Connor could hear voices, but they sounded distorted, like he was hearing them from far away and through water.
It felt like an eternity in the confused darkness of unconsciousness before he slowly -very slowly- opened his eyes.
He was lying in a bed in one of the private rooms in the Big House, Connor realized. But...how did he get there?
"Hello?" he croaked, his throat dry and sore. He coughed and cleared his throat, a terrible ache reverberating throughout his body.
He heard the voices go silent as he started making noise. The first face he saw peek around the corner was a grinning Travis Stoll, his big brother.
He walked over to the bed and crossed his arms, proudly smirking down at his little brother.
The first words he spoke to his brother after he awoke from death were, "You son of a bitch."
They both stayed silent for a moment, wearing serious faces, before wide grins took their places and they burst out laughing, Connor grimacing. It hurt his chest to laugh.
Travis leaned down and threw his arms around his brothers, patting him on the back. Connor groaned and hugged him back with one arm.
"You really shouldn't talk about mom like that," Connor joked as they let go.
Travis couldn't wipe the grin off his face, even if he wanted to, as he shook his head in disbelief and looked at his brother.
"You may have just pulled the greatest trick of your life, little brother," Travis said, pulling up a seat next to the bed where his brother lied.
"And what's that?" Connor asked jovially.
Travis' smile shrunk as he saw his brother's unknowing one and he furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
"Travis?" he asked, his smile fading as the mood was no longer full of banter and joking.
"You were..." his brother began to answer. He stopped and cleared his throat, looking away. "You were dead, Connor. Like, dead. The only reason you're here is because Nico brought you back. The Ghost Prince brought you back from the dead."
Connor blinked and swallowed with his very dry throat, looking down at his hands.
"Is there anything to drink around here?" he asked simply. Travis lightly smiled at him and left the room to retrieve a drink, leaving Connor to let the news sink in.
Images flashed in Connor's mind suddenly, causing him to clench his teeth and tightly close his eyes. He brought his hands up to his head and let out a loan moan of pain.
He saw blackness, so much blackness, and cruel eyes filled with absolute hatred. They sneered at him like he was a new toy they couldn't wait to break. There was fire and coldness at the same time. It was all so awful.
Just a quick as they came, the visions were gone. Connor opened his eyes and steadied himself on the bedside table as he returned from that place, his breathing staggered from the nightmare.
"I hoped you wouldn't remember so much," a voice said from the door. Connor looked up and met the dark eyes of Nico di Angelo.
"What do you mean?" Connor asked cautiously, slowly pushing himself up in bed. Nico slowly entered the room and stood at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest.
"What do you remember?" Nico said, replying to his question with a question of his own. Connor concentrated, going back into his memory.
"The quest," he answered. "We found Nemesis, and Dolos...he stabbed Travis and then...there was just darkness."
Nico sighed at Connor, his jaw set.
"Yeah," he said, "well, that darkness was Tartarus. You accidentally got stuck there with Dolos. It's an evil place that none of us should ever see. All there is is evil and all of the monsters ever to exist. If you had been there long enough, any longer than you were, you would've gone mad and you would have been reduced to nothing." Connor nodded, pouting his bottom lip.
"I suppose I have you to thank for my life then," he said to Nico. "So, thanks. Seriously."
The two teenage boys nodded at each other and stayed in silence for a moment. Travis entered the room with a glass of water and walked around Nico, sitting in his seat next to the bed again as he handed the glass to Connor. He took a sip of the cool, refreshing drink and it was soon gone in a moment after that as he downed it, bottoms up. He set the glass down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Good to be back," he said quietly. He looked back up at Nico and opened his mouth to speak before closing it again, furrowing his brow.
"How'd you do it?" he asked the son of Hades.
"Something I get from my dad is that I know when people die," he replied. "I can feel it. While you were gone, I visited Camp. I met Madeline-"
Connor suddenly felt more awake as he remembered Madeline.
"She's fine," Travis said, seeing the thoughts on his brother's face.
"So, I got to know Madeline a bit,"
Connor set his jaw and slightly furrowed his brow at the boy across from him. Nico cleared his throat.
