"Will! Taylor's here!" Will shoves the last of his clothes into his suitcase, grabbing his backpack off his chair. He practically runs down the hallway to greet his sister, dropping his bags and flinging himself into Taylor's arms.
The older girl laughs, hugging Will tightly. She smells like sunshine and floral perfume, just like camp.
"Hey there kiddo, missed you." She says softly, and Will clutches onto her shirt tighter.
"I missed you too." He whispers, and Taylor smiles, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Reluctantly, Will lets go of her and turns to see his mama smiling at the pair of them.
"You two really do look so much like him." She comments, crossing over to brush Will's hair out of his face. A slight flush appears on his face, a shy smile ghosting over his lips.
"Mama, this is Taylor. She's the head counselor for the Apollo cabin." Will says, and Taylor beams at his mama.
"I'm Will's biggest sister. It's my last summer at camp, though, I'll be headin' to Rice in the fall to study music." Will's mama places her hand on Taylor's shoulder, a warm smile on her face.
"I'm proud of you, Taylor. Mama's honor. Thank you for taking care of Will last summer. He's a good kid, ain't he?" His mama taps his nose, making a short giggle burst out of Will's chest. Taylor just ruffles his hair, even though he bats her hand away with a playful scowl.
"Will's staying year round from now on, right?" Taylor asks, and his mama nods, a sad look misting over her eyes.
"I'm goin' on another tour, and it's just safer for him to be up there with y'all than it is here." She says, and Will frowns a bit.
"Plus, Chloe's leavin' too! I have to help Michael in the infirmary." He comments, looking down at his hands. It had been so weird, not using his healing powers, but he tried to keep his gifts secret so that monsters wouldn't try and find him.
"My little baby, all grown up and having important jobs at camp." His mama says, her voice a little bit watery. Taylor smiles at them before speaking again.
"I'll go put Will's things in the car, and let you two have a moment. Be back in a jiffy!" She picks up Will's stuff, her long curls swishing as she walks away. Will turns to his mama with big eyes, feeling the tears pricking in the corner.
"Mama… I'm gonna miss you tons." His mama shakes her head, pulling Will into a tight hug. He fists his hands in the fabric of her dress, breathing in deeply.
"I'm so proud of you, sunshine." She says softly. "You're doing amazing things, and your dad would be so proud of you, I just know." Will's tears start free flowing at the mention of his dad.
"It's scary, mama, but I'm really happy. My siblings are really nice, and everyone at camp is too. I'm safe, I really promise. I don't go on any quests, and I just heal people." His mama pulls back, wiping the tears from his face.
"I believe you, baby. Don't forget to write or call using those Iris messages when you can, okay? I love you so much, my sunshine." Will nods, hugging his mama tightly again.
"I love you too mama."
—
Will is honestly surprised about how fast they had gotten to camp. Sure, the plane ride there had been the usual length, but after that, it was like Taylor was racing against time.
He understands when he gets to camp, and sees the battle unfolding in front of his eyes.
"Will! Taylor! Chloe, they're here!" He hears Aaron yell, and his brother runs up to them, a long cut across his cheek. Taylor swears, and pulls a pencil case out of her backpack. Before Will can even comprehend what is going on, her bow and quiver appear, and she frowns, looking at Will seriously for a moment before turning to Aaron.
"Aaron, can you cover Will and get him to Chloe and the others?" His brother nods, ruffling his dark hair.
"Kid, we gotta get you trained in a weapon this year." He says, tugging on Will's arm. "We can get your stuff later, but you're needed with the medics. Now."
Chloe is leaning over a camper with severe burns on her body, which Will recognizes as Noelle, one of the daughters of Ares around his age. She's humming a familiar hymn under her breath, her eyes closed. Will plops down next to her, his blue eyes wide.
"Is she gonna be okay?" He asks, looking down at the unconscious camper. Chloe opens one eye, and her expression softens.
"Yes, if you help me. Can you do that, Will?" He nods and places his hands on Noelle as well, his voice rising with Chloe's. In no time, Noelle stops writhing in pain, her expression turning more peaceful. Chloe opens her eyes, and breathes out a sigh.
"Carter!" She calls out, and the older Ares kid appears, the plume on his helmet smoking from a put out fire. "Can you get Noelle back to camp, to the infirmary?" He nods, his mouth set in a line.
"Percy and Annabeth are here. They can spare me and Elle for now." He says, and Will's eyes widen. He cranes his head to look down the hill for a glimpse of the other two demigods. He squints and finally catches a flash of blonde hair fighting off one of the two bulls terrorizing the camp border. Annabeth. He'd recognize her hair anywhere.
He keeps searching, standing up to see better. The scene before him is chaos, Clarisse screaming commands over Annabeth doing the same, smoke and fire everywhere, and…
What the heck is that?
The other kid fighting alongside Percy is bigger than any camper that Will has ever seen, and doesn't even really look human. Demigod or mortal human. It's not until he turns that Will understands, a gasp leaving his lips.
A Cyclops.
He's never seen one in real life, obviously, but he's read the stories about them, learned about them from his Greek lessons with Chiron and Taylor.
He doesn't get time to process this information before Chloe is snapping her fingers in his face, breaking his focus.
"Earth to Will! We have to get everyone wounded back to the infirmary. Can you help?" Will shakes his head to clear his thoughts, steeling his shoulders and nodding.
He has a job to do.
—
He's never been more busy before in his life.
A dozen campers injured means all hands on deck in the Apollo cabin, even the less skilled healers. Which means that Will is bumping into his siblings, literally, constantly.
"Whoops, sorry Will!" Sam calls as he nearly bowls him over, dirty bandages in a bin on his hip. "Are you taking that saline to Connor?" Will nods, frowning slightly.
"He's not badly burned, so I think I can get him out of here in a pinch. I just gotta heal him." Sam gives him a once over.
"Have you eaten anything today?" He asks, and Will sighs.
"Daniel shoved half a sandwich down my throat 20 minutes ago, don't worry." Sam manages a small smile at that and waves Will off. Will sighs, already tired.
Healing uses a lot of energy, and if they're not careful, they can overextend themselves and pass out. Will's not gotten to the passing out stage yet, but he's been scarily close, and today is insane.
He bumps Michael with his hip when he walks past his older brother, who is putting Clarisse's arm into a sling, and Michael smiles quickly at him before returning to his task, his dark eyes set in a hardened glare.
Will makes his way to Connor Stoll, setting the tray with the saline bottle down. The Hermes camper eyes him, and Will purses his lips.
"Just because I'm eleven doesn't mean I can't heal you." Connor looks at him with a startled expression, before laughing softly, shaking his head.
"Dude, I'm barely older than you." He points out, and Will stops, thinking for a second, before shrugging.
"Sorry. Just a few people have had issues with my age." He starts cleaning Connor's burns, making the son of Hermes hiss slightly. "Sorry… again. But you're not burned that badly, so I should be able to heal it, so you can get back to your cabin." Connor nods, picking at one of his nails.
"Yeah, me and Travis became head counselors after… well, everything last year. So I'm hoping to get back soon." Will sighs softly, his free hand curling into a fist.
Michael had Iris messaged him about everything that happened at the end of the summer. About how Luke had tried to kill Percy and betrayed the entire camp, running off after the end of the summer session, never to be seen again. He doesn't understand how the older camper could just do that. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts.
"Don't worry, Connor. I'll have you out of here in no time." He smiles warmly at Connor, and the other gives him a wry smile.
After cleaning and bandaging Connor's burns, and singing the healing hymn that Chloe had taught him last year, he lets the son of Hermes go, watching him go with a distant look on his face. At least Connor was easy. Some of the other kids in the beds right now… Will sighs inwardly, running a hand through his blonde curls.
By the time he composes himself, making his way back into the infirmary, things have calmed down substantially, and only half a dozen campers remain in the infirmary, their injuries more severe than the rest.
