Blood. So much blood.
"Will, get OUT of here! Run!" He hears Aaron scream, his dark eyes wild. Will takes a step back, not sure of what to do.
"Will! I swear to all the gods, if you don't get out of here– Go!" Will turns his head and sees Nico, a black sword, and the darkness of shadows. Almost like—
Will wakes up with a gasp, his heart racing. His breath comes out in quick puffs, his chest rising and falling.
"Will?" He hears a quiet voice, and Penelope looks up at him with sleepy eyes, her arms wrapped around his waist.
She hadn't slept in her own bed for nearly a year now.
Will leans down to press a kiss to the top of her head. "Go back to sleep." He whispers softly. "It was just a dream, everything's alright." She frowns, but rests her head back against him, her eyes closing, her breath evening out.
Will takes a shuddering breath, staring up at the bunk above him. The empty bunk. He turns his head slightly to look at the picture of him and Daniel, staring at the bright smile on his brother's face. He sighs, turning back to stare at the wooden planks above him.
It still doesn't feel real.
He fiddles with the beads around his wrist, with the sun charm hanging between them. Almost a year after Daniel's death, and he still wakes up in the morning thinking that he will hear his voice, see that dimpled smile during breakfast.
But he can't. He won't.
Will looks at the watch on his wrist, the glow lighting up his face a bit. 2:07 AM. Sigh. He wraps his arms around Penelope, pulling the younger girl closer, closing his eyes.
Sleep for a few more hours, at least.
—
"I need two of you to go on a raid with Ares Cabin. There's been a spotting of some of Luke's troops, and Clarisse said they need archers." Michael says in the morning, as they're getting up and ready for the day's activities. Aria and Aaron look at each other, and nod. Will sighs, hitting his shoulder with his fist, trying to work out some knots. The raids are more and more frequent these days, and he's woefully low on sleep.
"Me and Aria can go, you stay here with the kids." Michael nods, clapping Aaron on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Will and I will hold down the fort here. You guys go ahead." Michael looks at Aaron and Aria seriously, a frown on his lips. "Please just… be careful. We can't… I don't want to lose anyone else."
Aria pulls Will into a hug, and he breathes out deeply at the feeling of her arms around him. "We will be back. I promise you. Ares cabin are intense fighters, they won't let us get hurt." Will nods.
"Good luck." He whispers into her shoulder, and Aaron pats him on the back.
"Don't worry, Will. We got this! Aria and I are damn good archers, if I do say so myself. You ever seen me miss?" Will pulls back from Aria, shaking his head.
"I know that, but still…" Aaron smiles, ruffling Will's hair.
"Puh-lease, baby brother. Aria will take a healer bag too. Don't worry too much about us. You have enough going on here, ya know?" Will nods, engulfing Aaron in a hug so intense he almost knocks his older brother off his feet. "Woah! Don't bowl me over, silly." Aaron laughs.
"I can't help but worry." Will whispers and Aaron sighs, hugging him back.
"Like I said, we'll be fine. Love you, kiddo."
"Love you too Aaron."
—
"Isn't this a sweet ride?" Aaron laughs as they land, Aria tumbling out of the back. She huffs, cursing at Aaron in Ancient Greek that still makes a blush rise to Will's cheeks.
"Can you park before swinging your weight around?" She barks out, her blonde waves falling down her back. Aaron shrugs, jumping out of the chariot to pat the Pegasi on the neck.
"How did you even get this?" Michael asks, inspecting the chariot carefully. Aaron launches into a long tirade about the raid, about how they had stolen the chariot from some of Luke's demigods, and how it was their loot.
"Did you see–" Aaron shakes his head before Nychelle can finish her question, his mouth set in a line.
"No, I would have said something immediately. He wasn't there." Will freezes, his blood running cold. He still hadn't told anyone about seeing James at the battle, and the only other person who he knows had seen him… He shakes his head.
"Hey, BLACK!" An Ares camper that Will doesn't recognize stalks over to him, his mouth set in a frown. "Give us the chariot!" Aaron's expression shifts from mirth to anger, and he whirls on the Ares kid.
"Sherman, I already TOLD you, we stole the damn thing, so it's our claim!" Aaron yells back. Ah, Will remembers him now. Sherman Yang.
"It was OUR raid though! We get first claim to everything!" Sherman hisses, and Aaron rolls his eyes. Will sighs. The last thing that they need is a fistfight.
"Aaron…" He says, but before he can continue, Sherman steps closer to Aaron, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. Aaron just laughs, spitting on the ground.
