"Sorry, this is my first time meeting a sibling older than me in a… while." Will says, and the boy in front of him shifts nervously.
"I was… claimed a while ago." His brother speaks. His name is Yan, Will remembers. From Hong Kong. Another international sibling. "It just was not safe for me to come to camp for a little while, but… here I am."
"Well, you came at a good time! Everyone's here for the summer, and camp is a lot of fun. Why don't I take you down to the cabin so that we can get you settled in?" Yan nods, and Will motions for the older boy to follow him.
Yan reminds him a lot of Nico, if he is being honest. He's a little quiet, a little guarded, and his dark hair hangs in his face. The similarities end there though, with Yan's tall stature and thick accent coloring his words, his shy demeanor making his shoulders scrunch up to make him seem smaller than he is.
"Sunbabies!" Will calls out as he enters the cabin, and Austin looks up from where he's tuning a guitar on the beanbags in front of the TV.
"Oh hey, Will! Who's this?" He asks, setting his guitar aside. Will grins, motioning to the boy entering behind him.
"This is Yan, one of our new siblings." Austin smiles brightly, and Yan waves a bit shyly. "Is Tony here?" Austin shakes his head.
"Nah, he's with Kayla doing a shift at the infirmary. Is Yan gonna take the other bed?" Will nods.
"Seems the most economical." Austin shrugs.
"That's probably true." Yan looks between them, a frown on his face.
"What are you talking about?" He asks, and Will pats his shoulder.
"Sorry 'bout that, Yan. Tony is one of our other siblings, and the other bed of his bunk is empty, so we just figured having you use the other one would be the best idea." Will says.
"Oh. Yes, that's fine with me." Yan says, and Will smiles.
"You can put your stuff down back in the sleeping area. I think lunch should be in a few minutes, so everyone should come pouring in—"
Loud shouts reverb as the rest of their siblings pile into the cabin.
"Now." Will says with a laugh as Sohee practically launches herself at him. "Hey lil one." He presses a kiss to the top of her head. "Did you have fun at arts and crafts with Demeter cabin?" He asks, and she nods enthusiastically.
Sohee's still the baby of the cabin, having just passed her tenth birthday a few weeks ago. Will remembers being ten and coming to camp. It had been so scary, so unfamiliar. He can't help but feel extra protective of Sohee, and can't help but want her to just be able to be a kid.
His childhood had already been tainted. He doesn't want hers to be.
"Well, we should head over for lunch. Y'all, this is Yan, he just got to camp, so make sure to make him feel real welcome, mmkay?" Yan waves shyly from the doorway, and the conch sounds.
Sohee holds onto his hand as they walk out to the dining pavilion.
Lunch is fairly normal. No one starts a food fight even, which Will considers a good day. Not for a lack of trying, if the gleam in Connor Stoll's eye is anything to go off of, but a stern look from Chiron shoots that down immediately.
As lunch is winding down, Will packs a pair of sandwiches away, and Yan gives him a questioning look. Will just laughs, shaking his head.
"Tony and Kayla haven't eaten yet, since they're on shift at the infirmary. I'm going to switch out with Tony, so I'll take them some food so they don't overwork themselves." Yan nods his head, before turning back to his conversation with Austin about some musical artist that Will definitely hadn't been paying attention to.
Will stands, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Sohee's head, patting Melody's back. Melody mumbles something around her mouthful of mac and cheese, and Will chuckles, squeezing her shoulder.
"See you guys later, 'kay?"
—
"Are you sure that you can do it again?" Kayla asks, sitting down in front of Will on his bed. He shrugs his shoulders, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm not even really sure how I did it before." He admits, and Kayla hums.
"Well, walk me through what you were doing, and maybe we can work it out together." She offers, and Will sighs before nodding.
"I was healing Nico's side, and I could feel these shadows curling around him, this like… innate darkness in him. All I could think about was light, and I pushed that thought into my healing, I suppose?" He frowns, his lower lip jutting out. Kayla nods, scratching her cheek in thought.
"Why don't you focus on light, just without your healing? Maybe that will help?" She muses, and Will tilts his head, thinking for a minute.
Maybe. But their healing gift comes from the hymn they sing as well… He sighs.
"Alright. I'm gonna try it now." He says, and Kayla nods, focusing her eyes on his hands.
Will closes his eyes, and imagines a pulsing beam of light. Slowly, slowly.
"Oh my gods, Will. It's working." Kayla whispers in awe, and Will opens his eyes. Not just his hands, but his entire body is glowing with a warm golden light.
