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Lee finishes wrapping the bandage around Castor’s upper arm, securing it with a firm pat. "There. Should be alright—just no crazy strain on it for the next few days."
Castor inspects the wrapping, his lips pulling into a pout. “It’s so ugly,” he whines, casting Lee a pleading look. “Can’t you just give me some ambrosia?"
Despite the mini-heart attack he suffers at the hands of Castor’s gorgeous puppy eyes, Lee resists, arching an eyebrow. "I’m not giving you an instant fix every time you and Pollux decide to go at it."
Castor almost immediately drops his act, rolling his eyes as he stands up and begins to straighten out the messy cot. “Like you don’t do the same whenever Kassy beats the crap out of you."
“Slanderous," Lee declares dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. Without warning, he grabs his balled-up rubber gloves and launches them at Castor, hitting him square in the chest.
The gloves bounce to the floor, and Castor catches them on the rebound, his expression screwed in concentration as he lobs it at the trash can. His attempt is pitiful—the gloves missing by at least a foot.
Lee snorts, shaking his head as he grabs the gloves and steps back to correct the throw. “Watch and learn, twinkle toes.” Closing his eyes, he spins on his heel once, twice, and releases the gloves. A second later, he opens his eyes just as the gloves fall cleanly in the bin.
Castor watches the whole thing with an unimpressed frown, hands on his hips. "You’re so goofy,” he huffs before striding towards the door.
Lee frowns, quickly scanning the room for anything left to do before following behind. “I practically saved your life, and this is the thanks I get?”
"Maybe a little ambrosia would’ve helped with the nasty patient attitude," Castor retorts, twirling a lock of hair and throwing Lee a teasing smile. And really, despite his previous offense, when a pretty boy smiles at Lee, he can’t help but smile back.
They walk down the hallway, the scent of antiseptic lingering in the air, and into the main room of the infirmary. Midday light filters through the half-curtained windows, casting soft shadows across the neatly arranged supplies. As they approach the door, Lee’s eyes find Callie, who’s in the middle of stitching up a little Hephaestus camper’s arm. Her hands move gracefully, barely stalling as her eyes flick toward them. “Leaving so soon?”
Lee speeds up, throwing an arm around Castor’s shoulders, all but steering them to the door. "Yep. Just so busy today. Things to do, people to see, you know how it goes.”
Callie scoffs, finishing her stitches before offering the sniffling camper a small piece of ambrosia and a soft smile. Once the kid seems to calm down, she turns back, crossing her arms and leaning against one of the side tables with an amused smile. "I just would have thought you’d at least take a shift while you’re here, brother dearest."
Lee rolls his eyes, tightening his grip on Castor. "Nope," he chirps, swinging the screen door open and practically shoving Castor outside, despite the son of Dionysus’ complaints.
He’s nearly in the clear when Callie calls out to him again. "Don’t tell me you only showed up to watch over your Prince Charming?”
Lee’s face heats up, his cheeks flushing a deep red. He grits his teeth, grateful that Castor is too focused on grumbling about Lee’s pushiness to listen to her. "Just—shut up," he hisses, shooting her a withering glare.
Callie’s laughter follows them, and out of the corner of his eye, Lee catches her making exaggerated kissy faces. He instinctively raises his hand to flip her off but notices the small child staring up at him, wide-eyed. The gesture morphs into an awkward thumbs-down, which only makes Callie laugh harder.
Lee pulls the door shut a little harder than necessary, the sound echoing faintly behind them as they step out into the bright morning. The warm sun bathes the camp in light, glinting off the surrounding buildings and the distant lake. As they approach the cabins, the area is alive with activity—campers milling about, some heading to the archery range while others practice their swordsmanship in the distance. Nearby, Lee catches a glimpse of Luke sprinting after one of the Stoll brothers (if the flowering vine wrapped around his neck is anything to go by, probably Travis), barely pausing long enough to return Castor’s small wave.
Lee nudges Castor as they walk. "So, what now?"
