Warnings: self-harm, medical procedures, gore

Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.

Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!

Will's POV:

Will laid Nico down on one of the beds in the Infirmary. The son of Hades was shaking again, his skin hot and feverish, as if he was using a great deal of energy. Chiron has helped Will transport Nico to the Infirmary, but he had had to return to the playing field. Will was alone, with no idea how to fix his boyfriend.

It was exactly like when Nico had been trapped in his dreams with Aaron attacking him. Will didn't know what he was dreaming, but he guessed it had something to do with the Labyrinth since that's when the coma had started.

"I'm here, Nico, darling. I am right here," Will whispered, holding his boyfriend's hand in his own. He kissed the back of Nico's hand. To his surprise, Nico screamed in pain.

Will released his hand and watched, in horror, as blood spilled out over his knuckles. "Oh my gods, Nico!"

He started muttering a healing hymn under his breath, trying to staunch the bleeding, but the wound was getting worse. It continued to open, the bleeding getting worse. What is happening? Who is doing this to Nico?

He grabbed bandages and tried to stop the blood as it poured out of the boy. Before he could, Nico started steaming again. He arched his back in pain, as tears streamed down his face. Will tried to restrain the boy so he wouldn't injure himself further.

"Please, Nico. Please, angel. Please calm down. Please, please wake up." Will pleaded with the boy. Nico did not heed his words.

Eventually, the son of Hades' spasms stopped, and his body relaxed. Will released Nico, looking over his body. His fist was still injured, but other than a whole lot of expended energy, Nico looked okay.

Will allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief as he went to the medicine cabinet. If Nico was getting the same injuries, he had the first time he went through the Labyrinth, there were dark days ahead for the boy. Will wanted to get ahead of the game, so he started the son of Hades on an IV drip. Get some nutrition into Nico as well as keeping him constantly healing with the Unicorn draft.

As he finished attaching the IV to Nico's elbow crook, the doors of the Infirmary flew open. Connor was at the door.

"Will, thank the gods. We need you!"

"What's happened?"

"Paolo- he's been injured again-" Connor was panicked. It must have been bad.

"But Nico is hurt…" he trailed, not willing to leave his boyfriend's side.

"His LEG has been sawed off, Will!" Connor yelled. "And no one else is back. Please! Chiron sent me to get you."

With one final look at Nico, who was calmly sleeping, in his induced coma, he nodded. "Okay, here is what I need."

Nico's POV:

"Just focus, Master. Focus." Minos commanded.

"Your nagging is making that a little difficult, Minos," Nico gritted his teeth.

Nico had been in the Labyrinth for a little over a month now. Minos had begun to lead him through the winding tunnels. The ghost had been training him, showing him different powers and determining Nico's talents, which included osteokinesis, or the manipulation of bones, as well as the control of shadows and darkness. They had started lessons about communicating with and raising spirits. None of the apparitions who appeared had been very substantial at all, but Nico was able to do it, although it exhausted him.

They were currently in a cave in the Underworld, Minos finally allowing Nico to enter his father's kingdom. While Nico was able to raise the dead, he still had no control over them. The only way to control them would be with a Stygian Iron blade, bathed in the River Lethe, endowed with the powers of the Underworld. The goal of their mission to the Underworld was to craft an infernal blade for Nico.

A secondary goal was to get more information about returning a lost soul to life. Minos had suggested exchanging a soul that had cheated death for Bianca's, but Nico had refused to do that. He might have been a son of Hades, but he was not going to subjugate a soul to die to bring his sister back. Nico was not a murderer; there had to be another way.

They had roamed the Field of Asphodel, demanding answers from souls, but most of the ghosts just ignored them and tried to attack when Nico persisted. Minos and Nico then decided to stop with the questions until Nico had his sword. They went to a black cave in the depths of the Underworld. According to Minos, there was unrefined iron within the black rocks of the cave. Nico had to tap into his powers of geokinesis, or his ability to manipulate rocks. Currently, the manipulation of the rocks came with a lot of sweating and swearing. He was attempting to break open the rocks to reveal the iron.

"It's a matter of concentrating your power, Master, taking all the unregulated emotions inside of you, and focusing on the rock. You have the same minerals that make up this rock inside of you. Call out to these rocks; you control them, and they must obey you." Minos instructed.

Nico allowed the words to wash over him. He closed his eyes and reached down deep inside himself. His hand, which was held out in front of him, aimed at the rock which held the iron, started to shake with effort. His whole body started shaking and steaming as he expended energy. He let out a scream as the pressure exploded. The rock in front of him cracked open.

He stumbled back, hitting the other wall of the cave. He slid down the wall as black spots danced in his eyes. He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. Don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out Nico muttered the mantra under his breath. There was always a chance that he would pass out using his powers until he got a little more control over them.

