Disclaimer: Jay Garrick, The Flash and all other characters or titles belong to DC Comics. Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus belong to Disney Hyperion and Rick Riordan.
The Solar Flare
A Hero Rises
Will Solace liked to think he understood the world as it was. He was a demigod – yeah, they exist, you really want to go into detail, ask Percy Jackson for what's up. Percy just loved telling himself over and over again how he was the son of an Olympian for some reason – that is, he is the evidence of human and Greek god interactions. He is the son of Apollo.
Yes, the boy with the last name Solace is the son of the sun god. The irony is not lost on him, so please stop pointing it out. The rest of his siblings liked to do that as it is. That and point out he has the same name as William Tell, the archer. Don't know who that is? Google it.
In short, you could say that Apollo really liked Will. In fact, the god liked Will so much that he put Will in charge of his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, the summer camp that trained demigods. Oh it's real, just like the monsters the demigods train to fight. Cyclopes, dracaenae, giants and hellhounds were the most common of monsters that demigods would encounter. In fact, the camp just successfully won a war against the Olympians' first enemies: The Titans.
They were led by the big baddy himself Kronos. Will never personally saw the titan, he was holding monsters at bay from entering the Empire State Building so that Olympus wouldn't be overrun. From what he knew, a former camper named Luke Castellan had let the Titan king take over his body to destroy the Olympians because of a grudge he held against his father, Hermes, and the other gods. In Will's own opinion, Luke just had lost too much over the years and finally snapped, but that was just how Will saw it.
The war was won when Percy Jackson (the kid mentioned before), a son of Poseidon, defeated Luke in a swordfight. Percy beat the bad guy, got the girl and saved the world. Will was glad all that responsibility wasn't on his shoulders, he might have snapped halfway through under the pressure.
Will wasn't a big fan of responsibilities, but as long as it wasn't too tedious, he would do his best.
That opinion changed a few weeks after the war.
Camp was back to normal after the second Titanomachy came to a close. The campers were leisurely training instead of being hard pressed to face monsters. In the medical office, a recent addition to Cabin Seven, Will was just writing up another report – a practice Chiron put into place after one mother, a lawyer, tried to sue the camp for injuries sustained by monster attacks – about the loss of a finger from a son of Ares' in a spar. The golden haired son of Apollo signed his name in the head physician space when the door was knocked on.
"Come in." Will said tiredly. This was the third incident report he had filled out and if he gets another, there will be consequences.
"Special Delivery." A jovial voice said.
Will looked up and blanched as his blue eyes landed on the speaker. A UPS deliveryman stood in front of him, brown shirt and shorts and everything. His eyes were a twinkling blue, mischievous glee shining in them and sandy blond hair poking out from underneath the UPS cap. He was about Will's height and he had a phone in his hand.
"L-Lord Hermes." Will said in surprise.
"Hey there. Will, right?" Hermes asked, looking around the cabin with a raised brow. "Man, gotta tell you. I love being the messenger god, sometimes. Get to look at all the other Olympians' things without getting yelled at as long as I say 'special delivery'."
"Yeah...nice perks." Will said hesitantly. He wondered why the god was here and what the package was.
Hermes looked at him with a grin. "Yes they are. William Solace. Funny name, considering who your dad is."
"Yeah, I know." Will tried to keep the groan out, really he did, but it still came out.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Hermes said, waving his hand. "I know a old joke when I see it. Anyway, I should get to the point. You work for me now."
"...What?" Will asked. This had to be a joke. He was just a cabin counselor, just another archer kid. Yeah he had his dad's good looks, but that didn't mean a lot. He was a bore compared to his siblings. Where they liked to practice sports, their respective arts and archery, Will preferred to work on his craft in medicine.
"You heard me kiddo." Hermes said with a grin on his face. He pointed at Will. "You, Will Solace, work for me now. When I've got an issue, you'll be the demigod I turn to so it gets done."
"B-But I'm just an archer, and I'm not even the best in the cabin! I'm a medic!" Will said. He didn't know why the god would want him to be his representative. He wasn't anything special.