Castor wrinkles his nose, glancing over at the Dionysus cabin with distaste. “Well, Polly and I have to clean the cabin. Again, after the last showdown. Inspections and all that tomorrow, you know,” he grumbles.
The mention of inspections brings a smile to Lee’s face. "Well, good news—I’m on duty."
Castor immediately perks up, letting out a loud whoop. His enthusiasm is so genuine that Lee almost feels bad for what he has to say next.
“Bad news—Silena’s my partner."
He watches in real-time as Castor explores all the stages of grief, seemingly stalling somewhere between anger and depression. He groans loudly, burying his face into his hands. “Oh my gods, we’re so screwed."
Lee can’t help but laugh, wrapping a hand around his wrist and squeezing lightly. "I’m sure you guys can keep it together for one afternoon."
Castor lifts his head, eyes narrowing slightly as the sun catches in them, highlighting them with a hint of purple. “You are seriously underestimating the struggles of living with Pollux."
Lee laughs again, reaching a hand out and pushing some loose hair from Castor’s face. Before he can respond, a voice calls out from across the green, “Lee, get your butt over here.”
He considers ignoring the call, but after a moment draws his hand back. With a sigh, he turns to see Val standing a few feet away, arms crossed and a tight expression marring her face. He groans as he looks back to Castor. “Well, I guess duty calls.”
Castor laughs, his eyes crinkling in amusement as he steps closer, patting Lee on the arm. “Sounds like fun. Find me if you can wrangle out of this one anytime soon, Romeo,” he says, giving Lee’s arm a final squeeze before letting go and walking back to his cabin.
Lee watches him go, messy Dutch braids swinging loosely above his shoulders. After a few more seconds of appreciative watching, he forces himself to turn and head over to his murderous-looking sister. As soon as he’s close enough, Val lunges forward, grabbing his bicep and dragging him toward the cabin. Embarrassingly enough, Lee barely suppresses a shriek as he tries to regain his balance, clumsily finding his footing after a few rough strides. “Val, what’s going on?”
Val doesn’t stop her march of fury, instead squeezing Lee’s arm tighter as she speeds up. “He won’t leave the damn cabin. We’ve all tried, but he just won’t listen. And he’s supposed to be one of the good kids! So now we’re all going to be late to music, and I really need to work on one of my songs—”
“Evaline,” Lee groans, trying in vain to tug his arm out of her grasp. Even the full name doesn’t slow her stride. “Who in Hades is ‘he’ supposed to be? We have, like, at least five boys in the cabin.”
As they finally come to a stop in front of the cabin, Val huffs and releases her death grip on Lee. Some of their other siblings are loitering near the entrance, their expressions ranging from vague annoyance to severe dejection. They seem to perk up when they catch sight of Lee. Val turns to face him, grabbing his shoulder and shoving him toward the door. “It’s Will. And before you ask, yes, I mean cabin baby Will.”
From his position sprawled out on the grass, Vasanth sighs loudly. “Honestly, if I weren’t so annoyed right now, I’d give him props. Didn’t think he had it in him to be such a menace.”
“Menace is an understatement,” Elle murmurs, twisting one of her braids absently. “Baby’s been on the same tantrum for probably twenty minutes straight now.”
Lee glances over to Kassy, who is sitting cross-legged on the porch, glaring into the distance. Snapping his fingers twice, she looks over with a frown. “Hm?”
He raises an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest. “What’s all this about?”
She sighs, flipping her bangs out of her face with a tad more aggression than necessary. “Music class, if you can believe it”
And honestly, Lee can barely believe it. It’s unusual for a child of Apollo to be upset over a music class of all things. Even those siblings who didn’t inherit their father’s musical talent still find comfort in listening in on the classes.
And all of this coming from Will of all people? Will, who greets every camper—even the Ares kids—with dimpled smiles and excited waves. Will, who goes out of his way to sacrifice part of his meals to a different less-known god or goddess despite being claimed because they sound cool and I want them to know. Will, who spent half of his young life touring the United States with his mom, surrounded by music from every corner of the country.