"Whatya gonna do, Yang? Should we take this to Chiron? The training ground?" Sherman throws him to the ground, and Will runs to Aaron's side, taking his brother's wrist to check his vitals. After confirming that Aaron didn't hit his head or anything. Will pulls his older brother up back to standing.
"Aaron, don't start shit. Sherman, it's our loot! Aaron and Aria got it, they said it themselves." Michael says, crossing his arms over his chest. Sherman laughs, staring down at Michael. Will stiffens. Michael may be short, but he makes up for his height with his attitude.
"We lead the raid, we get auto dibs for any loot taken!" A small crowd begins to form around them, and Will looks around nervously.
Apparently, one of the younger Demeter kids had run off to Chiron, because the centaur comes thundering up to them, his expression grim.
"What is the meaning of this?" Michael doesn't back down, his eyes dark.
"In the rules of war, whoever takes the prize is in possession of it, right Chiron?" Michael asks, and the centaur just sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Well–" Before Chiron can speak, Clarisse comes stomping up to them, her mouth set in a hard frown.
"Yew!" She barks, and Michael rolls his eyes. Will can feel a headache coming on. It's not a secret that Michael and Clarisse don't get along, and the only thing that can come from this situation is a worse fight.
"Now, Clarisse–" Chiron tries to speak again, but she marches up to Michael and pokes a finger into his chest.
"Tell your cabinmates to back the fuck off our loot. We led the raid, we get the stuff." There's a glint in Michael's eye that Will hates. Di immortales.
"Or what?" He sneers and Clarisse reaches to her side, ready to take out a weapon when Chiron stamps his foot on the ground, making an echo. Startled, Clarisse takes a step back, but Michael doesn't back down. He just turns his head slightly to look at Chiron.
"All of you cut it out this instant. Clarisse, Sherman. Apollo Cabin does have the right to keep the chariot. They procured the chariot during the raid, and they will continue to use it. Sherman, violence is not the answer to not getting your way. Apologize to Aaron." Sherman grumbles, but doesn't apologize.
"Chiron!" Clarisse complains, stepping closer. "They didn't even DO anything! It was our raid, our idea! We found the chariot, all they did was–"
"Take it! Aria nearly got a sword to the fucking FACE for that chariot!" Aaron yells back, and Chiron stamps his foot down again. Nearly all the campers surround them at this point.
"Cabin Seven has possession of the chariot, and that is final." Chiron says darkly, and Clarisse just huffs, turning back to face Michael.
"Don't you think I'll forget this, Yew. Sleep with one eye open. C'mon, Sherman." She says, stalking away from the crowd, her footsteps heavy.
"Michael, Aaron, Aria." Chiron says after watching her walk away for a moment. "Please do not antagonize Clarisse further. Everyone is already on edge as it is." Aria and Aaron nod, but Michael doesn't react, running a hand through his hair.
"Everyone back to your normal activities. Michael, please make sure your siblings get the chariot to a proper place. And please… no more fighting about this." Michael nods, turning to face Will and the rest of the cabin.
"You heard him. Aria, Aaron, get the chariot outta here. Everyone else, back to your work!"
—
In all honesty, no one should have told Aaron and Aria that they shared a birthday. Will sighs as he watches the two of them chase around Penelope, who just shrieks, holding the cupcakes out of reach from their hands.
"Penny!" Aria whines, stamping her foot on the ground. Will rolls his eyes affectionately. You'd never know that she's fifteen.
"Stop chasing me and I'll give them to you!" Penelope laughs, setting them down on the table usually dedicated to Michael's Head Counselor duties. "The blue is for you, Ri, and the green one for Aaron." The pair of them descend on the cupcakes like a pack of wolves, and Michael heaves out the most over dramatic sigh.
"Please don't get frosting on my desk or I'll make you two clean it." He grumbles. Aaron bounds over, a manic grin on his face. He daubs a bit of frosting on Michael's nose before running away, cackling. Michael just blinks in surprise, and the absurdness of the situation sends Kayla and Austin into loud boisterous laughter, Will joining in not long after.
Oh how he loves the craziness of this cabin. He wouldn't change it for the world.
—
"Percy's here!" Penelope calls into the cabin a few days later, and Will looks up from his book. He puts it to the side, following his siblings as they chatter excitedly about what Percy and Beckendorf had gotten from their raid on the ship that housed Luke and a lot of the demigods. Will can feel his hands shaking.
James was probably on the ship.
Chiron thunders ahead of them, followed by Annabeth on foot, and Will suddenly sees it, his heart dropping into his stomach.
