How To Smile As Bright As The Sun

by SuperLordHero

Will laughed under his breath. If only he knew. He’s been in a state of shock ever since Lee died. He'd been busy fighting in two back-to-back wars that he hadn’t had the time to properly grieve over his ten deceased siblings. Now his father, who formerly was a god, is sitting in front of him as a mortal.

Hello! Just a warning that some parts get dark.

Full Summary:

"You do not seem shocked." Apollo observed.

Will laughed under his breath. If only he knew. He's been in a state of shock ever since Lee died. He'd been busy fighting in two back-to-back wars that he hadn't had the time to properly grieve over his ten deceased siblings. Now his father, who formerly was a god, is sitting in front of him as a mortal.

"I'm terrified! But one thing you learn as a head counselor is that you have to keep it together for everyone else."

---

March 2006

Naomi Solace did her best juggling her career as a uprising country star while raising a demigod son.

Will didn't blame her for not always being there; he couldn't. Besides, wasn't it every kid's dream to be on tour, countless road trips from state to state?

Living it didn't seem so glamorous after all. He was stuck on the tour bus, with no one but his mother's manager to babysit him. The manager, Lisa, wasn't nice; she yelled at him when his dyslexia messed up her tutoring abilities.

Despite Will's dyslexia and ADHD, he's one of the top third graders in his class. Well, he was before his mother toured.

Once his mother started touring, she started to homeschool him. Mostly, it was his mother's staff and band members who taught him. Most of them were cool and patient with his learning disadvantages; only Lisa gave him any trouble.

Will wished to see his mother perform, but knew she wouldn't let him. During the first few weeks of the tour, he begged to go backstage to watch, promising he'd be a good nine-year-old boy and stay silent and still while she performed. She declined every time, saying it would be too dangerous for him, and that she'd rather have him somewhere safe with someone she trusts.

And she trusted Lisa; there was no reason not to trust Lisa because Will hadn't told his mother about the cruel remarks Lisa constantly barked at him.

The hours ticked by as he abandoned his paper and crayons for the city's view. Lisa occupied herself by watching a movie on a portable DVD player.

Will gazed out of the window of the bus, the Nashville lights light up the night sky, covering the stars with its light pollution.

Will was lost in his thoughts; he didn't hear his mother come back on the bus until he felt her hand on his shoulder. He was pulled away by his mother's hand as she led him outside to catch some fresh air.

She did this after every show, and Will knew what she was going to say next. "Will, I'm sorry. I know how much you wanted to go, but it's not safe out there."

Will nodded and forced a smile, "It's alright, mama. I get it."

She knelt down to be at his height and pulled him into a hug. "You're such a sweet boy. I'll make you some sweet tea before bed. It's going to be a long day of travel tomorrow."

---

May 2007

Will and Mr. Oak rushed up the hill, twenty feet behind them; a hellhound.

This is all a nightmare, Will thought. He'll wake up tomorrow back in Texas and go to school. His social studies teacher, Mr. Oak, will have two regular feet.

In his dream, Will couldn't take his eyes off the two hooves his teacher had for feet. Mr. Oak lost his shoes somewhere in the chase.

His teacher gasped in dismay. Will didn't have the energy to ask what was wrong; his lungs burned with exhaustion. Can lungs burn in a dream?

The top of the hill was getting closer, a tall, sickly-looking pine tree stood at the peak. The hellhound quickly closing the distance between them.

Mr. Oak let out a scream that highly resembled a goat as they ran past the tree. The dream he was trapped in must have taken pity on him; six kids emerged from the trees with bows and arrows drawn to defend him. The six archers shot down the hound within a blink of an eye. Will collapsed on the ground, catching his breath.

His dream took a strange turn when a half-man, half-horse, trotted up to them. Still out of breath, Will managed to stand back up, unsure if the man-horse was an enemy or not.

"The tree…" Mr Oak whispered in a mixture of shock and horror.

Stupidly, Will turned his attention to the pine tree. The branches sagged. The bristles hung limply. And the grass surrounding the tree was a neon yellow. In other words, the tree was dying.

"Glenwood, take your report to Mr. D." The man-horse said. Mr. Oak took his gaze from the tree to the man-horse, nodded, and galloped towards a four-story house.

The man-horse turned his attention to the oldest kid in the group. He looked to be around sixteen or seventeen. "Lee, why don't you take him to cabin eleven."

Lee nodded and smiled at Will, beckoning him to follow. Will followed, letting Lee do the talking.

"What's your name?"

"Will."

"How are you holding up?"

Will shrugged, "As well as I can be in a dream."

Lee sighed and shook his head. Will's keen ears picked up Lee's mutter: "Why do they always say that?"

Lee cleared his throat. "Listen Will, I know this is a lot to take in, but this isn't a dream."

Will laughed, "Yes, it is. Didn't you just see the man-horse? He's-"

"Centaur. He's a centaur, his name is Chiron."

Will furrowed his brow, "Centaur? Like in Greek Mythology?"

Lee nodded. "Correct! Your teacher, Mr. Oak, is a satyr, and you're a demigod."

"Demi-what?"

"Demigod: half mortal, half god."

"What a weird dream!"

Lee closed his eyes and whispered a prayer, "Kiddo, I wish I could tell you otherwise, but this is real."

They stopped in front of an overcrowded cabin. Although Will couldn't see much, he could make out the messily made beds and multiple sleeping bags sprawled across the floor.

Lee put a hand on top of Will's shoulder. "I'm sorry for such a lackluster introduction to camp, but much is happening right now, and I can't give you a proper one. This is Camp Half-Blood, a place for demigods like us to train. We have two camp directors: one is Mr. D. I'm sure you'll meet him soon. The other one is Chiron; he's only here until Friday and will be replaced by Tantalus."

"Why is he leaving?"

Lee scrunched up his face. Will couldn't properly read his expression: was it anger, sadness, or despair?

"I'm sure it will be explained later. For now, this is where you'll be staying until your godly parent claims you." Lee gestures to the cabin they're standing in front of, and calls out, "Travis!"

A tall, lanky boy with brown curly hair appeared from the cabin. "Hey, Lee. Do you need assistance?" Travis's eyes focused on Will. "Oh, I see. Unclaimed?"

Lee nodded, giving Will a gentle push. "This is Travis, son of Hermes. He and his brother Connor are head counselors of cabin eleven; Hermes' cabin and the cabin of the unclaimed."

Travis replaced Lee's hand on Will's shoulder with his own. "Alrighty then, as Lee said, this is the Hermes cabin, and my father is gracious enough to lend it as a home for the unclaimed demigods."

Will blinked, "Hermes as in..."

Travis nodded, "Hermes; god of travel, thievery, messengers, roads, communication, and trade. That's my dad."

A Travis replica, but shorter, ran up to them, "Hey Travis, I need you to bail me out with cabin six. I may have snuck in a - wait who's this?"

Travis squeezed Will's shoulder. "Connor, this is Will. He's new to camp and will be staying in our cabin."

Connor frowned at Will, and he fidgeted under Connor's intense gaze.

"Will, this is Connor. He's my brother and also second in command of cabin eleven."

"Connor Stoll!" A boy around Will's age stormed towards them.

"I'll handle it." Travis sighed, "Connor, go introduce Will to the others."

Connor took Will's arm and dragged him into the cabin, introducing him to all of the other inhabitants.

He didn't know what to expect. Perhaps a warm welcome. Instead, he was greeted by teenagers who eyed him with distaste. A few people muttered, "Another one."

Will forced a smile onto his face, trying to lighten the mood. The cabin stubbornly remained dark, no smile could ever undo the evil shadow the cabin was cloaked in.

He spent the rest of the day in cabin eleven, halfheartedly listening to the other campers talk. Most were talking about the dying tree, and it had something to do with the borders shutting down - whatever that meant. The other conversations were centered around someone named Percy Jackson - something about retrieving a lightning bolt- or Luke - the former head counselor before he betrayed everyone.

Will wondered when he will wake up from his dream.

...

Will didn't know how much time had passed since he first arrived at camp, somewhere around two weeks. He was still in the Hermes cabin, unclaimed.

Percy, Annabeth, and a cyclops came to camp a few days after he arrived. Shortly after their arrival, Chiron left. The shadow from the Hermes cabin spread throughout the camp, drowning the campers in its despair.

The camp directors: Mr. D - who Will found out at dinner on his first day was Dionysus; a literal god - and Tantalus - someone who displeased the gods for... What did he do? Something about feeding his children to the gods - didn't seem too concerned about the campers' wellbeings. Both directors dismissed any concerns for the failing borders, leaving the responsibility to the teen campers to protect.

Will was astonished at how fast the campers moved on from one piece of gossip to the next. First it was about the rumors of Chiron poisoning the tree, to Percy having a half-brother as a cyclops.

He'll never admit it out loud, but Will wanted the conversation to remain focused on Chiron poisoning the tree and forgetting the cyclops's claiming altogether.

Envy never suited Will, but he was jealous of the cyclops. How did the cyclops - who has been at camp for less time than Will - get claimed before him? The other campers laughed when the trident appeared over Tyson's head. Will turned red with embarrassment.

Will supposed he was less worthy than a cyclops, and he was reminded of that fact every time someone sent a jab to Percy - which happened about every hour.

Will pushed down his jealousy and smiled with his cabin mates as they prepared the chariot for the race. He wasn't racing, not after what he heard about the last time the camp had a race. The Stolls were more than happy to take charge in the race, while Will and the other cabin eleven inhabitants cheered.

"What's up with the birds?" Lewis whispered to Will as they pushed the chariot into its racing position.

Will shrugged in response, pushing back the warning his gut had sent. Most of the campers didn't seem to notice, but a few looked uneasy.

The race went horribly wrong. The demon pigeons (which he later found out were called stymphalian birds) attacked not only the campers in the race but also everyone else. Did the camp directors do anything? No. Tantalus insisted the birds weren't an issue, while Mr. D was nowhere to be seen. Their savior: Dean Martin. If Will ever sees Chiron again, he'll thank him for his choice of music. Will didn't think he'd ever thank someone for liking Dean Martin, but his priorities have changed after being pecked at by the stymphalian beaks.

After the demon pigeon attack, the mood began to sour at camp. No one liked Tantalus, whose obvious disregard for their safety had everyone on edge, waiting for the next attack. Luckily, Percy and Annabeth convinced the rest of the campers of the need for a quest.

Tantalus decided Clarisse, daughter and head counselor of Ares, would be the one to go on the quest. Percy looked ready to battle Tantalus right then and there, and honestly, Will couldn't blame him. He heard stories about last year's quest, and he and Grover sounded very close. If it was Will's best friend, he would want to go too. He kept silent, as the campers voiced their displeasure about Percy going on another quest. Will winced at the obvious favoritism Clarisse got with Tantulas. No one wanted to be in that girl's shoes, not even Clarisse herself as she looked like she wanted to perish on the spot.

In the end, it didn't matter who Tantalus assigned on the quest. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson snuck out to go anyways, while Clarisse left to fulfill her prophecy.

With the four best fighters the camp had to offer gone, the rest of the campers had to pull overtime with border patrol. Which is how Will got claimed.

During one of his shifts with the Hermes Cabin on border patrol, he encountered a group of dracaenae. The more experienced campers took the first defense, while Will hung in the back awkwardly holding a sword. They made good progress, as the number of dracaenae diminished, but not without some injuries to cabin eleven.

Will dropped beside Seth, who got slashed in the thigh. Will applied pressure to the wound, remembering what he learned in a first aid class. What first aid class didn't teach him was that his hands could glow as he touched the wound, effectively sealing the cut. Will quickly withdrew his hand in astonishment. What was that?

He didn't notice the sound of battle dying or Seth's wide eyes. What brought Will out of his daze was the campers kneeling around him, and a golden light in the shape of a lyre glowing above his head.

Lee clapped him on the shoulder. When did he get here? "Do you still feel like you're dreaming, brother?"

---

December 2007

Over the last seven months, Will foolishly thought he had seen it all. Between centaurs to a girl who was turned into a tree and then reverted back into a teenaged girl. What else was there to see?

Admittedly, said girl crashing his father's chariot into the lake, was not in Will's books.

Will tried not to be bothered that his father hadn't stuck around to say hi. Instead, Will smiled at the new arrivals walking up from the lake.

He spotted Thalia, Percy, and Grover right away. Where was Annabeth? Will thought she had tagged along to help Grover's rescue mission. He expected two new demigods, but there was a boy and a group of hardened female warriors. Lee explained a few minutes later that they were the Hunters of Artemis.

Will wasn't eager to spend time with the hunters, they were rude. One of the hunters, Elizabeth, got into a spat with his brother, Michael, within the first ten minutes at camp. Lee had to cover William's ears to block out Michael's foul language.

It didn't take long for word to spread about Annabeth's fate. Not only were the hunters making the camp tense, but the silent feud between Thalia and Percy was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Tensions had been high between the two of them ever since Thalia's revival.

Will hadn't been at camp very long, but he was aware that three of the elder male gods had sworn an oath to never have children in order to avoid a future prophecy of destruction, and two of them broke it. Neither Thalia nor Percy should exist, yet here they were trying to one-up each other.

The tension grew higher as Capture the Flag was announced: Camp Half-Blood versus The Hunters.

Will never partook in Capture the Flag, combat wasn't in his expertise. After he was claimed, Lee told him about Apollo's kids usually having at least two gifts of abilities passed down to them. Will had only discovered one; healing. He was average at archery - nowhere near the level of his other siblings. He was mediocre at music. He couldn't predict what he was going to eat for dinner, so precognition wasn't his forte. Don't even get him started on poetry. Will was resigned that he only had one gift of healing. His sister, Mindy assured him he would find his second power eventually, she said she saw it with her prophetic powers, but Will didn't believe her.

All of his ten siblings had two powers; even his younger siblings. Will felt like the odd one out, but he never complained to them about his shortcomings. They couldn't do anything about it, but reassure him. He didn't need reassurance or promises; he needed honesty.

Will stuck around with Chiron during the games as a medic in training. Lee was his trainer, but Lee participated in the games as a lead archer. Will didn't expect Lee to step down, especially if the hunters were involved. That's why he sat alone with Chiron. Usually he would sit by Aphrodite's kids, but they all wanted to participate to take down the hunters.

His company with Chiron was short-lived because the centaur had to break up the fight between Thalia and Percy. Will watched the fight, while Chiron desperately tried to break them up. The fight stopped, but not by Chiron.

Will swears he's living in a Scooby-Doo simulation, because the walking mummified woman with green smoke encircling her was too scary, even for a demigod's standards.

He was too freaked out to hear the prophecy. It wasn't until later as Lee instructed him how to heal an overly-energetic-mythomagic-loving ten-year-old boy, did Lee repeat the prophecy.

"Whenever someone needs to go on a quest, they consult it for a prophecy?" Will asked.

"Yes. Though she usually stays in the attic, this is the first time she has ever stepped out of it."

Will shuddered while the boy they were healing beamed, "That was so cool!"

They patched up the boy, Nico, as he chatted away with attack points. Nico waved at them as he left the infirmary.

"If I truly have to go get a prophecy from that oracle, I never want to go on a quest." Will groaned and leaned his back against the wall.

Lee clapped his shoulder and said, "Let's hope you won't have to."

...

Will sat by Nico by the campfire. Will noticed Nico's mood has become less chipper and he decided to cheer him up.

Will had a pretty good guess as to what was bothering him. Nico's sister joined the Hunters of Artemis and went on a quest that was bound to have two of them die. Let's not forget Nico's rescuers; Thalia, Percy, and Grover all went on the quest.

"Can you teach me how to play?"

Nico turned to Will, "Teach you how to play?"

"Mythomagic."

"You want to learn?"

"That's what I said." Will smiled.

"Okay, I'll teach you. You're a son of Apollo, right?"

Will nodded.

"Apollo is cool."

"Is he a good card then?"

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't talking about the game; I was talking about real life. He's laid-back and easy-going, he even smiled after Thalia torched New England with the sun chariot."

Will blinked, forgetting that Nico was part of the voyage.

"Oh, I never met him before."

Nico looked Will up and down, "You look like him. You have his hair, eyes, and your smile is identical to his."

"Really?" Will patted his face. He never even seen his father in a photo, so he didn't even know what he looked like.

Nico nodded, "Yep. Though I've heard enough of his poetry, so don't go spouting haikus."

Will furrowed his brow, "What is a haiku?"

Nico laughed. They began to have small banter while Nico explained the rules of mythomagic. Will followed along, sometimes interrupting with a Star Wars reference, and got a little upset that Nico didn't get any of them.

Will smiled genuinely, enjoying Nico's company. He forgot about the bitterness of his father not visiting, or the disappointment that he didn't have two powers from his father's domains.

...

Will couldn't find Nico.

He briefly saw him when Percy, Grover, and Annabeth returned from their quest, but it's been radio silent since then.

No one knew what had happened or what had caused the giant crack in the ground. It wasn't until the next morning that it was announced that he was missing.

That's when Will found out about Bianca's fate and his heart broke for the boy. Nico ran away after hearing his sister was dead and was not coming back.

Will's older brother, Avery, stood by his side to keep him company. As the day passed by, Will felt himself getting heavier.

Avery rested a hand on his shoulder, "I know you've been getting to be friends with that boy. Just know that we're here for you; me, Lee, Michael, and Mindy. We all got your back. Don't forget that Ash, and Brad, will be back in the summer too."

Will forced a smile, "Thank you."

---

June 2008

The Apollo cabin got two new campers: Austin and Kayla. Thirteen campers in cabin seven. Twelve siblings.

"You would think the invention of condoms would've reached father's ears by now." Michael said, watching the golden lyre appear above the nine-year-old's head.

Lee elbowed Michael in the ribs, "There are children here."

"We are children." Michael countered back.

Will tuned out their bantering, even if he fully agrees with Michael, and he's sure Lee agrees as well. Thirteen children with only a nine-year age gap between the oldest and the youngest. Father must've been busy.

All Will could think about was how fast the two new campers were claimed. It took maybe two weeks for him to be claimed, but it had only taken a day for Austin and Kayla.

And both of them found their two abilities within a day. Will wasn't jealous, he's -

Okay, fine, maybe he's a bit jealous. While Lee admired Kayla's skill with the bow and Mindy fawned over Austin's saxophone, Will eyed the two new campers warily.

Kayla had the same powers as Lee: archery and healing. Austin is a musical prodigy and a poet. Michael had a field day when he learned how quickly Austin could afflict someone with a rhyming curse.

Kayla asked what his secondary power was, and Will shifted awkwardly on his feet, not knowing how to answer. Zoey, one of his younger sisters, came to his rescue; she told them that he had one, but hadn't discovered it yet.

That's what all his siblings with the precognition ability had told him, but he hadn't believed them. He tried all of his father's domains and he was average at best in them.

Determined not to let his frustration show, he smiled and nodded towards Zoey. "I just need to keep looking."

Lee patted his shoulder and said, "That's the spirit!"

"Let's go over some rules," Lee told them, "As there have been some new developments."

"You mean the giant hellhound in the amphitheater?" Michael asked.

"Mostly. Don't go to the amphitheater alone unless me, Chiron, Michael, Mindy, or Ashley are there with you. Mrs. O'Leary is told to be friendly, but I don't want to test that."

Elliott raised his hand. "Why is there a hellhound here in the first place?"

Lee scratched the back of his neck, "As you know, Mr. D left to do some negotiations with some minor gods. With him gone, Chiron needed some help running the camp, so he enlisted a retired demigod named Quintus, and he just happens to have a massive hellhound as a pet."

"How does one even get a hellhound as a pet?" Bradley asked.

Lee shrugged and said, "You'll have to ask Quintus."

"Anything else?" Michael asked.

Lee grimaced, "Stay away from the basement in the big house… there are some things that don't need to be disturbed."

Mindy frowned, "The Big House has a basement?"

"Do the things have to do with Clarisse's super-secret mission?" Avery asked.

Lee glared at Avery while Ashley asked what the super-secret mission was.

Lee shook his head, "For obvious reasons, I cannot disclose any further information. We should head to archery practice, but before we go, what should we not do?"

"Don't go to the amphitheater unless you want to be a chew toy." Cyrus said.

"Close enough."

His other cabin mates grabbed the bows and quivers full of arrows before leaving cabin seven. Will grabbed his bow and quiver dejectedly, knowing this would be another practice where he'd fail miserably.

Michael poked his head through the door, "Solace, is your feet glued to the floor?"

Will shot a smile over his shoulder, "No. I misplaced my lucky arrow. I'll be out in a minute."

Michael rolled his eyes, "I don't think the arrow is lucky, kid, you lost it so many times."

Will waited for his older brother's footsteps to recede, then he straightened himself. He took a deep breath before heading out the door for archery practice.

...

They did their best to prepare for the upcoming battle at camp. Will was leading two of his younger siblings as a medic. He'll be stationed at the medic tent, but he'll have to go into the field to retrieve the fallen comrades who need healing. Lee is leading the archers, and they'll be stationed in the trees by the maze's entrance. Mindy is leading the musical siblings in the front lines.

Annabeth led a separate quest in the labyrinth with Percy, Grover, and Tyson. Somewhere along the way, they split up. Once Annabeth came back to camp alone, tears streaming down her face, Will thought they were all doomed.

Honestly, what was Will thinking? Percy couldn't die! He came back from the underworld, defeated Ares, fought Polyphemus, held the sky. Why did he think the eruption of Mount St. Helens killed him?

Will scowled at his foolishness as a crowd surrounded Percy at the amphitheater. He couldn't help but snort; Percy would be the one to walk into his own funeral.

It seemed like no time had passed before they took their positions, ready for the enemy to breach. To his relief, no one had died on the quest, as the four who went into the labyrinth came out alive. There was an additional person with them, someone who had gone missing six months earlier; Nico di Angelo.

Will didn't have time to process his friend - were they friends? - who was missing for over six months, comes back relatively unscathed.

Other than the weight loss and the fact that he'll probably win first place for best anemic appearance, Nico looked fine. He was slightly taller, his shaggy black hair had grown longer, and his fashion mirrored the scene kid trend.

Should he say hi? Would he even remember him? Before Will could say anything, the enemy had breached camp through Zeus's fist.

Terror isn't a strong enough word to describe the amount of fear coursing through his veins. Although he isn't on the front lines fighting, it didn't stop his heart from going into overdrive.

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Lee put him in charge of being the lead field medic. He couldn't let his fear show, especially not in front of his two younger siblings; Hannah and Elliott. They were stationed beside him, ready to help.

They were all equipped with bows and quivers full of arrows in case they needed to defend themselves or their patients. Hannah and Elliot had harmonicas to distract the monster if it came too close, giving Will enough time to aim and shoot, since he was slower at archery than his other siblings.

