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The Apollo cabin felt empty.
Due to the war against Kronos, what was once a bustling and thriving community was now the small remains of what it used to be. Only Pure Vanilla, Wind Archer, and two children, were able to make it out alive.
The sounds of sniffles reverberated across the cabin. Wind Archer’s heart ached for them— they shouldn’t have had to experience loss so young. It was the curse of being a demigod, disaster is inevitable, regardless of your age.
“I—I miss her!” Custard cried. “Chili Pepper didn’t deserve to die.” Upon the sight of Wind Archer, he leaped off the bed to embrace him.
“You should be sleeping.” Wind Archer said softly. He placed a hand in his hair as he leaned into the touch.
“I can’t.” Custard replied through snivels. “I’m scared. And— and they’re starting the campfire soon. Ferret is already there.”
A small sigh escaped his lips. “I’m sure they’ll understand if you decide not to show up. Plus, all that healing must have made you really tired. I urge you to rest.”
“But I’m not—“ A loud yawn escaped Custard’s lips.
“All that crying made you tired.” Quipped Wind Archer. He gently picked the small child off the ground and placed him on the bed. Slowly, he wrapped the blanket around him, wishing he could’ve done more for him, for the rest of their cabin.
“Goodnight.” He said quietly. Before he could walk away, a voice called out to him.
“Could you sing me a song, Windy?” Custard asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Like… like Cream Puff did.”
A soft smile laced his features. “Ah, my voice could never compare to hers. But I can play you a bit of the lyre.”
Custard sighed. “That works.”
—
Everyone in the camp was invited around the campfire in tribute of the ones who passed on but after days of non-stop healing, all Wind Archer wanted was to grieve his fallen siblings. Alone.
After putting Custard to sleep, he quietly snuck out of his cabin and headed towards the mountain near camp. He sank to the ground and admired the starry sky above.
Wind Archer has resided in Camp Half-Blood ever since the age of 6. He never knew of his birth parents or family members, so every new sibling that stepped foot into the cabin was a joy to him.
And now it’s all gone.
It was a war. Death was unavoidable. The guilt was not.
“Where’s Cream Puff? And Madeline? And everyone else…”
“Cream Ferret—“
“You said you’d bring them back! You said you’d take care of them!” Their cries echoed through the vacant cabin. “I want my family. Bring my family back.”
Wind Archer used all the strength he had left to not sob alongside them. “Ferret, they were my family too.”
“So why couldn’t you protect them?”
Gore, violence, Shadow Milk — The war was nothing but a giant blur in his mind. All he could recall was that he should have done better. He should have died instead. At least in death, he would no longer have to deal with all this culpability, no longer have to clean up the messy aftermath. However, his siblings didn’t deserve to feel such heavy feelings, either.
“Ah, I knew I’d find you here.” A familiar, rough voice spoke. “You missed out on all the fun.”
Wind Archer was in no mood to deal with Fire Spirit’s antics at the moment. The Hephaestus boy had a way of creeping his way into his heart and making him vulnerable and soft, something Wind Archer has actively avoided for the past few days. Thus he ignored Fire Spirit’s remarks until he became intolerable.
He clapped loudly in front of his face. “Come on, Archie! You’re not going to get camper of the month like this.”
“Stop calling me Archie! I hate it.” Wind Archer retorted, recollections of Shadow Milk consuming every inch of his mind.
Fire Spirit blinked. “Since when?”
“Since always.”
“ No. You’ve never been like this before.” Fire Spirit said, his usual optimistic tone shifting to a serious one. “You’re acting all distant and cold. I haven’t seen you since you wrapped my arm in gauze! Which was days ago !! Just ‘cause you're the head counselor doesn’t mean you get to act so tough.”
Wind Archer crossed his arms in irritation. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Uh huh. Look up, Windy.” Fire Spirit gestures towards the bright blue sky that was adorned with thousands of constellations mere minutes ago.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. ” The red haired boy said sardonically. He let out a sigh before taking the spot beside him.
“It’s not your fault.” Fire Spirit affirmed. “I’m not great with all this mushy stuff, but… we all lost people, y’know? I— People care about you. So we should grieve together . Instead of disappearing for the entire night.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean to do that.” Wind Archer nudged the other softly. “But, thank you, Fire Spirit. That means a lot.”
“Of course, of course. Anything for you, Windy.” Fire Spirit remarked. “If you’re going to bail out on us, at least tell someone first. Pure Vanilla— and, me— was worried sick when we couldn’t find you in the cabin.”
“You didn’t wake up poor Custard, did you?”
“Oh, I totally did.”
“You’re terrible.” Wind Archer mused.
“I know, aren’t I amazing?” He remarked with a snicker.
“Uh huh.”
They sat in silence for a moment, quietly cherishing each other’s presence. Fire Spirit had that effect, the ability to brighten anyone's mood even without his flames. Wind Archer wished he could express his appreciation for him properly, but a part of him felt as if Fire Spirit already knew.
“How’s Cream Ferret doing?” Wind Archer asked quietly.
Fire Spirit shrugged. “As good as they could be. I think they’re doing a bit better. But you should have seen them during the campfire! Their singing voice is awesome. You’ve been giving them lessons, Wind?”
He shook his head. “No, that was all Cream Puff. I wish I was there, though. I would’ve loved to hear it.”
Fire Spirit scoffed. “I think you’d have a pretty nice voice if you tried.”
“I appreciate the flattery, but I’ll probably stick to the lyre.”
“If you insist, Windy.” He stood up from the ground and offered a hand. “Let’s go back. People miss you. And I assure you, things’ll be okay.”
He wanted to believe it.
Wind Archer gawked at him for a brief moment before taking his hand.