"Woah." He says softly, looking down at his hands. "This is actually… really cool." Kayla nods, her eyes wide as she looks at him. "Do you think you can do it?" She shakes her head.
"Nah, you know I'm more archery based since my dad is an archer." Will nods. "But you… this makes you the only one with sun powers, you know that right?" Will hums, frowning a bit.
"It's just so strange…" Kayla hums in agreement, but she places her hand on his shoulder. HIs light slowly goes out, his skin fading back into its normal deep tan.
"I think it's super cool though. Dunno what it'll be useful for in the future, but I know you always get some typa way about your gifts from Dad. You're amazing, Will, and this is just further proof that Dad thinks so." Will can't help but smile a bit. She's right, of course.
"Thanks, K." He says softly, reaching up to squeeze his hand over hers. "I have a meeting in a few, you good to take over at the infirmary?" She nods, a grin turning up her lips. Kayla pulls her dip dyed green hair up into a ponytail, the shortest ends framing her face.
"Yep yep, go have your meeting with the Senior Council, I can hold down the fort."
"Counselors, I fear I have some bad news." Chiron says once the meeting has started, his face dark. Will clenches his fist, breathing out deeply. What is it this time?
"What is it?" Clarisse echoes his thoughts, her mouth set in a hard line. Chiron sighs, patting the blanket on his lap.
"There was an… incident with the Romans. The details of what transpired are not important, but we must be on our guard. Battle protocols need to be put into place. William, will you require a supply trip to make sure that the infirmary is stocked?"
Will blinks as all eyes turn to him. He clears his throat, fiddling with the bandage around his wrist.
"That would probably be for the best, but it isn't 100% needed. We've been real good about injuries so far, so the storeroom is looking real good right now. But it never hurts to have extras in case of an emergency." He says softly, and Chiron nods.
"Then, Clarisse, would you and the Stolls please coordinate and send some of your campers on a supply trip sometime in the next week, would you?" Clarisse nods, and Will sighs. Just what he needed.
"What should we tell the little ones?" Katie Gardener says, her green eyes wide. Chiron hums, taking a minute before speaking.
"It would be in everyone's best interest to keep the younger campers calm. For the most part, we will function as normal, but with added wartime preparations." He says, and Katie nods.
"I will have Kayla switch out with me, I'll take on her extra shifts so that she can do archery classes for y'all." Will says, and Chiron frowns at him.
"William, you should not overextend yourself." He says, and Will shakes his head.
"No one knows the infirmary better than me, and Tony will be around to take the other shifts. It won't be a problem." Chiron sighs, but nods.
"I think it would be best to resume first aid lessons as well, so that other campers will be able to handle their own cabins without draining you and your siblings if it comes down to it." Will nods. "Would that be something that you could coordinate, William?"
"I could have Tony organize something. It wouldn't be hard to set up, I don't think. 'Specially with how small some of the cabins are. Could have several at once." Chiron nods.
"Excellent. Other than preparations, I would like to stick to as much of a normal schedule as possible. I do not want to cause panic, and I need your help to keep the peace here, while we figure out exactly what is happening and prepare ourselves. I do not expect any more coordination with the prophecy goers, as they are crossing the Atlantic Ocean as we speak, preparing to enter the Mediterranean."
"Are they doing okay, at least?" Malcolm asks, and Chiron nods.
"As much as Annabeth was willing to say, yes, they are quite alright." Malcolm breathes out a visible sigh of relief. Will understands. Worrying about siblings comes second nature to all of them, especially those in charge. "Now, let us get into the details of what the next weeks will entail as we prepare. Clarisse, if you will?"
Will sinks lower into his seat.
This is going to be a long day.
—-
It's dark. Too dark.
Will squints, trying to make his eyes adjust. Where the heck is he? He doesn't recognize this place.
He shakes his head, but the slight haze around the edges of his vision doesn't disappear.
Definitely a dream then.
He looks around, a frown on his face. But where is… here? He doesn't recognize it. He steps over a few fallen pieces of rubble.
A big jar sits in the middle of the room, and Will can't help but be drawn to it. He puts his hand on it, and it sinks through to the other side. Confused, Will closes his eyes, pushing through into the jar. Why is it calling to him?
He opens his eyes, and gasps, falling to his knees.
"Nico." He whispers.
The younger boy doesn't hear him. How could he? Will reaches out, wanting to touch him, but he hesitates. He looks down at the ground, seeing pomegranate seeds littering the floor.
"What have they done to you?" He says softly, his hand reaching up to touch the scratches on the wall. He's not sure what they mean, but he's guessing something like keeping track of days. He scoots closer to Nico, laying his hand on Nico's arm.
