p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Will breathes heavily and lifts an arm to support himself against the doorway of the Hades cabin. It's usually empty since Nico spends most of his time in the Underworld helping his dad. /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Oh Gods, Nico./emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" Will slams a fist against the doorway. /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Pull yourself together Will. What if Nico sees you like this. What if Kayla sees you like this./emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" A rustle of grass makes Will take in a sharp breath and pull himself through the doorway. He quickly closes the window blinds and locks the door. Collapsing against the cold grey door, tears roll from his eyes./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"He doesn't know if he has spent minutes or hours propped up against the door. All he knows is that he is alone. Both figuratively and literally. In his darkness, he convinces himself Nico is gone because of him, and the lives lost in the white-washed walls of the infirmary outweigh all he has saved. He believes no one would miss him if he was gone. He starts to imagine ghosts of lost patients and family members shrouded in black in the corners of the room. Will's eyes dart around the cabin. They are bloodshot and fractured. The bed catches his attention, the crumpled blankets a reminder of how he slept there one afternoon alongside Nico. A sob escapes his throat. /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"What would Nico think if he saw me now?/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The thought sends a wave of depression rolling through him. With weak legs and trembling hands, Will stands. He takes a few steps into the middle of the room. Metal beds and red velvet blankets surround him. He stands there, leaning against the top bunk of one frame. Lost in his thoughts, his mind zones out and gives way to self-destructive images. Hunched over, breathing quickly at irregular intervals, his sight dizzy and spinning, Will doesn't notice the slightly squeaky voice of a boy at the door./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Willlll, I'm back. You're in here, right? Gods imagine if I'm just talking to myself," the boy says./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The door handle turns slightly, but the door doesn't open. A sound like a cutlery drawer being opened lets the boy know it's locked. A soft rapping of the door comes next. A pause. It comes again, slightly louder this time. "Will, let me in. I'm tired," a sigh. "From all that shadow-travelling I've been doing."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Another pause. A slightly more frantic twisting of the doorhandle, as if the boy expected what he said to make an impact. Inside the cabin, Will is hyperventilating. Blinking furiously, he makes a move towards the far side of the cabin. Will slips with a sickening thud. A bang rings out from where his head connected with the metal bed frame. The boy outside hears the commotion and starts to panic./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Will. Open up. What happened? I'm coming in now. "With that, he fades into the night around him and reappears inside the room./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Will? Oh, my gods WILL! What in Hades happened?" The boy rushes over to Will's side. He is slumped on the floor. The boy, Nico, rolls Will over to a shock. A nasty bump begins to swell on his forehead, a small cut spilling blood into his straw-coloured hair. His eyes are closed tight but he can see the mauve surrounding them, and the shining over his cheeks./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Will... Gods, why wasn't I here? Will just- hold on. Um, what do I- Will just stay- um hold on." Nico stands up. Shaking, his form flickers and a few moments later dissipates entirely. He reappears just outside the Apollo cabin. He bangs on the door, not caring if he wakes up the whole camp. "It's Will! I don't know what happened, I- help him, please!" Nico's voice breaks. Not a second later, the dark gold door is opened by a green-haired girl. Her hair and pyjamas are messy from sleep but her eyes are focused and awake. Before she can ask any questions, Nico grabs her hand and drags her into the shadows. They arrive next to Will. He hasn't moved, but his curls are drenched in red and the bruise on his forehead is now purple and pulsing./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Oh Gods, he's been crying too," the girl whispers. Nico feels his own eyes fill. The boy on the ground stirs, groaning in pain. A determined look settles on the girl's face. "Infirmary. Now. No more shadow-travelling for you either Nico. I'm not having two patients on my hands today." With that, she scoops Will up (much stronger than she looks) and marches along with Nico to the white building./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"He doesn't know if he has spent minutes or hours propped up against the door. All he knows is that he is alone. Both figuratively and literally. In his darkness, he convinces himself Nico is gone because of him, and the lives lost in the white-washed walls of the infirmary outweigh all he has saved. He believes no one would miss him if he was gone. He starts to imagine ghosts of lost patients and family members shrouded in black in the corners of the room. Will's eyes dart around the cabin. They are bloodshot and fractured. The bed catches his attention, the crumpled blankets a reminder of how he slept there one afternoon alongside Nico. A sob escapes his throat. /spanem style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"What would Nico think if he saw me now?/emspan style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true" The thought sends a wave of depression rolling through him. With weak legs and trembling hands, Will stands. He takes a few steps into the middle of the room. Metal beds and red velvet blankets surround him. He stands there, leaning against the top bunk of one frame. Lost in his thoughts, his mind zones out and gives way to self-destructive images. Hunched over, breathing quickly at irregular intervals, his sight dizzy and spinning, Will doesn't notice the slightly squeaky voice of a boy at the door./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Willlll, I'm back. You're in here, right? Gods imagine if I'm just talking to myself," the boy says./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The door handle turns slightly, but the door doesn't open. A sound like a cutlery drawer being opened lets the boy know it's locked. A soft rapping of the door comes next. A pause. It comes again, slightly louder this time. "Will, let me in. I'm tired," a sigh. "From all that shadow-travelling I've been doing."/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Another pause. A slightly more frantic twisting of the doorhandle, as if the boy expected what he said to make an impact. Inside the cabin, Will is hyperventilating. Blinking furiously, he makes a move towards the far side of the cabin. Will slips with a sickening thud. A bang rings out from where his head connected with the metal bed frame. The boy outside hears the commotion and starts to panic./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Will. Open up. What happened? I'm coming in now. "With that, he fades into the night around him and reappears inside the room./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Will? Oh, my gods WILL! What in Hades happened?" The boy rushes over to Will's side. He is slumped on the floor. The boy, Nico, rolls Will over to a shock. A nasty bump begins to swell on his forehead, a small cut spilling blood into his straw-coloured hair. His eyes are closed tight but he can see the mauve surrounding them, and the shining over his cheeks./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Will... Gods, why wasn't I here? Will just- hold on. Um, what do I- Will just stay- um hold on." Nico stands up. Shaking, his form flickers and a few moments later dissipates entirely. He reappears just outside the Apollo cabin. He bangs on the door, not caring if he wakes up the whole camp. "It's Will! I don't know what happened, I- help him, please!" Nico's voice breaks. Not a second later, the dark gold door is opened by a green-haired girl. Her hair and pyjamas are messy from sleep but her eyes are focused and awake. Before she can ask any questions, Nico grabs her hand and drags her into the shadows. They arrive next to Will. He hasn't moved, but his curls are drenched in red and the bruise on his forehead is now purple and pulsing./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Oh Gods, he's been crying too," the girl whispers. Nico feels his own eyes fill. The boy on the ground stirs, groaning in pain. A determined look settles on the girl's face. "Infirmary. Now. No more shadow-travelling for you either Nico. I'm not having two patients on my hands today." With that, she scoops Will up (much stronger than she looks) and marches along with Nico to the white building./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
