Chapter Text
Percy swears there was a plan.
It was a short one, sure, only three steps long: 1. sneak into tartarus, 2. save Nico, and 3. get back to camp alive. It wasn't anything special, but still, they had one. And maybe it hadn't been the best - and okay, maybe they should've tried to make a more detailed plan before going to the Underworld, but still. He's pretty sure they were supposed to have more time before shit hit the fan.
"We sure we still wanna get Nico?" He couldn't help but ask, panting slightly as they ran. He was carrying an injured Will on his back, and the son of Apollo was heavier than he'd initially expected. "Cause like, I know I was saying to Jace that Will was gonna kill us cause Nico got hurt, but Nico's gonna- ow!"
Percy let out a rather undignified yelp as Will punched him in the shoulder, the action nearly sending both of them tumbling. He turned his head to make a comment about how he was pretty sure doctors weren't supposed to do any harm, but bit his tongue when he noticed the look Hazel was leveling him with. It screamed disapproval in a way that made Percy's skin crawl.
But in his defense, Hazel's unimpressed expression rivaled Annabeth's and Reyna's - and gods, wasn't that a terrifying image? Annabeth, Reyna and Hazel giving him matching why are you the way you are? looks while berating him for something stupid he did or said.
Awful.
"Are they gonna be okay?" Lou Ellen yelled from somewhere to Percy's right. "Shouldn't we help them?"
The worry was clear in her voice, but underneath the concern Percy could make out her sheer disbelief towards the whole situtation. Not that he could blame her, of course. Willingly going to the Underworld and then to tartarus was crazy enough, but then that happened.
'That', of course, referred to the moment the rescue team needed rescuing. Or more specifically, the moment they'd realized that not even being practically invisible could keep them out of trouble.
They'd made it down the hidden entrance with no issues (which, honestly, should have been the first sign that things were about to take a nosedive), and got down to the nearby flatlands on the other side of the Styx fairly easily thanks to Jason. The problem began once Grace airlines landed.
Before they'd started walking again, Reyna had suggested they try to move in more of an organized formation rather than a group huddle. She'd more or less taken charge, and Percy found that he didn't really have a problem with it. It'd felt a bit strange in the moment, almost like he was rolling over (something he was not accustomed to doing) - but he trusted Reyna's judgement. It also helped that everyone else - Will, Hazel, Jason, and Lou Ellen - seemed to have no problem following Reyna's lead if their lack of protests were anything to go by.
(But in the back of his mind, Percy couldn't help but wonder - was he okay with Reyna calling the shots not because of her capability to do so, but because of who they were trying to save? Because of where they were trying to go? Was he so stuck in the past that he was really okay with his friend taking up a burden that heavy? That line of thinking was suffocating, so he tried not to dwell on it.)
Reyna had proposed that they walk in two single-file lines next to each other. She'd said that doing so would ideally allow them to react to incoming threats with more efficiency, something that everyone could agree was necessary.
They knew that there were all kinds of monsters standing between them and Nico, and that resulted in a bit of a debate on who should go where in their formation. But in the end, they decided on Percy taking the lead with Will, Hazel and Lou Ellen in the middle, with Reyna and Jason in the rear to watch their backs.
Having Will in front was, in hindsight, a terrible decision. Thinking about it later, Percy knew it would've been better to switch Will and Hazel - but Will was the only one who knew how to get to Gorgyra, and he'd insisted on their current path over any other.
Percy remembered Jason's hesitation about the chosen route, and how he'd asked why Will was so adamant when there had to be other options that offered more cover - something Percy had also been thinking. But Will hadn't budged. All he'd said was that it involved Nico trusting Will, and that he wasn't willing to break said trust.
Those words alone seemed to stomp out any argument Jason could have put forward, and the following moment of awkward silence essentially ended the short debate. With Will refusing any other path and having no one else who knew where to go, putting Will in front to guide them made sense in the moment. They'd also thought that between the mist and magic that Hazel and Lou Ellen were using, it'd be enough to keep them safely hidden.
They'd been mostly right.
There'd never been any doubt about the fact that they'd run into at least a handful of monsters before they even got to tartarus, which was part of the reason why Hazel and Lou Ellen had hidden them before they'd even entered Orpheus's stairs. But what they hadn't been expecting was the drakon.
Or rather, they hadn't expected that they'd be taken by surprise by a drakon of all things.
