"Are you sure this is okay?" Nico says, shuffling his feet. Will rolls his eyes, tugging on the sleeve of Nico's jacket. How he wears that in this weather, Will doesn't think he will ever understand.
"It's MY birthday, and I want you here. I told you that you could bring Hazel!" Nico scrunches up his nose.
"I didn't want to impose even more…" Will turns to face Nico, the pair of them standing on the porch in front of the Apollo cabin.
"Neeks. I told ya a million times. My siblings LIKE you. You needa get out of your head." He taps Nico's forehead with his index finger, and Nico just makes a face before sighing.
"Fine, fine. I won't complain any more, promise." Will just grins, reaching down to take Nico's hand in his own.
"How long is it gonna take to convince you that I want you around?" He says softly, and Nico chews on the inside of his lip, dark eyes staring up at Will. He doesn't answer for a while.
"...I'm trying, Will." Nico finally says, and Will just squeezes his hand. He knows.
"I know, Neeks. You don't have to push yourself too hard. It's just my siblings. You're always welcome in the cabin, you know this. Just take it at your own pace, okay?" Nico nods, biting down on the inside of his lip again.
Will just smiles, pulling the door to the cabin open.
Sohee immediately rushes the door, her long brown hair pulled back with a black ribbon in it. Ever since Nico had started spending more time with his siblings, Will had noticed that Sohee wore a black ribbon. She was like that, always taking little bits and pieces of the people that she cared about and putting them into herself. The black ribbon for Nico, the goblet earring hanging from her left ear for Dylan, the sun charm to match Will's on her camp necklace.
"Nico! You came!" She chirps, her brown eyes bright. A soft smile quirks up Nico's lips and he ruffles Sohee's hair, which makes the younger girl complain and duck away from his hand to avoid her hair getting messed up.
"I promised you I would." Nico says, and Sohee nods, her ribbon bouncing with the movement. She runs back over to Gracie, and Nico stares after her a little bit wistfully. Will pokes his side, a smile on his lips.
"She likes you a lot, y'know." He says softly, and Nico blinks, turning his cheek to look at Will.
"Yeah?" He says, his voice coming out a bit hoarse. Will nods.
"Sohee is a lovebug, she opens up really easily, but she really likes you, I can tell." Nico looks after her for a second again, before he nods.
Suddenly, his gaze is drawn to the opposite wall, and a small laugh leaves his lips. "Do you make all your siblings hang up their weapons when they come in?" Will can't help but chuckle, looking over at their weapon wall.
In three neat lines, golden plaques with his siblings' names decorate the wall. Hanging under each name is their weapon of choice. Will and Anteros's daggers, Yan's gleaming bronze sword, and everyone else's golden bows. Two glimmer up at Will from under Kayla's name and he can't help but sigh.
"What's wrong?" Nico asks, touching Will's wrist gently. Will just shakes his head. He's not quite ready to explain that Kayla had kept Michael's bow after Manhattan, and uses it more than her own crafted in her first summer here.
"It's nothing, don't worry too much about me." He whispers back, and Nico frowns.
"You should let someone worry about you sometimes." He mutters, and Will just shakes his head.
"I'm a tough kid, Neeks." He says, reaching up to brush his fingers across Nico's cheek. The younger boy flushes a bit, looking away.
"Will!" Austin's voice breaks through the moment and Nico flinches, moving away from Will a bit, making Will frown.
He knows that Nico still isn't comfortable with affection around others, but he can't help the pang that he feels in his stomach when Nico flinches away from him like he's been burned. They hadn't talked about it still but…
"What's up, Austin?" He calls back, and his younger brother makes his way over to them.
"I got the movie set up. You said Episode 4 right?" Will nods, and Nico blinks in confusion.
"Shouldn't we start with Episode 1? Isn't that…what most people do?" Austin groans loudly, and Will grins.
"Nico, do NOT get him started on this, for the love of the gods." Austin says, shaking his head. Will laughs, taking Nico's hand in his own and tugging him towards the beanbags settled on the floor in front of the TV.
"To avoid spoilers, we haveta start with Episode 4 since that was the first one to come out." He pushes Nico to sit down, and the younger boy blinks up at him. Will drags another bean bag over, plopping down next to Nico.
"What do you mean?" Nico asks, tilting his head, his bangs falling into his eyes slightly.
