"Y'know, I think this wall is getting crazier by the day." Will comments, and Melody snorts. The back wall of the common area of the cabin is covered in what could only be described as a murder investigation board, only instead of evidence of a crime, it's Taylor Swift song lyrics.
"The lore gets crazier by the day." Tony says, sticking another pin in a piece of paper, winding a pink string around it. "Plus, with all the insanity going on out there with the Romans being close, this gives us something to do and something to focus on instead of our imminent deaths."
Will frowns at him, his blue eyes set in a hard glare. "You're not dyin', no one is." Tony waves his hand.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, let me and Mellie make our Tswiz songs as the Five Stages of Grief in peace." Will snorts, looking over the board. He's not nearly as into the lore as all of his siblings, but he likes the music. Honestly, he just likes most music. Comes with their dad's domain, he supposes.
"Will! Come watch with us." Sohee says from the bean bag, and Will smiles, sitting down on another bean bag not far from her. "It's Gracie's favorite movie, and I told her that she can have singing powers like Rapunzel!" Gracie waves shyly at him, and he reaches over to tug lightly on a strand of her hair.
"You gettin' along with Sohee nicely, hmm?" She nods. Gracie had only been claimed a day before, coming to camp for the summer. She's nine, so the new youngest, and she'd taken to Sohee like they were two peas in a pod.
"Can I really have singing powers like Rapunzel?" She asks, and Will chuckles, pulling her closer to him.
"You know we are healers, right?" She nods. "Well… to heal people, we have to sing a song to our Dad. So if you think about it, that's just like Rapunzel's power, yeah?" Gracie's eyes widen and she nods more enthusiastically.
"Will my hair glow?" She asks, and Will laughs softly.
"So far, only I can glow, and it's my skin, not my hair." Gracie eyes him, as if she doesn't really believe him. "You wanna see?" She claps her hands in excitement. Will leans over, pausing the movie so the two of them don't miss anything, and closes his eyes.
A loud squeal reverbs through the cabin as he thinks about light, and he knows that it's working. He opens his eyes, and the warm golden glow from his skin lights up Gracie's blue eyes.
"That is so cool! I wanna learn how to glow too!" She giggles, and Will laughs.
"I dunno if anyone can do it but me, but it can't hurt to try." He says, ruffling her blonde hair. "You should get back to your movie with Sohee, though. I think it's about to be her favorite song." Gracie nods, and Will leans back over to unpause the movie.
He stands up, stretching his arms over his head. Sohee and Gracie look at him in unison, eyes wide.
"Are you not gonna watch?" Sohee asks, and Will shakes his head.
"Nah, I needa nap. It's been a long shift today." He presses a kiss to the top of her head. "You and Gracie have fun with your movie though, 'kay? Tell Tony if you need anything." Sohee nods, and Will heads back to the sleeping area, flopping down on his bed with a sigh.
No one has dreamed in days.
Will turns over onto his side, looking up at the pictures on his wall. A few new ones have been added, selfies through Melody or Tony, capturing the summer even with the bleakness surrounding them.
Not dreaming scares him. His healing is just as strong as normal, but usually at least one of the Apollo cabin has a dream, whether awful demigod normal, or a prophetic dream. Tony seemed to have the most of them, like Daniel used to.
But nothing. And no answers to their meal prayers.
Will's starting to get scared. Something has clearly happened to Apollo, but he has no way of knowing what that could even be. No way to even get in contact with his dad. He's never even spoken to him before, more than hearing the musical chime that lets him know his dad is listening to him.
He stares up at the suncatcher in the window nearest his bed, watching the way that the colors catch and flutter across the walls of the cabin. It's usually comforting, but Will can't help but just feel scared.
That's one of the only emotions he has these days.
Fear.
—
Will is really starting to hate all of these meetings. But it's not like they have a choice at this point. Not with the looming threat of the Romans and even worse, the threat of the awakening of Gaia.
"We should review our defenses, instead of focusing on things that we cannot change. Where do we stand currently? Clarisse?" Chiron says patiently, looking at the daughter of Ares.
Clarisse is in full armor, as she usually is these days. Will doesn't understand how she does it. It's hot as hell outside, and he wouldn't be caught dead in armor unless he has to be. She flicks her dagger around, making the other counselors lean away, eyes wide.
"Mostly solid. We've been going over drills, so all the campers are prepared to fight to the best of their ability. We have the beach under control, the triremes in Long Island Sound, but those fucking EAGLES!" She cries, and Chiron tsks, muttering 'language' under his breath. "Inland, those barbarians have us cut off in all three directions."
"Romans, not barbarians." Rachel comments, flicking a piece of red hair over her shoulder. Clarisse whirls on her with a wild look in her dark eyes.
"What about those allies of theirs, huh?" She points her dagger directly at Rachel, and Will sighs. Clarisse on the warpath is something to be reckoned with. "The dog-headed guys? How about the ones that have two heads, hm? Seems pretty damn barbaric to me. Woulda been nice if you coulda FORSEEN any of that shit, if your Oracle power didn't break apart when we needed it the most!"
Rachel glares at her, her skin turning red in anger. "That's hardly MY fault! Something is wrong with Apollo's gifts of prophecy! I can't control–"
"She's right." Will says, leaning in, pressing a hand to Clarisse's wrist. He pours his calming power into her, watching the Ares camper relax. "It's not just Rachel. Even Tony and Gracie are coming outta this affected. Sohee used to have dreams every night, even, but there's been nothing for the past few weeks. It's not just Rachel. Something is up with my dad."
Clarisse just scoffs, taking her wrist out of his head. "Sure, Solace."
He sighs. "I don't know what is all goin' on at Delphi. Dad's been… suspiciously absent. None of our prayers are working, he's not appeared in any dreams. I haven't had ANY dreams since—" He cuts himself off, shaking his head. Not the time to talk about his dream about Nico. "I mean… alla the gods have been gone, for sure but… this is really unlike Apollo. I think somethin' is really wrong."
Jake hums, leaning forward. Will's glad to see him, for once, out of his cast and actually out and about again. He's healing nicely. "It's probably that little Roman ass-wipe leading the attack. Octavian or whatever his name is. If I was your dad, and that guy was running around in my name, I'd go into hiding out of embarrassment." Will can't help the snort that leaves his lips.
"Listen, I wish I was a better archer so I could shoot that dick off his high horse. I wish I had ANY of my dad's combat gifts, actually." His voice softens, and he looks down at his hands, clenching them into fists. "Unfortunately, I'm just a healer."
"You're the best healer this camp has ever seen, Will, don't be like that." Malcolm says from across the table, and Chiron nods.
"Yes, William, your gifts are absolutely essential. I fear that we will need them sooner than we would like." Chiron says. "As for the future.. The harpy. Has Ella offered any insight from the Syllabine books?"
Rachel sighs, shaking her head. "She's terrified, the poor thing. She hates being imprisoned, and ever since the Romans surrounded the camp… She knows that Octavian wants to capture her. It's taking everything in me and Tyson to keep her from just flying away." Will frowns. This Octavian guy is really getting on his nerves. He's a little peeved they're even related.
"That would be suicide, anyway." Butch says, a hint of anger in his voice. "With all of those eagles flying around, I've already lost two of the Pegasi."
"Tyson did bring his Cyclops friends, at least." Rachel says, and Will nods. "So that is some good news."
Connor laughs, and Will turns to eye the camper with a fistful of snacks. "A buncha Cyclops IS good news. Lou Ellen and her siblings have been setting up magical barriers and stuff too, and all of us in Hermes have been setting up traps and snares and all kinds of good shit."