Will had been there one moment, telling them about Gorgyra and her love for stories, and then he just. Wasn't. It'd taken Percy a second too long to process and react to the monster that had emerged from behind a nearby cluster of rocks, its nostrils flaring as its tail swished back and forth in powerful movements. Percy had reached for Will in an attempt to pull him out of the way, but he'd been a moment too late.
The strength of the blow sent the medic flying a few feet away, causing him to roll a few times before finally coming to a stop on his back. Will had let out a pained cry as he clutched the new wound on his leg, likely given to him by the sharp tip of the drakon's tail. The monster had frozen then, it's eyes staring at the group with a newfound pin-point focus as its tongue flicked out between jagged teeth.
In that moment, Percy had exactly two thoughts. The first was, naturally, a resigned 'fuck'. The second was that the drakon must have been able to smell them to some degree and had been looking for the source - and after its tail hit Will, it'd found them.
And that led them to their current predicament.
"We're all gonna die," Lou Ellen groaned, though she sounded more frustrated than anything. "We literally just got down Orpheus's stairs and now we're gonna die."
"Welcome to questing," Percy grunted as he tried to pick up the pace. "Every breath you take is an invitation for a monster to come and drag you into the abyss to eat you."
That being said, Percy knew they could handle their current situation - they'd been through worse after all (he chose to ignore the fact that they were currently heading towards said 'worse'). But the feeling of Will's blood seeping into his shirt made him start to wonder why Chrion hadn't protested more when Will had marched up to him (Percy and the others not far behind) and declared he was going to get Nico, with or without their teacher's support.
Normally Chiron was overly cautious about any unusual quest, and Mr. D just liked to do the opposite of whatever the campers wanted - so the fact that neither had offered any argument against Will had been surprising (although, Percy was pretty sure Rachel was involved based on the look she'd shared with the two immortals).
The other surprising thing had been the fact that everyone back at camp had agreed on their current group during the meeting they'd had just a few hours ago. Percy knew logically that, yes, when looked at separately they all kind of made sense. Reyna, Jason, and himself were (reluctantly) experienced with quests - and it only made sense for him and Jason to finish what they'd started.
Will was never not going to be a part of their rescue mission - he'd made that fact very clear, very fast. And very loudly. Percy was so used to Will being a welcoming, laid-back medic that he hadn't really believed Nico or Annabeth when they'd told him how scary Will could be. Percy joked about it, sure, but Will was just so chill that it was hard to picture in reality.
Percy knew better now.
His intimidation level aside, Will was genuinely one of the best options for the quest. He'd been to tartarus before (by choice, which still sort of blew Percy's mind), and because of that he knew the secret pathway to Gorgyra and how to get her boat. Adding on his anti-monster solar powers and his healing? Will was a no-brainer for the quest.
It'd only become a bit complicated when Hazel insisted on joining. Now, Percy completely understood why she wanted to go - but it was so risky. And if he was worried about the risks, well. You'd think people would listen.
Hazel had been dead - this was a fact that everyone on the Argo II knew, as well as Nico (for obvious reasons) and Reyna. Percy wasn't entirely sure if Will was aware of that particular piece of Hazel-lore, but he knew Lou Ellen didn't know. Which made everything even more complicated.
But Hazel hadn't been willing to take no for answer at the meeting despite the protests she received. Percy still wasn't sure if he regretted choosing to not speak up in that moment. He hadn't been sure if advocating for or against her would be better, but he'd had a feeling that Hazel shared more similarities with her brother than most people would expect. And one of those similarities was definitely taking 'no' as a challenge. If she didn't go with them, Percy knew for sure that she'd find her own way to tartarus.
She was just like Nico in that way - when those siblings had an idea, there weren't many people they'd yield to. And unfortunately for them, the only two people who had a real chance at persuading Hazel to wait at camp were just a little too far away to have any lasting impact. Even if they'd managed to IM Frank, he probably would've been too busy to put up any good argument - after all, he was currently running Camp Jupiter alone. And the other person, well. Percy was pretty sure you couldn't IM someone in tartarus.
Which meant that Hazel would be joining them.
(Percy tried not to think too much about that particular part of the meeting - after all, what could he have said? That he promised to bring Nico back alive? No. He'd broken far too many promises to Nico and his sisters - maybe it was selfish, but he couldn't handle another.)
