I'm not too sure where I'm going with this story, I usually just add onto it when I have writer's block, but enjoy nonetheless.
Will usually hated the cold. He hated shivering and having chattering teeth, there was nothing fun about it. The cold also meant that leaving the house was less desirable, and even if his step-dad James was being particularly obnoxious, Will would choose to deal with it rather than go outside.
Summer was fun, it was easy. You don't have to bundle up with a thousand layers in an effort not to freeze. Summer also meant Will could leave the house early in the morning and not come back until the late afternoon and it would still be light out. Will loved the warmth and comfort that came with Summer, it was one of his favourite things.
But now, as Sam dragged him out the front door of Mission Bay High School, Will was more thankful than ever at the biting chill in the air. There was a light snowfall, and the drifting flakes stung Will's arms as they dissolved on his skin, but the sensation brought him back to reality. He was still in a daze from what had just happened only a few minutes prior, but the shock of the sudden cold helped to clear his mind and set his thoughts in motion.
And now that Will started thinking, he couldn't seem to stop. What just happened? What happened to Miss Fisher? What did I do to her? So many thoughts swirled in his head and his lungs still stung with the rhythm of his heartbeat that Will started to feel physically sick. Before he could stop himself, before he could give any warning, Will yanked his arm out of Sam's grasp and lurched to the side before leaning over and retching. His stomach heaved and he let out short gasps and gagged.
"Ah, gross," Sam muttered, but his sympathetic tone barely broke through the haze in Will's mind. By the time he was done, his back was sore from leaning over and there were tears prickling his eyes. Standing up straight, Will turned to face Sam, and he had no doubt that he looked like an absolute mess, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment.
"Dude, fucking explain. Now." He didn't mean to sound so demanding, it wasn't supposed to be an order, but it came out like that and Will wasn't too bothered. He did need an explanation, after all, and Sam had promised him one.
Sam looked a little nervous, and his eyes darted back to the school building before looking at Will. He opened his mouth as if to speak, closed it, then opened it again as he searched for the right words. Will's fists clenched and unclenched as he waited.
"Listen, Will, I'd really rather not go into detail right now. We're not in the clear yet, okay?" When he saw Will's eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance, he hastily continued. "But, I can give you a basic rundown. Arlight, bottom line is, you're a demigod. That means that one of your parents is a mortal, and the other is a Greek god. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, stop looking at me like that. But yeah, you're half god."
Will felt like he was slapped in the face, and he took the following moment of silence to process what Sam just said. He was a demigod. A fucking demigod. What the fuck. Going by the information he was just given, Will managed to figure out why his dad had never been around. He was a god. Jesus fucking Christ.
There were so many more questions that Will wanted to ask, so many more things he needed to know, but before he put any of it into words, Sam spoke.
"Will, I know you're confused. I would be too. And I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen like this. But it did, and now we need to go. I promise I'll answer all of your questions later, but we really need to start moving." Sam's voice was frantic, and it was in that moment that the seriousness of the situation finally caught up with Will. This was all real, it wasn't a dream, and the rational side of him knew that standing around and talking wouldn't accomplish anything. So he decided to just go along with whatever Sam had planned, since he obviously knew more, and he would figure it all out later.
"Okay. Let's go," Will said, and he noticed the relief in Sam's eyes when he didn't protest or ask anymore questions. Will let his muscles loosen momentarily, feeling the sensation of pure exhaustion creep up on him, but before he could be consumed, Sam was yet again grabbing his arm and dragging him away. As they built up to a run, getting farther and farther away from the school, Will focused on the snow melting into his veins.
Will managed to ignore the burning sensation in his legs from running so much by instead occupying his mind with other thoughts. He tried not to think about what had happened at the school, he didn't want to think about what it all meant, now that he was a demigod. Well, he supposed that he had always been one, but only now was he aware of it. Whether or not that would change things, Will didn't know, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to.
He tried to think happy thoughts in an effort to calm himself down, but instead of the usual punk music and classic novels that would otherwise occupy his happy place, Will's mind was instead plagued with thoughts of his step-dad. James was somewhat of a small factor in the overall situation, and Will supposed he didn't really matter anymore. If he went with Sam now, if he let himself be led away from it all, then maybe soon James would be nothing more than a bad memory, a four-year-long nightmare.