"Well… the first Star Wars movie to come out was Episode 4." Nico frowns, and Will just laughs. "It wasn't called Episode 4 for a few years, but eventually it was given that name. After 4, 5 and 6, George Lucas went back and made the prequel trilogy, and then the sequels came out fairly recently. The way I grew up watchin' 'em was: the original trilogy, then the prequels, then the sequels, so I wanted you to get the same experience that I did." Nico nods slowly before settling back against the beanbag.
"Well, it's your birthday, you get to make the rules." Nico says, and Will just hums.
Gracie jumps up to turn off the light once all of Will's siblings are in various formations on the floor. Sohee lays with her head on Yan's stomach, the older boy stretched out on a blanket. Austin sits propped up against the wall, his fingers scribbling notes down on a piece of sheet music. Kayla has all but disappeared into a blanket.
The loud intro startles Nico, the younger boy flinching once the intro starts to crawl across the screen, and Will can't help but chuckle softly, reaching for the remote to turn down the volume just a little bit.
"Sorry 'bout that. Rite of passage. If you don't get jumpscared by the Star Wars intro, have you really ever seen Star Wars?" He murmurs into Nico's ear, and the other boy scowls at him, shoving him away.
"That was mean, and you know it." He mutters, and Will just grins. "How did you get a TV in here anyway? I thought electronics weren't allowed?"
Will shares a look with Kayla, and they both deadpan. "Dead siblings."
Nico looks affronted, his brown eyes glimmering. "Well, I have a dead sibling too, but I didn't get anything special." Will just shrugs.
"You get a cabin to yourself, don't ya. Anyway, shush, the movie's startin', you need to pay attention." Nico sighs, rolling his eyes, but he scoots over, pressing against Will's side. Will looks down at the other boy in alarm, and Nico just raises an eyebrow.
"It's dark." Nico says softly, and Will just laughs softly, winding an arm around Nico's waist. This kind of affection, Nico only lets him have in private.
"You know my siblin's don't mind. Anteros might pretend to gag, but he's just kiddin'." Nico's eyes slide over to the other teen, Anteros's silver hair gleaming in the light of the TV. He just shrugs, settling into Will's embrace a little bit more.
"We'll see. Now shush, I'm watching the movie."
—
Will leans over, pressing the sound off on the TV before stretching his arms over his head, hearing his bones crack slightly.
"Ugh, a good stretch is just what I needed." Nico laughs, picking himself up from the floor. "Whatcha think of A New Hope, Neeks?" The younger boy thinks for a minute.
"I can see why you enjoy it." He says after a while, and Kayla just laughs.
"Oh no, he's converted another one." She gripes playfully, and Will sticks his tongue out at his younger sister.
"It's not my fault that Star Wars is a perfect example of science fiction!" Kayla just rolls her eyes, shaking out her ginger hair.
"Sure, sure, Will. Whatever you say. Oh, this came earlier for you, by the way. I didn't want to bother you earlier at the infirmary." She picks up a box from the table, handing it to Will.
He stares down at the address, the familiar handwriting. Kayla sighs.
"I think you should take it to your bed. You can have some privacy." She says, resting her hand on Will's shoulder. Nico looks at him in concern. "Maybe you should…take Nico with you." Will nods, looking over at Nico.
"C'mere." He murmurs, motioning for Nico to follow him. Nico blinks in confusion, but nods, trailing after Will.
Will pulls the plaid blanket away from his bed frame, and Nico sits down on the bed. Will places the box next to Nico before sitting down, pulling the plaid back down.
Nico's eyes are focused on the pictures on the walls, relics of Will's siblings long gone. "Are they all…" Will shakes his head, pointing to a more recent photo, two taller girls by his side.
"That's Chloe, and that's Taylor. They're… well probably graduated by now. They left camp for college my second summer here. You never met them. They're…" He looks at the photos sadly. "The only ones still alive on this wall. Besides everyone here now." Nico nods solemnly, chewing on his lip. He turns his gaze back to the box on the bed.
"Who is that from? You had a… reaction to seeing it." He says quietly, and Will sighs, thumbing over the address.
Hyunjoo Lee Stevenson
Miami, Florida
"It's… Daniel's mom." He says softly, his voice breaking just a little bit. "She's… I haven't spoken to her in a while. I didn't expect her to send me something." Nico looks at Will for a long moment, his dark eyes searching Will's face.
"You should open it, Will." He says after a minute. Will nods, reaching for the box. He pulls off the tape, gingerly opening the box.