Among those who knew about Hazel's past, it was common knowledge that Hades - or, Pluto - was ignoring her on purpose. Normally that would kind of suck, but in Hazel's case, it was probably the kindest thing her dad could've done. With the god ignoring her existence, she was able to go on living. But if he was ever forced to acknowledge her, then Hazel would have to return to the Underworld permanently.
Hazel had said that she would be able to conceal herself and everyone else with the mist, but Percy - and evidently, a few others - hadn't been so sure. That wasn't to say Hazel's control over the mist wasn't amazing - her skills still blew Percy's mind. But that would take a lot of focus and energy, and with how draining tartarus was, no one had been too confident about whether or not she'd be able to maintain her camouflage for the entire quest.
Of course, that concern was brought up without any mention of Hazel's past - but that specific tidbit was still silently acknowledged amongst everyone who knew of it.
Unsurprisingly, Annabeth had come up with a solution. She'd suggested that Lou Ellen join them with the proposal of her working with Hazel to conceal everyone from detection. She used the ban Hades had placed on the living entering the Underworld as the reason - and honestly, that wasn't a lie. Everyone knew Nico was the only exception to Hades' rules (a perk that was more or less extended to whoever he brought with him) - but even without that benefit, the guy was without a doubt your best chance of survival in the Underworld.
Will and Percy were living proof of that - but they knew that even when you were with Nico, you could still end up gambling with your life. So for them to be making a trip to the Underworld with six living demigods - including one who was supposed to be dead, a son of Poseidon and a son of Jupiter? Without Nico?
They might as well save everyone some time and just join the death-que.
So, Annabeth hadn't been lying - without having someone else who could help hide them from Hades, their chances of success were laughably slim - it just hadn't been the full truth. But whether or not Lou Ellen picked up on that was lost to Percy. He'd been too busy watching how her hands trembled as she agreed to join them, too busy listening to Cecil start to protest.
Part of him wanted to protest too.
He knew Lou Ellen was there during the war against Gaea - he'd heard about the piglets, as well as how she helped sabotage the giant catapults Octavian had brought. Percy knew she was tough and beyond capable, but as far as he knew she hadn't been on a formal quest before. And that would mean tartarus would be her first.
It didn't sit right with him, even if he knew having her with them would help. But still, he hadn't said anything. It felt like a cop-out, staying so quiet during the meeting. But what could he have said? Percy and Will were the only ones who actually understood what they were signing up for, and no matter who he did or didn't endorse, there would be people joining that short list of tartarus survivors.
Then again, there was also the very real possibility that said list wouldn't get any longer - in fact, it might get significantly shorter.
But that was why they'd chosen the people they had - everyone had more or less agreed that their group had the highest chance of survival. Rachel had even said that it felt right to her; both the number of people and who they'd decided on.
Percy imagined that no one would have expected Will would get tail-whipped by a drakon within the first half hour of entering the Underworld.
"We need to keep moving," Hazel said from Percy's left. She didn't sound winded in the slightest, which made him briefly consider doing more cardio in his down time. Briefly. "Reyna and Jason can handle it until we get to a safer spot."
"Or maybe they'll just kill it," Percy groaned, his legs burning under the strain of running with Will on his back. "That'd be awesome."
"Just put me down here," Will demanded, weakly pushing against Percy's back. "The longer we take to beat that, the longer it'll take to get Nico."
"You do see the giant gash on your leg, right?" Lou Ellen's incredulous voice would've made Percy laugh if he had the air to spare. "You can't possibly believe you can walk on that."
"It's fine," Will mumbled. "Between that and the drakon, it's just like last time."
"What?" Hazel asked, her disbelief audible. Apparently, Nico hadn't shared that particular piece of information with his sister. "You- what does that mean?"
"Last time there were two of them," Will responded sagely, his head bumping against the back of Percy's. "Though, I don't think my leg was bleeding this badly."
"Fuck man-" Percy huffed, but the rest of his sentence was cut short by Jason shouting somewhere behind them. "Gods of- okay okay, this is far enough. Hazel, Lou Ellen, you got it from here?"
"Yeah, we're good - just go!" Hazel said as she and Lou Ellen helped Will off Percy's back, propping him up against a nearby rock. He didn't feel too comfortable leaving them alone, but he knew Hazel was more than capable of keeping the three of them safe. And by the sounds of the battle behind them, Reyna and Jason needed his help a bit more.