Percy's alone.
"Oh gods…" He whispers, and Aria turns her head to look at him with a quizzical expression. He shakes his head, worrying one of the beads on his bracelet. Daniel's beads.
"Percy's by himself." He says quietly, and Aria snaps her head up to look, a gasp leaving her lips.
"Where's Charlie?!" Silena pushes past them, her hair a mess and no makeup on. She's always beautiful, of course, but Will has never seen her so disheveled before. Percy gives Chiron a helpless look, and the centaur clears his throat.
"Silena, my dear, perhaps we should talk about this at the Big House–"
"No." She gasps, falling to her knees in front of Percy, Chiron and Annabeth. "No, no!" She starts to cry, and Will feels his chest tighten up.
No one speaks. There had been too many deaths as it was, but losing Beckendorf was like losing the heart of camp. Everyone knew him, everyone had positive interactions with him. Will thumbs at the hilt of his dagger on his hip. While Nyssa had made the dagger, Beckendorf had been the one to give it to him.
Clarisse steps forward, putting her arm around Silena and gently pulling her up to a standing position. Silena relents, tears still running down her cheeks, her sobs getting louder and louder.
"C'mon, Silena. Let's get you to the Big House, make you some hot chocolate." She says gently, softer than Will has ever heard her speak before, and Silena lets Clarisse lead her away, stumbling a little bit.
"Percy!" Michael calls, catching the other boy's attention. Will sees a flash of recognition and then pain in Percy's eyes, and he feels Aria's hand in his.
No.
"Michael, I– I'm really sorry but…" Will sees the microscopic change in his brother's expression. They've lost so many already.
"He was there, wasn't he?" Michael asks, and Percy nods, shuffling his feet slightly. Will feels Aria's grip tighten on his hands.
"I tried to get all the demigods out of there, but… too many of them were so loyal. James most of all. I, I'm really sorry, Michael. He was definitely on the ship with Beckendorf. There's no way that he could have made it out alive." Michael takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second.
"Thank you for telling us, Percy. It means a lot." Percy nods, and Michael takes a moment, clearly processing what this means.
"Aaron." He says, turning to the other camper. Aaron runs a hand through his two toned hair, nodding.
"Got it. I think we have… I think we have one left." He says softly. Will sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Conceal. Relax. Your siblings need you.
"We will burn it with Beckendorf's tonight. He may have turned against us, but…"
"He was still our brother." Penelope says quietly, and everyone's gazes turn to look at their youngest. Michael steps forward, and in an uncharacteristic move, pulls her into a hug. Penelope had never even met James as a sibling. He'd disappeared before she got claimed, yet she held such empathy for him. Will has to choke down a sob.
He can't do this here.
"I'm gonna go to the infirmary." He says quietly. Michael nods, waving his hand. He's needed there more than here, anyway.
With the infirmary being an extension of the Big House, he can hear Silena crying, and Clarisse trying in vain to calm her down. Will hesitates for a second, before pushing open the door that connects the two of them.
Clarisse looks up at him, her mouth set in a hard line.
"I just want to help her." He says softly. "I know our cabins aren't getting along right now, Clarisse, but you know I can help Silena." Clarisse sighs, waving Will forward.
Silena is curled in on herself, her hands in her hair as she cries. Will sits down next to her on the couch, careful not to touch her in any way.
"Silena, it's Will." He says gently. The older girl takes her hands out of her hair, wiping at her face and eyes. Her crying doesn't stop. "You know my calming healing, remember?" She nods, but doesn't say anything. "Would it be alright if I used that? To help you calm down so you can eat something?" She nods again. Will sighs in relief, but hesitates again.
"Can I touch your wrist?" He asks, and she slowly holds out her arm, letting Will take her slender wrist in his hand. He starts to sing softly, feeling the warmth spread from his fingertips onto her skin. He feels Silena relax against him, her breath coming out slower, her tears ebbing. After a minute, she pulls her hand away from Will, wiping at her eyes again.
"Thank you, Will." She says softly, and he just smiles sadly at her. "Was your–" He nods his head, shrugging his shoulders slightly.
"I've lost enough siblings over the past year, what's one more?" He whispers, and makes to stand up. Silena grabs onto his wrist, looking at him with her clear blue eyes.
"I'm really sorry, Will." He shakes his head again.
"There's not anything anyone can do about it." His voice cracks a bit, and he clears his throat. "I'm getting used to the feeling. You should rest up now." He looks at Clarisse, a question in his gaze.