"Well aren't you modest?" Hermes asked, amused. He spun his hand around and grinned as a package appeared in it. "But this wasn't a request. I chose you. Sorry, kid but you don't get a choice in this matter. Wanna blame anyone blame Apollo for not having a good poker face. He's the one that wagered one of his kids to be another's champion. So glad I cheated that hand."
Will frowned at that but shrugged it off. The Olympians were immortal and got bored easily. He supposed that nothing too bad could come from being Hermes' champion. He would probably would end up being the next postmaster or something.
Resigning to his fate, Will held his hands out for the package. He blinked when a clipboard was put in his hands instead.
"For legal purposes. Don't want you saying I tricked you into it." Hermes said, getting a nod from Will. Hermes was straightforward and told him flat out there wasn't a choice. And lying wasn't one of Will's best aspects, so that was out. Will grabbed his pen and signed the form, making the god grin.
"Great," Hermes said. "I know you won't regret it. Well, if you didn't sign it I'd probably have incinerated you on the spot. That would've been awkward."
Will chuckled nervously. "Yeah. Awkward."
"Enough of that though. Here you are." Hermes said, offering the box to the blond.
Will took it, setting it on the desk and using a nearby pair of scissors to cut the tape. He opened it surgically, pushing the flaps to the side and shoving the packing peanuts out of his way to find a shiny bowl. Curious, Will pulled it out. It was a helmet, like one Tony Hawk would wear, with wings painted each side.
"Well? Put it on." Hermes said. "I haven't got all day, you know."
Will looked at the god and then back at the helmet in his hand. He lifted it above his head and then pulled it on. Blue eyes shot open wide as something filled him. His body felt like it was being electrocuted, every nerve screaming at once in flashes of pain. Will's head rocked back and he cried out, but no sound came. The side of his vision was blacking out; his heart stopped and Will fell to his back unconscious.
When he woke up again, Will grabbed at his head and groaned. He sat up and looked around; surprised when he found Hermes sitting at the desk he was working at prior to the god's delivery. The god in question just grinned.
"Hey, you're awake! I actually got a few other deliveries done while you were out." Hermes said. He stood and offered the demigod a hand, surprising Will slightly. Hermes rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm not going to smite you. Just take it."
Will took the offered hand and was pulled to his feet, feeling lighter and a bit more constricted as he did so. He felt a weight on his head and reached up, pulling a bowl-like helmet off. It was silver and had two golden wings on it, looking like it came from WWI. The helmet had Will looking at the god worriedly.
"Just a copy. Have the real thing back at Olympus." Hermes said, nodding. He walked around Will a few times and stopped. "Perfect. Now I can send you out without regret or getting bitched at, er, yelled at. Pardon my French."
"It's fine." Will said, looking at the replica of Hermes' helmet in his hands. He looked down and jumped. "What the-!? What'd you do to my clothes?"
Will's shoes had been transformed into red boots and his pants had become a strangely comfortable pair of blue trousers with a black belt around his waist. He pulled at his chest and gaped at the lightning bolt that stood out in the middle of the red jumper that had replaced his Camp Half-Blood shirt.
"Don't you like it? I think it'll go along great with the gig. That and Apollo said I had to do it, that it would be more respectable to him if I was going to use one of his kids." Hermes said.
"...I look like Jay Garrick."
"Is that a problem?" Hermes asked, a sandy blond brow arching in curiosity.
"No!" Will quickly amended, holding his hands up. He looked back at the helmet on the desk. "I just...I always saw my super hero costume as Hawkeye or Green Arrow..."
"Super hero? Will, those don't exist." Hermes said with a chuckle. He winked when Will looked at him. "This is your uniform. Got it?"
"Yes?" Will said uncertainly. He frowned. "What is it I'll be doing exactly?"
"Ah, yes. Well...with Hecate being a bit, how should I say this, oh!" Hermes said, snapping his fingers. "She's a bit miffed with the outcome of the war and how one of her sons was punished. So...the Mist is a bit...faulty. Mortals are getting involved, Zeus is getting restless and more demigods are getting killed." Hermes paused and sighed. "One of the kids, not even nine yet, was killed by a giant along with her mother. It was the last straw. Zeus wants more satyrs to go out, but there aren't enough that are trained yet. So I came up with a plan. I suggested using experienced demigods to get the kids to and from camp!"