Will makes his way towards where he can see Michael and Chloe sitting on a spare bed, discussing something quietly. Chloe's hair is pulled back into a messy bun, some wayward curls falling out and framing her face. Will's never seen her this disheveled before. He picks his way quietly to the bed, sitting down next to Chloe and leaning his head on her shoulder. She reaches a hand up to pet his hair gently, and Michael offers him a granola bar which he takes gratefully.
"What's happening?" Will asks quietly, his voice breaking at the end. Chloe and Michael share a glance, and Michael nods, making Chloe sigh and lift her shoulder, causing Will to sit up.
"Someone poisoned Thalia's tree… it's dying Will. The borders are failing." Chloe says, and Will looks at her incredulously. Dying…? The borders are failing?
"I don't understand." He says, and Michael heaves out a breath, running a hand through his already messy dark hair.
"Thalia's protection is what keeps our borders safe from monsters. But her tree… it's sick Will. It started dying. Mr. D fired Argus and Chiron too… camp isn't gonna be the same anymore. I'm actually really glad you are staying year round now, because…" Michael looks at Chloe. "With Chloe leaving, it's just gonna be me and you as the expert healers."
Will can feel the tears welling in his eyes, but he fights them down. He can't be weak. He can't cry. Michael and Chloe need him to be strong and composed.
"Aaron said I should learn a weapon… I'm gonna practice archery more this summer, I promise. I'll even learn sword fighting from Percy or someone. I don't wanna be a burden anymore." Chloe frowns, pressing her hand to Will's cheek.
"Will, you're not a burden! You could never be. Covering healers is so important, because if we are fighting, we can't be healing. You should practice, of course, but please don't ever feel that focusing on healing is bad. Okay?" Will nods, looking down at his hands. They're shaking. He balls his hands into fists.
"Will, you and I should go take showers before dinner. Chlo, you can handle the infirmary for a bit?" Chloe waves her hand dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah, I got this. Send Nychelle over here when you get there though. I could use a little backup and she needs to work on her healing." Michael salutes her before tugging Will up, the pair of them making their way through the charred camp to the Apollo cabin.
—
The mood of the camp is somber as Will follows Taylor and the rest of his cabin to the dining pavilion, his shoulder brushing against Daniel's. His older brother had tried to keep the mood in the cabin positive, but with so many injuries and the promise of more to come, there was very little that the Apollo Cabin could look forward to. Will appreciates the gesture though.
He takes his seat next to Daniel, and leans his chin on his older brother's shoulder, his light blue eyes searching the faces of the other campers. Everyone is in such a dark mood today.
"Who invited that?" He hears Sam mutter from a few seats down, and a quiet smack, followed by Taylor hissing a curse in Ancient Greek at him that makes the tips of Will's ears flush red at the vulgarity. It's not often that Taylor swears, but when she does, it's effective. His gaze moves to where Sam is looking, and Will blinks in surprise.
The Cyclops from earlier is trailing after Percy, his big brown eye flitting around the faces of everyone sitting. Percy shoots a dirty look at the Apollo table in general, clearly having heard Sam's remark, making Will avert his eyes in embarrassment, even though he hadn't been the one to speak. Will turns his head slightly to look at Sam, whose face is bright red, muttering something Will can't hear under his breath.
He watches as Percy argues with Mr. D for a bit, but he's distracted by the pizza that the dryads bring to the table, his stomach rumbling loudly. Healing had taken everything out of him, and he needed the food if he was going to go back after dinner (which of course he was.)
"Sweet tea." Will murmurs under his breath, and his cup fills to the brim. His mama's favorite drink.
Will follows after his siblings to give part of his food as a blessing. He stares down at the fire for a second, thinking deeply.
"Apollo… Dad, please help me and Chloe and Michael make sure everyone is safe." He says softly, and he feels Daniel's hand on his shoulder. Will sighs deeply, turning to go back to the table. He feels so helpless.
He sinks back into his seat, taking a small bite of his food. It's not long before the conch shell blows, and Will sits up, looking towards the front.
"Yes, well. Another fine meal , or so I am told!" The new activities director, who Will remembers Michael had said is named Tantalus, says, reaching out for his plate. Will blinks in surprise as the plate inches away from him, confused. The heck?
"And on my first day of authority, I'd like to say what a pleasant form of punishment it is to be here." Will glances at Lee, who just shrugs. "Over the course of the summer, I hope to torture, er, interact with each and every one of you children. You all look good enough to eat." Will feels a cold dread spread down his back, and he shrinks further into his seat, making Daniel look at him in concern.
"I don't like this guy." Will mutters, and Daniel smiles sadly, patting him on the arm.
"Sorry, Will. There's not really anything that we can do…" Will nods, but his heart isn't in it.
"Now some changes!" Tantalus continues, and Will looks back at him. "We are reinstituting the chariot races!" Taylor gasps, and Chloe groans, holding her head in her hands.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Lee says, and Taylor glares at him.
"Language, Fletcher." Lee just rolls his eyes, folding his arms over his chest.
"Now I know," Tantalus continues, "that these races were discontinued some years ago due to, ah, technical problems."
"Three deaths and twenty-six mutilations!" Chloe calls out, a deep set frown on her face. Will feels another chill run up his spine. Deaths? His hands shake under the table. He's suddenly more terrified than he has ever felt before.
"Yes, yes!" Tantalus looks pleased, but most of Will's siblings look terrified. Of course, the burden of all of the healing and the deaths will fall on them. On Will. "But I know that you will all join me in welcoming the return of this camp tradition. Golden laurels will go to the winning charioteers each month. Teams may register in the morning! The first race will be held in three days time. We will release you from most of your regular activities to prepare your chariots and choose your horses. Oh, and did I mention, the victorious team's cabin will have no chores for the month in which they win?"
Will looks around as the campers burst into frantic conversation. Sure, he doesn't like chores, but the stakes… He looks at Taylor whose mouth is set in a hard line. He can already feel the puppy dog eyes that Sam and Aaron are giving Taylor. Michael is rubbing his temples in exasperation. Chloe looks murderous.
"But, sir!" Clarisse stands up, surprising Will. He didn't expect any of the Ares kids to be ones to object to something like this. It seems right up their alley. Aaron snickers at the sign on her back someone had put earlier, and Taylor smacks him on the head. She's particularly violent today, Will muses. "What about patrol duty? I mean, if we drop everything to ready our chariots–"
"Ah, the hero of the day!" The look of disdain on Sam's face could kill even the biggest of monsters. "Brave Clarisse who single-handedly bested the bulls!" A dark curse reverbs from Sam's mouth, and Taylor kicks him under the table.
"If you say one more fucking word, Samuel Levanter, I will make you do all of the chores for the entire summer." She hisses so only their table can hear, and Sam looks away with a huff. Will realizes he had missed part of what Tantalus and Clarisse were talking about.
"But the tree–" Chloe curls her hands into fists, and Will reaches out to grab onto her hand, unclenching her fingers. She looks down at him, heaving a sigh and squeezing Will's hand.
"And now," Tantalus continues, "before we proceed to the campfire and sing-along," Will and his siblings look amongst each other in disbelief. "One slight housekeeping issue. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase have seen fit, for some reason, to bring this here." Will follows Tantalus's waving hand to look at the Cyclops. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest again in fear.
"Now of course, Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters with a very small brain capacity. Under normal circumstances, I would release this beast into the woods and have you hunt it down with torches and pointed sticks." Will can't help the look of horror on his face, and he's sure that it's reflected in the expressions on his siblings' faces. Or so he hopes… "But who knows? Perhaps this Cyclops is not as horrible as most of its brethren. Until it proves worthy of destruction, we need a place to keep it! I've thought about the stables, but that will make the horses nervous. Hermes's cabin, possibly?"
Will looks over at the Hermes table, where Connor and Travis and all of their siblings, plus the unclaimed kids, are avoiding eye contact. He understands. There's so many kids in there, just like in the Apollo cabin.