"Nothing happened," he said simply, responding to Connor's silent inquiry, and underneath that, threat. "I just got to know her and... she's a good person. She has a strong essence. I can see and feel that kind of thing in a different way than most people can. It's like a signature, and everyone has their own. When you entered the Underworld, I could sense you. I didn't think it was you at first, though. I recognized Madeline's essence, and I thought-"
"You thought she had died?" Connor asked, feeling queasy.
"Yeah," Nico replied sullenly. "And I knew that something... was wrong. People don't go to Tartarus, so I went to find... you. And then I pulled you out. She just has such a strong essence, and I guess since you two, uh, well you... since you've kinda, well, bonded, there were traces of her energy in you. That's how I found you."
Connor nodded, feeling a blush creep into his cheeks.
"But the way you got there," Nico continued, "made things a bit more complicated. You weren't just sent alive to the Underworld. Dolos...snapped your neck. You were barely even still attached to your body. I'm not really sure if you even were. I had to force your soul back into your body."
Connor's eyes widened slightly.
"That's why you were gone for so long," Nico finished.
"How long was I gone?" Connor asked quickly.
"We thought you were dead for more than a week," Travis answered gently. "Nico did all he could while you were in the Underworld, and then the Apollo cabin's best healers have been working on you ever since he brought you back to Camp. You've been back at Camp and unconscious for more than a week. You've been gone for about half a month. Summer's over."
Connor's head felt like it was spinning, but he kept himself steady.
"What happened with the quest?" he asked. "What's going on up on Olympus?"
"It's all good, now," Travis answered. "Nemesis realized that she had been manipulated and she sent Dolos to Tartarus. That's how you got sent away by accident...But the Gods worked it all out. They saw their mistakes and they've promised to keep peace, for now. You know, until the next time us demigods need to clean up after their asses."
The three boys in the room smirked at this truthful comment.
"So," Connor said, thinking aloud. "I died, Nico brought me back, I've been gone for two weeks, and Olympus is saved. All's well that ends well, right?"
"I guess so," Nico said, almost smiling.
"I can't thank you enough," Connor said sincerely to Nico, meeting his eyes.
"What else am I here for besides to mess with the balance of death and nature?" Nico shrugged nonchalantly.
The three boys turned their attention to the door as the two directors of Camp Half-Blood entered. Chiron, in his magic wheelchair, rolled over to Connor and Dionysus stood with boredom beside him.
"It is a relief to see you awake," Chiron said with a caring smile, clasping Connor's shoulder.
"You did well," Dionysus said simply, a very faint hint of appraisal in his voice. Or maybe he had just spent too much time in the strawberry fields under the sun.
"Aw," Connor said jokingly, "don't worry, Mr. D. You won't be getting rid of me that easy."
Dionysus grunted and turned away, walking out of the room. Chiron chuckled and shook his head, the laugh lines that graced his old, kind face setting in.
"It is always a great pleasure to see heroes return," the centaur said, looking at the three demigods in turn. "All of them."
After a moment he added, "I suggest we give Connor a time alone. He will be having visitors all day now that he has finally awaken."
Travis gave him one last smile, Nico one last nod, and with that, they all left the room.
Connor sat for a moment, looking blankly around the room.
He slowly turned the blankets off of him and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He winced as he felt an ache throughout his body in response to the sudden movement; he could tell it was the most he'd done in a while. He limped over to the window of the room and pulled open the curtains, one at a time.
Squinting into the bright sunlight as his eyes adjusted, Connor took in the lively sight of Camp Half-Blood. He saw the strawberry fields to the left and campers everywhere, smiling and laughing. He chuckled silently to himself and couldn't believe how lucky he was.
He brought a hand up and massaged his sore neck, slowly turning his head in circles. His entire body felt sore.
'I guess returning from the dead is a tiring business,' he thought.
"Are you trying to break yourself?" a girl's voice scolded from the doorway.
Connor turned around, a wide grin spreading across his face as he recognized that voice.
Madeline stood in the doorway, shaking her head as she looked at Connor.