He’s only seven, one of the youngest campers here, but in the few months he’s been at Camp, Will has been nothing but kind and considerate. He goes out of his way to make sure his siblings don’t worry about him—not a habit that Lee is particularly fond of, but one he’s come to accept.
Lee sighs, dragging his gaze back to Val, who’s currently winding up her leg to land a kick at Vasanth’s prone side. “Val, is Will still in there right now?”
Val pauses, hopping with one leg in the air as she nods. “Yup. Last I checked, he was clinging to his bed for dear life. I think Michael mentioned something about prying him away the hard way.”
Lee winces at the thought. Despite some of their siblings' opinions, he thinks Michael is adjusting well to his role as an older brother—he’s surprisingly gentle with Will and Mari when needed, hasn’t complained much about being assigned Will as his shadow in the infirmary, and is stern enough to maintain control of the cabin when both Lee and Kassy are occupied. That being said, he certainly wouldn’t have Michael as his first pick for managing a potential emotional meltdown. And he suspects Michael isn’t exactly thrilled about the task either.
Rubbing a hand across his forehead, Lee turns to face the rest of his siblings, clasping his hands together. “Okay, all of you can head to class. If I’m not there by the end of it, just stick to today’s schedule. Kassy, you mind taking charge for the morning?”
“Yes, actually, I do mind,” Kassy grumbles. Naturally, Lee ignores her.
“Great! Y’all get going now. And Val—be sure to show me that song you’re working on this evening, okay?”
Val nods, giving Vasanth one last light kick as he rolls around on the grass, trying to avoid her. She sprints off toward the amphitheater, with Vasanth hobbling after her, muttering curses. The others follow suit, Kassy lingering behind momentarily. She shoots Lee a stern look.
“Be nice to him. I don’t want to see even one tear on his face,” she grumbles, waving her dagger in his direction. Lee rolls his eyes and bumps her shoulder lightly as he steps past her.
“I’m not the one who needs the warning. And by the way, who thought it was a good idea to put Michael in charge of this?”
Kassy scowls, effectively answering Lee’s questions. Tucking her dagger away, she flips him off before stomping after their siblings.
With the loving send off, Lee creeps over to the door, pausing for a moment before slowly pushing it open. “Godsdammit,” he grumbles.
Michael is standing beside Will’s bunk, his arms secured around the younger boy’s waist, pulling with such an effort that his shoes are wrecking the carpet beneath him. Will, to his credit, is putting up quite the fight for a seven-year-old of his size. He clings to the bedpost with all limbs, much like a koala, his fingers locked in a white-knuckled grip.
The site would be more amusing to Lee if it weren’t for the fact that both boys are screaming incoherently at each other. It seems to be a tossup on who might break down into tears first.
Lee quickly crosses the cabin, struggling for a few seconds to detach Michael’s hold on Will. “What in Hades are you doing?” he hisses, finally pulling Michael back and shooting him a disapproving frown.
Michael scowls, crossing his arms in defiance. He shoots a glance at Will, who has now taken a seat on the edge of the bed but still clings to the bedpost. When Will doesn’t meet his gaze, Michael turns his frustration back to Lee. “Listen, this was a last resort. We tried good cop, bribing him with candy, bribing him with money, reverse psychology… none of it worked. So now, I’m handling this the Michael way.”
With that declaration, Michael lets out a roar and launches himself back at Will. Thankfully, Lee manages to grab Michael’s sleeve, yanking him back before he can go in for round two. Will barely reacts to the commotion, his gaze fixed on his bedsheets with a defiant glare.
“No more of the Michael way today, heatwave,” Lee warns, giving Michael’s forehead a light flick. Michael hisses but otherwise ceases his struggle, allowing Lee to release him and turn his full attention to Will.
He takes a tentative step forward, then another when Will doesn’t react, quickly closing the gap between them. Stopping just a foot away, Lee crouches down slightly to meet his brother’s eye level.