"Come now, the monster may be able to do some menial chores. Any suggestions as to where such a beast should be kenneled?" Tantalus looks around at all of them, but before anything else can be said, a blinding green light flashes over the Cyclops's head.
The same sign that had appeared over Percy's head last summer, Will remembers.
Well, he supposes. That solves that.
—
The next few days were a whirlwind to Will. Between his shifts at the infirmary, and trying to help Aaron and Samuel design their chariot, he barely had time to breathe.
But he had promised to learn a weapon so that he could protect himself, which meant that he found himself standing across an arena from Percy Jackson, holding a sword probably too big for him.
"Alright, this is your first time with a sword, yeah?" Percy says, and Will nods, worrying his fingers against the hilt.
"M'dad's Apollo, so we mostly use bows. But I'm not… very good at it. Plus, it'll be easier to defend myself if I can use something close up." Percy looks at him, something unreadable in those sea green eyes. Will shifts uncomfortably.
"Alright, just come at me, and we will work from there." Will nods, and takes a deep breath before lunging at Percy.
The older camper disarms him easily every time, but he talks through how Will can improve with each go about. Will can feel the ache in his arms, but Percy is kind, and gentle, and Will can really see why so many people like the son of Poseidon.
There's sweat dripping from his hair and down his back when the lesson finally ends, and Percy comes over to pat him on the back.
"It's Will Solace, Apollo, right?" Will nods, trying to catch his breath. "You're a healer, aren't you?" Another nod. "You're doing really well, I promise." Will pushes his hair out of his face.
"I just want to be helpful." He says, and Percy looks at him with what Will can only see as pity.
"You already are helpful. The camp needs healers." Percy smiles warmly and steps away to talk to Aaron, and Will takes another moment to calm his racing heartbeat before he trudges his way back up to the cabin to go take a shower.
—
The race was upon them before Will could even think straight. He'd spent all morning packing the healer bags for the race, just in case they needed things they wouldn't have time to run back to the infirmary for.
Chloe's been on edge all day, and she had blown up at Sam and Aaron earlier for being excited about the chariot race. Will sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. This is stupid. So, so, so stupid.
The chariot is gorgeous, though, painted the same gold as the color their cabin shines in the sun, and Will can't help but admire it. Somehow, they'd gotten golden horses too. Palominos, he thinks they're called.
Sam is at the reins, and Aaron stands at the back with his bow, though he'd promised to not use regular tipped arrows. Will's not quite sure what other type of arrows Aaron has, but he's learned not to ask too many questions when it comes to Aaron and his bow. Too many long winded technical answers that leave Will's head spinning.
Will sits next to Chloe as a spectator, his fingers nervously pulling at a loose thread on his satchel's fraying edges. He really, really hopes that no one gets hurt today. That no one dies.
"Charioteers, to your mark!" Will watches his brothers with nervous eyes. Aaron has that crazed look in his eye that he gets when shooting, a gleam of controlled madness that honest to the gods scares Will sometimes. Sam's mouth is set in a hard line, his eyes focused on the horses and making sure they stay in place.
There's a screeching in the background that's starting to make Will a little nervous, and his leg starts to jiggle in anxiety. Where has he heard this sound before? His lips press into a frown, racking his brain for the answers. They're just pigeons right? Maybe on his visit to New York with his mama… He shakes his head to clear his mind. Focus, Solace. He chides himself. Focus on your brothers and the other campers. Everyone needs to be safe.
"Charioteers! Attend your mark!" Tantalus calls, and the race starts.
Much to Will's horror, Sam and Aaron flip over immediately, luckily being thrown from the chariot rather than crushed underneath it.
"Fuck!" Chloe hisses, and she makes to stand up, but Taylor pulls her back down.
"Lo, they're fine. It's too dangerous for you to go down there right now. Look, they're both walking." Will grips at his bag again.
She's right of course. Aaron is already helping Sam up, the latter limping just a little bit. Sam makes eye contact with the Apollo campers in the stands, and waves his hand dismissively. I'm fine, his expression says. Will knows that look all too well now.
Will can barely focus on the rest of the race, too busy worrying about his brothers. They don't look too hurt, but internal injuries don't show up at first. What if they broke something, but the adrenaline is masking it? He worries his bottom lip between his teeth.
Suddenly, he can see the birds rising from the branches, and a panic grips his heart.
He remembers this.
These aren't normal birds.
"Taylor!" He cries in a panic, pointing to the swarm of birds that start to flock around the stands and the chariots. She stands up, drawing her bow out of seemingly thin air. The rest of his siblings stand to do the same, as other campers gather their weapons.
Daniel steps in front of Will, an arrow nocked and ready, his dark brown eyes locked in an expression that Will has never seen before.
"Stay behind me, Will." Daniel says, but he doesn't shoot. "Taylor, it's not safe! I don't want to hit another camper." Taylor screams in frustration, but she doesn't release any arrows either.
"Where the hell is Jackson going?" Another camper calls out, and Will's eyes dart around. Percy's chariot is missing, as is Annabeth from the Athena cabin's, leaving Malcolm on his own. What is going on?
Will yelps as the birds start to pick at his hair and clothes, leaving bloodied marks in their wake. He tries to fight them off the best as he can, and Daniel stabs at them with a free arrow.
"Take this, little brother." He yells, giving Will an arrow. "It's the best we can do right now, I'm sorry." Will shakes his head, taking the arrow and lashing out at any of the birds that try to come near him. It doesn't work as well as he would like, more tears and slashes appearing on his arms.
"Daniel!" He cries out in terror, but before his older brother can do anything, Percy and Annabeth come thundering back onto the track, a boombox between them. Soon enough, the loudest music Will has ever heard outside of his mama's concerts blasts through the air, confusing and hurting the birds. They bump into each other and take to the sky.
"Now, archers!" Annabeth cries, and Will's siblings jump into action, unloading arrow after arrow into the air, birds dropping like flies all around them. Will is quaking like a leaf, his fingers digging into Daniel's camp shirt, watching as his brother launches multiple arrows at a time.
Before long, the birds are either dead or far away, but his hands are still shaking and he feels like throwing up. Flashbacks to the day those birds had attacked him and his mama flash through his mind.
"Will? Will, can you hear me?" He can hear Daniel's voice, but it sounds far away and like he's underwater. Will can feel his legs give out as he drops to the ground, violently shaking. "Shit, Chloe! He's having a panic attack, we need to get him back to the cabin."
Will doesn't remember making it back to the cabin, and he's pretty sure he blacked out at some point. When he comes to, the first thing he sees is the suncatcher in the window making patterns of gold and purple across the top of his bunk.
"Oh gods, you're finally awake." He hears a voice, and he turns his head to see Taylor rising from the desk on the other side of the room. "You scared the mess outta me, Will. Are you okay?" He makes to sit up, his head still spinning.
"What happened?" He asks, and his voice is scratchy, like he had been screaming. Taylor hands him a cold water bottle, and he gratefully takes a few sips.
"There was an attack on the chariot race by some Stymphalian birds. You had a panic attack, which is more than okay, Will. You don't have to explain anything." She brushes some of his hair out of his face, her blue eyes concerned. Will breathes out a shaky sigh.
"Those were the monsters that attacked me and my mama last year and made me have to come to camp…" He says quietly, and an unreadable expression flashes across Taylor's face, but her cool and collected mask quickly comes back in full force.
"Don't worry, we got a lot of them, and the rest flew away. We know how to deal with them now, thanks to Percy and Annabeth." She sighs, and Will realizes that she's still covered in cuts and dried blood.
"Taylor, why didn't you go get healed before?" He frowns, sitting up more in bed. She shakes her head, looking at him with an expression he's never seen before.
"I was too worried about you to do that. Plus, I can heal myself later. They need everyone in the infirmary right now. I wanted to stay with you." Will feels tears well up in his eyes, and he breathes out once, twice, three times.