"...Then why didn't you just ask me to join a team? Why am I dressed like the Golden Age Flash?" Will asked.
"I'm getting there, I'm getting there. Already impatient." Hermes said, his eyes glistening with amusement. "Well, I suggested that, but Zeus doesn't want a bunch of demigods out there drawing attraction to themselves. Neither do the other Olympians. Then I suggested a trial of one kid going out and getting demigods. Zeus agreed. However, he gave me a time limit til the end of the fall. I was running out of ideas when Apollo comes along with a brilliant one after the poker game he lost. 'Why not make a Flash?'"
"...Make a...?" Will trailed off, his eyes falling to the helmet in his hands.
"Oh yes." Hermes said, nodding. Will looked back at the god of travelers as a finger was thrust at him. "You, William Solace, will be the escort of demigods across the states. Why not do it as fast as possible?"
"A-Are you saying I can...?" Will trailed off. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He fidgeted with the helmet in his hand.
"Run faster than a speeding bullet?" Hermes asked, amused. "You got it in one, kid."
"...How?" Will asked. "How do I do it?"
"Sorry, Will, I'm on a schedule. Gotta make some more deliveries." Hermes said. He grinned and waved Will off. "Later."
The world bent around him and he faded away before the world snapped to normal, a light gust blowing past Will like something had just shot by. The blond son of Apollo looked at the helmet in his hands.
Just what had he gotten himself into?
"And that's everything Hermes said?" Chiron, the trainer of heroes, asked where he stood. The centaur was where Will decided to go with this new development. He ignored the stares he got from other campers as he walked there, and pointedly avoided all of his siblings as he did. He even went so far as to use the helmet to shield his face. When Will entered, he had to tip the helmet up when Chiron asked who he was.
Mr. D, short for Dionysus, was a bit irked at his game being interrupted by another demigod, but looked amused when he saw just how embarrassed Will was. Chiron was more understanding, thankfully. The Centaur even went as far as to compliment the blond on his choice, preferring the Golden Age incarnation to the more recent and realistic characters of DC.
"Yes sir." Will said. His knee was bouncing while he sat. Will hated his ADHD at times.
"So Hermes went along with it, did he?" Mr. D asked. Will nodded and the god of wine shook his head. "I told him to keep his nose out of it, that the camp was my responsibility and he had other things to worry about, but no he goes and does it anyway. Humph. He just likes making my days more miserable with more brats."
Will ignored the unsavory comments and turned to Chiron. "What does it mean, Chiron? I mean, there's no way I can actually be super fast, right? Super speed is just, well, a comic book thing, right?"
"William, I suggest you look at your knee." Chiron said, looking amused.
Will glanced at his bouncing knee and gaped. It was nothing but a blue blur. He stopped moving his knee and moved out of the chair. There was a small gust of wind as he did. Will looked at his hands. "Chiron...I'm freaking out!"
"Calm yourself, William." Chiron said, setting his cards down and taking a few steps towards the boy. "First you must learn control of this gift."
"How will I do that?" Will asked.
Chiron gave him a smile. "I have an idea."
"Okay...Why is this a good idea, again?" Will asked, eyeing the dragon sitting at the base of Thalia's Pine. Peleus had gotten large since Chiron had picked him to guard the Golden Fleece. The dragon was nearly able to wrap around Thalia's Pine twice over.
"Peleus needs the exercise." Chiron said. Other campers were gathered behind him, all of them whispering about what Chiron was asking for. "Calm down, William. All you must do is snatch the Fleece. If you did receive the gift of Hermes' speed, you should do it without trouble."
"And if I didn't?" Will asked.
"...We have the rest of your cabin on standby, and Cabin Five's members are ready to fight." Chiron said.
"Don't wimp out, Solace!" Clarisse said.
"Yeah, I got money riding on this!" Conner said.
"We got money riding on this." Travis corrected his twin.
"Details."
"Thanks guys." Will said with a grunt. He took a deep breath and crouched down into a professional running stance. Will kept his eyes up, focused on the goal.
"Ready?" Chiron asked.