Nothing happens. Nico doesn't stir, doesn't even acknowledge his presence. Will frowns. His healing doesn't work in this dream, he can't feel anything under his hand.
Not even Nico's pulse.
Gods, does Nico even have a pulse?
Relax. Breathe.
He hums a soft hymn to him, focusing on the light that he feels curling around his fingers. But he doesn't glow. Nico doesn't stir. Will feels an angry noise tear through him.
It's not working. Nothing is working.
Useless. You're useless, Will Solace. Can't even help the boy you like when he's in danger.
"Nico, Nico, wake up please." Will whispers, but Nico doesn't so much as blink. Is he even breathing? Nico doesn't answer, doesn't even acknowledge that he can hear Will. Can he? Will's not quite sure.
He wakes up with a gasp, his chest heaving. Will kicks off his blankets, suddenly feeling too stuffy, too hot, too everything.
Careful not to wake the others, he gets up from his bed, making his way to the bathroom in the cabin. It's small, but it'll do.
He splashes water on his face, letting the cool water calm him down. A few drops of water drip from his messy curls, and he ruffles his hair.
"It was just a dream. Just a dream." He repeats over and over, barely louder than a murmur. "Just a dream. Just a dream."
It has to have been a dream.
But there's something deep in the pit of his stomach that tells him it's not. The worry that he had expressed to Annabeth. The dark feeling that curls in his stomach. Was he right to worry so much? Do the others on the Argo even know? Who sent him this dream? What does it even mean?
Will knows that he doesn't have the gift of prophecy like Daniel did, so this can only be your average awful demigod dream. He gets them a lot. Flashbacks of the war, flashbacks of his siblings dying. Of trying and failing to save the people that he cares about.
He grips the rim of the sink, bowing his head. He feels the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.
You're stronger than this, William Solace. You can't cry.
… but is he really?
—-
"Wakey wakey." Will says softly, walking through the sleeping area, gently rousing his siblings. As usual, Kayla and Austin wake the easiest, used to Will waking them up with the sun.
"Morning." Austin says, stretching his arms over his head, a yawn overtaking his features. Kayla scrunches her nose, her red hair a mess in her face.
"First dibs on the shower." She says in a gravelly voice, and Will laughs, waving his hand.
"Do what you will, I already took one." Kayla hums, swinging her feet over the edge of her bed. "Gonna wake up the others now."
Will moves to the other occupied bunks, but Melody is already awake, her blonde hair piled on top of her head in a bun. She frowns, her blue eyes tired.
"Will, you do know you talk quite loud, non?" She drawls, and Will feels a flush creeping up the back of his neck.
"Sorry Mellie. I'll be more careful." She harrumphs, climbing down from her bunk with all the grace of the ballet dancer she'd been training to be before arriving at camp. Will turns, and sees an empty bunk above Tony. He frowns, and Melody sighs.
"Yan went on a run about 20 minutes ago while you were in the shower." She says, and Will nods. The older boy tends to slip out before even Will wakes up.
Now… the hardest one. Will sighs, dipping his head down, reaching out to gently shake Tony's shoulder.
"Hey, it's morning." Tony turns away from him, muttering something under his breath. Will frowns. He can't tell if Tony is just being annoying as usual, or still asleep. "C'mon, time to get ready for the day." Tony shrugs him off again, still muttering under his breath. "Tony–"
A whirl. Will blinks.
Suddenly, he's pinned to the post of Tony's bed, a dagger at his throat. There's a cloudy look in Tony's eyes, and after about 10 seconds it clears, and Tony drops his dagger with a yelp.
"Oh my fucking gods, Will! I am so sorry. I was having a nightmare, I swear!" His brother scrambles out of his blankets, his blue eyes wide.
Will coughs, shaking his head. "Okay, you cannot sleep with a dagger under your pillow anymore if this is how you're gonna react to me simply waking you up."
"I'm really sorry!" Tony says, picking up the dagger. Will sighs, looking down at it.
Tony had recently been able to make his own set of daggers with the help of Nyssa, and surprisingly Harley, and they are deadly, and wicked sharp. He'd named them after the brightest stars of Lyra, the constellation of the lyre, their father's instrument.
"Just keep them put away and don't sleep with them under your pillow, please Tony." His brother sighs, leaning down and taking out the sheath.
"Fine, fine. Ugh, I need to shower." The other boy says, scrunching his nose. The gold of his sun shaped nose stud gleams in the early morning sunrise.