"I'll be right back," Percy said, taking an extra second to look over the three younger demigods before cursing and running towards his other friends.
Right before the group had split up, Hazel and Lou Ellen had said that the mist was still generally working - the problem was that the drakon must've begun to see through it after hitting Will. It began to see them.
Sometimes, Percy hated being right.
Coordinating their next move had been a quick decision on Reyna's part, which had made Percy kind of happy she was there. He felt a bit guilty about that, as he still didn't want any more of his friends to witness the horror that was tartarus, but he couldn't help it - having someone as reliable as Reyna at your back was reassuring.
She'd told Percy to grab Will and run, and for Hazel and Lou Ellen to follow him and focus on the mist. Her and Jason had stayed to keep the drakon's attention, but Percy could now see why they were having some trouble. In addition to the drakon was a cluster of stymphalian birds that Jason was fighting off - he seemed to be doing okay thanks to the wind he was controlling, but Percy knew they were making it hard for him to help Reyna.
Percy could only hope that now Hazel and Lou Ellen would be able to focus more on keeping them concealed - the last thing they needed was any more attention. He knew Hazel could fight and maintain her control over the mist, and he was sure Lou Ellen could as well - but they were trying to hide from a god in his own domain. Attracting any more monsters could be disastrous not just for them, but for Nico as well.
So while he, Reyna, and Jason fought off the drakon and those annoying birds, Hazel and Lou Ellen had to focus on upping the strength of the mist and tending to Will's leg.
Jeez, Percy internally groaned, unsheathing Riptide as he ran. At this rate the drakon might be a less painful death than whatever Nico's gonna cook up.
Even so, he wasn't despairing too much. A monster attack like this was 'well-within expectations', as Annabeth would say. Percy wasn't too sure what it said about him that even after all this time, he still heard her sarcastic remarks echoing in his head whenever she wasn't around.
I'd have let you practice being invisible with my hat if I knew this would happen, she'd probably tease him. Then she'd more or less tell him to get his ass in gear - there were more important things to do than waste time with a drakon and some glorified carnivorous chickens. And who was Percy to deny such logic?
That being said, as he got closer to the fight Percy realized he might not have been needed as urgently as he'd originally thought. He was used to being the one people relied on in a fight - the Battle of Manhattan weighed heavily on him whenever his thoughts drifted too far. But after Hera's bullshit, he met others who'd been put in the same role as him.
So, yes, Percy knew his friends were strong and could handle their own - but it was something he occasionally forgot until the Fates decided they needed to forcibly remind him.
From the way the drakon was moving, Percy figured that Reyna must have incapacitated one of its legs. It was hobbling around in circles trying to take a bite out of her, but she was moving so fast that Percy almost stopped to just watch. He always thought Reyna was an intimidating opponent on the battlefield, and that only intensified after she became a Hunter.
But watching her dance around the drakon's claws and razor sharp teeth like it was effortless - like the creature wasn't even worth her time? Intimidating no longer seemed like a strong enough description.
Jason looked like he was struggling a bit more, but Percy could fully understand why. He'd trapped the demonic birds in what seemed to be a ball of air, reminding him of when they'd met Kymopoleia. Normally, that probably wouldn't have taken too much effort on Jason's part. But between the quest and the fight against Nyx that'd taken place just yesterday, his friend was probably exhausted.
Add on the fact that he still wasn't back to full health or strength after the coma, it made sense that certain skills were still a bit more difficult. But even so, Jason was never the type to adhere to something as mundane as physical limits. Percy's thoughts were then interrupted by the sight of his friends doing something that he would never forget.
The two shared a look so fast that if Percy hadn't been watching as closely as he was, he probably would've missed it. The quick glance seemed to be enough to convey whatever plan they came up with, which was impressive in itself. Percy knew that the ability to seemingly synch your thoughts with someone was a skill that could only be achieved with a deep level of mutual understanding and trust.
(It made him think that while Jason may have never really gotten his memories back, his subconscious probably never forgot the bond of comradery he and Reyna had formed after countless battles together.)
Just a few seconds after their silent conversation Reyna suddenly changed tactics, leaping onto the drakon's back and taking off in a run towards its head. That was a task Percy knew couldn't have been easy from the amount of flailing the monster was doing. But even so she never hesitated, never stopped - she just ran until she got as high as she could on the drakon's neck. And then she jumped.