"You should eat some ambrosia at least…" He says, and Taylor just laughs softly, turning back to the desk and picking up two pieces of the food, coming back and giving one to Will.
"The same goes for you, little brother." Will just smiles a bit, taking a bite. It tastes like his mama's casserole, the one she would always make when he had a bad day at school.
"Is everyone else okay?" He asks, and Taylor shrugs.
"The rest of our siblings are all healed up and working in the infirmary, but no one was hurt too badly by the birds. Nothing that some ambrosia and nectar all around can't fix up." Will breathes out a sigh of relief. "But that means they don't need you right now. You stay here and rest. You already missed lunch, so you can't miss dinner okay?" Taylor looks at him seriously, and Will nods. He already feels a little bit hungry anyway.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Taylor…" He murmurs, and Taylor leans down to press a kiss to the top of his head.
"That's what big sisters are for, Will."
—
Will wishes he was a better singer. But regardless of his vocal talent, the sing-alongs are still fun, and he can see how much his more musically inclined siblings like Taylor and Nychelle enjoy them. Plus, he's not a BAD singer.
Unfortunately, the mood at camp was so bad that the fire was barely warm, and he and Daniel and Nychelle are huddled together under a blanket, Nychelle in the middle due to her lack of body heat. Even in June, the darkness brings a cold chill that the children of Apollo can feel down to their bones.
Tantalus steps forward after the last song, his dark eyes calculating as he tries to grab onto a marshmallow unsuccessfully. Will can't help but stifle a laugh, making sure the older man doesn't see.
"Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule." Tantalus says, and starts to speak, but he's interrupted by a voice, and Will turns to see Percy Jackson standing up to speak.
"Sir!" Will blinks, squinting to see the other demigod in the low light. He can just barely make out Percy's handsome features with the flickering flames.
"Our kitchen boy has something to say?" Oh, Tantalus doesn't sound happy. Taylor had told Will that Percy and Annabeth were punished apparently, for the attack. Will doesn't understand how that could have been their fault at all, but Taylor warned him not to question Tantalus, lest their cabin get punished too. Will can hear some laughs from the Ares cabin, but his siblings stay quiet, somber after the long day of healing.
"We have an idea to save the camp." Percy states simply, and the campfire burns a bright yellow, reflecting the attention of the campers surrounding it. Will blinks, leaning forward a bit in interest. What does Percy mean?
"Indeed. Well if it has anything to do with chariots–"
"The Golden Fleece. We know where it is." The campfire blazes brighter, and Will can hear his siblings whispering as Percy and Annabeth explain further.
"The Fleece?" Chloe says in a hush.
"Are they sure? Hasn't it been missing for hundreds of years? Thousands even?" Daniel says, and Taylor nods, a concerned look on her face.
"That could heal the tree, right?" Lee asks Michael and the latter nods, a contemplative look on his face.
"It could heal anything…" Michael says wistfully.
"The Fleece can save the camp. I'm certain of it." Annabeth says, and Tantalus snorts.
"Nonsense, we don't need saving." He says, and a dark silence falls amongst the campers. Will and his siblings look at each other with incredulous looks on their faces, and Sam mutters something under his breath that makes Will blush darkly at how vulgar it is. His siblings really do have the most colorful of insults primed and ready. Maybe it's an Apollo thing.
Tantalus looks uncomfortable at the stares, and continues. "Besides, the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look." Will's heart falls a bit at that, realizing Tantalus is right, but Percy continues.
"Yes, I would." He says matter of factly, and Will watches Annabeth lean over to whisper something to him.
"30, 31, 75, 12." Percy blurts, and everyone looks at him in confusion, including Annabeth.
"Okay, thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers." Tantalus says, and Percy shakes his head.
"They're sailing coordinates. Latitude and longitude, I learned about it in social studies." Murmurs break out amongst the campers and Will can't help but be a little bit impressed. He had no idea Percy knew that sort of thing. Maybe since he's the son of Poseidon? Sailing would only come natural to him, right?
Annabeth takes a moment, realization dawning on her face. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. He's right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates." The who now? Will looks at Chloe, who just shrugs. He'll ask later. "That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!" More murmurs break out.
"He always gets the quests." Sam says bitterly, and Taylor shushes him.
"Barely anyone returns from those, you want to die?" Will picks at a fraying edge of his shorts, his hands starting to shake a little bit. He doesn't like thinking about his siblings dying, and that thought is already in the forefront of his mind these days.
Before Tantalus could respond, Aaron calls out and the rest of the campers follow his lead.
"We need a quest! We need a quest!" The flames of the campfire start to rise, and Will can't help but join in on the chanting. If this is what it takes to save the camp and heal the tree, he's happy to have Percy and Annabeth go on whatever quest they please.
Tantalus tries to calm them down, but the campers cheer louder and harder, the flames rising and rising and getting hotter and more bright.
"FINE!" Tantalus shouts, anger apparent on his face. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"
"YES!" Everyone shouts, and Tantalus looks at them with a smirk.
"Very well, I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying." Will digs the nail of his thumb into the pad of his hand. He really, really hates the amount of talk about death today. He hopes that it won't continue.
"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle! And choose two companions for the journey. I think the choice of champion is obvious." Will doesn't miss the absolutely venomous look that Tantalus shoots at Percy and Annabeth. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in chariot races and courageous in the defense of camp. You shall lead this quest, Clarisse!"
Will looks over at the Ares kids in surprise, the fire flickering higher, a dozen different colors jumping in and out of the flames. The Ares cabin starts stomping and cheering Clarisse on, and the older girl looks quite stunned, but her expression quickly changes to one of pride and honor. Will doesn't see how being sent to her death is much of an honor, but to each their own, he guesses.
As Clarisse stood up, announcing that she would accept the quest, Percy yelled that he had gotten the dream and the answers. Sam rolls his eyes, but before anyone else can speak, a lone shout reverbs.
"Sit down! You had your chance last summer!" Carter, one of the Ares kids shouts.
"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" Another Ares kid that Will doesn't recognize yells.
The look on Clarisse's face is properly murderous as she repeats that she will accept the quest and save the camp. Will remembers hearing that Clarisse and Percy don't really get along, and now he can see how clear it is that is really the case.
More cheers erupt, and then Will hears Annabeth shouting, arguing for Percy's side. The Athena campers join in, and Will has to duck under the blanket as all the camp bursts into a marshmallow war, screaming and yelling swears at each other in multiple languages. Nychelle hides under the blanket with him, and they make eye contact. Will can't help the laugh that bursts out of his chest, and Nychelle joins him, the two of them giggling at how unserious the entire thing is.
"Silence, you brats!" Will and Nychelle stop laughing, their eyes wide. Will pulls the blanket off their heads, his blue eyes wide as he stares at Tantalus.
"Sit down and I will tell you a ghost story." Will frowns, looking nervously over at Daniel, who glances down at him. The rest of the campers settle down, sharing intrigued looks. Will doesn't like scary stories. He already has bad nightmares about people dying, why would he want to hear about something that will make it worse?
"Once upon a time, there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Will frowns. He really needs to learn more about the legends of the Greek gods. He hates not understanding things like this without asking one of his siblings. "This king was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe– just one little doggie bag, the gods punished him."
"He's talking about himself." He hears a quiet voice, and he turns his head to see Taylor leaning close to him. WIll frowns again, nodding his head in understanding.
"They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And yes campers, he had horrible children. Children just. Like. You." Tantalus points at several kids, including Samuel and Percy, the former of which scowls.
"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children? Do you know how he paid the gods back for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show that there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"
Oh, he feels like he's going to throw up. Nychelle grabs onto his hand, and her face is pale. Will looks at her, and she smiles nervously at him, her brown eyes shining. She's just as scared as he is. Will squeezes her hand, radiating a bit of his calming healing power to her.
