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At this point, no one questioned the monster attacks anymore. All it took was a battle cry or the ringing of the emergency bell, and Camp Half-Blood sprung into action.
Some were worse than others. A couple months back, a creature that not even Annabeth could identify almost wiped out the Hermes cabin completely.
Attacks were part of the unpredictable routine of being a demigod. Everyone was pretty much used to them, Will would almost venture to say that they were kinda prepared.
This one just happened to be in the middle of the night.
Will had already been working for a while, he wasn’t sure how many hours. Nothing drastic, but he was tired.
When an Ares camper came sprinting into the infirmary with a wounded sibling in their arms, he knew his shift was about to get quite a bit longer.
Campers kept flooding in, a steady stream of broken bones, scrapes, concussions, even a couple of severed fingers. Will had to delicately explain that if they didn’t have the other pieces, he couldn’t make them grow back.
Austin and Kayla showed up almost instantly, scrubs put on hastily and hair askew. They’d probably been sleeping ten minutes prior.
Nectar and ambrosia covered every nightstand, every cot, every table. Will made so many trips to the gauze cabinet that he could consider it a workout.
At some point during the invasion, one of the windows was shattered by a poorly-aimed mace. Will ducked as the weapon flew straight over his head and stuck itself in the wall behind him.
When Clarisse came in supporting another Ares girl, Will managed to get a word in before she ran back out.
“Hey, have you seen Nico?” He asked, helping Clarisse’s sister into a cot nearby.
“I just passed him on the way here, he’s doing fine,” she replied before disappearing behind the door yet again.
A wave of relief surged through Will. Nico was safe. He was fighting, but we was okay.
That was the part he hated most about battles, Nico was always so far away. Whenever Will was stuck in the infirmary like he was now, there was nothing that he could do to help him if he needed it. If Nico really needed him, Will couldn’t be there.
He pushed the thoughts away as he wrapped the leg of an Aphrodite kid who had clearly never been in a fight before. He offered his hand to squeeze before trying not to grimace at the strength of the grip that followed.
He’d sung more hymns than he cared to remember. His throat felt scratchy and dry.
As far as the night went, the infirmary was surprisingly organized. After all, this was not an odd occurrence. As the cries and crashes continued outside, the work started to take a toll on Austin and Kayla.
He watched as Kayla almost fell asleep on top of a camper she was caring for, he caught her shoulder as she started to fall. Austin’s eyes focused somewhere far away and he almost missed the injection he was giving.
He was about to tell them to take a break and get Chiron when Drew Tanaka burst through the doors. “Solace! We need you out here!”
Will jumped up from where he was sitting and followed her as she ran back out the door. He was usually pretty fast, but all of the healing was starting to catch up with him.
He missed the last step of the stairs entirely, falling flat on his face. He groaned and got up as quickly as he could, his vision swimming. Could the monsters maybe stop attacking so he could get some sleep?
Drew was kneeling on the ground by an injured Aphrodite boy who looked like he was about to hurl. His leg was a mangled mess, hid face was as white as a ghost.
Will took an ambrosia square out of his pack and gave it to him, put some salve on the cuts that he could see, and started to sing. He could physically feel the energy leaving him as the cuts healed and the bones reconstructed themselves beneath his fingers.
He finished singing and the Aphrodite boy looked up at him thankfully, but Will could see fear in his eyes.
“Have you seen Pip?” He asked frantically, and Will raised an eyebrow.
Before he could answer, Drew spoke up. “He’s over by the Big House, see?” She said, pointing towards a figure that must have been Pip.
The boy sighed in relief, a smile forming on his face. “I thought…” he started, then turned to Will. “Thank you, sir.”
Will almost laughed. Sir? Gods, how old did he look? Sure he was tall, but was probably only five or six years older than this kid.
He started to stand up and get back to the infirmary when his vision blurred and his legs stiffened. He swayed on his knees, and braced himself for the short fall.
Warm arms caught him.
He smiled as his face brushes familiar raven hair. He locked eyes with Nico. “Glad you’re okay,” he said. Most times after an attack he’d find Nico passed out in the grass, it’s nice for a little change of pace.
“Dunno if I could say the same about you, sunshine. You need to sit down for a second” Nico responded as Will tried to stand again. Nico helped him to his feet, and the two made their way back to the infirmary. Will regained his footing when his body was upright again.