The black spots finally cleared, and Nico looked at the broken rock in front of him. Inside, there was a gleaming black stone. He stood up carefully, trying not to make himself lightheaded. He slowly approached the metal.

"Wow," Nico gasped. The black stone gleamed with tiny crystals. "It's beautiful."

"Stygian Iron, in its purest form." Minos mused. Nico reached out to touch the stone, but Minos hissed at him. "Do not touch! That is an incredibly dangerous metal, boy!"

Nico felt like he had been shocked. He pulled his hand back. "How dangerous?"

The king smiled his creepy smile. "Once we are finished crafting the blade, you will have the ability to reap souls, and control them. Unlike Celestial bronze and Imperial gold, which merely sends the remains of monsters to Tartarus, this iron will absorb the essence of the monsters, making the blade stronger and more powerful. It can harm demigods, monsters, and mortal."

"Why- why would I need a blade this powerful?" Nico asked, terrified of having that much power. An accidental nick could reap him of his soul.

"It is a fitting blade for the son of Hades! Also, if you wish to command the dead and control spirits, this blade is the only way to do it. This is the only blade that you will be able to summon your fallen sister with." Minos explained.

That made Nico determined to get this sword. He considered the rock, fighting off his lightheadedness. "So, if I cannot touch it, how am I supposed to remove the stone from the rock?"

"You will have to use extreme precision and care when extracting the iron. As a child of the Underworld, the iron will listen to you. You just have to release it from the rock. Just focus your energy on destroying the rock, not the stone. It's like using a knife. Instead of the tool, however, you will just have to use-"

"My powers, got it," Nico finished. He faced the crevice he had made, revealing the Stygian Iron. "So, after I get this out, then what?"

"We go to your father's forges. There, the blacksmiths will craft this iron into a weapon fit for a king."

Nico didn't care about having power too much. It feared him more than anything. "That will bring my sister back."

"That is just one of the many things this blade will be able to do, my master."

"Okay, let's do it." He said.

Nico again raised his hand, concentrating on the stone in front of him. He imagined that he was slicing the iron from the rock. The rock was resisting him as if it didn't want to break. He felt a thin line of sweat appear on his forehead as he pushed his mind to cut this rock. He screamed in frustration. He broke his concentration and punched the rock behind him.

Pain ripped through his hand, but Nico welcomed it. Minos had taken to chastising and degrading Nico whenever he messed up, leading to Nico's self-confidence tanking and the adoption of the idea that he was worthless, powerless, and useless He wasn't strong enough to bring his sister back. Minos encouraged corporal punishment as a way to control Nico. Nico didn't understand how, but Minos was able to touch Nico, hurting him when he showed weakness.

He punched the wall again, tearing the skin of his knuckles. He brought his hand up to watch as the blood trickled from his knuckles, covering his fist, and down to his wrist. Blood did not scare him anymore. After facing so many horrors in the maze, and in the Underworld, little scared him anymore.

Not wanting to face Minos' wrath, Nico decided to punish himself, realizing that it was his own incompetence that caused him to fail. It was his first time hurting himself purposefully, but Nico felt calm energy pass over him as he watched his blood pour over his pale skin. Being down in the maze had caused his tan skin to fade, and he was remarkably pale.

Nico realized that self-harm had the potential to make him weak, but he could control how much he hurt himself. He couldn't control Minos or stop him whenever he hurt him. He couldn't control how much his energy using his powers would take. He couldn't control his mixed feelings about Percy Jackson. He couldn't control Bianca's death.

But hurting himself, he could control. He knew what he could take; he knew his limits and how much pain was needed in order to produce results. He needed to hurt himself because he was weak and useless. Punishing himself for failures and inadequacies would encourage him to work harder and be better. He gained a sense of control over his life and his actions that he had not ever felt in his life.

He wiped off the blood on his pants and turned back to face the rock. The pain in his hand caused a huge adrenaline rush to go through him. He brought up his hand, focusing it on the rock. He began trembling with effort, trying to force the rock to bend to his will. He screamed as the rock finally began cracking again. His vision went red and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground, Minos crouched in front of him.

"Master, can you hear me?" The ghost said.

Nico sat up slowly, his head feeling heavy. "Yes, what-what happened?"

Minos grinned triumphantly, floating back to reveal the Stygian Iron, lying on the cave floor.

"You did it. You removed the iron core."

Nico looked at the iron in shock. "I- I did?"

Minos nodded. "Now, we do not have much time. The iron has already started to decay as it has been removed from its source. We must get it to the forges of Hades, and have it crafted. Can you stand, your highness?"