Will ran into battle a few times to drag injured campers to safety. The first was Malcom, who had a nasty cut on his abdomen. Will healed him with a hymn before moving on to Cecil, who'd been knocked out by a telekhine.

Will went back into the battle just in time to see Castor fall by the hand of another demigod. He didn't need to check a pulse; his doctor's intuition told him that Castor had died instantly.

Will gulped, his heart pounding against his rib cage. This was his first death; someone he couldn't save. Despair crept up his throat, but he pushed it down as Miranda cried out beside him.

Miranda was on the ground, a wolf on top of her. Will was out of arrows, and he couldn't kill the wolf or let another friend die. He did the only thing he could think of: he whistled.

Will was only expecting the whistle to distract the wolf, he didn't expect his whistle to be so loud and shrill. Was that his second power, whistling? The wolf keeled over and whimpered, the other monsters around him covered their ears in agony. Will didn't waste a second and he dragged Miranda into safety.

Miranda groaned, "Solace, you need to warn people before you damage their eardrums."

Will set her down on the cot and assessed the damage, "Sorry, I didn't know I could do that."

Miranda only had a broken ankle, which he quickly reset and bandaged. He grabbed another handful of arrows and stuffed it in his quiver.

Hannah and Elliott were busy taking care of the other injured campers. Kayla even stepped back from the fight to assist them with healing.

He headed back, this time towards the woods to see if there were any more injured campers he needed to rescue. Will wished he had chosen a different location; the image he walked into would forever be ingrained in his mind.

Lee stood before a Laestrygonian giant, the giant swung his club and Lee fell under it. Will sobbed as he rushed to Lee's side, his brain told him that he was too late, but he didn't listen; he refused to.

His hands glowed as he sang hymns to his father, begging him to save his brother. He didn't know how much time had passed; his shoulders sagged after every prayer he sang. His eyes blurred, whether it was from tears or exhaustion, he didn't know.

He didn't even have enough energy to flinch when a sudden warm hand was placed on his shoulder. "Will… he's gone."

Will closed his eyes and sobbed. Two arms snaked beneath his armpits before he was hauled up. Will stumbled on his feet before the same hands steadied him. He had to blink a few times to see who it was.

It was Avery, his eyes brimmed red, but he seemed relatively unharmed. "It's not safe out here, Kampê-"

Whatever he was going to say died as a terrible scream echoed through the trees. Will wanted to run, but the monsters running back into the labyrinth stopped him.

Avery grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the medic station. Injured campers lay on stretchers, most of them being from the Athena cabin due to Kampê's destruction of their command tent.

Michael stood to the side, commanding the archers to retrieve any spent arrow worth saving. He turned towards the medics, ready to lend a hand. Even with Michael's red eyes and quivering lip, he looked like a leader.

Will's heart stuttered in his chest as he made eye contact with Michael. Michael's eyes filled with relief before he charged towards him. "Oh, thank the gods you found him! Will, you're needed inside the tent."

Michael took Avery's place and grabbed his wrist dragging him into the tent. Inside, Chiron lay in an awkward angle, his back legs obviously broken. Will knelt down and silently asked permission to heal him.

Chiron nodded, and Will sang a hymn. His hands, however, failed him; they still glowed, but much more faintly than before. Will furrowed his brow and said, "I-I don't understand."

Chiron put a hand on his shoulder, "You used much power today, my boy. It's only natural that you would tire out."

Will tried again, but the glow was no brighter than the last. His gut hated how hollow it felt. He was a healer! He should be able to fix this!

Will closed his eyes, and poured all of his energy into healing the centaur. To his relief, he conjured enough healing power to stabilize the leg. Chiron would still not be walking on it for a couple of days as it continued to heal.

Both he and Michael helped lift Chiron into his wheelchair. Chiron fixed him with a sad gaze, offering his condolences. Will gave a small smile to reassure the centaur that he would be alright.

If only it were the truth.

...

Will stayed in the infirmary after the funeral. He replaced Lee as head healer; none of his older siblings were gifted in healing.

The pencil in his hand shook as he took inventory; they needed more of everything. The Ares cabin almost single-handedly wiped out their supply of nectar and ambrosia. The Hermes cabin won the reward for the most scratches ever, forcing them to go into the emergency supply for bandages.

Perhaps if Will left out a few drachmas, it would be enough to persuade Hermes to deliver their supplies sooner. Will always keeps a pile of drachmas hidden in case of emergencies.

Most of the sick beds were occupied by wounded campers. He'll need to redo his rounds in an hour to ensure everyone is alright.

His younger siblings, who shared a gift of healing, helped too. Hannah managed the paperwork and records in the front, keeping the visitors at bay. Elliott was the fetcher, grabbing anything the patient wanted; food, water, books, and a squirrel. Will scolded him as he bandaged the scratches on his arm, avoiding touching the strangely complicit squirrel cradled in his hands. His youngest sibling, Kayla, was his assistant, recording every treatment plan he advised on a clipboard.

It wasn't just cabin seven that was working in the infirmary; other campers volunteered, even Percy. He didn't last long, he hurled at the sight of a broken femur.

A small part of him wished to see Nico. He hadn't seen him since the battle. Will couldn't just abandon his post; not with so many injured campers.

He put the pencil down, rummaging through the drawers for his hidden stash of coins. He jumped at a loud knock on the doorframe. His older sister, Mindy, stood at the open doorway. "Hey, we're leading the campfire tonight to cheer everyone up. Will you be joining us?"

Will shook his head, "Not tonight. I need to do my rounds soon. Sherman's sedative will be wearing off soon, and I'll probably have to restrain him to the bed."

Mindy nodded, "I really haven't had a chance to talk to you since…" Mindy trailed off, her fingers playing with her necklace. "How are you holding up?"

Will smiled, "I'm fine. I think I'll have one more busy day in the infirmary before I can start sending people back to their cabins."

Mindy smiled back, her eyes strained. "That's great! You'll be missed at the campfire tonight. I'll see you tonight at curfew."

"See ya."

Mindy left Will alone; the smile instantly dropped off his face.

You were too late.

Only twelve campers now.

Eleven siblings.

...

Will searched the camp; he had just released the last patient from the infirmary. Now he has the time to find a certain camper.

"Who are you searching for?"

Will jumped. He's been more jumpy as of late, he wondered if that'll be apart of him forever, or until he can move on from the battle.

He turned to face his brother. Michael casually leaned against the tree, tossing a rock into the air before catching it.

"Who said I was looking for someone?"

Michael shrugged, "You have the look in your eye. Who is it?"

"An old friend."

"If you're talking about Nico, he has already left."

"Left? Did he go on a quest?"

Michael didn't answer for a moment. His attention was fixed on catching the rock he had thrown. "I'm guessing you haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"His godly parentage."

"He got claimed? When?"

Michael shrugged again, "He doesn't need to be claimed; his powers are a dead giveaway. Pun intended."

Will didn't understand the pun, "Whose his godly parent?"

"Your friend is a son of Hades."

Will quirked up a brow, "All three of them broke their oath?"

Michael frowned, "Percy was insistent that Hades was the only one who kept his word. Don't ask me how that's possible; I don't know."

"Do you know where Nico went?"

"No," he said. "Why do you care?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Michael narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you hear what I just said? He's the son of Hades."

"So?"

"So? Why aren't you freaked out?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because we're the sons of Apollo! We represent light. He's the son of Hades and represents the dark."

"And?"

"Did you hit your head in the battle?"

"No."

Michael stood up, brushing the soil off his jeans. "Nico represents death. I thought since you're a healer, you would have distanced yourself from him as soon as you figured out his parentage. I guess I was wrong."

Michael took off toward their cabin. Will frowned at the spot where Michael had been sitting. He didn't know why Michael was so upset about Nico's parentage. It's not like Nico could choose his parents, if they could, none of them would be demigods to begin with.

Will sighed and plopped down, his earlier plans ruined. What wasn't ruined?

It's all your fault.

---

August 2009

"Ha! This would teach them." Austin grumbled, brainstorming his plans on a piece of paper.

Will flipped through a medical textbook he got as an early birthday present, ignoring his siblings' ideas for revenge. He wished he could care about honor the same way his siblings did, but his gut was as hollow as an empty box. It seemed pointless to argue over loot when they were at war with the Titans. At least Mindy didn't seem too fond of cursing the Ares cabin either.

A couple of days ago, the Ares cabin led a raid against a mob of Luke's army. The Apollo cabin went as backup. During the fight, cabin seven seized the enemy's flying chariot. The question was who had the best claim to the chariot? The Ares cabin who led the fight, or the Apollo's cabin who seized the chariot?

Michael marched into the cabin, muttering, "Good riddance!"

Will closed the cover of his textbook, putting it back on the bookshelf. Chiron called a meeting an hour ago with all the head counselors. Judging by Michael's expression, the meeting didn't go well.

Mindy patted the chair next to her, and Michael sat down, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Clarisse just dropped out."

"What do you mean?" Avery asked.

"She and the rest of the Ares cabin are dropping out of the war; they're not helping."

Will blinked, "She can't do that! Their father is the god of war! How can they drop out of a war!"

Ashley snorted, "Are we sure she's seventeen? She seems closer to the age of three with her temper tantrum."

The cabin went quiet for a moment, trying to process the idea that the children of war would willingly step down.

Will winced as he knew what to do, but knew his siblings wouldn't agree. "I mean we can give the chariot to them."

Michael shook his head, "I don't think she's serious, Will. She might see it as a bigger insult if we only gave it back for exchange of help."

"What a baby!" Bradley muttered under his breath.

Michael turned his attention to the other cabin mates who were crowding around Austin. "What are you doing?"

Austin tapped the papers on the desk, straightening them. "Brainstorming ideas for an attack on cabin five."

Michael raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you have so far?"

Will squawked, "Don't even consider an attack! It will make matters worse!"

Michael waved him aside. "We need to play on their anger - that's our best play. If we can bring the war to them, they will have a hard time turning away from the real war. What do you got?"

Austin smirked, "I have Avery and Bradley on the flying chariot circling above cabin five. Ashley, Cyrus, Kayla, Elliott, Zoey, and I are on the ground fighting with music, archery, and curses of rhyming couplets."

Michael nodded approvingly, "I like it."

Will got up from his bed, and put on a pair of sneakers.

"Where are you going?" Hannah asked Will.

"The infirmary; I have a feeling I'll be needed there shortly."

...

Will strolled around the camp, relishing the quiet before the storm. He bumped into Annabeth outside the Big House on his way there.

She was typing furiously on the Daedalus laptop. She barely even acknowledged him until he said "hello".

"Oh, hey Will. I'm just reviewing some plans before we go to Manhattan."

Will blinked, "We're going to Manhattan?"

Annabeth frowned, "Didn't Michael tell you? All of us are leaving in thirty minutes."

Will shook his head, "I was held up in the infirmary dealing with, you know, the feud."

Annabeth nodded. Will realized she was strangely alone; usually Percy or her siblings were constantly around her.

"Where is Percy?"

Annabeth bit her lip, and Will understood.

"He said something about Rachel, didn't he?"

Annabeth flushed in response. This summer, Percy and Annabeth have been walking on eggshells around each other. Any mention of Luke or Rachel sends the other spiraling.

The whole camp has been watching them from afar, with popcorn in hand, waiting for them to realize that the other person likes them too.

"I should get back to my cabin and review everything with my siblings. You should try to find Michael; he may have something for you planned." Annabeth stood up, Will nodded, watching her leave.

He scanned the camp grounds to see if he could find his brother, and he did, right outside of the Ares cabin.

He took a deep breath and marched over, ready to mediate a fight. As he marched closer, he saw the chariot being whisked away to the Ares cabin. Was Michael really giving up the chariot? It was the right thing to do, but he didn't think Michael would actually go through with it.

Once he was within hearing range, he could pick up Clarisse's and Michael's yelling. Will sighed; he was hoping the surrender of the chariot would rekindle peace. Perhaps if it were a different cabin, it would.

"I gave you the chariot! What more do you want?"

"Nothing! You've already insulted our honor, which is not something that can be fixed or brushed under the rug. There will be no help from Cabin Five! Period!"

Will blew a soft raspberry, curse those Ares children and their stubbornness!"

Michael clenched his fists, "When I come back, I'll shove my arrow so far up into your-"

"Hey!"

Clarisse and Michael turned to Will, who was in shock as much as they were. His voice radiated power and authority; something he had never done before.

He marched closer to them. "This is not the time to be arguing; save it for later." He turned to Michael. "Annabeth said something about us going to Manhattan."

Michael's shoulders slumped. "Yes, sorry. I meant to tell you-"

Will waved him off, "It doesn't matter, what's the plan?"

"Percy wants to have an audience with the council of Olympus to help us against Kronos. He says he won't take 'no' for an answer."

Arguing with the Olympians sounded like a tutorial on how to get zapped in less than a minute. Percy is always a genius at generating those types of outcomes.

Will furrowed his eyebrow, "Okaaay, why do we all have to be there then?"

Michael shrugged, "Percy left a voicemail saying some sort of attack is happening tonight. Everyone but the Ares cabin is joining to fight it." Michael glared at Clarisse, but she didn't move a muscle.

Will turned to Clarisse, "I understand that you're upset-"

Clarisse snorted.

"- It's not just us who are fighting, Percy. Annabeth, Travis, Pollux, Jake, Katie, Silena, and all their siblings are fighting too. Can't you hold off on your anger until the war is over to help them?"

Clarisse snarled at him, and Michael stepped in front of him. "Come on, Will. We won't need them. They'll be jealous when we come back victorious without their help."

Michael led him to one of the three vans next to his siblings. Mindy looked hopeful, "Is Clarisse going to help?"

Michael shook his head no and watched the other cabins load into the vans.

"We're dead!" Elliott cried.

Michael punched his arm, "Don't talk like that! We're going to win! We're going to take down those sons of bitches who killed Lee!"

The air surrounding them turned sorrow at the reminder of Lee. Michael held out his hand, "For Lee?"

Eleven hands piled on top of Michael's, "For Lee!" They shouted as they raised their hands. They piled into the van being driven by a harpy with full faith that Percy knew what he was doing.

...

Will hauled an unconscious mortal woman out of her car into safety. Elliott helped by grabbing her feet.

An army of two hundred monsters, led by the Minotaur, had them cornered on the Williamsburg Bridge.

They ducked in time as a volley of arrows shot down the approaching hellhounds. They laid the woman down before rejoining their siblings in the fight.

Will quickly shielded Elliott from the sight of Bradley, who was being dragged away by hellhounds. Will bit back a sob and vomit as the hellhound tore off Bradley's head. He checked to see if Elliott had seen, and thankfully he hadn't.

Will grabbed Elliott's hand and retreated away from the front line. He faintly heard the wings of Pegasi in the distance. He hoped it was a reinforcement that Michael had called for fifteen minutes ago.

Will dragged Elliott behind a vacant car, using it as cover. Will got out his bow and nocked an arrow, taking his time to aim before releasing it.

The Pegasi came into view, dropping Percy and Annabeth onto the bridge. Will let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

Michael jogged up to meet Percy and Annabeth. "Glad you could join us. Where are the other reinforcements?"

"For now, we're it." Percy said.

Will's chest deflated at those words.

"Then we're dead." Michael agreed.

Elliott looked murderous, "He stole my line! And he had the audacity to scorn me for it!"

Will jabbed him in the ribs, "Now isn't the time."

Elliott crossed his arms, his harmonica dangling from his right hand. He didn't look happy, but he didn't want to push Will's patience.

He turned his attention back to Percy and Annabeth. Will had to make a mental note not to have Percy as an enemy. Percy charged into the flock of monsters, heading straight for the Minotaur. Will's siblings backed him up with arrows, but Percy was the one doing most of the work.

By now everyone knew of Percy's dip in the Styx. Hearing the tales of Achilles was one thing, but seeing Percy being practically invincible was another. Percy slashed monster after monster as if they were butter.

The morale of the Williamsburg Bridge lifted for a moment as the monsters started to retreat. That was soon tarnished as the monsters went to grab reinforcements, the reinforcements being the Titan Lord himself; Kronos.

Will tighten his grip on Elliott's arm, they slowly backed up, as his other siblings did the same. He was dimly aware of Michael climbing up the suspension cables.

Kronos supposedly possessed the body of Luke. Will has never met Luke; he arrived at camp the summer after Luke's betrayal. He didn't know what Luke looked like before he was possessed.

Kronos/Luke stood, his blond hair flipping in the wind. The titan's golden eyes were filled with mirth as they paralyzed their prey. Will felt his limbs turning to jello, but he didn't loosen his grip on his younger brother.

Percy stood face-to-face with the Titan Lord. Percy was either stupid - which is most likely - or filled with courage - courage Will couldn't fathom to possess.

Will's focus snapped towards Annabeth's cry. She crumpled behind Percy; blood spilled from her shoulder.

A demigod from the Titan's side stood, his dagger coated in blood. The way he held the knife seemed as if he were aiming for Percy.

Will barley processed what that meant before Percy's Pegasus: Blackjack swooped down to take Annabeth away.

Time felt wrong; it went both slowly and quickly at the same time. Will felt his sanity draining. He remembered Michael yelling something at Percy, but he couldn't make out his words.

Will blinked; a part of the bridge collapsed, sending dust flying into the air. The spot where Michael was dangling was now empty. He is now aware of Elliott dragging him. Wasn't it the other way around a few minutes ago?

Something cool was pressed against his lips, and the sickly sweet taste of Mountain Dew greeted his tongue.

Will blinked again. Avery stood in front of him, holding a glass of Mountain Dew. His eyes were red and puffy. Avery extended the glass towards him, and Will took it, taking another swig of it.

There were ten of them altogether on the part of the bridge that was still standing. Nine of the Apollo cabin and Percy.

Nine? Will looked around again. There should be twelve of them. Will swallowed back the bile as he remembered Bradley's fate; which should leave eleven, but where were Michael and Mindy?

"Will!"

Ashley and Percy rushed towards him. Percy now was the one to grab his wrist, dragging him away from the bridge. He only picked up pieces of the conversation Percy and Ashley were having.

"Will… heal Annabeth." … "Look … Michael."

Will shook of the last remnants of his daze as he jumped on behind Percy on a Yamaha FZI. He didn't even know if Percy knew how to drive, but he didn't question it.

He silently questioned Percy's sanity as he broke every speed limit. Will held on for dear life as Percy weaved in and out of the parked cars on the street.

They made it to the plaza hotel, their headquarters, in record time. Will didn't pay much attention to the spiff Percy was having with a bronze Roman goddess, other than Percy yelling at her to watch his bike.

They walked past multiple injured campers and hunters. Will took note of all the injuries he passed by, none being fatal, but they would need to be properly taken care of.

Will didn't stop his walk, not after he saw what Percy could do. He didn't want to find out what Percy would do if Will stopped to help someone before he helped his unofficial girlfriend.

Jake told them where Annabeth was, and they rushed over. Will squeezed his way through the Athena cabin, they stood vigil at Annabeth's side.

Annabeth was pale and sweaty, her shoulder bandaged. Will quickly got to work by unwrapping Annabeth's bandages. The wound had stopped bleeding, but the cut was deep, and the edges tinged green. Poison.

Will set his hand gently on Annabeth's wound and closed his eyes. He concentrated, latching onto the poison he felt underneath his palm, he sent out his power to determine how far the poison had spread.

Will exhaled with relief and opened his eyes, "It's not so bad, Annabeth. A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gone past the shoulder yet. Somebody hand me some nectar."

Percy grabbed the canteen of nectar and Will took it and splashed the wound with it. Annabeth's cries of pain whizzed past Will's ears; he had become accustomed to them over the years as a healer. He put some silver paste on the wound before placing his hand on top of the wound. It glowed faintly as he sang a hymn, his energy sapping as he felt the wound mend together.

"That should do it." He grabbed a piece of paper. "But we're going to need some mortal supplies."

He jotted down the supplies he needed: over-the-counter pain reliever, Mountain Dew, gauze, antibacterial wipes, and bandages - lots of bandages. He handed it to Victor, a son of Athena.

Will glared at Travis when he volunteered to steal the supplies. "Leave cash or drachmas to pay - this is an emergency. I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot more people to treat."

Will left Annabeth alone with Silena and Percy, trusting either of them to fetch him if things got worse.

Will busied himself in healing the injured at the hotel. It was something he could do; he went from one patient to the next without any breaks.

If he had taken a break, he would have to relive the scene where he saw his half-brother being decapitated by a hellhound, or he would have wondered what happened to Michael and Mindy. He couldn't let those thoughts haunt him, not now.

Will didn't know how much time had passed since he first arrived at the hotel. His mind buzzed with exhaustion after healing another patient, an unclaimed demigod from the Hermes cabin: Lou Ellen.

He was about to move on to another patient when he was interrupted by a soft voice, "Will?"

Will turned around to see who had called him. Connor, pale than usual, stood in front of Will's six younger siblings.

"Yes?"

Connor licked his lips, shifted his feet, and avoided eye contact. Will glanced towards his siblings, all of which were crying. Hannah was hyperventilating.

Will rushed towards her, wrapping his arms around her, "What's wrong?"

She shook in his arms, her breath wet and ragged against his chest. He glanced at his other siblings, none of them met his eyes.

"Where's Ashley and Avery?"

Hannah shook harder at his question. Austin's lower lip quivered dangerously. Connor looked at the floor, his hands twitching. Will understood; he wished he hadn't.

"Oh." His voice was soft; his vision wavered for a moment.

Five siblings dead. You could've saved them.

He held Hannah until she calmed down. She wiped at her eyes furiously before looking at him. They all did; they looked at him for direction.

That's when it hit him. He's the oldest one, the one in charge. Will swallowed back a sob, and took a breath. "There's many injured campers and hunters I haven't attended to yet. If some of you can help, that'll be great."

Will blinked, and his siblings were gone, leaving him alone with Connor.

Connor clapped his shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Will. Travis and I got the supplies you requested."

Will nodded, looking anywhere but at Connor's face.

Will glanced at the clock, it was about noon. When he left camp yesterday it was the fifteenth, which makes today the sixteenth; his birthday. He's in charge of the Apollo's cabin at the age of thirteen.

There were thirteen of them last year. Now there's seven.

Will decided that he hated the number thirteen. It's a cursed number.

Will looked over one more patient before booking it to the restroom, expelling everything he ate.

You could've saved them.

...

They moved to Olympus, deciding it was a safe enough haven to move their medic station. His siblings stood by his side, treating wounded half-bloods as they came in.

Will rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. He hadn't slept since they left camp, and he ached with exhaustion; yet he kept pushing forward.

He quickly reset Billie's broken arm and stitched up Sherman's chin. His mind was solely focused on healing; his brain didn't even register that he was working on a son of Ares.

It wasn't until later that he found Zoey shaking in rage; he figured out that cabin five had joined the fight.

"It was her."

