Sunshine Through the Clouds

Will--Good Ol' Southern Fun

*Minor trigger warning* Use of guns in this chapter, but no hunting or killing

After a dinner of perfect barbecue the night before, Will awoke ready for a day full of mudding and shooting. At camp, he was pretty mediocre as far as archers go. Most of his father's blessings had missed him, anyway, aside from healing. Here, however, he was a star, Olympic-level shot. Guns were the same way. He could hit a target from hundreds of feet away, even if it was a tiny disc being launched out of a skeet shooter. Needless to say, he was excited.

He worked up the courage to show off his pride flag to Kayla and hoped Nico either wouldn't get it or wouldn't care. Nico, for the record, certainly didn't seem to care. It made Will a little worried that perhaps he didn't get it. He tried to shrug it off, but still. What if his crush couldn't tell he was gay? Or, gods forbid, what if Nico was against it? He was raised in the '30s, aka the not most accepting time. Will said a silent prayer after the Iris Message that Nico didn't suddenly hate him now.

Will threw on a green hoodie and camo pants, then put on his hunting boots. They were a little snug, but fit just enough that he figured he could work with it. Besides, it's not like they were actually going hunting. His mama was absolutely against killing things for sport, and he was, too. Adam gave it up after marrying Naomi. It would be okay if his camo wasn't perfect or his boots didn't slip on just right. He walked out of his bedroom, enjoying the clunking his boots made on the hardwoods, and stepped outside to wait on the front porch so everyone could get ready.

Out there, the view was so lovely. Trees lined the gravel driveway that provided the house a little bit of privacy from the main road. The house had a wraparound porch that Will used to run all around, hiding behind pillars and chasing the dogs they used to have. It was in the front yard before him that he'd first shot a bow, a present he'd gotten for his seventh birthday, and it was also here that he experienced his first monster attack when he was eight. Behind him, his childhood home stood in all of its glory. It was white with dark oak accents, vintage-style shutters covering the windows of the second floor.

"Reminiscing, I see," Naomi said from the front door. Will turned around from where he stood to face her.

"Yeah. It's pretty, this time of year."

"It's pretty every time of year," She countered.

"As long as you exclude the summer, it's pretty nice, too," He said. She laughed.

"Don't you mean hell's front porch?" Now it was Will's turn to laugh at the nickname they'd both assigned Texan summers long ago.

"So," Naomi sat down on one of the two white rocking chairs they had out front. Will sat down beside her before she continued talking.

"How's New York?"
"It's been pretty good," He said.

"Don't you lie to me, now," She said, looking him in the eyes, "Anything bad happen? Monsters?"

"Monsters are a part of the package, mama. Everything's fine," He bit his lip before he said 'I promise.' Will wasn't normally a liar, unless it was to keep his mother's nerves at bay, at which point he told more white lies than a politician.

"Okay. You know I love you," She said, pulling him into a hug.

"Yes, mama, I know. And I love you, too."

Around an hour later, after grabbing a quick bite to eat, they met up with Adam's brother and his wife at a country club they apparently frequented. There was a small pavilion at the center, with two trailers around it. Trail beginnings were at every available corner. Some were labeled, and others were so well-known they didn't need a label. They'd brought a side-by-side, and Adam's brother, Thomas, had a few four-wheelers. Dirt bikes and other four-wheelers were kept in a small garage beside the trailers.

Tristan took no time to begin bouncing around, showing Will all of the vehicles and how cool they were.

"There's a 450, Honda, I fixed the engine a bit ago," He shrugged as if it was nothing, "Oh, and that four-wheeler? Kawasaki, almost brand-new, really. Perfect condition when we picked it up." Tristan reminded Will a little of the Hephaestus campers, what with his love of all things engine-having and mud-slinging.

"Okay, Tristan, time to head down Maya," Thomas came up behind them in the garage as Tristan was explaining how they bought a 250 Yamaha dirt bike.

"Awesome! Will, you know how to shoot, right?"

"'Course I do. I brought my bow, and Kamryn brought hers, and my mama brought her AR and pistol. Y'all got the targets?" He asked. Tristan nodded.

Will was led to the side-by-side, but he insisted on driving his own four-wheeler. Sure, he was a bit out of practice, but his southern instincts kicked in. He stayed in the middle of the pack, with Thomas and his wife, Abby, in the side-by-side ahead of him and Naomi on her four-wheeler right beside him.

They came to a stop in a clearing, after going down the trail known as 'Maya,' and Thomas set up the few bow and gun targets he'd brought. Everyone took turns getting up, aiming and shooting. Naomi insisted on ear plugs, which Will seconded. His doctor instincts were stronger than his southern ones, and he didn't want hearing loss, thank you. When it was his turn to shoot, he first went with the AR from about fifty feet. Lined up, took it off safety, pulled the trigger...

Right on the red.

"Nice one!" Thomas hollered. Will continued, backing up here and there, just to be a show-off. He finished a round with the AR and decided to go for his bow. He felt it under his hands and lined it up the way Kayla had showed him. It felt comfortable and natural in his grip. It's crazy how weapons don't feel impossible to manage when it's not a life-or-death situation. He knocked an arrow and let it fly, not even trying that hard. It hit the bullseye perfectly. Of course, he was only about twenty-five feet away, so he backed up. He backed up with each shot, and each time, he hit the red ring.

"Shoot, kid, you're good," Adam muttered. Will only smiled as he shot even better shots. He then decided to go for a shot Kayla and him and created together, which they'd called the Rockstar. Essentially, it goes like this: Back up, sprint forward, jump while shooting, and land on your knees. It looks harder than it actually is, especially after you've warmed up, so Will decided to give it a shot.

Like everything else, it made it to the bullseye.

Everyone behind him was cheering as if he'd won a national football game. Well, maybe not that loud, but they were still excited. Will'd come down from his shooting high and set his bow on the ground as Kamryn ran up to him.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" She asked, eyes wide.

"Well, we'll work you up to that," He smiled at her. It took all of three seconds for her to be holding her bow at the ready, and he was helping her line up her arms and hold the arrow properly.

"Move your hand a little...There ya go," He said, "And I'll help you let go this first time, okay?" She nodded.

"Three...two...one!" He let go as her fingers uncurled. The bow kicked back a little, but Kamryn didn't budge. She was practically using Will as a support beam at this point, anyway. The arrow hit right on the orange line, almost outside, but close enough. He smiled and clapped her on the shoulder.

They continued like that, shooting together, until Kamryn hit a bullseye and cheered so loud, Will was pretty sure all nearby animals had vacated the area. It was a fun day, one full of all the things Will had missed from when he was at Camp. This time, however, he was missing something else...

He silently promised himself that he'd bring Nico down here one day. His mama had told him to bring somebody, after all.

A/N: Sorry if these chapters seem to be coming out *very* quickly, I'm just enjoying my one free day to get as many done as I can!  I've got three, maybe four left to write.  I hope you guys are enjoying this fic, and please vote/comment if you are. 

Chapter title art is not my own: https://staryns.tumblr.com/post/150312227452/im-so-trash-for-solangelo-lately-i-wanted-to