"I'll take care of her, Solace." She says gruffly, but without most of the bite usually present. Will smiles before turning, ducking back into the infirmary.
He needs his hands to be busy.
—
"Are you sure that I should be here?" Will asks Michael, who had pulled him out of the infirmary for the war council meeting. Michael shrugs, pushing open the door.
"You're head healer, Will. I think it's important that you are at all the meetings in case there's stuff that you need to hear." Will shuffles his feet. He's not quite fourteen yet, so he still feels weird being around all the older campers.
"Okay… Chiron won't get mad?" He asks, but before Michael can answer, the centaur lays a hand on his shoulder, making Will look up at him. Chiron has a pained expression on his face, but he smiles warmly at Will.
"I will not, William. I agree with Michael that it is important for you to be here." Will smiles gratefully, but it's short lived. Clarisse immediately stomps up to Michael with a gleam in her dark eyes.
"Have your siblings decided to do the honorable thing and give us back our chariot?" She sneers and Michael laughs, getting in her face as much as he can at his height.
"You wanna go a few rounds, Clarisse? Duke it out the HONORABLE way?" He bites back, and Will sighs, collapsing into a chair at the table, rubbing his temples.
"You don't deserve the chariot! It was our raid!" She yells back at him, and WIll sees Percy and Annabeth pick their way into the room, their eyes wide as Michael screams back at Clarisse.
"It's OUR loot! If you don't like it, then you can kiss my quiver!" Jake Mason, the new head of Cabin Nine, gives Will a sympathetic look.
"They're still on that?" He asks, and Will shrugs.
"Not my monkeys." He says back, and Jake barks out a laugh, shaking his head.
"STOP IT!" Percy yells, making the two of them hesitate. Will turns his head to look at the older camper. "What are you guys even DOING?"
Clarisse fumes, and Will swears he can see steam coming out of her ears. "Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk!"
"Oh, that's PERFECT coming from YOU, Clarisse!" Michael spits back, his dark eyes set in a hard glare.
"The only reason that I'm even here is to support Silena!" She clips, pointing at the other girl, who hasn't moved since when Will calmed her down, her stare blank as her fingers curl around a cup of hot chocolate. "If it wasn't for her, I would be back in my cabin!"
"What are you even talking about?" Percy asks, a confused look on his face. Pollux clears his throat, running a hand through his hair.
"Clarisse has refused to speak to any of us until the uh… issue is worked out." He says, and everyone else nods except Will. "She's not spoken to us in three days, well… besides clearly yelling at Michael."
"It's been great." Travis says, a wistful look in his light eyes. Clarisse glares at him, and he just shrugs his shoulders.
"What issue?" Percy asks, and Clarisse turns to Chiron. Not this again, Will thinks.
"Does my cabin get what we want or not?" She says in a clipped tone. Chiron sighs, shuffling his hooves.
"Clarisse, my dear, as I have already explained… Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters—"
"Sure, everything is more important than what Ares needs." She huffs. "We're just supposed to show up when you need something and not complain!"
"That would be nice." Will hears Connor Stoll mutter, and he shoots a glance at him. Not the time.
"Maybe I should ask Mr. D—" Clarisse says, gripping onto the knife on her belt.
"As you know." Chiron says, his voice dripping with anger now. "Our director is very busy with the war. He can't be bothered with small things like this."
"I see." Clarisse says, and turns her gaze to the rest of the people in the room. "And the senior counselors? None of you are going to agree with me?" Will can see that they're all avoiding her gaze. It's still true that his cabin has claim to the chariot, and if Chiron thinks so…
"Fine." Clarisse says, turning to face Silena again. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have gotten into this here when you've just lost… I apologize to you. Only you." Will can see from the expression on Silena's face that nothing is making it through.
Clarisse throws her knife down on the table. "You can fight this war without Ares Cabin. Until we get what we deserve, no one from my cabin is going to lift a finger. Have fun DYING." Will clenches his fists as she leaves the room.
After a beat, Michael speaks. "Good riddance." He spits, taking a seat next to Will.
"Are you kidding!" Katie Gardner says, wringing her hands. "This is an absolute disaster!"
"She's not serious, right?" Travis says, his blue eyes wide. "There's no way that she's actually serious about this."
Chiron just sighs, putting his hands on the table. "Her pride has been wounded. I'm sure that she will calm down eventually." Will makes eye contact with Michael. If they know anything about Clarisse, she's not likely to.
"Now, Percy has brought something that I think you all should hear. Percy, if you please." They spend the next few minutes going over the prophecy line by line. Will shrinks further into his seat with every line. He feels totally out of place here.