Percy felt his jaw drop, his pace faltering as he stared. Reyna had reached an impressive height, her sword in her left hand and the other reaching up towards Jason. Jason, who didn't miss a beat. He spun around in almost perfect sync with Reyna's jump, catching her by locking his right hand on her forearm - a grip that was immediately returned on Reyna's end.
As they moved in a circle Jason brought his left hand around and down, guiding the wind and its captives to their next target.
The image of a drakon's head getting sucked into a ball of air with a dozen or so crazed, flesh-eating birds was forever seared into Percy's mind. It was gruesome, bloody, and genius.
And also kind of disgusting.
But the most important thing was that it worked. The drakon and the stymphalian birds were focused on each other now, even after the wind dissipated. They seemed to forget that Jason and Reyna had even been there, and by extension, the rest of them. Percy assumed that Hazel and Lou Ellen were working overtime to take full advantage of that opportunity and hide them behind even more mist, so he decided to stop running and wait for Jason and Reyna to reach him.
"Dude," Percy couldn't help but laugh as his friends slowed to a stop at his side. "That was awesome. And kinda gross, but still."
"I agree," Reyna said, her nose scrunching slightly as she pulled what looked like a chunk of drakon from her hair. "Though I'd also like to add on messy."
"Everyone's a critic," Jason grumbled, though Percy could tell he was fighting back a smile.
"Well on the bright side, at least this time you didn't drop anyone on their face. Reyna would've kicked your ass for it."
"How many times are you gonna-"
"You two are like toddlers," Reyna interrupted with a sigh, rolling her eyes as she started to jog back towards the rest of the group.
"No, you don't understand," Jason protested as he and Percy followed their friend. "Him and Nico have been relentless about that even though I had to carry both of them right after a fight. And Nico even did the same thing later on!"
"Grace airlines is quickly going down to a negative star rating," Percy quipped. "Poor management on top of bad pilots - really, you gotta pick a struggle man."
If they hadn't been in the Underworld on their way to tartarus to save Nico, and if Reyna hadn't been between them, Percy knows for a fact that Jason would have tackled him. But since the circumstances prevented him from doing so, all Jason could do was roll his eyes and look away from the grin Percy couldn't quite contain.
"We're going to tartarus of all places, and this is your topic of choice," Reyna muttered, though she sounded pretty amused in Percy's opinion.
"There's probably some kind of requirement for every quest to have some kind of comedic relief, isn't there?" Percy asked.
"You don't even have to say anything to fill that role," Jason replied, pulling a snort from Reyna and a rather undignified noise from Percy.
"You-"
"How's Will?" Reyna interrupted.
In all honestly, Percy hadn't even realized how quickly they'd reached the rest of their group. Seeing them pulled him out of his joking mood and replaced it with concern - he'd left before Will's leg could be properly examined, so even if he knew it was in pretty bad shape, he didn't know how bad.
That uncertainty made him tense up as he examined Hazel, Lou Ellen, and Will in turn, both for answers and to check for any other injuries they hadn't mentioned before.
"He's okay," Hazel responded, a reassuring smile on her lips. "Nectar and ambrosia took care of the worst."
"It'll be a little sore for a bit," Will murmured, his gaze fixed on his leg as he carefully moved it back and forth. "But other than that, it's like nothing ever happened."
"Oh thank the gods," Percy groaned, his body losing most of its tension. "Nico would've actually killed us."
"That's what you were worried about?" Reyna asked dryly, raising an eyebrow in what Percy assumed was disbelief.
"Hey, don't look at me like that!" Percy protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "You've seen Nico fight, haven't you? And know about all his- er, powers and all that. Now that he's been training and eating better, he's..."
Now, Percy had never thought Nico was weak - on the contrary, ever since the night where Percy realized who his godly parent was, he found him to be kind of scary. But after having to fight him? The guy hadn't even been in his right mind, so picturing what a serious Nico could do...just the thought was enough to make him shudder.
"He's actually really scary when he wants to be," Jason concluded, sharing a knowing look with Percy. Percy, in turn, nodded enthusiastically - Jason understood exactly what he was talking about.
"Nico isn't scary," Lou Ellen said with a roll of her eyes. "He acts like he is, but he's a big softie."
"He is a softie," Will agreed, still sounding slightly out of breath. But despite that, his voice gave away his amusement. Percy wasn't sure if that was because he was feeling better or because the topic was about his boyfriend's temperament.