"Most of which you stole from Bunker Nine." Jake grumbles, and Will rolls his eyes. Of course they did.
"They even stole the ACTIVE landmines around Ares Cabin. You gotta death wish to steal live landmines." Clarisse chimes in, and Will blinks. Wait, active?
"We commandeered them, not stole them! Plus, you guys can share your toys!" Connor says around a mouthful of food. Will glares at him in distaste. His mama would have his head if he talked with his mouth full.
"What of the nature spirits, Grover?" Chiron asks, and Grover sighs a deep bodied sigh.
"Even on a good day, everything is so disorganized. Everyone is affected by Gaia rising, understandably. Katie and Miranda from Demeter are doing their best to help but…" He looks around, tapping his fingers on the table nervously. "I can't promise that the woods or hills or really… anywhere will be safe."
"Great." Jake says, elbowing Clovis in the side to wake him up. The son of Hypnos is always nodding off in meetings, Will remembers. "So what can we even do?"
"Attack." Clarisse says, pounding on the table, and Will has to take a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second. This feels too much like just before the Battle of Manhattan. He can't lose any of his siblings again. He just can't.
"They're getting more and more reinforcements by the day." Clarisse continues, her gaze dark. "We know they plan to invade on the first. Why wait? Why not catch them off guard? We should fight before they know what is coming."
Malcolm coughs, rubbing his temples. "Clarisse, have you ever studied Roman engineering before? Even this temp camp of theirs is better defended than Camp Half Blood on a GOOD day. If we attack them there, we will be slaughtered." Will's hands shake more, and Lou Ellen reaches over to slip her hand into his, calming him down. He gives her a grateful look, and she just smiles, shaking her head slightly.
It's what friends are for, she mouths. Will still can't help but feel grateful just for her presence.
"So we wait?" Clarisse spits out. "We let them get stronger? Let Gaia awaken? I have Coach Hedge's wife under my care. I will not let anything happen to her, I owe him my LIFE. Besides, I've been the one training the campers, Malcolm. Everyone is scared, morale is LOW. If we are under siege for another nine days–"
"We need to stick to Annabeth's plan." Connor says, a serious look on his face. Will agrees. Annabeth knows what she is doing, she has more information than any of them do. "We just have to hold out until that magical statue of Athena gets here."
Clarisse is practically seething at this point. "Yeah, if that Roman praetor brings it back, you mean." Will frowns at her. What difference does it make? "I don't get what Annabeth was even doing, consulting with the enemy. Who's to say Reyna will even bring the statue back? It's impossible, and who says that it will even bring us peace? The statue gets here, they lay down their arms and we sit around the campfire having a good old time making marshmallows and singing pop songs?"
Rachel sets down the pen she had been using to draw all over her jeans, a determined look in her green eyes. "Annabeth knows what she is doing. We HAVE to trust her, trust Reyna, trust the rest of the quest goers. Unless we are united, the gods cannot heal. If the gods are still split, we cannot defeat the giants, and without defeating the giants—"
"Gaia awakens and it's game over." Connor inserts, and Rachel nods. "Look, Annabeth managed to send a message to me from FREAKING TARTARUS. I'm gonna trust anyone who can do that."
Clarisse sighs, rubbing her temples. "Fine. Fine. I don't like it, but fine. Chiron, we should talk about protections for Mellie and the younger campers." Chiron nods.
"We should, yes. But let's reconvene after lunch. Everyone needs their strength for what is to come."
—
"Chiron, I don't really know if this is best left to me… I have, very understandably, never done this before." Will says, his hands shaking a bit in nervousness. Chiron sighs, flicking his tail.
"I understand that, William, but you are our best healer, and Mellie will be in need of the best, and the infirmary is the safest place for her once her labor starts, surely you understand that." Will runs a hand through his messy blonde hair and sighs, but he nods.
"I'll have to do some research, and… I'll probably need Kayla and Tony. Will you be there as well?" He asks, and Chiron hums.
"If I can be, I will, but with everything going on with the Roman camp, and the prophecy…" He trails off, and Will knows. He can't expect Chiron to be there for every healing issue that he has.
"I'll do my best to help Mellie through her labor." He says, his voice more confident than he feels inwardly. "I'm a son of Apollo, this is what I am best at." Chiron pats his shoulder with a smile.
"Thank you William. I'm sure Gleeson and Mellie will be most appreciative." Chiron says, and thinks for a moment. "She has around two weeks left, would it be best to move her into the private room in the infirmary, so that she can be comfortable and you and your siblings can keep an eye on her?"
Will frowns, thinking through the rotations at the infirmary. They didn't really use the private room much, since there hadn't been any serious injuries at camp since Dior broke her arm and required pins, but she hadn't needed anything else since then.
"I 'pose that would be fine. We ain't got anything else going on back there." He says after a minute, and Chiron nods.
"I will let her know, and we can get her settled in later today, if that is quite alright." Will nods, picking at a loose thread on his camp shirt.
"I can tell Tony to make up the bed now, since he's on shift. He can be ready for intake, getting her medical info, alla that. He's good with nymphs." Chiron smiles.
"Thank you, William, and do tell Anteros thank you from me as well." Will nods, standing up from the chair he had been sitting in.
"I'll go brief him now, thanks for talking through alla this with me, Chiron." Chiron dips his head, and Will takes his leave.
—
"I dunno why you guys didn't really have these before." Tony comments, zipping up a bag. Will shrugs his shoulders.
"I don't really know why we didn't either. But it seems as good of a time as ever. That one Athena's?" Will asks, and Tony nods, his cheeks turning a light pink.
"Yeah… I can go give it to Mal later when I go by." Will eyes him. "I'll be back before curfew, I promise!" Will just shakes his head laughing softly.
"You really like him, don't you?" Tony huffs, blowing his newly bleached hair out of his face.
"I do." He says softly, looking down at his hands. "I dunno how to explain it, but I really do. I haven't had… a lot of people who care for me in my life. It feels nice to have someone who is constantly looking out for me, and someone who is just as brave as I am." Tony fiddles with the strap of the first aid kit he'd been putting together. "Y'know, he's managed to make me not hate my name anymore."
Will looks at him, watches the way Tony bites down on his lip to hide the smile on his face. "Is this you telling me that I can call you Anteros again, or…?" Tony laughs, shrugging his shoulders.
"I wouldn't be opposed to it. I guess I've just gotten used to the way Mal says it, and it doesn't carry the same burden. It doesn't feel poisonous anymore. I think I'm learning to like it again. It sounds… pretty."
"I've always liked your full first name, for the record." Will says, and Tony looks over at him. "I know the meaning was never good, but your mom gave you a really beautiful name. And I think it suits you real well."
"It sounds silly in your accent, though." Tony teases, and Will sticks his tongue out at his brother.
"What, you don't like my Southern drawl?" Will says, and Tony just laughs. He closes the flap on the first aid kit, placing it next to the other ones. The bag has a tiny stitched 6 in it, helping them keep track of which is which.
"Is this going to be enough, Will?" Tony asks quietly, and Will sighs, looking down at the one in his hands. One he'd made out of habit.
He thumbs over the black 13 on the side.
"It will have to be. But your classes with the cabins went well, yeah?" Tony nods, running a hand through his hair. "Then I think we can do this." His brother sighs, looking over at the other end of the infirmary.
