December 20th
"Percy!"
Percy spun around to see his best friend Grover running towards him.
He had been walking home from talking with his mom. Apparently, she had planned a whole Christmas dinner on Christmas, the day Percy and his friends were exchanging their last Secret Santa's. Now, he would have to miss it. He had already bought his gift for Jason too.
"Percy!" Grover called again. He caught up with the demigod and as soon as Percy saw his friend's eyes, he knew something was very long.
"Percy, he has her!" Grover cried (like, actually cried. Tears in his eyes, snot building in his nose), "He's got her Percy!"
"Who?" Percy frightfully asked. He knew that he should be trying to stay calm but he was freaked out!
"Juniper!" Grover sobbed. "It's all my fault! All my fault. . ."
"How?" Percy asked.
"I didn't listen," the satyr explained quietly. "He. . . he gave me a gift for. . . for the game and. . . he wanted to give me another but. . . I didn't want to hurt anyone Percy! I knew he was bad!"
"Okay, take a breath," Percy reasoned. He put a comforting arm on his friends back and Grover slumped onto him.
"I'm so sorry," Grover whispered, maybe to himself.
Percy looked at the distraught form of his best friend, "It's okay, Grover. Everything will be okay."
Grover sniffled, "I've heard that line before."
Percy didn't know how to respond to that. He was right, everyone said that. Luke had probably said it, Bianca and Zoe must have at least thought it, Jason probably said something along those lines before he was killed. It was what people liked to call, 'famous last words.'
"We will save Juniper," Percy promised.
Grover said nothing but shifted his weight back onto his own two feet, instead of crushing Percy. He looked at Percy and nodded, signaling that he was okay now and was ready to go.
Grover told Percy that Juniper and this strange person were by his Moonlight tree. Percy had by now put two and two together with Grover's weirdness that day he had had lunch with him. Why hadn't he told him then?
They walked into the small clearing where Grover's tree lied and to Percy's horror, he saw Juniper, tied to a tree, surrounded by news paper and kindling.
"So you've finally come," a voice said from off to Percy's right.
He turned and got into a fighting stance as he watched a boy step into the clearing.
"When I left you that note, Grover," the boy said, "I was hoping you'd bring your friend."
"What do you want?" Percy asked.
"No need to be rude, Perseus," the boy replied and his body started to shiver and eyes Percy had realized were almost white, started to shake. "We have helped each other before."
The boy Percy had thought was the bad guy, crumpled to the ground. In his place, the god, Hermes stood.
"Hermes?" Percy asked, confused.
"You are shocked at my cruelty?" the god asked with a villainous smiled. "See, I use to believe that you demigods were just little kids. But you have shown me cruelty and if I need to threaten you to get what I want, then so be it."
Hermes brought out a lighter and Grover gasped.
"Help me or your friend dies!" the god threatened.
"I'll do what you want," Percy told him, holding an arm out in pleading. "Just let her go."
"How do I know this is not a trick?" Hermes asked.
"You are literally the god of tricks," Percy pointed out.
"Fair," Hermes shrugged. He put his lighter away and walked over to where the tree nymph was tied and struggling.
The god went behind the tree and undid the rope. As soon as she was free, Juniper ran out of the circle and straight into Grover's arms. Grover wrapped his arms around her and nodded to Percy.
"Now," the god of trickery said, walking towards Percy. "Time for my mission."
"What do I need to do?" Percy asked.
"No," Grover interrupted. "What do we have to do?"
Percy gave his friend a small smile before facing whatever quest they were about to be given.
"I want you," Hermes started, "to take him to Camp Half-Blood."
The god pointed to the body on the ground.
"He is my son," he explained. "He is very hurt. I need Will to heal him."
Percy had so many questions. Why didn't he just tell Will? Why did he think he had to threaten them? What was the boy on the grounds skin care routine? But that was the time. They need to get the boy to camp, now.
"Grab him," Percy told Grover. The two of them ran over to the boy and grabbed his legs and shoulders before sprinting towards Camp Half-Blood.
Percy didn't know how long it took them to get there, but eventually, Grover and him were running into the Big House and to the infirmary.
"Will!" Percy called.
They burst into the medic room and looked around. Will wasn't there.
"What's going-" Nico appeared from one of the storage rooms and stared at the two conscious and one unconscious bodies.
"We need Will," Grover told him.
"Why?" Nico asked, arms crossed. "Another healer can do-"
"He's dying, Nico," Percy pleaded. "Only Will can save him."
Percy knew Nico didn't like Will overworking himself but he shadow traveled away, hopefully to go find his boyfriend.
"Put him down here," Percy said to Grover and they set the boy down on one of the cotes.
Nico appeared back and Will was in the middle of yelling at him when he saw the situation.
"You can't just-" Will was saying, then he saw them.
The blonde boy rushed over and started frantically moving around the unconscious body.
"Cancer," Will suddenly said. "Stage 4."
Percy and Nico looked at each other.
"Cancer?" Grover asked. "What's that."
"A really bad sickness," Nico explained sadly. "No cure."
"There might be," Will said determinedly.
The doctor put his hands in his cargo short pockets (yes, he still wears them in the winter), and pulled out a little glass jar. It was the Secret Santa gift.
Without a word, Will bent over the patient and opened his mouth to put the liquid in his mouth.
"Come out here," Nico beckoned to Percy and Grover. The three of them walked outside of the room and were greeted by the worried faces of Juniper and the god Hermes.
"How is-" Nico asked.
Percy sighed, "I'll tell you."
He told Nico the whole story of what happened while Hermes paced back and forth and Juniper and Grover held each other on the floor.
A few minutes later Will came out of the room.
"He's cured," Will said and everyone let out a breath of relief.
"Thank you," Hermes said Will. "When Percy said before that I should be gone I-"
"What?" Percy asked. "I never said that."
"Yesterday you did," the god exclaimed. "I appeared here to ask Will for help when I saw you walking to the arena and-"
"Oh," Percy sighed. "That wasn't me, Hermes. That was my father, Poseidon."
"Why was Poseidon dressed like you?"
"Long story."
"Well, anyways," Nico interrupted, standing up. "Will, it's time for your break."
"But-" Will started.
"No."
The two boyfriends walked out of the Big House together, leaving Percy, Grover and Juniper with a god.
"I'd like to apologize," the god said suddenly, taking Percy aback. "Especially to you."
The god looked at Grover. "I should not have taken your girlfriend. I am sorry."
"It is okay," Grover said kindly.
"As an apology," Hermes said, snapping his fingers. "I'd like to give you your gifts."
Two boxes fell from the sky into Grovers waiting arms.
"Thank you," Grover said with a bow.
The god nodded. "Now, I want to check on my son."