Will sighed, "Zoey, you have to let it go. Holding onto anger won't help anyone."

Zoey flashed her teeth in a snarl, "Don't you care? If it wasn't for that daughter of Aphrodite, our brothers and sisters would still be here."

Will took a breath, he couldn't afford to lose control of his emotions. "What is done is done. Silena sacrificed herself to make it right. Let's hold off until-"

"She got them killed! And this is all you have to say! You should be tearing them down piece by piece, but here you are defending that traitor who is responsible for giving Kronos our location! At least Michael had the nerve to protect us, you are a failure in-"

"Hey!" Malcom grabbed Zoey by the shoulders and scolded her. "Let's not say anything we'll regret later. Let's take a walk to cool down." Malcom steered Zoey away from the medic station.

Will turned to work on another patient, but stopped as a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. Will shifted his head to see who it was; Pollux, son of Dionysus.

Pollux squeezed his shoulder in sympathy. "C'mon," he said, "you need to take a break."

Will shook his head. "I can't. I need to treat the patients."

"Your siblings have it covered. Follow me." Pollux steered him away; Will's siblings took his place as head medic.

Pollux led him into an empty room. He steered him to sit on the couch. Will sat, his back stiff as a metal rod. Pollux sat beside him.

"When's the last time you slept?" Pollux asked softly.

Will shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on the door. They sat there together in silence for a minute or two, before Pollux's voice filled the air again.

"Don't take what she said too seriously; she's grieving."

Will shook his head, "She's not wrong."-

Pollux started to protest, but Will waved him off.

"I thought keeping them up here would keep them safe. It's not; it's just delaying the inevitable. Besides, there are more injured demigods who need treatment out there. I know what to do."

Pollux remained quiet, processing his words, "What will you do?"

Will stood up, "I'm going out there."

Pollux shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Will. You look like you're about to collapse any second now."

Will ignored Pollux's advice and marched out of the room, running into five of his siblings. They turned to him, waiting for instruction.

"Hannah, Elliott, you'll stay here with Pollux. Heal what you can. Zoey will help you once she comes back."

Will turned to his other siblings, "Cyrus, Austin, and Kayla, you're with me."

Hannah frowned, "Where are you going?"

Will grabbed his bow and slung his quiver over his shoulder. "I'm going to heal the fallen demigods in the field."

Elliott looked like he wanted to protest, but he nodded solemnly. Hannah looked the same. Will's other three siblings looked determined and accepted their fate.

He didn't know what he was expecting when he walked out of the Empire State Building, but an army of skeletons wasn't on his list. His heart soared as he saw who was commanding the army; Nico Di Angelo.

Will shoved his feelings down, it can come later. He scanned the battlefield, looking for wounded survivors.

"Over there!" Austin pointed to his left. Will followed Austin's line of sight; a son of Demeter fell.

Kayla quickly shot down the telekhine, and they rushed to help the demigod.

"Hey Colby, I'm going to need to look at the wound. Could you please remove your hand?" Will gently instructed the twelve-year-old boy.

Colby reluctantly let go of his wound and Will got to work. The cut wasn't poisoned, but it was deep. Will set his hand on top of the wound to slow the bleeding, but he couldn't close it all the way, so he stitched the wound up.

Kayla helped him while Austin and Cyrus defended them against any approaching monster or demigod working for the titans.

After Colby's wound was closed, Will and Kayla moved him to a safer place. Austin was luring a pack of wolves away with his saxophone, while Cyrus shot down any monster that got too close to them.

Another demigod fell, this time it was a daughter of Aphrodite's: Lacy. Will rushed to her side, and Kayla followed behind him.

He quickly assessed Lacy's injury: two broken ribs. There wasn't much Will could do but ease the pain. He handed her a piece of ambrosia to chew. Will helped Lacy to her feet once her color improved.

Will and Kayla moved from one demigod to the next demigod, healing them or offering them medical supplies.

For the first time in days, Will felt like he was useful. He knew he was making a difference in the battlefield as the knocked-out demigods got back up with his aid.

However, the moment was short-lived as a demigod on the titans' side charged at him. Will couldn't notch an arrow fast enough; he braced himself to be stabbed, but that never happened.

Instead, Cyrus took the blade for him. Kayla roared with rage and began battling the demigod head-on. Will dropped to his knees beside Cyrus; he was losing too much blood.

Will put his hand on Cyrus's chest, trying to slow the bleeding. Will poured all of his strength into trying to mend the wound. Black spots danced in front of his eyes; his strength wavered as his fingertips barely glowed.

Austin pulled him back. Will fought against his brother's grip, he needed to save Cyrus. Why was Austin pulling him back?

"Will stop! You're going to kill yourself by using too much power."

Will shook his head. "I need to save Cyrus."

"Cyrus is gone. The blade nicked his artery, and there's nothing we can do."

Will hung his head in shame. Another sibling he couldn't save. There's only six of them now.

When will this nightmare end?

...

The walk up Olympus was a solemn one. Kayla and Austin stood by Will's side. None of them celebrated, despite their victory.

The Apollo cabin had twelve members three days ago, now it's dwindled down to six. The loss was too great for them to celebrate Kronos's demise.

The elevator's doors opened, and they stepped out. His other three siblings were waiting for them.

"Will!" Zoey cried out as she ran towards him and enveloped him in a bear hug. "I'm sorry!"

Will hugged her back, "You have nothing to apologize for."

They stayed like that for a minute; Zoey was crying into Will's shoulder, Hannah, Elliott, Austin, and Kayla were crowded around them. No one asked about Cyrus; they probably had reached their own conclusions about what happened.

"I'll get right on it! A timeless epic for future generations."

Will shifted his gaze to the voice of the young man, maybe in his early twenties who stood a few feet away talking to the woman wearing a white gown.

The man wore a simple V-neck short-sleeved top with shorts and sandals. His golden curly hair swept around his shoulders. His blue eyes dazzled as he talked to the woman, occasionally smiling to show off his blinding white teeth.

From where Will stood, he could feel the warmth radiating off the man. At this point Will knew this wasn't just some ordinary man, but something more powerful, much more powerful.

Is he supposed to be-

"Children!"

Will let go of Zoey as the man strolled towards them.

"Austin, Hannah, and Elliott, we must write songs for our victory!"

Austin looked at Will in the corner of his eye, silently asking for help.

Will licked his lips, trying to get his tongue to form words. "Father?"

"Who else would I be?"

Will didn't answer. This is his first time speaking to a god – not including Mr. D. Is he supposed to bow?

Apollo flashed them a smile, "I understand. You are so flabbergasted by my amazing presence, you don't know what to say."

Will tried not to jump when Apollo clapped him on the shoulder. "Remember that with every sunrise comes a new day. A day to praise Apollo."

Will smiled, unsure what else to do. He gave his siblings the side-eye as they abandoned him with their father.

"I should go back to Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. I'll leave you with words of wisdom."

"The Gods fought bravely,

The titans are defeated.

Praise Apollo."

Apollo gave them one last blinding smile. Before rejoining Calliope in their conversation about poetry.

Austin broke the silence first, "So that's…"

Kayla frowned, "He's not who I imagined him to be like."

Will shook his head. "Me neither."

...

Will tossed his bloody gloves in the trash. He turned on the faucet with his elbow to wash his hands.

It's been two days since the war ended. Will hasn't had a chance to leave the infirmary since he returned from Olympus. The only time he's left is for his siblings funeral.

He didn't mind being cooped up in the infirmary; it wasn't as painful as his cabin. The cabin used to be full of life, but now it's a husk of what it once was.

Will turned off the faucet and stripped out of his soiled scrubs and put on his regular clothes. He avoided the mirror, the last time he saw himself in the mirror he looked like he'd been hit by a truck.

Will stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air. Cyclopes built new cabins for the minor gods. Ares's cabin chased other demigods with swords. Satyrs and the Demeter's cabin tended to the strawberry fields.

It was as if there hadn't been a full-blown war two days ago.

They all died because of you.

There used to be twelve. Now there's six.

It's all your fault!

"Will!"

Will shook away the voices in his head and turned to who had called him.

Clarissa marched towards him. He hasn't talked to her since before the Battle of Manhatten.

"Hey Clarisse."

Clarisse stopped in front of him, frowning. "You look like trash."

"Thank you."

"Do I need to drag you to the infirmary?"

"I just left. I rather not go back there for a few minutes."

Clarisse looked him up and down, pondering if she could drag him there herself.

"Honestly, I'm fine. We had so many wounded that it took a lot of energy to heal."

Clarisse nodded solemnly. "About that." She swallowed. "I think your cabin should have the chariot."

Will frowned. He didn't expect Clarisse to give up the chariot, nor did he expect her cabin mates to do so. Is this an apology?

"Why?"

Clarisse shrugged, not answering him. "Are you going to take it or not?"

It seemed like the feud between the two cabins was years ago. The argument seemed pointless now. Will didn't want the chariot. It was a reminder of a tragedy that could've been avoided.

"Let's share it."

Clarisse raised an eyebrow, "You want to share it?"

Will shrugged, "I think both cabins deserve it. The Ares cabin led the battle and the Apollo cabin seized the chariot. Both cabins have claim rights."

Clarisse pondered the thought, her eyes fixed on the lake. "Okay, but I get to negotiate the terms of the co-ownership of the chariot."

Will held out his hand. "Deal."

Clarisse smirked, took his hand and shook it hard, almost dislocating Will's shoulder in the process.

Will grimaced and held his arm once Clarisse let go. He walked into that, he should've known better not to shake hands with an Ares kid.

"See you later, Solace."

"See ya." Will whimpered.

Clarisse marched off, probably to tackle Percy or someone she hates.

Will rubbed his arm, rotating his shoulder to make sure he had full motion of it. He stopped, pain momentarily forgotten once he saw a familiar face in the distance.

"Nico?"

Nico turned towards him and Will waved excitedly at him. He hadn't spoken to him since he first arrived at camp almost two years ago.

Will jogged over to where he stood. "Hey, I didn't get a chance to tell you how cool it was for you to show up with a skeleton army. You saved the day."

Nico didn't say anything, and Will continued, "We all probably would've died without your help. The rest of the gods would've been doomed if your father hadn't helped."

Nico nodded; he looked rather uncomfortable.

"I think Mythomagic got it wrong; your father should have more than 4000 attack points"

"He actually has 5000 attack points, but only if your opponent attacks first - I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Will deflated. He shouldn't had gotten his hopes up. Why would he remember him?

Will scratched the back of his neck, "Will Solace. Head Counselor of cabin seven; Apollo's cabin. You taught me Mythomagic two years ago when you first came to camp."

Nico frowned, "Will? You don't look - You look awful!"

Will smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I just got done with my shift in the infirmary. I usually don't look like this. There were a lot of injuries that needed healing."

"Why are you talking to me? You should be resting!"

"I will; I just needed fresh air first. Plus, I wanted to talk to you."

"Why?"

"I haven't spoken to you in two years. I wanted to see how you were doing."

Nico's frown deepened; it seemed like he was having trouble accepting the idea that people wanted to be around him.

"Anyways, I met my father the other day. I now know what a haiku is."

Nico grimaced, "That's unfortunate."

Will nodded with a smile, "Are they building Hades a cabin?"

Nico nodded, "Cabin thirteen."

Will's smile broadened, maybe Nico will stick around. Perhaps thirteen isn't that bad of a number.

---

December 2009

They died because you couldn't save them.

It should've been you, not Cyrus.

You couldn't even save your brother from a hellhound.

Will shot an arrow, he barely made the target. He scowled at it. Why couldn't he be good at archery? Austin is better at it than he is, and he doesn't have the archery gift.

Will fixed his stance and prepared another arrow. He focused on the target, releasing the arrow and it hit the target. It was closer to an bullseye, but not by much.

He thought archery would calm his nerves, but it only made him more stressed. A few days ago, Percy went missing. Annabeth has been worried sick because she couldn't find him.

He offered the flying chariot once Annabeth had received a vision in which Percy could be found. She should be coming back very shortly; hopefully with Percy.

While he was waiting for Annabeth to get back, he decided to brush up on his archery skills. A decision he started to regret, perhaps he should've said yes when his siblings asked him to play basketball with them.

SPLASH

Will returned his arrow to his quiver. The splash came from the lake; he hoped it was just a pizza guy and not a monster.

Will brought his bow just in case and walked towards the lake. His eye twitched as he saw the wrecked chariot that he had lent to Annabeth.

"Annabeth!" He cried. "I said you can borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"

Annabeth stood at the shore, her arms crossed. Butch was tending to the pegasi.

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed. I promise."

Will scowled at the broken chariot before realizing there were three new demigods in the group.

"These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" The shorter boy in the group asked.

Will ignored him and turned to Annabeth, "Any sign of Percy?"

Annabeth's shoulders slumped. "No."

Will ignored the other campers whispering. No sign of Percy; it didn't bode well for any of them. They had just gotten done from the titan war four months ago, and now Percy went missing.

Drew being Drew started to antagonize the new girl, Piper. Will tuned Drew out; he learned to do that after Drew started misusing her abilities.

A holographic image of a fiery hammer appeared over the shorter boy's head. That was quick. The new boy, Leo, is a son of Hephaestus.

"Will, will you take Leo? Give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk mates in cabin nine." Annabeth asked.

"Sure, Annabeth." Will said.

"What's cabin nine? And I'm not a Vulcan." Leo asked.

Will put a hand on Leo's shoulder, "C'mon Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything."

Will steered Leo into camp. He took him to the usual spots; where they kept the war ships, arts and crafts, the archery field, the sword arena, the dining pavilion, and the cabins.

"So the flaming hammer over my head; a good thing or a bad thing?" Leo asked.

That's a new one. No one ever questioned whether their claim was good or bad. He took a while to respond.

"You were claimed almost immediately. That's usually good."

"But that rainbow pony dude; Butch, he mentioned a curse?"

He'll need to talk to Butch about his manners later. You don't just say there's a curse when someone has been claimed.

Will hid a grimace, "Ah - look it's nothing. Since cabin nine's last head counselor died."

"Died? Like painfully?"

Will hadn't felt this uncomfortable talking about something than the time one of his younger sister's first cycle started.

"I'd better let your bunk mates tell you about it."

"Yeah where are my home dogs? Shouldn't their counselor be giving me the VIP tour?"

Will winced as he thought about Jake. Jake can't really do much, not after…

"Um, He - uh. He can't. You'll see why."

Will went ahead, not wanting to answer any more questions about cabin nine's demise. Though he had to stop when Leo froze, his gaze was fixed on something in the distance. "What's wrong?"

"That old lady, what she doing here?"

Will frowned. He didn't see an old lady. Perhaps he saw something and is mistaken about it being an old lady?

"What old lady?"

"Dude, thee old lady, the one in black. How many old ladies do you see over there?"

He saw no one in black, nor did he see anything black over there.

"I think you had a long day, Leo. The mist could still be playing tricks on your mind. How about we head straight for your cabin now."

"Just messing with you man."

Will knew he wasn't. The old lady Leo saw freaked him out. Deep down, Will knew Leo wasn't seeing things; it had to be connected with Percy's disappearance. Maybe the old lady was the kidnapper? He'd have to do some research about it, discreetly. He wasn't going to tell Annabeth his theory; she might write him off as crazy.

Will walked Leo into Cabin nine. Leo admired the cabin with fascination as he gravitated toward a Weed Wacker on the wall.

"A Weed Wacker? What's the god of fire want with a Weed Wacker?"

"You'd be surprised." Jake Mason said as he retracted the camouflage curtain. Will winced as he came into view. Jake looked better than he had been when Will was treating him, but he was still in a body cast and a swollen face.

Jake and Leo introduced themselves while Will watched, casually leaning against a wall without any weapons on it.

Will balked when Jake gave Leo Beckendorf's bed. Will hasn't let anyone touch his deceased siblings' beds, well technically he didn't have to as the Apollo cabin didn't have any new members. Though the idea of someone else using their bed made Will feel ill.

Will blinked as Jake explained the underground rooms. Did anyone besides the Hephaestus kids know about them? If not, Will felt honored to learn about it. Only if the Apollo cabin had something like that, he could actually sleep at night. He loved his brother, but he couldn't deny the urge to strangle Austin once he started playing his saxophone at two in the morning.

Will shifted his feet uncomfortably when they started talking about Beckendorf. He didn't understand how Jake could talk so easily about him. Will choked up every time he talked about his deceased siblings.

"The titan war?" Leo said. "Which has nothing to do with this very fine bed?"

"The titans." Will supplied. "The big powerful guys that ruled the world before the gods. They tried to make a comeback last summer. Their leader Kronos built a new palace on the top of Mount Tam in California. The armies came to New York and almost destroyed Mount Olympus. A lot of demigods died trying to stop them."

"I'm guessing this wasn't on the news?"

Will shook his head in disbelief. How had Leo not heard about it? The monster storms that swept the nation, Mount St. Helens erupting. He asked if Leo had seen it on the news.

Leo said he hadn't, which Will couldn't believe. The boy must've lived under a rock.

Jake explained Beckendorf's fate, which led to the 'curse'. Will always chided someone when they said Cabin nine had a curse. Which was hypocritical since Will believed he's cursed.

Will took Leo to the forges, explaining how Jake and he became head counselors in the middle of the war. Once he was introduced to all of his siblings, Will left him alone with them.

Will's eyes strained towards the basketball court to see his siblings and a few of the Hermes kids getting into a spat. Will sighed and marched down there to break up whatever argument they had created.

It should've been you.

---

April 2010

Will ran through the forest, branches cutting his face as he ducked under them. Monsters running up behind him, gaining ground.

He ducked behind a bush, panting. He willed his heart to stop beating so hard, afraid the monster's keen ears would hear it.

"You let me die."

Will jumped. Lee sat at a tree stump; his head was coated in blood. Lee glared at him as he repeated, "You let me die."

Will sobbed, "I'm sorry!"

The monsters attacked, dragging Will out into the open, tearing his flesh apart as Lee watched.

Will blinked and he was underwater. Will kicked his feet to reach the surface, but no matter how hard he kicked he couldn't reach it. His feet were chained to the sand, trapping him underwater.

Michael's face swam into view. Will reached out for him, but Michael backed away from him. Will tried to scream, but water filled his lungs.

Michael spoke to him, having no issues with breathing underwater because he was already dead. "It's all your fault!"

Will sat up gasping as a pillow hit him in his face. He was in his bed, the moon shining high through his window.

His siblings all looked at him with concern. Zoey slept in the bunk above him; she peered down from the rail to ask him, "Are you alright?"

Will nodded, still breathing heavily. "Sorry. I had a dream. Was I screaming?"

His siblings frowned at him. "No… but what did you dream about that would've had you screaming?" Hannah asked.

Will shook his head, "It's nothing."

"Does it have to do with the Romans?" Austin asked.

Will shook his head no. After Jason, Piper, and Leo came back from their quest in December. They found out the Roman gods and demigods existed; Jason being a son of Jupiter and the praetor at his Roman camp.

Chiron grimly told the head counselors the history between the Greeks and the Romans. To put it simply; if there's going to be a reunion, it won't be a pleasant one.

"Then what did you dream about?" Kayla asked.

"Guy, I don't think he wants to talk about it. Plus we don't know if it will trigger a bigger reaction than what he's doing now." Elliott said.

Will furrowed his brows. What did Elliott mean by 'trigger a bigger reaction'? Will shifted uncomfortably in his bed as his siblings stared at him… in awe? Why are they looking at him like that?

Zoey smirked, "I told you he'd find it."

"What are you talking about?" Will asked.

Zoey rolled her eyes, "Your second power, doofus! I told you, you'll find it!"

"What do you mean? What second power?"

"Dude, look at your skin." Austin said.

Will looked down at his arm, sure enough it was glowing. Will frowned, "I don't understand. My hands only glow when I'm healing, but I'm not healing anyone now. Why am I glowing?"

"It's your second power. You don't need to heal anyone to glow; you just glow." Zoey explained. "Since you know, our father is the God of Light."

Will flopped back into his bed with a groan, "What am I supposed to do with it? I'd rather it be poetry so I can at least curse them with it! What am I going to do, just glow like a glow stick and hope it scares off the monsters?"

Elliott snickered and Zoey threw her pillow at him to shut up.

"Go back to bed." Will instructed his siblings. "I need to figure out how to turn this thing off. And no one should breathe a word of this to anyone, or I'll volunteer you to watch Apollo's Sex Ed video."

"Our lips are sealed!" His siblings shouted in unison.

Will focused on his arms, willing the light to die out. It took maybe twenty minutes, but he finally figured out how to turn it off. He didn't go back to sleep, not after that dream.

He wondered why he didn't have the ability to light.

What good did it do him? Why couldn't he inherit an ability that would be useful in battle or protect his siblings from being killed?

The words from his dream echoed in his head:

You let me die!

It's all your fault!

---

July - August 2010

Chiron gathered all the head counselors in a meeting to discuss the upcoming Roman invasion. Will sat around the ping pong table along with the other head counselors. Chiron started the meeting by asking about their defenses.

No one was surprised when Clarisse answered. She gave an honest report, but she complained about the Roman eagles dominating the airspace. She might have called the Romans barbarians.

Rachel gently corrected her while she drew on her jeans with a marker.

Clarisse, taking issue with being corrected by a mortal, shifted her verbal assault to Rachel. She criticized her for not being able to foresee such attacks.

Rachel turned red, "That's hardly my fault. Something is wrong with Apollo's gifts of prophecy. If I knew how to fix it-"

"She's right." Will cut off Rachel. He knew she was flustered and wanted to take the attention off of her.

For the past couple of weeks, his father has been silent. That wouldn't be a concern for any other godly parent, but it would be if it concerned Apollo. After the titan war, Apollo started to visit them in their dreams - well, he visited Will's siblings in their dreams to play music, write poetry, or have archery competitions. Will, who wasn't gifted in any of those areas, didn't have the dreams as frequent. There were only a few times his father showed up in his dreams, and he taught Will how to do surgeries.

Will laid a hand on Clarisse's wrist, "My dad hasn't answered any prayers, or appeared in any dreams…"

Jake offered the theory that Apollo was hiding because of Octavian. Jake had a point; if one of Will's descendants started to act like that, Will would voluntarily bury himself in the dirt.

The left corner of Will's lip turned down slightly, "I wish I were a better archer… Actually, I wish I could use any of my father's gifts to stop this war." He frowned at his hands, "Unfortunately, I'm just a healer." And he glows, but no one needed to know about that useless power.

Chiron assured him that his powers were essential, but Will didn't believe him. Will couldn't hear what was said during the rest of the meeting because the voices in his head overwhelmed him.

You let me die.

If only you can shoot a bow, then I could still be alive.

...

Will counted the infirmary. The Romans were already setting up outside their camp for the attack. Chiron ordered all the head counselors not to engage until they fire first.

