....

The road was deserted beneath the hill.

The distant shouts of happy campers disrupting the otherwise silence of the peaceful setting sprawled below. At the peak of the hill stood a towering pine, bent over in the cool wisps of wind concealing the slumped figure below its branches. In his arms he held a bundle, a small child tucked in close to his heart. So she might be able to hear it's low rhythmic beat, and know that he was still in there.

As long gone as he appeared.

His broken eyes gazed out at the empty stretch of road, their dull sea green no longer sparkling with the ever changing colors of the sea. But holding the shattered look of cracking ice, right before it breaks.

He watched the road quietly embracing the feeling of hopelessness, the memory of that day clearly in his mind. The scene playing out before him, like a ghost.

He could almost hear the low rumble of the engine as the van rolled way, the wheels kicking up gravel in its wake. And he watched as it traveled further down the stretch of road, the setting sun bouncing off its windows, concealing its occupiers in a fiery glare. He tried to make out its black printed letters, painted hurriedly on the side by the Apollo cabin;

But they had already faded into the distance with rest of the van. Just a speck of black against the setting sun.

And he sat there staring at the spot where it vanished, wondering why he wasn't sitting in the van along with his friends.

And he wish he had.

Because now it was too late.

It was all his fault.

He distantly heard the sound of scampering hooves making their way up to him through the forest of grass. The soft jingle of wooden reed pipes echoing over the valley, as they thumped against the satyr's chest. Grover was looking for Percy.

"Peeeercy," he bleated in desperation, the muted thumping of his hooves growing closer by the second.

"Peeercy, you need to come back. She needs you, but not like this!" He tried again as he reached the top most crest of the hill, the pine already bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Percy watched silently as Grover pushed away the branches of the evergreen hoping to find his friend.

And he did.

"Come on Perce, let's go back now," he said gently, his brown eyes filled with worry.

"No." Percy looked away from Grover, still wrapping the child more tightly in her fraying blanket.

And Grover turned away, knowing that Percy wasn't going to be easy to sway.

But he wasn't going to give up. He never did.

Percy listened to the soft thumping of hooves trailing farther away down the hill, his heart thumping in his chest. But he knew he never really would leave.

Not until Percy returned.

Percy's free hand trailed to his side, the burning feeling filling his lungs felt like bubbling lava, with each breath he took they became more labored.

But he couldn't say a word.

He heard the distant sound of foot fall disrupting the crackling grass, the parched fields suffering the wrath and sadness of the Demeter cabin. The person stopped behind him, his shadow falling over Percy and sprawling onto the grass before him. But Percy already knew who it was without turning, who it always was.

"No," he said before a single word could be spoken to counter.

"This isn't my job you know," the boy spoke, his voice tired and heavy, like he'd gone a few nights without desperately needed sleep. "Running after you ever time you leave, I'm supposed to be in the infirmary, not filing a missing person report every time you step out of the building. Come on Percy, don't you know how we all feel about this? How seeing you this way has effected the camp? People look up to you! You're their hope! And geez, the little girl in your arms? She needs you the most! And you can't care for her like this." The son of Apollo gestured to the child held in his arms. But Percy pointedly refused to meet his eyes, still staring out at the road in silent refusal.

Will sighed and grabbed one of his arms, pulling him up to his feet, not knowing of the pain that he was causing with the single movement. Percy could feel the burning feeling grow in his lungs as he gasped out in pain, biting his lip. But the sound didn't go unnoticed by Will who looked at him in confusion.

But Percy ignored the look and grabbed onto the boys arm to stay standing, gripping the bundle tighter in his arm. His eyes full of pain, the cracks growing longer across its surface.

Will frowned but let the boy use him as a crutch, even if he didn't quite know why. Percy could feel the boys eye studying him. Taking in his matted hair and hollow cheeks, the broken look apparent in his eyes.

But he didn't know the worst.

Percy bit back his gasp as another sharp prod of pain cut into his stomach. Wondering why it couldn't end.

But he already knew the answer.

Tartarus had never truly been done with him. Her love was the only thing keeping it away...but now that was gone. Now the curse of Tartarus will reign over him. Haunt his dreams at night, burn him down, watch him crumble. He should have already died.

And Tartarus knew that, but he kept him alive.

So he could watch his pain.

Struggling under the weight of loss.

Under the weight of the child in his arms.

Percy slowly turned to face Will defeat apparent in his empty eyes.

And for the third time that day, Will slung Percy's arm over his shoulder and helped him back to the infirmary.

Back into his cage.

Trapped by the beating of his own heart.

His only life line a child.

His only reminder of her.

His daughter.

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