The younger kids are all ganged up together, playing some card game with Yan, their laughter mixing with the pop hits playing in the background. Will hasn't seen smiles that bright for a while, especially with the loss of contact with their dad.
"I worry about Gracie and Sohee." Tony admits quietly. "Sohee is good with a bow, but Gracie is still learning. She's only been here for a few days." She'd been claimed a day before Apollo went totally silent, his last act.
"Sohee can protect her, and if the worst comes to worst, I can keep Gracie with me. I can protect her." Will says, and Tony nods.
"Was it this bad before Manhattan?" He asks after a minute, and Will sighs.
"I think Manhattan was almost… worse in a way. I don't know how to explain it. I still… I was real fucked up from losing Daniel." Tony nods. Will had talked about their fallen siblings in detail many times. "But this time… it's a lot of just waiting. Hoping that Reyna can get back safely, that the Seven can stop the giants from rising, from awakening Gaia."
"You've been through a lot, Will. I dunno if I would be able to handle it the way you have." Will snorts.
"Have you forgotten our very public fight?" He chastises, and Tony just laughs loudly.
"You think I wouldn't have done the same? I probably would have done something hella drastic or run off screaming into the woods like a freak. You've been handling all this responsibility like.. Really well, all things considered." Will picks at a fraying part of his shorts.
"I… thank you, Anteros." He says softly, and his brother grins at him using his full name. "I worry. A lot. About all of you, about the Seven, about…" He trails off, but he knows that he doesn't need to explain. "Sometimes I think that I'm going to crumble. But you, Kayla, Austin… even the little ones, even Yan. You guys give me a lot to lean on, and it lessens the burden more than you could ever understand."
Anteros smiles brightly at Will, leaning over to squeeze his hand. "I know, Will, believe me. And anything you need, anyone you need to complain to, scream at… I'm your guy. We're only a few months apart, we understand each other better than anyone else." Will knows what Anteros means by that.
"Thanks, Anteros." He says again quietly, and then looks down at the pack in his hands. "We should… get these to the cabins." His brother nods. "I'll go put this in Nico's."
He's never actually been in Cabin 13 before. Not even for inspections.
Will takes a deep breath before pushing the door open, stepping into the dark cabin. He blinks, looking around. Are there even any lights in here?
There's no earthly way Nico did this decor, he decides, chuckling a bit. It looks straight out of the Twilight movies, or at least some vampy sorta thing, which while Nico may have that gothic, emo aesthetic going for him, it's more out of just wearing black than anything else. And very much so not vampiric.
He crosses over to the desk in the corner of the room, setting down the first aid kit on the dark surface. It's clear that no one has been in the cabin in months, but he still can't help but notice the little Nicoisms about it. The haphazardly closed drawers, the messily made bedsheets. Will looks around, taking everything in.
"I hope you're doing okay." He whispers softly. "I wish that my dad would give me a sign that you're okay or—" He inhales sharply, his hand clutching to his chest. The familiar darkness that he has started attributing to his feelings for Nico creeps in, settling down like a cat in his chest. It practically purrs, and Will can't help the sob that leaves his lips.
Nico must be okay. There's no other explanation.
"Thank you." He whispers, his voice breaking a little bit. "I'll see you soon, I promise."
—-
"Will!" Will looks up from his textbook, a frown on his face. One of the Ares campers, Mark, stands in the doorway of Cabin Seven, his chest heaving.
"What's wrong?" He asks, standing up. Mark shakes his head.
"I don't think she's in labor, but Clarisse needs your help with Mellie." Will startles, walking faster to the door. He hesitates, looking over his shoulder. He can see Sohee and Gracie whispering over something, the contrast of their hair as they crowd around something. He can't bring them into this. No. He needs to do this alone.
"Let's go." He says, taking off, Mark following behind at a lope.
"She's not in labor yet, that's for sure." Will says, Mellie's wrist in his hand. He's still not exactly sure what his healing powers can even do, given that Mellie is not entirely mortal.
The cloud nymph cries out in pain again, and Clarisse soothes her gently. She looks up at Will, her dark eyes wide.
"Is there anything you can do?" She asks, and Will frowns, focusing on what he can tell about the vitals of Mellie and her unborn baby.
"I can try my calming power, but since she's a nymph, I can't actually guarantee that it's going to work." He admits.
Clarisse nods, and leans forward to wipe Mellie's face with a cool cloth Anteros had fetched for her. "It's going to be okay, Mellie."
"No, nothing is okay!" The cloud nymph cries out, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Gaia is rising." Will breathes out once, twice, his eyes closing. The cool feeling of his calming power spreads through his fingers, and he feels Mellie calm down a little bit.
"It's working!" Clarisse says, and Will nods, not opening his eyes. He has to focus extra hard for it to work, and Mellie is still crying hysterically.
"Mellie, I need you to be real patient and calm for me, please." He says in a steady voice, feeling anything but steady. "If you stress out too much, your baby could come early, and that would be real bad. You okay?" He opens his eyes, meeting the cloud nymph's gaze, and she nods, her chest still heaving from crying.
"Thank you, Will. I'm okay." She says quietly, and Will gives her a soft smile, brushing some of her hair back out of her face.
"You think you can hold on for a few days? You're gonna be just fine." She nods, and Will breathes out a sigh of relief, sinking back into a chair. "Clarisse, could you bring me a Gatorade from the fridge in the office? I'm feeling real woozy right now, and I don't think you really want me passing out on you." Clarisse nods, going to the door that separates the private room from the office and disappearing through it. She comes back after a second with a bottle of Gatorade, and Will takes it gratefully, downing nearly half of it in one go.
Suddenly, there's a shriek, and Mellie stares down at her bed in horror. Will and Clarisse both startle, and Will sits up.
"Um… so remember how you asked if I could wait a few days?" Mellie says in a wobbly voice. Will just continues staring at her. "I… don't think that will happen."
"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding." Will murmurs under his breath, not loud enough for anyone but himself to hear. "Clarisse, get Mark back here and tell him I need Anteros and Kayla. Like yesterday."
Clarisse nods, stalking out of the room and yelling commands. Will goes to Mellie's side, and the cloud nymph is quaking like a leaf. He takes her hand in his own, spreading his calming power again.
"Don't overwork yourself." Mellie says, her voice still shaking, and she cries out in pain, nearly crushing Will's hand in her own. He winces, but lets her.
"My siblings are coming to help, and Kayla is real good at calming people down, I promise." He says warmly.
Not even two minutes later, his siblings burst through the door, Anteros's hair a mess, and Kayla tying her red hair up into a ponytail. Will stands, looking at his siblings.
"It's time, isn't it?" Anteros asks, and Will nods.
"We've been studying for days, and it's time." Kayla huffs out a short laugh, shaking her bangs out of her eyes.
"Can't believe four teenagers are about to deliver the baby of a satyr and a cloud nymph, having never done this before." Mellie looks between them with wide eyes. Kayla comes over and sits next to her, taking her hand. "Don't you worry about it at all, okay, Mellie? Will is the most talented healer ever, and he's been training us. And Clarisse—" The older girl comes back into the room, sitting on the other side of Mellie. "See, she's gonna be with us the whole time, yeah?" Clarisse nods, her mouth set in a line.
"As long as I can be. I owe Gleeson Hedge my life, and I will be damned if I let anything happen to his wife." Clarisse says, squeezing Mellie's hand, and the cloud nymph smiles nervously, nodding her head.
"You heard that right?" Kayla asks gently, and Will pulls Anteros aside.
