To whoever left that last review: A bit, yes. But really only the title. I've just always thought that Will has a ton of trauma that gets frequently ignored because he's really not allowed to react to it. Taking care of other people and being strong for them is his job, and it seemed like a really interesting concept to explore. Mostly Nico's trauma was explored in TSATS, and while Will's was mentioned a few times, it was mostly brushed aside.

I just didn't know what to call the dam thing.

Side note—I don't actually know when Will's birthday is, and this is gonna be one of those really inconsistent things. And Rick doesn't know how timelines work either, so shut up.

Nico's gone.

I know that now, and I think I knew it ever since he screamed at Percy. He can't have been the smartest person in the world (not the brightest spoon in the Hanukkah tool shed, as A.J. liked to put it), considering that he had hardly had any training against monsters. He could be dead, for all we knew.

Maybe he didn't care if he died.

I've never felt anything like that, although I could, from an outsider's viewpoint, understand it. I had felt like I'd been dragged through Tartarus after Harper left us, and we'd only been close for about a month. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be close with your sister your whole life, then suddenly be told she was gone. I might not have cared if I lived either.

But that was Nico's business.

I was really more concerned with two things: one, the darkness inside him. Percy had been incredibly evasive about it, and had just flat–out told me that I didn't get to know. I wasn't easily offended at the best of times, but this was definitely not that.

And it was definitely confusing–I had a feeling it had to do with his godly parent, but I had no idea who that was.

Not to mention worrying.

Two, the massive crack in the dining pavilion.

It had been there since I had gone to dinner after talking to Percy. We had all nervously skirted around it, murmuring to each other, speculating about what had caused it and if it was safe. Some people thought that it would widen until it swallowed all of us. A competing theory was that monsters would crawl out of it to violently dismember us all.

People sounded strangely excited about that possibility.

My cabin wasn't, although that was because we knew we would be the ones stitching the body parts back on.

Thankfully, I had a feeling it wasn't dangerous any more, and I thought the campers were being a bit dramatic. Although imagining their reaction to an Apollo kid telling them not to be dramatic, I slumped over laughing.

One thing I was sure of, though–Nico had something to do with it. I wasn't sure how, or what exactly he had done, but it could be a coincidence that Nico had been furious with Percy in the dining pavilion, Percy refused to answer questions about the darkness in Nico's soul, and there was now a jagged crack in the floor of the exact same place where Nico and Percy had been standing.

It wasn't going away, either. It had been months since Nico's disappearance. We still had no clue what had happened to him. I don't know why it made me so sad. I hardly even knew him, but I still kind of wanted to cry.

But I wasn't the little ten–year–old anymore. It seems like the world has an unspoken agreement that when you turn eleven, you can't break down and cry over things like that anymore. I was old enough and experienced enough to work by myself in the infirmary, and I wasn't about to turn this mysterious kid I hardly knew into another Harper.

I wondered if Nico had lived long enough to turn eleven, wherever he was. Or eighty–one, or whatever.

But I guess that's irrelevant.

I bolted upright in my bed, as instantly awake as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice on my face. It was still pitch black outside. I was getting good at telling time by the sun, and I glanced outside to do exactly that–then I immediately smacked myself in the forehead. Idiot.

I wasn't the only one suddenly woken up. The entire cabin (actually the entire cabin–I had four more siblings that hadn't even met) was awake, most of them on the floor, staring out the windows or cracking open the door to peer outside. I scrambled down the ladder as quickly as I could–and immediately barked my shin on the bed frame.

Really, the fact that I did not limp off cursing and crying should have gotten me listed among Heracles and Orpheus as one of the greatest Greek heroes ever.

Instead, I crossed the cabin to the door, summer air warming my skin. The sound of chirping crickets and peepers filled my ears, vastly preferable to the sound of wind whistling through the bare, clawlike branches of the winter. I thanked the gods that whatever this was at least had the politeness to attack during summer.

Lee turned toward me and pressed a finger to his lips. "Listen," he whispered.

