Chapter Text
1 - Humorous
It’s hard to focus, Will can barely remember why he’s there.
Mahagonny walls line the space around him, making the room feel sort of endless. Laughter and chatter fill the space, bright and bubbly and sort of heavy all around him. It was the kind of chatter that gives you a headache, fills your brain with fog and mist and makes your thoughts move at the speed of light and run into each other. He wasn’t sure how the Stolls pulled this off year and year again, cramming all the counselors into the small, empty space of the Hermes’ cabin passed curfew. Shocking, he knows. Good boy William Andrew Solace out past curfew at a counselors’ get-together? He never thought he’d see it either. Usually, he wasn’t even awake past curfew, much less outside of cabin seven.
He’s sitting on the sidelines, his back pressed hard against the front of a dresser. The normally stuffed cabin was empty. Most of the bunks were stripped of sheets, only the plastic coverings to hide the bare mattresses. No backpacks on the floor, no scattered clothes, no stray weaponry, no missing armor, no odds and ends, no stolen goods. It surprised him when he walked in and the cabin was clean, for Heaven's sake it was cleaner than the Apollo cabin, which was only slightly suspicious. The only mess was two plastic grocery bags sitting bundled underneath the snacks and drinks they held. One bag was crumbled underneath a box of Capri-suns and a small six pack of Coke-a-cola, the other was pushed down around a family sized bag of Ruffles chips and a sharing size packet of Watermelon Sour Patch Kids.
In the middle of the room, sitting in a loose circle sat all the head counselors, the only one missing was Travis Stoll, the boy who threw the whole get-together himself. It was maybe five days before camp was set to actually start, it was standard for the heads of the cabins to get there a few days before if they didn’t already live at camp year round. Connor sat at the top of the circle, kicking back with a big, toothy smile on his face. He’s talking wildly with his hands, something about how outrageously awesome it was that he, Connor Stoll, beat an Ares kid. Some odd remark, some funny comment, a well placed joke and he had the girls swooning and the room filling with laughter.
Will didn’t get it, Connor’s joke but that seemed to be standard. Connor’s jokes could be hard to understand, hard to take in and grasp properly. Maybe that was just him and whatever bug hid away in the back of his brain that made socializing hard. Whatever it was that ran through his blood, his bones, that made him feel alien amongst the aliens. Whatever it was, he hated it.
At one point, Katie Gardener, head of the Demeter cabin, had slotted herself next to Will in the sidelines and talked affably enough with him about things. How full camp was year round now, how loose and laid back Chiron had become, how cabins seemed so empty despite there being a whooping nineteen year rounders now and even more set to come in seasonally, how lifeless camp was without Luke Castellan around. Then she’d gotten quiet, her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes far away and distant. She brushed off her discomfort with a joke, something quirky and quick, and crawled on hands and knees back to the loose circle.
“Travis, welcome back! What took you so long?” Connor shouted with a burst of laughter, clapping Travis on the back hard enough for it to ring in the cabin. Travis winced then laughed, a joyous noise that made Will’s skin break into goosebumps and his stomach flop. “I dug my way from Hades n’ back, duh.” Que laughter.
Will glanced up from his shoelaces, double taking at the doopy eyed, blushy feeling that washed over him.
The elder son of Hermes sat with his long, gangly legs stretched out in front of him, his arms supporting him from behind and his head luling back on his own shoulders. He had a warm, lazy grin spread over his lips and a relaxed yet playful expression playing on his face. For the first time in a while, Travis was dressed up or about as dressed up as Travis Stoll could get. He was wearing a nice pair of dark washed ripped jeans, a loose t-shirt with fading graphics that read something about ‘ I paused my game for this’ with a green flannel pulled loosely over him and he was shoeless, opting instead for a pair of mismatched patterned socks. His wild curls hung in his eyes, framing the elfish features of his face.
How was Will only just now, after having known Travis since he was 12, noticing how Travis’ warm, rich brown eyes matched the color of his hair or when Travis grinned, smile lines gently drew themselves into his skin in a handsome way and the corners of his eyes wrinkled.
Travis and Connor bantered back and forth in the borderline hurtful way they did with each other for minutes, or maybe seconds, Will couldn’t remember. He was focused, almost in a trace, at the way Travis’ long, nimble fingers picked off a piece of lint from his t-shirt and flicked it aside with a quiet sound effect like ‘ pow ’ or how his neck flexed when he grinned too big and wide and all these hundreds of other meaningless little things Will was only just now taking the time to admire.
“Will? Why are you all the way over there?” Travis’ voice spoke over the sudden silence.
Will blinked rapidly, staring back at the group with wide, owlish eyes. He stammered over an answer, his thoughts all crashing into each other. “Oh, I don’t know.” He finally spewed out, y’know, like an idiot.
“Well c’mere! Join us, William!” Travis said, holding his arms out towards Will and Will noticed, for maybe the first time ever, how his heart skipped a beat when Travis said his name. Awkwardly, the blonde moved closer and sat down beside Travis, right between him and Katie Gardener, who was blushing furiously and making goo-goo eyes at the eldest brother and Will pretended not to notice the small pang of jealousy that bubbled in his chest. Travis grinned widely, a smile suited for an Apollo kid. He slung an arm around Will and squeezed him tight around the shoulders.
“I was so worried you weren’t gonna show,” Travis said in a whisper once Connor was distracting everybody else while telling some fantastical story about the one and only quest he and Travis ever went on.
