"Nico?" Will gasped, the first word falling from his lips being the name of the unconscious Son of Hades. There was an expression of shock on his face, a picture of reverent wonder as he reached out to touch Nico's face. He withdrew his hand as if he had been burned before making contact, instead repeating Nico's name, "Nico?"

He seemed to realise it was eliciting no response from Nico so he looked up, glancing around the room with shock making way for confusion. Then his eyes fell on Percy.

Percy knew that he couldn't believe the fact that Will was in front of him, but Will seemed even more surprised to see Percy.

"Will?" Percy couldn't stop himself from speaking, breaking the still silence that had only been punctuated by the sound of breathing. He couldn't quite believe his own eyes; wondering if he was truly witnessing the scene before him, or if he was the one that had hit their head and he was imagining it all.

"Nico found you?" Will asked, sheer happiness colouring his tone. It wasn't what Percy expected at all, guilt rolling in his stomach for the responsibility he felt for his part in Will's death – being the reason Nico wasn't with him.

"I-"

"Is that Leo?" Will cut him off before Percy could even start to answer, hurrying over with a wistful glance at Nico's still form. "And Thalia? Perseus Jackson, what in Zeus' name have I been summoned into?"

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Percy asked, still slightly stunned. He hoped that Nico woke up soon, because he didn't think he could face having to tell Nico that he'd managed to summon the spirit of his boyfriend that he had been searching for the last four years and promptly passed out.

"I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and assume that it has something to do with the ever-delightful Nathan and that horror of a boyfriend he traded my soul for?" Will arched an eyebrow and Percy was uncomfortably reminded of Apollo. "This seems to have his name written all over it, the murdering asshole."

Then what Will was saying sank in. "You know what happened?"

"How about you tell me what you know and where in the name of Apollo you have been while I direct you on how to care for Thalia and Leo, and then I'll tell you how much of that I already knew?" Will proposed. "Because I can already guarantee that I can tell you a few things that nobody else knows."

"Okay," Percy agreed easily, curious about what Will could tell him. "What am I doing, Doc?"

"Are you wearing my dad's necklace?" Will asked, suddenly a lot closer than he was seconds before.

"Yes." Percy nodded, having to stop himself from reaching for said item because of his bloodied hands. He wanted to hold it between his fingers and feel the warmth it still carried from the god that owned it and pray for his presence. Explaining the current events to the god was a challenge that Percy was anticipating with dread. "I can explain that as well."

Will somehow managed to turn paler than his already pale visage. "Percy, please tell me that if I were to ever return to the human plane of existence, I would not have to call you 'dad' as well?"

"I'm not dating your dad!" Percy yelped quickly, shaking his head. "Short version is; I met a god when I left camp, he let me pull a bunch of our friends and demigods of old from the Underworld, we ran around the galaxy for five years, and then Zeus realised that there was something funky going on with Kronos and Gaia so he got in touch, we arrived at camp, did some digging, found out that Nathan is Gaia's demigod son, also found out that Octavian is alive, stole Nathan's diary, found out what Nathan did to bring Octavian back but they escaped before we could deal with them, planned a Quest, got issued two prophecies in two days – turns out a god has been kidnapped and nobody knows who – and now here we are. Chasing Nathan and Octavian through the Labyrinth while we try and find the kidnapped deity."

"Have you seen Ant-Man?" Will asked. It was not the question Percy expected him to ask.

The answer about what happened to Leo and Thalia died on his lips and he awkwardly shook his head.

"Luis does a recap better," Will informed him. Percy had no idea who 'Luis' was. "And how did you end up with Leo and Thalia in this condition and Nico passed out? Also, did four of you go on a Quest? You know that four is considered unlucky!"

"Twelve of us actually," Percy corrected. "Which is a multiple of three."

"Twelve?" Will's eyes widened. "What, was Seven not enough last time? And where are the other eight?" He looked around the room before pointedly raising his eyebrow at Percy as if to question the empty chamber.

"Good question," Percy sighed, wanting to know the answer himself. "We got separated. On a totally unrelated topic to what caused said separation, have you ever treated anyone who has been gored by a Minotaur?"

