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Apples Are Good For You; Cake Is Better

There was a curious sadness over the camp. No-one could put their finger on a cause, but there it was. They just felt sad.

Even Will, when he tried his usual smile on people, found that it didn't come out right. It was like he was being sympathetic. Or pained. Nico, generally known for his dour attitude, managed to become even more subdued. Neither of them could must the energy to continue their work on the gods. They, like most of the rest of the remaining campers, just lolled around staring mournfully into space. Sometimes Will would read morose poetry. Sometimes, and this was worse, he'd read it aloud. Then they'd sit, and feel a little sadder. And yet no wiser.

There was crying, too. Campers would be sitting, quite normally, eating dinner, or half-heartedly practising sword-fighting, and then would spontaneously burst into tears.

And, if that wasn't bad enough, Chiron was going grey.

"Come on. Let's go for a picnic." Will tried to grin at Nico, but his heart wasn't in it.

"Why?" sighed Nico. "What's the point?"

Will shrugged. "Does there need to be a point?" His face fell a little further. "Don't you want to come? For a pic-nico?"

Nico felt guilty. Though not about the pun. He gripped Will's hand. "Of course I do. If you're there, I'm there. But – it is February."

"It's not like that applies inside the camp. And it might do us some good. Shake off this…" Will paused. "Melancholy."

"Mmm." Nico stared around the room. "I'll get a blanket. You get some food. Back in – oh, whenever, I guess."

"Ready!" said Will holding up a rucksack.

"Oh. You'd prepared this?" asked Nico. His mouth twitched. "That's nice." He frowned. "It really is. I don't get why I'm not happier about it."

Will held open the cabin door for Nico. "I don't know. It's the same with me – and I'm the one organising it! It's, like, every time I start to feel happy about something, I feel really guilty about doing it. You know what I mean?"

Nico nodded. "I know exactly what you mean." He sighed. "But why, though?" He sighed again. "Dunno."

They turned into the woods. Nothing in there would touch Nico, so they were fine. Plus, they were all feeling pretty sorry for themselves, too. The two of them wandered along in subdued silence, gently swinging their linked hands back and forth.

"It's not even directed at anything," said Will suddenly.

"Huh?" said Nico, furrowing his brow.

"This, you know, sadness. Everything feels fine. You. Me. The flowers. There's nothing wrong with any of it. But, underneath – sad."

"Mmm. And hungry."

Will looked at him. "Good point." He twisted his head around. They were in a clearing, and a little distance away was a flat space of ground. Shrugging off the rucksack, Will then unzipped it, and chucked the blanket at Nico. Nico then spent ages getting it into exactly the right place.

"Finished?" asked Will, hopefully.

"Uh…" Nico straightened one of the corners and patted it down. "Yes."

"Fantastic."

Will flopped dramatically down onto the blanket, intending to mess it up as much as possible, just to annoy him, Nico thought –

"Ow!" Will yelped, sitting up and rubbing his hip. He patted the blanket. "Tree root."

"Serves you right, really, doesn't it?" said Nico, placing himself carefully on the blanket. He hesitated, and then shook his head. "Nope. No smile coming from that, either. Hmm." He rummaged in the bag. "Tuna or ham?"

"Apple."

"No."

"Apple!"

"No."

Will threw it at him. Nico, instinctively, threw up his hands and caught it. "Eat it."

Nico looked at it in distaste. "Really?"

"Yes. It's good for you." Will took out another one and bit into it. "Mmm…" he said, exaggerating his delight in it (and also spraying little bits of apple everywhere in a way which was, frankly, quite disgusting).

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Don't do that."

"You still have to eat it," said Will, wiping his mouth. "Or –" (He clutched the bag to his chest) "–I won't let you have any cake."

Nico narrowed his eyes. "What kind?"

"Fudge."

Nico's eyes went round. "With –"

"With that icing you like. Yes. Like I did for your birthday. I thought it would cheer us up."

"Then what's the apple supposed to do…" Nico muttered sourly, but then grudgingly put the apple to his mouth.