"Let's gather everything we need. This is gonna be a long day." He says softly. Anteros nods, running a hand through his blonde hair.
"I'll follow where you lead." He says, and Will can't help but appreciate the confidence his brother has in him.
"You two are the best healers I could work with, ever. We can do this." Anteros grins at him, blue eyes bright.
"Damn right. Let's deliver this baby."
—
"Will!" Lou Ellen hisses, and he looks up, his eyes wide. "You wanna come out on a scouting mission?" She stops, looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "Dude, are you okay?"
Will looks down at his hands, still shaking from delivering a baby not even hours ago. "I'm… yeah I need to get out of here." He says, standing up to his full height. He cracks his neck, groaning slightly. "Ow, fuck."
Lou Ellen just chuckles, throwing a pile of clothes at him. "Change into these. Cecil will give you some face paint, and I'll wrap some Mist around us." Will looks at the piles of black in his hands. They're definitely his, but… "I stole them from your cabin. Asked Kayla." Will sighs. Of course.
"Step outta here. I don't want to disturb Mellie and the baby by using the spare bathroom." He says, and Lou Ellen salutes, a cheeky grin on her face.
"Sure thing, Solace. Hurry it up though." He nods, and she leaves, closing the door behind her. Will quickly sheds his clothes, folding them neatly. They'll have to stop by Seven anyway to drop them off, and so he can grab his dagger. He pulls the dark clothing over his body, frowning. He never wears black.
He steps out, carrying his clothes under his arm. Cecil is waiting for him, a tube of black face paint in his hands. He grins when he sees Will, ushering him closer. "C'mere, Will, let's get some face paint on you." Will obliges, scrunching his nose up with distaste at the thick paint smeared across his cheeks.
"Gross." He says, and Cecil just laughs, ruffling his blonde hair.
"It's not that bad. Lou Ellen ran to Seven to get your dagger." Will frowns, holding up his clothes. "Can't you just keep those in your little office or whatever?" Cecil asks, and Will just rolls his eyes, stepping back.
"Yeah, yeah, lemme go do that then." He runs back to the office, setting his clothes down on a nearby chair, before coming back out. Kayla opens the door to the private room, and she stops in her tracks. Will stares at her, and she stares back. A few seconds pass, and she just shakes her head.
"I do not want to know." She closes the door with her hip, a tray in her hands. "You going out?" Will nods, and she sighs. "Guess I should call Tony in to cover you, eh?" Will nods again.
"Lou Ellen wants me to go with her and Cecil on a scouting trip. I'm taking my dagger, I shouldn't be long. If I am, I'll be safe." Kayla nods, and Will steps closer to her, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "Thanks for taking care of Mellie. How's the baby?" Kayla brightens up, her blue eyes glimmering.
"He is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Eating well. I gave Mellie and Hedge some food a bit ago. He hasn't left her side. I think they're gonna get out of here once Mellie has a little more strength left. Clarisse said she would watch over them." Will nods, a grateful look in his eye.
"You're doing great, you know that?" Kayla smiles, reaching out to squeeze Will's hand.
"You taught me well. Now go. Be careful, please." She says softly, and Will squeezes her hand back.
Lou Ellen appears not long later, the golden hilt of Will's dagger gleaming in her hand. She holds it out to him, and he clips the dagger to his belt loop. "Aite then. Let's get going."
—
They crouch in the bushes not far away from the Roman camp, and Cecil takes out a couple of pairs of binoculars, handing one to Will.
"You see anything interesting?" He whispers, and Will looks through the binoculars, a frown on his face.
"What am I supposed to be looking FOR?" He hisses, and Cecil sighs, taking them from Will.
"Anything we can use." Cecil whispers back, pressing a bit closer. Will runs a hand through his hair, and then sits up straight. What's that sound? He whirls, and his jaw drops, something unfamiliar and yet so familiar at the same time curling in his stomach.
"Nico?" He says, and the younger boy whirls, his sword pointing directly at Will's throat. Will blinks up at him, unfazed. After Anteros tried to kill him when he woke him up, a sword at his throat is nothing.
Nico looks so different from the last time that Will saw him in his dreams. He… flickers. Will frowns. What the hell has happened to him? He looks even paler, even more malnourished. His hand twitches, wanting to reach out and grab Nico, keep him safe. Keep him alive.
"Put that down!" Will hisses, and Nico lowers his sword, a confused look in his eye. "What are you even doing here?"
"I could ask the same thing of you!" Nico says a little bit too loud, and Will tsks at him. "What are you doing here? Trying to get yourself KILLED?"
"Could you BE any louder? Get down." Will tugs on the back of Nico's shirt, making the younger boy crouch with them. "We're scouting the enemy. We took all the precautions."
Nico stares at him. "You're dressed in black, but you forgot about the literal halo of gold up here, Solace." He gestures to Will's head, and Will can't help the blush that spreads over his cheeks. Halo? Him? What even… "You might as well be waving a glaring yellow flag saying look at me! Son of Apollo here!"
"... Lou Ellen wrapped some Mist around us." Nico snorts, shaking his head.
"Hi Nico." Lou Ellen says, wriggling her fingers with her best shit eating grin on her face. "I've heard SO much about you." Will glares at her. Not now, Lou Ellen. He has a non verbal fight with her through glances. "This is Cecil, he's a Hermes kid."
"Did Coach Hedge make it to camp?" Nico says, changing the subject. Will's shoulders fall in relief. Now is very much so not the time to tease Will about his crush, ESPECIALLY not in FRONT of Nico.
"Yeah! Just in time for the baby." Will says. Literally just in time. Maybe about five minutes before Chuck had breathed his first breath, the coach had run into the infirmary. It was the scariest and most exhilarating thing that Will's ever done, delivering that baby. He NEVER wants to do it again.
"The baby!" A brilliant grin lights up Nico's face, and Will can't help but stare, his face flushing again. Oh, Nico's beautiful. Lou Ellen elbows him, and he blinks. "Mellie and the kid okay too?" Will nods.
"They're fine, a cutie little satyr boy." Will shudders at the memory. "But I delivered it. Me and my siblings. Gods of Olympus, my hands are still shaking. See?" He reaches out and grabs onto Nico's hand, and familiar darkness curls in his stomach, sending a shockwave up his spine. Nico stiffens, and after less than a second, pulls his hand away from Will, clearing his throat and looking to the side.
"Whatever." He says darkly. "There's no time for this. The Romans are going to attack at dawn and I've got to–"
"I know. But if you're thinking of shadow traveling over there, you gotta another thing coming." Will snaps, and Nico stares at him.
"Excuse me?" He says, and Will shakes his head, staring straight into Nico's eyes unwavering.
"Coach told me alllllll about your little shadow travel bit. You ain't trying that again, that's for sure." Nico's frown deepens, his nose wrinkling. Will can't help but find it adorable.
"I did just try it again. I'm really fine, Will." He says, and Will shakes his head. Nope, not after everything that Coach had said, and definitely not after what he had just felt when holding Nico's hand.
"Yeah, no, I don't think so. I'm a healer, you know that. I could feel all that darkness in your body when I touched your hand. You know that, too. You probably feel it more than I can. If you made it to the tent, you'd be in no shape to fight. And that's a real big if. You WOULDN'T make it, and you and I both know that." Will says, crossing his arms over his chest. "You ain't shadow traveling again. Doctor's orders."
