In fact, it's probably the last person that Will would ever expect it to be. "It's a certain son of Zeus that my brother already hates with a passion."

Will's eyes bug out, shock flitting across his face. "You…can't be serious. Both of them!?"

"Looks like it…" Not even a teenager yet, and already, my sweet little goddaughter is charming the boys like pegasi going after carrots, oats, and candied apples. And she's not even doing it on purpose. That's the most dangerous part.

Suddenly, Will's mouth curls into a smirk. "Hey, I just thought of something."

"Don't hurt yourself." I try to keep my voice as dry as possible, but I think my silent laugh bleeds into it.

Will looks like he's resisting the urge to smack me upside the head, something that I've given him many reasons to have experience with. "I was just thinking that if both of them have crushes on her, that it would be really funny if it turned out that she prefers girls."

I freeze. It's honestly a possibility that I'd never considered. My goddaughter might not have any interest in boys, though it's still a bit too early to tell either way. "That…would definitely complicate things…" Forget complicated, that would ruin any chances that either of them have. Though it might definitely win her some points with the Aphrodite Cabin. They love their complicated love stories. And she's definitely cute enough to have gotten the attention of a few of the girls there. Well, the ones that haven't sent their boyfriends after her.

"Anyway, it was just a thought, no need to read too much into it." Will brushes it right back off like it doesn't even matter. "After all, she's only twelve. It's not like she has to make a decision about any of this right now. Give it a few years, it might turn out that she's like Eran. And if that's the case, then everyone has a shot with her. Well, not everyone, but it will certainly open up her options."

Somehow, the idea of her being open to a relationship with anyone doesn't make me feel any better. So, I make a snap decision. "I'm going to make sure that she doesn't get a boyfriend or girlfriend until she's at least fifteen. There's a lot more for her to learn before she can really make important decisions like that."

Will snickers a little. "You seem more concerned for her than for your little brother. I just hope that he's not like you."

"Like me?" That snaps me back to reality. "Oh…crap." I slap my forehead in frustration. "If ever there was a time where I hoped that he's nothing like our father, it's now."

"Is that because you still don't want to admit that when the children of Hades fall in love, they fall hard?" Will's wry smile just makes his assumption all the worse, because he isn't wrong. Like my father, I've got quite an emotional swing, no matter how much I try to pretend that I don't. And ever since Ciara showed up, Kai has been showing signs of the same thing.

Oh boy...I wonder how long he's going to take to fess up...he can be even more stubborn than me. And what if he finds out that he's got competition...?

For demigods, even notions of love get dangerous and complicated, and that's before the almighty goddess of love gets involved. And the sadistic lady definitely has a thing for forbidden romance and love triangles, so she'll treat this like a damn reality show. "Di immortales...we are so screwed..."