Before they could get back in the building, a panicked voice called out, “Will! Help!” Will snapped back and started jogging toward the fallen camper shouting for him.
“Will!” Nico yelled, and Will stopped. “What are you doing?” Nico was still looking toward the infirmary.
“I’ll be there in a second, someone needs me,” Will replied hurriedly, turning to run again. Before he could move, Nico grabbed his wrist.
“No, you can go get Kayla or Austin to take care of that. Now-“
“They’re too tired, I gotta take care of this,” Will said, pulling his wrist in Nico’s grip. He didn’t put up too much of a fight, with all of his strength sapped and all.
“You almost passed out just then, Will. You don’t have the strength left to heal them.” Nico started pulling him back to the infirmary.
“No, stop!” Will shouted, yanking his arm from Nico successfully. “I’m fine, Nico, I’ll meet you in there.”
“You are dead on your feet, Solace,” Nico said angrily. “You need to take a break.”
“Take a break? And let these kids die?” Will said in disbelief. He couldn’t imagine how scary that would be, bleeding out on the ground, calling for a medic who wouldn’t come just because he felt a little sleepy.
“We can get Chiron, you need to take care of yourself!” Nico snapped, and Will ignored him and ran towards the injured boy. He was already wasting enough time.
“Will! Come back here!” Nico shouted, beginning to follow him before a crash from the Big House caught his attention. He groaned in frustration and ran to go help the campers stuck in the rubble.
Will fell to his knees at the side of the wounded camper who had been shouting for him, a new Hephaestus kid who he’d shown around camp a few weeks prior. His small, pale hand clutched a deep stab wound that left the ground covered in blood.
Will cursed through his teeth as he put pressure on the wound, ignoring the way his head pounded as he hummed, praying to his father. A piercing pain erupted from his temple as the wound closed. He offered the boy a small smile before helping him to his feet.
Will guided him back to infirmary and helped him into one of the cots near the door, grabbing a nearby glass of nectar. As soon as he was taken care of, Will poured himself a small glass of nectar and downed it as quick as he could.
He felt some of the the pain from his splitting headache let up and his legs felt more strong. He’d be fine.
He scanned the room for Nico, who was nowhere to be found. Probably back in the heat of the action.
Will hadn’t meant to snap. He wasn’t upset with Nico, he’d just been spread a little too thin. He made a mental note to apologize the next time he saw him. But for now, he had lots to catch up on.
The fight died down after that, leaving non-lethal injuries for Will to worry about. At least there was that.
He gave Kayla and Austin some nectar as well so they could stay energized a little longer. If they could finish wrapping and cleaning all the patients they had right now, they should be fine. Once the monsters were gone, then the Head Campers could come and help out.
He was exhausted. He considered taking another swig of nectar, but he didn’t want to deplete their supply. He looked around at the campers chatting softly. Most of them were resting, he found himself a little jealous.
He’d just finish with this wrapping, then he’d take a break. A short one. He tore off another piece of gauze.
Then, he heard it. A scream coming from outside. Nico’s scream.
He frantically handed the Athena kid with a twisted ankle an ambrosia square, alerting Austin to finish caring for her. The hinges of the back door creaked in protest as Will stormed out of the infirmary.
The woods behind the infirmary were dark and forbidding, Nico’s cries almost echoed off of the trees.
“Will!”
Will’s heart twisted painfully as he tried not to cry, whipping his head around to see where his boyfriend was. His skin glowed so he could see beyond the shadows.
“Nico!” He couldn’t see Nico. Where was he? “Nico, where are you?”
Will was running in circles at this point. Nico was nowhere to be found. He was going to be too late. It was exactly as he had feared, he’d been too busy to even notice that his boyfriend was in danger, and now he wouldn’t be able to save him.
Tears streamed down his face as Nico’s screams trapped themselves in his mind, repeating over and over and over. Will’s foot came into harsh contact with a raised tree root and he lost his footing, sprawling on the ground.
Quickly, he scrambled to his feet.
When he looked up, he was face-to-face with the biggest Crocotta he’d ever seen.