Something pulls him out of his thoughts.
"We have other problems. We have a spy." Percy says, and Will's head snaps up.
"A spy?" Michael asks, a frown on his features.
Percy explains everything that happened on the boat, including seeing James, and Michael places a hand on the back of Will's chair.
"Will, you should… you should go." He says softly, and Will nods, standing up.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I should get back to the infirmary." He says, his voice a little wobbly. "Michael will let me know anything important for me right?" His brother nods, and Chiron smiles warmly at him.
"Thank you for being here, William. We will keep you in loop with any communications." Will nods before ducking out of the room.
A spy?
He thinks about it as he walks back towards the infirmary.
Who would do something like that?
He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. None of that. He has more important things to do.
—
"Please tell me you did not curse the Ares campers." Will says, standing in front of Michael. His older brother looks up from his desk, reports and battle plans covering the surface. That had gotten them docked another point off during inspection. Will had hoped Annabeth would understand but… children of Athena. Sticklers for rules, he supposes.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Michael says passively, flicking through another set of reports.
"We all know that you're the only one with a gift of poetry, Michael Yew." Will says sternly, and Michael leans back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest.
"What if I say they deserved it?" His brother says defensively. Will can feel another stress headache coming on. He gets those quite often now. Coupled with horrific demigod dreams, he hasn't been sleeping too well.
"Michael. You're not supposed to be encouraging them!" Will says, running a hand through his unruly curls.
"Well maybe Clarisse shouldn't have abandoned us in war!" Michael snaps back, and Will frowns. It's not like Michael to be like this. He knows that the stress is a lot, which is the entire reason Will was Head Healer now, but still…
"There's nothing we can do about that now, Michael. But come on, is this really the solution? It's not like Clarisse is gonna own up and say sorry just because you cursed all her siblings to speak in rhyme."
"You have to admit it's pretty fucking funny though." Michael points out and Will shakes his head. He doesn't see it that way.
"It's making us look petty." Will says, and Michael snorts.
"Not any less petty than Clarisse abandoning Camp in–"
"Do you want to sink to her level?" Will raises his voice, and Michael looks at him in surprise. Will never yells. "Is this what you want our siblings to look up to? You're the oldest, you're the Senior Counselor! Can you act like it for once?"
Michael stands up, a hard look in his eyes. "I didn't want this Will! I wasn't supposed to have this position but–"
"Lee's dead, Michael." Will bites back. "I watched the life bleed out of him. I didn't want this either, but the least we can do is step up and be good examples. And you're being a terrible one right now."
Before Michael can answer, Will turns and stalks out of the Cabin. He needs to clear his head before he starts yelling further.
"Will, I need to talk to you." Aria pulls him aside before lunch, and Will looks at her questioningly. She wrings her hands together, a slightly embarrassed look in her eyes.
"I… I don't think we should burn James's shroud right now." She says, and Will frowns at her.
"What do you mean? We always honor campers who died. Cabin Nine is gonna burn Beckendorf's." Aria sighs, tugging on a loose piece of hair.
"That's exactly what I mean. We're burning Beckendorf's today. We shouldn't…. Burn one of a traitor." Will takes a step back, feeling like he's just been stabbed.
"Aria! James was our brother, he deserves to be honored like everyone else." He can't believe what he is hearing.
"I didn't say we shouldn't burn it!" She says defensively, hands on her hips. "We can do it on our own. A private burning. But burning his next to Beckendorf who died because James BETRAYED us? That is so disrespectful to his name. I think it's a bad idea." Will shakes his head, stepping away from her.
"That's our brother, Aria." He says, his voice breaking a little bit. "He deserves the same thing as any other camper." Aria rubs at her eye, sighing again. It's the second time today that Will's fighting with his siblings, and he hates it.
"Michael agrees with me. We should do it later. LATER, Will. We need to honor him, but it's just… not a good time, kiddo." She reaches out to touch Will's arm, but he shakes her off.
"I, I need to go." He says, but Aria frowns.
"You can't run away right now, it's time for lunch. Just… Please accept that we will be doing this later. Okay?" Will doesn't say anything, just worries one of Daniel's beads between his fingers. It feels wrong. Everything about this feels wrong.
—
Will sits quietly next to Kayla as Aaron and Michael put James's shroud on the burning fire. Chiron had given them permission to have their own ceremony, a sad look in his eyes as he lay his hand on Michael's shoulder.
At least they were away from prying eyes.