Nico pushed himself up, using the wall. "Minos, I don't know if—"

"No!" Minos said forcefully, causing Nico to flinch back as he expected a blow to follow. "I know you are exhausted, but it must be done. It has to be moved now, otherwise, the iron will become unstable and the consequences could be… catastrophic."

Minos was pushing Nico to his limits, but it was the only way to survive. To achieve his goals. His ghostly mentor didn't care about what happened to him; Nico didn't care about what happened to himself. He just wanted his sister back.

"Okay, what do I have to do?"

Will's POV:

Night was already falling as he ran behind Connor Stoll. Will had spent longer in the infirmary tending to Nico than he thought. Connor was holding a bag of his medical supplies, while Will held the other one. He had taken the time to pack up as many of his supplies as he could, but there was only so much he could fit into two bags. He had also changed into light blue scrubs, as his other clothes were dirty from his own time in the Labyrinth.

They arrived at the field where the demigods who had made it out had started to gather. Looking around, it appeared that almost all the teams had returned. And it seemed that almost no one remained unscathed. He scanned the area, trying to assess who needed the most help. There were too many injuries: burns, cuts, breaks, bruises, and someone forced to speak in tongue twisters. The wonders of the maze.

Chiron spotted him and galloped over. "Where do you want to start, Mr. Solace?"

"There's so many- I need more hands. Is everyone back? Where are Kayla and Austin? And my father?"

Worry flitted across Chiron's face. "That's where we have a problem—"

A scream interrupted the centaur. Will whipped his head around, fixating on the origin of the scream. It was Paolo Montes, being carried out of the Labyrinth on a stretcher. If he thought Connor was exaggerating earlier, he didn't now. Paolo's leg was completely severed from his body. Will fought the urge to vomit.

He rushed over to Sherman and Malcolm, who were carrying the ends of the stretcher. He started giving them directions. "I need him on a level surface, a clear area of grass." He spotted a place. He pointed. "There! Set him down there!"

The two boys heeded his commands. Paolo was placed on the ground and somehow still conscious. "We are going to help you, Paolo," Will reassured.

"Eu vou matar aquele pequeno monstro!" Paolo screamed. Will didn't know Portuguêse, but he didn't need a translation. He had taken enough Spanish to know what Paolo wanted to do to Harley and his course.

"I- I need nectar and- bandages and—"Will steadied himself. He could do this. He had reattached Paolo's arms. Who was to say he couldn't do that with the boy's leg? "Okay, first, if you don't have any injuries, Malcolm, I need you to go keep an eye on Nico in the infirmary. He was hurt in the maze and someone should be monitoring him." Malcolm nodded before taking off in the direction of the Big House. "Connor, I need you to hold down Paolo. Paolo, this is going to be painful."

"Sem merda!" Paolo gasped out, tears streaming down his face.

Will looked around rapidly. "Where the hell is Kayla?"

"Chiron didn't tell you?" Connor said. Will whipped around to meet his gaze. Connor's eyes were wide with fear. "Kayla, Austin, Apollo, and Meg haven't returned from the maze yet; they are missing."

Fear shot through Will. No, he thought Not my family too. Nico was in danger; his best friend was missing; and now his brother, sister, and father had disappeared. Paolo screaming in pain disturbed him from his thoughts.

"Shit!" Will cursed. He started pouring nectar over Paolo's severed limb. The nerve ends and ripped flesh started repairing itself, but the nectar would not be enough. "Is anyone out looking for them?"

"Yes. The maze for some reason ended up in the forest. There are dryads in the woods looking now."

The fact that someone was looking for his family reassured him enough to focus on the patient in front of him. He pulled on a pair of surgical gloves and started working on Paolo. He moved the leg closer to where it had been cut off. Blood spurted from the limb onto his scrub shirt. He poured more nectar onto the wound. Then, he grabbed a staple gun from his bag.

"I'm really sorry about this," Will apologized as he put the staple gun to Paolo's leg.

"Esperar-" he howled in pain as the first staple went in. The staples were infused with magic so once the leg was reattached by the nerves and muscle, they would fall out. But Will needed the flesh attached before he could start healing Paolo with magic.

Every staple that went in brought up a fresh spurt of blood; Will was soon covered in the son of Hebe's blood. Connor Still was also covered, but his grip on Paolo did not waver. He used every ounce of his strength to stop the much bigger Brazilian from throwing him and Will off. After ten staples, Will stopped.

"That's all I dare to do," he muttered mostly to himself, but Connor thought he was talking to him.

"Thank the gods, this is absolutely disgusting to watch."

Will shot a glance at Connor, who looked nauseous. "Just hold him steady, okay?"