"Though Percy and Jason are right that he can be scary when he tries. But then again, I'd say that applies to pretty much every demigod I've met."
Now that was something Percy could agree with - though he wanted to add that somehow, it always seemed to be the ones you least expected who were the most terrifying. Case and point, Will himself.
"True," Lou Ellen agreed. "Though I guess there's also the fact that if you make it too obvious that he can scare you, he'll definitely take advantage of that," she snickered. Then she turned to face the rest of them, her gleeful smile seeming a bit out of place given their current location and situation. "When we first told him about Halloween and showed him the classic horror movies, he seemed kind of nonchalant about it. But when it finally came around, he used his powers to scare the shit out of Cecil."
"I remember that," Will chuckled. "I think Connor still has the video."
Percy was about to ask for a copy of said video when he noticed something. He knew Will faced some additional struggles in the Underworld and tartarus due to his godly parent - a faster energy drain being arguably the most damaging, as low stamina could be a death sentence if you weren't careful. The poor guy had turned really pale not long after they reached the end of Orpheus's stairs, something he was sure everyone else had also noticed.
But what was sort of strange was that as they all talked, Will seemed to get some of his color back. He's pretty sure Nico briefly mentioned something like this when Percy had called to check in after his quest, but he hadn't been able to fully picture it. Now that he was seeing it in person, Nico's words made sense.
Could that mean the exhaustion was more of a mental block rather than a completely unavoidable physical reaction? Or was it entirely physical, and happy memories just helped give Will a boost to push past his physical limitations? Percy had no way of knowing for sure - and honestly, he didn't know if bringing it up was even a good idea. Mentioning it could potentially help Will push through it, but it had an equal chance of causing him to get stuck in his head.
Not for the first time, Percy wished Annabeth was with him.
He could make difficult choices on his own, he knew that from experience. But it seemed more daunting to do so after getting so used to having someone by your side to help - someone who was more like an extension of your soul than anything else. Annabeth knew him inside and out, and vice versa. She always seemed to know what he was thinking - his suggestions, his hesitations, his critiques. And having that after spending so long being misunderstood and treated as an 'other' by his peers was, well. Addicting.
But even more than that, it was reassuring. It was comfort, and it was safety. Annabeth always had his back, and he always had hers - and that unwavering support had made it a difficult decision for both of them when it came to who was going after Nico. Percy never wanted to go to tartarus again, never in a million years.
But it was Nico.
Percy couldn't stand by knowing he was down there, not after everything. Annabeth had understood, and originally wanted to go with him (Percy had to be the worst boyfriend ever for desperately wanting the same - the thought of being down there without her was terrifying). But he'd pushed down his selfish wants and had told her no.
"No?" Annabeth asked. "What do you mean? We barely made it out alive together, and now you want to-"
"That's my point," Percy murmured, closing his eyes tightly. They were off to the side a little ways away from the rest of their friends - he'd needed some space from the crowd after talking about Bianca.
He needed to be near just Annabeth.
"What do you mean?" She asked, though now she sounded like she always did when she was trying to solve a particularly difficult math problem.
"If we go together," Percy started, speaking slower as he tried to connect his thoughts to the right words. "We'll be completely focused on each other."
"Well-"
"We can't do that, Annie," Percy interrupted, tone pleading as he opened his eyes to look into hers. "After everything we-" he paused to suck in a shaky breath, trying to compose himself.
"It'd be almost impossible to focus on anyone else," he continued. "You know that too - and if we want to save Nico and keep whoever else goes safe, we can't afford that. I have to go. If I don't, I..."
Percy trailed off, clenching his jaw tightly. His voice sounded wet even to his own ears, which made him want to curl up in a ball and hide. But if there was ever a person he could never hide from, it was Annabeth.
She cupped his face in her hands, her stormy eyes scanning him with an intensity he was sure he'd never get used to. Percy stayed silent, watching her watch him and letting her search for answers in the cracks of his facade.
He honestly wasn't sure how long they stood there for - it could have been seconds, could have been years. But eventually Annabeth's face softened, and Percy knew she'd found whatever answer she'd been looking for.
"I don't like this," she whispered. Percy didn't either - he actually hated it, even if he knew in his gut that it was the right call. But instead of responding verbally, he simply closed his eyes and leaned into her calloused hands.
"If you don't come back, you know you'll just be making us repeat a quest, right?"