"He always had such an issue with Dad." Michael says, staring at the shroud burning in the fire. Golden smoke curls into the air, just the same as Beckendorf's had.
"I never told you this but…" Will tightens his hand in Kayla's and the younger girl looks at him with a question in her eyes. "I fought with him during the Battle of the Labyrinth." Aaron frowns, looking at Will.
"What do you mean?" He asks, and Will scratches the back of his neck.
"He was at the battle, and he fought with me. He was… angry at Dad. For not meeting us. For only sending more of his children here. For… Aaron being better than him at everything." Aaron blinks in surprise.
"Me?" Will nods, looking at his older brother.
"He called me weak, saying that Dad didn't give me combat abilities and that I needed…" Will swallows, not able to say Daniel's name. "Needed people to protect me. I didn't take anything he said to heart. He didn't… James wasn't the person he used to be. He was so full of anger for the gods. Dad's not perfect but… I don't think what Luke is doing is the answer. And it got James killed in the end. For nothing."
"I'm sorry that you had to bear that burden, Will." Nychelle says softly, her dark brown hair blowing in the slight breeze carrying the golden smoke upwards. "You didn't deserve to go through that on your own."
"I wasn't alone… Daniel was there. Just before… before he died." Kayla lays her cheek on Will's shoulder, squeezing his hand softly. He'd told them everything about how Daniel had died, about Lee. Everything. He'd woken up screaming from the nightmares enough anyway.
"Still." Nychelle says, walking over to press a kiss to the top of Will's head. Sometimes he forgets that they are the same age, even if she's a little bit older. "It was a lot for you to process. It was a lot for all of us. But… I'm glad we got to do this. Even if by ourselves. It feels weird to think that he's gone."
"Sometimes I still think I'll hear them when I walk into the cabin." Aaron says softly, fiddling with a thread on his camp shirt. "Hear Sam yelling at James to stop cheating, hear Phoebe singing to the flowers from Delos like she's Rapunzel. Daniel playing his Korean music when he's in a bad mood. I miss seeing Lee's handwriting scrawled across all the papers on the desk. It feels wrong that they're gone." Everyone nods, and Will feels a pang in his heart.
They'll live with these memories forever, never able to see their siblings again.
—
"I swear, they can never keep that asshole here for more than two days." Will hears the next morning, a dark muttering resounding through the cabin as they start to wake up, the morning dawn breaking through the windows.
"Wha'?" Aria says sleepily, and Michael sighs, shutting the door behind him.
"Percy's gone, again. No one knows where he is, AGAIN." He says in a dark tone, and Will sits up, his hair a mess. He combs it out of his face with his fingers, squinting at his older brother.
"I'm sure he will come back, he always does." Austin yawns from one of the other bunks, putting his feet on the floor as he wakes up.
"Yeah, but he's the center of the Prophecy." Michael says bitterly, and Will feels himself wake up more. Oh… that is sort of important, isn't it? He bites down on his lower lip before reaching for his shower bag.
"I'm gonna get ready for the day, Kayla, you coming to the infirmary later?" The younger girl groans sleepily, flopping back against the pillows on her bed. She gives him a thumbs up.
"Yeah, be there later. Just give me 15 to wake up." Will laughs softly.
"No worries, dawn just broke. You have some time before we need to be down there." Kayla makes a muffled sound that has Will giggling all the way out of the door.
Not even twenty minutes after Will settles into the infirmary, Annabeth comes running in, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.
"Percy called." She says in a rush. Will frowns, standing up from the desk he'd been sitting at, making sure all of the records were organized.
"What did he say?" Will asks seriously. He's never seen Annabeth look like this before. There's fear but also determination in her gray eyes.
"He said to gather everyone ready to fight and get them in the vans. Towards Queens. Towards Olympus." Will swears under his breath, running a hand through his hair.
"Alright, did you tell Michael already?" Annabeth nods, fiddling with her dagger.
"He said he would send some of your siblings here to help pack everything, and– oh, hi." She turns, and Will sees Nychelle, Aria and Michael enter the infirmary, already dressed down in armor.
"Hey, Annabeth." Michael says, running a hand through his spiky dark hair. "Thanks for the heads up. Will, go to the cabin and get your armor on. We can take care of packing up the medical bags." Will nods, pushing in the chair to his desk.
"Thanks guys." He says softly, and Michael just grimaces, nodding.
"Everyone else is already awake, getting ready." He says, and then turns to Annabeth.
"Did you manage to convince…?" Annabeth shakes her head, a dark look in her eyes. Michael sighs, and Will knows what they are talking about. Clarisse. Michael curses. "I told her she could have the stupid chariot if that's what it took! Curse her pride. She's going to get people killed. Whatever. Will, go."