He put down the staple gun and risked pouring a little more nectar over the wound. He closed his eyes and started muttering a healing hymn under his breath. Healing flowed through him. He didn't open his eyes, but he could tell that his power had pooled to his hands and they were glowing. His hymn became louder as he moved his hands over the wound. The flesh started knitted itself back together. He could feel nerves reconnecting and the muscle healing.

Once he sensed that the leg was reattached, he opened his eyes. The leg looked as good as new, the staples already slowly starting to fall out. Will felt lightheaded as he sat back on his heels. He had not used that much of his healing energy in a long time.

A commotion shook Will from his lightheaded state. He saw Apollo emerging from the direction of the cabins. He had just finished talking to Chiron and was heading in the direction of the woods. Thank the gods.

"Apollo, I need you!" Will shouted.

Paolo was still screaming in pain, so Will guessed that the nerves were still reattaching, and Paolo was feeling everything. His father ran over and winced when he saw Paolo and his still mending leg.

"I got it reattached," Will told his father, his voice shaky with exhaustion. "I need somebody to keep him stable."

Apollo pointed to the woods. "But—"

"I know!" Will snapped. "Don't you think I want to be out there searching too? We're shorthanded for healers. There are some salve and nectar in that pack. Go!"

"Y-yes," Apollo said. "Yes, of course."

He grabbed the supply pack and took charge of Paolo, who had conveniently passed out from the pain. Paolo's screams had brought Sherman Yang to Will, Connor, Paolo, and Apollo.

Will changed his surgical gloves and glared at the woods. "We will find them. We have to."

Sherman gave him a canteen. "Drink. Right now, this is where you need to be."

Will sighed. "You're right. But that doesn't make me feel better. I have to set Valentina's broken arm now. You want to assist?"

"Sounds gruesome," Sherman said. "Let's go."

Will didn't mind the son of Ares, though he had had little contact with him. He appreciated him stepping up and helping out. The boys went straight over to Valentina, whose only injury was her broken arm. Will smiled at Valentina as he knelt down beside her.

"This is going to hurt briefly and then feel a whole lot better," he warned.

Sherman held Valentina down so she wouldn't flinch and hurt herself further. Will set the arm, back in place. She let out a yelp and punched Sherman in the arm. As the two were staring daggers at each other, Will secured the arm with a splint.

"Just keep your arm in that splint until the morning," Will advised. He took a piece of ambrosia from his bag and handed it to the girl. "Eat that and you should be feeling better quickly."

"Thanks, Will," Valentina said, still glaring at Sherman.

Will looked around at who still needed to be helped. Paolo was currently being carried back to his cabin by two satyrs; Billie's legs were moving uncontrollably, but after a few questions with her, Will discovered it was due to a curse of Irish step dancing. Will consulted Lou Ellen, who assured the girl that it should fade by the morning. Chiara had a mild concussion, but with a gentle touch to her forehead by Will and his glowing hands, it faded quickly.

He then saw Nyssa, holding a bandage to her arm. He jogged over to her. He knelt down, and slowly removed her hand from her upper arm. She had a huge gash. Will's eyebrows furrowed. "You weren't even in the maze. How did that happen?"

Nyssa waved his question off. "Tried to disable one of the chainsaws after Paolo's leg got sawed off. The chainsaw did not want to be put down."

Will nodded. He could probably heal the wound with his powers in a second, but after how lightheaded he had gotten healing Paolo and Chiara, he didn't trust himself not to pass out. "I am just going to put a few stitches in. The ambrosia should heal it by morning."

The head counselor nodded, looking away from her arm as Will started stitching the skin back together. It was tedious work, but it gave Will a distraction from the panic and worry that was crowding his mind. All he had to do was focus on sewing up the patch of skin in front of him.

In minutes, he had finished pulling the last stitch through and wrapped a bandage tightly around her arm. Just as he was about to hand her ambrosia to eat, a panicked voice shouting his name disturbed him.

"Will!" Malcolm. Oh no.

He turned quickly to find the son of Athena running toward him. The ambrosia fell to the ground as Will leapt to his feet to greet the boy. His exhaustion and lightheadedness faded replaced by adrenaline

"It's Nico- it's- it's not good!" Malcolm gasped out as he stopped in front of Will and Nyssa.

Will grabbed Malcolm's arm and pulled him, immediately launching into a run. "You can explain on the way. What happened?"

"He was okay- he was- normal—" Malcolm panted out, winded from his sprint down the hill. "Then, his- clothes started steaming. He was screaming- and then he turned—"

"To shadows?" Will asked as they raced passed the cabins, halfway to the Big House.

"Yeah- he lost form- he's- it's- it's not good. He's fading."