"The camp is about to be destroyed–"
"So we stop the Romans." Will says, eyes never leaving Nico. "But we do it our special way. Lou Ellen's real good with the Mist. We can sneak about, do some real damage to the onagers or whatever. But no shadow travel."
"But–"
"Ain't you hear me the first time, di Angelo? I said no!"
Will can see the way Lou Ellen and Cecil are watching them argue like it's a particularly fun tennis match, and he hates the knowing look in their eyes. He curses inwardly for telling them about his little crush on Nico. Now he's never gonna live this down.
Nico holds his gaze for a second before he looks away, his eyes turning to look over camp, his expression softening for a second. Will watches him, watches every minute change of Nico's expression. The way his eyebrows pinch together and his lips form a frown. The slight flicker of shadows across his pale skin. The way his dark eyes look so different from the warm brown that Will remembers.
What the hell happened to Nico?
"Fine." Nico says after a bit, and Will snaps out of his daydreams. "But we need to hurry. And you are going to follow my lead."
Will shrugs. "Fine by me. Just don't ask me to deliver any more babies."
He wishes that got a chuckle out of Nico. But the younger boy just stands, expression unchanging. Sigh.
—
Something's going on with the legion when they get there. Will frowns, stepping a bit closer. Nico tugs on the back of his shirt, pulling him back.
"What's going on over there?" Lou Ellen asks, her green eyes curious. Nico hums, watching the mess carefully.
"My distraction. Let's go." He says, walking towards one of the onagers. Will trails behind him, watching as Romans pass by them without even seeing them. Lou Ellen's Mist manipulation is really crazy sometimes.
Once they reach the onager, Cecil whispers to Nico. "I brought some Greek fire." The dark haired boy shakes his head, his permanent frown on his face.
"No, we can't make the damage obvious. We won't be able to get to the others if we do. Can you recalibrate it? The aim?" Cecil grins, his brown bangs in his eyes making his expression that much more maniacal.
"I like the way you think, di Angelo. They sent me here because I love to fuck things up. Let me at it." Cecil says, and Will just sighs. His friends are crazy, that's the end of it.
They watch over Cecil as he works, keeping an eye on the enemy guards brawling it up over something or rather. Nico's distraction, he had said. Will wonders what exactly it is.
"Okay, let's move." Cecil says after a bit. Unfortunately, they're not as lucky at the next onager.
"Hey!" One of the guards yells. Will doesn't even think before he's sprinting away from the onager, his dagger drawn from his hip.
"Over here, assholes!" He says, a grin on his face. He's never run this fast in his life, but the morning training sessions and runs with Yan are really paying off. Plus, he's gained at least another inch or two in the last three months. He's even taller than Yan now.
It doesn't take long for whatever they'd been doing without him to end, and Nico sprints after him. Quicker than Will can even blink, and surely faster than he could pull his dagger on any of them, Nico has all six of the Romans in a daze on the ground.
Will punches Nico in the shoulder lightly. "Thanks for the help. Six at once sure ain't bad." Nice. Reeeeeeal nice, Will.
Nico glares at him, his dark eyes gleaming. "Next time, I'll let them run you down." Will scoffs, a grin on his face.
"Like they could catch me." He quips, and Nico just rolls his eyes, turning away from him. Cecil waves them over, and for good reason.
"Hey!" Another Roman shouts, and Nico sighs.
"They're expecting an attack now, the Mist won't work." Lou Ellen curses under her breath in Greek. "Should we run?" Nico shakes his head.
"Nah, let's give them what they came for." He spreads his hands, and five skeleton warriors burst out of the ground. Cecil and Lou Ellen take off with them. Will sees Nico about to follow, but his knees buckle.
"Woah there, Neeks." He says, catching Nico and supporting his weight against his own body, and Nico scrunches his nose. "You're such an idiot, I TOLD you no more Underworld stuff!"
"I'm fine."
"No, you ain't." Will pats his pockets, searching.. Searching… There. He pulls out some of the medicinal gum that Anteros had given him for emergencies. "Eat this."
"Are you seriously giving me gum right now?" Nico bites, and Will rolls his eyes.
"Take the dang thing, it's medicinal. It'll give you strength. Keep you alive and alert, at least for a few more hours." Nico sticks the gum in his mouth, and makes a face. Will remembers the first time he ate this gum too. It's real nasty.
"Tastes like tar."
"How do you know what tar tastes like?" Will grins, and Nico rolls his eyes, shoving Will away. Will can't help but feel disappointed at the lack of touching now, but he can't think about that. Too much going on.
"Hey." Cecil says, limping over towards them. "Missed a good fight." He points his thumb behind them. Lou Ellen got the legionnaires all tied up in ropes.
"Thanks for the skeletons, Nico." She grins, running up to them. "Great trick."
"Which he will NOT be doing again." Will says, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the younger boy, who just glares back.
"I'll do what I need to do, Solace." Nico barks back, and Will lets out a sarcastic chuckle. Since when was Nico this damn stubborn? Probably since always, but something changed.
"Fine, Death Boy, you wanna get yourself killed—"
"Do NOT call me Death Boy." Nico says, his sword drawn. Will rolls his eyes. Oh, so dramatic.
Lou Ellen clears her throat, looking nervously behind them. "Uh, guys–"
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" A booming voice calls, and Will turns to see probably his least favorite person in the world.
That fucking Octavian.
Just their luck.
Octavian smirks, raising his hand. "Tear them to pieces."
Will swears he can see red, and before they can even blink, or advance, Will remembers something Austin had taught him last week. Will it work? He brings two fingers up to his mouth, and lets forth a piercing whistle, causing all the dog-men that Octavian had ordered forward to fall to the ground in agony.
"Fucking hell, Solace." Cecil grumbles, popping his ears. "A little warning would have been nice. The hell was that?"
Will shrugs, a dopey grin on his face. It worked. "Worse for the dogs. It's one of my only musical gifts from my dad. An AWFUL ultrasonic whistle."
"My guards!" Octavian cries, his light blue eyes wide. "You see what he did to my guards!"
"Some dogs just need to be put down." Nico says, and even Will is surprised by the darkness in his voice. "Like you."
"You will be destroyed!" Octavian shrieks, and Will clenches his hand around his dagger. He cannot believe he's related to this spineless loser. "You Graeci sneak around, ruining our weapons, attacking our men–"
"You mean the weapons aimed to destroy our home?" Cecil says, his dagger drawn from his hip.
"And the men who were gonna burn it to the ground?" Lou Ellen snaps, her green eyes set in anger.
"How very Greek of you." Octavian sneers. "Twisting my words. It won't work!" He points to a few of his men. "You! Go check the onagers. Make sure that they are operational. I want no mistakes."
The men run off, and Will clenches his fist. Calm down. He feels his hands start to shake again. You're fine. Everything will be fine.
Octavian marches directly up to Nico, and Will shifts a bit closer. He doesn't trust Octavian at all. Not one bit.
"Son of Pluto." Octavian sneers, his pale blue eyes glimmering. "Why are you helping the Greeks? What have they ever done for you?"
Will frowns. They'd done plenty for Nico, even if he wasn't always the most willing of recipients. He remembers Nico sitting by him on the docks on Daniel's birthday. The help that he had given them when they were looking for Percy.
"I'm helping the Greeks AND the Romans." Nico all but spits in Octavian's face. Will's never seen him like this before. NIco looks positively murderous, like he wants to reach out and stab Octavian in the chest. Wouldn't that be nice.
"Don't try and con me, di Angelo." Octavian laughs, and Will squares his shoulders. "What have they offered you… a place in their camp? They won't honor their agreement." He's wrong. Nico has a cabin. A beautiful, if a little bit creepy, one.