A smile came to her face and she bit her lip to keep it from quivering. She felt energized just at the sight of him.
Connor sighed and tried to talk, but he was speechless. He couldn't describe what a blessing she looked like in that moment. Her long, black curls fell over her shoulders and the way the sunlight was streaming through the window, her eyes were perfectly illuminated and her caramel skin glowed.
She looked like she always did in his eyes; beautiful.
He took a step towards her and she burst forward, wrapping her arms around his torso. He staggered back a little, surprised at her strength, but Madeline had a good grip on him and wasn't letting go. He smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on hers. He brushed his hand over her hair and held her close to him.
"Are you trying to break me?" Connor joked as she pulled away, looking up at him.
"You're right," she said, walking to the bed and sitting in the chair beside it. "You should rest."
"I wasn't complaining," Connor told her with a chuckle.
He followed her and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing her.
He sighed and looked at her, his chest feeling like a weight was lifted from it. He put his hands on her shoulders and trailed them down to her soft hands, taking them in his own and raising them to his lips. He kissed them and held them to his chest, resting his chin on them.
"Hi," he said quietly, smiling his lopsided smile at her.
Madeline grinned widely, laughing as she responded. "Hello."
She gently removed her hands from his and moved them to hold his face. She leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to his for a short, sweet kiss. He tasted like ambrosia, she noted, which made sense since he was chock full of the stuff.
She looked into his sparkly blue eyes for a moment before closing hers and resting her forehead against his chest, feeling his breathing and his warmth.
"I missed you," she whispered.
Connor felt his heart racing in his chest at the heart-breaking sound of her voice and needed her more than he had ever needed anything in his life.
He held Madeline by her hips and pulled her forward, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pressed his lips to hers for a much longer kiss than before. She had her hands on his back and tightly gripped his shirt in them to restrain herself, her hands full of the fabric.
She had to be gentle with him for the time being; she knew he didn't want to hear her say that he was fragile right now, but she knew he was and didn't want to hurt him. She stood up to get closer to him, gently pressing her chest against his, and returned his passionate kiss. She paused for a moment, knowing that she should stop, and gave him a small peck on each cheek before pulling away, moving her hands to rest on his arms.
"I missed you, too," Connor replied. "More than you would believe."
He lifted one hand up, keeping the other on the small of her back, and touched the small space in between her collar bones with his fingertips. He lightly ran his fingers up her neck and grasped the delicate chain that he knew would be there, pulling it up from where it rested beneath the fabric of her shirt. He turned over the small, golden charm and smiled, closing his hand around it. It had kept him going while he had been on the quest, giving him hope and keeping him sane with the memory of the girl he loved.
Connor looked up at her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, letting the necklace drop and tightening his arms around her waist.
"Be careful," Madeline warned him, concern in her voice. She moved her hands to his wrist and moved his arms to rest in the space between them.
"Don't worry," he said playfully with a smirk, "I won't hurt you."
Madeline scoffed, rolling her eyes, and said, "Yeah. Not what I was talking about. I said be careful because I have to make sure not to hurt you."
Connor lightly furrowed his brow at her, pouting. "I'm fine."
"You will be. But for now, you need to rest. I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear, soothing him by stroking his curly hair. "You're just too stubborn for your own good. And I know you think I'm coddling you. But when you get as badly injured as you were, you're not gonna heal as quick as a cut. When the neck is broken, the entire spinal column needs to heal. Under ordinary circumstances, people don't even survive 5 seconds past this kind of thing."
He sighed, leaning his head into her shoulder, and nodded. "Point made," he said. "I just... I want this to be over with."
"I know. You'll be better soon though," Madeline assured him. "Just not yet."
She walked around the bed and knelt behind him, gently wrapping her arms around his shoulders and running her hands over his chest.
"Lay down," she pleaded with him, moving to the head of the bed with her legs criss-crossed.
He sighed in protest as she pulled him back, her dainty hands luring him in, and let his head rest in her lap.
"How dare you take advantage of me when I'm like this," Connor joked, feeling his body relax in her care. Madeline smiled, leaning over him and placing a kiss on his forehead. He took in the familiar garden scent that always lingered on Madeline with a deep breath through his nose.