“I wasn’t going to,” Will said honestly, keeping his voice down. “But Kayla offered to keep watch and you know she’s impossible to argue with.” He said, side-eyeing Travis. “Trust me, I know.” Travis said with a roll of his eyes, his arm was still wrapped tight around Will’s shoulders and Will pretended not to notice how much he liked it. “One time, me and her got into a really big fight about whether or not hotdogs are sandwiches.” Travis said. His head was turned to face the side of Will’s and Will couldn’t decide how he felt about the way his stomach churned at the feeling of the brunette’s hot breath fanning over the hinge of his jaw. “Well, which are they?” Will asked, turning his head to look him in the eye and fighting with the way his stomach dropped at how close they were and how his chest filled with butterflies and ladybugs and flowers when Travis didn’t move away but instead, relaxed.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Travis said, shrugging his shoulders and shifting his body closer. “You don’t know?” “No clue.” He said in curt reply, smiling back at Will. “Well, what did you argue they were?” “I dunno.” He said around a gulp of Coke.
“You didn’t have a side to the argument?” He asked, to which Travis shook his head. “Nope.” He said, popping the p. “Then why did you start it?” “Who says I started it?” “You did?” Will said, his brows coming together. “Did I?” “Yes?” Will blinked. “I don’t think I did.” Travis replied after a thick swallow of soda. “You totally did! You said you and Kayla had an argument about whether or not hotdogs are sandwiches.” “I never said I started it.” Travis said, lightly tapping the butt of his soda can against Will’s forehead. “I don’t think you were listening!” Travis said in a sing-song voice, dipping his head back to down the rest of his soda.
“Was too!”
“Was not!”
Will burst into a fit of light laughter, shaking his head and dropping his head back to down his own can of Coke.
He knows people find it odd how his personality flip flops depending on who he’s with, he knows it hurts some people and their feelings but he can’t help it. He doesn’t know what it is, maybe the little bug that ate away part of his brain and made him feel like an outcast amongst the outcasts, but it loves to make him feel uncomfortable around the people he likes. Sometimes, certain people make his personality bloom and he can be loud and proud and himself but other times those exact same people make him want to shrivel up in the corner. Travis however? Travis never made Will want to shrivel up.
Travis Stoll makes Will Solace feel safe and at peace, and Will’s starting to think his feelings are more than just friendly.
Things move. Conversations shift. People leave. But the entire time Travis’ arm is slung around Will’s shoulders, and their position only becomes more intimate as the minutes slip by.
“I know, it’s crazy right?” Lou Ellen said. She’s talking wildly with her hands, her and Connor both. They’re locked deep into their own conversation, their laughter is pure and happy. It’s only him and Lou Ellen left. The two hour time slot Travis set was running out and the Hermes kids were starting to dribble back in from whatever they’d gone off to do. Really, it’s only three kids aside from Travis and Connor. It’s two young sisters and a boy with a choppy haircut. There’s two other girls who haven’t been claimed yet. They fight constantly, always bickering and butting heads. Last week they had a race to see who could spar the longest without dropping from exhaustion. Will had to drag them both to the infirmary three hours in because they were starting to have heat stroke.
Travis isn’t paying attention to the world around him. His frame is relaxed, his face soft and pliant and eyes closed so softly his eyelashes are fluttering. His arm is still loose around Will’s shoulders but now he’s pulling the son of Apollo to lean into him. He’s wearing the cruddy earbuds he bought at the discount store in town, they’re plugged into his iPod touch and Will can vaguely hear the music he’s listening to. Live While We’re Young by One Direction . Not what he expected from Travis but he was sure that his taste in music was just as wild as Travis himself. There’s a faint, fast fading blush spread over his cheeks and running down the steady column of his neck and his breaths are shallow and slow. Will counts the seconds between each rise and fall of his chest.
The front door creaks open and the boy with the choppy haircut comes in, smiling like the cat that got the cream with a furiously red blush spread over his face and his hands are shaking where he’s cupping his cheek. Will’s not much for camp gossip but he knows a girl in his cabin has a major crush on the guy and he can only hope she’s the reason he’s blushing. Connor greets him then turns back to Lou Ellen with an almost sad pout on his lips. “Sorry but that means it’s time for both of you to head on out.” Connor said, looking from Lou Ellen to Will then back. Lou Ellen flutters her eyes, pouting her lips in a way that is not as cute as when Connor did it. “Oh this was so fun, it always is.” She said, “I always look forward to this little get-together.” She said, rising up on her knees to hug Connor. “We should hang out again sometime, yeah? Before all the campers get here, I mean.” Lou Ellen said, a little awkwardly, leaning back just enough to press a quick, chaste kiss to Connor’s cheek before she untangled herself and quickly scrambled out of the cabin, squealing and giggling as she left.
Connor held his cheek, letting out a dreamy sigh. “Alright, you too, Solace.” He said, pushing to stand up. “Hit the road, dude.” He said, jerking his thumb towards the door. Will went to open his mouth but Travis turned his head, his warm breath fanned over the shell of Will’s ear. “Nah, wanna spend the night, Will?” He asked and Will could hear the smile in his voice. Will’s stomach twisted itself expertly into knots, his thoughts all piled on top of each other, his heart practically sprang out of his chest and his palms were moist with sweat and he couldn’t decide if he hated the feelings or adored them. His emotions were twisting themselves and confusing each other. The little bug in his brain loved to mix and match the names and meanings of emotions so Will never could truly know how he was feeling until he, well, just knew.