"I don't need a place in their camp." Nico hisses. "Or in yours. When this is over, I'm leaving both camps."
Will can't help the strangled gasp that leaves his lips, making Nico and Octavian both turn to him. He stares at Nico, his eyes wide. "Why would you do that?"
Why would he leave? Why would he just… not try? He promised he would try. Will remembers them sitting outside, sewing the shrouds for his siblings. Nico promised…. He promised.
Nico scowls at him. "It's none of your business." Darkness clenches at Will's chest, threatening to crawl up his throat and make him spill everything out in front of Nico. "I don't belong. It's obvious, Solace. No one wants me. I'm son of—"
"I don't care!" Will cries, stepping forward. "No one pushed you away! I never pushed you away! You have friends, you have people that want… You pushed YOURSELF away Nico! I tried my hardest! If you would just get your head out of that dark cloud you live in—"
"Enough!" Octavian snaps, and Will's mouth sets in a hard line. "I can best any offer the Greeks would dare give you. I always knew that you would make a powerful ally. I see your ruthlessness, and I appreciate that in you. I can guarantee you a place in New Rome, di Angelo. All you have to do is step aside and let us win. The god Apollo has shown the future to me and—"
Enough. Will steps forward and pushes Nico behind him, blue eyes glaring at Octavian. "I am son of Apollo, you fucking anemic LOSER." He hisses, his voice full of rage and emotion that he's never felt before. "My father hasn't spoken to ANYONE. The power of prophecy is broken right now. This…" He waves his hand around, starting to glow faintly in his emotion. "None of this is what Apollo would want. What my FATHER would want."
Octavian curls his lip, his expression full of disdain. "You are a liar. The god told me personally that I would be the savior of Rome. I will lead us to victory and–"
Will hears quite possibly the worst sound ever, his heart dropping into his stomach. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. The sound of the onagers.
"I will start by destroying the Greeks!" Octavian yells gleefully, his blue eyes glimmering with happiness.
Will's never been so glad that Cecil's trick worked before. His tricks normally result in people coming into his infirmary for one reason or another, but watching the collision of Octavian's stupid Roman onagers is so satisfying to him. He can't help the laugh tha bubbles out of his chest, watching his distant relative look on in absolute horror at the mess that Cecil has caused.
"Octavian!" Someone calls, and more Romans walk up. Will can't help but feel smug at the twitch in Octavian's eye. Oh, this is delicious to him. He's reveling in this, truly. "We have new orders."
"From WHO?" Octavian all but screams, his voice raised.
"From Reyna. She told us to stand down." THe other demigod says, and Octavian's face practically turns purple with rage.
"Reyna?" He laughs, but no one laughs with him. Will sees Nico's fingers flex around the hilt of his sword from the corner of his eye. "The outlaw I sent you to arrest? The EX-PRAETOR who conspired against her own people with this Graecus?" He jabs his finger into Nico's chest, and Will flinches, hand clenching around his dagger. If this motherfucker touches Nico one more time…
"Reyna is still praetor until voted on by the Senate." The other demigod says, and Will frowns. The heck kinda system they got going on at Camp Jupiter? He doesn't even understand half of these words. He makes eye contact with Nico, and the younger boy just shakes his head. Don't do anything. He can tell that look anywhere.
"This is WAR, Centurion Dakota!" Octavian screams. Ah, so that's the other demigod's name. "I have brought us to the brink of victory, and you want to just give up? First Cohort: arrest him and anyone who stands with him. Fifth Cohort: remember your allegiance to Rome. You obey ME!"
Will really fucking hates this guy, but he can't help but feel a pang of pity. They are related, after all. "Don't do this, Octavian." He says, stepping closer to his relative. "Don't force your people to choose. This is your last chance."
"MY last chance?" Octavian laughs, a manic gleam in his eye. Will stepped back, terror gripping at his heart. This dude is certifiable. "I will save Rome! Romans, follow my order! Arrest Dakota, kill these Graecus scum, and reload the onagers!"
Suddenly, hundreds of figures move out from camp. Will searches the familiar bodies for who he recognizes. Austin, Kayla, Anteros. He keeps looking. Yan. Melody. He breathes out a sigh of relief when he doesn't see Sohee or Gracie. The small things.
But holy Hades, this could not have come at a worse time. He looks around, trying to think about what he could do to stop this. He presses two fingers to his mouth again, sending forth another ear splitting whistle. A few of the campers drop their swords, some of the Romans covering their ears. But at least they stop advancing.
"Don't be stupid!" He cries. "Look!"
He points to the sky, his finger aimed at a figure approaching in the sky. A bunch of Pegasus carrying a large statue. Will gapes at it. It can't be… they really did it.
They really found the Athena Parthenos.
"Greek demigods!" A loud voice booms, presumably from the girl on the back of one of the Pegasi, Guido, Will recognizes. After a minute, he realizes. This must be Reyna! "Behold the most sacred of your statues, the Athena Parthenos, wrongfully taken by the Romans all those years ago. I return it to you now as an act of peace!"
As the statue settles on the ground, Will feels a warmth spread through him, and he closes his eyes. It feels like the warmth of his healing, the blessings of his father. Feels like the warm sunshine that filters through the camp, the golden hue that his skin takes when he starts to glow. He peeks down at his hand just to make sure that he isn't glowing.
"Romans! This is for the good of the legion, for the good of Rome!" Reyna continues. "We MUST stand together with our brethren. We are cut from the same cloth!"
"Listen to her." Will reaches out as Nico steps forward, but the younger boy is too quick. Will keeps an eye on him, worrying about his strength. He seems okay but… Will frowns. He can never tell what Nico is thinking, and he won't let him close enough again to check his health.
Nico walks through the lines, raising his voice. "Reyna risked her life for this, for all of us! We brought this statue all the way from Rome, Romans and Greeks working together, because we MUST join forces. Gaia is rising. If we don't work together—"
YOU WILL DIE.
The ground shakes, and it takes everything in Will not to fall to his knees. He feels like he is sinking into the grass.
A FUTILE GESTURE.
Lou Ellen grabs onto his hand.
BUT, IF IT SO PLEASES YOU, DIE TOGETHER.
"No." Octavian says, scrambling backwards. Coward. Will thinks. Fucking spineless coward.
"Close ranks!" Reyna yells, and Will presses closer, Greeks and Romans forming lines together, the Earth still shaking.
Gaia shaking.
Gaia is awake.
Will feels a hand slip into his, and he turns, seeing a shock of white blonde hair.
"Hey." Anteros says, and Kayla smiles from beside him, her hand squeezing his. "Fancy seeing you here."
Will almost cries in relief. "Gracie and Sohee?" Kayla nods.
"In the infirmary with the other young ones. With Mellie and Coach Hedge. They're safe." Will nods, fear constricting his throat. He doesn't know what else he can even say right now.
"Thank you." He says instead. Kayla squeezes his hand again, then lets go, her hand on her bow. Her blue eyes harden, as Will has seen them so often before.
Battle ready.
"Go!" He hears Nico call, and they leap into action against the monsters.
Will's never been in a battle like. Sure, he'd been in both the Battle of Manhattan and the Labyrinth, but this… this feels different.
"On your left!" Kayla yells, and Anteros whirls, launching one of his daggers into the throat of one of the two-headed monsters that had turned on them. It crumbles into dust with a wail, and Anteros runs over to scoop up the dagger.
