The son of Hades glared daggers at the lake while the sky slowly dipped into a thick orange. This was a mistake. It hurts. Everything hurts. There was no way around it. He couldn't even hold a freaking sword. Granted, the camp was safe from monsters yet he regretted not staying in the underworld, at least there he wouldn't have to deal with all this nonsense.

"Heard death boy got a booboo," a boisterous voice greeted and for a second the ghost king had half a mind to punch a free ticket to the afterlife. Instead, he settled for a scowl.

Coach Hedge didn't seem to care. Unperturbed he plopped down beside the prickly muffin of a demigod, shoving a bucket of mud against the teen's leg.

Nico looked right past it, however, even he couldn't ignore the unholy stench of expired energy drink mixed with mushrooms and dirt. "I'm fine," he muttered.

"Could have fooled me."

He rolled his eyes. "Another sermon?" Irritation fueled the question. He was so not in the mood for another lecture.

"Nah," Hedge waved him off. "You got quite enough of fussing mother hens. Such a noisy bunch. Try whacking them upside the head? Fixes more problems than you might think."

"They mean well."

"Pfff, they should mind their own business."

"I'd be upset too if the roles were swit -" Nico narrowed his eyes. "Wait, are you using reverse psychology on me?"

Hedge laughed and the prince of hell couldn't help but grin. People just didn't give the goat-man enough credit.

The satyr's unrelenting gaze slowly reminded Nico that he was still smiling and he quickly replaced it with a neutral expression.

"There you are," Hedge joked. "Now, let me take a look before I have to treat the stress ulcers of your so-called friends."

The teen scoffed but did as he was told, carefully removing the bandages from his arms. Hedge whistled at the sight.

"Not bad. Pissed off the wrong god huh?"

The story written on the skin wasn't a pretty one. Angry cuts pulsed with infection, littering almost every inch - not deep and mostly scabbed over, but damn.

"I doubt Demeter was very fond of me, to begin with," the boy shrugged.

"Demeter?" He raised a brow. Wasn't Persephone to blame? "She can be fickle," Hedge agreed tenderly. "And very feisty."

Before the kid could protest he took the long stripes of fabric out of his hands and duked them into the horrendous stuff he'd called medicine.

Nico winced and felt the increasing weight of the seeds in his front pocket. He shouldn't -

"But she isn't cruel." There was no room for doubt in the satyr's voice.

Defeated the demigod's eyes shifted to the ground as Hedge nudged the sticky mess against his chest. For a moment the coach wondered if he made the wrong move.

Nico took a deep breath. Calm down. It's not cheating. Besides, it's up to her to decide if she'll allow it or not.

"Whatever." He raised his chin.

With a little help from Hedge, the now muddy bandages were put back on and he relaxed instantly as the burning ebbed down to a dull ache.

.

.

.

"And?" The son of Zeus pushed himself off the wall he had leaned on as the satyr passed.

"It's some nasty stuff the lad got," Hedge mused. "Not meant for damage but pain. A wonder he can move his arms at all."

Jason's features darkened.

"It doesn't look like an injury from a quest, more like punishment."

"But for wha- " The image of lifeless soil flashed in front of the hero's eyes. "It's not his - It's unfair!"

Hedge hummed thoughtfully. "He'll be okay, cupcake. Give it a week or two."

Jason's shoulders dropped still he was glad he'd asked Hedge over. Admittedly it was Reyna's idea.

AN:

One more tiny chapter and then all that's left is the epilog.