"I swear you're more stressful than Nic." Will rolled his eyes. "Move your hands, I want to see the wound."

"Yes, Doc." Percy obliged.

"That doesn't mean stop talking." Will levelled him with a look. "Who is supposed to be with you?"

"Obviously the four of us." Percy gestured, despite the fact that Will's attention was focused on the gaping wound in Leo's abdomen. "Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, Icarus - as in the one from the Greek myth, Luke Castellan, and err... Your dad, Apollo, came along too."

Will looked up, eyes wide. "I honestly don't know which of those last three I should be the most surprised about."

"If you had told me the day before I left that in five years' time that I would one-day be on a Quest with those three people, I would have dragged you straight to the Infirmary with suspected concussion," Percy admitted. "And speaking of concussions, that's what I think is wrong with Thalia."

There seemed to be a small flicker of surprise at the mention of the time that had spanned since Percy left Camp, but he didn't mention it. Will had just nodded, taking in the information before delivering some information of his own. "Apologies, Percy, but there's nothing that can be done for Leo."

"You're telling me you didn't even try to move the rock that blocked the door?" Apollo asked, staring at the group of demigods before him. Well, the demigods and one legacy who had been sat on the floor looking rather despondent until Apollo announced his arrival. He did adore it when his arrival put a smile on a pretty face, even if it wasn't the pretty face he had been hoping to see. "You just continued, leaving them with no guide and a monster after them?"

"It's not like any of us could?" Frank defended them weakly. "None of us have super strength or anything, and it's not like Piper could Charmspeak it into moving for us."

"Do you or do you not have the ability to transform yourself into different beasts?" Apollo asked, raising an eyebrow. He wanted to sigh dramatically and hit his head against the stone of the wall beside him, but he knew that patience was key with demigods. He also knew that he couldn't blame them for panicking, not when they had a beast of unknown origin chasing them down. "Surely you could take the form of something big enough to shatter the rock that blocks the way? Or make yourself small enough to fit through the gaps around it and potentially find the trigger mechanism that would spring it open?"

Frank blinked slowly before nodding. "Any suggestions?"

"Anything from an ant to an elephant could fit the scenarios I just suggested," Apollo informed him dryly before turning his attention elsewhere. "Icarus, can you remember the way back? Or do we need to hold hands and I'll drag you in the direction that my necklace calls from?"

Much to his surprise, Icarus blushed and ducked his head shyly. "I think I recall?"

"Excellent, hand holding it is," Apollo declared, deciding to attribute it to the poor thing's lack of human contact in his formative years. He couldn't imagine being locked in a tower with only his father for company as a teenager, his skin crawling at the idea of having to spend years in close proximity to Zeus and nobody else. The isolation would drive him insane. No wonder Icarus seemed shy around him. "Come along, let's hope they've not done something stupid like bleed out in our absence."

"What do you mean, there's nothing we can do for Leo?" Percy asked, feeling slightly horrified. His heart had dropped when Will delivered the news and he could feel it beating heavily as he questioned him. "I know it's bad, I'm not stupid, but surely there's something?"

"Leo's fate lies in the hands of a person who is not here," Will informed him; looking for a moment as if he was in a dreamlike trance, staring at something that wasn't there. "All we can do is send him there."

Before Percy could say anything more or protest, Will reached out and laid a ghostly hand on Leo's chest. To his surprise, it didn't pass through. Instead it glowed with golden light, tendrils flowing out and over Leo's body, levitating him slightly off the ground so they could wrap around him in a cocoon of shimmering light. There was a flash that left spots in Percy's vision, forcing him to blink furiously until he could see clearly. And he could see clearly that Leo was no longer there.

"Where did you send him?" Percy asked, a frantic edge creeping into his voice.

"Somewhere safe," Will answered plainly. "I just hope that she is happy to see him and will not kill him for not arriving back sooner."

Percy understood immediately.

"Now, Thalia!" Will moved on, gesturing for Percy to follow.