"Good girl, Vega." He coos, and Will rolls his eyes. He's so weird about those daggers, but Will doesn't have time to focus on that. He slashes at monsters with Iliachtída, a frown on his face. He's never seen monsters crumble into dirt like this. It's unnerving, especially when he can feel the earth threatening to pull at his feet.
He never stays in one place for too long, hopping back and forth as he kills monsters, the golden hilt of his dagger gleaming in the sunlight.
He scans the hundreds of bodies, and his heart drops into his throat. White hot anger fills his chest, and he can feel the golden glow spreading across his body. He can't control his glow when it comes to his emotions.
"Octavian. Where the fuck is he?" He hisses under his breath, blue eyes scanning every face. He can't see him anywhere. "Fuck." Will spits out, looking for another face.
He spots Nico, and turns to his siblings. Anteros wipes blood off his dagger, accidentally smearing it across his cheek when he wipes sweat from off his forehead.
"I'll be back. I have a distant relative to go knock some sense into." Will says, and Anteros nods, his mouth turned down into a frown.
"Give him a good slap across the face for me, brother." Anteros says, grinning at him. Will just laughs, shaking his head, before he runs up to Nico, grabbing onto the other boy's wrist.
"What the– Will?" Nico says, and Will shakes his head. He pulls Nico closer to him.
"Octavian." He says into Nico's ear, and Nico's dark eyes harden, and he looks around the battlefield.
"Fuck, that fucking stupid stale piece of bread." Nico swears, his vocal tone changing halfway through. Will can't help but laugh, and he tugs on Nico's wrist.
"We need to hurry. Come on." Will says, and Nico nods, and the two of them take off.
Will assumes that Octavian will be near the onagers, so that's the direction that he takes Nico. They're only halfway down the hill before the ground shakes, and Will nearly falls. Nico grabs onto his arm and hauls him back up, and Will looks on in horror as Gaia emerges out of the earth.
"What in the ever loving fuck–" Will gasps, and Nico turns.
Leo's dragon swoops out of the air and grabs onto Gaia with its talons.
"What– How–?" Nico stammers, his voice shaky, and Will doesn't have an answer for him. He's just as flabbergasted.
"I dunno. But there really ain't much that we can do about alla that. We have other problems." Nico nods, and Will sprints towards the nearest onager. Octavian is attempting to load the onager, his crazed expression apparent.
Well, Will thinks, Octavian has officially lost it. Not that he had two brain cells to rub together outside of that.
"Octavian!" Nico yells, and the older boy turns to face them, laughing wildly. He backs up to the ammunition, and Will notices his robes snagging on the onager. Will's eyes widen. No.
"Oh I see!" Octavian laughs again, but the sound is brittle, and he frankly sounds insane. "Trying to steal my glory? I will save Rome! I will defeat the Earth Mother! Not you, son of Pluto, I was PROMISED by Lord Apollo!"
Will steps forward, raising his hands. "Octavian, step away from the onager, it ain't safe."
"Of course it's not! I will shoot down Gaia and defeat her with this machine!" Will feels terror start to rise in his throat. Octavian's not listening.
There's golden smoke rising from the imperial gold covering Octavian, and the older boy laughs again. "You see!" Octavian points to the storm clouds gathering in the sky. "The gods approve of what I am doing!"
"That's Jason! If you fire the onager, you'll kill Jason and Piper and–"
"Good! They're traitors, all of them." Will clenches his hand into a fist. How dare Octavian speak of Jason and Piper that way!
"Octavian, listen to me!" Will cries. "This is not what Apollo would want! Besides, your robes–"
"You know nothing, you stupid Graecus! I am the one who was spoken to by Apollo, not you!" Octavian says, and Will steps back, a pang hitting his chest. He hasn't felt his dad in weeks. That hurt. "I must act before they get higher. Only this onager can make this shot, and I will single handedly—"
"Centurion." Someone says, and a demigod that Will doesn't recognize steps forward. Will puts his hand on the hilt of his dagger. Protect yourself. Protect Nico. Protectprotectprotectprotect.
"Michael!" Octavian cries in glee. "Protect me while I fire this onager. Then we can kill these Graeci together." Will doesn't understand the word Octavian keeps calling him, but the way he spits it out, it must not be good.
The other demigod calmly takes in the scene, and he looks at Nico. Will lowers his hand slightly. What is he going to do?
"Are you certain, Octavian?" Michael says, and it dawns on Will. He can see it. He knows what will happen if Octavian releases the onager. He feels his hands start to shake.
"Yes!"
"Absolutely certain?"
"Yes, you fool! I will be remembered as the savior of Rome! Lord Apollo foresaw it! He told me! Now keep those Graeci scum away from me while I defeat Gaia!" Octavian cries, his voice almost a screech.
"Octavian, please." Will is all but begging him, stepping closer. "We can't allow you to—"
"Will." Nico interrupts him, and Will turns to look at the younger boy, whose dark eyes are set in anger and something else Will can't read. "We can't stop him."
Will gapes at him. Is Nico just going to stand there and do nothing?
"As you wish. Do what you must." Michael says, and steps in front of the onager, looking down at Will and Nico as he stands between them and Octavian. His dark eyes are filled with an unreadable emotion, but there's a faint smile playing at his lips.
"A good friend until the end." Octavian says, and Will clenches his fist.
"Nico, I—" Nico shakes his head, shushing Will. He holds his gaze for a second. Will looks away, back at Octavian.
"Goodbye, Gaia! Goodbye that traitorous Jason Grace!" Octavian says, and he cuts the rope.
Will watches with wide eyes as Octavian disappears, his scream reverbing across the sky. Will falls to his knees, his legs giving out. Michael gives them one last look before he trudges away, and Will pays him no mind.
Why does this hurt him so much? He didn't even LIKE Octavian! He fantasized about killing him so many times, why does his death actually… hurt him?
Because you're kind, baby. He hears his mama's voice in his head.
You're a good person, Will. Daniel.
You care too much, and you let it eat at you, Will. Michael.
"Will?" He hears Nico say, but he shakes his head, holding up his hand to stop Nico from coming closer.
"Give me a second." He rasps, and Nico stops. "I'm okay."
"You're not hurt anywhere? From the battle?" Will shakes his head again, willing his hands to stop shaking. At least he's not glowing.
"I said I'm fine, Nico. Just give me a second." He repeats, and Nico steps away from him.
Will takes a moment to collect himself, pushing all the negative feelings down. Octavian was crazy. He was manipulated, He was going to kill Will and Nico with no hesitation. He was going to hurt the boy you like. Will sucks in a deep breath before he feels his emotions shut away fully, and he lifts his head, standing up.
"I need to go back to camp." He says, and Nico blinks, looking at him.
"Will, are you sure you're–"
"I need to go to the infirmary. I'm sure there's too much for my siblings to deal with and we left Gracie and Sohee all alone. I need to go."
He doesn't listen for a reply from Nico.
—
By some fucking miracle, Will had managed to not lose any of his siblings in a war again.
He steps into the infirmary, and he's immediately tackled into a hug by two little whirlwinds, both of them sobbing immensely.
"Hey, hey, hey sunbabies." He says softly, and Gracie shakes her head, burying her head into Will's stomach, clutching at his shirt.
"I was so scared!" She wails, and Will hugs both of his youngest sisters to him, burying his nose in Sohee's hair.
"I'm okay, we're okay. Is everyone else around?" Sohee nods.