I listened. Chills erupted in the small of my back and began making their way up my spine.

I could hear stomping in the distance, as well as something that sounded almost like hissing and snarling. I traded nervous looks with Kingsley, a summer camper who was only a year older than I was. I had to chew my tongue to keep from whimpering. The monster shouldn't be able to get through the barrier, but I dare you to stand in the darkness listening to a murderous creature hissing and bellowing and not shiver a little.

Lee headed over to the rack of weapons on the wall and grabbed a bow. "I'm going to check it out."

Phoenix stared at him. "Are you insane?" she hissed through her teeth. "That thing is huge! Even if there's only one of it, there's still only one of you."

True, killing monsters was our job, but I understood her fear–it's so much easier to be brave in the sunlight, preferably surrounded by demigods armed with weapons and Greek fire. Also seeing the monster you're facing is helpful.

And neither of us wanted to lose another sibling.

Lee shook his head. "Relax, I'm just going to look. I won't step outside the border." He glanced at us. We were all crowded around the door and windows now, craning out necks as if that would give us night vision. "Anyone who wants to come with me, grab a bow."

I was tempted, (well, okay, I wasn't, but I didn't want Lee to go alone), but, as I may have mentioned, my archery skills were terrible.

Ayesha, a tall, willowy, sixteen–year–old, took a bow off the rack. "I'll go," she said, sounding a lot braver than I felt.

Michael also took one. "Count me in."

"Anyone else?" Lee asked.

I was clenching my hands into fists to keep them from shaking. "I'll go," I said quietly, trying–and failing–to keep the tremor out of my voice.

Why, exactly, was I going? It wasn't like I could save anyone's life. If one of my siblings died, then one of my siblings died. But I couldn't wait here, not knowing and not knowing, until a survivor returned with the broken, hollow expression that could only mean one thing.

A few of my siblings gave me surprised looks–especially the year–rounders, who knew me only as a medic–but Lee just handed me a bow and quiver. "I know you're not great with these," he told me quietly. "But take them. It'll make me feel better if you have them."

I realized instead of worrying myself, I was about to worry my siblings. Lee and Michael would definitely prefer that I stay in the cabin and out of harm's way.

Wow. Nice job, William.

I nodded and slung the bow and quiver over my back. No doubt it would take me at least twenty seconds to grab the bow, nock an arrow, and aim, but it was something. And hey, it doesn't matter how bad of a shot you are, if someone tells you to hit a massive, skyscraper-huge monster, it'd be pretty impressive for you to miss.

We headed out of the cabin, the moss and grass masking our footsteps. The other cabins were clustered outside, looking nervously toward the border where the noises were coming from. Jake Mason caught my eye and gave me a reassuring nod. I gave him a crooked smile that probably looked more like a grimace of pain. Yes, I definitely know what I am doing. I am definitely not freaking out.

Most of the campers turned around and headed back inside, like yep, good luck scaring off the monster and whatnot. As if four kids wearing pajama pants and shaking sleep–tousled hair out of their eyes like a family of sheepdogs could be called anything on the same dictionary page as threatening.

Despite my nerves, I had to admit that the summer nights were, as I had thought they would be, beautiful. The stars sparkled above us like flecks of white glitter sprinkled on deep indigo velvet. A few fireflies flitted around, lighting up the air like tiny fireworks. A gentle breeze warmed the air and whispered through the grass and treetops.

Yes, it was definitely perfect weather for chasing away a massive, unidentified monster.

The ominous sounds grew louder and louder as we headed close to the border. I still couldn't tell what was out there, but it didn't sound happy about not being able to get in.

Michael looked back at me, forehead creased with worry. "Will, whatever happens, stay inside the border."

I felt a nervous tug in my gut. "Are—are you guys leaving it?"

"Hopefully, no," Michael said grimly. "But if we can't kill it or chase it off from in here, we might have to."

Ayesha gave me a curious look. "You're not a good shot?"