Will gulped audibly, he pushed to sit up instead of leaning back against the wall with Travis. “No thank you, I better go back and check on Kayla. I love the girl but she’s never watched over everybody without me nearby before.” Said Will, his voice a little shaky when he pulled away from Travis entirely. When he stood and looked back down at the taller Stoll, he wanted to slap himself for the way his heart soared at the adoring little gleam in Travis’ eyes.
“Let me walk you back?”
“I’ve got to go, Travis. Thank you guys for the nice time.”
Will hurried out of the cabin, shoving his hands into his shorts’ pockets. The cool June air hit his face and he only then realized how burning hot his skin was.
Part of him wanted to spin back around and run straight into Travis but the other part, the overwhelmed and confused part, hated how he couldn’t decide what his feelings were and what his feelings about those feelings were. He’d known Travis since he was 12 years old and now, only now, Travis made his stomach fill with butterflies? Or had Travis been doing that for a long time and Will only now had the half the mind to notice?
He let out a frustrated groan in the back of his throat, pushing his hair from his eyes and standing still at the bottom of the deck stairs. The front door to cabin seven groaned open and Kayla poked her head out, a nervous smile breaking out on her lips. “I’m so glad you’re back, I don’t know how you put up with all this.” She said and that pulled Will from his own mixed and muddy thoughts. “I don’t.” He said with a laugh, putting on the biggest, brightest fake smile he could muster and pushed into the cabin.
2 - Kind
“You’re blushing.”
Drew Tanaka said from where she sat beside Will.
They sat together on the surface of a picnic table, watching from the sidelines while Travis and Connor taught their class. Every cabin had one, which meant every counselor taught a class, though of course Chiron homeschooled all the year rounders and taught the basics everybody should know. Will taught first aid, everything from how to clean scrapes and cuts to how to try and heal Drakon poison. Drew was in charge of arts and crafts, Percy Jackson taught swimming and fishing lessons. Travis and Connor? They taught Monster 101 and Demigods First Training classes, basically teaching the basics of self defense and explaining in an easier to understand way what this whole thing was for the youngest of campers.
“I’m not.” Will said but he kept his head down and brought his hands up to cover his cheeks. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that right?” Drew said, placing a gentle hand on his bicep. “Yeah, it kinda comes with my Dad being the God of Truth and all.” Will looked at her from the corner of his eye and let out a soft sigh at the comforting sight of her. Drew brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, bringing her fingers to fidget with the clay beads on her necklace. “What’s going on?” She asked, gently prying his hands away from his blushing face. “You’re about as red as a strawberry patch, hun.” She teased lovingly, tapping the edge of her fingernail against his nose.
Will opened his mouth to reply but his answer was cut off by one of their youngest campers, a little boy named Tyler Adams, crying out in frustration. He was a scrappy little 7 year old, always covered in bandaids and what seemed to be a permanent ring of Kool Aid around his mouth and dirt underneath his fingernails. He had yet to be claimed but he talked about it every single day, always blabbering about the things that made him think he was this Goddess' kid or maybe that one, and he was always asking which Goddess you thought would claim him. Will never seemed to have the right answer.
“I can’t do it, Travis!” He couldn’t pronounce his R’s so it sounded like Twavis.
He dropped the little wooden sword to the dirt and crossed his arms with a small, soft pout. Even from the sidelines, Will could see the little boy’s eyes filling with tears. Travis looked over his shoulder from where he was helping a slightly older girl get her soft, padded training armor on. Connor took over for him.
Travis knelt down on one knee in front of the young boy, propping his chin in the palm of his hand and giving a soft, sympathetic pout to the boy, one that matched the little boy’s frown. “What can’t you do?” He asked, not an ounce of upset or frustration in his voice, nothing but love and patience for the small boy. “I can’t hold the sword right and my armor doesn’t fit and I can’t reach that-” he pointed to the soft training dummy the young campers used, “and it’s hot and I’m tired and I wanna go home! I don’t understand any of this!” He started crying, plopping down on his bottom and kicking at the dirt.
Travis’ brows came together, carefully he sat back on his calves, watching the little boy cry and fuss. He let it go on for a moment or two but when Travis didn’t immediately swaddle Tyler into his arms and comfort his worries, the young boy looked up at him with huge, watery eyes and a snotty sniffle, only then did Travis respond.
“And that’s alright.” He said simply, moving to sit criss-cross-applesauce and lean down to the boy’s eye level. “I couldn’t do those things either when I first came to camp, neither could Connor, none of us big kids could.” He said, his voice a soft and reassuring coo. “Us big kids had to work real hard to get to the point we’re at.” He said and flipped one of his hands over, letting it hang loosely on his knee. Tyler reached out and set his little palm into Travis’ hand, his sniffling calming down when Travis closed his hand around Tyler’s small digits. “It’s hard, I know that.” He continued, he never forced eye contact with anybody, especially the little kids and only looked into their eyes when they looked into his.