“Hey, Will,” he says softly. Will’s gaze flicks up at him for a second before dropping back to his sheets. At least he’s listening. “Wanna tell me what’s going on?”
Will glances up again, his small face unusually stern, a rare scowl painting his features. “No.”
Well, we tried! Let’s give up! remarks the tired single father of twelve that constantly lurks around the back of Lee’s mind. Reluctantly, he ignores the suggestion, keeping his focus on Will. “C’mon, you won’t even talk to me? Your favorite big brother?”
“Rude,” Michael grumbles, coming up next to Lee and aiming a kick at his shin. Lee winces, clutching his leg and then promptly collapsing onto Will’s bed, pulling his knee to his chest as he cries out dramatically. Like a soccer player performing the dive of his lifetime, he rolls onto his back with a wail.
Michael doesn’t seem very impressed, muttering something about “at your grown age” with crossed arms. Lee chooses to ignore him. He’s more focused on the tiny smile twitching at the corners of Will’s mouth as the boy tries, and fails, to keep his frown intact.
Progress, Lee thinks to himself, mentally cheering as he sits up and scoots closer to Will.
“I know you might not like music lessons much, kiddo, but the point of Camp is to push us out of our comfort zone from time to time,” Lee says softly, folding his hands in his lap. “The blessing—and I guess curse—of being an Apollo kid is that we have so many different talents in our cabin. We need to give all of our siblings a chance to work on their passions.”
Lee studies Will’s face, hoping something he’s saying is getting through. Similar to most of his head counselor career, he’s really just grasping for straws—improvising based on similar talks he’s had with stubborn campers before.
“You don’t have to do much today, but you won’t know if you’ll enjoy it till you try.”
He stands and circles around to face Will, whose expression remains frustratingly neutral. For such a small kid, he’s got a fantastic poker face when it counts. Lee kneels slightly and extends a hand, offering a soft smile. “So? What d’ya say, firefly?”
Will stares up at Lee, his gaze flicking between Lee’s outstretched hand and his face. Lee holds his breath as Will’s shoulders soften, a small smile forming.
He meets Lee’s eyes, and in his sweetest voice says, “No.”
Without another word, he turns away fully from Lee, staring at the back wall.
Lee blinks once. Twice. A few more times as his brain reboots. Michael, standing next to him, starts cackling loudly, practically doubling over. “Oh, this is great,” he wheezes out. “Will—say it again! I’m gonna get the camera!”
Will, of course, doesn’t reply to Michael’s taunts, remaining facing the wall. As Lee’s brain finally catches up, he turns to Michael with a scowl, swatting at his head. “You know, you seem a bit too entertained for someone who just got outmuscled by a seven-year-old.”
Michael’s laughter falters abruptly, expression twisting in annoyance. “Not all of us can be eight feet tall, dickhead.”
Lee scowls, swatting at Michael once more. “Swear jar. And really—Will’s right there.”
Again, Will makes no move to show he’s listening. Michael also does not move, rolling his eyes. “He already knows it, relax. And I didn’t teach him that one, Kassy did,” he adds quickly at Lee’s dark look.
Lee sighs, tabling the discussion of swearing around the cabin babies for another day. He turns back to Will, pursing his lips in thought. After a moment, he glances to Michael, who is still looking distinctly amused. “Alright, you. You’re heading to music class now.”
Any lingering glee drops from Michael’s face. “What? No, I wanna stay!”
Lee rolls his eyes and, without missing a beat, swiftly hoists Michael over his shoulder. Immediately, Michael starts throwing out kicks and punches in a fit of noisy defiance. Lee grits his teeth, doing his best to not falter until they reach the door, throwing it open and depositing Michael just outside.
Michael growls, crossing his arms over his chest. “I thought we weren’t doing things the Michael way! That was literally strategy me.”