The monster looked like a wolf-hyena-dog mix, except with much bigger claws and much scarier eyes. Will’s heart dropped to his shoes.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
He’d learned about Crocottas when he was younger, he’d learned the legends. How they could imitate the voice of a loved one, how they’d lure people away to eat at their souls. He’d seen photos in textbooks, one had even made its way into the heart of camp a few years ago, but this one was huge.
The Aphrodite kid earlier, asking for Pip, a temperamental fear behind his eyes. The stab wound from before, just as shallow and curved as the claws three inches from his fingers.
A wave of horror passed over him. He was completely defenseless. In his haste, he hadn’t even grabbed a weapon. He was toast.
He tried to get up and run, but the monster was faster. A paw crashed into his side, throwing him into a nearby tree. Black spots settled in front of his eyes.
Before the creature could strike again, Will managed to roll out of the way, claws raking deep cuts into the bark of the tree.
He fought his way to his feet, delirious from pain and exhaustion. He tried to run back towards camp before he realized that he wasn’t sure which was it was. He didn’t recognize the woods one bit.
His body felt like it was made of lead. Any movement he made rippled through all of his limbs, his legs shaking.
This was it. He turned back to face the Crocotta, reaching blindly for a stick on the ground to try and defend himself.
He managed to grab onto a branch before the creature took another swipe at him, and he swung as hard as he could, trying desperately to remember his training. The branch shattered upon impact, but the Crocotta coiled its limb away with a cry.
He couldn’t keep this up. He needed help.
But no one was coming. He’d run off without telling anyone where he was going, he had no way of contacting any of his friends. He was going to die alone in a dark and creepy forest and there was nothing he could do about it.
The Crocotta growled angrily and lunged at him, and Will couldn’t find the energy to evade.
Sharp claws dug into his chest. If he had any strength left, he’d probably scream.
His legs gave out and he collapsed, blood pouring from his wounds. Put of his quickly fading peripherals, he could see the Crocotta circling him.
He thought of Nico. Their little fight would be the last time he ever spoke to him. He’d never get the chance to apologize. A tear slipped from his eyes as they closed.
The darkness took him.
.
Nico sighed in relief when the last of the monsters finally exploded into dust. Camp was a mess. There was shrapnel everywhere, younger kids were crying, and he was pretty sure that the roof of the Ares cabin was on fire.
All in all, a normal Tuesday.
Except for the fight with Will. He groaned just thinking about it. He needed to find Will so they could talk about it instead of shout, and maybe after a nice long nap with lots of cuddling.
He was about to open the infirmary door before a startled Austin stumbled out right in front of him. He looked up at Nico and his shoulders relaxed.
“Hey Nico, where’s Will?” He asked, and Nico cocked his head.
“What do you mean, isn’t he with you?” Nico asked, bubbles of fear forming in his chest.
“He sprinted out a couple minutes ago, I thought he would be with you,” Austin mumbled, worry spreading across his features.
“Did you see where he went?” Nico replied, scanning the area for any signs of him once again.
“He left through the back door which was pretty weird-“ Austin was cut off by a very out-of-breath Clarisse.
“Where’s Solace? One of my girls is in trouble,” she said, looking around. Her eyes fell on the worried faces of Austin and Nico, and an expression that Nico had never seen on Clarisse take form.
She was scared. A strange calmness enveloped her voice as she tried to analyze the situation. “Where was he last seen?”
“He sprinted out the back door of the infirmary, he didn’t say anything, he just started running!” Austin’s words jumbled together. Clarisse nodded, placing an awkward hand on his shoulder in some attempt for comfort.
“Then we head for the woods. Austin, go get Kayla and meet us there. Di Angelo, you’re with me,” Clarisse ordered and Austin ran back into the infirmary.
Nico followed Clarisse around to the back of the infirmary and into the woods, any and all light vanishing. Clarisse’s fists were balled tightly around her weapon, her eyes looking in every shadow, every nook and cranny.
These woods were not an area that Nico had ever explored before, it was all new terrain to him. Clarisse on the other hand, she knew her way around.
The two of them cried out for Will as loudly as they could, but the blanket of leaves seemed to absorb any sound they could make. That was, until a piercing scream came from beside them.
“Nico, where are you?”