At that, Percy opened his eyes once more to stare at Annabeth in confusion. But before he could even voice a question about what she meant, she pressed on.
"I'm not as great a singer as Orpheus," she admitted. "But I'll succeed. And then kill you myself, of course."
Percy couldn't have swallowed the laughter that bubbled out of his chest if he'd tried.
"I know you would," he chuckled. "But it won't come to that."
"You better hope it won't," she huffed, gently pinching his cheek. "Your mom will be pissed too. And your dad, and he'd probably take it out on Hades, so honestly if you died-"
"I will do my best to not die and prevent another war," Percy interrupted, even though he was feeling like he might die from the fondness that had his heart in a vice grip.
"A wise choice," Annabeth responded with a self-satisfied smirk.
"I learned from the best," Percy teased, opting to look at her for a few seconds more before they needed to return to their friends. He raised his hands and placed them over hers, squeezing them tightly with the hope that his grip would hide the way his hands were trembling. But from the way she returned his hold with even more strength, he figured he didn't succeed.
But that was okay - Percy would be sure to soak up every last moment with Annabeth and enjoy each second like it'd be their last.
"-and then we just have to make sure we keep track of it."
Percy blinked. Then he glanced around, noting that his friends weren't smiling anymore - they looked serious and focused. How long had he been zoned out for? He'd only heard the end of whatever Will had been saying, but that wasn't exactly a great reference point for how much time had passed.
As Percy debated between acting like he knew exactly what they'd been talking about or sheepishly asking for the spark notes version of the conversation, his friends began to stretch and get ready to move once more. Hazel was helping Will stand, Lou Ellen tightened the straps of her backpack, Reyna was checking over her weapons and Jason-
Surprisingly, Jason was staring at Percy. His friend looked a little concered, which did nothing but raise Percy's budding anxiety. Had they been talking about something important? The serious air must mean they would be entering tartarus soon, right? Or they were significantly closer to Gorgyra's, maybe?
It wasn't necessarily unusual for Percy to space out, but for a quest like this? It was dangerous, not just to himself but to his friends as well. His concern must have been visible, because Jason spoke up before anyone could start walking.
"I think we should change positions," he suggested. "Hazel and Reyna would probably do best in the front - you guys will be able to sense and see monsters coming before the rest of us. Will and Lou Ellen should stay in the middle, and me and Percy will watch our backs."
"That's a good idea," Reyna hummed after a moment of consideration, nodding her head in approval.
"I agree," Hazel added before glancing at Will. "Will, you can stay close behind us and tell us where to go."
"Sure," Will replied, falling into line behind Reyna. "Probably better for you two to go in front, honestly. Getting down to Gorgyra's hut is a little difficult cause of the terrain, but you guys can probably find the safest path quicker than the rest of us."
"Then I'll focus on concealing us," Lou Ellen said to Hazel once Will finished, moving to stand behind her. "I'll take care of most of the mist, that way you'll have an easier time putting part of your attention towards keeping an eye out for any monsters and whatnot."
Hazel nodded in agreement, but a small frown tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Just let me know if you start to get tired - we can switch back and forth. This is something we definitely can't let slip, so we shouldn't take on too much alone unless we absolutely have to."
"For sure," Lou Ellen agreed with a somewhat nervous smile, adjusting her backpack once more as everyone got into their positions. "I'll let you know if I need some help."
Hazel's frown turned into a smile then, nodding at Lou Ellen before turning to face forward, Reyna to her left.
Percy stood behind Will, with Jason to his right. He could feel his friend's eyes boring a hole into the side of his head, and he knew he couldn't escape whatever questions Jason was forming. He wasn't looking forward to the interrogation, but on the bright side, he could take the opportunity to ask what he'd missed while he'd been lost in thought.
Not necessarily a win-win, but he had to take what he could get. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.
"Alright," came Reyna's strong voice from in front of Will. Percy felt himself reflexively straighten his back, and nearly laughed at the way everyone else did the same. Reyna might not have the title of Prateor anymore, but she still had her 'Prateor voice' and the air of authority that came with it.
"Let's go get our boy back."
Percy was no Roman and held no love for receiving orders, but that was one command he had every intention of following. This time, he wouldn't let Nico down - this time, he would not fail.
This friend, he would be able to save.
Hang on a little longer buddy, Percy thought as they began to walk once more. We're on our way.