"I just can't resist," she replied with a chuckle. She sat up and placed one of her soft hands on his cheek, her fingers curling under his jaw and her thumb running back and forth over his cheekbone. Her other hand rested on the space below his collar bone.
He closed his eyes and could feel goosebumps on every inch of his body as relaxing waves of shivers passed through him. He raised one of his hands and touched Madeline's waist.
"C'mon, Mads," he complained in a mumbled voice, "you're gonna make me fall asleep."
"Duh," she replied devilishly. "That's the point. I know you don't want to, but you need to rest. And you're gonna, whether you like it or not."
"You're evil," he joked, smiling as he began to doze off.
The last thing Connor heard was her soft chuckle as he fell asleep.


Connor lied on his back and held Madeline against his body, his arms wrapped tightly around her torso. It had been 4 days since he woke up, and Chiron had finally released him from the Big House.
He had one knee bent up around the them, the other one hanging off the side of the tall back wall of the arena as Madeline held onto his strong arms and rested her head on his his chest. The pair of teenage demigods were lying together on the highest ring of seats in the Amphitheater.
It was the last day of summer at Camp Half-Blood, which meant many of the campers were packing up to leave, including Madeline.
All her belongings were already taken care of, so they had till the sun set to be together.
They had decided that Madeline would visit his house for Thanksgiving when he would also be going home and that they would both be back at Camp Half-Blood for Christmas together. There were times all throughout the year to see each other again before summer and they would be sure to use every last one of them.
"I don't have to worry about you falling in love with some jock while you're away, do I?" Connor asked jokingly, though the thought of them being apart for such long periods of time did worry him.
Madeline shook her head with a smirk.
"Never," she promised him. "Everyone thinks I'm weird in my town. And I could ask you the same thing."
"I promise you I won't fall in love with some hot jock while you're gone," he said, a mock seriousness in his voice.
Madeline laughed, and a smile spread across Connor's face; it was one of his favorite things in the world.
"And I'll be sure to Iris message you everyday that you're down there," Madeline said quietly.
They both knew what she was referring to; while Connor had been in the Underworld, Nico could only do so much to save him. He had had no other choice if he wanted to bring Connor back to life, and he had made the decision to feed Connor half of a pomegranate seed; this meant that for half a month out of every year in the winter, Connor was bound with his very life to return to the Underworld. No one blamed Nico for his actions; the alternative would have been Connor's ultimate destruction. Connor thought it was even less than a small price to pay to be alive and be able to have the rest of his life with all the people he loved.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Connor joked, though he wondered what it would be like. "I'm sure the Underworld needs some spicing up, maybe some pranks here and there."
"Oh goodness..." Madeline said quietly with a bemused sigh. "Good luck with that."
"You know when I'm down there, I'll be able to get a glimpse of Elysium," Connor whispered into her ear. Madeline nodded.
"While it's your job to go around killing monsters," she said, "I've decided it's my job to fight alongside you and make sure you don't get yourself killed anytime soon. I won't be satisfied until your an old man. Old and grey. Then you can take your seat in Elysium."
"I don't get a say in it?" he asked, though she could hear the smirk in his voice. She shook her head, grinning.
"I suppose I'm fine with that," he shrugged, glancing down at her.
Madeline sat up and turned around, lightly placing her weight on his lower stomach with her legs on either side of him. She rested her hands on his chest and he smirked up at her, his hands on her hips. She ruffled his curly hair with a loving smile and lightly furrowed her brow.
'What have I gotten myself into?' she thought, looking down at his handsome face, bright blue eyes, and that lopsided smile she loved so much.
"But you'd better be right beside me the whole time," Connor told her. "And besides, I'm not aiming for Elysium. I'm making it to the Isle of the Blessed, and I'm taking you with me. It wouldn't be worth-while without you."
Madeline pressed her hands to the stone on either side of Connor's head and leaned towards him.
"It's a deal," she whispered, the young lovers sealing their promise with a kiss.

The End.