Will POV
"Will Solace! It has really been too long!"
"Hi, Drew." I greet tightly. "Is there something you need?"
"As a matter of fact, yes! As you can see I broke my nail this morning." She lifts up her perfectly manicured ring finger nail which, as she said, is cracked down the middle.
"How did you even-" I grab her hand, inspecting the nail. "Does it hurt?" I ask.
"Oh, yes! The pain is simply unbearable. I was just drying my hair this morning and one of my siblings, Michael-"
"Mitchel?"
"Right, Michael knocked on the door horribly loud and it frightened me. Long story short, I broke my nail."
"Does this hurt?" I ask as I poke at the nail lightly and she yelps. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, Drew you could always go to the infirmary. I'm not actually on today-"
"Oh, but you're here right now. Don't you want to help me, Will?"
"I-" My thoughts waver and for some reason, I am so ready to help Drew Tanaka with anything she could possibly need. "I mean, I guess. But, wait this doesn't look..." I lightly rub against her nail to which she yelps out and when I stop, the mark is gone. "Drew-" Suddenly, she's grabbing my face and forcing me to look her in the eyes.
"You want to help me, Will." She says dreamily. "Right?"
"I... Yes. Yes of course." I agree, nodding my head as much as I could in her grasp.
"Alright. Well, how about we go for a canoe ride on the lake? That sounds nice doesn't it, Will?"
Will? Who's Will? "Um, yeah." I swallow nervously.
"Good! Let's go!"
"Hold it!" A voice calls a little off to my right. For some reason my fingers start clutching tighter onto Drew's on instinct.
"Ow! Will!" She yelps out.
"Drew, what do you think you're doing?" I look up to see Piper standing there with her hands on her hips.
Drew rolls her eyes and stalks off, muttering something that sounded like "never let's me have any fun."
Piper walks closer to me and ruffles my hair like I'm a dog. "You okay?" She asks, trying to look me in my unfocused eyes.
I tried to respond with "Yeah." But it came out sounding more like "buh?"
"Sorry about her, Will. She's very... ah, predatory when it comes to guys. I'll try to keep her on her leash from now on." I nod my head slowly. "Maybe you should get some rest or something. Since you have a day off and all."
"Yeah." I say, finally getting words out. "Yeah that's a good idea. Thanks, Piper." She nods her head encouragingly before walking off toward the pavilion.
I shake my head a little, trying to gain my bearings before marching off toward Cabin Seven. I open the door and walk toward my bottom bunk on the left. The cot in the center of the cabin is empty and the hooks on the plaster walls still have all the weapons on them. I lay down on my bunk and breathe in the smell of clean linen and dried sage.
Home
It's times like these where I can just truly sit and admire all that is the Apollo Cabin. The rough cedar beams on the ceiling that reminds me of a rib cage, the yellow blooms in flower pots from the island of Delos, my bookshelf with reference books on my father for new campers.
All of it is so perfect and peaceful.
That is until I kick a book off my bed.
I groan into my pillow. I forgot I was reading last night. Leaving it there isn't an option seeing as it'll bother me for the rest of forever if I do so I get down onto the floor to pick it up. I manage to take a peak under my bed and something catches my eye.
I reach under my bed until my fingers wrap around the cool glass and leather of work goggles.
Beckendorf's work goggles.
I take them out and situate myself so that I'm sitting with my legs out in front of me, the goggles sitting in my lap.
I remember exactly how he gave these to me.
***
It was a warm summer day in August at Camp Half-Blood when the cries of a young boy cut through the air, causing many campers to look up.
For those who did, they saw a short boy with a mop of blond atop his head, perhaps about the ripe age of eleven, running over to a bench by the rock wall where another boy sat, completely oblivious to the hysterical cries of the blond.
This boy was tall and slightly muscular for his age of fifteen. He had dark skin and a pair of goggles resting on his hair. There was a tool belt around his waist and he was covered in grease and grime. He was tinkering with a small bronze box in his hands, every once in a while pulling things out of his tool belt to tweak something.
"Charlie!" The blond cried. The boy, Charlie, looked up from his gadget and quickly shoved it away, turning his full attention to the crying kid now in front of him.
"What's wrong, little man?" He asked, his voice full of concern.
"S-something happened to me. A-a boy- he was there and he-just did it and-I ran and-"
"Slow down, Will! Start from the top." The young boy, Will, took a few deep, long, breaths and then continued.