He dipped his hands in the puddle of water he had used to clean the fabric of Leo's t-shirt with, controlling it to flow over and clean his hands of every last drop of his friend's blood. Once he knew logically that they were clean – though Leo's blood would be appearing on his hands in his nightmares until he saw him alive and healed – he followed Will the few feet to where Will was squinting at Thalia.

"I think you're probably correct in your assessment that she has a concussion." Will nodded. "Did she hit her head hard? I can see bruising forming on her temple."

"The Minotaur had been chasing us," Percy explained, possibly for the first time outside of asking if Will had treated victims of the Minotaur's horns before. "We ran in here and got separated when someone stepped on a pressure plate that sealed the doorway, the four of us had to make a stand when the other corridor looped back around. Big and Beefy ran in and that was it then."

"The ugly brute that you fought when you arrived at Camp and again on the Williamsburg Bridge?" Will raised an eyebrow and whistled. "He must seriously hate your guts for him to come for you three times in less than what, fifteen years?"

"Give him five years and I guarantee he'll be after me again." Percy grimaced. "Leo annoyed him by trying to set him alight with a fireball, so he was focused on him - I don't think he liked the possibility of being turned into braised beef. Unfortunately when he was lining up to charge, Leo and Thalia didn't look which way the other one was running and collided. Leo got gored and Thalia was thrown through the air and whacked her head against the wall."

"Have you tried to wake her?" Will asked.

"Nico was looking after Thalia while I was keeping pressure on Leo's wound." Percy shook his head.

"A little nectar when she comes around and she'll be as right as rain, provided there's nothing else?" Will raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing else," Percy confirmed. "How should I wake her?"

"Usually I'd be horrified at the suggestion I'm about to make, but we need the privacy to talk," Will informed him. "She'll be fine coming around on her own."

"You want me to try and wake Nico?" Percy offered.

Will shook his head sadly. "Not just yet. There's some things I don't want him hearing until I can hold his hand and comfort him myself."

Percy nodded reluctantly, knowing it wasn't his place to argue with Will's decision.

"How is he?" Will asked softly, looking across the room to where Nico was lying.

"We only found out what Nathan did to bring Octavian back a few days ago," Percy sighed. "Before we came down into the Labyrinth, he told me that he'd been having nightmares about it."

"How did you find out?" Will asked, a slight tremble in his voice. "You said you found Nathan's diary, right? What did he actually write?"

"I've got it with me if you want to look?" Percy offered, not knowing how Will would take it. He couldn't help but wonder if Apollo had found the answers to the questions it had given him yet, or if they would have to wait longer for his return. "In all honesty, I only read enough of it to figure out what he'd done and what the ritual was that he used."

"I'd rather not have to read his gleeful account of what he did to me." Will shook his head and shuddered.

"It knocked me sick when it registered what he was talking about," Percy admitted with a wince.

"Out of curiosity, what did he attribute my cause of death to?" Will asked, looking a little apprehensive.

"He only wrote minor details concerning how they planned for Tanner to swear an Oath that was intentionally misworded so it would backfire on you," Percy explained. "It matched up to what Nico told me, though Tanner claimed it was accidental and had Nathan and their other friends to back him up."

Will pursed his lips and nodded. "I figured as much. I know that was the explanation my dad gave to Nico."

"How?" Percy frowned, unable to stop the question from falling from his lips. "Nico said he's never been able to speak to you?"

"It wasn't until my body was burnt and Nathan recited the ritual that my soul passed from Camp to the hands of the Fates," Will explained, a sad smile on his face. "I had to watch my dad cry over my dead body and then I had to watch as he told Nico what had happened. I had to watch my boyfriend break and there was nothing I could do – it was like he couldn't even sense my presence. I don't know if it was the grief or if it was Nathan intervening somehow."

"Gods Will, that's just-" Percy stopped, not knowing what words to use. There wasn't anything that could truly describe the experience that Will had just detailed, a jumble of words flooding his mind, though none of them were accurate or horrific enough to truly capture it.

"Sucks, right?" Will grimaced.

"That's rough, buddy." Percy nodded, knowing that Will was fine with the fact he didn't know what else to say. "That's one way to put it."

"Wait until you hear the fun part." Will gave him a pained smile. "I didn't die because of the Oath."