I shook my head ruefully. "Not really, no. I just wanted to make sure nothing happened."

She blinked. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if you're not good at archery…what exactly are you planning on doing."

I sighed. "That's…a great question."

The truth was, I wanted to know if anybody died. I wanted to help, not wait in the cabin with no news. And if I couldn't help…I didn't want another Harper situation. Not ever.

We stayed silent after that, the treeline drawing closer. The forest was dark, every innocent tree and shrub looming in front of us like a monster ready to crush us.

"Everybody, stay behind a tree until we can see what is," Lee whispered. "When it's in our line of vision, fire at its weak spots—if it has any." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You, stay hidden unless one of us gets hurt. We'll be a little too preoccupied attacking the monster, so healing's going to be your job. Okay?"

"Okay," I whispered. I was glad to have a job, although now I kind of hoped I wouldn't be needed. The if–it–has–weak–spots seemed like a pretty big if to me, but I pressed myself against a pine tree and stayed quiet.

The night was now so silent that the only sounds I could hear were the creature and my own heart pounding in my ears. It was as if the frogs and crickets had conspired to make us feel like we were in a horror movie. I wished more and more with every passing second that I had stayed in the cabin. Not that it mattered—I had made my choice.

The snarling and the stomping wasn't drawing closer any more. The monster seemed to be pacing back and forth, searching for a way past the barrier.

I craned my neck around the tree, and nearly screamed.

A massive shadow, nearly fifty feet long, was snaking between the trees. I caught flashes of green and amber—scales, maybe? An amber eye was visible for a second, glinting between the leaves and needles.

"Drakon," Ayesha whispered.

I remembered hearing about drakons, massive, snakelike creatures who could make even the toughest, bravest warriors freeze in terror. If there was one monster above all else that I did not want to come into contact with in a dark forest at night, this was it.

"Shit, it's huge," Michael hissed.

I'd never seen one before, but I was tempted to agree with him. The thing could probably swallow all four of us and not even need a toothpick.

"Alright," Lee whispered. "I think we'll have an opening to shoot in a few seconds. Do you all remember where the chinks in its scales are?"

Michael and Ayesha nodded. I had no idea—clearly I would have to do more research on monsters' weaknesses.

The others nocked their arrows, as calmly as if this were just another day of practice on the archery range.

"Okay…" Lee muttered. "Aaaaand…NOW!"

They fired. Lee's arrow sank into its eye, while Michael's and Ayesha's sank into the gaps between its scales. The drakon bellowed, thrashing like a fish pinned onto a dock. It lashed out with its front claws.

Before Michael could react, a claw sliced across his leg. He yelped and crumpled to his knees, blood already spreading across his pants.

I cursed under my breath. The thing wasn't going down quietly.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I darted out from my hiding place and dropped to my knees beside Michael. I placed my hands over the wound, trying to gauge its severity while ignoring the furious monster ten feet away from me. I crossed my fingers that it was preoccupied with Lee and Ayesha. Before long, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not so bad," I whispered. My brother nodded gratefully.

Behind us, Ayesha landed an arrow in the drakon's underbelly. Finally deciding that we weren't worth all the trouble, it turned around and began stomping back the way it had come, shaking the trees and sending leaves raining down on us.

Lee and Ayesha sprinted after it, still sinking arrows into its vulnerable spots. I glanced at them and bit my lip, fighting off worry.

"They'll be okay," Michael whispered through clenched teeth. "They've got it on the run, and they'll either kill it or seriously fuck it up."

Desperately hoping he was right, I focused my attention on his leg, pushing away all other thoughts. The claw had sliced through a bit of muscle, but it hadn't split any tendons. I wasn't sure if I could fully fix it, but I could close it up until we found Gracie. Apollo kids healed fast, anyway.

I gently placed a hand over the wound—not the most sanitary solution, but I didn't have any bandages—and began quietly humming.