"We were in the dining pavilion and a bunch of campers decided to play spin the bottle so that's what we did and Joshua from Dionysus cabin spun and it landed on me and-and-and-" he cut himself off with bone rattling sobs that racked his whole body. Charlie gently led Will over so he could sit next to him on the bench.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright. What are you stressing about anyway?"
"I- I thought only girls and boys could kiss!"
"Uh, well I guess some people think that, yeah. Either way, you don't have to do it again!"
"But..." Will trailed off, looking guiltily at his sneakers swinging back and forth just above the grass.
"But what?" Charlie pushed.
"I-I think I want to do it again..."
"That just means that you're... ya know, gay."
"I'm gonna burn!" Will sobbed into his hands, heaving a great deal.
"Hey hey hey. You're not gonna burn." Charlie said as he put his arm around Will's small shoulders. "That's crazy. So, you're into guys. You'll be fine. Just go out with guys. It'll all be alright. Besides, we're Greek. God isn't really..." He trailed off, looking at the big blue innocent eyes of Will. "Ah, never mind. Point is, you're gonna be alright, Will. You know what?"
"What?" Will asked, wiping away a few stray tears.
Charlie reached up to take the goggles off of his head and placed them on Will's own. They were definitely too big for him but he smiled nonetheless, happy with his new gift. "These belong to you now."
Will looks up smiling. "Really?" He asked dreamily.
"Yep. You'll, ah, grow into them. Eventually."
"But, they're your goggles!" Will argued.
"Nope. Those goggles are for strong people only and you, Will, are the strongest person I know."
Will's eyes widened to the size of saucers and he threw his arms around Charlie. "Thanks, Charlie!"
"No problem, little man."
***
We didn't hang out as much, what with the war and him dating Silena Beauregard. Still, he helped me with so much and I don't know who I'd be if I hadn't met him.
Hey! A crackly voice says, startling me. This is Austin Lake, I repeat, Austin Lake. So, uh, if there's anyone currently in the cabin right now, we could use some help in the infirmary really quick. Hm? Oh! Right, except if you're Will Solace. This is a Will free zone for the day. But anyone else is welcome!
The intercom then buzzes out, leaving the cabin in silence. I roll my eyes slightly before getting up, putting the goggles until my pillow, and leaving my cabin.
Considering the slightly anxious edge to Austin's voice, I half expected for the infirmary to be in complete and utter chaos. How my siblings could manage to do that? I don't know but as I walk in, I'm noticing it's actually quite peaceful.
I see Kayla to the left bandaging the broken arm of a camper and Austin farther back in the small hallway of a private room peaking his head out.
He notices me, gives a small wave, and then seems to remember I'm not supposed to be here and shoos me away. I just ignore him and walk closer to which he gives an exasperated sigh. "What part of the hand motions I was doing meant come over here, Will!?"
"How's Langston?" I ask, ignoring him.
He rolls his eyes before motioning me down the short hall toward Private Room #2. The door opens and Ethan Langston is sitting on the cot, talking it up with Gracie. "Well, he seems fine now." Austin murmurs.
"Hi, Ethan!" I greet. He looks up and I see the cuts on his left eyebrow and lower lip have healed quite nicely. "How're you feeling?"
"A lot better." He answers. "How long was I out for?"
"About four hours I believe."
"Okay. Where am I exactly?" He asks quizzically.
"Oh well..." I trail off at the faint glow now shrouding the room. Above his head, hover a caduceus. Ethan looks at all of us looking above his head and finally looks up, yelping a little. "Well, at least now we know what cabin you'll be in." I mutter.
"What the hell was that?!" He exclaims loudly, trying to move away from the glowing figure over his head.
"That," I start, grabbing a clipboard out of Austin's hands. "was a sign from your father."
"W-what? My dad's an accountant from Virginia what're you talking about?"
"Wait, you made it all the way from Virginia?" Gracie asks.
"Well, yeah. I guess. I would've have made it though without Sap."
"Like, the stuff from trees?" I mentally facepalm, forgetting Gracie is sometimes like that. She remembers infirmary stuff just fine but give it a couple hours, and she'll forget the gods even exist.
"I think he means the satyr, Gracie." I say slowly. She makes an "o" with her mouth before blushing.