Will pushes himself off of Tony's bunk, stretching his arms over his head. "You go shower, I gotta go meet Cecil and Lou Ellen about somethin' before breakfast." Tony eyes him. "It's prep stuff, don't worry about it." Tony shrugs, picking up his shower bag.
"Have fun!" He calls over his shoulder, and Will just laughs, shaking his head as he gets dressed for the day.
—
"Will! Will you have to help Drew, I accidentally hit her in the face!" Nova says, running into the infirmary, her brown eyes wide. Drew trails after her, a hardened look in her eyes, a tissue held to her nose, and scarlet red blood dripping down her face.
"Gods, couldn't it have been Kayla or something?" Drew huffs, sitting down on one of the beds, her dark hair falling over one shoulder in ringlets.
"Oh, stop that, Drew. Will is the best healer in camp, and you want him to heal you if I broke your nose." Drew mutters something under her breath in French, which makes Nova's cheeks burn scarlet. "That's not very nice, Drew." She chastises, and Drew rolls her eyes.
"I can put aside personal differences to heal Drew, Nova." Will says, sitting down on the chair next to the bed. "Thanks for bringing her here." Nova smiles, nodding, before leaving the infirmary, her dark hair swishing behind her, leaving the familiar scent of perfume.
"Just give me an ice pack and let me go back." Drew grits out, and Will shakes his head.
"I need to check if your nose is broken." Will says, holding out his hand. "Let me see?" Drew frowns, her dark eyes flicking down to look at Will's hand. She hesitates, before sighing deeply and giving her hand to Will.
Definitely broken. He searches through her vitals, making sure everything else is fine with the other Head Counselor. Other than the break, she seems okay.
"Alrighty, it's definitely broken." Drew curses under her breath in French again, and Will just shakes his head. "It was an accident, Drew. Ain't nothing Nova could have done."
"She could have watched where she was fucking going." Drew hisses, and Will just looks at her.
"I'll be back right quick, lemme get some stuff to heal you up." Drew rolls her eyes, but doesn't fight him. He quickly gathers up supplies from the storeroom, bringing them back to her side on a tray.
"Can't believe I'm stuck in here with you of all people." Drew says, and Will all but slams the tray down, anger blazing in his blue eyes.
"Alright, out with it, Tanaka. What the hell is your problem with me? What the hell have I ever done to you?" Drew sighs, rolling her eyes.
"Like you even care." She mutters and Will just stares at her.
"Clearly I care if I'm askin' you, Drew. You've been nothing but catty and rude to me since Manhattan, and I don't even think we'd even spoken before the battle. But from what I remember of you before Manhattan from around camp, you were real nice. So what the hell happened? Was it Silena?"
Drew scoffs. "Maybe Silena was the root of all problems, that fucking traitorous—"
"Drew!" Will cries. He's learned to forgive Silena for all the hurt that she caused, but clearly, Drew doesn't feel the same way. "I don't get it, you didn't lose that many—"
"It was never about my SIBLINGS, Solace!" Drew all but yells, her dark eyes wide, blood still dripping down her face. Will stops, looking at her.
"What do you mean?" Drew sucks in a deep breath, looking more crushed than Will has ever seen her before.
"You think you're the only one who lost people that you care about in the war?" She says quietly, and Will shakes his head. Of course, he knows that he's not the only one. Almost every camper had lost someone important to them.
"Of course not, but Drew… why me? Why do you hate ME?" He asks, cursing inwardly that his voice wavers just a bit. Shove down the emotion, Solace.
"It's not you. Not specifically." Drew mutters, and Will looks at her in confusion. The hell does that mean? "It's just… gods not a single person beside Silena even fucking KNEW this." She runs a hand through her hair, fingers catching on some of the ringlets. "When I see you in meetings, it's a constant fucking reminder. That he's dead. That he's gone and nothing can bring him back."
Will stares at her, not comprehending, when suddenly, it dawns on him, and he nearly collapses into the stool, his eyes wide.
"Michael."
Drew's free hand curls into a fist, and she looks away from Will, using the tissue to wipe more of the blood off her face.
"Yeah, I had a big fat fucking crush on your brother, and now he's dead, and every time I see you, I remember that, and every time someone mentions Silena, I remember she basically fucking killed him." She spits out, and Will reaches out to put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugs him off, giving him a venomous look. "Don't touch me."
"I never—"
"Yeah, you didn't. And neither did he. And now he's dead. So excuse me for being a little bit ANGRY, Will." She says, and Will finally sees the tears in her eyes.
"I'm real sorry, Drew." He says quietly, and she looks at him for a long minute.