We were silent for a long time, the only sounds Michael's labored breathing and my healing melody. After what felt like hours, the slice began to close up, blood flow ceasing and skin knitting itself back together. I felt the muscle strengthen under my fingers—apparently I could fix it.

I finally took my hand away and rose shakily to my feet. My knees trembled under me, threatening to buckle and send me to the ground. "That's the best I can do, for now." My voice was as shaky as my legs.

Michael stood up, brushing dirt off his pants. "You did great, Will. I couldn't heal muscle injuries for nearly a year." He grinned. "And I recognize the hymm."

I smiled too. "Well, it was the first one you taught me."

Just then, Lee and Ayesha burst back out of the trees, breathing hard. They were both covered with dirt, but they didn't seem to be hurt-I couldn't detect any cuts, bruises, breaks, sprains, or anything else.

"We…scared it…off," gasped Lee. "Chased it…way past…the border." Ayesha nodded and doubled over, pressing her hands to her knees, a tangled curtain of hair obscuring her face.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Really? You couldn't kill it?" His words were annoyed, but his voice carried a hint of playfulness.

Lee snorted. "Someone's…feeling vengeful." He shook his head. "Do you have any idea...how hard those things are to kill?"

"Okay, good point," Michael admitted. "Is it staying away for a while, at least?"

Ayesha straightened up and smiled slightly, shaking back her wild hair and running her fingers through it. "Well, it did have a dozen arrows sticking out of it, including one in its eye." She nodded toward his leg. "How's the cut?"

"Will took care of it," he said with a grin. "Fixed it up, even the muscle."

Lee gently punched my shoulder. "Nice job." Then he shook his head. "Healing muscle injuries already—I can't believe Michael still keeps giving you grunt work."

Michael snorted. "Because, Lee,"(he packed my brother's name with as much condescending sarcasm as was possible) "Everyone does–"(he did finger quotes) "'Grunt work.'" He sounded as though he was talking to an inexperienced child. Ayesha grinned.

I laughed, then immediately slumped against Lee. I hadn't realized how much the healing had taken out of me. "Uh, can we go back to the cabin?"

Lee wrapped a protective arm around my chest. "Come on. Let's go."

"Will?"

Lee's voice startled me out of my sleepy haze. Dark had just started to fall, and I had been—say it with me, everybody—cutting bandages. Grunt work, as Lee had so eloquently put it. Now I jerked me head around and stared at Lee as if he were a ghost.

My oldest brother was standing in the door of the infirmary, a bow slung over his back. "Don't worry," he said hastily, noticing the look on my face. "Nobody died."

"Well, that was gonna be my first question," I said dryly. "Glad you could refute that assumption."

Lee smiled. "Relax, we've just got a newbie. She got claimed pretty quick, same as you."

I blinked. "Then…shouldn't you be showing her around?" New kids were usually given the tour by their head counselor.

He grimaced. "I would, but I've got an archery lesson to teach. I only had time to give her the basics about the gods being real and her heritage."

An archery lesson? "Uh…in the dark?"

He sighed. "Yep. Mr. D wanted us to learn to fight with 'limited vision.'" He did finger quotes and sighed. "He says it's because we might have to fight a monster in a position where we can't see, but honestly, I think he's hoping we'll accidentally kill each other."

It was my turn to grimace. The perpetually grouchy, child—hating camp director seemed exactly like the kind of guy to try and trick us into killing each other. I made a point of staying away from him.

"Besides, I trust you," Lee said. "You're definitely patient enough, and I think you'll be a good first–person–from–the–cabin–to–talk–to."

I had to smile. "Where is she?"

"She's waiting outside the cabin." Lee glanced at the sky and yelped. "I have to go! Good luck."

He scrambled out of the infirmary. Laughing, I put down my scissors and headed out after him.

The girl was indeed leaning against the cabin, kicking at rocks and twirling a blade of grass between her fingers. She looked to only be about nine years old, with bright red hair dip–dyed with green.

"Hey," she said, pushing herself off of the cabin. "Are you the one Lee said would show me around?"