"Yeah," Ethan continues. "Sap Clidrar. You guys know them?" We all nod our heads. "Wait, you called them a what?"
"You know what?" I ask aloud. "There's an entire orientation film that will explain this perfectly. We can help move your things into Hermes cabin and you just get to the Big House."
"The Big House?"
I snap my fingers in the air. "Austin? Can you bring Mr. Langston to the Big House?" Austin nods his head before motioning for Ethan to follow him. "Great. Gracie, please sterilize the room since I'm not allowed to help." I send a glare toward her and she rolls her eyes as she stands up.
"Sir yes sir." She says while doing a mock salute.
With that, I leave the private room and make my way to the clipboard by the door to erase Ethan's name.
I drop the stringed pencil and smile at the paper before someone bumps into me, causing me to knock the clipboard off the wall. "Sorry, Will!" I hear a familiar voice say. "Wasn't watching where I was going." I look up to see Monique threading her fingers through her curly hair.
"It's fine." I say while gathering the clipboard off the floor. "How's he doing?" I ask softly.
She breathes out a hollow laugh. "I mean, he's... He was awake yesterday, but not today."
"I can check on him-"
"No!" She cuts me off quickly. "I heard today was your off day, so have your off day."
"But-"
"You can check on him tomorrow."
"You know, you are really nice when you want to be." I joke.
She scoffs. "Um, excuse me, William? I am always nice." I laugh before making my way toward the door when she stops me. "Oh! Wait! I have something for you! Well, more for Nico but like for you to give to Nico."
"Really?" I ask.
"It's under my bed in my cabin. You'll know it when you see it." She smirks.
"Thanks, Monique." I say after a couple seconds.
"Hey, don't even mention it."
I make my way over to her cabin and find it surprisingly empty. There's a bunk bed pushed away to the right corner beside the door and three normal beds. They're situated so one is in the back left corner, another in the left corner next to the door, and one more in the far right corner.
That one seems to be the most "Monique": A soft looking comforter with oceanic colors that seem to move with the little light flooding in through the door, casting a watery light on the walls.
Actually, the walls seem to do the light thing on their own.
The comforter is a pretty ocean foam color by the pillows and the bottom fades into ocean blue, a piercing purple stripe in the middle of the dark teal color.
There's two bedside tables on either side of her bed, both matching the burgundy color of the wooden bed frame. There's a lamp sitting on the left one, the base of it being three Disney princesses standing in front of a blue castle with white tips. From left to right, it's Snow White with a white dove in her hands, Cinderella holding flowers, and Aurora with her hands broken off, the little jagged nubs just below her chin.
A bulletin board is hoisted on the wall above the headboard with a bunch of random papers thumb tacked onto it. Some have essay length writings and others are torn in half with short little writings, maybe of reminders and such.
There's also drawings, some on lined paper and some on blanks. One of the drawings I sort of recognize, not because I've seen it before but more so the style. "Nico." I whisper under my breath. It looks like one of Nico's that he probably gave to Monique.
Why did I come in here again?
I shake my head to refocus myself which is something I find myself doing a lot more when it comes to Nico. There's a thing under Monique's bed, I remember. I quickly get down on my knees and peer under the bed to find what she vaguely told me about.
Oh.
This is perfect.
***
"Will, you didn't have to do this for me!" Nico exclaims, gesturing towards the small dainty pentagonal music box I'd discovered under Monique's bed. The exterior is covered in moving constellations that shift slowly across the surface. It came with a key that Nico is currently wearing around his neck. The idea was to insert it into the back of the box and turn it enough so that it emitted this beautifully melodic tune.
Right now, we're sitting on the floor of Nico's cabin on the same blanket from our first date and using the same basket.
"I know," I answer modestly. "But you're super special to me and I wanted to sort of prove that, I guess."
Nico rolls his eyes but smiles slightly. "Cheesy." He mutters under his breath.
"Don't I get some sort of a thank you for that lovely gift?" I ask, hoping he knows what I'm insinuating.
"Thank you." he says plainly.
"I was thinking more along the lines of a kiss." I explain. "I mean, seeing as I am the best boyfriend ever-"
"A self proclaimed title." he cuts me off.
"Are you saying I'm not the best boyfriend ever?" I say in mock offense. He rolls his eyes, smiling lightly, before leaning in to peck my lips softly. As he starts to pull away, I chase after his lips quickly and catch them again with my own, thrusting my arm out and under his legs in a sign that I want to move him. He pulls away for a moment, looking at me in amusement. "What?"