Which left Will in the infirmary, setting all the necessities they will need for tomorrow. His siblings were occupied by practicing in the archery fields.

Will was expecting a quiet evening before everything goes to downhill tomorrow. He didn't prepare for Clarisse to barge into the infirmary with a very pregnant cloud nymph.

Will paled considerably; this couldn't be happening to him. Before Clarisse could confirm one of his worst fears, Will blurted, "Chiron is more suited for this."

Clarisse glowered at him. "He's busy with the war. You have to do this; you're the only one who's qualified."

"But I'm not qualified! I never-"

Clarisse took a few steps closer to him. He was taller than her, but she still intimidated him. She shoved her finger into his chest. "Look Solace. I promised Hedge I would look after his wife, and I don't break promises. If you don't help, so help me gods, I will tear one of your limbs off. Then I'll stick Hedge on you. Do you want a satyr who specializes in martial arts to be on your bad side?"

"No." Will squeaked.

Her brown eyes were as hard as stone. Her mouth formed into a permanent scowl. They could've stayed like that forever, but Clarisse backed off when Mellie grunted in pain. She retracted her finger and pushed Will towards Mellie.

Will gulped, and Mellie looked afraid and helpless. Will repeated the words Lee told him during the first weeks of working in the infirmary in his head: No matter the injury, you never turn away someone who's in need of help.

Will forced a smile, "Alright Mellie, why don't you go lay down and I'll have a look."

Mellie was in labor for seven hours before Coach Hedge arrived. His hooves and goat calves were wet, but he looked relatively unharmed.

Mellie cried in relief as the coach ran up to her. Clarisse patted Mellie's shoulder and nodded to the satyr before exiting the infirmary. Will wished he could follow her.

Mellie gave a strangled yelp as a contraction coursed through her body. Coach Hedge glared at him, "Can't you give her anything for the pain?"

Will shook his head. "I gave her what I could without hurting her or the baby. The contractions are stronger because she's progressing quicker. She's seven centimeters dilated; she's nearly there."

The coach didn't look pleased with his answer, so Will rushed to say, "Distractions help. Why don't you tell us about your adventures to distract Mellie?"

Coach Hedge told them everything from Leo being possessed by an eidolon and firing against Camp Jupiter. Their journey to Rome - Will tensed at the part where Nico was captured. He didn't know why he had a soft spot for the son of Hades, but any detail of him in danger put him on edge.

Coach briefly talked about the journey to Epirus, rescuing Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus. Then his most recent expedition of bringing the Athena Parthenos to camp.

Will listened to his story, not interrupting him once. His stomach turned at Nico's close call with fading into the shadows. He'll have to chain Nico to the infirmary once they're done with this Roman business.

He hadn't seen the son of Hades since September of last year. Will thought that if he got a cabin here, he would stay, but he didn't; he left without saying goodbye to anyone. Will was determined to make Nico stay this time.

After the coach got them caught up on what's been going on, Mellie was ten centimeters dilated.

After forty minutes of pushing and screaming - Will was pretty sure he had screamed with Mellie at one point. A baby satyr was born. Will made sure the baby's lungs were clear before handing the kicking half-goat to Mellie.

Will congratulated them both, saying he would be a strong kicker, fueling Hedge's pride. Will promptly left, changing out of his scrubs, which were coated with blood and fluids. After he was free from his soiled clothing, he expelled everything that hadn't been digested from dinner last night.

Cecil and Lou Ellen were waiting outside the infirmary for him. "Hey man, we heard you had to deliver-"

Will raised his hand to silence Cecil. He did not want to talk about.

Lou Ellen snorted, "Good gods Will! You're shaking like a leaf! Isn't childbirth supposed to be joyful? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Will glared at the daughter of Hecate. She just shrugged and handed him a bundle of black clothes and a jar. Will raised an eyebrow in a question.

Cecil straightened, "We thought you'd need some fresh air. Now go and change and put that paint on your face. We're going to spy on the Romans."

Will blinked and he realized for the first time since he walked out of the infirmary that Lou Ellen and Cecil were dressed in black. It concerned Will that he didn't notice the grease paint on his friends' faces until Cecil mentioned it.

Maybe he did need a distraction. Will took the clothes and changed. It was a simple black T-shirt and jeans combo. Will frowned when he put the paint on his face; it was wet and heavy. He would need four showers after this, he thought.

He joined Cecil and Lou Ellen after he deemed himself incognito. They crept up to the bush, Lou Ellen manipulating the mist as they walked. They crouched behind the bush, Cecil handing him the binoculars.

The sun slowly peeked from the horizon. Romans lined up down the hill and in the valleys. Six large onagers aimed at the camp, ready to unleash pure hell upon them.

Will handed the binoculars back to Cecil, "Those onagers. Can you defuse them?"

Cecil frowned as he scanned the weapons. "It will be challenging with the Romans so close by, but I think I can."

"I can help." Lou Ellen said. "My mom gifted me with a pig ball."

Will and Cecil didn't ask what a pig ball was, they knew better than to question the gifts of Hecate.

Cecil quietly rummaged through his bag, pulling out a container.

"Is that greek fire?" Will asked.

Cecil nodded, "I may need to throw it at the Romans if we get caught."

Lou Ellen jabbed Will in the ribs before he could respond. "11 o'clock"

Will squinted slightly towards his left. He saw a boy around fourteen years old using Thalia's pine tree as support. He was almost unrecognizable with his tropical shirt, but Will knew who had that shaggy black hair.

Will snatched the binoculars from Cecil's hand and double-checked to see if what he is seeing is correct. His eyes aren't playing tricks on him; he is actually here.

Multiple emotions ran through his mind. The number one being determination. From Nico's stance alone, Will could tell Nico was about to fall over in exhaustion. From what Coach Hedge had said about Nico's near death experience, he looked as if he hadn't fully recovered.

"Nico?" Will called softly to Nico.

Nico spun, sword in hand, and Will almost met the same fate as Bradley. Nico looked worse than Will ever saw him. He was paler than the moon's rays, which made the dark circles under his eyes pop. The veins in his neck and arms were visible beneath his translucent skin.

Will needed to get him to the infirmary, and he knew being nice wouldn't work. For the past two years Will has been nothing but kind to Nico, and yet Nico always left without saying a simple goodbye. If Will wanted to get Nico's attention, then he'd need to try a different approach.

"Put that down!" Will whispered-hissed "What are you doing here?"

Nico looked taken back, "Me? What are you doing? Getting yourselves killed?"

Will scowled. "Hey, we're scouting the enemy. We took precautions."

Nico criticized his disguise, and Will felt his ears turn red from embarrassment. It wasn't like he had time to find a hat to cover his golden locks. Besides Lou Ellen's magic over the mist should cover it, and that is what he told Nico.

Nico asked if the Coach made to camp.

Lou Ellen giggled, "Did he ever."

Will elbowed her. He didn't need the reminder of what he witnessed so soon. "Yeah. Hedge is fine. He made it just in time for the baby's birth."

Nico grinned, which is one of the most beautiful things Will had ever seen. Suddenly Will had an idea, but it came with a possibility that Nico might use his sword on him.

"…Gods of Olympus, my hands are still shaking. See?"

Will took Nico's hand and used his vitakinesis to assess Nico's condition. It wasn't good; he barely had a pulse. If Nico did one more shadow jump, he would vaporize in shadows and never return.

Nico withdrew his hand with a snap. "We don't have time to chitchat. The Romans are attacking at dawn."

Will stood tall, saying, "We know. But if you're planning to shadow travel to that tent, forget it."

Nico glared at him, but he didn't back down. Nico could scare the majority of the people at camp, but he couldn't scare away Will's determination.

They argued, neither was willing to back down. Will even had to put it as an order as a doctor, something he rarely did, only in dire situations.

Nico finally relented, "Whatever. But we have to hurry. And you'll follow my lead."

"Fine," Will held back a sigh of relief. "Just don't ask me to deliver any more satyr babies and we'll get along great."

They crept up to the first onager when their enemies began to fight with each other. Which Nico explained was his distraction.

Thankfully, the mist did its magic as they weren't caught when Cecil messed up their first contraption. However, it was short-lived because the mist didn't cover them as they shifted to the next onager.

One of the guards yelled, "Hey!"

Some might call Will brave or stupid for what he did next. He took off running, six legion guards chasing him in full battle gear.

Will prayed to his father, hoping he'll answer this one. His father beat Hermes in a foot race. Surely outrunning six Romans wouldn't be a challenge, right?

Will didn't dare to look behind him as he heard the footsteps getting closer and closer to him. He stopped when he heard them shout in surprise or pain. Nico came to his rescue, kicking and pummeling the Roman's faces with the hilt of his sword.

Will pounded Nico's shoulder in a thank-you gesture, "Thanks for the assist. Six at once isn't bad."

Nico glared at him, "Not bad? Next time I'll just let them run you down, Solace."

Will smiled, "Ah, they'd never catch me."

Cecil finished messing up the second onager and they moved to the third. The wild centaurs were still fighting below, but the Romans started gaining control over them.

They didn't make it less than twenty yards away from the contraption when they were caught. Lou Ellen cursed and explain the mist wouldn't work if they're expecting an attack.

Will didn't catch on to Nico's plan until it was too late. Nico summoned a group of skeletons to fight the Roman guards.

Will caught Nico as he stumbled, and Lou Ellen and Cecil rushed to help the skeletons fight the guards.

Nico's pulse stuttered underneath his grip and Will put his arm around Nico's torso for support. "You idiot." He chastised.

Will handed him a piece of gum to chew. It wouldn't heal him completely, but it would give him enough energy.

Cecil and Lou Ellen came back to join them after Cecil finished the third onager. Lou Ellen thanked Nico for the skeletons, which Will quickly assured her Nico wouldn't be doing that again.

Which led to another argument; some name-calling may have occurred. Will failed to notice Lou Ellen's wide stare as she watched the first cohort and the dog-headed warriors approach.

Will's wretched distant relative, Octavian, showed his face. Will pushed down the urge to strangle him when Octavian gave the order to kill them.

When Nico raised his sword, Will thought he was going to summon more skeletons, so Will did the only thing he could think of; he whistled.

He hadn't done his whistle since the Battle of the Labyrinth, but sure enough it worked as the six dog-headed warriors dropped their weapons and covered their ears.

Nico took advantage of their pain and slashed them all. The dog-headed warriors were no more as they dissolved into shadows.

Octavian looked stunned, "My-my Elite guard! Did you see what he did to my elite guard?" He asked his Roman soldiers.

"Some dogs need to be put down. Like you." Nico said stepping forward.

Will didn't think he could say it more beautifully. Then Will blushed; he should have. After all, he is the son of a poetry god.

Octavian did a poor job trying to manipulate his warriors that the Greeks are ones who is causing the violence. Cecil and Lou Ellen were quick to point it out. Frustrated, Octavian ordered the Romans to check the onagers to see if they're still operational.

Will prayed to Hermes that Cecil was able to dismantle the onagers in a way that would go undetected. They couldn't afford for them to figure out what was wrong with the contraptions.

Octavian approached them. Will couldn't believe he was related to this scumbag. From the brief interaction they had, Octavian didn't exhibit any similar personality traits as the Apollo cabin members, except maybe for their inflated egos.

Octavian sneered at Nico, "Tell me, son of Pluto, why are you helping the Greeks? What have they ever done for you?"

Plenty, Will thought, more than you're offering. He wondered how Nico ever got involved with the Romans in the first place.

"I'm helping the Greek and the Romans."

Octavian barked about a laugh, which sounded like nails on a chalkboard. At least Octavian didn't inherit any musical talent from his godly ancestor. Octavian toyed with Nico, saying he wouldn't have a place at Camp Half-Blood. The more Octavian opened his mouth, the more Will wanted to smack that stupid smirk off his face.

"I don't want a place in their camp, or in yours. When this war is over, I'm leaving both camps for good."

Will felt as if he had been punched. Why would he say that? Nico looked happy during his first winter here, but why would he give it up?

Will asked Nico why he would say that. Nico sneered at him and said he didn't belong and no one wanted him there because he's the son of Hades.

Will didn't know who he wanted to strangle more in that moment, Nico or Octavian.

Did Will mean nothing to Nico? Was his kindness overlooked by the son of Hades? Did Nico not remember teaching him Mythomagic by the campfire? Did he not remember Will dotting him after the battle in Manhattan.

Will spent months worrying about him, and now Nico is pulling the 'nobody wants him' card.

"Oh, please." Will snarled. "Nobody at Camp Half-Blood ever pushed you away. You have friends - or at least, people who would like to be your friend-" He continued his rant that Nico was the problem by not accepting them as friends.

Octavian had to interrupt his rant with his own offer, "I can assure you a place in New Rome. All you have to do is step aside and allow the Romans to win. The god Apollo has shown me the future-"

Will has had enough. He pushed Nico out of the way so he could get in front of his wretched relative. "I am the son of Apollo; you anemic loser -"

Will promptly called Octavian a liar; Apollo would never want a war between the Greeks and the Romans. Plus, the power of prophecy stopped working; no one could get any insight into the future.

Octavian fired back with not only words but also with six onagers. The three onagers Cecil dismantled caused the other three to go out of commission.

Heat washed over Will's face as the onagers misfired into the sky. Will wanted to kiss Cecil because no damage had been done to the camp. Also, it was amusing to see Octavian throw a tantrum and his Roman warriors stand down.

The victory was short-lived, however, as dread filled Will's gut. Chiron only managed to stop the camp from being attacked until the Romans fired first. The Romans just fired, not successfully, but they did fire nonetheless.

Sure enough, around one hundred campers, twice as many nature spirits, Cyclopes, and Chiron marched to the front line.

He tilted his head back, wanting to groan in misery. Why couldn't they just win? That's when he realized a pack of Pegasi were in the air carrying the Athena Parthenos.

Will whistled again, louder than the last. "Don't be stupid. Look!" Will yelled, pointing at the sky. The Greeks and Romans followed his gaze. A Latina teenaged warrior was riding the Pegasus, delivering the statue. Will assumed the rider was Reyna; a Roman praetor.

The statue was placed on the hill by Thalia's pine tree. A strange feeling of comfort swept through Will, almost like a warm summer breeze.

"Romans! I do this for the good of the legion, for the good of Rome. We must stand together with our Greek brethren!" Reyna yelled.

Nico backed Reyna up as he strode through the Greek and Roman demigods. "Gaea is rising. If we don't work together-"

YOU WILL DIE

The voice came from the earth, shaking the ground. Will paled, as did everyone else. Gaea has awakened.

Octavian, the coward, backed away, muttering, "No."

The Romans and Greeks huddled together, waiting to do the impossible; kill Mother Earth.

...

How do you kill Earth? Will wasn't sure. Monsters exploded left and right from the woods.

Will ran back to his siblings. He commanded Zoey, Kayla, and Austin to help on the front line of defense; meanwhile, he, Hannah, and Elliott would be the combat medics. The siblings split up because there was a lot of ground to cover.

Will started to heal both the fallen Greek and Roman demigods. He'd received a few strange looks from the Romans, as if they were asking 'why are you saving me when I nearly destroyed your camp?'

The battle raged on as he weaved in between monsters and demigods. He didn't have any weapons on him, which was stupid in hindsight. The only thing he had to defend himself was his whistle, and that only stunned the monsters until another demigod killed them.

Will let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when the seven of the great prophecy joined them. The relief was tarnished when he Octavian decided to show his face again.

He was messing with one of the onagers. Is that guy serious? Will huffed, he thought with Gaea awakening; Octavian will see who the real enemy was! But it still looked like he still wanted to act his revenge on the Greeks.

He scanned the battlefield for Nico. He needed to tell Nico about the Roman augur. A pit swirled in his gut as he saw Nico fighting side by side with Jason.

Will ran up to Nico and whispered Octavian in his ear. Nico asked where, and Will knew he was on board to deal with him.

Will started leading him towards the onager he had seen Octavian at. They passed many fighting demigods, nature spirits, and Cyclopes on their way. They were halfway down the hill when the ground shook with fury. They froze - who wouldn't freeze in that situation? Then, to Will's horror, Gaea appeared, but she was only on the ground for a second before a bronze dragon swooped down and snatched up the primordial. Will took Nico's arm and led him to Octavian.

Octavian was still fiddling with the onager, he had reloaded it with Imperial gold and other explosives. He kept glancing up towards the bronze dragon and Leo. That's when Will realized he wasn't aiming for the Greek demigods, but at Gaea.

"Octavian!" Nico yelled.

The Roman spun - in the process he backed up into the onager, his robe getting caught in it. Octavian didn't seem to notice.

Will raised his hands in peace. "Octavian, get away from the onager. That isn't safe."

Octavian retaliated, not caring if Jason, Leo, or Piper were in the crossfire. Octavian thought he would be the savior of Rome if he fired the onager at Gaea.

Will tried to reason with Octavian again, "This is not what Apollo would want. Besides, your robes are-"

Octavian cut him off, wrapping his hand around the release lever. Will swallowed; he needed to stall Octavian until the augur could listen. No matter how much he despised the Roman, he couldn't let him kill himself. Especially since the Roman didn't intend to kill himself.

Another Roman walked up to him; Michael Kahale. Will grimaced at the red bump on his forehead, which looked painful. Michael took in the scene as Octavian ordered him to kill them. Nico readied his sword in preparation for an attack.

Michael didn't do what Octavian commanded. Instead, the son of Venus asked Octavian if he was sure he wanted to fire the onager. Octavian readily agreed to fire the onager. Still, he didn't noticed that he was caught.

Will bit back vomit, "Octavian, don't. We can't allow you-"

"Will," Nico interrupted, "we can't stop him."

What Nico said shocked him to his core. This went against everything Will was taught. To who Will was, he's a healer; he's supposed to save people. He couldn't let someone kill themselves in front of his eyes. Yet he obeyed Nico's command and stood back. He trusted Nico.

"Goodbye Gaea! Goodbye Jason!" Octavian yelled with a smile before releasing the lever to fire the onager.

The smile was the last expression Will saw on his face before Octavian flew into the air, straight for Gaea, Jason, Piper, and Leo.

Will watched in horror as the storm cloud became a cloud of fire. Everyone stopped to look at the fiery explosion in the air. To storm or fire the world must fall. Was that it? Is the war over?

Thankfully, Jason and Piper were found alive, and Will rushed to heal them. He was so occupied with healing that he didn't realize he was short of his two regular helpers; Elliott and Hannah. Instead, other Greek demigods and Roman demigods took their place.

It wasn't until two hours later that he found out about his siblings' death. He lost three more siblings. Zoey died when Cyclops stomped on her head. Hannah and Elliott died while transporting a fallen demigod to safety by a pack of hellhounds.

Will felt horrible. He didn't even think "horrible" was a strong enough word. He lost ten siblings in a span of three years to heroic deaths, while he was still alive after assisting in a suicide.

Was it a suicide? Can it be a suicide if the person didn't want to die? No. It was murder. Will just committed murder. He may not have been the one to release the lever, but he sat back and watched.

Why were they dead, and he wasn't? He was the most useless of all of them, and he; the healer, deliberately didn't save someone when he could have.

He failed as a healer, head counselor, and most importantly as a brother. He wanted to strip himself of the title of head counselor and give it to either Kayla or Austin, but one look at their faces told him they didn't want it. He kept the position, even though he didn't deserve it.

The hours blurred together, he went from healing one patient to the next. Honestly; this was too much like the Titan War. For a moment, Will thought he was still in the Titan War. The flashes of Octavian flying through the air reminded Will that it wasn't the Titan War.

His thoughts kept straying to Nico. He hadn't seen him since Gaea fell, but he didn't have a choice because the infirmary was backed up with injured demigods. The last interaction with Nico had been the most he ever had with him. Maybe being snarky was the only way to get through to the son of Hades.

He began to doubt himself after the second day of the war. Nico hadn't even stopped by to say hello, perhaps Nico had already left camp. Maybe Nico was just as disgusted with Will as he himself was. Will kept playing the scene over and over in his mind. Maybe Nico expected Will to save Octavian no matter what he said and counted on it. Maybe Nico only told him to back off to appease Michael, and expected Will to save the augur anyway.

Will stepped outside to get some fresh air. To his surprise, Nico was still at camp talking to Jason. Envy filled his gut when Jason bear-hugged him. Nico didn't like being touched, but Jason was able to hug him. How did he and Nico become so close? And how can Will do the same?

Will's heart fluttered when Nico glanced at him. Will put on his sternest face, worthy of an Oscar, and beckoned the son of Hades to come.

Will wasted no time in questioning where Nico has been for the last two days. Nico genuinely looked confused, he voiced his confusion by asking why someone like him, a son of Hades, would be welcome in the infirmary.

Will stopped himself from rolling his eyes. That boy is dense! Maybe the boy got amnesia and forgot about his kindness after the Battle of Manhattan.

He ordered Nico to stay in the infirmary for three days. Will expected some kind of witty retort or denial, but Nico accepted without a fuss.

Maybe they could start being friends for real this time.

...

The infirmary was quiet, and the only sound that filled the air was a soft snip from a pair of scissors. Will was wiping the counter with antibacterial wipes. Nico was behind him, cutting bandages.

"Do you always look like this after a battle?" Nico asked.

Will turned, and looked down at himself. "Like what?"

Nico waved his hand at him loosely, "Like a zombie."

"A zombie?"

Nico rolled his eyes, "Yes! And as a son of Hades, I know what they look like. If I weren't power-deprived, I could tell the difference. Now, I'm not sure if you're Will Solace or a zombie my father sent me."

Will ran his hand down his face, rubbing at it subconsciously. Nico has been helping in the infirmary for about a day. He began to regret his decision when Nico berated him on his appearance.

"Your father sends you zombies?"

"Yes! But that isn't the point, Solace! When was the last time you slept?"

Will didn't answer him, instead he touched Nico's wrists to check for his vitals. His heart rate is sluggish still, but better than what it was yesterday.

"So you're ignoring my question?"

Will shook his head, but still didn't answer him. He moved around the room tidying up the room.

Nico scoffed, cutting off another slice of bandage, "You're an idiot!"

Will raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

Nico pointed at him with the pair of scissors. "You are an idiot. You're running yourself into the ground, and you have the gall to call me out for it. You, my friend, are a hypocrite!"

Will smiled, "Did you just call me your friend? Am I your friend?"

Nico tossed his hands in the air, "Gods of Olympus! And you call me dense!"

Dakota peeked around the corner. "I'm finished setting Larry's leg. What else can I help with?"

Dakota, the son of Dionysus - Bacchus (Will still had a hard time calling the Romans by their Roman parentage), helped around the infirmary. The legion was leaving sometime later today going back to their camp.

Will waved at Nico, "Nico do you mind if you help Dakota in finding some antiseptic cleaner? Caleb just got discharged, but the room still needs cleaning."