Will doesn't need to be told twice.
—
Will looks around nervously as they gather at the entrance to camp. There's only about fourty campers, including him and his seven siblings.
"Don't you think we should leave Kayla and Austin?" He asks in a low voice, and Michael sighs.
"I tried to convince them to stay behind, but Kayla damn near had a breakdown at the notion, and Austin wasn't having any of it either. I'm hoping to keep them behind the lines so they don't get hurt. Have them set traps and stuff." Will nods, a frown on his face. They're only ten and eleven. Even during the battle last year, they were more behind the scenes.
"Okay campers. Everyone pile in." Chiron says, in his wheelchair rather than in his usual centaur form. Will double, triple, quadruple checks that all of their siblings have their weapons, his own strapped to his belt. He tightens his grip on his medical bag as he slides into place next to Aria, his thigh pressing against hers as Penelope sits on his other side.
It's comforting, the familiar presence of his sisters. He can pretend nothing is wrong, at least for a little bit. He can pretend he doesn't see the weapons, the pounds of golden armor plated over their bodies. The looks of fear in his younger siblings, and determination in the older. He closes his eyes.
He can pretend, at least for now.
It doesn't take them long to get downtown, and before long, they're unloading the vans, Percy standing in front of them. Will frowns as he looks at the older camper. Something seems different about it. He can't place just what, and he doesn't have the time or the excess energy to spend on it. He needs to conserve every last bit for his healing.
"Thanks for coming, everybody." Percy says after a short conversation with Annabeth, and he looks over at Chiron. "Chiron, after you." The centaur shakes his head, a sad smile on his face.
"I merely came to wish you all luck. I make it a point to not come to Olympus unless I am summoned." Will frowns slightly. The heck does that mean?
"But you're our leader." Percy says, confused. Will gets the feeling. He's just as confused.
"I am your trainer, your teacher." Chiron says in his usual gentle tone. "Not your leader. I will gather what allies I can muster. Maybe I can still enlist the help of my brother centaurs. You called the campers here, Percy. You are their leader." Will sees the bright flush on Percy's face, and he can help but stifle a smile.
Percy takes a deep breath before turning to them all and speaking. "Okay, like I told Annabeth on the phone, something bad is going to happen by tonight. Some kind of trap." Murmurs burst out amongst the campers. "We need an audience with Zeus, to convince him to protect the city. We can't take no for an answer." Will shares a look with Aaron, who just sighs. Zeus? Not likely to happen.
But what choice do they have?
Percy leads them all into the Empire State Building, and Will can't help but look around. He's never been here before, not that he can remember. It was the one place his mama refused to take him during their trip to New York just before he came to camp. Maybe she knew it was where Olympus currently resided. Who's to say?
"Six hundredth floor." Percy says to the bellhop, and Will blinks in bewilderment. The what?
"No such thing, kid. Move along." There's a bit of a bite to the bellhop's words, and Will shifts nervously. Is this really…
"Fourty demigods attract a lot of attention." Will has never heard Percy speak this way as he leans against the desk, a glint in his green eyes. "You really want us hanging out in your lobby?" Before Will can reach out, pull Percy back, the bellhop pushes a button, and a loud buzzer sounds.
"Make it quick."
"You don't want us going through the metal detectors." Will snorts, and Nychelle smacks him on the shoulder, but a light laugh leaves her lips all the same.
"Stop that." She chastises him, and Will sticks out his tongue at her, not deeming that worthy of a reply.
He and his siblings are in the first group that go up, with Percy and Annabeth in the front. Will can't help the thrill of excitement that pulses through his body. He's never been to Olympus before.
The sight takes his breath away.
Glittering gold buildings, gardens and terraces that would leave a child of Demeter in tears. But the giant palace in the center is what draws his eye. The palace of the gods. It's like all of his dreams and fantasies about where his father lived had come to reality.
Something seems wrong though. It's so quiet. Will frowns. Is this how it always is? He can tell by the look on Percy's face that the older boy recognizes it too. Hmm.
"Come on." Percy says after the second group of demigods makes it up the elevator, and they pick their way through the empty streets of Olympus. Will can't help but look every which way, trying to take in everything. In case he never sees this again. It's gorgeous, something not even the most elaborate of stories could have done justice to.
Only the eerie sound of metal parts clanking together from their armor greets them. The sound of their shoes against the pavement.