“It’s hard but it’s going to be okay because one day, Tyler, maybe you’ll be taking my place and you’ll be teaching this class.” And that made Tyler smile. “You think so?” “Oh yeah, I think so.” He said, carefully sitting back up on his knees and helping Tyler stand tall and proud. “I think you’re going to do some really cool things.” He said, draft fingers carefully undoing the straps on the soft, padded armor and adjusting them until they fit Tyler’s little frame just right. “Do you think I could be as cool as Percy?” Tyler asked through a sniffle, watching Travis with big eyes while the older Stoll brother undid and redid Tyler’s shoelaces. “Nope,” Travis said, popping the p like he always did. Tyler’s smile flattered, he blinked and pouted and Will could see those big, green eyes starting to get wet again. “I think you’ll be cooler than him.” He said and Tyler beamed.
Travis changed out Tyler’s little wooden sword and gave him one that fit better. He knelt behind the boy and helped him learn how to hold it properly, how to balance the weight of it and grasp the hilt just right.
“Now you’re really blushing.”
Drew said from beside Will, her chin resting pointedly in the palms of her hands and a knowing gleam in her brown eyes. Will groaned, burrowing his face into the palms of his hands. He barely knew himself but he knew Drew knew. He knew Drew’s whole cabin knew. Part of him hated the knowing, smug look in her warm brown eyes, the other part wanted to shake her by the shoulders and scream out the truth at her.
The truth they both knew to be true.
“Talk to me, Will. You know this is a judgment free zone.” She said, scooting closer to him and leaning down to peer at him upside down from between the cracks in his fingers. Grinning when he groaned and shoved her away with gentle hands. “Fine, fine.” He mumbled, his voice shivering with both anxiety and butterflies to finally tell someone. Get the truth out and mean it. He rubbed a hand over his face and pressed his forehead into the palm of his hand. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and almost hated the fact she was looking at him with rapid attention. He opened his mouth, closed it, wet his lips and let out a soft groan of irritation before sitting up with his hands pushing his hair back from his face and his eyes glued to the ground. His heart pounded away at his ribs, his palms dripped sweat and his breathing got quick and tight and he blurted it out.
“I think I have a crush on Travis,” and he saw out of the edge of his eye that Drew’s face lit up and she opened her mouth to speak but he kept going. “Crazy right? Travis? Of all people!” He said with a sort of crazying sounding laugh, he dropped his head backwards and stared up at the sky with these huge eyes. “But he’s so..” He stammered over so many words, talking widely and wildly with his hands before he spewed out; “Good. He’s good, Drew. He’s not just good, no Gods, he’s perfect. He’s everything right in this stupid, stupid world and he makes me feel like I’m floating and I really don’t know how long I’ve seen him like this but I’m only just now noticing it. He’s so soft, he’s gentle and he makes me feel good. He’s handsome beyond compare. He’s so freaking funny and makes me laugh until I’m crying and my stomach hurts. He’s been through so much and he’s still smiling and Gods Drew,” He said quickly, hating the way his eyes were starting to water and his hands were starting to shake.
He turned his head to look at her and with a trembling exhale said in a small, quiet voice. “He makes living look like fun again, Drew.” His voice cracked as he said it. Drew blinked, she left out a soft sigh behind where her hands were clasped together in front of her mouth. “Oh Will,” she said, reaching out and pulling him close. “Oh dear, you’ve got it bad.” and Will laughed, he laughed and it was joyous to his own ears. “I do!” He said and he couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face. “I’ve got it so bad.” He said in a giddy tone, looking up at her from where he was curled against hre. “You do!” She giggled, squeezing him tight. “I’m so happy for you, Will.” She said again when they pulled apart.
Will glanced over at Travis, who jumped up and cheered Tyler on while he fought against the soft dummy. “I’m so happy for me too.” He said, and for the first time, he let himself look at Travis without guilt attached.
3 - Brave
Silence gripped the air, harsh quiet that made his skin tingle with the promises it held.
He could see the edge of the border from here. The thin veil of glittering blue magic that kept him and everybody else in here alive. His back aches from where he’s pressed against the basin of a huge oak tree, his hands tremble where they grip the cup of his quiver. It never seemed to matter to him or the worm in his brain how many times they played Capture The Flag, everytime his anxieties rose to all time highs and drowned him out in the middle of the forest. Being the protector of the flag made it worse.
He wasn’t very well hidden, he knew that. He was curled uncomfortably onto himself, his knees pressed to his chest and his neck bending at an awkward angle. He’s too close to the border, he knows that as well and maybe that was the final nail in the coffin because his head ached with the nerves swimming inside of him.
He’s - maybe - ten feet away from the flag. The blue fabric rippling in the air just in his line of sight. It’s placed in a hidden spot in the brambles. Will’s sunken down on the other side of the bushes, leaving a small path and opening. He’s hiding against a tree with his bow and quiver resting in his lap and the uncomfortable helmet resting by his feet.
He could hear busy voices a stone’s throw away, they made his heart pound hard enough for it to vibrate in his fingertips. He dipped his head back and squeezed his eyes shut tight. It was the first game of the Summer season, everybody was very hyped up. Travis and Connor were on the opposite team, both on red while Will was on blue. Honestly, Will hoped they showed up to swipe it from him, he hoped they would do it right under his nose and Will wouldn’t have to see Travis at all. He’d just hear the big horn sound and kick at the dirt and pretend to be upset that his team lost. He wouldn’t be surprised if that happened. Connor and Travis were fast, the fastest runners he’s ever seen and though both very talented, Travis could sneak in and out so fast you’d blink and he’d be gone.
He’d been avoiding Travis at all costs.