Percy blinked once. "What?"

He felt like he'd had the rug pulled from beneath his feet again.

"The perception that there was nothing my dad could do only came about because I, well, died." Will winced. "He thought that there was internal bleeding that he didn't manage to fix. What he didn't know was that the internal bleeding that caused my death was from something else."

"Apollo and Nico don't know this?" Percy asked.

"Haven't got a clue." Will shook his head. "The night I died, I think it must have been just after midnight, my dad had to leave me alone in the infirmary for a short period. In that time, Nathan snuck in. He'd overheard someone say that there was a chance I'd pull through, so he decided to ensure that I wouldn't."

Percy's desire to throttle Nathan was increasing by the second.

"I was drifting in and out of consciousness and all of a sudden he was there, leaning over me and telling me exactly what was going to happen, why he deemed it necessary for me to die. The injuries I'd sustained from the lightning strike meant I couldn't shove him away and scream for help, I just had to lie there and listen to his villainous monologue. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't like a superhero film where the hero burst in and informed him that it wasn't going to happen," Will recounted as a sense of horror rose within Percy. "That's when he forced me to swallow poison. I thought I was going to choke on it, I thought that was going to be how I died. Then my dad came back but Nathan heard him come in and managed to escape the same way he had snuck in. I started coughing up blood and my dad freaked because he didn't know what was causing it. I died in his arms."

"Will, I'm-" Percy couldn't speak. "Oh my gods."

"Please don't tell Nico." Will looked terrified. "He doesn't need to know, doesn't need to hear it. Not when I won't be there to comfort him. I just want someone to know the truth, I can be at peace knowing that you know."

A thought then occurred to Percy. "What do you know about the ritual Nathan used, did he explain it to you?"

"Some crap about a soul for a soul, but not much more." Will shrugged. "I know you mean well but unless you can tell me that there's some mysterious counter-ritual that you've found, I don't want to hear it."

"Will, that is exactly why we're going after Nathan and Octavian," Percy told him. "In Nathan's diary, he said that if we were to find out what he did, we'd find out that it can be reversed. If we can give the Fates Octavian's soul, they'll release yours."

"What?" Will looked stunned, hope flickering in his eyes. "You're saying you can... I can come back? There's a way for you to bring me back and I can be with Nico again?"

"Yes!" Percy nodded.

"Oh my gods," Will gasped and covered his mouth with his hand. Ghostly tears seemed to form in his eyes, sheer joy radiating from him. "Percy, I could kiss you right now."

"Nico would send me to the Underworld," Percy laughed. "Gods above Will, you thought that he wouldn't find a way to bring you back? He's been searching the Underworld for your soul for the last four years, he got Hades to go to the Fates and ask if they knew anything, and he even got Hades to agree to letting him sneak you out of the Underworld and turn a blind eye if he found you. From what I can gather, Hades was pissed on your behalf anyway, but the fact you were Nico's boyfriend made his rage incandescent. He was the first one I told that Nathan had swapped your soul for Octavian's because he literally walked in and saw my face after reading it and he was about to smite them both there and then."

"The Fates keep a close eye on me." Will winced. "At first, they were the ones who prevented me from answering Nico's attempts to summon me. And then, when they stopped paying such close attention, I realised I could slip in and out as I pleased. But, by then, I realised that seeing Nico would just upset us both. I thought that seeing me, finding out what actually happened would devastate him because I knew I wouldn't be able to lie to him. As much as I wanted to be selfish and see him, I knew that it would hurt us both in the long run. So I stayed away, no matter how desperate his calls became."

"Why come now?" Percy asked.

"Honestly, I didn't intend to," Will admitted, looking guilty. "But it was like I had no choice in the matter. It felt like I was only dragged a short distance to be here though, so it may be that the summoning worked due to proximity. And I think the strength of the summoning was boosted by that."

Percy tried to look down to where Will was pointing before he realised that Will meant Apollo's necklace and he reached up to finally touch it, mentally praying that the god would return with good news in good time. "Apollo's necklace?"