"The gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus continues in the same dark tone, his eyes glinting in the light of the fire. "But he had his moment of satisfaction. His children never questioned his authority again. You know what? Rumor has it that now this king's spirit haunts this very camp. Waiting for his chance to take revenge on more rebellious, ungrateful children. Are there any more complaints before we send Clarisse off on her quest?" The tone change gives Will whiplash, blinking in confusion.
Not a single camper makes a peep.
"The Oracle, my dear. Go on." Will turns his head to look at Clarisse, who looks like she's either about to cry or throw something, but he doesn't know her that well to be able to discern which one.
"Sir.."
"GO!" Tantalus roars, and Clarisse bows quickly and takes off before he can yell at her again. Will doesn't like the darkness that he feels in his chest, the darkness that surrounds the other campers.
"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Will looks over at the dark haired son of Poseidon, at the way his hands are clenched into fists. "No comments from our dishwasher?" Will feels really bad for Percy. All he wanted to do was to save his friend…
Percy doesn't say anything, but Will can see the way his jaw is set, clenched like he is holding back a flurry of insults. Will gets it, really.
"Good. And let me remind everyone– no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries, well… if they survive the attempt, they'll be expelled forever." Will can feel Nychelle gripping his hand again. "The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well!" Tantalus waves his hand, and the fire goes out.
"Let's go, sunbabies." Taylor whispers softly, and Will stands up. Followed by the rest of his siblings. Nychelle doesn't let go of his hand as they walk back to the cabin in silence. Will's glad for it at this point.
He needs the comfort.
—
Will wakes up to whispers, nothing out of the ordinary for the Apollo cabin, if he is being honest. He stays quiet, listening to the conversation between a few of his siblings.
"They're gone?" He hears Taylor say, then some shuffling.
"Yeah, Percy, Annabeth and the… Cyclops." Michael's voice. There's a snort.
"They've got a death wish, seriously." Chloe says, her voice dark.
"Don't say that, Chlo. They survived once, they can do it again." Taylor again.
"Speaking of survival, we need a supplies run soon, otherwise things are going to get dicey here." Michael says even quieter, harder for Will to make out.
"I'll ask Tantalus or Mr. D today, we will need to send, what, Lee and Aaron? Maybe Sam?" A sigh.
"I hate this. I hate everything about this." Chloe says quietly, her voice watery. He's never heard Chloe like this before. "This is not how I want to leave things, how am I supposed to feel good leaving like this?"
"We can't do anything about it, Chlo." Taylor says gently. "We just have to trust Michael and Lee, and Will." A sniffle.
"I do, I trust them. I'm just so scared, Taylor." Will decides that enough is enough, and he shifts, acting like he's just woken up. He sits up, rubbing his eyes.
"Morning, sunshine." He hears Taylor say, making him laugh.
"That's what my mama calls me. Good morning." His voice is slightly raspy, but he quickly gets out of bed, grabbing his clothes so he can change.
His siblings are gathered around the desk in the corner, though he hadn't realized Lee was there as well. The older boy is unusually quiet.
"Is something the matter?" Will asks, blinking. Taylor shakes her head, a warm smile on her face.
"Nothing that concerns you, kiddo. Just get ready for the day so you can run down to the infirmary before breakfast and help Chlo and Michael check on everyone from the attack yesterday, okay?" Will nods, slipping into the bathroom.
He hates feeling like he has to spy on his siblings to know what is going on.
—
Will's organizing some of their supplies, counting everything and writing down the quantities, when Clarisse comes into the infirmary, her mouth set in a dark scowl. He can hear her stomping from the back.
"What's that– oh. Hi Clarisse." He says, coming out of the back room. The daughter of Ares crosses her arms over her chest, looking around the room. "It's just me right now. Did you need something?" Will asks gently, and Clarisse sighs, a little bit of her steam running out.
"Supplies for the quest." She grumbles, and Will nods, humming as he busies himself gathering everything that she would need to take care of her and the other questers.
"Who are you taking with you? Just in case I need to adjust the supplies!" He looks over his shoulder, and his brow furrows at the look on her face.
"Just supplies, Solace. I don't have time for this." She growls, and Will blinks at her for a minute. Is she going alone? He doesn't see any Ares kids with her… He breaks out of his thoughts and breathes out a bit, packing all of the supplies, enough for a normal quest, in a bag for her.
"Here you go." He says gently, looking at her with wide blue eyes. Clarisse takes the bag roughly, but she hesitates for a minute, looking conflicted.
"Thanks, Solace." She says, and before she can turn, he grabs her wrist, turning up his calming power. She scowls down at him, her eyes blazing with anger, but he just blinks up at her, hoping that his feelings can get across.
"Be safe, Clarisse. And come back soon with the Fleece. We're counting on you, but don't do anything rash. We need you back here too." Will says quietly, and Clarisse loses some of her fight.
"I won't fail." She says, but it doesn't have the same amount of bite. Will shakes his head and offers her a warm, hopefully healing smile.
"I never said you would. I trust you." Clarisse's eyes widen just a bit, and he can see her pupils shaking.
"I have to go. Thanks again, Will." She says in a hurry, and leaves before he can process that it's the first time she's ever called him by his first name.
–
"Hey, Will, we're off." Aaron says, poking his head into the cabin. Will looks up from his textbook, smiling brightly at his brother before remembering where they're going, a frown marring his features.
"Please be safe." He says, and Aaron sighs, coming over to engulf Will in a bear hug, which he loudly protests to.
"Pleeeeeeaseeeee, baby brother. We got three of the best archers in the camp on one tiny little supplies run. How bad can it be?" Aaron laughs, and Will manages to break out of his arms to punch his older brother with a scowl.
"Don't say things like that! Don't do anything dumb, and make sure to get extra of anything you can. It's gonna be really hard the next few weeks if they don't come back with the Fleece soon…" Aaron ruffles Will's hair with a wry smile.
"Don't worry, Will. I promise that we will be safe and take extra precautions. Have a little faith in your extra cool older brothers, okay?" Will just rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Get outta here before Chloe tears you a new one." Aaron salutes him with a lopsided grin, his brown eyes shimmering with mirth.
"Aye, aye Captain Solace!"
In hindsight, Will should have known it was going to turn out this way. How could it not? With monsters lurking around the borders daily, Thalia's tree losing needles more and more every day…
Well, at least no one is dead.
He glares at Aaron, his older brother looking back at him with a fake innocent look.
"Well, no one died!" He says sheepishly, and Will huffs in anger.
"You broke 2 bones, including your freaking femur and Sam's been unconscious for about 40 minutes. Lee's probably gonna have drakon scars for the rest of his life, and you didn't even KILL the thing, just run it off!" Aaron pouts, making Will roll his eyes.
"But we got Aria!" Will's gaze slides to the small girl in the bed just to Aaron's left, her blonde waves matted with blood and sweat. As soon as they had crossed the border of camp with her passed out on Aaron's back, she'd taken on a warm golden glow, the symbol of the lyre appearing over her head. She's 13, older than Will by a few years. But his sister nonetheless.
"You nearly got killed getting Aria, you mean." Chloe comments, coming over to where the pair are, her hair in her signature messy bun. "Where did you even find her?"
"We were just getting out of the pharmacy with everything when we heard screaming and the drakon being loud as shit, so we booked it over to the commotion and found her all bloodied up. She didn't have a satyr or anything, so I just scooped her up and ran. She passed out about halfway to camp. Is she gonna be okay, Chlo?" Aaron rambles, his brown eyes wide. Chloe sighs, crossing over to the blonde in the bed, brushing her hair out of her face.
"She'll be okay eventually. She lost a lot of blood from her wounds, but with healing and ambrosia and nectar… I think she will be okay. It's Sam we have to worry about now." Aaron sighs, burrowing himself in the pillows.
"The drakon was angrier than I thought. And then when we got to camp, it didn't stop…" He looks away. "I'm scared, Chloe. Scared of all the monsters that could find us here. We're supposed to be safe!" Chloe purses her lips, her gaze faraway.
