"So you're saying these procedures have never been used on paraplegics."

"Precisely, Haley." Hidgens slapped a hand down on the table, pointing at the articles he had spread on the table in front of me. "In theory, it could be done, but they haven't been willing to try it on someone yet."

"What's the worst that could happen?" I asked, paging through one of the stories. A man's hand, completely numb and useless, restored to the same level of mobility that he'd had before his accident.

"Not everyone is willing to risk their lives for science."

"But what about magic...."

I was slowly connecting pieces, and I had a pretty good idea of what the missing link between these cases and the fix I thought we could pull off.

"Professor Hidgens, if I was able to involve mythological magic in this procedure, do you think it could fix a man who has been paralyzed from the middle of his back down for several years?"

The Professor slowly straightened, a contemplative look on his face.

"I... suppose, yes, it could. It would depend on the magic involved and how talented everyone involved is."

"Can I take these?" I stood up, gesturing to the papers laid out in front of us. Hidgens nodded and waved a hand at me, turning away. He seemed to still be deep in thought.

I gathered the papers, doing my best to keep the articles together, and stuck them in my bag. The Professor didn't answer me when I said goodbye, so I let myself out and made my way through the city towards the camp hospital buildings.

The girl at the front desk smiled at me and stood up. "Hi Haley, how are you?"

"I'm doing pretty good, how about you Ashley?"

She shrugged. "It's been a long day. What can I do for you?"

"Who's the most qualified person here when it comes to nervous systems?" I fiddled with the buckle on my bag.

Ashley paused, tilting her head. "That is... a very weird question."

"I know but I swear it's important."

She looked down at her desk, then down the hall. "Um... wait here, okay? I'll see if I can find someone who can help you. Or at least point you in the right direction."

"Thanks." I leaned on the desk as she walked away, pulling out my phone.

"I can't really talk right now." Rachel answered.

"Sorry. Would you be able to tell Leo to call me when he gets the chance?"

I heard her grunt, then there was silence for a few seconds.

"Rach?"

"Leo- call you, right. I'll tell him. Sorry, my hands are full right now and I'm trying so hard not to drop anything."

"Alright. Good luck, don't drop anything."

"Thanks. Bye!"

I hung up as Ashley came back through the doors, being followed by a tiny girl in a lab coat.

"I was told you're looking for someone skilled in the nervous system?

"Um, yeah. How old are you?"

"Thirteen." She said flatly, extending a hand. "My name is Dr. Valerie."

I raised my eyebrows. "You got a PhD, kid?"

"Two. Why don't you come to my office."

I just shrugged and let her lead the way, staring at this little robot of a child. I hadn't seen a single emotion from her yet.

We walked into a small office that was decorated like any doctor's office. Valerie hopped up into the desk chair and pointed to the patient chair, watching me silently.

"What do you need my help with?"

I looked around the room. There were several very official looking certificates on the wall, and I knew Camp Jupiter was very thorough in making sure that things like that were real, so I figured it would work out.

I pulled the papers from my bag and laid them out on the desk. "I want to know the probability of this surgery working on a person's spinal cord if mythological magic was involved."

Valerie leaned forward, peering at the articles.

"Is this hypothetical? Or does it have to do with the man at Camp Half-Blood?"

"How'd you know that?"

She shrugged. "I know you're from the other camp, and I remember seeing him the last time the camps met. Is he a friend of yours?"

I looked down at the notes for a few moments.

"Um. No. I don't think so. But I owe him... well, a lot, really."

Valerie picked up a few of the pages and looked over them.

"How much magical help are we talking about?"