Nico whipped his head around towards the noise. “Will!” He waited for a response, but never got one. He took off running as fast as he could, his footsteps mirrored by Clarisse. But even with her knowledge of the woods, they weren’t able to find him.
It was like the night was working against them. They searched for what felt like hours, running around in circles.
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the corner of Nico’s eyes and he almost toppled to the ground as he stopped himself.
“What is it?” Clarisse asked, but Nico wasn’t listening. He knew that glow. It was faint and flickering, but it was him. He was calling for them.
He ran through the shrubs and the dead branches and burst into the clearing. As soon as he could properly see Will, his breath stopped right in his chest.
He could feel it before anything.
The darkness, the aura of death. He wasn’t a stranger to it, but this was Will. This changed everything.
His heart was quite literally shattering in his chest, the broken, jagged pieces slicing his body to bits.
He willed his legs to move against his better judgement, and somewhere in the back of his mind he heard sounds of Clarisse fighting whatever it was that had hurt his boyfriend.
“No, no, no, no, no,” he mumbled desperately as he ran to Will’s side, examining the damage the best that he could. There was blood everywhere. Nico could feel the color draining from his face.
“Austin! Kayla!” He shrieked, praying they were close behind him. He Will’s limp hand it is, swallowing the gag that surfaced at the coldness of it, and held it to his chest.
“I’m here, baby,” he whispered, tears falling from his eyes. “You can wake up now.”
Will wasn’t moving. At this point, Nico wasn’t even sure if he was alive. His senses were muddled and clouded with pain, he couldn’t think straight. He cupped Will’s face with his hand.
“Will, look at me, please.” He was pleading now, words catching in his throat and choking him. Where were Austin and Kayla?
His mind wandered back to all of the small moments they shared. All of the morning walks to breakfast that Nico pretended to hate, all of the late nights around the campfire listening to Will’s awful singing, all of the challenges they’d faced together over the years.
And the last thing he’d done was yell at him. Nico bit back a sob as the memory resurfaced.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he cried. “Just please don’t leave me.”
There was another presence at his side, he saw Kayla frantically singing a hymn with tears in her eyes, Austin right behind her. A final dramatic war cry came from behind them as Clarisse claimed her victory.
All Nico could focus on was Will’s face, trying to will his eyes to open, for his mouth to curve upwards into that familiar dorky smile. A stray curl rested in front of his eye, Nico brushed it back.
He cursed himself for being helpless, for being powerless as he watched his boyfriend bleed out. Whenever Nico needed help, Will knew exactly how to fix him up right away.
But Nico was completely useless. All he could do was sit and stare and pray.
Kayla’s hymn was broken apart by sobs, Austin rubbed reassuring circles into her back. Clarisse appeared next to him, shouting something that he couldn’t hear.
His ears started ringing horridly, and for just a moment, he was that bubbly kid asking Percy Jackson where his sister was.
Clarisse moved to pick Will up, but Nico beat her to it. He slipped an arm under his neck and another under the crook of his knee.
For a moment, he considered shadow travel. There were certainly plenty of shadows to escape into, but Will was already weak. If he was surrounded by shadow completely, who knew what would happen, and that wasn’t a gamble Nico was willing to take.
Instead, he did what he did best: run. Somehow, any doubt of direction was completely lost. He knew exactly where he was going. Clarisse, Kayla, and Austin were right behind him.
He was not going to lose anyone else.
.
Will woke up surrounded by warm arms. Gentle, which he was thankful. Even in his delirious partially-asleep state, he could tell that his body was aching.
He tried to take a breath when his chest caved with pain. He doubled in on himself slightly, awakening the demigod next to him.
“Will?” Nico whispered, propping himself upright on the mattress next to Will. The most he could offer the death boy was a lopsided smile.
“Morning, sunshine,” Will replied, taking Nico’s hand in his.
“You scared me half to death,” Nico said as a hand reached up to cup Will’s face. He melted into the light touch.
“I’m sorry,” he said, watching the worry float around his boyfriend’s eyes, catching a sparkle of hope.
“Don’t say that,” Nico breathed, leaning in to kiss Will lightly on the lips. It was just a brushing of skin, but it made Will’s knees feel even weaker than he already was.