Will let himself take comfort in the fact that he didn't have to worry about James anymore, didn't have to deal with all the crap he was given on a daily basis. He knew that if he left now, James wouldn't care, he probably wouldn't even notice, and while others may have considered that an unhappy idea, Will was thankful for it. He could make a clean getaway, so to speak, and he would be free.
Time flies when you're thinking about escaping your evil step-dad, and before long Sam slowed down before coming to a complete stop. Will, not paying attention, bumped into his back before setting himself straight and looking around. He noticed they were at the train station, and instead of explaining why, Sam just started walking at a normal pace towards the entrance. Will stood, slightly perplexed, for a few seconds before his brain caught up with him and he jogged to keep up.
After taking a little while to catch his breath, Will glanced over at Sam. "Why are we here?"
Sam looked more serious than Will had ever seen him, but he was obviously making an effort to loosen up a bit, trying not to let nerves consume him, Will supposed. "I think it's pretty obvious," he said, and his voice was firm, authoritative. "We're catching the first train out of here."
Will felt all the blood rush to his head, and he could say nothing, do nothing but let out a little sigh of relief. A plan, however small, was all he needed to relax. He took a deep breath as they continued walking, and he cleared his mind of all thoughts except for what was happening at that very moment.
They passed a bathroom, and Will excused himself while Sam went to get their tickets, instead heading in to wash himself up a little. When he entered the small building, he turned his back to the row of stalls and faced the mirror, taking in his reflection. His hair was messy, his skin flushed, and his eyes wild. He looked homeless more than anything, not like he had just fought a monster. His hands shook with adrenaline as he turned on the tap, letting the ice cold water run over his skin. He splashed his face, washing off the sweat, before he left, taking another deep breath as he walked.
Sam was standing at the end of the platform, and Will made his way to him, wiping his hands on his jeans as he went.
"I've got two tickets to Connecticut. We'll get off at the north end, and then we'll have to make our way to Long Island." Sam's calm voice helped Will's heartbeat to slow down, and he nodded before speaking.
"Why Long Island?" Will asked, and he couldn't help but follow it up with another question. "Where are we going, exactly?"
Sam drew his mouth in a tight line and breathed out through his nose, seeming to contemplate how to answer. People continued to walk around them, as though they were completely insignificant to anyone else's existence, which they were. "There's a place there that's safe for demigods. It's called Camp Half Blood."
Will let the information sink in. A place safe for demigods, meaning there were more. Was Sam one? How did he know all of this anyway? Will didn't get to ask, however, as a train came to a halt in front of them.
"This is ours, come on." Will felt the now familiar grip of Sam's hand on his forearm, but he only let himself be led along momentarily before he stepped up next to Sam, walking with him as opposed to after him. He was more sure of himself now, even though only slightly, and as Sam handed him a ticket when they boarded the train, he clenched it in his fist. The paper crinkled beneath his fingers, and Will felt himself relax.
The heaters in the train were on full blast, and as Will sat on a seat across from Sam, he let the warmth seep into his bones. Looking out the window, Will watched as the station and the people on the platform slowly started to slip away and get smaller. It wasn't until they were out of sight completely and all Will could see was a bunch of apartment blocks and snowy roads that he broke the silence.
"You gonna explain now?" he asked softly, and he saw Sam look up at him with a steady gaze. Will watched as he inhaled the warm air, filling his lungs before sighing. When he spoke, his voice was gentle, as though he was sorry for what he was about to say. "Okay." And he began.
Sam told Will about the Greek gods, how they were still alive, how they sometimes had kids with mortals. He told him about demigods and how they were hunted by monsters, which explained Miss Fisher, and how they could never be completely safe until they went to Camp Half Blood. Will stayed quiet and listened as Sam spoke, occasionally glancing around to see if anyone was listening, but they were alone in the carriage except for a lady sleeping at the other end. By the time Sam was done, a couple of cities had passed by the window and Will's mind was reeling as he tried to take it all in.
It wasn't easy, just accepting it all as true and realising that life as he knew it was about to change dramatically, hopefully for the better. But it wasn't that hard either, since Will's life before had mainly consisted of avoiding his step-dad and listening to MCR. He hadn't thought about his mother in a long time, but now he wondered if her leaving had something to do with all of this godly stuff, like maybe she left for his safety or something. The thoughts stung like thorns in his side, and Will pushed them away. It had been too long and he had built up walls to block the memory of her from his mind. He would consider that later.
