The siren had felt Nico's gaze on him for quite an extended period of time, and it was getting awkward.
"What?" he finally asked.
Nico hummed. "Where'd you get that notebook from?"
(Oh, wait. He wasn't staring at him. Will felt heat crawl up to his cheeks.)
"Ah. Um...this? I found it at a corner of the armory," he said, showing Nico the book. "Thanks for helping me pick it up, by the way."
The quartermaster waved his hand. "No, that's not what I meant. How did you even get it in the first place?"
"Oh." He scratched his head. "I think I picked it up when a ship passing by dropped it? It was only one among many other things I picked up on that day, though. But that was a really long time ago."
Will could practically hear the gears in Nico's head turning in the short silence that followed. "I don't suppose you know who wrote it, then?"
The siren shook his head. "The author's name had already faded away by the time I got it. Why do you ask?"
Nico absentmindedly took the book from Will's hands, flipping through its contents with an unreadable expression on his face. He seemed to be thinking hard about what to tell Will. Before he could say anything, however, a familiar voice blared from above:
"What's up, guys! It's Leo McShizzle, just in case you couldn't tell! I'm here to inform all fabulous humans and fish alike, wink wink, aboard the Argo II that we should be arriving at the island quite soon! Now would be a good time to get prepared. If you already are, then I'd recommend taking a look of the breathtaking scenery at the main deck! It has my professional approval. So...see you guys soon! Toodles." Click.
Nico turned to Will with the notebook in his hands, looking at him hesitantly for a moment. Then he cracked a small smile, offering the book to Will.
"Well, since we have nothing to do," he offered, "why don't we take a look at the Leo-approved scenery?"
The island did turn out to be quite the sight to behold. Tall, lanky trees shot vertically upwards, crowned with vibrant yellow flowers. The shrubs circling the island crawled against the forest, gracefully sloping down towards the island's shores like a dress. A ring of mist dutifully surrounded the trees at mid-height, pulsating in tandem with the soft, thin sheets of waves.
As the small crew loaded onto the shores carpeted with golden flowers, Jason gave a short briefing.
"Alright. So we're here to look for natural resources, mostly, but feel free to pick up anything that looks like it's worth selling. Of course, don't pick up anything or go anywhere that's obviously dangerous." He lifted his head, threading his fingers through the light mist. "The mist here feels like normal mist, so it should be safe. We'll have three people keeping watch of the ship, and the rest of us'll go out in pairs."
"We'll stay," Hazel volunteered, gesturing towards herself and Frank.
Jason nodded. "One more?"
"I'll stay!" Leo said immediately.
"I'll stay," Nico said, a tad bit too late. "Damn it, Valdez!"
Leo grinned.
Jason rolled his eyes. "So...I guess I'll go with Piper, Percy goes with Annabeth, and Nico goes with Will...?" he asked, looking at Nico for approval.
Percy snickered. Nico threw a fruit at him.
The captain coughed softly, poorly hiding his amusement. He clapped his hands together. "Alright. Grab a map, and off you go!"
The three pairs split up after a while (although Will had no idea why Percy had told him and Nico to "have fun". He was promptly whacked in the head by Annabeth right after), heading towards equally ominous-looking paths. The quartermaster and the siren waded through a foggy, dark path, save for a few dim rays of sunlight that had made their way to the forest floor. The path was completely silent, making the crunching of dry leaves under Nico's feet and the light sloshing of Will's tub especially audible. It made Will feel like he was an intruder.
"Um...if you don't mind me asking, where exactly are we going?" Will asked, peering at the silhouette of the nearby trees in the mist.
"I'm trying to look for a pond, or a lake...just some sort of water body," Nico answered, squinting in different directions. "There's a rare aquatic plant that grows around this area, and I'm hoping to find it. It should be fairly easy, as long as the Mist doesn't interfere."
"What can a foggy day do to a plant?"
"Not the mist. The Mist. Capital letter 'M'," Nico explained. "The Queen puts it around areas that she doesn't want people walking around in, but strong mythical creatures can control it too. It basically traps your conscience in your mind, and it's usually very difficult to get out of it. Most people just die in there. The Argo II encounters the Mist pretty often, because the Queen'll put it wherever we are if she knows where we are. A real pain in the ass. Especially for me, Grace, and Jackson."
"...so you guys are hoping that she doesn't know you're here?"
"More or less."
"You're all crazy."
"Yeah, we hear that one pretty often."
"How much is this piece of grass worth anyway?"
"It's a flower," he snapped. "And, uh...it's not worth much, because most people don't even know about it."
"What!? Then why are you even trying to find it?"
"It's for my sister!" Nico hissed. "My dead sister. And my dead father. Happy?"
Will instantly decided to shut up.
At the same time, he was reminded of his own family. He remembered the first time he had snuck out at night. He had gone to pick flowers for his family as a little surprise for them, but when he came back, he was immediately showered with his mother and siblings' worry and chastises. It left him feeling a little sad and disappointed. Unappreciated, even.
But he also remembered how in the corner of his eyes, he saw his father secretly winking at him, giving him a wide smile and a small thumbs-up.
A strong pang of sadness and empathy washed over him.
"What does this plant look like?" Will asked suddenly. "I'll help you find it!"
Nico was quite obviously taken back by the sudden enthusiasm. "Huh? Oh, uh...it's this plant with a very long stalk, but the flowers are only about as long as one segment of your finger. Small and purple flowers. Lobelia Dortmanna. Completely submerged in water; an isoetid. Only grows in clear waters, so it's pretty difficult to find."
"It's submerged underwater? Well, that makes it easier for me!" He pointed to the nearby pond, that had just come close enough into his line of vision. "I'll look for it in that pond!"
"What? There's a pond? Where?" Nico looked around. Then his eyes rested in the same direction as Will's.
"Come on, let's go!" Will said, rushing off. "Race you to the pond!"
"Wait, Will!" Nico shouted, taking off after him. "That's -"
Will chuckled. "Of course it's unfair! Who said it was fair?" He looked forward. The pond was clearly in sight now, the clear water glittering before his eyes.
Then he suddenly felt as though he ran straight into a solid wall.
His vision started to slip out of control and his mind no longer felt like it was in his grasp. The ground under him seemed to turn into liquid as tried to focus on the pond before him, but to no avail.
The Mist, he managed to think amidst his dizziness.
The last thing he heard was Nico calling out his name.