Drew said it was the wrong move to make, Drew said it would make Travis think he wasn’t interested in him and if he did have any feelings, they’d fade away.
Will said it kept him from embarrassing himself in case Travis had his eyes on someone else.
Normally, they were attached at the hip. He and Travis had been the best of friends for years. The relationship he and Travis had was the closest, tightest bond Will had ever had the pleasure of making with someone. Travis knew so many things about Will, so many stupid and meaningless things. He seemed to remember just about everything, every small and dumb thing about Will Solace. He remembered Will’s favorite color is yellow but not just any yellow, sunshine yellow to be exact. He remembered that Will’s favorite candy is watermelon Sour Patch Kids. He remembers Will’s favorite drink is apple juice and his favorite food is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crusts cut off. He’d been the only person to notice when Will showed up one summer, before he lived there year round, with hearing aids and braces and asked him a million and one questions about it. Will had been the only camper to be invited to watch Travis’ performance in a little off broadway show, and Will was the only camper that got free language lessons.
He’d been the only person to come running, at full speed, to Will when he finally came home after the Second Titan War. He’d had tears running down his cheeks, the front of his t-shirt stained with it. He’d tackled Will to the floor and held him so close, cradled the back of Will’s head with a steady hand and cried into the crook of Will’s shoulders. ‘I missed you so fucking much, Will. I thought I’d never see you again.’ . Those words still made Will’s stomach churn with sickness.
CRUNCH.
“You fucking idiot.”
Connor’s voice echoed, followed by another CRUNCH .
“Fuck you.” Travis’s voice murmured.
“Did they leave the flag unguarded?”
“I wouldn’t have guarded it, look how close they left it to the border.”
Will poked his head around the corner of the oak tree, staring at the brothers with wide eyes.
Neither had their helmets on nor were they holding them. Both them and their clothes were caked in dirt and mud and neither had their armor on, just knee and elbow pads. Connor had a gash bleeding on his bicep and Travis had a blooming bruise on his cheek and scrapes up and down his arms and legs. Their clothing had rips and tears all over but despite their rough conditions both of them wore beaming grins. They exchanged something, quick words then Connor bowed dramatically towards the flag and Travis let out a warm laugh that made Will’s insides flop. Travis stepped towards the flagpole, nimble fingers outstretched towards the-
Something caught his shoelaces and suddenly he was being dragged backwards and towards unprotected land. He writhed, a scream that fell silent to himself poured from his throat and he flipped around on his back, kicking and punching at nothing until his eyes landed on the beady stare of a Griffin.
The monster had the outsole of his shoe in its beck, its body hunched backwards into a jumping position, slinking similar to the way cats move before they pounce. Its eyes were huge, wide and bulging out of its skull. It had a single paw raised, claws as sharp as glass poking from the tufts of fur around its toes. It hunkered down and pulled backwards hard, dragging Will with force outside of the border.
He screamed, maybe he hadn’t stopped screaming. He outstretched his arms towards the bow and quiver laying just outside of his grip but the monster pulled and it went blurry behind the edge of the magic lining. It pounced on top of him, pressing him down hard into the muddy earth and screeching back at him, trying to get a grip while Will writhed underneath the beast’s powerful body. The monster’s jaw dropped open and snapped repeatedly just inches shy from nabbing at his skin and Will started planning out his funeral, he hoped it was nice.
Then a flying flagpole hit the damned thing in the head.
“Get the fuck outta here!” Travis yelled from directly behind Will, he was standing tall and proud with full confidence.
Travis held Will’s bow in his hands and the quiver was hurriedly tossed over his shoulders. The bow is drawn back and ready to fire at the monster. “Get the fuck out!” Travis yelled again, making his voice as big and bold as possible. Somewhere nearby, Connor was yelling too. Travis pushed his luck and inched closer, still yelling. “Go on! Get it!” He hissed and fired an arrow. It went zipping past the monster’s head and the beast crooned, making a fuss but surprisingly, backing off. With one final scream from Travis, the damned thing spread its wings and shot into the air, screeching back at Travis all the while.
Will stayed in place, frozen and staring up in awe and maybe crying.
“Holy Hera, are you okay? Did it hurt you?” Travis asked in a hurry, dropping the body into a resting position and dropping to his knees next to Will, turning over the younger boy’s arms in his fingers. “No, I’m okay..” Will said breathlessly, staring up at Travis with wide eyes while the taller boy helped him crawl back into the safety of the border. Connor was already hightailing it out of the game to find Chiron. “What happened?” “I have no clue.” Will admitted, swallowing heavily and watching with rapid attention as Travis checked him over for injury.
“I’m glad you’re safe,” He said, holding his arm out and pulling Will up. “I don’t know why they put you so far out at the border.” He said, looking over his shoulder at the magical wall behind him. “I don’t either but this was one of the first times an Athena kid wasn’t planning out what we did.” “Who did?” “A Hermes kid.” And Will silently loved the annoyed look that crossed Travis’ features. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” He said once he let go of Will, stepping backwards. “And I hope you’re okay with losing the game.” He said and then promptly turned on his heels and sprinted out of the clearing, shouting for his teammates and waving the blue fabric in his grip and Will could only stare in awe.
4 - Supportive
Will didn’t have the best relationship with his body.
That wasn’t to say there weren’t things he liked.