"It's not your fault, Solace. I…" She frowns, pursing her lips. "I shouldn't take it out on you. You don't… deserve that." Will can't help the smile that turns up his lips.
"Is this a genuine Drew Tanaka apology?" He teases, and Drew throws a pillow at him.
"I'm taking it back now." She says, then hisses in pain, her hand flying up to her nose. "Fuck! Can you at least heal me now?" Drew glares at him. Will laughs again, nodding.
"Yeah, yeah." He sits up, removing her hand and pressing his fingers against her nose. He sings lowly under his breath, and he hears a sigh of relief from Drew as he gently pushes her nose back into place, healing the bones under his fingers.
"Oh thank fuck. My nose better not look ugly. Can I have some more tissues and a mirror?" She says once Will takes his hand away.
"Yeah, of course." Will stands up, hurrying back to the office to pick up a mirror. He brings it back to her, as well as some wipes, which she frowns at.
"That's gonna take off my makeup." Drew complains, and Will raises an eyebrow, eyeing her.
"You're more concerned about your makeup than you are all the blood on your face?" He asks incredulously, and Drew turns a bit pink, taking the wipes. She carefully cleans her face, making sure all the blood is gone in the mirror.
"Am I good to go?" Drew asks after she finishes cleaning herself up, and Will nods, picking up all of the medical supplies.
"Yeah, you're all good now. Just be careful not to run into any more doors." Will says, and Drew rolls her eyes, standing up. She makes to leave, but she turns back and holds out her hand. Will stares at her in confusion, and she sighs.
"A truce, Solace. You know my deepest darkest secret." Will frowns.
"Liking my brother is not a dark secret." He says, and Drew shakes her head.
"No, but letting his death destroy me is." She says softly, and Will can't help but feel a pang of pity for her. He takes her hand, shaking it lightly. "Maybe we can be actual friends now. Once you score a date with that di Angelo kid, I can help you put together a look that isn't cargo shorts and Heeley's or whatever the fuck ugly shoes you wear."
Will freezes, looking at Drew with wide eyes. "What?"
Drew snorts. "I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, Will. You honestly think you could hide the major heart eyes you have for Nico di Angelo from me? Plus, we have a bet on you too." WIll squeaks in surprise and she just laughs, tossing her hair back. "Get together before October, will you? I have money on before Halloween, and I'd hate to lose to Nova of all people."
Will just gapes at her as she saunters out of the infirmary. He can't even begin to process all of that.
—
Will feels like all he has are bad dreams at this point.
Well… it's a big of a stretch, since he doesn't actually remember the majority of his dreams, but all of the ones that he does remember are quite frankly awful.
The dream of Nico in that creepy ass jar will haunt Will forever, he's sure of it.
But this one…
It's not like he hasn't had dreams like it before.
But never before has the ground tried to literally swallow him alive.
Will sits up in his bed, leaning his head on his knees, staring outside. The full moon hangs in the sky, and Will closes his eyes, letting the moonlight wash over him.
It's oddly comforting, the feeling of the moonlight. He knows that his dad's sister isn't quite fond of men, but he can't help but wish that Artemis would have a soft spot for her twin's kids. He'd always loved looking at the moon, counting the craters.
It reminds him of nights after his mom's concerts, stepping outside of the venues in the dark of the night, glitter and smoke lingering in his hair. The sound of his mom's laughter, the calluses on her hands in his from her guitar strings.
He misses his mom. Will sighs. He'd called her not long ago, just to talk and hear about her tour and everything going on back at home. He'd poured his heart out about Nico and everything going on at camp, and then made plans to come home for a few days after his birthday in August. Just to see her.
Will's attention turns to the pictures on his wall. Memories of siblings he can never see again. His eyes linger longer than usual on Aria, on Daniel.
He misses them so much. He's not sure that he will never not miss them. He wishes that he could sit and tell Daniel about everything with Nico, everything that's been going on. It doesn't feel like it's been almost two years since Daniel died in front of him, since he's had Daniel's blood on his hands, his face, his armor.
Aria would give him such good advice about what to do. She'd probably tease him to high heaven too, but at least she would say something important in all that teasing.
Will buries his face in his arms, taking a few deep breaths. The sticky July air covers his skin in a sheen of sweat, but it doesn't bother him. He's used to it after so many summers at camp. There's a slight patter of rain outside, a summer rainstorm that isn't unusual for this time of year. Will loves the smell of the earth after rain, petrichor, he remembers it's called. It reminds him of Texas.
He can't help the knots that curl in his stomach, the fear that grips him every day. He's already lived through a war. But with the Romans? He remembers Jason talking about how organized they are, the war games they go through. What chance does camp have? What can they even do to combat that?