Lee shakes his head with a sigh, crouching to meet Michael’s gaze. Despite the younger boy’s scowl, he can read the hurt written on his face—the unsure flicker of his gaze. Lee feels a twist of guilt—after almost two years of being brothers, he’s come to realize that Michael’s just as sensitive about feeling rejected as any other pre-teen. “I appreciate your help, Mikey, but Will needs some one-on-one time right now, okay?”
Michael’s face just tightens, eyes glued to the ground. Lee gives his forehead a gentle poke, making him look up. “You know, since Kassy is supervising today, the drums might be open.”
This catches Michael’s attention. “Really?”
Lee nods, flashing him a small grin. “Yup. And if you play loud enough, Kassy might even burst a blood vessel.”
The chance to irritate his older sister seems to outweigh his disappointment as he finally nods, turning towards the amphitheater. “Fine, fine. I’ll go check it out.”
Lee chuckles softly at Michael’s faux reluctance, watching him hurry off with a renewed sense of purpose. As he lets the door close, the cabin falls into silence, leaving just Lee and Will. He turns his attention back to Will, who had been watching the exchange but quickly looks away, a frown settling on his face.
Lee approaches and takes a seat on the edge of Will’s bed. The silence stretches between them as Lee searches for the right words. After a deep breath, he finally begins to speak.
“You know, when I first came to camp, I didn’t want anything to do with the infirmary,” Lee confesses softly.
Will glances to him, tilting his head in confusion. “But… the infirmary is fun.”
Lee shrugs, a smile tugging at his lips. “I didn’t think so. Honestly, it was kinda silly—my mom’s a nurse, so you’d think I’d be used to it. But I was freaked out by all the medical stuff. And I wasn’t good at it like some of the others in the cabin, so I figured, why bother?”
The younger boy leans closer to Lee, curious “So you didn’t go?”
Lee pauses, running a hand through his hair with a small huff. “I wish. But no, Callie begged me to give it a real try. She said maybe I just needed to find my thing, y'know? Tap into what I’m good at.”
Will’s eyes widen. “And did it work?”
He winces a little, shaking his head with a wry grin. “Nope. No magic revelation that I was suddenly amazing at it or anything. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d never do it again.”
Will furrows his brow, puzzled. “But you still work there.”
Lee nods. “Yeah. In part because I kinda have to, but really the main reason is Callie. It’s important to her, and I wanted to be there for her, even if I wasn’t great at it.” He pauses, his voice softening as he gives Will a small smile. “Now... I know it’s important to you too, so I wanna be there for you.”
Will’s shoulders relax a little, but his gaze drops, his fingers fiddling with his shirt. “I don’t wanna play music,” he mumbles after a pause. “I get scared. My mama tried teaching me her guitar, but... I wasn’t any good. I always mess up when people watch.”
Lee leans in, gently bumping Will’s shoulder. “Well then, you don’t have to play if you don’t want to. Gods know we’ve got plenty of musicians here who would be more than happy to show off.”
Will glances up at him, frowning slightly. “Really?”
“Really.” Lee grins. “How about this: you come to one music class a week, just to hang out and listen. No playing, just watching. And on the other days, you can help Callie in the infirmary. She’d love to have you.”
Will’s eyes brighten with excitement. “Do I get to work with her? Like, do real doctor stuff?”
Lee snorts, ruffling Will’s hair till it sticks straight up. “Well, maybe not surgery anytime soon. Callie’ll probably start you on bandage duty or something small, but you’ll work your way up. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be running the whole operation.”
Will preens at the thought, sitting up straighter, and Lee feels a tightness in his chest—something between pride and a bittersweet ache at watching his little brother just keep growing up. “Alright, doc, if we hurry, we can catch up before arts and crafts.”
Lee stretches, casting a glance down at Will, who’s just swung his legs off the bed. He barely can fight the grin spreading across his face. “Actually, let’s finish things up the Michael way!” Before Will can react, Lee swoops down and lifts him up, throwing him over his shoulder and bolting toward the door.
This time, there’s no protest—only Will’s shrieks of laughter echoing as they race into the bright campgrounds, stumbling beyond the green.