Annabeth and I continued to walk down the halls, but this time with aim. She refused to talk about this Will Solace character.
Which was fine, I guess. It gave me some time to think on everyone here.
I've only met three of them, but Hazel said that besides her and Frank, there were six others. Annabeth named them... who were they? Well, I've met Percy, Leo, and Annabeth, so that's three. Then there's my supposed roommate, Jason, so that's four. Then Pippy? Pina? Pipes? Something like that.
Then whoever the heck Will was.
Annabeth led me over to a closed door, with a sign hung across the doorknob. It was scrawled on in an almost incomprehensible scrawl.
"LEO AND WILL'S ROOM. DO NOT ENTER UNLESS YOU ARE HOT."
Beneath that lovely message was a second handwriting, this one small and written in quick cursive, that was undoubtably hard to read. It was like wannabe doctor handwriting.
"Boys and girls included."
Annabeth raised a hand to knock.
The door was opened by a boy who- woah.
He was tall and lean, not muscular, but built more like a swimmer. His hair was a pale blond, an his skin was a dark bronze. If I wasn't already having trouble breathing, this boy would have taken my breath away.
"Will, this is Nico. He's new." Annabeth introduced, grinning like a maniac.
"Obviously he's new! I think I would have noticed him before this." Will winked at me, and I swear I nearly collapsed right then and there.
But that was probably the walking. Yeah, that was it. Definitely.
Annabeth laughed. "Mind if I let you finish the tour for him? I've got to go make sure Percy doesn't break anything else."
"Go on. I've got this." Will waved her away, and turned his sky blue eyes to me. "Nico, huh?"
I nodded. "And you're Will."
He grinned. "Why don't you come in? You look like you need a break."
I nodded again, and stepped forward. But, with my luck, I tripped on the doorway and fell... INTO WILL SOLACE'S ARMS. OH MY GOD.
Sorry about that. Ahem. I will now regain maturity. Ahem. Excuse me.
Anyways, Will laughed, and lifted me back onto my feet. Most likely a bright red, I walked into the room and sat in a large chair near the door. Will shut the door, loud enough to make me jump, and sat across from me on what looked to be his bed. It was made neatly, and on the nightstand beside it was a few pictures. One was of Will and a blonde woman that looked a great deal like Will, but her smile was warm the way a mother's was, and she had more freckles. There was a blurry picture of the same woman, and a man. But the man's features were blurred greatly. It was too the point I couldn't even describe the photo. The third was of everyone here, apparently. It looked to be that way, because I saw Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Frank, Hazel, and Will. There were also a few people I didn't know. One was a dark-skinned and dark-haired girl, with one arm around Leo and the other around a boy who looked like Will, except his hair was shorter and he had glasses. Then there was a dark-haired Hispanic girl who was taller than everyone else. And finally, a redhead girl wearing paint-splattered clothes.
Not knowing what to say, I pointed at the group photo. "Who is in that picture?"
Will turned to the nightstand. "Hm? The group one?"
"Yeah."
He stood and walked over to the nightstand, grabbing the picture and sitting down beside me on the arm of the chair.
"That's Percy, Annabeth, and me," he said, pointing to each in turn. "I assume that you've met Percy?" I nodded.
Will laughed. "He's interesting, that one. Alright. Beside Annabeth is Reyna, who, ah..." Will bit his lip, staring at the ground. "She passed away a few months ago. Anorexia. She was strong, but... not strong enough." He shook his head. "Anyways. Beside Reyna is Leo, and beside him is Piper, and then Jason. Those three are inseparable."
"What about her?" I asked, pointing at the redhead girl.
Will bit his lip again. "Thyroid. Died a few weeks after we took the picture, actually." He let out a breath that sounded like a laugh, but wasn't light and full like his other ones.
All I could think to say was "oh."
Will clapped his hands loudly, as if clearing away the gloomy attitude of the conversation. "Anyways! I was told to finish your tour. It's about lunchtime. To the cafeteria we go!" He stood, offering me a hand. I took it, praying to everything that my hands weren't sweaty.
Then he pulled me out into the hallway, and all I could think was that he walked much faster then Annabeth.