He smiled as Nico pulled away, shifting just slightly to give him a little more room. Nico immediately grabbed a glass of nectar from the table behind him and held it up to Will’s lips. He drank slowly, a warmth spreading in his chest.
His torso was wrapped in multiple layers of tight gauze, half of his tattoo poking out of the top. He hoped it hadn’t been ruined by the scratches.
“I’m sorry,” Will said again, almost a prayer. Nico frowned.
“Will, stop-“
“I’m sorry. I got mad before, I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have done that,” Will said with as much force as he could muster. Nico’s face fell.
“That wasn’t your fault, Will. I was being unreasonable-“ Will pulled Nico in for another kiss, catching the words before they could be spoken.
“You were looking out for me, just like I would’ve for you.” Will said slowly, tracing Nico’s collarbone with his finger.
Nico scoffed. “Look how that worked out,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
“What do you mean?” Will asked.
“You were dying. I couldn’t even tell if you were alive. Kayla, Austin, and Clarisse were looking out for you, I just sat there.”
“That’s not true.” A new voice spoke from behind them. Will looked up to find the teary eyes of Austin. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight of his awake brother, catching Will in a very precarious hug, so as not to stress his injuries.
Austin pulled away, taking a deep breath and trying not to cry. “You have to tell someone where you’re going next time you run out of the infirmary.”
Will laughed lightly, smiling. “I promise.”
After another ambrosia square and a quick checkup from Austin, he dashed off to go and tell Kayla the news.
Nico slipped under the blanket and pressed his body against Will’s, resting his head on Will’s shoulder.
Will racked his mind for things to say. He hated when Nico felt like this, like there was nothing he could do. Just being here meant the world to him, but Nico wouldn’t believe him no matter how many times he said it.
He reached one of his hands up to play with Nico’s hair, untying a couple of small knots.
“I was so afraid that I’d lost you,” Nico whispered, barely loud enough for Will to hear. Will kissed his temple, rubbing circles into Nico’s palm with his thumb.
“I’m sorry that I scared you,” he replied.
“No, don’t be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for,” Nico said firmly, squeezing Will’s hand. “I’m just glad you’re okay now.”
He chuckled. “You should’ve seen it, Will. Clarisse came to visit you while you were out, she read you poetry.”
Will’s mouth hung open. “Right in front of you? She’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Oh gods no, I was hiding, trying my best not to laugh.”
Will hummed, “Were you hurt at all?”
“Will, I cannot believe that is what you’re thinking about-“ Nico started angrily.
“I’m serious.” Will’s voice was soft but steady, and Nico paused.
“I’m fine, Clarisse took care of the monster as soon as we got to you, I didn’t even see what it looked like.”
Will let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in.
“Why?” Nico asked hesitantly, sensing that there was something deeper to this.
“Ever heard of a Crocotta?” Will whispered, tears forming in his eyes, and Nico understood. He knew what those monsters were capable of. He snuggled closer to Will.
“I thought you were hurt, I couldn’t find you.” Will breathed, the panicked feeling from earlier slowly returning. He remembered collapsing in the forest, worried that he’d lost his boyfriend forever.
“You were screaming, and the last thing I would’ve done was yell at you,” Will said, taking a deep, grounding breath to try and collect himself. When he looked down at Nico, he was crying too.
“You can’t get rid of me that easy, Solace,” Nico said, leaning up to plant a small kiss on Will’s neck.
“Me neither, sunshine,” Will replied.
The two were interrupted as the door opened so fast Will through it would fly right off the wall, and before he could think, Kayla was hugging him.
Where Austin and Nico had been gentle because of his injuries, Kayla was determined to hold him close, claiming “We’ll re-heal them, just let me hold you.”
Doctor’s orders (Nico’s orders, actually. He just put on one of Will’s scrubs so he could call himself a doctor), Will stayed in the infirmary for the next three days so he could get his strength back.
It was hard to watch people come in and not be able to heal them right away, but a break from healing is exactly what Will needed.
Unfortunately, he did find himself quite bored throughout the day. Nico sent him multiple smirks that read, Not so fun, is it?
When he was discharged, he took it easy. Smaller shifts, more time for campfires and walks to breakfast. More time to learn a little bit abut close combat so he would be able to defend himself in future monster attacks, of which there would be plenty more.
Slowly but surely, he was learning how to heal.