A neatly folded letter sits on top of a bunch of wrapped snacks, and Will's shoulders stiffen. He reaches down into the box, taking out the letter and staring at it.
In a perfectly arched script, his name gleams up at him in golden ink. He takes a deep breath, and Nico reaches over to squeeze his wrist.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." He says softly, and Will nods, biting on the inside of his cheek.
"I know, I just… it's a lot." He admits, and Nico hums in understanding, but doesn't speak further. Will takes three more deep breaths, calming himself down like Chloe had always taught him, forcing his hands to stop shaking.
At least he's not glowing.
Dearest Will,
It's been hard, hasn't it? I often sit up at night thinking of Daniel and his warm smile, his kind and thoughtful words… the way he took care of his younger siblings. It is always hard to think of him without remembering what has happened. But I often think of you as well, and the burdens you have taken on.
Be kind to yourself, Will.
It's what Daniel would want.
Happy 15th birthday, dearest. May you have the best of days.
Will takes a second, tears streaming down his cheeks. He's failed Daniel so many times. How can his mom just… forgive him so easily? He couldn't save Daniel, he couldn't save any of them, how is he supposed to–
"Will." Nico's voice breaks through his thoughts, and Will cringes inwardly when he realizes that he's glowing. His own body betraying his anxieties.
"Sorry, I just– I can't–" Nico looks around for a second before propping up some of Will's pillows, leaning back slightly.
"C'mere." He says, and Will stares at him, confused.
"What?"
Nico rolls his eyes, sighing deeply. "You Apollo kids are all touch starved little monsters sometimes, don't pretend physical affection doesn't help. Come. Here." Will frowns at him, and Nico just meets his gaze.
"Are you sure?" Will asks, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"Will, do you think I would be offering if I wasn't comfortable?" Nico says, and Will chews on his lip before crawling over to Nico, settling himself against the younger boy, the box forgotten near their feet.
It's quiet for a minute, and Will can hear his siblings from the other part of the cabin, squabbling about something or rather.
"My ring is from my sister." Nico says after a while. Will looks up at Nico, but the younger boy doesn't meet his eyes, his gaze focused on the photos on Will's wall.
"Bianca?" Will asks quietly, and Nico nods. Will can feel the metal ring tap-tapping against his back where Nico's hand is resting.
"She gave it to me before she left for the quest, said it was important that I keep it. I learned later it was a gift from Dad." Will makes a soft noise, understanding the pain. "She wasn't claimed before she died. I asked Percy. He had no idea of her parentage, it was only once I…" Nico trails off.
"You freaked out, summoned a skeleton and ran off." Will finishes, and Nico looks down at him in confusion, the movement of his hand stopping.
"How did you know that?" Will shrugs, not meeting Nico's dark gaze.
"I was… I saw you. That's when I knew too." Nico frowns, tilting his head slightly.
"I didn't know anyone else was there." Will snorts softly.
"You didn't think anyone else would hear you yelling and having a fight with Percy in the middle of the pavilion? Really, Neeks?" Nico makes a face at him.
"Whatever, yeah. That's how Percy figured it out. But… Bianca's ghost knew. I… talked to her." Will props his chin on his hand, looking at Nico.
"You did?" Nico nods stiffly.
"I… tried to get her back. But it didn't work, and she told me to stop trying." Will narrows his eyes at Nico, who flushes a slight pink.
"You didn't stop, did you?" Nico huffs dramatically, but nods.
"That's when I found…. Hazel. I brought her back through the Doors." Will sits up a bit more, eyes wide.
"The Doors of DEATH?" He exclaims, and Nico nods again. "Wait, Hazel died?"
"Yeah… decades ago." Nico says slowly, and Will just stares at him for a long minute.
"Are there ANY Hades kids that have a normal childhood?" He asks, and Nico barks out a laugh, shaking his head.
"I guess not. At least none that I've met." Will stares at him again. "That means me, Bianca, and Hazel, don't look at me like that!" Will shakes his head before settling back down against Nico.
"You're cold, you know that right?" He says, and Nico sighs.
"It's my cold, dead heart. Doesn't warm me up like you Apollo kids and your space heater tendencies. I'm sweating just being next to you." Will swats his shoulder, making Nico laugh. "Stop that and settle down, I'm trying to be a good emotional support boyfriend and you're ruining the moment." Will stills, blinking.
Did he just–
"What?" Nico asks, looking down at him with a confused look in his brown eyes.