Will liked the way his skin freckled in the Summer sun, he liked how people would gasp at them and how a few, very certain people loved to connect the dots and make up constellations. He liked his hair and the way it framed his face and puffed up ridiculously in the humidity. He liked his eyes and the way the light seemed to change their hue. He liked his hands and the calloused palms that showed all the work he’s done and the scars that told the stories he’d survived.
He liked some things about his body but the others hurt like hell to remember even existed.
The concrete is cold and wet against the soles of his feet and the air was damp and moist with the smell of saltwater and sunscreen. The roar of laughter outside made his head spin and his chest ache with anxiety. The mirror inside the bathroom was scraped and marked with couples’ initials crudely carved into the reflective metal. Tenderly, his fingers brush against the center of his chest, rejoicing in the glee it brought with it. He stroked his fingertips back and forth over the only flat part of him, squeezing his eyes shut and imaging that he was touching the body he longed for but was just too far from his reach.
He imagined that when he’d open his eyes, he’d see a flat chested reflection and the curves he despised so much would disappear and be replaced with the square, firm frame of a man.
His forearm brushed the uncomfortable, heavy part of his chest and the fantasy, the daydream, shattered. He swallowed and opened his eyes, pressing his forehead against the mirror.
He wished he hadn’t agreed to it, swimming with Travis and Connor, in front of the whole camp on free day. It was pathetic, stupid. He hadn’t gone swimming at camp and with good reason too but he knew people whispered, gossiped, told stories without truth behind closed doors and he knew rumors had been spreading fast and quick about the reasons he never showered in the boys locker room, why he never took off his shirt during sparring or training like so many of the other boys, why he never went swimming, why his voice was still so high pitched despite being 16 years old. Kids are cruel, kids are mean even without meaning to be, even more so with meaning to be.
But now, standing in the single-stall bathroom that sat on the edge of the beach, he felt ill at the concept of being seen .
He took a step back and pulled himself through the fabric loops and twists and turns and seemingly endless bundle of fabric and stared back at himself in the scraped mirror and let himself swim in the small, gentle joy it brought. He spread his palms down his chest and dipped his head back, loving the flat fields of his chest underneath his palms, even if over fabric instead of flesh. He felt his face smile bigger and wider than it needs too and let out a shuddering sigh.
He pulled on a loose, stretched out and stained up t-shirt and grinned with pure wonder at his flat chested reflection. He pushed the door open and squinted through the blinding white light and inhaled deeply through the heavy saltwater air. “Will!” Travis’ voice pulled him through the blur and he focused in on Travis, who stood fifteen feet away in his own swimwear, jumping up and down and waving his arms wildly in the air. “Will! William! Over here!” he shouted over the roar.
And for the first time, Will let an adoring smile spread over his lips at the sight of him.
He waved back and started into a run towards the other and decided he adored the way his heart sped up when Travis started running towards him. They crashed into a hug and Will decided he adored the way that made him feel too. He decided he adored the way it felt when Travis pressed his face into Will’s neck, how Travis had to bend at the knee slightly and hunch over to hug him this way. “You ready, dude?” The son of Hermes asked when they parted, a smile, rich and playful, on his lips. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He said, going for upbeat but by the confused furrow in Travis’ brow, it came out differently.
Nevertheless, Travis grabbed Will’s hand and dragged him along and Will decided he loved the spark that shot through his skin.
The sun beat down, the July heat was hot and heavy and overpowering but Will thrived under its rays. Not a cloud in the sky to cover the warmth, a slight breeze pushed through the air and made goosebumps raise on his skin and suddenly, the world faded down to just Travis and him and he decided he adored it. Travis squeezed Will’s hand tight before he dropped it to run full-force towards the ocean, ripping his t-shirt off on the way and tossing it to the sand with a bold laugh that made Will’s stomach twist into comforting knots.
It’s cheesy, the kind of thing he would have read and stuck his tongue out at just a couple months ago, but seeing Travis, being with Travis, in this way made the world seem to slow down all around them. Seeing Travis like this, oddly open and vulnerable, it made the world seem just a little bit brighter. Travis made this world, cold and cruel, seem just a little bit softer. Travis made this life, traumatic and terrifying, seem just a little bit easier and Will decided he wanted to feel like this for as long as he could.
He took a careful step to the edging line of the water, staring down at the waves gently brushing over his feet and kissing his ankles. It was a warm spray that made his body drain from soft tenison. A shot of water sprayed from in front of him, que Travis laughing. Will blinked up at him and grinned. “Oh it’s on, Stoll.” “Oh yeah?” Travis replied, all smirk and smug and splashed Will again.
It landed messily all over his t-shirt and Will’s brain went out the window, his entire world focused on the boy in front of him, focused in a world where his body didn’t matter.
He ripped his t-shirt off over his head and dove in after Travis, splashing him right back in the face with a burst of laughter and Travis laughed back, bringing his hands up to cover his face. “Dude what the fuck! Not the face! That’s my best feature!” He said, moving his hands down to make kissy faces at Will. “Yeah, sure it is.” “Pardon me?” Travis laughed, splashing him back in the face. Will rubbed his eyes free of saltwater and blinked back to reality and Travis was staring. His eyes glued to Will’s chest, his head tilted to the side and brows raised. “Oh.” Will said, bringing his arms up to cover his chest.
“It’s uh..”
“I know.”
Travis said, his eyes going back up to Will’s.
“Oh.” Will said, squeezing his arms around his chest.