"Anteros broke his wrist, Austin got knocked unconscious, Melody dislocated her shoulder and Yan got a really nasty cut across his stomach, but everyone else is okay." She says softly.
"Gracie, Sohee, where—Oh. Hello." Will looks up to see an unfamiliar face. A boy with a halo of golden hair and light green eyes stares at him, shuffling his feet.
"Oh. Uh. Hi. I'm Will, and you are…?" He asks, tilting his head as Gracie and Sohee let go of him.
"Elio. Son of Apollo." Will frowns, then sees the purple shirt on the other boy. Ah, Roman. "I was… tasked with coming here to help with injuries. So were my siblings." Behind him stand a few more assorted blonde kids, and Will stares for a minute before he nods.
"Our infirmary is open to both Greek and Roman demigods." Will says, and Elio's shoulders sag in relief.
"Thank you." Elio says quietly. "We were not sure if you would be so accepting after what Octavian caused, but you understand we were just under orders and—"
"Healers know no sides." Will says, stepping forward to clasp Elio's shoulder. "We heal because people deserve a second, third, fourth chance." Elio nods, a small smile on his face.
"My sister took care of your siblings first, just in case you needed them to help." He motions towards one of the tallest blonde girls, and she waves gently.
"I think Anteros mentioned he is one of your healer trained siblings, but his wrist needs time to heal before he can be of use. He is back in your cabin right now." She says softly, her voice like tinkling bells. "But Kayla is running around helping. There are quite a few demigods in different cabins, since there is not a lot of room here…"
Will nods, and then he stops in his tracks. He looks at Elio, and sees a tinge of sadness in the other boy's eyes. "Did you lose anyone?" He asks gently, and Elio nods, twisting a ring around his finger.
"Four of our siblings." He says, and Will can't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He knows that feeling all too well.
"Would you like… we have shrouds. For the rites." He's not sure if the Romans do things the same, but he wants to offer. Elio stops twisting the ring around his finger.
"Did you not…?" Will shakes his head.
"Not this time." He says softly, and Elio nods.
"Thank you,Will. That would… that's very nice of you to offer. Summer, will you be in charge of that" The blonde girl from earlier nods.
"Will!" A blur of red throws itself at him, and he sighs in relief, hugging Kayla close to his body.
"Oh, K, I'm so glad that you are okay." He breathes out, and he can feel Kayla shaking as she cries against him.
"I didn't know where you went, and I was so scared, Will!" She hits him on the chest several times, not hard enough to hurt. "Don't you EVER disappear like that again! I thought you were DEAD!"
Will laughs, pulling her back into a hug. "I'm okay, Kayla. I really promise. Not even a scratch." He presses a kiss to the top of her head. "We have so much to do now, though." She nods, pulling away and wiping her tears off her face.
"Yeah, I've been training Gracie and Sohee in healing in a crash course sorta way. Anteros is going insane in the cabin. He wants to be here so badly, but he broke his wrist so much I could see bone." Will scrunches his nose. Gross.
"Alrighty then, we need to hit the ground running. Y'all ready?" He says, looking over Kayla's head at his Roman half siblings. Elio nods, as do the rest of them. Will smiles, hands on his hips.
"Well, let's fix this camp up real nice then, shall we?"
—
Will hasn't seen Nico in two days.
Well.
That's not fair.
He's SEEN Nico, sure. Will's been busy too, but Nico was running all of the funeral rites. Will had attended the ones for the Roman children of Apollo, his arm around Sohee as she cried for half siblings that she had never met, never knew existed. Her heart is so big, he worries for her immensely.
But it sort of feels like Nico is avoiding him, and Will's trying his best to not let that thought affect his healing. But there's a burst of anger every time his fingers start to glow, reminded of the flickering of Nico's very soul.
But now Will sees him, spots him from the door to Cabin Seven as he's making his way out for a shift at the infirmary after a good night's sleep.
Nico's talking to Jason, and Will watches as his eyes slide over to where Will is standing, so he waves at Nico. A flash of some emotion takes over Nico's face, but a mask quickly slides into place and he excuses himself from Jason's side.
"Where have you BEEN?" Will exclaims when Nico comes to the door, and Nico blinks in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Nico asks, a confused look taking over his face. Will crosses his arms over his chest, a frown on his face.
"I've been in the infirmary for 'bout two days. You never came by. You ain't even offer to help out." He thought they were over all of this.
"I… what are you talking about Solace? Who would want a son of Hades anywhere NEAR people trying to heal?" Will rolls his eyes, sighing.
"You can't help me out as a friend?" He can practically hear Kayla's snicker. Friend. Sure, Will. "Cut some bandages? Bring me a snack or a soda? You've been in my infirmary enough to know how it runs, Neeks. Can't even just drop by to say hi, how's it goin' Will? You ain't think I wanna see a friendly face? Someone I care about that I ain't tryna save?"
"A friendly face…. My face?" Will feels like he could tear his hair out. Gods above, this son of Hades is so fucking DENSE sometimes.
"You're so dang dense." He says out loud, sighing. "I hope you got over alla that nonsense about leaving Camp, leaving m–"
"I'm staying." Oh, thank the gods above Nico interrupted him before he could say something stupid. Leaving ME. Fucking hell, Will. Calm down.
"Oh good, so you ain't dense, just an idiot." Will says, and Nico scowls at him. Will wants to reach out and touch him, smooth out his brows so he doesn't look so angry. But at least he has the self control to not.
"How can you even talk to me like this?" Will laughs softly. "I can summon zombies and skeletons and–"
"Ain't you forget we are friends, di Angelo? Plus, I doubt that you could summon anything without melting into a puddle of darkness and shadow, Death Boy." Will grins at him, before his eyes harden. "In fact, I'm sayin' you're gonna spend three days in the infirmary with me, starting now. Doctor's orders. You ain't getting out of it this time." Nico just stares at him like he had three heads.
"Three days…" Will must be going insane, cause there's no way Nico di Angelo has a BLUSH creeping up on his face. "I… I guess that would be alright." Will blinks, but he schools his expression quickly.
"Good, now—"
"Whoop!" Will turns his head and sees Percy and Annabeth over by the hearth, bright grins on their faces.
"I'll… I'll be right back. Promise on the Styx and everything." Nico says, and Will just waves him off, leaning against the door to Apollo Cabin. Nico walks over to them, and Will watches from a distance.
"So three days, huh?" Anteros says, and Will nearly jumps. His brother flexes his wrist, newly healed, and grins at him.
"Stop eavesdropping on my conversations." Will says, and Anteros rolls his eyes.
"Stop having conversations on the front porch then." He bites back, and Will just sticks his tongue out at him.
"It's nothing. The three days." Will says, watching Nico talk to Percy and Annabeth. Nico says something, and Percy's eyes widen, like he can't believe whatever Nico just said to him.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Will. See you in the infirmary." Anteros pushes past him. Suddenly, Annabeth looks up at Will, and there's a gleam in her eye. She holds her hand up to Nico for a high five, and the younger boy obliges before turning back, making his way back to Will.
Annabeth winks at Will, mouthing something he can just barely make out.
Good Luck, Will. You can do this.
Will feels a flush creep up his neck. What did Nico say to Percy?
"Told you that I would be back." Nico says, stopping just in front of Will, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now… three days? I think I can handle that."
Will looks down at Nico, and laughs softly.
"We will just see about that. C'mon, Neeks. I got a private room in the infirmary with your name written all over it."
He hopes Nico doesn't see the flush that threatens to reveal his emotions.