"Boyfriend?" Will squeaks, and Nico raises an eyebrow.
"Are we not dating?"
"Well, you never said boyfriend! I didn't know if you didn't want a label or something, or if you didn't like the word boyfriend, or if you—" Will's rambling is cut off by Nico's laughter, the younger boy tilting his head back.
"Have you been catastrophizing about the word boyfriend for the past week?" Will pouts, shoving Nico away from him a little bit.
"You're so mean to me, I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore." Nico just laughs again, sitting up a bit. His hair is a little messy, and Will has to resist the urge to reach out and touch it.
"Tell me about your siblings." Nico says after a second, and Will scrunches his nose in confusion.
"Didn't I do that when you were in the infirmary?" Nico shakes his head.
"You told me about your siblings, sure, but I don't mean the ones you share a cabin with now." Will feels his throat go dry. Nico turns and points to the photos on Will's wall, Will following the movement of Nico's finger. "I want to know about these siblings. The ones that you can't talk about with anyone. The ones you miss. The ones whose moms send you gifts that make you have a breakdown and need your boyfriend to hold you." Will sits up, his hair falling into his face slightly. A deep bodied sigh leaves his lips.
"Okay." He whispers. Nico turns his head to look at him, searching Will's eyes. Will nods. He's really okay.
"Okay." Nico echoes.
Will sits up all the way, scanning the photos of his siblings long gone. Where to start?
"Relax, Solace." Nico says, putting a hand on Will's shoulder. "It's just me. Just take it easy."
"That's Aria." Will says after a minute, pointing to a blonde girl with a bandage on her cheek and a wide grin, carrying Will on her back. "This photo is from the summer of the Battle of Manhattan. She was my older sister. Probably the most outgoing person I knew. Always sunny, always funny. A firecracker. She… died in my arms in Manhattan."
"You don't have to–"
"It's okay, Neeks. I can handle it." He says, reaching down to take Nico's hand in his own. Nico just nods, eyes wandering over the photos. "That's Aaron. He was Aria's best friend, and the best archer I've ever seen. He used to practice with Kayla all the time. His mom is an Olympic gold medalist. He… I told you I got my tattoo after him." Nico nods, recognition lighting up his eyes.
"Yeah, at the lake for Gracie's birthday. I remember you mentioning it." Will nods, his eyes roaming over the photos.
"That's Lee. He was head counselor during the Battle of the Labyrinth." Nico nods.
"I remember seeing him a few times when I was here. He looks a lot like you." Will smiles sadly, looking at the photo of the two of them. He was so young when Lee died…
"Taylor used to say he could pass as my full older brother, yeah. He tried to teach me how to shoot, but I was right awful at it, so that tutoring ended real quick." Nico snorts, but lets him continue. Next, Will points to an older boy with dark hair. "That next to him here is Sam, he was the best swordsman. He used both a bow and a sword, it was real awesome. He taught me how to use my dagger." Nico hums, but he doesn't interrupt Will, just holding onto his hand in reassurance.
"Michael was the head counselor after Lee, and before me. He… Gods above, he pissed me off most of the time, but he was such a loyal and fierce brother. He cared so deeply about each and every one of us, even if he had a hard time showing it. What he lacked in height he made up for in attitude, I swear." Nico can't help but roll his eyes, nudging Will in the side, and Will just laughs. "Kayla uses his bow now… He was like her real older brother. I swear it was like he raised her or somethin'."
"I know that feeling." Nico says, looking a bit wistful. Will looks over at him, and squeezes his boyfriend's hand. Gods. His boyfriend. He really can say that now. Incredible.
Will continues, pointing to another photo. "That there is Nychelle, she was the same age as me, claimed 'bout two weeks before. We weren't real close, but she used to play Taylor Swift whenever I was feeling down, called me a good ol' Southern child." Nico chuckles softly.
"What is it with the children of Apollo and Taylor Swift?" He asks, and Will shrugs his shoulders.
"Children of music, Neeks. I dunno. She's a great artist, you'll see." Nico hums, and motions for Will to continue. "Anyway, that there is… James." Will hesitates, and Nico looks at him in confusion, then back at the photo.
"What's wrong?" Will sighs, fiddling with the sun charm on Daniel's necklace looped around his wrist.
"James is… complicated." He says, his voice breaking a bit.
"How so?" Nico asks carefully.