“You know I don’t care right?” Travis said, tilting his head to the other side and scratching the back of his neck. “You don’t?” Will replied, his grip around himself loosening. “Well, I mean I do!” Travis said, like suddenly there was a bad taste in his mouth. “Like I care but it’s not like -” He made a funny gesture with his hands, swallowing audibly. “I mean I care as I want to support you and I don’t see you differently.” He said, folding his arms over his chest. “Right..” Will mumbled, letting his arms fall to his sides.
“You’re still William Andrew Solace, the biggest pain in my ass ever, so..” He shrugged, letting his own arms fall limp to his sides. “You’re still the coolest and I’ll admit, second best looking dude at camp.” “Second best?” Will quirked a brow, a smirk playing on his own lips. “I’m the first.” He said, as if it were obvious. Will laughed.
Another thing.
Travis didn’t care about Will’s body. And that made Will feel a lot better about himself.
The conversation passed quickly, and they spent a long, long time in the water. When they were drying off, talking affably about millions and hundreds of different, stupid things. Travis paused mid hair dry, the towel loose around his neck and a nervous blush spreading up his cheeks and down his chest, the start of a bad sunburn blooming on his shoulders.
“Hey Will?” Travis’ voice cracked, he wouldn’t make eye-contact.
“Hm?” Will hummed distractedly, still focused on drying himself down.
“Do you want to go to the firework beach with me during the end of camp celebration?” .
5 - Loving
“Will, calm down! You look fine!”
“Just fine?”
Will groaned, turning away from the mirror with a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping with force when he reached the ends. Annabeth was looking at him like he was crazy, like he’d just grown two more sets of arms and an extra head and started glowing. He had to check in the mirror just to calm his nerves.
“Annabeth, he has all the right to be nervous.” Drew said from where she sat next to the daughter of Athena. “Not all of us have had perfect, golden relationships since we were fourteen.” She teased, poking Annabeth’s bicep. “I just think he’s panicking a bit too much, he doesn’t even know if it’s a date or not.” “Exactly!” Will whined, rubbing his hands over his face and turning back to the mirror. “For all I know this is just a friendly get-together.” He heard Drew scoff, she stood up and walked up behind him, placing her hands on either side of his biceps, leaning down so they were eye-level in the mirror.
“I don’t think he’d ask you to firework beach tonight of all nights if it were a friendly get-together. Everybody knows fire-work beach becomes makeout central during the end of Summer celebrations.” She said, tucking a stray strand of his wild hair behind his ear. “Beides, a friendly get-together, one-on-one, on the beach?” Will gave her an unsure look and she rolled her eyes, looking behind them at the blond girl lounging on Will’s bunk. “Annabeth, girl, back me up here.” Drew said as she picked up a hairbrush and began fluffing up Will’s soft locks.
“She’s right, Will. I think it’s more than just friendly, he seems really interested.” Annabeth said, flopping down on her back with her hands resting on her stomach.
He knew they made quite the odd trio. It seemed to surprise everybody that they were all friends, all fairly close friends. Drew and Annabeth had already been friends since before Will came to camp, being girls around the same age and coming to camp the same week, they clicked pretty quickly once similar interests were introduced. For Will, Annabeth and Drew had been the campers to show him around the camp on his first day and it sort of blossomed from there but it didn’t become something as important to the three as it is now until Will came out as transgender to both of them and they set out to help him socially transition.
Annabeth had helped him buy brand new clothes that made him feel better, Drew cut his hair for him, and all together they decided on the name William after two sleepovers just filled with searching baby name websites.
“How can you tell?” He asked, wincing as Drew brushed out a knot. “You just kind of can.” Drew said, then Annabeth laughed. “But your mom’s the goddess of love, Drew. I think you’ve got a better knack for that sort of thing. But she’s right, it’s pretty obvious.” Will made a confused noise, grunting when Drew pulled all his hair back and started fluffing it all out. “Well, he’s always making goo-goo eyes at you, babe.” Drew said with a playful drawl in her voice, “He’s always making kissy faces at you too.” Annabeth said before mockingly making kissy noises at Will. “He gets as red as a cherry when you guys are hanging out.” “He talks about you non-stop, it’s hard to even figure out a battle plan during capture the flag games because he just keeps bringing up all sorts of stuff that reminds him of you.” Annabeth said and Drew laughed.
“She’s right! Last week he said the color of a leaf reminded him of you and me and he got ambushed by some people in your team.” Drew said, using her hands to tame the wild fluff that was his hair, it looked more like a pomeranian right now but he knew Drew would work her magic and somehow calm it down.
“He likes you, Will. I think he likes you a lot.” Annabeth said kindly from the bunk, folding her arms over her chest. “I think everything will work out just fine.” “Yeah,” Will said, swallowing down the thick feeling of his nerves. “I hope so.”
The sunset dissolved into oranges, pinks and purples. The sun crashing into the ocean, melting into its lovers’ embrace and disappearing into the comfort of sleep. A light, heated breeze blew through him and goosebumps rose on his skin. His face was hot and warm, it spread down his neck and down his chest. Butterflies danced inside his stomach and begged to be released, their wings tickled and fluttered and made him feel dizzy underneath the warmth of it all.
He could see the silhouette of him, his lean frame lit up by the setting sun. He’s sitting on a beach towel, his knees to his chest and shoulders tense. There’s a plastic grocery bag sitting next to him, and Will felt his face break into a smile just a little too wide and a little too big.