"All we can do is hope Clarisse or Percy and Annabeth can get back with the Fleece in time. To save Thalia. To save camp."
—
Aria looks a lot more like his sister when she's all cleaned up, Will muses. It's his turn to sit at her bedside and heal her with the hymns from their father, since Michael had been on shift all morning.
Truth be told, Will's just happy to get out of some of the daily activities at camp. Tantalus is REALLY creepy.
Aria blinks up at him, her big blue eyes like a mirror of Will's own. She'd woken up a few days ago, but she was still too weak to leave the infirmary. Taylor had info dumped on her relentlessly for days, telling their sister all she needed to know. Will can't help the pang in his heart remembering how that had been Chiron's job. But no one trusted Tantalus to tell her anything, and so since Taylor was the head counselor, she took it upon herself.
"Do I get to learn how to do this too?" Aria asks, looking down at Will's hand covering her own. He smiles, and nods enthusiastically. Keep her positive, Chloe had said. Being in bed for days sucks.
"Yeah! All of us have healing abilities in some way, just me and Chloe and Michael are better at healing than any other of Dad's domains. You'll have your own gift as well, in one of them." Aria hums, a contemplative look on her face. Will tilts his head, waiting for her to work through whatever it is she's thinking about.
"I took archery at my private school before getting kicked out. Probably that." Will can't help the short laugh that leaves his lips, shaking his head.
"That would definitely make you Dad's daughter." He lilts, and Aria reaches up to weakly slap at his shoulder. "Okay, you should drink a little bit of nectar, and then most of this Gatorade before someone brings you dinner. Think you can do that? Chloe is supposed to come on shift soon, so she'll probably be the one to bring you food." Aria nods, reaching out for the thermos of nectar by her bedside. Will watches as she measures it out like Michael had taught her, drinking just the right amount. Putting the thermos back, she takes the bottle of red Gatorade from the bedside table.
"You know, you should at least have flavor options." She says, making Will burst into laughter.
"We heal you and all we get in return is sass, how very Dad of you." He teases, his lips curling up into a smile. Aria gives him a playful salute, reminding him of Aaron. They really are all related, aren't they?
"I'll see you later, Aria. Okay?" She nods, waving her hand as she downs the bottle of Gatorade.
Dinner is… interesting to say the least.
Will takes his usual spot between Daniel and Chloe after scraping part of his food into the fire, praying to his dad, but they don't get too far into the meal before there is a bright shimmering of a familiar Iris message being transmitted behind Mr. D, making everyone fall quiet and gape at the scene before them.
It's Luke and Percy, and Will hears whispers break out amongst the campers that are promptly shushed by their friends to hear what is going on.
"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?" Will turns to see Chloe's look of anger, before her mask slips back into place. He reaches out under the table and takes her hand, squeezing it gently.
"I did, of course. I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus." Complete and utter silence falls over the dining pavilion, none of them believing what they are hearing. Luke? Luke did this?
Will thinks back to the first day that he had met Luke, when the older camper showed him around Camp Half-Blood with Taylor. Ever since then, he had thought that Luke was so cool and smart, and now… WIll frowns. He's never even heard of elder python venom. Another thing he needs to research later.
"Chiron had nothing to do with it?" The look on Mr. D's face at that moment would be hilarious to Will under any other circumstances.
"Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool doesn't have the guts." Luke spits out, and Will clutches onto Chloe's hand tighter.
"You call it guts? Betraying your friends? Endangering the whole camp?" Percy asks, and Will can tell just how much this hurts Percy. It hurts all of them.
Luke raises his sword, looking ready to strike Percy. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece… once I was done with it."
"What?" Chloe hisses under her breath, but she doesn't answer Will's questioning look, her dark eyes focused on the Iris message.
"You were going to heal Kronos." Percy says matter-of-factly, and a loud gasp reverbs around the pavilion, luckily not loud enough to transmit through to Percy's side of the message. Will feels a familiar dark chill run down his spine. Fear.
"Yes! The Fleece's magic would've sped up his mending process by tenfold." Mending? Will can't believe the words that he is hearing. "But you haven't stopped us, Percy, only slowed us down."
"So you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia–" Chloe's hand tightens in his again. "You set us up… all to help Kronos destroy the gods." WIll feels tears pricking in the corners of his eyes. He can't cry. He takes two deep breaths, calming himself like Michael had taught him.
"You know that! Why do you keep asking me?"
"Because I want everybody in the audience to hear you." A loud squeak emits from the Aphrodite cabin table, and Luke whirls around to see them all watching him, and Will is stunned by how he looks.
That's not the Luke that he remembers taking him around camp. That's not the Luke that was warm to everyone. It was like a monster had taken over the shell of him.
"Well." Mr D. says, slightly amused. "Some unplanned dinner entertainment."
Percy's expression of relief makes another pang resonate in Will's chest. He understands how scared Percy must have been, how desperate he was for it to work. "Mr. D, you heard Luke. You all heard him. Chiron didn't poison the tree, it's not his fault."
Mr. D sighs, shaking his head. "I suppose that's true."
"This Iris message could be a trick." Tantalus says, and Will frowns, curling his free hand in anger. After the past 10 days, he can't stand this guy.
"I fear not." Mr. D says, watching Tantalus try and grab one of the cheeseburgers the nymphs had set out for dinner. "I shall have to reinstate Chiron as activities director. I do miss the old horse's games."
Tantalus finally manages to grab the cheeseburger, screeching in victory. Mr. D gives him a dismissive look, and Will hears James snicker, making fun of Tantalus under his breath. Amazingly, Taylor doesn't stop him this time. She's just as sick of Tantalus as the rest of them are.
"We are no longer in need of your services, Tantalus." Will's eyes widen. Is Mr. D serious?
"What? But–"
"You may return to the Underworld. You are dismissed." Daniel looks at Will, his dimples appearing in his cheeks with how hard he is smiling.
"No! But– Noooooooooo!"
Will and the rest of camp break out into loud cheering as he dissolves into mist, the cheeseburger falling back onto the plate. Will's never screamed so loud in his life. They're finally free of the torture Tantalus had brought to camp.
Mr. D just sighs a long suffering sigh, rubbing his temples with his fingers.
"You brats finish up dinner and then go have your silly sing-along now. I have things to do." He waves them off with his hand, standing from the table and disappearing towards the Big House.
The chatter builds to a level that Will has to lean in closely to hear his siblings.
"Did you see Clarisse with Percy? Or Annabeth? He said something about the Fleece, do you think they're on their way back to camp?" Nychelle fires a million questions off, and Taylor holds up a hand to stop her babbling, laughing softly.
"I dunno, kiddo, but it does seem like the Fleece is on its way back. Not sure how long it will take…" She and Chloe share a nervous look, and the healer nods her head.
"I think we are fine for now, though. The border patrol has been working overtime, and we are all stocked up thanks to the boys' mission. We can hold it down until the Fleece gets here." Michael and Will share a glance. Will knows that they can, but gods if he isn't so tired already from everything that had happened in the last ten days.
Clarisse returns a day later, with Percy, Annabeth, Grover and the Cyclops hot on their heels. Clarisse carries a large golden skin, which Will gapes at.
The Golden Fleece in the flesh.
Aria is leaning heavily on his shoulder as the entire camp gathers around Thalia's tree, and they watch in awe as Clarisse drapes the Fleece over the lowest branch. Will holds his breath as they wait.
The effect is almost instant.
The tree's needles start to turn green again, so much different from the sickly yellow that they had been for the last few weeks. The grass seems greener, the sun brighter. Will can feel a gentle breeze tickling his hair, making his golden curls fall into his eyes. Aria breathes in deeply, and a smile appears on her face.
"That feels a lot better." She says quietly, and Will smiles and nods. It's clear just how badly the poisoning of Thalia's tree had affected the rest of the camp.