"He… he left camp when you were here. He… he joined Luke and Kronos's army." Nico makes a small 'ah' sound, looking at the photo. "I fought him in the Battle of the Labyrinth. He… wasn't the same person anymore. It was like my brother had died and a monster had replaced him."
"You don't have to talk about him if it makes you uncomfortable, Will." Nico says, and Will nods. He forgave James a long time ago, but the reminder of it still hurts.
"Those are the twins. Penny and Pheebs. They were only ten…" Nico blinks in surprise, leaning in closer.
"Wait, I remember them! We got stuck together a few times for training. Because they were about my age, and we were in Hermes together." Will feels his heart clench, and he squeezes Nico's hand harder than intended. "Hey, Will. It's okay." Nico says softly, hesitating for a minute before he brushes the back of his hand across Will's cheek. "You're crying…"
Oh. He is. Damn.
"Sorry, I—" Nico shakes his head, furrowing his eyebrows in concern.
"You're talking about something really difficult, Will. Crying is okay. I'm not gonna judge you for crying about siblings that you miss." Will laughs, and the sound is a little wet.
"Yeah, I 'pose that's true. You just caught me off guard. I hadn't realized that you would have actually met them in Hermes…" He takes another deep breath before turning to the last photo. One that he looks at often.
"That's…"
"Daniel, right?" Nico says softly, and Will nods, unable to get the words out. Nico looks at the photo for a long minute, his dark eyes scanning every detail. "You look really happy."
"I was." Will's voice is hoarse, cracking on the last syllable. "It was taken the summer he died. Maybe a few weeks before. It… him dying was my first real failure. I failed him so many times. I failed all of them so many times. I couldn't save him, and that fact haunts me every single day of my life. I failed his mom, I failed his younger siblings."
"Will—"
"Sometimes, I think about the fact that he died protecting me, and I wonder what would have happened if he just–"
"Will." Nico turns Will's cheek to make him look at him. "You're catastrophizing again. This time, slightly more concerning."
"He knew he would die." Will whispers, and Nico blinks in surprise. "He had seen it. Daniel had the gift of prophecy and he saved me knowing that it would kill him."
"That's why you wear his necklace." Nico says after a minute of processing. Will nods. "Will…"
"I think that fucked me up more than becoming Head Counselor." Will admits, and Nico sighs.
"Will–"
"He died for me, to keep me safe, and I keep failing over and over and over and–"
"Solace." Nico cuts in, his eyes dark. "You are the best healer that this camp has ever seen. One of the kindest, bravest people that I have ever met. You are not failing. You save people every day. Your dad has blessed you with one of a kind gifts. Daniel's sacrifice has hurt you, I know that. But seriously, Will. How can you call everything that you've done a failure?" Nico says, and Will chews on his lip.
"But they all died." His voice is small.
"So you could live."
Of course he knows that.
It doesn't make it hurt any less.
He turns back to the photos, his heart clenching at the memories of his siblings. Everything that they had done for him. Everything that he takes with him now.
"It's hard, Neeks. Real hard." Nico squeezes his hand again.
"I know that, Will. More than probably just about anyone." Will sighs, running a hand through his hair. "One of these days, maybe I'll be able to tell you more about Bianca. Not today, I think we've been through enough heartbreaking sibling talk for at least a while." Will can't help the dry laugh that leaves his lips.
"Yeah, I think there's been enough trauma dumping for the day. Gods, I feel bad for alla that." Nico shakes his head.
"Nah, you don't need to. I wanted you to tell me about them. They're your family." Will smiles, leaning over to press a kiss to Nico's cheek. Nico stiffens in surprise, his brown eyes wide. "What was that for?" He asks, his voice a bit raspy. Will shrugs.
"For being a good boyfriend." Nico scrunches up his nose.
"All I did was listen to you." Will hums, tapping one of Nico's cheekbones.
"And yet, that was everything to me, darlin'." Nico flushes a deep red, and Will cackles. "Oh, I can't believe how cute you get over nicknames." Nico shoves his shoulder, but before he can reply with something, a loud sound reverbs through the camp.
"Saved by the bell." Will says, reaching over to pin back the plaid of his bed cover. "Time for dinner, Neeks. You coming with us, or do you wanna run over to meet Hazel?" Nico thinks about it for a second.
"I can head over with you. I'm sure Hazel's walking with Frank, anyway." Will ducks away from under the bed, standing up and stretching. He holds his hand out to Nico, who looks up at him.
"C'mon, Neeks. Let's go get some supper."