Will, even if just in his head, could finally admit he was mesmerized and in complete awe of Travis Stoll. Everything about him, from his beautiful and creative personality to the shape of his nose and the curve of his cupid’s bow. Sometimes, he had a hard time remembering he and Travis weren’t attached at the hip and he couldn’t decide whether or not he was okay with that, but he had decided that he was okay with his love, ever growing and wild, for Travis.
He flattened his hands down his shirt, both to smooth out the material and to clean his palms of sweat. He was still thankful the girls let him pick out comforting clothes. A simple t-shirt and cut offs. He was glad they let him go with the flip-flops instead of the tight and uncomfortable converse shoes. He took a deep inhale, his chest shuttering when it blew out, and sent a quick prayer up to his Father before trudging forward.
“There you are! I was getting nervous you weren’t gonna show.” Travis admitted and Will savored the honesty in his voice. “Annabeth and Drew got me all caught up in something.” Will said with a light laugh, sitting down next to Travis on the beach towel. “Yeah?” Travis asked, his shoulders dropping to a relaxed state, his accent slipping through and Will reeled. “Yeah.” Will replied, his voice soft and he could feel the heat rising in his face and see the pink blooming on Travis’.
“Did you have a good time this Summer? Even with the crazy kids you’ve got?” Travis asked, tilting his head to the side with a raise of his brows. “Yeah, I mean it was more hectic than normal. I wasn’t expecting to get four new kids but they’re all pretty well behaved. What about you? I can’t really talk about crazy campers, all of them go through you at some point or another.” Will said, copying Travis’ position with a smile. “It was alright,” he said with a shrug, “believe it or not, this was one of the quietest year’s I’ve ever had.” He said, and Will tried to pretend he didn’t feel Travis’ hand twitching and inching closer to his. “Really?” “Yeah, except for those Nike girls.” The older boy said with a laugh, shaking his hair and Will couldn’t help but add ‘The way his curls bounce’ to the list of things he loves about Travis Stoll.
“I know, they’re sweethearts but gosh, I’ve never seen anybody compete like that since Jason and Percy last Summer.” He said, inching the urge to seize Travis’ hand. He glanced down and melted at the sight of their hands so close together. “Hey, it isn’t as bad as the week Percy, Jason, Nico and Thaila were all here at the same time.” Travis said, and his fingers curled into his palm before stretching out. Sparks flew when their fingertips brushed at the action. “That was pretty bad, yeah.” Will said with a breathless laugh, looking back up at the older.
“You’re glowing.” Travis said, and it sounded dreamy. “I am?” Will said, looking down at himself and reeling when Travis’ other hand reached out and brushed, so tenderly, over the glowing freckles that littered Will’s skin. “It’s cute, like a lightning bug.” He said, and then they made eye contact.
The sun was gone now, his twin sister rising in the sky instead and the stars poking holes in the dark, blanketed sky. He sees, vaguely out of the corner of his eye, campers holding little sparkler sticks, laughing and chatting. Travis’ skin was lightly illuminated by Will’s freckles, a soft pale yellow painting the sharp angles of his face and Will felt the butterflies fighting to break free. “Will..?” Travis’ voice came out soft, his accent thick and warm like dripping honey. His fingers twitched when Travis’ fingertips brushed tenderly over the scarred top of his hand, light touches over his knuckles before the entirety of the son of Hermes’ hand settled over his.
Will glanced down quickly before looking back up at Travis from under his lashes, turning his hand over underneath the other boy’s palm. “Yeah..?” Will said, his voice just barely about a whisper, just barely loud enough for him to hear. “I’ve been really wanting to talk to you about something.” Travis said, but his eyes were glued to their joint hands. “But I think we’re thinking the same thing.” He said, and their eyes met and the world melted down into nothing but the two of them.
Travis’ free hand raised up to cup the underside of Will’s jaw, his thumb brushing over the hinge and long, nimble finger settling right behind Will’s ear. Will’s free hand shot up to grip Travis’ wrist and press his touch there harder. The son of Apollo suddenly hyper aware of how close their faces were and how hot Travis’ breath was over his lips. “Can I..?” He stammered over the other word, the word they both knew. “Yeah..” Will said, and the butterflies escaped.
It was unclear who joined them together first, who pressed them close and kissed the other first, but when it happened, the whole world seemed to click together and make sense.
Electric sparks shot up and down Will’s spine, and where they were touching, skin to skin, felt as hot as a burning, red iron stove and this overwhelming sense of safety washed over him.
Will moved his hands and cupped the sides of Travis’ neck, brushing his thumbs tenderly back and forth over Travis’ skin and letting out a soft, happy noise when they parted.
Travis beamed, laughing loud and joyously. “I have wanted to do that for so long!” He said breathlessly, moving his own hands to cup over Will’s hands. “Holy Hades, Will.” He laughed, dropping his head forward and Will couldn’t help but laugh with him. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Travis’ and without words they seemed to come to an agreement but he had to make sure.
“I really really like you, Travis.”
“I really really like you, Will.”
And this time, Will pressed their lips together.
Maybe, just maybe, everything would end up okay.
“Guys I found Travis! He’s finally sucking face with Will!” Connor’s voice echoed from somewhere to the left and they parted, Will with a laugh and Travis with cussing his younger brother out.