"Definitely a healthy tree. Healthy camp. It'll be easier for us to heal everyone now too. And less monsters attacking us and burning down our cabins." Aria laughs softly, and Daniel comes over to them, helping her stand a little bit better. She's taller than Will, as are all of the girls. Will's not mad about it though. He's only 11. He knows his growth spurt is coming.
"C'mon, let's get Aria back down to the infirmary so she can get some rest. You need rest too, Will." Daniel says seriously, looking him over. Will knows he does. He's been on his feet nonstop healing for nearly a week and a half, as have all of the medically inclined Apollo kids.
"Yeah, I could stand for a nap before dinner. Plus, we have the chariot race tomorrow, right?" Daniel nods at Will's question. "Okay, will you get Aria back to the infirmary? I really need a shower."
"Yep!" Daniel chirps before hauling Aria onto his back, making the blonde girl laugh.
"Maaaaan, all you boys are too strong. How am I supposed to kick your ass at archery?!" She giggles, and Daniel just rolls his eyes before taking off down the hill. Will can still hear Aria's loud laugh as they get farther away from him.
—
The chariot this time is headed by Aaron and James, Aaron on horse duty, and James brandishing the javelin that he had taken up learning over the past few weeks. Not very Apollonic of him, but Will can't fault him for wanting to learn a more close range weapon, or at least one that can protect him more than a bow and arrow can.
Much to their displease, Percy and Annabeth have decided to team up. Will's not really sure how that's gonna work out with them having no chores, but he supposes that Percy's only one person, so it won't be that disruptive.
At least the sun is out, and Will can't see any birds in the trees.
He sits next to Chloe as usual, their full medical bags on their laps, ready and waiting in case any of the campers competing need their assistance. He rests his chin on his hands, watching his brothers give the horses a few sugar cubes. Will's never been good with horses. He likes them just fine, but he's not a horse person by any stretch of the imagination.
Daniel whistles when Percy and Annabeth's chariot comes onto the track, and Will can't help but also be impressed. The Cyclops, who Will had learned is named Tyson, had really done a number on their chariot. He's not much of a mechanics guy, but even he can tell how tricked out it is.
Before long, all the chariots are lined up, and Chiron stands ready to blow the conch to start it. Will can feel a tangle of anxiety settle itself in his stomach. Oh, how he hates stuff like this. He knows that it's all fun and games, and meant to prepare them for their reality as demigods, but… it's him and his siblings that have to put everyone back together again in the end.
The race starts with the conch shell blowing, and Will's fingers tighten around the strap of his satchel as his siblings fly forward, a whoop from Aaron resonating throughout the amphitheater as they head straight for Percy and Annabeth.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Samuel yells as James throws a javelin into the wheel of Percy and Annabeth's chariot, snapping some of the spokes. Taylor tugs on the back of his shirt making him sit down.
"Stop makin' a damn scene. And stop swearing in front of the children." She says, but Sam pays her no mind, still hurling insults and instructions at Aaron like they can hear him at all.
Before long, Annabeth launches a javelin smack into Aaron's chest, making him tumble backwards out of the chariot, taking James with him. There's a collective groan from the rest of Apollo cabin, Nychelle hanging her head in her hands, as they realize they're not getting out of chores. Aria giggles softly from her place next to Daniel. She'd finally been cleared by Chloe to take part in lowkey camp activities that didn't involve her fighting, lest she rip her stitches before she had fully healed.
The horses, free from the weight of his brothers, make for the stands, making the Aphrodite campers shriek in fear, ducking out of the way. The horses leap over the stands, the chariot dragging behind them as they gallop their way back to the stable. Well, Will muses. At least they will be easy for them to find later on.
Will watches with baited breath as the race continues, Beckendorf from Hephaestus battling it out with Percy and Annabeth. He's really not sure which of the teams is going to win at this point. Both of their chariots are decked out with so many modifications, and Beckendorf is older and stronger than both Percy and Annabeth.
Annabeth starts to hack away at cables that Beckendorf had used to attach his own chariot to theirs and Will sees Percy yell something to her, the pair of them switching before Percy engages in a sword battle with Beckendorf from their chariots.
"Damn." Chloe mutters under her breath, and Will can't help but agree. Percy is really something else when it comes to sword fighting. He really should take more lessons from the older camper whenever he's around more often.
Suddenly, green smoke billows from something that Beckendorf had thrown into Percy and Annabeth's chariot, and Chloe curses in Greek beside him.
"What is that?" Will asks, confused. He's never seen that color smoke before.
"Greek fire!" She says, and curses again. Fire? Will looks nervously at Percy who is trying to kick it out of the chariot, to no avail. It looks stuck to the floor. That must be so dangerous!
The sword battle continues, Percy trying to parry against Beckendorf while kicking at the Greek fire, until something seems to burst out of his wristwatch that Will hadn't noticed before, spiraling out into a shield. Percy raises his arm with the shield, blocking Beckendorf's sword, and his blade shatters.
Will hears the sound of nearly every single camper gasping a collective gasp, himself included. It shattered? Just like that? What kind of shield is that? Where did Percy get it from? He can hear the Hephaestus kids a few feet away from him enter into a heated discussion about how that could happen, but Will is too invested in the chariot race's outcome to listen too deeply. Not that he would understand most of what they were saying anyway.
Percy flips the Greek fire into the Hephaestus chariot with his sword, and Will tenses. Luckily, the driver, a kid who Will thinks is named something like David, dives out of the chariot, which goes careening away, bursting into flames not long after. Will sighs a breath of relief. At least that won't be causing them any more burn issues. They had enough of those as it was.
In the end, Percy and Annabeth are the first to cross the finish line, and everyone streams out of the stands to lift them up on their shoulders, and Will follows, a bright smile on his face from the adrenaline. Those two deserve it. They had worked hard during the race. As the campers chant their names, Annabeth tries desperately to shush them, a loud laugh leaving her lips.
"Hold up! Listen! It wasn't just us!" Will can't help but laugh at how rowdy the crowd is, but she manages to calm them down, her voice shrill but not entirely unpleasant. "We couldn't have done it without somebody else! We couldn't have won this race or gotten the Fleece or saved Grover or anything! We owe our lives to Tyson, Percy's…"
She looks over at him, and they have a mini conversation with just a glance.
"Brother!" Percy yells, and Will's eyes widen. Oh, Percy is really doing this. "Tyson, my baby brother." Everyone cheers even louder if possible, carrying a blushing Tyson as well as Percy and Annabeth to the winner's platform to receive their well-deserved laurels.
—
With Thalia's tree nursed back to health by the Fleece, Will feels like he can finally have the normal summer that he had been craving the past few weeks.
Almost.
Too close to dawn for Will's taste, someone bursts into the Apollo cabin, shouting for Chloe, making the entire cabin reluctantly get up as well. Will leans heavily on Daniel's shoulder, the older boy supporting his sleepy weight as they make their way to Half-Blood Hill, where there's already a crowd of people.
Will blinks blearily, not understanding what he sees at the base of the tree. Huh? Is that a camper? He doesn't recognize her.
Chiron thunders up to them, Percy on his back and Grover right behind them. Will can feel his strength coming back little by little as the sun rises, his dad breaking the dawn over their heads.
"Curse the Titan Lord, he's tricked us again, given himself another chance to control the prophecy." Will is so very confused. What is everyone talking about? What prophecy? He wants to ask Chloe, but when he turns to, she's fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Chloe?" He asks, and drops down to look at her in concern.
"It can't be. This can't be happening." She whispers over and over, her brown eyes wide and filled with tears.
"Chloe, what's going on, what's happening?" Will tries to get his older sister to listen to her, but she just keeps muttering over and over again.
"She needs nectar and ambrosia!" Percy yells, and Will remembers that he had grabbed his healer's bag. But he can't leave Chloe… He's conflicted, and Percy is yelling more instructions.