"Aside from assuring me that you weren't dating my dad, you never did explain why you're wearing it?" Will frowned at him. "I've never seen him without it. Like, it's actually freaking me out a little that you're wearing it and you're not my dad... Or at least dating my dad, which, if it'll make you happy then-"

"I'm not dating your dad! You know how I mentioned a missing god?" Percy waited for a nod before continuing, despite having cut Will off to speak in the first place. "Your dad had a theory but he had to leave us to go up to Olympus to check it, so he gave me his necklace so he could find us again. Naturally, the moment he left us was when everything started to go wrong."

"I can't wait to see my dad again, I can't wait to hug him and tell him that this wasn't his fault. I don't doubt that he blames himself," Will admitted, eyes shining. He glanced over to Nico who was still unconscious. "And I can't wait to see Nico again."

Then he looked back to Percy, something akin to fear playing in his eyes.

"He hasn't..." Will bit his lip. "I mean, I guess it's okay if he has, it has been four years but... Is there someone else?"

"There's nobody else," Percy assured him, almost wanting to laugh at the parallels the conversation was taking to the one he'd had with Nico about his similar concerns. "I promise, there's not even the passing hint of someone else. It took him more than a week before he could tell me what had happened to you and he was an absolute mess. When we found out we could bring you back, I wish you could have seen the look on his face. Telling him that Nathan had swapped your soul for Octavian's was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but it was worth it to see him smile when we realised that there's a strong chance we can reverse it."

"Percy, please be honest with me," Will pleaded. "How accurate do you think Nathan's information is regarding you being able to resurrect me? I can't have false hope."

"A few of my teammates are looking through every book they can get their hands on within the borders of Camp to fact-check it," Percy explained. "Nathan hid the fact he had brought Octavian back until we discovered otherwise, something that he wouldn't have done if he knew that it couldn't be reversed. If it was irreversible, I can guarantee that Nathan would have paraded him around Camp as his boyfriend and completely lied about how he returned with no fear of someone discovering otherwise and undoing it."

"I can't belie-" Will stopped mid-sentence, fear flickering in his eyes. "I have to go."

"What?" Percy blurted out. "You haven't spoken to Nico yet!"

"The Fates, they'll realise soon that I'm gone, I've been here too long already." Will shook his head. "Percy please, I need you to tell Nico not to try and summon me."

"What?" Percy repeated.

Will gave him a sad smile. "I want the first time we see each other again properly to be when we can actually touch each other," he explained. "I want to be able to wipe away his tears and for him to be able to wipe away mine. I want to be able to hug him and laugh with him while holding his hand. I want to be able to lean my head on his shoulder as we watch the dying embers of the campfire. I want to be able to kiss him. Please?" He looked at Percy with wide, beseeching eyes. "I want you to tell him I love him but I can't see him again until I can do those things. And if he tries to summon me, I'll either be summoned against my own will or I won't come on purpose and I don't want that. I want to see him again when I'm alive."

"Okay," Percy agreed, though the words felt hollow and wrong. "I'll tell him."

"Thank you." Will smiled at him. "I should get going. Thalia will be fine with a dose of nectar and Nico just needs rest. Tell him that I said 'Doctor's Orders' and he might listen."

"We'll catch Nathan and Octavian and we'll bring you back," Percy promised, going against his instincts to swear an Oath on the Styx. "I'll tell him you love him and I'll look after him until you're back to make him look after himself."

"Thank you," Will repeated once more before walking over to Nico's unconscious form. He crouched beside him and reached out a shimmering hand to cup Nico's face, smiling fondly down. Despite feeling like he was intruding on a private moment, Percy couldn't tear his eyes away, his heart feeling heavy in his chest.

Will leaned forward, stopping inches away from Nico's face. He looked at it for several long seconds, as if he was committing it to memory, before closing the gap between them and pressing a ghostly kiss to Nico's lips. He faded away in that moment, fading into a shimmer of gold that floated down and collected on Nico's clothes and face, glittering like a kiss of summer sunlight.

Nico's eyes flared open, confusion flashing in them as he bolted upright to see Percy stood there with a forlorn expression on his face. He tilted his head, looking around as if he was expecting to see someone else standing beside him. "Did it work?"