He picks at a stray thread on his blanket, the warm blue gleaming almost silver in the moonlight. His anxiety has gotten worse since the battle. He always struggled with it, even before coming to camp, but… He knows why.
He's trying to do better.
But at night…
He lays back against his pillow, staring up at the bunk above him. No one uses it still, and if he thinks hard enough, he can hear Daniel's even breathing.
The memory of that lulls him back to sleep.
—
"Kayla, Austin, you guys got the blankets?" Will calls, and he hears Kayla yell back from outside the cabin an affirmative. Sohee laughs, wrapping her own blanket around her shoulders.
"Those are the ones to sit on, yeah?" She asks, and Will nods, ruffling her hair playfully. She sticks her tongue out at him.
"Alright, sunbabies, the sun is going down, so we should head out so we get a good seat!" Will calls, and they make their way out of the cabin, heading down to the lake to set up their blankets to watch the fireworks.
Yan walks quietly next to Will, his dark eyes taking everything in. Will had sort of expected Yan to try and challenge him for the Head Counselor position, since he's older, but after a long conversation with him, Yan had just shook his head, saying he's too introverted, and it's his first time in America. He doesn't want to step on toes. Will understands, honestly. It's a lot of pressure.
"This is an American tradition, right?" Yan's voice breaks into Will's thoughts, and Will nods.
"Yeah, it's our Independence Day, so Cabin Nine does some cool fireworks. Nothing like you've ever seen before." Yan snorts, a wry smile turning up his lips.
"Will, you do know that the Chinese invented fireworks, right? Over two thousand years ago?" Will's cheeks turn a bit pink, but he just grins at his older brother.
"But ours are magic, Yan." The other camper purses his lips before shrugging, giving Will another smile before running ahead to fall in step next to Tony, who's walking hand in hand with Malcolm, Melody trailing just behind them.
Once they get to the lake, Will helps Austin and Kayla set out the blankets, and Sohee flops down as soon as they step away. Tony waves at them before going to sit with Malcolm and his siblings, and Melody does the same with Nova, her blonde hair disappearing amongst the Aphrodite campers.
Will sits next to Sohee, stretching his legs out, leaning back on his hands. On his other side, Kayla lays on her stomach, her feet kicking back and forth slightly.
"Maybe next year, Nico can sit with us." She says offhandedly, and Will chokes, looking at her incredulously.
"What are you talking about?" Kayla snickers, and Austin just shakes his head at her, plucking gently at his guitar.
"Next year, you can ask him to come sit with us, or you two can go sit on your own blanket." Kayla adds on, and Will just stares at her. "What, you think you two won't be… a thing?"
"Kayla, just because I have a crush doesn't mean a) that anything will happen, b) that we would be public about it, or c) that he's even into boys!" Will says, ticking off the points on his fingers. Kayla just shrugs.
"So?"
"What if he's straight?" Austin and Kayla share a look before bursting into laughter.
"Will, he looks like he just raided a Hot Topic in 2004. I'd be more surprised if he WAS straight." Austin giggles, and Will frowns at him.
"Now, let's not stereotype anyone—"
"If the shoe fits!" Kayla says, wiping away tears with how hard she's laughing.
"Y'all are so damn mean." Will grumbles, but Sohee just tugs on his shirt, fitting herself against his side.
"I think Nico would like you if he got to know you more." She says quietly, and Will looks down at her. Sohee's hair is in two plaits, courtesy of Nova and her Aphrodite enhanced beautification skills. "I think you're a really great person, and anyone would be able to see that." Will just presses a kiss to the top of her head, sighing softly. She's too good, too pure.
"Thanks, sunbaby." He says softly, and she just smiles up at him.
It's not long before the show starts, animated magical fireworks bursting across the sky. Will can't help but be impressed every year by the theatrics, and he knows that Lou Ellen had been working on some extra tricks with the Mist alongside her siblings, special just for this year.
There's a part of him that's wistful as he watches the colors burst across the sky.
He really would like to do this with him.
—-
"Yo, what the HELL?" Will's head snaps up from his food, and his eyes land on Connor, who is staring down at his plate. There's a piece of paper on it, Will notices, squinting.
"What is it, Connor?" Chiron says, standing up, a concerned look in his eye. Connor picks up the paper, and promptly drops it, his eyes wide.
"It's…. It's from Annabeth!" He cries, and Will's eyes widen. "How did it get HERE?" He reads the message again, and he whirls, looking over at Rachel, who just stares back at him. "It's for you!" He says, and Rachel stands, a frown on her face. She all but stomps down to him, taking the piece of paper from him. She reads over it, and her eyes widen almost comically.
