Sunshine Through the Clouds

Will--Nicknames and the Infirmary

Breakfast seemed a little too quiet. Will sat at the Apollo table with his siblings, listening to Kayla and Austin describe their brilliant plan to go 'internet famous.' It wasn't really describing, per say, more like controlled bickering over who would be the face of their YouTube channel. He tried to tune them out and focused on his pancakes, but something didn't seem right.

Even with all of his siblings around him, talking and laughing and joking, he felt so alone.

He did a quick scan of the pavilion, observing the other tables. The Hermes table was crowded, even considering all the campers that had left or...were no longer with them. He was struck with memories of all the wounds he'd tended and silently struck himself for remembering them.

The past is gone, the past is gone--

"Will?" Austin snapped his fingers in front of Will's face, which was pointed down to his plate.

"Wh-huh?" He stuttered, snapping back upright.

"What'd ya think?" Kayla asked, spreading her arms wide as if she'd proposed the cure to cancer.

"Great idea, guys," He said, sugar-coating his voice with fake cheer. Kayla just frowned.

"What's wrong, bro?" She asked, concern laced among the words.

"Nothing," Will lied. He could tell neither of his siblings bought it, but they didn't say any more, so he considered it a success. Kayla and Austin carried on, talking and only kinda bickering with each other, as Will looked over to the Hades table on the far end of the pavilion, where Nico sat all alone, nothing on his plate.

Less than half an hour ago, the two were setting up Cabin 13 together. They talked about life in general, and once Nico made it clear he wasn't in the mood to talk about his family, Will spoke up about his own. "I mean, obviously, my dad's Apollo," he began. Nico looked about as fake-shocked as you could get.

"Really?" He said, widening his dark brown eyes. Will found himself staring at Nico's eyes as he looked away. They looked generally content, maybe even happy, but he could see darkness and sadness lurking underneath. He was determined to get rid of all the bad things, to restore his eyes to a solid and happy color. As his professional doctor, of course. Nothing else.

"Yeah," Will laughed, short and quiet, "But my mama--My mom, she's a country singer down in Texas."

"That explains the accent," Nico muttered.

"Sorry, I just can't help it," He pronounced 'can't' like 'cain-t.,' which made Nico laugh.

"Anyway," Will coughed in an attempt to ditch the accent. It didn't work. "She got pretty stressed after...my dad," Will waited for Nico to interject, but he stood still and listened to everything he said.

"I visit her on occasions, mostly just for the holidays. But now, my granny ain't doing so well--My grandmother isn't doing very well and she wants me to come down for a bit to visit and/or heal her."

"Huh," Nico said, once Will was done explaining, "I hope she gets better." Will sighed, knowing that not every patient can. Memories flooded over him again, reminding him of the battles he'd fought in and all those he couldn't save. Without another word spoken between them, it was time for breakfast, and now Nico was all alone.

All of the happy talking and chatter would normally put Will at ease, especially after a long shift in the infirmary, but if anything, it only stressed him more. He couldn't bear the thought of having to stand one more minute of staring at Nico, beautiful, wonderful Nico, being all alone, unable to eat.