Death's Son (And All Its Memories)

Chapter 8

Bay stepped away from the door and returned to his bed, the eavesdropping having done no good in the end. Maybe this was how it would end. Maybe Dove would die. He was a demigod, after all. No demigod ever went long without losing someone close to them.

And so far, he hadn't lost anyone.

Bay sat on his bed in the nearly empty infirmary but couldn't do anything to relax. The tension was building up, bringing pain to his muscles, cramping his back up. He could feel every inch of his body.

Would he still feel the pain of her death if he was to die

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Nico stared at his husband as if he had grown another head. "Excuse me?"

Will looked down at his lap. "You heard me..."

"Explain. Now." Nico sat up against the headboard. "Tell me what you know, Will. I deserve to know. And so does Almaji."

Will put his head in his hands. "Hermes is Bay's dad. He...he left after he had been told that Bay helped Gaea out."

"Gaea? He would have been so young..."

"I know," Will mumbled. "I know. That's not the point."

"Fine, go on."

"Hermes had told him who could help Dove." Will continued. "But he's not for sure. Basically, this guy can help or no one at all can."

"Who's this guy? A god? Roman or Greek?"

"Neither," Will admitted. "Have you ever heard of the Gallo-Romans?"

Nico frowned, able to feel Anubis rattling around in his memories. "They were the Gauls, right? Originally Celtic, I think. They were under Roman rule... You're telling me we have those gods running around, too?"

"Not running around." Will picked at his fingernails. "They've basically died out. But there's one who may still be alive. He was one of the first forms of my dad."

"So he's a healing god." Nico summed up. "Which is why you think it's Almaji's dad."

"That's not the only reason." Will bit at his cracked lips. "Bay said that Hermes told him that he'd have to find a certain demigod to help. That's why when he saw Percy...he chased him. But I'm thinking maybe he was talking about Almaji, not Percy."

"That's a longshot." Nico closed his tired eyes. "But...but I guess you could be right. We just have to see what happens when we track this god down. Maybe he'll pull some Pan shit or something. We'll have to take Almaji with us."

Will held up his hand. "First off, we're not taking him on a dangerous quest. Second off... You're going?"

"Yeah," Nico sighed. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You just got back from two quests."

"Yeah, well, if I don't and that girl dies..." Nico gestured with his hand. "You know how it'll feel. We've both been there."

Will put his head back into his hands. "Fine...but I'm going with you."

Nico shook his head. "Someone needs to watch Peyton."

"Your sister can." Will got up and moved to the closet, grabbing a bookbag. "I'll start packing first aid stuff."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You're stubborn as hell."

"Don't you know it." Will sighed. "Let's just get back to him alive, okay?"

"We'll try our hardest."

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"You're really gonna go?" Bay asked, his eyes lighting up at the information. "You're serious?"

Will nodded, having left Nico to take Peyton to Camp Jupiter for a "weekend visit". "Nico's gonna take me. We'll try to get this sorted out."

The teenage boy ran to the doctor and hugged him, his head burying itself into Will's chest. "Thank you...thank you so much..." Tears came out, wetting Will's shirt. "Please don't let her die. I love her."

"I know." Will didn't hug back but didn't push the boy away. "Can you help us by telling us some information?"

Bay pulled away as he wiped at his eyes. "Yeah, of course. Anything."

"How did this happen to her to begin with?" Will asked. "Did she just get sick or did someone do this to her?"

Bay shrugged. "It was right before dad left. Right after...the Gaea stuff. She just collapsed."

"Who's her godly parent? Is she a demigod?" Will questioned.

Bay bit his lip. "That's something dad told me not to say..."

"Do you want her alive?"

Bay nodded. "Of course."

"Then you have to tell me."

Bay hung his head, his hands gripping onto his pants. "You know how gods can be in two places at once? You know how Gaea was pulling strings when she was still asleep?"

Will closed his eyes. "Please don't tell me..."

"She was Gaea's secret weapon." Bay continued, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Gaea thought that when she won, if there was still some uprising, Dove could come and put it all down. She wanted her to be powerful. That's how I got roped into helping her in the first place."

"So it was punishment," Wil concluded. "The gods punished her for helping her mother."

Bay nodded. "Yeah... Yeah..."