Nico mumbled something under his breath but nodded. "Fine, but when I come back and you still look like you're going to keel over, I'll get Chiron involved."

Nico left the room with Dakota, leaving Will alone. Will put his head in his hands as the voices in his head overwhelmed him.

You let me die!

This time, Will didn't know who the voice referred to. Was it Lee? Cyrus? Hannah? Elliott? Zoey? Or was it Octavian?

Will held back a sob. There was blood on his hands! Too many people had died at his hand, he couldn't save them.

You let me die!

---

January 2011

"What do you think happened to them?" Kayla asked.

Will shrugged as he put a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth. "I don't know. I knew Cecil wouldn't go off on his own, but no one else believed that. At least now they're taking it seriously with Miranda going missing."

Three campers have gone missing: the first is Cecil from the Hermes cabin, the second is Ellis from the Ares cabin, and the third is Miranda from the Demeter cabin.

Austin pushed his spaghetti around on his plate. "Something fishy is going on, and I don't like it."

Nico snorted. His plate was annoyingly empty. "Who likes it?"

Maybe Will should explain why Nico was sitting at the Apollo's table; it's a funny story. Ever since they started dating in October, skeletons would rise from the ground whenever Nico sat alone, scaring the year-round campers. Strangely, Will didn't know what the cause was, so he wrote Nico a doctor's note to allow him to sit at the Apollo's table to avoid the dead rising. Chiron accepted it with a sigh, not willing to question the logic of it.

The camp, like every winter, had plenty of empty seats. This year is particularly more bare than usual. Clarisse, Travis, and Katie have gone off to college, making the camp quieter. The three missing demigods had really made a dent in their small population.

The only one who seemed unbothered was young Harley from Hephaestus's cabin. The eight-year-old was too excited about the three-legged race he planned in the labyrinth. No one wanted to disappoint the kid because no one really wanted to do the race, especially with the disappearances.

Harley's older half-brother, Leo Valdez, was declared dead after the Battle of Gaea. A few days after the battle, however, Leo appeared via a magic scroll, announcing that he was alive.

Leo hadn't come back to camp yet. All they knew is that he was traveling on the bronze dragon, Fetus, with Calypso. Harley engineered a beacon to signal to Fetus, but he was having trouble contacting the dragon. The race was the first time a smile had appeared on the boy's face in months; no one wanted to see the joy taken away from the child.

"He's not wrong," Kayla said. "Something fishy is going on. First all of our communication methods are not working, and now we're missing three demigods!"

"Remember last year when Percy went missing?" Austin spun his fork in his lunch, "Olympus was closed and they swapped Percy with Jason. Maybe another war is brewing."

Kayla knocked on wood, "Gods I hope not! Three back-to-back wars? No thanks!"

Nico pointed his fork at Kayla. "I'm with Kayla."

Will rolled his eyes, "No one wants a war." He glanced at the Ares table. "Besides Sherman."

"I'm serious!" Austin pushed his plate away. "It's not a good sign that we can't even contact Camp Jupiter. None of our messages are going through. Plus, Rachel's out of commission since Delphi is..."

Rachel is their oracle, but she's lost her ability to see the future or dispense prophecies since July when Python took over Delphi. Their father, who has not been heard from since around the same time.

After the battle at camp, Jason pulled Will aside and told him what had happened to his father at the Parthenon. Will was worried; he didn't know what had happened to Apollo or what punishment Zeus had dealt him. It wasn't like his father to be silent for such a period of time; he only hoped that wherever he was, he was all right.

Nico groaned, "Why can't we have peace?"

Will tore a piece of garlic bread. "I'm pretty sure if something is rising, the gods will let us know."

Kayla rested her chin on her hand. "But that's the thing! Mr. D isn't here, and who knows what happened to dad!"

Will shrugged, "We can talk about it later. For now, we need to focus on finding the missing demigods."

Nico crossed his arms, "Where would we even start? We don't know where they went."

"I'll ask Chiron after the campfire," Will said. "Maybe he'll call a meeting and we can start from there."

Austin looked around at the other tables. "We need to do our best today." Austin told Will and Kayla. "Everyone is down in the dumps, except for Harley."

After they finished their meal, the campers gathered around the campfire. Austin led the campfire songs, as he had the musical gift from Apollo.

Nico took charge of the marshmallows. He put them on skewers and passed them out to the campers. After everyone held a skewer, Nico sat next to Will.

Will liked his marshmallows to be a nice golden brown, but his boyfriend liked them burnt. Will didn't understand how Nico could stand the taste of the burnt sugary treat. It tasted like charcoal, and Will didn't like that taste.

The flames rose higher after each song or joke one of the campers told. The campfire raised everyone's morale, but that all changed when something rustled in the woods.

Two new demigods stepped out of the woods. The older one was about fifteen or sixteen years old. He had brown curly hair, his face riddled with acne. He looked ill, his weight being supported by the younger demigod, who looked to be around twelve years old. She was dressed in a green dress with black leggings paired with red sneakers.

The older boy collapsed on the ground. What came out of his mouth sent the whole camp into panic: "Oh, hi! I'm Apollo!" Then he passed out.

Will stood up while Connor dropped his marshmallow into the fire. "Hold on. Did he just say he's Apollo?"

Will rushed to the boy's side and took hold of his wrist. His vitakinesis told him that the boy had a high fever, a busted nose, and broken ribs.

He looked back towards the campfire, the other campers stood with swords at their sides, murmuring to each other.

Will took a deep breath and said, "Someone go get Chiron. Austin, Kayla, come help me carry him to our cabin."

No one moved. They all stood there in shock. Will ordered more authority into his voice. "Now!"

Kayla and Austin helped Will carry his…father? He can dwell on it later; it could also be the teenager's delusion from the fever. They set him on an empty bunk.

"Are we going to talk about-"

Will cut Austin off, "Not right now. Why don't you go check on the girl and make sure she's okay. I got it from here."

Neither Austin nor Kayla moved; they stared at the unconscious teen. "Why didn't we take him to the infirmary instead of here?" Kayla asked.

Will sighed, "Because if he's really Apollo, he might be more comfortable in his own cabin than in the infirmary."

"Is it really possible?" Austin asked timidly.

Will shook his head. "I don't know. But seriously, go check on the girl; see what she knows."

Kayla and Austin left the cabin. Will got to work by checking the teen's wrist again; he was healing quicker than normal. Could it be? Will shook his head. The teen had blood in his veins, not ichor. Will grabbed a vial of nectar and dribbled some into the teen's mouth.

To Will's horror, the teen's lips began to steam. Will cursed loudly; Michael Yew would have been proud of his vocabulary, and he wiped away the excess nectar from the teen's mouth.

A knock interrupted Will's curse. He turned around to find Julia Feingold at the door. "Hey, I told Chiron about um..." The daughter of Hermes gestured to the unconscious teen. "He said to bring him to the big house once he's awake."

Will nodded, "And the girl?"

Julia smiled, "Her name is Meg, and that girl is tough! I'm thinking she could be a daughter of Ares. She kicked Sherman in the groin and poked Connor in the eye."

Will whistled, "That sounds like a child of Ares!"

Julia nodded. "I'm going to go settle her in the Hermes cabin. Are you okay?"

Will nodded, "Yeah. Thanks, Julia."

Julia left, and Will turned his attention back to the patient. The teen is mortal; there's no other explanation as to why he couldn't digest the nectar. But how did he get past the camp borders? An ache settled in Will's stomach. Didn't Zeus turn Apollo mortal twice before? What if Zeus turned him mortal again?

Will stared at the teen, wondering what else to do. He didn't know how long he stood there. Then the teen stirred, waking Will from his reverie.

"Eaasy!" Will coaxed, "Don't try to sit up."

Like every patient Will had, the teen ignored him and tried to sit up. The teen's eyes fixed on him before shifting it to around the cabin, he looked dazed.

"Those flowers." The boy croaked, "Those are from Delos, my sacred island."

Oh Gods! This really is Apollo! His father!

Will asked Apollo if he knew who Will was. Out of all of his siblings after the Titan war, Apollo was the one who visited Will the least.

Apollo hesitated, "You're Will Solace, my uh…um…"

Will nodded, "Yeah, it's awkward."

Apollo swayed from where he sat, and Will grabbed his shoulders to keep him upright. Will explained his attempts at healing.

"I guess Meg forgot to tell you about my condition."

Will nodded in agreement, "I guess she did."

Will gave a run-down on his condition after double-checking his wrists. His father wailed about his acne and flab. Will tried to hide his smile; he's mortal and he's more concerned about his appearance. Will reminded himself that this was Apollo he was talking about; of course he was concerned about his appearance!

"Are you amused?" Apollo asked.

"Well, it's either find this funny or freak out. My dad, the god Apollo, is a fifteen year old-"

"Sixteen." Apollo corrected, "Let's go with sixteen."

"A sixteen year old mortal, lying in a cot in my cabin. And with all my healing arts, which I got from you. I still can't figure out how to fix you."

"There is no fixing this!" Apollo wailed. "I'm cast out of Olympus! My fate is tied to a girl named Meg! It cannot be worse!"

Will laughed. It probably wasn't the smartest move to laugh in front of a god, or at least a former god, but Apollo's misery about his predicament was the only normal thing about the situation.

Will told Apollo what Meg had been up to since they arrived at camp. Then he realized there was probably a crowd waiting for them outside the cabin.

Even though Apollo can heal faster than average, it doesn't mean he can deal with more than a dozen campers asking him questions at once.

Before Will could share the story about the three missing demigods, his siblings, Austin and Kayla, entered the cabin.

Apollo remembered their names without any hesitation. Will pushed down any resentment he had towards his siblings. How could he be mad at them? They deserved it more than he did.

Austin opened his mouth to speak, "Meg told us you've been beaten up by a couple of thugs-"

Will winced. That explained the busted nose and broken ribs. But how could Apollo be beaten up by mortals? Technically, his father is mortal, but shouldn't he be able to defend himself? He's over four thousand years old! Surely he knew self-defense.

Austin and Kayla panicked, fearing they would lose their powers. Will wondered the same thing; would his healing abilities go away since his father was mortal? He didn't voice his concerns, as it sounded too self-centered.

Weirdly, Apollo looked proud of Austin and Kayla's concerns. He assured them that they wouldn't lose their powers as Zeus would have to take their powers individually, and apparently Apollo had many children.

"So if you die when you're mortal -" Will's back arched at Kayla's comment. "-We won't disappear?"

Will sent his siblings to disperse the crowd waiting for them. Apollo turned pale after Kayla said the word "die". Will figured it wasn't easy for Apollo to hear that word.

Will smiled at his father, "They're in shock, we are all. It'll take some time to get used to… whatever this is."

"You do not seem shocked." Apollo observed.

Will laughed under his breath. If only he knew. He's been in a state of shock ever since Lee died. He'd been busy fighting in two back-to-back wars that he hadn't had the time to properly grieve over his ten deceased siblings. Now his father, who formerly was a god, is sitting in front of him as a mortal.

"I'm terrified! But one thing you learn as a head counselor is that you have to keep it together for everyone else."

...

Will has his right leg tied to Nico's left leg. Nico led him around the corner, muttering curses at the labyrinth.

Will forgot that his boyfriend had ventured into these tunnels back when Daedalus controlled it. It probably wouldn't have brought back happy memories.

They had two golden apples, but they needed one more to complete the race. Oddly enough, they hadn't run into any other groups; perhaps everyone else had finished before them.

They rounded another corner, a faint glow emanating at the end of the tunnel; a glow of a golden apple.

"Finally!" Nico grumbled.

They reached the golden apple, the bronze bands around their ankles snapping off. An opening opened above them, and they crawled out of the labyrinth.

They weren't the last group to finish. They were actually the third to finish. The first and second group were tied for first place, much to Laurel's and Holly's annoyance.

Laurel and Holly are twin daughters of Nike; the goddess of victory. Naturally the twins are very competitive and they didn't pair together in the race. Instead, Laurel teamed up with Violet, a daughter of Dionysus. Holly paired with Cassandra, a daughter of Ares.

The four girls had plenty of cuts and pieces of metal shards in them. When Chiron saw Will, he hurriedly waved him over to help.

Will got straight into work with Nico as his assistant. Together, they patched up the injured campers.

Sherman and Malcolm finished next, followed by Chiara and Damien, Julia and Alice, Valentina and Billie.

When Connor and Paolo emerged, alarm bells rang. For one, Paolo's leg was cut off—again, but that wasn't the most concerning; they came from the woods.

It's been suspected that the three missing demigods went into the woods when they disappeared. The race was not supposed to go into the woods. Nysa and Harley, the ones who designed the race, looked at each other with alarm.

Chiron shifted on his hooves, a few more strands of his hair turning gray. Will's gut twisted, there were only two groups that hadn't made it back yet; Austin and Kayla, and Apollo and Meg.

After another thirty minutes passed with no sign of either group, Chiron gathered a group of dryads to search in the woods for them. Will wanted to join them, but Nico grasped his wrist and shook his head no, pointing his chin at Paolo.

Right, he had a job to do. Will started the painful process of reattaching Paolo's leg. The poor guy was screaming and yelling Portuguese curses.

Thankfully, Apollo and Meg emerged after the search began. Chiron quickly sent them to the showers, and Will tried to regain his breath as Kayla and Austin were still missing.

"Hey, you're doing it again", Nico whispered.

"Doing what?" Will snarled, his hands glowing brighter.

"Doing the thing you do. Maybe you should take a break."

Will shook his head and let out a humorless laugh. "With this many injured? I'm the only one left from the-"

Will stopped and turned to his father. "Apollo, I need you!"

Apollo walked towards them with a wince; his eyes were dazed and kept darting to the woods, as if he were about to bolt.

Will gestured to the other six injured campers, "I need somebody to keep them stable."

Apollo's eyes wandered back to the forest, "but-"

"I know! Don't you think I want to be out there searching too?" Will snapped, ignoring Nico's stare, focusing on reattaching the muscles in Paolo's leg.

"Yes - yes of course!" His father said taking Will's spot with Paolo, who conveniently lost consciousness.

Nico shoved a canteen of water into Will's hand, ordering him to drink. Will took a shaky drink before shoving it back to Nico.

Will and Nico moved on to Valentina. Her left arm was broken in two places. Will quickly set it while Nico bandaged it. Neither of them bothered with small talk.

"Apollo's got the rest." Nico said steering Will away after they finished with the daughter of Aphrodite.

Will shook his, "No, I should-"

Nico shook his head, "Nope."

Will let Nico push him into his cabin. Nico squeezed his shoulder, "Go take a shower; I'll be here when you get out."

Will walked into the bathroom, the lights washing out any lingering shadows. Will looked in the mirror, as usual his scrubs were coated in blood. This time, the blood made him feel ill.

He didn't last another two seconds before he retched into a toilet bowl. His stomach ached with cramps as he expelled everything he had eaten.

The tug on the hem of his scrubs made him aware that there was another person with him. Nico must have heard him getting sick and let himself in.

Nico was careful not to spread the blood anywhere else as he gently removed Will's soiled top. Soon, Will was only clad in his boxers. Nico stood by his side, wiping away the tears that were dribbling down Will's cheeks.

Will didn't know how long they stayed like that; he cried over a toilet bowl and Nico ran his bony hands through his hair. Once Will was sure he had nothing more to throw up, he straightened his back. Nico nodded, giving his shoulder a good squeeze before exiting the bathroom.

Will took a quick shower. He put on a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie. Nico, true to his word, was waiting for him on one of the empty bunks in his cabin.

The bare cabin made Will's heart throb painfully. "Is Apollo still treating the wounded? I should go back and-"

"No." Nico said. "Apollo's with Meg. They're watching the woods in case they come back. Apollo dropped in shortly while you were in the shower; he grabbed some books about himself."

"What books did he grab?" Will asked.

Nico shrugged, "Most of them were about oracles. He said it was for research purposes, but I'm not sure what he's looking for."

Will sat dejectedly on his bunk, "If he said it was for 'research purposes', and the books are about oracles…" He sighed, "Then what's going on in Delphi must be somehow connected to the disappearances."

Will frowned as a thought occurred to him, "Why would Apollo need books about oracles? That's one of his godly domains."

Nico mirrored his frown. "Chiron also dropped by while you were in the shower. He said Apollo's memory is fuzzy. I guess he's having a hard time remembering things back when he was a god."

Will closed his eyes, "That's not good. Perhaps that is why he made such a foolish oath."

Before the race, Kayla pulled Will aside and told him about their father's impulsive oath. His father swore that he wouldn't play an instrument or shoot another arrow until he became a god again. It was a good thing it was Kayla and not Will, who Apollo swore on the River Styx in front of. If it was Will, he would've shot his father for being stupid. Will spent countless nights praying he will inherit the music and archery aspects of his father's domains, and yet his father willingly threw it away because he wasn't as good at it as when he was a god.

"Perhaps…" Nico said. "You should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

...

Rachel came back to camp earlier that morning. She had an impromptu meeting in the cave with Chiron, Apollo, and Meg about recent events.

Will's father was resting back in his cabin after keeping watch last night. Word spread that there was a prophetic grove somewhere within the camp's borders, in the woods.

Campers plugged their ears to avoid the luring whispers of the grove, some kept watch with binoculars - it reminded Will of the stakeout he'd had with Cecil and Lou Ellen at the Roman siege.

A pang filled Will's heart. Lou Ellen is only at camp for the summers, and Cecil… No! He couldn't think like that! Cecil was alive along with Austin and Kayla. His father and Meg were going to go find the grove and retrieve the missing campers.

Harley ran up to Will, a ukulele in his hands. The eight-year-old looked pleased, a sharp contrast from last night's race. He handed the ukulele to Will, "It's for Apollo."

Will turned the ukulele over in his hands, "Oh, that's nice Harley! But Apollo kind of swore-"

"-It's a combat ukulele!" Harley interrupted, "I mean, you can still play it, but it's for smashing monsters! It's made out of celestial bronze."

"I see." Will said, admiring the work of Hephaestus's son. "I'm sure this will come in handy."

"It's the least I could do." Harley said as he took out his beacon. "Apollo made some adjustments to my beacon last night, and I think it will help find Leo."

Harley has been trying to use his beacon for over three months, but he hasn't been successful in contacting Festus.

Will paused, it's not like Apollo to do something out of the kindness of his own heart; there's usually a trade-off involved.

"That's nice of him…" Will relented. "Did he fix it for you after you said you'd make him a ukulele?"

Harley shook his head. "He doesn't know I made it. We never talked about combat musical instruments. I just made it on a whim after he fixed my beacon."

"That's nice!" Will said, not knowing what else to say. His head spun at the notion that his father acted kindly for once.

Harley's lower lip quivered, "I-I went to go apologize to him last night. The race it - it wasn't supposed into the forest."

Will put a hand on his shoulder to console the young boy, "It's not your fault, you didn't know."

"That's what Apollo said! I thought he was going to incinerate me, or break the beacon I had when he asked for it. Instead, he adjusted it so Festus might be able to hear it. I want him to be prepared for when he tries to find the grove. Can you give it to him for me, please?"

Will nodded. "Of course!"

Harley took off skipping to the big house. Chiron requested his help with the internet, and Rachel tried to do some research on the Triumvirate Holdings.

Nico crossed his arms, "That didn't sound like Apollo. It's not like him to do something good without expecting anything in return."

Will shrugged, "That's what I thought, initially. But I keep remembering his face from last night when Austin and Kayla went missing. Maybe he can change?"

Nico observed the trail Harley left behind. "Maybe."

Malcom, Paolo, and Billie joined Will and Nico to say goodbye to Apollo and Meg. Will swallowed back his worry and handed the ukulele to Apollo.

Apollo tried to give it back, "I can't. I made an oath."

"Yeah, I know. That was stupid of you. But it's a combat ukulele, you can fight with it if you need to."

Apollo examined the instrument, "The work of Hephaestus?"

Will shook his head, "The work of Harley. He wanted you to have it. Just sling it over your back. For me and Harley, it would make us both feel better."

Nico handed Apollo some ambrosia for Meg. Malcom handed him a parchment map, explaining which parts should be explored. Paolo even gave his Brazil bandanna-scarf to the former god. Will didn't think Paolo had ever given it to anyone before; it was a sweet gesture.

Will blinked as Paolo kissed Apollo's cheek. Yes, Apollo was the one to keep Paolo stable during his leg surgery last night, but Will did most of the work. Where was his kiss? Where was his kiss when he reattached his arm three weeks ago? Will kept his face neutral, not to alert his boyfriend to his thoughts.

Apollo rested his hand upon Will's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be back by dawn."

Will reigned his emotions as best as he could before he asked. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm the sun god. I always return at dawn."

...

As promised, Apollo came back at dawn, unconscious.

He had a nasty concussion. He had a gash on his skull, but the strange goo around the cut seemed to be a healing agent. Will frowned; the goo looked scarily similar to saliva. Will didn't know what happened; Meg wasn't with Apollo when he passed out in front of Chiara.

Once Will did all he could to heal his father's head injury, he stepped outside his cabin where Nico was waiting for him.

He collapsed into his boyfriend's arms. "I don't know what to do," Will said after a few ragged breaths.

"Is Apollo okay?" Nico asked.

"He has a pretty nasty concussion. I did what I could for it, but-"

"But nothing. You said it yourself; you've done all that you could do. There's nothing else for you to do."

"But what about Austin and Kayla?"

Nico gently tugged at a tuft of Will's hair, "We will have to wait until Apollo wakes up. We don't know what we're even up against, other than a talking grove."

Will nodded against Nico's shoulder; they stayed like that until a shout came from inside the cabin.

"Please don't leave me again!"

Will and Nico rushed to the door. Inside, Apollo was dressed in only his boxers and he held a pot of flowers in his hands.

"He's talking to the flowers. Is that normal?" Nico asked.

It wasn't. Distantly, Will hoped he wouldn't witness another fit of hallucination from a concussed patient.

"These hyacinths, have they always been here?"

Now that Apollo mentioned them, he hadn't seen those flowers in the cabin before. Where did they come from? He took the pot away from his father, "Let's worry about you, okay?"

Apollo kept his gaze fixed on the flowers. A new spike of worry settled in Will's gut; this wasn't normal behavior after a concussion. His boyfriend's hand rested on his shoulder.

"Apollo, we were worried, Will was especially."

Still am, Will thought. He watched as his father tried to get used to his bearings, his eyes still glued to those flowers. Will would need to revisit where they came from later. His main priority was to make sure his father is in a sound state, which Will didn't think he was.

Apollo rubbed at his forehead, "Meg is in trouble! How long have I been unconscious?"

Will and Nico shared a glance before informing Apollo about the time. They informed him of Chiron's instruction to not let anyone go into the woods, which Apollo agreed to wholeheartedly.

Will stood near Apollo while his father put on his clothes in case he fell. "Look, Apollo. I don't think you're back at one-hundred-percent."