Will relaxed his hold on the bag. "Good b –"

Nico lunged forwards to try and grab the bag. Will, though, was expecting him, and so tugged it out of the way. All that Nico succeeded in doing was knocking Will onto his back as he landed on top of him. As the breath was forced out of him, so was the pall of sadness. Will smiled. "How did I guess that you were going to –"

"Good afternoon, boys."

"Is it?" said Nico, automatic, before looking up to see a woman standing in a clearing of the forest. She had an odd translucent quality, as if you were seeing more of her mind than her body. Nico wasn't sure that that description made sense. It was more like –

"I believe you've met my husband?" She glanced between Nico and Will. "And found that he was right?"

Nico rolled off Will, blushing slightly. He stood up, straightening his appearance.

Will's brow furrowed in confusion. It didn't help that from his angle everything was upside down – and it only got worse when Nico bowed. He got to his feet. "Who – what –?"

"Psyche," whispered Nico.

Will blinked, and gave a hurried bow. "But I still don't get –"

"You remember me telling you about Cupid?"

Will's brain rattled back. He stared sympathetically at Nico as he remembered. He stared at Psyche. He clapped a hand to his mouth. "Oh!"

She nodded. "My husband can be callous, but, despite all appearances, he's not malicious."

"Fooled me…" growled Nico.

"And what would have happened if he hadn't forced you to that? Would you still be moping over Percy? Would you still be walling yourself away from everyone? You certainly wouldn't be going on a picnic with your boyfriend."

"Well – I don't think – I mean, I could have – uh – maybe – I suppose I might – You can't know – It just wasn't –"

"Nico?" said Will.

"Mmm?"

"Shut up."

Nico folded his arms and glared at him.

Will ignored him, and looked instead at Psyche. "What's the problem?"

Oh. The 'Percy' approach to talking to gods and goddesses, Nico thought. But, then, it was probably right to assume that, whenever one turned up, they wanted something.

"I've lost my children."

Will felt a sudden rush of (even more) sadness, and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. Are they demigods? Should they be at Camp?"

She shook her head. "No, my children with Cupid. Youth and Joy."

Nico's eyes widened. "So that's why –"

"You feel sad all the time?" She nodded. "That's right. It's worse for those most intimately connected with the gods, but, given time, the sadness will seep into the mortal world, too. Also, people, particularly those whose lives have been extended, might begin to show their true ages."

"Like Chiron!" exclaimed Will.

"And the gods…" Nico said, looking intently at Psyche. Yes, there were some wrinkles there.

Will blinked, and then snorted with laughter.

Nico and Psyche both looked at him like he was crazy. "What?" said Nico.

"Like you, Death Boy."

"Huh?" Nico started to stare in horror at himself. Were those freckles on his hands or liver spots? Had he been getting out of breath more? He put a hand to the back of his head, to check for bald patches –

"No need to be so paranoid, Nico." Will leaned in to him, and dropped his voice. "You can hardly notice the grey hairs."

"I'm really going grey?" Nico's expression of wide-eyed despair was almost too much for Will to bear. Almost.

"Yeah," lied Will. He looked back up at Psyche, who seemed pretty confused. "I'm guessing that you're summoning us on a quest, then?"

She nodded.

Will glanced at Nico. The thought of a quest seemed to have cheered him up a bit. Will couldn't really admit to feeling the same way, but, if it was going to solve this problem, then it would be OK.

"Where might we –" Nico started, and then stopped, speaking. Will looked around. Psyche was gone.

The pair of them shrugged.

"Goddesses. Never forthcoming with information," sighed Nico.

"Prophecies are generally more useful," agreed Will.

"Though always needlessly complicated." Nico walked across the clearing, trying to see if Psyche had left anything "Do you think we ought to get one?" He turned back.

Will went to reply, but felt his jaw clench. Alarmed, he tried again, but by now his vision was blurring. Nico became a blotchy shape in the distance, as Will's sight became flooded with a golden light.

Nico watched, worried, as Will started to sway from side to side. "Are you OK –" He started forwards, but as he did so, his boyfriend was already sliding, semi-conscious, to the ground, a dopey smile playing about his mouth. "Will!"