Now, though, he let himself go over the infomation Sam had given him, and try and understand what it all meant. He tried to be logical, and a few cities later, he felt okay. Will focused on the warm fabric of the seat he was sitting on, heating his skin, and it was only then he realised how tired he was. The monster fight combined with running a few blocks and then getting told his life was a lie could really take a toll on a person, and Will let his eyes slip closed.
"Go to sleep, dude." Sam's soft voice pierced the cloud of exhaustion in Will's mind, "I'll keep watch." From that Will vaguely registered that he would have to keep watch at some point, but for now he ignored that, instead focusing on the gentle rumble of the train on the tracks.
Will's dreams usually consisted of punk concerts and scenes from novels. They weren't particularly interesting, but Will was used to them and they were comforting and familiar. His dream on the train was anything but comforting.
It took place in his English classroom, and Will was sitting at his usual desk while Miss Fisher, who looked like a normal person, stood at the front. She was facing away, with her back to Will, and there was no one else in the room. It was only Will and her, and everything was silent. After a few seconds of observing his surroundings, Will spoke.
"Um, Miss Fisher?" He was still a little weary, considering his last encounter with his monstrous English teacher, but she looked normal now, maybe this was real life and everything else was a dream. Those thoughts were quickly dismissed when Miss Fisher turned around, and Will saw her face was covered in green scales but otherwise normal. Will recoiled a little from the sight, and he shivered as his teacher gave him a toothy grin.
"Hello, Will. Come to apologise, have you?" Her voice was soft and layered just like before, and her kind tone made the hair on the back of Will's neck stand on end. She was acting friendly, but he knew he couldn't trust her. Will was proven right when the scales on Miss Fisher's face slowly started spreading down her neck and along her chest. Will was entranced with a morbid curiosity as he watched until her entire body was covered, and she still smiled that creepy smile.
When she started a slow, casual walk towards him, Will stood and his hands went straight to his pocket, fumbling for the necklace that Sam had given him. But it wasn't there. Panic flooded through Will's veins as his mind worked frantically to try and figure out where the necklace was, and Miss Fisher just kept walking, getting closer by the second. Will's breathing quickened, and he had the urge to just give up, let Miss Fisher take him. What could he do to stop it?
Just as Miss Fisher, green and scaly, was just a foot away from him, a bright light filled the room, and all Will saw was white before he awoke with a gasp. Sam, still sitting across from him, glanced up curiously but didn't seem deterred by Will's flushed skin and fast breathing. Will let his hands wander, feeling the seat he was on, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window, anything to assure himself where he was. The sun was setting outside, the sky was gold, and Will realised he must have been sleeping for a while.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his hands flew straight to his pockets, feeling around until his fingers closed around a chain. It was the necklace, he still had it, thank God. Or, gods, he supposed. Will took out the necklace, holding it and examining it in his open palm. Sam watched him.
"That's a gift from your dad, you know." Will felt himself stiffen at his friend's words. A gift from his dad? His real dad, as in the god? Suddenly the presence of the necklace wasn't that comforting, and Will frowned as he stuffed it back in his pocket, not wanting to think about it anymore. His dad had left him, abandoned him, and now he was giving him gifts. Will didn't know to feel.
He saw Sam yawn, and Will felt sympathetic. "You can sleep now. I'm not tired anymore."
Sam gazed at him for a little while, as if he was deciding whether he should agree or not, if Will could be trusted, but he eventually nodded. "Wake me up if you need me," he said, and Will gave him a thumbs up. Sam rolled his eyes before leaning against the window, slouched in an effort to be comfortable as his breathing slowed. Will looked at him for a second, trying to wrap his mind around who exactly Sam was. He was Will's only friend, and now he was something else, someone involved in the godly world and who knew way more than Will. He would have to ask later, what Sam's history was. It was strange, and for a moment Will was struck with the thought that Sam was only friends with him in the first place because he was a demigod. He bit his bottom lip and tried not to think about it. He'd been doing that a lot lately.
Instead he turned his attention to the window, and he watched the city lights glow bright against the slowly darkening sky.