"Chiron, We should discuss this." She says in a rush, and Chiron nods, standing from his seat.
"Demigods, please excuse me and Miss Dare. Continue your meal and then head over to the sing along as usual. William, you will lead everyone, yes?" Will nods, biting down on his lower lip. What the heck is going on?
"Of course, Chiron." He says, and Chiron nods before he leads Rachel out of the pavilion.
"What was all that about?" Tony says quietly, and Will just shakes his head, sitting back down. He's just as confused.
"I have no idea… I just hope that Annabeth is okay…"
"That… is a lot to process." Malcolm says later at their meeting, after all the younger campers are in bed. Rachel sighs, rubbing her temples.
Annabeth's note had contained a long spiel about everything that had happened on the quest, including the Athena Parthenos, and the fact that Percy and Annabeth were in TARTARUS of all places. Malcolm looks more stressed than Will has ever seen him before, as if suddenly realizing his position.
"And with that harpy Tyson brought back reciting from the Syllabine books…" Will says softly, and Rachel nods.
"I have to listen to Annabeth, I have to talk with Reyna and the Romans." She turns to look at Chiron with wide green eyes.
"It's our only hope to stop this war. To end this before we kill each other." Chiron sighs deeply, his expression looking like he has aged twenty years in the past twenty minutes.
"I agree. If that is what Annabeth has seen, has been told by her mother… You know it will be dangerous, however." Rachel sighs, running a hand through her fiery red hair.
"Of course I do. But what choice do we have?" She says, and Chiron shakes his head. They don't have a choice.
"We must still prepare for war if this does not work. Rachel, I would advise taking… Grover. He is a neutral party, not being a demigod. It would be safer for you to do that." Rachel nods, and looks at Grover, the satyr looking at her with big eyes.
"Are you up for a challenge?" Grover makes a terrified noise, but he nods.
"Do I have a choice?" He asks, even though it's clearly a rhetorical question, but Rachel just laughs, tying her hair up in a ponytail.
"Not really. Let's get started." She says, and Grover just sighs.
Will fiddles with his bandage on his wrist. Just what are they getting themselves into?
—
Hypnos and Morpheus must really hate him, Will decides.
Sure, he's a demigod, but does that mean constant dreams about the ones that he cares about? All the time? Is this a child of Apollo thing? Seriously, Dad?
At least this time, it's a NICE dream. Or at least uneventful.
Will looks around, he vaguely recognizes the deck of the Argo II from all the times that he had stopped by the construction of it. But why is he HERE?
He feels a tug in his navel pulling him towards the other end of the ship, and who is he to argue with his dreams?
It rewards him in the end anyway.
Will intakes a sharp breath, looking up at the figure perched on the yardarm. It's not too far, so Will can make out his features.
Nico.
Oh, Will could cry. He's out. Annabeth had promised, and she delivered. She saved him. He stares up at the other boy, and he frowns.
Nico looks awful. Like he's been through literal hell. His chin rests on his arms, his dark eyes faraway. He's skinnier than Will has ever seen him before, and his already sickly pale skin looks even worse than normal. What Will wouldn't give to reach out and touch him, to send some of his healing light–
Nico blinks, his gaze returning to the present. He ruffles his dark hair, a deep bodied sigh leaving his lips. He looks upset, and Will can't place why.
"Stupid." He mutters, and Will frowns, stepping a bit closer. "Stupid Percy Jackson doing stupid shit with his hero complex."
Will turns his head, looking around, but Percy's nowhere to be seen.
"Take the Argo and the rest of the Seven to the House of Hades, Nico. Let me fall into Tartarus with my stupidly perfect girlfriend, Nico. Don't follow me, Nico." Nico mocks, ripping up a piece of fabric. "I know you'll do anything I ask, Nico."
Will takes a step back.
Oh.
Suddenly, Nico sits up, drawing his sword.
"Who's there?" He barks, and Will panics. Does he know Will is there? "Show yourself!"
Will wakes up with a start, sunlight streaming through the open window. He holds a hand to his chest, panting deeply.
Fuck.
He doesn't like the darkness curling in his chest for once. It's not the familiar darkness he's grown used to.
This is dark, ugly, mean.
Jealousy laughs at him.
—-
Lou Ellen and Cecil stare at him as he finishes telling them about his dream, about everything that had been happening.
"What?" Will says, and Cecil snorts, shaking his head.
"You're in serious need of therapy, Will Solace." He quips, and Will throws the piece of grass that he's been braiding nervously at him.