"Look!" Pollux cries after a second, and Will looks up at where the older boy is pointing. "What is that?" Will squints, trying to make it out.
Dozens of tiny blue lights streak across the sky, but they don't seem to do anything. Will tilts his head, trying to wrack his brain for what they remind him of.
"Like infrared scopes." Michael says after a heartbeat. "I think we are being targeted." Will's fingers tighten on his dagger.
"Let's get to the palace." Percy hurries, and they follow after him, picking up the pace a little bit.
The throne room is just as gorgeous as the outside, constellations spiraling on the ceiling. Will can't help the smile that seeing his dad's throne brings to his face. Gold of course. As gold as the paint on Cabin Seven, the same gold they wear on their armor. He moves to step closer to Apollo's throne when a quiet voice speaks.
"Hello again, Percy Jackson. You and your friends are most welcome." Will blinks, searching for the source of the sound. He sees a small girl sitting by the fire, poking at it with a stick. She seems vaguely familiar, but Will can't place where he has seen her before.
"Lady Hestia." Percy bows, and Michael jabs Will in the side, following Percy's action. Will bows, recognition flowing through him. Hestia, goddess of the hearth. She had stepped down to allow Mr. D a throne on Olympus.
The young girl, Hestia, stares at Percy, a glimmer of flames in her eyes. "You went through with your plan, I see. You bear the curse of Achilles."
"The what?" Will says in a hushed voice, looking at Austin. The younger boy stares at him, his dark eyes wide.
"Like… the heel guy?' Austin asks, and Will nods.
"How did he get that?" Michael says, a frown on his face. "He'd have to have…" He trails off, brow furrowed in concentration.
Will bites down on the inside of his cheek, thinking. If he remembers correctly, didn't Achilles bathe in the river Styx? That's right. But that's… in the Underworld. Will blinks. How did he get there? Did Nico help him? Where even is Nico?
"We know what you need." Will is brought out of his thoughts by the shimmering image of a god appearing in front of them. Hestia takes her leave, disappearing into a cloud of smoke. Will blinks at the man standing in front of them, his eyes wide.
Hermes.
He's never seen a god that wasn't Dionysus before. Not once. It's fascinating. This is Luke's dad. Connor and Travis's dad. Chris's dad.
"Hello Percy." He says simply, and Will looks between Hermes and Percy, catching the expression on Hermes's face. Just how many gods HAS Percy's pissed off before?
"Lord Hermes." Percy bows awkwardly. Will looks at Michael, asking with his eyes if they should follow. Michael just shakes his head and holds his finger to his lips. Quiet.
"Um, Hermes, we need to talk to Zeus. It's very important." Percy continues, and Hermes's eyes go cold. A shiver runs down Will's spine, and he feels like bolting into a run away from the god.
"I am his messenger. May I take a message?" There's a quiet murmur throughout the campers standing around.
Percy turns to face them. "Hey, why don't you guys do a sweep of the city? Check all the defenses. See who's left. Meet me and Annabeth back here in thirty?"
"But–" Silena says, a frown on her face.
"That's a great idea. Connor, Travis, take the lead?" Annabeth interrupts, and the pair nod.
"We're on it!" Travis says with much more enthusiasm than Will has ever heard from him. "Let's get outta here." Will takes one look back at Percy and Annabeth before he's herded out of the throne room with the rest of the campers.
The walk out of the throne room is quiet. It's almost like the gravity of the situation that they are in has begun to set in. Will feels his hands start to shake, and Aria slips her hand into his own. He looks down at her, grateful.
"Hey." She says softly, squeezing his hand. "You okay?" It feels like the Battle of the Labryinth all over again.
"I think so. It's hard to tell what okay really means nowadays, dontcha think?" He whispers back, and she gives him a sad smile.
"I guess that's true." She says. They pass by a park, and Katie Gardner stops.
"Hey, you can see Manhattan from here." She says, pointing at some contraptions that look like the tourist attraction binoculars.
Will steps up to one.
INSERT ONE DRACHMA HERE.
He curses, sifting through the pockets on his medical bag. He'd stashed a bunch in there, just… just in case people needed them. He takes one out, pushing it into the slot. What he sees when he looks through shocks him.
"Michael!" He calls out, and his older brother steps closer. "Look at this." Will says, showing him. Michael peeks through the glass, standing on his tiptoes, and curses.
"There's no fucking way." Travis appears at Michael's side, a confused look on his face. "Trav, go get Percy and Annabeth. Now."
"Why?" Travis asks with a confused look on his face.
"Everyone is asleep. Morpheus has descended on Manhattan."