Will tensed up.
"Set?"
Will felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his cheek.
"Go!"
Will shot to his feet and ripped apart the ground, the sound of a bang echoing throughout the camp as he ran. The wind parted and before he knew it, Will was standing between Peleus and the Golden Fleece. Peleus lifted his head and Will met the dragon's eyes with his own. There was a moment of concern as Peleus' eyes gained a hateful gleam.
"Sorry, Peleus." Will said. He reached out and grabbed the Golden Fleece and ran before the dragon could react. The red, yellow and blue clad son of Apollo ran back to Chiron. The centaur was in shock, as were the rest of the campers. Will had hardly broken a sweat. He held the Fleece out to the trainer of heroes. "Here, Chiron."
"W-Well done, William." Chiron said. "Perhaps, though...you should put the Fleece back."
Will blinked, his brows furrowed in confusion and he opened his mouth to ask why when the ground shook. He turned around and once more found himself face to face with Peleus, the dragon looking none too pleased with what he saw. Will looked to the Fleece and then back at Peleus.
"Oh...Well...Shit."
"I suggest you run, William." Chiron said. He wasn't sure if he could stop the dragon from attacking and he had told Clarisse to only intervene if Will was in mortal peril. From the surprise still on her and her cabin members faces, he doubted that would be the case.
"That's a good suggestion." Will said. He turned around and ran off, getting a roar from the dragon before Peleus took to the sky, chasing after him. Will weaved around the cabins as blasts of fire shot from the dragon's mouth, trying to lose the dragon before he ran into the woods. He smirked as he looked over his shoulder and found no dragon chasing him.
"That takes care of that." Will said, coming to a skidding stop that tore up the earth. Will wobbled for a moment before he fell, landing with a grunt. He opened his eyes and looked at the object in his hand. "Oh...I should probably put this back."
There was a roar and Will looked up at the sky. A shadow flew overhead and Will frowned. If he left Peleus unchecked, the dragon could turn on the camp. He needed to get the dragon's attention again and return the Fleece back to Thalia's Pine. The champion of Hermes got to his feet and tapped his chin, thinking of how to do just that.
"I've got it!" Will said, snapping his fingers. He burst into a run and zipped through the woods back to the camp. Sure enough, the campers were trying to catch the rampaging dragon, with Clarisse leading them.
Oh that just spelled disaster waiting to happen.
Will took his attention off the campers and the dragon and raced to his cabin. He grabbed a white megaphone that was covered in hearts and had giant lips at the end of it, a gift from one of the alumni of the camp. Will ran back out, his hand on the trigger of the megaphone as he came to another earth ripping stop – he really needed to work on his breaks.
"Hey Peleus!" Will said into the amplified megaphone. The dragon looked at him and Will waved the Fleece around. "Looky what I've got!"
Peleus roared and Will dropped the megaphone as he raced off, a clear red and blue afterimage acting as a trail for Peleus to follow. Will looked over his shoulder and sure enough Peleus was behind him. He looked forward again and saw Thalia's Pine approaching him. Will slammed on the breaks and nearly wound up halfway in the ground from his skid. The new speedster turned around when there was a ground-shaking slam, Peleus' snakelike head glaring at him intently. Will backed up and held the Fleece up.
"Look! I'm putting it back!" Will said, slowly putting the Golden Fleece back where it belonged. Peleus watched the Fleece lower until it rested against Thalia's Pine once more. Once he was done, Will slowly backed away, the dragon watching him move until he thought Will was far enough. Peleus returned to his place and curled up tightly around the trunk and the Fleece, his snakelike head glaring at Will and successfully sending a shiver down the blond's spine.
Will took his helmet off and wiped the sweat from his brow. That was a lot more tiring than it looked. He turned and looked at the approaching centaur with a small cheeky grin.
"Guess that proves it, huh?" Will asked. He got no answer and nodded. "If no one minds, I'm just gonna go ahead and pass out now."
The world went dark for Will Solace once more, this time dreaming of red streaks and lightning.
AN: And there's the new idea. Just something that's been bugging me for a while and I decided to write it up and hand it over to you kind folks.
Reviews are great, flames are not.
PEACE!