Will's POV
Will awoke suddenly, his eyes struggling to adjust to the light outside. He had never been more happy to see the sun in all its blinding glory. The sight of his father's chariot was something he would NEVER take for granted again.
However, when the events of Tartarus resurfaced, Will held on to the side of the boat as tears welled up in his eyes to which Bob turned from the mast, looking dim despite having been freed.
"He's not dead. He can't be—" Will's voice cracked. Bob quickly descended to where his face met Will's.
"He'll be fine. She had me imprisoned to lure him in, so she must want him alive. They'll send out another quest." To that, Small Bob meowled in agreement, its tail curling around Will's leg.
They won't send out another quest.
Hades wouldn't dare make an uproar, and Apollo was a coward--Will proved to share that trait, at least.
Will wanted to blame the titan, but how could he? It wasn't his fault Will couldn't even save his own boyfriend. He haphazardly wiped his face with his sleeves.
"You're right," Will comforted, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten. Will turned around, a stream of tears still falling down his scratch-covered cheeks.
Denial seemed to be the only thing that Will could grasp onto, holding the skull ring in one hand and watching as Manhattan drew closer, the boat cruising through the dim waters.
When a horn blew from Camp Half-Blood, Will saw Chiron, in all his half-horse greatness galloping down towards the water, sending a cloud of dust at each turn on the winded path. He headed to where the boat was docked, Dionysus following further back, looking lassitude despite it being the afternoon already.
Finally arriving within twenty feet, Chiron's low voice boomed with pride when he announced, "You've made it back!" The centaur paused, his grin giving may to a look of confusion. The man raised his head peering into the boat as if something were lost at the bottom of it, his tail swishing nervously.
"Where is he?"
Will, rather absentminded from worry, answered, "Who?"
Chiron raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Will meant by that.
Bob stepped forward to which Chiron backed up, bewildered by the sudden approach. To be fair, the titan was an intimidating height and his grouchy face betrayed his kind demeanor. The titan leaned in towards Chiron and whispered something that made Chiron's face drop, his eyes glancing sideways at Will as he listened.
"I see..." Chiron seemed at a loss for words, eventually turning to Will with a pitiful expression, his lips pulled into a straight line. "Will, why don't you head over to your cabin? Can you iris message Rachel and ask her if she has had any new visions?"
When Will delayed, Chiron added, "Will. This is Nico we're talking about. He's used to this kind of scenery. It won't be like last time, so if Rachel hasn't had any recent visions... just don't lose hope." Will didn't respond, knowing that he'd choke over his words and fall apart if he did.
Dionysus situated himself beside the centaur in dismay, unsettled by the news. He turned to Chiron and muttered under his breath, "I need to ask for a raise. Working here is depressing."
Will walked off rather curtly to his cabin, brushing past the god with a sideways frown when they locked eyes, mentally preparing himself to send the message. He contemplated whether to call her at all, fearing her reply.
Will rustled through his bag that remained in the cabin, but the polaroid picture of he and Nico on the wall continued to capture his gaze. It was a photo Will had taken when Nico was still working in the medical wing with him. In it, Will grinned widely, revealing his one chipped canine which he'd gotten from a particularly rough match of capture the flag before he'd been claimed by his father. It remained as proof of his pathetic fighting ability.
Nico, however, looked grim as ever, but something about the way he looked at Will in awe in the picture sent another pang of woe through him.
Why didn't you think we could make it. Why didn't you think I could save you?
Ripping the photo from the wall and stuffing it into the bottom of his pocket, he unzipped a section in the bag, revealing his collection of drachmas he had saved up for the trip to Camp Jupiter for the winter solstice Nico had promised him before the prophecy had royally messed things up.
Apollo had announced that he would be visiting both camps the day of the solstice, so Nico had offered to bring Will to the festivities in Camp Jupiter, which were known to be spirited and vibrant.
After a couple minutes of clenching the drachma in his hand, its edges indenting in his palm, he threw it, reciting, "Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Connect me to Rachel Elizabeth Dare in Paris."
The rainbow shimmered and a familiar redhead came into view, her curls facing him.
"Asseyez-vous s'il vous plaît," one of the people beyond the mirage said.
"Say what?" Rachel's voice cut through loud and brisk, catching Will off guard.
"Rachel....Rachel!" He finally caught her attention, her head turning to look at him.
"Will? Is that you? So... how are you doing? Got all your limbs?" Rachel smiled wearily, obviously avoiding delving further into the topic of Tartarus.
"Fine." Will tried to keep his voice from shaking. "Chiron is wondering if you've had any recent prophecies...?"
Please say yes.
I'm begging you, dad, please just do this one thing for me.
"Nope! No green gas coming from this girl! You getting ready for your trip, too? Nico told me about your guys' plan a while ago." The words hit Will like a truck, or what he assumed getting hit by a truck would feel like.
"...thanks," he answered, avoiding the question altogether. Will waved the communication away and sat down, waiting for Apollo to say "psyche" and hand him a good old rhyme.
Spoiler alert: he didn't.