"That's not very nice of you, Markowitz! Don't we ALL need therapy at this point?" Cecil laughs, shrugging his shoulders.
"I feel pretty sane, I dunno about Lou Ellen though." The daughter of Hecate just laughs, snapping her fingers. The pieces of grass in her hand stand up straight, starting to tap dance. Will stares at her hand, his eyebrows furrowed.
"What are you doing?" She shrugs, watching the dancing pieces of grass.
"Just messing around. Having fun. Aren't they cute?" Will stares at the grass again.
"The… tap dancing grass?" She nods. "Maybe you do need therapy too." She just laughs, and the blades of grass fall back into her palm.
"I'm not the one crushing on a son of Hades." Will shoots her a dark look, and Lou Ellen winks at him. He'd purposefully left out the part of his dream where he had figured Nico had some feelings for Percy, even though that confused him the most. Did Nico hate him? Like him? Something else? The younger boy was just so damn hard for Will to read, but he wasn't about to discuss something like someone else's sexuality just to not be confused anymore.
"You gonna do anything about that once Nico comes back?" Cecil asks, eyeing Will. Will just shrugs his shoulders, and Cecil frowns. "Whataya mean?"
"I dunno. I don't even think Nico likes me that way, plus… I dunno if he'll stick around. He never does. I want him to, but I've never been able to convince him to. He just runs every time I ever even bring it up." Lou Ellen and Cecil share a look, having a silent conversation.
"Well… I guess it's up to you, sunshine." Lou Ellen says, patting his arm. Will huffs, leaning his cheek on his arms. "Do you wanna hear about what Ana tried to do yesterday with the pig balls?" Will snorts.
"I thought you weren't gonna tell me about the pig balls." Lou Ellen grins at him, her green eyes sparkling with mirth.
"That was until I could get them to not need medical intervention to reverse." Will stares at her.
"Okay, well now I'm obligated to know." Cecil laughs with him as Lou Ellen launches into a long story.
Will can't help the warm feeling that he feels in his chest, watching Lou Ellen explain with her hands and her Mist Manipulation about her and her sibling's newest trick, the sun lighting up across the clearing.
He likes having them as friends. Likes having memories in this clearing that don't involve people he can never see again. It's not the Apollo Cabin clearing anymore, but he doesn't feel sad about that anymore.
It's full of life again. Not full of the ghosts of the past.
—
"Y'know, I really hate these." Will mutters, standing next to Clarisse. He watches as the campers scuttle around, playing Ares Cabin's own special version of war games.
Clarisse just barks out a laugh, a gleam in her eye.
"I'm sure you do, Solace, but if we have any chance of fighting the Romans, we have to work our shit out. Are you gonna join in?" She asks, eyeing him. Will shakes his head, patting the leather bag slung across his body.
"Nah, I'm just here in case one of your siblings decides to stab someone." He quips and Clarisse shrugs her shoulders.
"I dunno, Will, your brother over there looks like he's about three seconds from pinning Sherman to a tree with his daggers." Clarisse says, motioning over to Tony. The younger boy has a scary grin on his face, blue eyes set, spinning a dagger in his lithe fingers. Will just laughs, watching him.
"I wouldn't piss off Tony on any given day. He almost killed me a while back, you know?" Clarisse looks at him, her eyes wide. She shakes her head.
"You never mentioned it, no." Will laughs.
"I was waking up the sunbabies for the day, and he musta been having a nightmare since he pinned me down, dagger to the throat. Think it was that one." He motions to the dagger in Tony's hand. "Vega."
"Damn." Clarisse whistles, looking back at his brother. "Is he any good with them other than killing defenseless healers?" Will rolls his eyes.
"Don't make me get Iliachtída out." He chides, and Clarisse just hums. "He's got a wicked aim. Like… better than Kayla sometimes. I've never seen him miss. Not once." Clarisse takes in this information, the wheels in her head turning.
"That's useful." She comments, and Will nods.
"He won't stay back with me, you know." He says softly, and she looks at him, a frown on her face. "I'm trying my best. To let them… go. To help where they can." Clarisse claps him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I heard about your little breakdown." Will glares at her, but she just laughs, shaking her head. "I don't care, Solace. Shit happens." Will grumbles under her breath.
"You should get back out there." He comments, and Clarisse surveys the campers. "They need you, I'll be fine on my own. Always am." A wry smile turns up Clarisse's lips, and she bids Will goodbye before running off towards the campers, shouting something at the top of her lungs.
Will sighs, leaning against a tree.
Will it be enough? He's not sure.
All he can do is hope.