Apollo stumbled, proving Will's conclusion, but Apollo waved him off, "I'll be fine. I have to save Meg."

Nico volunteered to help, but Apollo turned him down. Worryingly, he said they were needed here to protect camp. From what, Will didn't really want to know, but he asked anyway.

"I'm not sure, you must tell Chiron the emperors have returned, or rather they never went away-"

Will blocked the rest of the sentence out. Emperors? As in… No, that's ludicrous! Even for demigod standards. It's more likely his father was spouting nonsense since he was talking to a plant less than ten minutes ago.

Nico asked for clarification on the emperor's origin, and Apollo said what Will didn't think was possible; the Roman emperors, the ones who ruled Rome when it was an empire.

Apollo explained how the emperors were, in fact, minor gods. They were sustained by worship, just like the Olympians.

Will didn't believe it, he couldn't. What other entities exist just because of mortal worship?

Oh Gods! Will thought. Does that mean Santa exists somewhere? Millions of children worship him like a god every winter. If there's a Santa, then there's probably a Krampus. Will didn't want to spend his free time battling an evil Santa Claus.

"- The Beast is planning some sort of an attack on camp. I don't know what and I don't know when, but tell Chiron you must be prepared. I have to go. "

The Beast? Who's the Beast? Apollo started to walk out the door.

"Wait!" Will called out, "Who's the Beast? Which emperor are we dealing with?"

"The worst of my descendants; the Christians called him the Beast because he burned them alive. Our enemy is Emperor Nero."

...

Nico dragged Will into a canoe.

"As much as I like being with you, why are we in a canoe?" Will asked.

"Because..." Nico trailed off, rowing the oar through the water, "I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Will brushed him off automatically, saying, "I'm fine."

"Will." Nico said patiently, "Your father is a mortal teenager. Your siblings have gone missing. Now there are three Roman emperors trying to take over the world. I would be overwhelmed."

Will was silent for a while, staring at the clear water below. The naiads waved at him, and he waved back out of politeness.

"It's just -" Will started, but shook his head. It felt like Will was cursed from all he'd lost in the wars, but how could he talk about it freely?

Instead, Will chose the safer option, "I'm worried about Apollo."

Nico nodded, "He'll come back with Austin and Kayla."

Will snorted, "How can you be so sure? He was beaten up by mere mortals a couple of days ago!"

Nico gave a small smile, "Because he had the same look in his eyes as Percy and Jason get whenever they'd set their minds to something. Trust me, whenever those two are determined, there's nothing that will stop them from fulfilling it, and so will Apollo."

Will nodded, "I trust you."

They sat back in a comfortable silence, watching the water gently lap the side of the canoe.

Nico was the first to break it, "Nero, huh."

After they told Chiron, the centaur called an emergency meeting among the head counselors, which was basically everyone at camp. No one seemed pleased with another threat so close in time from the last.

They got to work; Sherman, Nyssa, Connor, and Malcolm are currently going over strategies and traps for whatever possible attack might happen. Will didn't have anything to prepare because he's just a healer, and Nico kinda does his own thing.

Will nodded, "Yeah. Apparently he's one of my distant relatives."

"You have some pretty awful distant relatives."

Will grimaced, knowing who Nico was referring to. They hadn't talked about him since it happened. It's a taboo topic neither of them dared to broach. The conversation was heading towards it, and Will changed the subject before they could bring it up.

"Chiron didn't seem too shocked about it."

"No." Nico sighed, "But if you've been around as long as he has, would anything surprise you anymore?"

"I guess not." Will agreed, "You'd think we've seen it all after two wars -"

The canoe rocked with a loud thud in the distance.

"What was that?" Will asked.

"I don't know." Nico replied, his hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword.

The timing between the thumps was consistent, almost as if they were footsteps. It was getting closer to camp, and the closer it got the more water overflowed into their canoe.

"We need to get to shore." Will said, taking the oar from his boyfriend.

Will started to row closer to shore, but momentarily stopped as the head of the one-hundred-foot statue came into view, "Holy Hades!"

"More like Holy Apollo!" Nico scoffed. "Is that a statue of him?"

"Gods, why is it naked?" Will blushed. The statue looked eerily like his father in his godly form, and there were some parts of it that Will never wanted to see.

The canoe tipped, sending them both overboard as the statue approached the camp's borders.

That was when Will remembered that it wasn't a good idea to say "They've seen it all." because the Fates like to prove that theory wrong. The last time he said it was on the first day Nico spent at camp. He was proven wrong then too, as their old Oracle walked out of the attic and spewed out a prophecy during a Capture-the-Flag game.

Will and Nico resurfaced, above their heads was the missing five demigods and Apollo riding on gigantic flying ants.

Yeah, Will was never going to say that 'he'd seen it all' again.

...

Will didn't mind that everyone else besides his boyfriend and father had hay fever. In retrospect, that sounds bad, but he had his siblings back, and that's what matters to him.

His father told him what happened to Meg while treating the sniffling demigods. It wasn't the first time a demigod had gone astray after being subjected to manipulation. Will wished he knew how to help, but he knew Meg would have to make her own choices.

Will also wished he knew what to say to his father. Apollo is more somber than he'd ever seen him before. At first, Will thought it was Meg's betrayal, but it seemed like it was something more. Something happened during the rescue mission; whatever it was, Apollo didn't want to tell Will, and Will had to respect that.

After Kayla and Austin woke up from their hay fever coma, Will enveloped them in a hug and told them to never do that again. For the first time in a few days, Will could breathe. He forgot how good it felt.

Will slept soundly that night, not even stirring when his siblings sneezed or when his father left the cabin at sunrise.

The reprieve didn't last; there were still three emperors to take down, and the five oracles his father would have to free. Will had to ride it out, just like he'd always done.

---

April 2011

Will didn't want to get out of bed. Today is one of the worst holidays to exist. Is April Fools even a holiday? Holiday or not, the Hermes cabin was a nuisance; they went all out for the first day of April.

Unfortunately, Will couldn't stay in his bed all day; he had duties to do. The sun wasn't quite up yet; it was barely peeking over the horizon.

Will was the first to wake up, and his two siblings usually followed suit. It's a typical family trait that they all wake up with the sun.

Will quietly stepped out of the cabin, embracing the morning dew beneath his feet. The scenery was like every morning, but a figure sitting on the dock wasn't like any other morning.

The son of Apollo drew closer to the dock, his steps muted by the grass. Will grew concerned as he recognized the figure; it was his boyfriend.

Nico didn't like getting up early, and he wouldn't be out of his cabin before sunrise. He probably had a nightmare, Will thought.

The son of Hades didn't spare him a glance as Will sat next to him, his legs dangling from the edge.

"Hey." Will said softly.

Nico didn't budge, his eyes were locked onto the lake.

Was Nico sleepwalking? Had he done it before? Nico never mentioned that he had ever sleepwalked before, but would he tell that piece of information willingly?

Will put his hand on Nico's shoulder and shook it a little before saying, "Good Morning!"

If Nico was asleep, that should've woken him up. This is something different, something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Nico didn't answer him. Will wanted to wrap his arms around Nico, but Nico wouldn't like being touched like that without permission.

Nico's eyes looked shattered and lost as they gazed into the water. Will didn't know what he could do or say to break Nico out of his trance. Instead, Will waited for him to snap out of it himself.

The sun rose higher in the sky without a single peep from Nico. It wasn't until Sherman slammed his cabin door shut that Nico moved a muscle.

"Nico?" Will asked softly.

Nico jumped, startled. Will frowned, wondering if Nico hadn't noticed him sitting next to him for about forty minutes.

"I've been trying to get your attention for almost an hour. Are you okay?" Will asked.

"I-I". Nico gulped.

Will rested his hand on Nico's thigh in encouragement. Nico shook his head and began speaking in Italian.

Will knew a few words of Italian; he was learning it from both Nico and Valentina. Though he didn't understand what Nico was saying.

"Nico… Baby… I don't know what you're saying. Can you say it again? In English?"

Nico stood up, still shaking his head. He muttered an apology - in Italian, but Will understood the words.

"Nico, wait!" Will hurriedly stood up as the shadows wrapped around his boyfriend. He reached out to grab Nico's arm, but he was too late; Nico disappeared through the shadows.

...

There's only three of you!

You killed them all!

You're a murderer!

You let them die!

Will was drowning in the voices, he had almost forgotten about them. They'd been silent for six months; it was around the time when he and Nico started dating.

Will stabbed his dinner with a fork; it's been two days. Two days since Nico left, and Will was worried sick.

"Seriously, did you two fight?" Austin asked.

Will shook his head. "No. At least I don't think so. He was speaking Italian, so if it was a fight, it was one-sided."

"And he didn't mention where he was going?" Kayla asked, chewing a mouthful of her pizza.

Will shook his head in confirmation.

"Well, when he comes back, slap him for me, okay?" Kayla demanded.

"Slap him for me, too." Austin agreed.

The corners of Will's lips turned upwards. "Should I create a waiting list?"

"Speaking of the devil." Austin said, pointing his fork at the woods. Nico stood by the trees, hands in his pockets, looking down at the grass.

Kayla patted his shoulder in comfort, "Don't go soft on him."

Will stood up and marched towards where Nico was standing. "Hey!" He changed his tone to his doctor's voice, the one that commands authority.

Nico looked up, his eyes haunted. Will almost broke his hardened exterior at those eyes, but he was too angry to let it happen.

"Hey." Will said again, "You cannot just disappear like that! Where were you?"

Nico didn't answer him. His eyes kept darting from him to the dining pavilion. Will didn't doubt that everyone was watching them.

Will willed his shoulders to relax, "Would it be easier if we were to talk in private?"

Nico nodded, and Will grasped his wrist, dragging him to the Hades cabin. Nico usually wouldn't allow Will to drag him, but he didn't say anything this time. Maybe Nico knew it was best not to anger Will more, or even more concerning, he just didn't care anymore.

Once Will shut the cabin door behind them, he sat on one empty bunks and crossed his arms. "Talk."

Nico didn't say anything; he twirled his skull ring around his finger. Will waited patiently, obviously whatever set Nico off, it wasn't easy for the son of Hades to talk about.

"I-I." Nico stuttered, his voice breaking. Will's anger evaporated completely from the tone. "I felt Jason die."

Will sat next to Nico in a blink of an eye, "Can I hug you?" He asked.

Nico nodded and Will wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. Nico buried his head in his shoulders, shaking like a leaf. Will knew how much Jason meant to him, for him to have felt his death… Will couldn't imagine what it would feel like, he didn't want to.

Will didn't say anything; what could he say? He rubbed Nico's back. This was so different from how Nico handled Leo's death. Nico was furious after Leo's death and revival. Will took Nico into the forest to scream at the trees; it was better than letting Nico subconsciously summon the dead. It scared the dryads in the process, but Nico let loose some steam.

Now there was no steam to release, only a broken soul. How does Will fix it?

Nico broke the silence first, "It's not just Jason."

"Who else?" Will asked, pausing. He worried that Nico would say Piper.

Nico shook his head, "I can't say for sure. No one who I was close with-" Will let out a sigh of relief, "-but I can feel when demigods from either camp pass. Camp Jupiter had some sort of battle the same night Jason-" Nico's voice broke.

Will squeezed his shoulder in comfort. Nico shuddered before continuing, "Anyways, I was with the trogs-"

Will let a sound of displeasure escape from his lips. A couple of weeks ago, Nico stumbled across the troglodytes. Ever since then, every time Nico visits his new 'friends', he starts talking about Tartarus, and possibly going back there.

Nico ignored him, "I probably would have stayed with them longer…"

Will raised an eyebrow, and Nico shook his head. "I just had to get away from camp for a little while. It was too… overwhelming."

Will couldn't fault him for that, but a nice 'Hey, I'm not dead,' would've been appreciated in the last fifty eight hours.

"Then last night." Nico continued, "I felt someone else's death aura rising, which happens all the time and lasts until they get healed, but they still haven't been healed; it's getting worse." Nico rambled.

A deep pit settled into Will's gut. Nico said it himself that he didn't want to return to camp just yet, but this certain individual's death aura was enough for Nico to come back to camp and tell Will about it. Will had a suspicion who that individual was.

"It's Apollo, isn't it?" Will asked, ripping off the band-aid.

Nico nodded, "I debated whether or not to tell you, but I don't want you to be taken by surprise if something does happen. I-I didn't even get a warning for Jason."

Will let out an exhale, "Okay. Thank you for telling me, but I don't think we should tell Austin and Kayla just yet. Let's wait until we know for certain. For now, I'll go get you a plate-"

Nico shook his head, "I'm not hungry."

"I will not take 'no' for an answer. Doctor's orders!"

Will got up and left the cabin to fetch his boyfriend dinner.

The next couple of days were tense. Will even let Nico sneak in to spend the night on the eighth. Neither Nico nor the Apollo cabin slept that night.

---

May 2011

"What do you think about this, mama?" Will held up a shirt.

Naomi wrinkled her nose, "Too flashy. Try for something more casual."

Will put the shirt back on the rack. Last week, he got a letter from his mother saying she'll be in town for a concert. Naomi asked him if he wanted to go hang out with her for a day, and he hurriedly agreed. He thought it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce her to Nico. His mother readily accepted Nico, using her southern hospitality.

Now the three of them are going clothes shopping for his dad. Surprisingly, his mother didn't seem that fazed that his father is a mortal, she had questions, but seemed to accept that it was over her head.

The only thing she hesitated about was the tattoo. He asked her if she could sign off on it as a guardian, but she only agreed to it after he said he could get it done by Blanche, the daughter of Iris. Obviously, his mother wasn't fond of the idea of a girl around his age - who spends her free time photographing dead things - tattooing her son.

"What about this?" Nico asked, holding up an olive v-neck.

Naomi nodded approvingly, "That would be something he would wear. Do they have one in a baby blue? I think he wore that on one of our first dates."

Will frowned, "You had more than one date?"

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Yes, I don't sleep around with anyone on a first date."

Will's and Nico's faces flushed.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Will muttered in embarrassment.

"Mmhhmmm." Naomi hummed, grabbing another shirt and adding it to the cart. "But to answer your question, we had several dates. We dated for about eight months in total, by then I was six weeks pregnant with you."

"Did you know who he was back then?" Will asked.

"No, I found out by shooting him in the chest."

Nico raised an eyebrow, "You shot a god?"

"Sure did. When Will was about three, his father appeared out of nowhere in the middle of my living room. Naturally, I shot him close range with a shotgun." Naomi said with a smile.

Will processed that information, "He visited after I was born?"

"Just the once. He wanted to talk to me about the camp and to explain what you are. I would've called the cops to send Apollo to a psych ward if it weren't for the golden blood dribbling from his bullet wound."

"I bet it was shocking to know that your son's father is a god."

"It was. It explained why Apollo was a walking encyclopedia of anything and everything music. Plus it explained how he knew the 1996 Grammy award winners before they were even nominated. I only wished he would've told me prior to Will being born; it would've saved me hours of trying to calm a fussy baby because it was cloudy outside."

Nico snorted, "What do you do for that anyways? He's still fussy when it's cloudy."

"Hey, I don't get fussy!" Will crossed his arms.

Naomi smirked, "Get some sun lamps. They sell it to those who suffer from seasonal depression."

"Thanks, Ms. Solace! I'll put that on a list for Chiron to order."

Naomi smiled, "It's Naomi sweetheart. We should go and get these checked out so we won't be late for Will's tattoo."

---

June 2011

"Bill, it's your turn!" Mr. D grumbled.

"Hold on, I'm thinking." Will said as he contemplated his next move. He wasn't bothered by being called the wrong name anymore.

Mr D rolled his eyes, "Goodness, you'd think this was a game of Operation by the pace you're going."

Will ignored the god and stared at his hand of cards. Should he bid or pass? He didn't have any Aces in his hand.

"Now, Di Angelo, you were saying about the voices?"

After Jason's death, Nico confided in Will, saying he was hearing voices beckoning him to Tartarus. He said someone needed his help down there, and he believed it was Bob; the Titan Percy Jackson had tackled into the River Lethe. Bob sacrificed himself to help Percy and Annabeth escape from the pit during the Second Giant War. Now Nico thinks the Titan is personally calling out to him for help.

Nico said all of this only a week after Jason's death. Will was worried to say the least. He didn't know if the voices were real or if Nico's mind was coping with a loss of a friend.

For a while Nico debated whether to go back to Tartarus to free the Titan, and that was before the voices. Before, Will could always talk him out of it, but now it's becoming increasingly difficult to persuade Nico not to jump down there.

Will ordered him to talk with Dionysus, as he's a god, he should be able to lend insight about dreams. What Will didn't voice was that Mr. D is also the God of Madness. If anyone could figure out if this really was a message from a Titan or if it was Nico's mind conjuring a story, it would be Mr. D.

Nico didn't want to talk with the god at first, but Will promised that if it was the Titan calling, they could revisit the plan later.

"It's the same; they keep asking for help." Nico shrugged, sipping his lemonade.

"And you think they're coming from Tartarus?"

"Yes! I know it's coming from there. I know what the dead sound like when they're asking for help, but that isn't it. This is coming from somewhere deeper than the underworld. I've been to Tartarus, I know what it's like."

"I'm not doubting that you know Tartarus, Nico." Mr. D said gently. Will didn't know what shocked him more, whether it was the god being gentle or calling Nico by his correct name.

Thinking back on it, Will hasn't heard the god say Nico's name incorrectly since he first asked for help.

"What I'm saying is that this could be your mind coping with your trip down there. Sometimes post-traumatic stress disorder can-" The god stiffened, "Hold that thought. I'm needed at the border. And for the love of Olympus, Bill! Just bid or pass!"

The god flashed out of his chair, leaving Nico and Will alone on the porch, outside the big house.

Will set down his cards and drank from his glass of lemonade, "What do you think that's about?"

Nico shrugged again, "Who knows? Chiron isn't supposed to return for a couple of days. It could be anything."

None of the campers knew where Chiron had gone. Mr. D made an announcement the other day saying that Chiron had left to take care of some business and would return by the end of the week.

In a quieter voice, Nico asked, "Do you think Mr. D is right, that my dreams are caused by PTSD rather than a message?"

Will took Nico's hand and squeezed it, "I'm not sure, but Mr. D is a god, we have to trust that he'll know whether the dreams are prophetic or not. I'm not letting you - us jump into the pit without certainty."

Nico shook his head. "I told you: If I go, you shouldn't come with me."

Will crossed his arms, "There's no way I'm letting you go back there alone. But, again, I'm not going down there until we know for certain where the source of these voices is coming from."

Nico nodded resignedly. He squinted off into the distance, "Is that...Apollo and Meg?"

Will quickly turned his gaze to where Nico was looking. Sure enough, Mr. D led Apollo and Meg up to the big house. They looked beat-up, not as bad when they first arrived at camp back in January, but they were not unscathed. His father had a bandanna with gauze wrapped around his forehead, and Meg had a gash on her thigh that stained her white leggings with blood.

"Dad!" Will ran down the steps and tackled his father into a hug. He hadn't realized how much he missed him until then. Every emotion rose in Will from the last six months, and he had a hard time holding them back.

Apollo seemed to be having a rougher time; he burst into tears.

Will didn't know what happened to his father during the last six months; other than the time in April when Nico felt his father dying, he didn't know what caused Apollo's near-death, only that he was saved in the nick of time.

Will guided Apollo back upstairs, Meg followed behind them, and Mr. D sat back in his chair, looking happier than Will had ever seen him. Will forced his father to sit in his chair, giving him his lemonade while he fixed the head wound.

Mr. D waved at the table, "Yes, fine, sit. I was attempting to teach Will and Nico the rules of pinochle, but they're hopeless."

Will blinked, bewildered. Did he just say his name right? Perhaps, maybe, it was only because his father was here. Mr. D also looked bewildered when Meg said she liked pinochle.

"So is it true?" Nico asked, "Is Jason-"

"Nico," he chastised. "Don't pressure him."

Nico felt Jason's death on the last day of March, but he didn't get confirmation until now, judging from his father's expression.

Will closed his eyes in resignation, and when he opened them, Meg held onto his boyfriend's hands in comfort. His boyfriend had the same expression he wore on the first day of April; broken.

Nico broke away from Meg, muttering an excuse in Italian and trailed down the steps, needing some space.

Mr. D sympathized with his boyfriend telling them he had too much bad news already.

Apollo opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, his glass of lemonade slipped from his grasp as he tumbled sideways.

"Dad!" Will called in alarm and rushed to his side, "Guys, help me!"

"Again?" Meg scoffed in disbelief at Lester's crumpled form.

Mr. D looked over the table at his unconscious brother. "Interesting."

Will wrapped his arms around his father and lifted his father's unconscious body.

Meg got up to help. "He'll be fine." She told him, "He passes out a lot."

Together they dragged Apollo to his cabin. Will can only guess her comment was supposed to comfort him, but it made him worry even more. Passing out so often wasn't good; there might be something wrong with his body that's causing it to shut down.

They set him on the bed, and Will went to work of stripping Apollo down to just his boxers. His body was littered with scars, the one over his heart worried Will. Where did he get that from?

"What happened to him?" Will asked Meg.

Meg began to tell him all about the adventures to the west, as he fixed her leg. The Waystation in Indianapolis and their dive to the dark oracle. The journey through the labyrinth with Grover Underwood and Jason Grace's last stand. The battle at Camp Jupiter and the fall of the two Roman emperors. And lastly; their travels here. Meg left some details out, Will was sure of it, he was an expert at it after all.

Meg chewed on a piece of gum. "Your boyfriend is in our prophecy."

Will raised an eyebrow as he finished tying the bandage to her leg. "What's the prophecy?"

She told him the first stanza of the prophecy before moving on to the next: "The son of Hades cavern runners' friend must show the secret way to the throne-"

Will turned away from Meg in a panic. Cavern runners' friend, she had to be kidding! The last thing Nico needed was the troglodytes, especially with his state of mind!

"You know what those lines-"

The cabin door swung open, and Austin and Kayla stepped inside, followed by their three younger siblings: Jerry, Yancy, and Gracie.

Don't ask Will how they got claimed during his father's mortality, for he didn't know.

"Oh!" Kayla said as she took in the scene in front of her. "Dad's here! Gods, is he okay?"

"Hold up!" Yan said, "Did you just say dad?"

"He'll be fine." Will said, "He just needs rest. Why don't you go take our younger siblings down to the archery field and test their skills? I'll join you in a minute."

Austin and Kayla left reluctantly, with their younger siblings trailing behind them like lost puppies.

Will helped Meg stand up. "Let me show you to your cabin. You've got a new member in Demeter's cabin: a brother, Steve."

...

Will would have been awestruck by Italy's scenery if it weren't for Nico's foul mood.

"Nico-"

"No!"