I nodded and held out my hand. "I'm Will Solace."

She took my hand and shook it, staring at me curiously. "Kayla Knowles. How come you're the one who got sent to talk to me?"

I grinned apologetically. "Lee would have done it, but he had an archery lesson to teach. Yep, in the dark." I shrugged. "He figured I was good backup."

Kayla nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets. "So, where do we go first?"

That was an excellent question. I thought about it and decided that there was really no particular order. "Come on, I'll show you where we eat."

Half an hour later, we ended up at the archery range, Lee having just finished his lesson. Kayla seemed fascinated, running her hands over the bows, flipping the arrows over and over in her fingers. "Okay, this place is really cool. These are great quality arrows."

"You're into archery, then?" I asked. I hadn't really considered the quality of the arrows, but if that's your thing, rock on, I guess.

She nodded. "My dad's an archery coach—my mortal dad, I mean."

"Your mortal dad…" I took a second to process that one. "Oh. Wow."

"Yeah," Kayla agreed. "Gods are really weird."

"But then how did you…" I shook my head. "You know what, don't tell me. I don't wanna know."

I had learned from experience not to think about things on the godly side too hard—I would have driven myself insane long ago trying to figure out the Athena kids.

"I'm not gonna think about it either." Kayla put the arrow back. "Anyway, I do a lot of archery. I'm pretty good."

"Lucky. I'm horrible." I glanced nervously at the dark sky. "I'm guessing we have about five minutes to get back before the harpies eat us."

Kayla blanched. "Eat us? Is that likely?"

"Not if we move fast. And you're new, you'll get a warning first." I doubted if that reassured her at all. I certainly would have been even more terrified.

We were walking back now, on the lookout for angry harpies. "And they don't mind so much if I'm not in the cabin, if I have to work."

"Work?" Kayla tilted her head.

"In the infirmary," I explained. "Sorry, I showed you, but I didn't really explain everything—you're gonna have to work there, too." I felt a little bad telling her-medical work isn't everyone's thing, but Apollo's kids didn't get a choice.

She blinked. "I am?"

"Yeah, but only if we have more injured campers than usual, and we need extra help." I chewed my tongue, wondering if Kayla knew about the impending war with Kronos. This was about to get really awkward if she didn't. "And, um, we'll definitely need the help after the war."

If Kayla had had water in her mouth, she would have done an excellent impression of Old Faithful. "WHAT?"

As quickly as I could, I gave her the run—down: Luke betraying the camp, Luke working to revive Kronos, the plan to overthrow the gods, several half–bloods (though I didn't mention anything about the deserters from our cabin, and certainly not Harper) abandoning the camp to join Luke.

Kayla, to her credit, kept a mostly straight face, although she was shivering. Clearly, she had not been told about it. I would have to have a word with Lee-this seemed like a fairly important thing to know.

When she finally found her voice, her matter-of-fact words shook me to my core. "We're all going to die, then."

Her voice contained no drama, no fear, only a sad resignation. World–weary at nine.

What a life. What a fucking life.

I stepped close and wrapped my arms around her, disregarding my fear of the harpies. Let them try to hurt us. Let them try all they wanted. They weren't getting near Kayla.

She sank against me, shaking, burying her face in my chest. Her arms wrapped around my ribs so tightly I thought that they would crack.

I reminded myself that the poor kid was two years younger than me, thrust into a world she knew nothing about, probably missing her dad, and was now finding out that she had to fight a fucking war. Also, reading between the lines, she would have to kill other demigods, and have to save the lives of other demigods, and if they died it would be her fault.

I asked for help.

I was right here.

What did you do?

Useless.

I shoved aside the thoughts and held my sister closer, squeezing my eyes shut to keep away the tears.

Well, I finally posted.

It would have been sooner, but I've been away for the past few days, and I can't post here when I'm offline.

Also, I'm about to be gone for a whole week, so no posting then either. I'll be able to get out a couple chapters before that, but I'm just letting you know now in case I forget.