He blushes lightly before saying, "You're stupid."
"Hush." I say as I lift him up and onto my lap, connecting our lips once again. He drapes his arms on my shoulders and I hold gently to his waist. He pulls away once again and tries to look anywhere but my eyes.
"It's Italian you know." He says, bringing his gaze to the box sitting on the blanket. "The music I mean. My mother... My mother used to hum that exact tune when me and Bianca were little, I think." He smiles slightly at the memory.
I squeeze gently at his hip bones. "I did not know that." I say in a matter of fact tone.
He scoffs. "Yeah, well." He moves in to peck my lips and I once again hold him close. "Mm, I wanted to eat another sandwich." He hums lightly against my lips, sending shivers down my spine.
"Too bad." I whisper in response as I once again connect our lips. "You have to kiss me."
"Why?" He asks in mock exasperation.
"Doctors orders." All of a sudden, Nico pulls away so he can look at me properly with a glare.
"Really? Using that against me?" I nod.
"Throw away the black box." I say, surprising myself, thinking I just ruined a perfectly good time. Nico's face goes blank at the mention. He slowly crawls off of me and starts picking at the edge of the blanket on the obsidian floor. "Please, Nico," I continue. "I know it's technically none of my business, like you said, but-"
"Okay," he interrupts. "Okay."
"Okay?" I wonder.
"Okay, I understand your concern, and I'll- I'll try not to do it anymore, but I'm not throwing them out."
"Why?" I ask, sounding desperate.
"Because, Will." He says sternly. "That's not how it works. I can't just throw them away one day and the next I'm cured. Just... leave it? Please?"
I bite my lip, trying to think of something. "At least put them farther away from you? Like... I don't know, give them to Monique or something?" I plead.
"No!" He answers immediately with wide eyes. "I mean, uh, I could-" He doesn't finish but rather stands up, heading toward the bookshelf at the foot of his bed.
He pulls down a random book, the spine labeled A Series of Unfortunate Events. He opens it, flipping to the back pocket where a library card would usually go and instead, pulls out a small key. So that's where he keeps it, I think.
He makes his way over to his bedside table, putting the key in the hole, twisting it clockwise, and pulling it open. He takes the box out, displaying it to me and then crosses the room to open what I presume to be Hazel's bedside table that is no longer quarantined off since she's gone back to New Rome with Frank.
The table is identical to Nico's except with a different key sitting atop. He gingerly places the box in the top drawer, along with the key, and closes it, most likely never to be opened again. "There." He says, coming back to sit next to me.
"Thank you." I whisper. He looks at me and rolls his eyes.
"Idiot." He mumbles against.
"You mean you?" I hum, pressing my lips to his softly.
"GUYS!" We pull apart abruptly as Monique crashes through the cabin door, holding what seems to be a thick piece of parchment above her head. "Oh." She says, her cheeks taking on a red tint as she realizes exactly what she walked in on.
"Is there something you need, Monique?" Nico asks through gritted teeth.
Her eyes light up again as she remembers why she bustled through in the first place. "THIS!" She exclaims, crashing down on the floor between us for a better look. "It came down from the wind, like, two days ago and I just put it in one of my drawers to look at later and gods of Olympus, I wish I looked at it sooner."
"What is it?" I ask, inching forward.
Monique carefully unrolls the parchment to reveal the flickering image of Leo Valdez. My eyes widen and I look up to Nico to make sure we're looking at the same thing. He has the same expression as I do until Monique forcefully pushes both our heads down to look at the parchment.
Leo Valdez still has that mischievous glint in his eyes along with the matching grin. His wispy hair is still the same if not a little more disheveled and maybe singed at some edges. He's wearing jeans, a blue work shirt, and his usual tool belt, everything speckled in machine oil. "Hey guys!" His voice emitting from the parchment is surprisingly loud and clear.
Leo spread his arms for a hug. "Sorry to leave you like that. Bad news: I died. Good news: I got better! I had to go rescue Calypso. We're both fine now. We're taking Festus to-" The image begins to gutter like birthday candles not quite getting blown out. "Be back as soon-" Static. "Cook tacos when-" More static. "¡Vaya con queso! Love ya!" The image winks out, and the cabin fills with silence.