"But-"

"I don't want to talk to you right now."

Then why did you bring me along? Will thought. Then chided himself for even thinking it, that wasn't fair. Will wanted to come with him. He planned on apologizing to Nico for not telling him the full prophecy, but his boyfriend was having none of it.

Will closed his mouth and sat on a rock, letting his feet dangle in the water.

Nico shadow traveled them here to obtain the troglodyte's gift. The gift can only be found in this region, and it is extremely rare and difficult to find.

It'll probably take them all day to catch the lizard. Nico seemed fine with spending hours standing ankle-deep in the murky water, watching for any sign of the lizard.

Will fiddled with the latches on his bag, trying to keep his mind occupied before he slips back into the voice's grasp.

He almost snorted at the thought. He really is a hypocrite, isn't he? Here he was forcing his boyfriend to seek help from the voices he hears, and yet Will is suffering from the same problem and refuses to get help.

Will didn't believe the dreams Nico has been getting were a message from the Titan. He believed it to be a product of Nico's own subconscious dealing with the aftermath, just like how Will's mind has for the past three years.

Granted, Will's dreams and voices stopped once he started dating Nico. He only had a minor setback in April. Nico's just started after Jason's death, just like Will's had for Lee.

The only difference was that Will was self-aware of what it was, while Nico believed it to be an actual call for help. That's why Will made Nico go to the God of Madness for help. He was hoping Mr. D would tell him it was all in his head and he'd move on.

That hasn't happened yet, and Nico became more and more determined to free the Titan after every visit to the troglodytes.

"Would you stop messing with that?" Nico hissed at him.

Will stopped fiddling with his bag and picked at his hands instead, "How long is this going to take?"

"I don't know. Do you have somewhere to be?"

Will found a particularly large callus on his palm, his nails gently picking at it. Instead of answering Nico's rhetorical question, he asked one of his own, "Do you think Apollo will surrender?"

"Most likely. The prophecy said they had to trust Nero's own. Meg seems pretty attached to Lu, and if Apollo isn't on board, Meg can command him to be."

Will hugged his knees to his chest, "But what will stop Nero from killing him once he's in his grasp?"

Nico shrugged, his back still turned to him. "Hopefully, we can win over the trog's favor, by then we should be able to penetrate the tower before Nero kills him."

"And if the trogs won't help us?"

Nico didn't answer for a minute. "They should… I haven't given them a reason not to help."

Their plan was full of uncertainties that neither Will nor Nico liked, but it was the best they could do.

"I should have told you sooner-"

"You shouldn't have lied to me when you told me the prophecy."

"I wouldn't call it lying."

"Leaving out a part of an prophecy on purpose to spare me is lying."

"I'm just worried! You just got confirmation on Jason's death, and every time you see the trogs, you get Tartarus happy."

Nico turned to face him, his face set in a scowl, "Tartarus happy?"

"Like you're going to jump in the pit without thinking about it first! I didn't want to tell you about it until you had time to process-"

"And that's your problem! You keep making these decisions for me! Let me choose for myself!"

Will nodded glumly. He knew he shouldn't make his boyfriend's decisions, but it was hard to let Nico choose his own. He was worried that Nico would slip through the cracks, just like the other siblings he'd lost.

"I'll try."

Nico sat next to him, the gesture told Will that he was forgiven, "That's all I ask."

...

The sewers didn't provide the best romantic atmosphere. To be fair, neither did Python's possession of its oracle, nor the invincible cows trying to kill them.

Nico led the group, which consisted of him, Apollo, Rachel, and Meg, down deeper. Apollo trailed behind the group, not particularly pleased with the small corridors they were walking through.

Will was struck by how much his father had changed in six months. In January, Apollo would either have stopped and let someone else do it, or loudly complained about it the whole time. Apollo wasn't either of those things; he accepted what he needed to do.

They walked down. The light got dimmer by the minute, and the only light came from Meg's and Nico's swords.

Soon they reached the troglodyte entrance. When Will met the trogs for the first time two weeks ago, he didn't like them and they didn't care for him. They only acknowledged him as a light source.

He should probably explain the light source. Over a year ago he discovered his second power; the ability to glow. He's embarrassed by it, and the only people who knew about it were his siblings. He showed Nico his powers during the first trog visit.

"So we're going to meet them in the dark?" Will asked.

"That's the only way." Nico said, "I can't use my sword because they'll think I'm a threat, and they move fast."

"Are they opposed to light?"

Nico shook his head, "They're not opposed to it; it's just that they can see in the dark. There's no real need for it."

"Sooo," Will drawled out, "If they're not opposed to it, then they wouldn't mind a light if it wasn't from a sword?"

"What do you have in mind, Solace?"

Will closed his eyes in preparation, "Just don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

Will took a deep breath and exhaled. His body grew warmer as light glowed beneath his skin. He opened his eyes, and Nico stared, flabbergasted.

"Will!" Nico exclaimed after a few minutes, "Why didn't you tell me before? Having a glow-in-the-dark boyfriend can come in handy!"

"Oh please!" Will groaned, "Please don't call me 'glow-in-the-dark.'"

That's when Nico lost it. He doubled over and laughed. Will's face grew pink beneath the glow; he didn't want to know what that looked like.

Will shook off the memory as he climbed down to the floor. He moved slowly, being careful not to slip since the wall he was climbing down was quite slippery.

"What do we do now?" Rachel asked.

"You guys stay behind me. Will, can you do your thing?" Nico asked. "The barest minimum please."

Will's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't want to show them his glow trick; he only showed Nico because he was comfortable with him.

"Wait, what is Will's thing?" Apollo asked.

Gods, he would have to do it in front of his father! "Do I have to?" Will asked desperately.

Nico gave him the look and explained why they needed the light. Will frowned, preparing for the rest of the group to laugh at him, including his father.

"Fine." Will grumbled as he took off his shirt, leaving only his tank top underneath. Will took a deep breath and exhaled, light filled the cave they were in.

"Woah." Meg said.

Will turned around to face them, expecting the group to be laughing at him, but they looked at him with amazement. Was that tears in his father's eyes?

"Friends, meet my glow-in-the-dark boyfriend." Nico said with a smirk.

Will rolled his eyes, "Could you not make a big deal about it." He'll have to get him later for that.

"I'm so proud!"

Will blinked at his father's comment as it sounded genuine. Why would his father be proud? He's just glowing; it's not like he's shooting perfect bullseyes or nailing a g-flat minor scale.

"Dad, I'm just glowing. I'm not graduating at the top of my class."

"I'll be proud when you that to." His father assured him with a smile.

"Anyways-" Nico said, his lips turning upwards. Nico went on to explain the plan and called to the troglodytes.

...

Will decided he hated cows. He'll have to revisit the hatred later, as one of his father's sacred animals is a red cow. His father will surely understand his dislike of them after this incident.

Fortunately, Will lost his lampshade in the run. They'd also lost his father and Meg; he could only hope that the troglodyte Grr-Fred was getting them to safety.

Now, Him, Nico, and Rachel were running after Screech-Bling and the other troglodytes. Somehow, they managed to lose the Tauri Sylvestres in their run.

The troglodytes screeched and clicked in their tongue, no doubt cursing them; the crest dwellers, for destroying their home.

Damn, who needs bulldozers when you can have an army of invincible bulls to do it for free? First they destroyed Rachel's mansion and then the troglodytes' lair.

Will stopped to catch his breath once they were in safety. Nico stepped aside to talk to Screech-Bling, trying to convince the troglodyte leader to help them. Rachel held her head with both hands.

"Is your head still bothering you?" Will asked. Rachel hit her head on the wall after Nico shadow-traveled them into the sewers.

Rachel shook her head. "No. I think my visions are returning, or at least they're becoming more frequent."

Will wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign. It could mean Rachel was regaining her Delphic powers, but it could also mean Python was getting better control over it.

"Do you know what it means?" he asked.

Rachel shook her head again, "Nothing good. Something is going to happen once Apollo and Meg surrender. I'm not sure what, but it won't be anything like we'd planned. I need to get to the surface to contact camp."

Will took a deep breath, he didn't want to contact the camp, but he didn't want his father to die either and have a snake control their futures. Rock crumbled around them as Grr-Fred dug his way back to them.

Strangely, the trog held a ball in his hand. He quietly made his way to where Nico and Screech-Bling were talking.

Will couldn't hear what they were talking about from where he sat. Screech-Bling had his froglike eyes switching back and forth from Grr-Fred to Nico Di Angelo. Grr-Fred kept gesturing to the ball he was holding while he talked. Nico kept his face neutral as Grr-Fred spoke.

After a few minutes, Screech called an announcement. All the troglodytes gathered to hear what their leader had to say. He agreed to help them disarm Nero's weapon, which will destroy the city if it is released.

Will let out a breath, Rachel looked relieved. Nico nodded and thanked all the troglodytes for their help.

Will helped Rachel up, and they began to strategize the best way to get into Nero's vault. Screech-Bling clicked his tongue in approval at some of their suggestions.

Once they finally settled on a plan of attack, the troglodytes went to get supplies, and Nico shadow-traveled them to the surface. Rachel finally got a signal from her phone and she sent an email to Chiron.

She held her head in her hands again. "Something is wrong."

"What is it?" Will asked.

"I-I", Rachel shook her head. "Something with Apollo. I don't think their plan is going as planned."

"Wait." Nico said, "Rachel, are you vision's coming back?"

Rachel nodded. "I think so. But we need to get going. I don't think Apollo or Meg will last long."

...

The camp arrived at Nero's tower an hour ago. The troglodytes were infiltrating Nero's vault of deadly weapons.

Nico and Will were side by side. Nico summoned skeletons when the Germani got too close. They were close to the holding cells. They planned to see if Apollo and Meg had escaped their cells.

However, the halls were filled with Germani and mortals Nero hired. Usually the skeletons scared the mortals, but Will didn't know what they saw through the mist; it was probably equally as terrifying.

A sharp tugging sensation filled Will's gut. He had this feeling a couple of times before, only when someone was in dire trouble. Will knew he had to act quickly.

"I am needed." Will said to his boyfriend, "Go find Apollo and Meg." He didn't wait for Nico to respond or try to stop him. He took off to his left where the sensation was pulling him.

He darted through the halls, weaving in and out of obstacles strewn along the hallway by the mortals. Finally, the sensation lessened.

In front of him was a golden door. The Romans loved their gold, he thought. Will didn't try to open the door, as its aura seemed powerful. He knew whoever was on the other side would have to come out for him to help.

Will set his pack on the ground, preparing it for future use. As he readied the bandages, Rachel came running towards him.

"Hey, I just sent Nico off to rescue your father. Why weren't you with him?" she asked.

"I think I'm needed here." Will said.

Rachel looked at the golden door, and nodded after a minute. "I think you are too".

"Another vision?" Will asked.

Rachel shrugged and said, "You can say that."

Will finished his emergency preparations when the golden door opened, and a burly woman stepped out with the fasces in her bandaged stumps.

"You're Lu." Rachel said.

The Gaul stepped away from them, but Rachel held out her hand in a sign of peace. "It's alright; we're with Apollo. This is actually his son, Will. Let him look at your bandages."

Lu seemed hesitant, but nodded. Will rushed over to take a look. Both of Lu's hands were amputated and covered in thick bandages. At the end of the bandages were silverware. Will raised a brow at the fork and the knife.

"I had your father wrap them into the bandages." Lu explained. "He's the one who healed me. If he hadn't been there, I would have bled to death."

Before Will could respond, Nico ran up to him, "Will, you're never doing that again!"

Nico put his hands on his knees, catching his breath. His eyes widened as he took in Lu's appendages. "Oh, Apollo was being serious about that."

Will unwrapped the bandages, setting the silverware aside. The Gaul only winced a few times, she had a much better tolerance of amputation pain than Paolo.

Screech-Bling joined their party next with a new assortment of hats. He handed Nico a white cowboy's hat, and he wordlessly put it on.

Will duck his head as he sets his cheeks were on fire. Nico looked hot in his cowboy hat. Will is already planning their next date to be at a rodeo.

Rachel put her hand to her temple, "Screech-Bling, we need someone to get to the sixth floor immediately. Do you think you can make it up there quickly?"

Screech-Bling nodded and took off faster than Will could blink. Will finished unraveling the bandages on Lu's stumps; they were surprisingly nearly healed.

"Did you say Apollo healed you?" Nico asked.

Lu nodded, looking as surprised as the rest of them.

"He- Well, I'm not sure what he did because I was unconscious. When I woke up, I felt better than I should have. My previous injury from being thrown off the roof was also healed. I had some pain, but it was more manageable than it should've been. I was even able to sloppily wrap the silverware in the bandages myself when Apollo was passed out on the couch. I'm not sure what he did, but it worked."

Nico nodded, "I think his godly powers are coming back. He was able to take on several mortals and a few Germani before I came to his rescue."

"Speaking of rescue." Rachel said, turning to Nico. "Apollo made it to the throne room; he'll need some help."

Nico nodded and turned, but Rachel grabbed his wrist. "There's a bull blocking the way."

Nico rolled his eyes, but nodded and went up to the fifth floor.

Will finished wrapping the gaul's stump with new bandages. He told Lu about their adventures at Rachel's mansion and their fun escape with the troglodytes. In return, the gaul explained their misfortune at Apollo's and Meg's surrender and the price of the fasces.

"So..." Rachel began, "You gambled your mortality, which therefore happens to be Nero's?"

Lu gave a crooked smile, "I didn't know if it would work. I couldn't just let Apollo have all the glory."

Will smiled. It would've been nice if Apollo could stay mortal. But Will didn't want that; Apollo was a god, so he couldn't stay mortal forever.

Will fasten daggers to the end of the bandages. It's a better defense than silverware.

Now they just had to destroy the fasces. The fasces glowed with power; he doubted it could be broken easily.

The three of them took turns trying to break the thing, but it wouldn't budge or crack.

"Maybe my dad could." Will panted as he handed the fasces to Rachel. "If his powers are coming back, then maybe he's strong enough."

Rachel frowned, "The visions aren't showing me how to break it. That might be our best option."

Lu frowned; neither of them liked the idea of bringing the fasces to where the emperor was, but they had no better option.

As they made their way to the throne room, a loud crack echoed through the hallways. Will knew that sound; it was the unmistakable sound of someone being thrown into a wall. After the two wars Will had fought, there could be no other sound.

"Excellent." A voice Will didn't recognize boomed, "But first things first, guards kill Apollo."

Not on his watch! Will marched in front of the group. His body grew aflame with warmth. "STOP!"

Will marched into the throne room. Everyone looked at him except his boyfriend, who lay crumpled next to Nero's throne.

"No one hits my boyfriend! And no one kills my dad!" he commanded.

Will rushed towards his boyfriend, the Germani parted for him. A small part of him felt smug about that.

He helped Nico to his feet and then dragged him to a corner of the room, muttering curses at him. Nico wisely kept his mouth shut as Will healed him. Will knew he could be scary if he wanted to, and Nico wasn't about to test him.

Will didn't pay attention to what was going on around him. All that mattered to Will was what was in front of him: his boyfriend.

Though once the room suddenly got a million times brighter, Will turned around to look. Nero and his father were fighting over the fasces like a game of tug-of-war, their bodies glowed bright like a star.

The troglodytes screamed in agony as they covered their eyes from the light; even Will had to shield his eyes.

The fasces broke, and Nero fell to the ground in a heap. The emperor wailed at his demise, and told them they were all doomed by Python. Then Nero crumbled, his essence seeping into the floor.

His father then collapsed into Rachel's arms. Will helped Nico stand up, and he walked him over to Rachel and Apollo.

Will grimaced, his father was covered in blood and bruises. They needed to get him healed; perhaps a ride to camp on a Pegasus would get them there faster.

His father opened his eyes blearily, muttering how they weren't in his dream. Will looked at Nico, wondering if he was thinking the same thing; another concussion? The last time Apollo was spouting nonsense was back in January after his failed attempt to locate the grove and the missing demigods.

"We need to get you to camp." Will said gently, "I'll get one of the pegasi."

Apollo denied the advice and sat up, saying he needed to go slay Python. Lu disagreed with the statement, as he was in no condition to fight.

Rachel surprisingly was on Apollo's side; she said the longer they waited, the more powerful Python became.

Will didn't like it, but who was he to argue with a former Olympian and an oracle? He gathered more medical supplies while Nico got more weapons for Apollo to fight with.

He ran into his siblings on his way to restock. They shared a hug, none of them perished, much to Will's relief. The cycle of Apollo's children dying in war had finally come to an end.

The three newer cabin members were giving out orders to the other campers. Will never have felt prouder than he did then. They'll make great healers if they choose to be.

Will found new bandages and went back to put them on Apollo. He quickly wrapped his father's multiple wounds in bandages and watched him leave.

Will hoped that wasn't the last time he will ever see his father.

...

Will didn't like it. The silence was overwhelming. It's been twelve days without a word or sign from his father.

Kayla and Austin were also having a hard time with the silence. The three of them took turns teaching their younger siblings various tasks. It helped a little, but it didn't erase the worry completely.

Tonight, he showed Jerry how to wrap Douglas's arm. The son of Demeter broke it while climbing the lava wall.

Nico was also there for assistance; all he did was hand over the item that Will had requested. Even though Jerry didn't inherit any healing powers, he learned to pick up first aid quickly.

Valentina burst into the infirmary. "You guys need to see this!"

She didn't give them a chance to ask questions as she ran back into the infirmary. Will quickly finished the cast on Douglas's arm. Douglas joined the trio as they rushed out of the infirmary.

Outside, all of the campers were huddled in a group, looking up at the stars. Will looked up at the stars, and sure enough they were moving, forming an image.

The image displayed a teenaged boy with a giant snake wrapped around him. The boy stabbed the snake in the eye with an arrow, and the snake released him. The boy grabbed the snake and plunged down into the darkness. The boy arose from the darkness; he was glowing.

The stars returned to their usual places, and the campers whispered to each other about what they had seen and what it might mean.

Will knew what it meant, and a part of him was disappointed. Was that all? Will hoped his father would visit once he regained his godhood, but instead, he sent an image of Python's defeat via the stars.

Nico nudged him, and Will followed his gaze to the woods. A girl around Meg's age stood among the trees, her auburn hair shining in the moonlight.

"Who is that?" Will asked.

"That's lady Artemis." Nico said stiffly.

Artemis wasn't high on Nico's favorite god list. Even if she was the goddess that saved Nico and Bianca from the manticore, she was the goddess that Bianca pledged allegiance to, and was killed on the quest to save her.

The goddess must have sensed their gazes as she walked towards them. Will bowed his head in curtesy, Nico reluctantly did the same.

"Nephew", she greeted Will, and nodded towards Nico, "Son of Hades."

"My lady." Will greeted back.

"I came to tell everyone that Apollo had defeated Python."

"I mean no offense my lady, but why isn't Apollo telling us this instead?" Nico asked.

Artemis looked at the stars, their light reflected in her eyes. "He hasn't officially rejoined the council of Olympus; he's in a coma. So he couldn't personally deliver the message. But he'll awake soon, so I figured his friends—the ones he made as a mortal—would like to know his whereabouts."

Will nodded his thanks. "Thank you. I've spent many nights worrying about him. I'm sure my siblings and I can get a full night's rest."

The goddess of the hunt wished them well before disappearing into thin air, a trace of silver filled the air where she once stood.

Nico held his hand as they stared at the stars. Will leaned his head against his boyfriend's shoulder, relieved at the sudden weight that had been dropped from his shoulders.

Maybe everything could go back to the way it should be; peaceful.

---

September 2011

Will clenched his hands, the river screamed at him.

You let me die!

You're useless!

You killed me!

Flashes of his siblings' deaths played in his mind, but they were slightly different. He was the one who pulled the arrow or wielded the knife to strike down his siblings. He was the one who released the lever that sent Octavian flying into the fiery storm mix.

The Acheron river roared beneath the boat, voices telling him it was his fault. Blood from the wars was on his hands alone. The boat lurched closer to the abyss's entrance, where they would fall to reach Tartarus.

"But I've killed too," Will's voice sounded funny in his ears. "So many dead on my hands!"

"No" Nico cried at him, "You're a healer."

Nico tried to reassure him that yes, they lost people, but that was because they faced three wars.

His boyfriend's reassurance didn't hold weight to the screams of every self-destructive thought that Will has ever had.

The image replayed Octavian's death. "But I let you kill. I let you do it." Will mumbled, guilt piled in his gut.

"You aren't responsible for me, Will." Nico said. They were at the edge of the drop off.

A sudden rage filled Will's abdomen; how can Nico diss him like that! Of course he was responsible!

"Maybe I am! I let you kill Octavian! I shouldn't have allowed that! I contributed to his death! I'm a murderer!"

"That's the Acheron speaking." Nico reminded him calmly, "You need to ignore it."

How could Nico be so calm? Didn't he feel any remorse?

"You don't even feel bad about killing him, do you?" Will cried.

Nico said something about the oars, and Will blinked, the voices dissipated slightly. The edge came scarcely close before they tumbled down into Tartarus.

---

October 2011

Will picked his cereal while Nico plowed through his in record speed. Since their return from the pit, it appeared they had swapped places in the consumption department.

They sat at the big table during meals because there were no other campers besides them, and that Mr. D likes them - Will didn't know what changed between them, but something had.

The dryads and nymphs took their bowls and cups away after they were finished with their breakfast.

"-Will?"

Will jerked his head backwards, "Huh?"

"I just made a Star Wars reference, and you didn't even notice?" Nico asked.

Will blushed, "Sorry. Can you say it again?"

Nico rolled his eyes and repeated it, while Will forced a smile and laughed at the reference.

They talked about their plans for the day with Chiron and Mr. D. They were going to practice archery and later pick in the strawberry fields with the coco puffs.

The cacodemons love the strawberry fields, much to the satyrs' and dryads' displeasure. Chiron and Mr. D didn't have anything against the coco puffs, but sometimes they had to put their foot or hooves down when the dryads complain about the strawberries being eaten.

Nico has been working with the puffs to not eat all the strawberries they come across. It's progress, but not enough for the nature spirits to be quite happy.

The coco puffs usually followed them everywhere, but the archery and sword training areas. They weren't a fan of the weapon exercise they did, and Will was glad. He didn't want to accidentally hit one when he was sparring with his boyfriend.

After they played a game with Mr. D of pinochle, which Chiron won, Will stood up to get his bow. He ignored Mr. D's stare just like he had been doing it for the last couple of weeks.

It's all your fault.

---

December 2011

Will rested his head on Nico's shoulder as they roasted marshmallows by the fire. They didn't sing any songs because it was just the two of them.

Mr. D let some snow fall in the camp borders, and the ground was covered in a fluffy white blanket; it was the perfect winter atmosphere.

You killed them all: Lee, Michael, Mindy, Bradley, Ashley, Avery, Cyrus, Hannah, Elliott, Zoey, and Octavian.