All of a sudden, the girl unconscious in Percy's grasp coughs, her eyes opening. They're the brightest blue that Will has ever seen, and that's including his own siblings.
"Who–" She tries to say, but Percy interrupts her.
"I'm Percy, you're safe now." Will stands up and moves closer, clutching his bag in his hands.
"Strangest dream…"
"It's okay." Will looks back and forth between her and Percy, biting down on his lower lip. He doesn't dare interrupt.
"Dying." Will's eyes widen and he feels a dark pit in his stomach again. Dying. Tree. Chloe's reaction.
Holy. Shit.
"No, you're okay. What's your name?"
"Thalia." Will whispers, but no one hears him. He knows it's true.
"I am Thalia. Daughter of Zeus." The campers around them are completely silent. The only sounds are the soft sniffles of Annabeth, Grover and Chloe.
Will hurries forward, digging in his bag for the extra nectar and ambrosia that he had packed there for safekeeping. Percy turns to him when he drops down to kneel next to Thalia. Will gently helps Thalia eat and drink the healing food.
"Thanks, Will." Percy says, laying a hand on his shoulder, and Will can't help the blush that creeps its way up the back of his neck, the way Percy's hand burns through his shirt. Huh.
"Just doing my job!" He squeaks out, smiling nervously. That's something to think about later, he decides.
"We should get her back to the Big House, Chiron." Percy says, looking up over Will's shoulder. He hears the centaur agree, and before Will can even think, Thalia is scooped up and placed on the centaur's back.
"Will, join us when you can." Chiron says before making his way back down the hill. Percy smiles again at Will, squeezing his shoulder, making his way over to Annabeth and Grover to have a quiet conversation.
Will stares at the ground for just a second before he gets up, his knees a little bit shaky. Him? Chiron wants him to help? Not Michael? He looks over at Chloe, who is still sobbing, Michael and Lee by her side, Taylor standing just a little ways behind them. Taylor has tears in her eyes as well.
"Go, Will." Michael says, his hand rubbing Chloe's back as she cries. "I trust you. Chloe trusts you." Will's hands are shaking, but he nods, bidding goodbye to his siblings before he starts to make his way down the hill.
"Will, wait up!" He hears a voice call, and he turns to see Percy, Annabeth and Grover following him. Percy makes it to his side first, panting a little bit. "You're gonna go help Chiron with Thalia right?" Will nods, his shoulders rising a little bit in pride.
"Yeah, Chloe and Michael trust me, and Chiron asked for me. I can do it!" He defends himself, but Percy just smiles that warm smile that makes Will feel a little bit gooey inside.
"Let's walk together. C'mon guys." Annabeth and Grover have caught up at this point, tears still streaming down their cheeks.
It doesn't take that long to get to the Big House from the hill, not when they are walking as fast as they are. Will steps through the doorway of the infirmary, immediately going to Thalia's side.
"Can I touch you?" He asks, and the daughter of Zeus shrugs.
"I'm surely not gonna stop you from figuring out why I'm not dead now, am I?" Will laughs in surprise at her snarkiness, but the watery sniff from Annabeth makes him realize this must be par for the course with Thalia.
He places his hand on Thalia, and closes his eyes, letting his healing gifts do their diagnostic work. He searches and searches, but the only conclusion that he can come to is that the Golden Fleece had done its job amazingly.
"She seems completely fine to me." Will says, turning to Chiron, who is standing at Thalia's bedside, his arms crossed. "There's… something. There's still a lingering shadow of death, and something… different about her aging? Her father's… uhm… gift?" He looks at Thalia for confirmation, but the girl just shrugs again. "I think it slowed her aging."
"Of course." Chiron sighs. "She is not yet 16, yes?" Will tilts his head to the side, searching through the information his healing powers give him. He shakes his head.
"I'm not sure why but… no." Chiron looks at Thalia seriously, and the dark haired girl just picks at a loose bit of her nail.
"I still feel twelve, but I don't LOOK twelve." She says, looking down at her body. "This is kinda crazy, if you think about it."
"It's really outside of my powers to understand it, Chiron, I'm sorry." Will says, feeling very small at the moment. Was he the best choice to do this? Chiron lays a hand on Will's shoulder, a warm, almost fatherly smile appearing on his face as he looks down at Will.
"That is quite alright, Will. Your gift is strong, but I fear this is something that we will never understand. I've not seen anything quite like it myself. Thank you. You are free to go back to Cabin Seven if you so wish." Will nods, excusing himself. He doesn't need to be there, not with Chiron's ability to heal as well.
As he walks back to his cabin, the chatter of sleepy campers filling the air, Will can't help but wonder what this all means.
What prophecy was Chiron talking about?
He takes two deep calming breaths, remembering everything that his siblings had taught him.
His dad may be the god of prophecy, but that means nothing when it's not about Will. He may never know what it is that they're talking about, but he doesn't want to concern himself with things he cannot change.
—
The last day of the summer session is filled with tears. Will's only cried this much once in his lifetime, and that was when he had to leave his mama and come to camp.
At least this time, the cries are out of happiness.
Taylor and Chloe stand in the middle of the cabin, their eyes shiny with tears. Michael and Lee stand in front of them, equally as teary.
"Gods, we rarely get to do this." Taylor says, her voice watery. "I can't believe I get to give you this position, Lee. That I lived to pass this down." Lee chuckles, but the sound is half-hearted. Will's never seen neither Lee nor Michael cry, but this is a big moment.
"You made it to adulthood, to college. That's a big deal." Michael points out, and the rest of the Apollo Cabin titters in agreement.
"You two are going to do amazing things, I just know it." Chloe says, stepping closer to press kisses to the top of Lee's and Michael's heads, squeezing their shoulders. "I can trust you to take care of everyone here, yeah?" Michael nods. "Teach Will everything you know. You two are something special, really." Will can feel more tears slipping down his cheeks.
The conch shell blows, and the campers not staying year-round start to pick up their stuff. It's only Aaron, Michael, Aria and Will this year. Will trudges over to Chloe's side, helping her pick up the last of her things.
The walk down to the entrance to camp is somber, but only out of sadness for their siblings leaving.
When they make it down to where Taylor's mom had brought her car, waving at both of the daughters of Apollo, Chloe stops. The rest of the kids start putting their things away as Taylor goes to hug her mom, speaking to her softly. Will tries to help, but Chloe grabs onto his hand, pulling him back to her.
Before he can protest, she's pulling him into a long hug, and Will feels the tears build up again. Chloe's radiating that familiar Apollonic healer warmth, and Will can't believe that this is one of the last hugs he will get from her, at least for a while.
"Will." She breathes out, pulling back to cup her younger brother's face in her hands. He blinks up at her, and the expression on her face is something Will won't ever forget. "I need to tell you something. I… I had a dream." He frowns at her.
"What do you mean? From Dad?" She nods, her eyes still full of tears.
"I don't know what is going to happen for certain, but I need you to know that you can always contact me okay? There was so much pain, shadows, death… I could only see you. I need you to be strong, Will. You are so much more than you understand now. You are so powerful and so brave. You are one of the best people that I know, and there is no one more fit for the future of Cabin Seven."
Will stares up at her. What does she mean?
"Chloe, I–"
"I don't know any more than that, Will. I can only see what Dad showed to me, and it was confusing at best. But Taylor and I will always be here for you, okay? I'm just an Iris message away. I will drop any and everything to come back if you need me." Chloe says seriously. Will's hands start to shake as he hugs her again, hands fisting into the back of her camp t-shirt.
"I promise, Chloe." She sighs, kissing the top of his head.
"I have to go now, Will. But… just know that good things will come to you too. In those shadows… there was warmth. Light. Love. Not just familial." Will clenches his fists. "Be brave, Will." She whispers before letting him go.
Will watches from the hill as his siblings leave him, and he can't help but feel a strange but familiar darkness in his chest.
What it means, he's not sure he will ever know.