Nico shrugged his shoulder, stirring Will from his thoughts, "Hey, were you listening to what I was saying?"

Will closed his eyes, "Sorry, I must've spaced off."

"I can tell. I was telling you that your marshmallow is on fire, and I know you don't like them when they're burnt."

Will opened his eyes and took his stick out of the flames. The marshmallow was black and crispy.

"Here." Nico said as he handed him his stick, "Take mine. I haven't burnt it yet."

Will took Nico's marshmallow while Nico put his on a graham cracker and ate it.

You're a murderer.

"Will?"

Will hummed in response, the marshmallow he held over the fire was golden.

"Are you alright?" Nico asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"It's just…" Nico trailed off, "You haven't been yourself since the pit. I'm worried about you, and you didn't even make a face when I ate the burnt marshmallow."

Will put his marshmallow on a graham cracker; "You haven't been yourself since the pit, either."

Nico paused, thinking of his next thought. "I know, but I'm much better than what I was before. I let go of all my demons and moved on from my sufferings."

Nico took a breath before continuing, "You seem different, like something is holding you down. I just want to help you."

"I'm fine." Will mumbled, setting his graham cracker down and losing his appetite.

"Sunshine, I'm worried-"

"I said I'm fine." Will got up to his feet and walked briskly away from the fire, leaving Nico alone.

The blood is on your hands alone.

---

February 2012

Will stepped into the shower, letting the hot water run down his back. His muscles relaxed, and he leaned his head back against the stream of water.

Your powers are worthless, weak; unworthy for a son of Apollo.

You got them killed.

You killed them.

Will rested his head on the tile, the voices growing stronger in his mind. How ironic that the son of Hades let his demons go, but the son of Apollo festers in his.

He lied to his boyfriend when they were returning from Tartarus with Bob. He did hear the Acheron. Nico looked so relieved that he couldn't hear it. Will didn't want to disappoint or worry Nico anymore, and so he lied, telling him that he didn't hear the river.

The voices didn't leave after their escape from the pit. They stuck around in Will's head like they did three years ago. Once he dated Nico, the voices stopped, but the journey to the depths reactivated them somehow.

Every insecurity that had been brushed off during their first year of dating is now rearing its ugly head. Will is trying hard to combat them, but they are getting stronger by the day.

He was reminded how much of a burden he was during the majority of the quest. Sure, he gave a primordial goddess hay fever, but that was at the very end of their ordeal and not that impressive. Nico had to save his behind multiple times while he stumbled around just trying to breathe.

Persephone told him when he was down in the underworld to give Nico his darkness. Was this it? Is this the darkness she was talking about? He didn't think so. Why would this be beneficial to their relationship?

Will turned off the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He walked over to the mirror, which was foggy from the steam. He wiped away the steam, and was startled by his reflection, or rather, the person standing behind him; Octavian.

Will's heart stopped as he quickly turned around. No one was standing there. He turned back around to face the mirror, but no one was there.

Will gripped the sides of the sink, willing his heart rate to return to a healthy level. He wanted to cry or to hit something, but he quickly changed and exited the bathroom.

Will nearly jumped out of his skin again when he saw Mr. D waiting for him in his cabin.

"Mr. D" He squeaked.

"William." He replied, his violet eyes boring into his soul.

Will winced at his full name. No one ever called him by his full name unless he did something wrong or he was being a significant annoyance. He didn't even know that Mr. D knew his full name, he only started calling him Will last summer.

"Um.." Will said, he always found it hard to speak to a god, "Why are you here?"

Mr. D rolled his eyes, "I thought you already knew, but I didn't choose to stay at this camp. My father-"

"I meant in the Apollo's cabin."

Mr. D raised an eyebrow and said, "You know why."

Will scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "I don't know. Did I miss a celebration? I thought the next birthday was for Chandelier, but that's not for another week."

Mr. D sighed, "Perhaps I gave you too much credit. Your father is an oblivious fool, and it seems like you inherited that trait."

Will shifted awkwardly on his feet, "I still don't understand."

"I suppose you don't." Mr. D frowned, "Or if you did, you're too far in denial. Typical demigods, they don't know how to ask for help."

Will blinked, not understanding what the camp activities director was talking about. "I'm sorry?"

Mr. D rolled his eyes once more, "The son of Hades understood. I recommend taking advice from him."

"About what?"

Dionysus didn't answer. Instead, he disappeared in a purple cloud of glitter. The scent of grapes lingered from where he once stood, leaving Will more confused than ever.

---

April 2012

Will rarely visits the infirmary anymore. There is no reason to visit since he and Nico are the only campers there.

But with summer approaching, Will needed to take inventory for the new season of campers. The inventory is nearly identical to the last time he took it, but the number of bandages and ambrosia has been slightly lowered since Nico got a little rough with sword training.

He was at the back of the infirmary, taking stock of the overnight rooms. The overnight rooms are for campers who have received a serious injury and need overnight observation or observation for several days. Each room has a separate bathroom with a toilet, sink, mirror, and a handicap-accessible shower.

In the middle of the infirmary, they treat minor injuries. They kept most of the supplies there: bandages, nectar, ambrosia, etc. After the wars, most of the patients were separated by a simple curtain as they lay on cots, waiting for treatment.

The front of the infirmary was the waiting room and where they stored paperwork. But that was when the infirmary was functioning, when it was full of patients.

Now it is empty, save for Will, who went into the overnight room's bathroom and took stock, making sure each bathroom had enough shampoo, toothpaste, and soap.

There were some disregarded items left by previous patients, such as perfume, a rubik's cube, a pair of scissors, and a missing sandal.

Will rolled his eyes; he was pretty sure he instructed Yan to clean up the infirmary before they left to go home for the school year. Either they sucked at cleaning or they didn't do it at all.

The perfume probably belonged to a child of Aphrodite. It was left on the nightstand by their bed. Will tossed it in the lost and found basket.

The left sandal messed with Will. He spent over twenty minutes trying to find the other sandal. He gave up, telling himself it was probably one of Hermes', and they left one shoe as a prank.

The Rubik's Cube was placed by the toilet, and Will was hesitant to pick it up without his gloves. If Will had to guess, it was from the Athena's cabin, or it could be another one from the Hermes' cabin. He tossed it into the lost and found basket.

The scissors were on top of the sink, probably from an Ares' kid trying to free themselves from the bandages. Will went to go grab it and put it back in one of the drawers where it belonged, but he froze as his eyes locked onto the mirror.

In the reflection, Octavian stood behind him again. Will rubbed his eyes and when he opened them, Octavian was gone. He gripped the sides of the sink, desperate to hold or us his hands on something.

He had another hallucination. The doctor alarms blared in his head saying that this isn't normal, and he should seek help. Who could he seek help from? They would think he's crazy. Is he crazy?

His breath hitched, and he clenched his eyes shut as a mirage of voices slammed into his skull.

You are a murderer.

If it wasn't for your negligence, your ten siblings would still be alive.

You're a failure as a brother.

You're a disappointment to Apollo's legacy.

It should've been you who was stabbed, not Cyrus. The blade was meant for you.

You killed them all.

Will panted, the scissors in his hand shook. Wait, when did he pick up the scissors? And what is he standing on?

Will blinked at the mirror in horror. His hair, which had once resembled the style of Justin Bieber's hair circa 2009 - except it was a bit longer and it curled around the ends, - was now a short-cropped mess sticking up in every direction.

Did he really cut his hair without intending to? How can he do it without any memory of him doing so? The cut hair he was standing on told him otherwise.

Will cursed at himself in the mirror and quickly cleaned up the mess. He pushed his way to the front of the infirmary, thanking his lucky stars that Kayla had left behind a grey baseball cap at the front desk.

"There you are!" Nico called out as he jogged into the infirmary. "I was looking for you everywhere! Your dad is-"

Nico paused, no doubt noticing the short hair sticking out from underneath the hat. He reached up and took off the hat from Will's head.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Nico asked incredulously.

"I uh," Will stammered over his words, "I wanted a change?" The lie made it sound more like a question.

Nico stared at him with wide eyes, before placing the cap back on his head and dragging him to the big house's porch.

Mr. D, Chiron, and his father gathered around the table playing a round of pinochle.

As with every visit, his father was in his Lester form. Apollo has been visiting camp every other month to check in. Will was surprised every time he visited, because he was the only kid of his there. He thought he'd only visit once his siblings came back in the summer, but he came anyway.

"You found Will!" Chiron said, lifting his eyes from his hand of cards to look at the demigods. "We're just finishing -Ah!"

Will cringed at Chiron's exclamation. The hat covered the top of his head, but the back and sides of his hair were exposed.

"Oh... I see." His father set his hand of cards on the table face down. "Nico, can you take my place? I want to show Will something in our cabin."

Nico took Apollo's place without a fight. Nico either really wanted to play pinochle or he trusted Apollo completely.

Apollo placed a hand on his son's shoulder and guided him to cabin seven. Once they were inside, Apollo removed the cap from his son's head.

"What did you use, a saw?" Apollo muttered as he inspected the damage to his son's hair. "Can I even it out?"

Will nodded, surely, his father couldn't mess it up more than what he already did to himself.

Apollo sat on his old bunk and gestured for Will to sit down in front of him on the floor, wrapping an old sheet around his shoulders.

Will's shoulders relaxed as his father combed out the mess in his hair.

"Have I told you about my journey west when I was a mortal?" Apollo asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

"You didn't, but that's because you were passed out. Meg told me about your travels."

"Knowing her, she probably summed up the whole six months in a sentence." Apollo sighed fondly.

"Let me start from when we arrived at Camp Jupiter." Apollo said, Will closed his eyes to avoid having the hair being trimmed go into them.

"I was with Meg and we were carrying Jason's coffin and his sketches he made for the new temples he planned to build. Another demigod, Lavinia, a daughter of Terpsichore and a fawn, Don, came to our rescue as we were getting chased by a Eurynomoi."

Apollo paused, took a breath, and said, "I'm not sure if Meg explained, but a Eurynomos's scratch-"

"Will turn you into a zombie." Will finished. "Nico taught me that when we headed to the underworld before we...uh... yeah…"

Will didn't like saying that place's name out loud.

Apollo cleared his throat, "That's correct. And as you probably already guessed, I got scratched by one. I got treated for it before the twenty-four-hour deadline, but I didn't heal from it."

"At the time, the camp just fought a war on the new moon, and then got word that there would be another battle within days. The camp was busy preparing for war and its little side quests; I somehow managed to slip through the cracks a little bit. Everyone thought my wound was healing, and I didn't tell them otherwise."

Will frowned, "Why didn't you?"

Apollo paused before answering, "I was too overwhelmed with the guilt over Jason's and Crest's death that I didn't think I deserved it."

Neither of them spoke for a while afterwards, the weight of his words settling over them.

Will found the courage to ask, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," Apollo said, "Sometimes talking about how you're feeling can eliminate misunderstandings or help lift the burden off your shoulders."

"So you're telling me this to lift the burden of Jason's death off your shoulders?" Will asked. "I don't get it."

"Not quite." Apollo said, squeezing his shoulder. "I think I'm done. Go look in the mirror."

Will walked to the bathroom and reluctantly looked in the mirror, half expecting Octavian to be there.

He wasn't. It was just Will this time with much shorter hair. It was the shortest that Will has ever had it; the back and sides were tapered, and if the top weren't combed back, it would barely reach his eyebrows. Will couldn't complain; it looked a lot better than when he hacked at it subconsciously.

His father was waiting for him once he exited the bathroom. He put an arm around his shoulder and said, "If you need anything, just ask."

Will nodded and gave his father a smile.

Apollo pulled him closer, "I don't want to brag, but I'm a great listener, and surprisingly so is Dionysus. If for whatever reason I'm unable to talk to you, go to Mr. D. I trust him."

Will nodded again, unsure of what his father meant.

"C'mon then." Apollo ruffled his hair and said, "Let's go see who won at pinochle."

---

May 2012

Will's arms ached after making a block with the sword. A sword wasn't Will's choice of weapon, but there's no better time to learn how to train with it. He's been sword training with Nico because there was nothing else to do around the camp.

Today, Nico was obviously upset about something. His blows with the sword were harsher, and Will had a hard time blocking them.

"Blugh." Will cried as Nico disarmed him again. "Why don't we take a break?"

"I'm the teacher." Nico growled, "I'm the one who dismisses you."

"So…" Will trailed off, out of breath. "Do I get a break?"

"Fine!" Nico grumbled, tossing the sword to the ground, while Will collapsed, panting.

"Why are you so angry?" Will said each word in between a pant.

"I'm not angry." Nico said.

"Could've fooled me." Will muttered, still out of breath. "I thought we told each other everything."

"Do we?" Nico asked, his voice dangerously calm.

"Yes." Will replied without any hesitation.

"Really? Because you haven't been forthcoming about your feelings." Bitterness began to leak into Nico's voice. "You've been holding back for months, and I've been patiently waiting for you to open up, but you haven't."

"What are you talking about?" Will asked.

"Don't you think I noticed you spacing off with a haunted look in your eyes? Don't you think Chiron, Mr. D, or your father noticed?"

"I-"

"No!" Nico yelled, "You're the hypocrite. After Jason's death, you're the one who made me seek help, but you won't let me do the same for you."

"You needed the help then." Will said, getting up to his feet. "I'm fine."

"Do you not trust me?" Nico asked.

"What? - I - yes, of course I do!" Will said after stumbling over his words.

Nico stepped closer to him. "Then let me in. Let me help you."

Will took a step back, anxiety pooling in his gut. His body grew hot under the distress. Would his boyfriend still want to be with him if he found out about all the horrible things he had done?

You let me die!

You sent your own brother to his death.

You weren't even there for your other siblings during their deaths, as you were busy trailing behind Nico in hopes of making an impression.

"Will-"

Will took another step back, but the voices overwhelmed him in his mind.

"Will-"

His body was dangerously hot. He could feel the heat escaping from his body.

"STOP!" Nico yelled, staring with wide eyes at him.

Will blinked at his tone, the voices going silent in his head. The only remnant of his manic state was his body heat; it's higher than usual. He must be glowing, but why is he much warmer than when he usually glowed?

He looked down to see how brightly he was glowing but screeched in alarm. Around him was a ring of fire, and his hands were in flames.

Did he do that? Did he spontaneously burst into flames? And most importantly; why wasn't he burning?

Hooves trotted up to them, "I heard screaming-" Chiron stopped a couple yards from them, "...I see."

"I don't understand," Will said, flinging his wrists in an attempt to put out the fire.

"You bear the power of the sun." Chiron said. "I haven't seen a child of Apollo wield that power since... the 12th century?"

"He… What?" Nico asked. "I thought children of Hephaestus were the fire wielders."

"They are," Chiron assured, "but the fire of the forges is different from the fire of the sun. It's similar in a way, like how the children of Poseidon and Hades can make the earth tremble."

"Does that mean I'm fire-proof, like Leo?" Will asked in awe.

Chiron frowned, "I'm not sure, but I wouldn't test it out. As I said, I haven't seen a sun wielder in centuries. How did you discover this ability?"

"I - uh," Will stammered. He discovered it by a panic attack, which concerned him greatly.

Would he burst into flames every time he had a manic episode? He hoped not; if he did so at night, when his cabin is full of siblings, he could put them all in danger. Will couldn't let that happen; he would need a way to resolve his panic attacks and flashbacks.

"He did it while we were practicing with the swords." Nico answered.

Will didn't doubt that Nico understood the real reason; they had been fighting about it before he set himself on fire.

"Just make sure you put it out. Go to the lake if needed." Chiron eyed Will as he trotted away.

Will focused on putting the fire out; it took a few minutes, but the fire sizzled out, leaving a ring of burnt grass beneath his feet. He's sure he'll hear it from the satyrs later.

"I-I couldn't control it." Will admitted.

Nico didn't say anything, his eyes kept darting between the burnt grass and Will's hands.

Will took a shaky breath, "I think I need help. I can't let this happen again; I'd put the campers in danger if I don't."

That got Nico's attention. He walked towards Will and took his hand, "We'll do this together."

Will nodded, "Together."

---

August 2012

"And how do you feel about the third-year anniversary of the Battle of Manhattan coming up?" Mr. D asked.

"I still feel the same amount of grief, but I feel less… responsible." Will said after settling on the correct word.

Mr. D nodded, "That's an improvement. The grief won't go away, but it will become more manageable over time."

Will looked at his two cards, while he waited for the god to make his move. Surprisingly, it wasn't pinochle they were playing; it was Texas Hold'em. There were only so many times Will could play pinochle before losing his mind. It was awkward playing with only two players, but Will would take his chances.

Shouting came from the distance, drawing both Mr. D's and Will's attention away from the game on the basketball court. His siblings and the Victor twins were going at it again.

"I should break it up." Will sighed, and stood from his seat.

"Same time next Thursday?" Mr. D asked, waving his hand, and the cards disappeared with the motion.

"Same time on Thursday." Will confirmed, walking down the stairs of the porch.

He trudged to the court, muttering curses to himself.

"That was traveling!" Jerry cried.

"No, it wasn't!" Holly argued back.

"Hold it! Hold it!" Will commanded, "Gracie, can you tell me what's going on?"

"We were in the middle of the game when Holly carried the ball instead of dribbling it. Jerry called her out for it." Gracie answered, crossing her arms.

"She dribbled the ball!" Laurel exclaimed.

"No, she didn't." Kayla mumbled.

"Okay." Will said. "Why don't you guys just start the play over again with each team on the opposite side of the court?"

Will didn't understand the rules of basketball, and he didn't know if that was the correct approach.

Jerry rolled his eyes, "That's not how it works! That motherf-"

"Jeremiah Liam Knox! Do I need to scrub your mouth out with olive oil?" A voice scolded from behind them.

"No!" Jerry squeaked, "Sorry dad! I didn't know you were visiting today."

Apollo looked at Will with exasperation. "I'm restocking your supply of olive oil! And if that doesn't teach him, then we can use dish soap."

Jerry stuck his tongue out in distaste, "Yuck!" While Will said at the same time, "We have a supply of Olive Oil?"

Apollo narrowed his eyes at the twins. "I thought you were both on probation from any competition?"

The twins paled. "How did you know that?" Holly asked.

Apollo rolled his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm the God of Knowledge."

Laurel nodded glumly, "That would do it."

"Now scram, and I'll pretend I didn't see you when I go to talk to Chiron." Apollo warned.

The twins booked it out of the basketball court.

"Does that mean we won?", Kayla asked.

Apollo shrugged, "If you want it to, then yes."

Kayla bit her lip. "That resolves the victory between the cabins, but it doesn't resolve the victory within our cabin."

Will furrowed his eyebrows, "What does that even mean?"

"Whoever reaches the archery field last is the biggest fart!" Gracie yelled and ran off to the archery field, Kayla and Jerry hot on her heels.

"I'm guessing Austin, Yan, Aj, and Evan are at the archery fields?" Apollo asked.

"Probably." Will shoved his hands into his pockets.

Aj and Evan are the newest members of cabin seven. Aj, a skilled nine-year-old archer, and Evan, a seven-year-old talented pianist.

"I'll talk to them in a bit, but I need to speak to Chiron and Mr. D first."

Will swallowed, "Nothing is stirring, right?"

Apollo ruffled his hair - it had grown since his impromptu haircut, but it wasn't nearly as long as it once was. "No. I just need to ask their permission to take a certain son of mine out for his sweet sixteen birthday."

Will blushed and said, "Isn't that violating the law?"

"Not unless you get express permission from Zeus himself." Apollo waved his hand, and a piece of signed paper appeared in his hand.

"He gave you permission?"

"Hera pressured him into it, and I guess he feels somewhat guilty about me almost dying when I was mortal."

Will frowned, "Hera vouched for you?"

"I know!" Apollo said, "I'm just as surprised as you are! Something changed during my time away from Olympus. She actually has a heart now."

"Oh!" Apollo exclaimed. "Here comes your boyfriend. I must go find the camp directors. Will you excuse me?"

Apollo left as Nico walked up to him, "Didn't your father just visit two weeks ago?"

"Yeah, he's just asking Chiron and Mr. D about something."

Nico arched an eyebrow, "And does that something have to do with someone turning sixteen in a couple of days?"

Will's lips quirked up, "Maybe."

Nico slipped his hand into his and they walked to the archery field, where his siblings were undoubtedly having a contest.

"How did training the Ares' cabin go?" Will asked.

Nico looked annoyed, "Terrible. I had to summon a few skeletons to get them to listen. Just because their father is a god of war, it doesn't mean they know better about fighting than anyone else."

Will hummed sympathetically, "It sounds rough."

Nico snorted, "Yeah, it was. But I know what will make me feel better."

Will smirked and said, "And what would that be, my lord of darkness?"

Nico leaned forward and Will met him halfway, sharing a passionate kiss. They heard some catcalls, but they both ignored them; they weren't worth their effort.

They parted after the conch horn rang for dinner. Will and Nico walked to the Apollo's table with Will smiling as bright as the sun.

---

Apollo's Cabin

Lee Fletcher: (Archery & Healing) 04/12/1990 - 07/01/2008 ~ Died at age 18

Michael Yew: (Archery & Poetry) 10/25/1992 - 08/16/2009 ~ Died at age 16

Mindy Callahan: (Music & Precognition) 02/04/1993 - 08/16/2009 ~ Died at age 16

Ashley Gomez: (Archery & Music) 09/16/1993 - 08/16/2009 ~ Died at age 15

Avery Hopkins: (Archery & Truth) 07/28/1994 - 08/16/2009 ~ Died at age 15

Bradley Fredrickson: (Archery & Knowledge) 11/01/1995 - 08/16/2009 ~ Died at age 13

Will Solace: (Healing, Wielder of Light & Sun) 08/16/1996 - present

Elliott Brass: (Music & Healing) 03/09/1997 - 08/01/2010 ~ Died at age 13

Hannah Trest: (Music & Healing) 10/29/1997 - 08/01/2010 ~ Died at age 12

Cyrus Griddle: (Archery & Music) 01/02/1998 - 08/18/2009 ~ Died at age 11

Austin Lake: (Music & Poetry) 04/23/1998 - Present

Zoey Drawls: (Knowledge & Precognition) 09/30/1998 - 08/01/2010 ~ Died at age 11

Kayla Knowles: (Archery & Healing) 05/21/1999 - Present

Jerry Knox: (Archery & Precognition) 03/31/2000 - Present

Yan Rén: (Music & Archery) 06/01/2000 - Present

Gracie Fischer: (Healing & Truth) 02/24/2001 - Present

Aj Martinez: (Archery & Healing) 03/07/2003 - Present

Evan Thompson: (Music & Knowledge) 06/19/2005 - Present

- You're still here? Let me know if you have any questions or just a general comment about the fic. :)