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“Ah, oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods! I can not believe this—oh my gods!”
The shouting woke up everyone in Cabin Seven. Seeing who screamed, they all gave a collective sigh.
“William Andrew Solace, what is so important that you had to start yelling at,” Kayla glanced at the clock hung above the doorway, “Three thirty in the fucking morning?”
Jerry groaned. He flopped unceremoniously onto his pillow, face flat. “I hate all of you guys. I’m going back to bed.”
“What did I do?” Yan scoffed, before jumping into bed in a similar manner.
Will squealed once again. He sounded like someone fawning over their crush.
Kayla rolled her eyes, not even bothering to hide her annoyance. “Will.”
“She’s coming! Oh my gods!”
Austin snickered. “‘Coming’?”
“Shut up,” a chorus of five voices replied back.
“Okay jeez. So who’s coming?”
“You know that one pop artist who we’re always playing on the record player?”
“Will, there’s at least fifteen of them. Be specific,” Jerry deadpanned.
“She’s the one that went to Hope’s Peak Academy, that famous school for talented high-schoolers in Japan—Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation? Anyway, she’s supposedly going on tour, and she’s coming to New York City next week—the same week my mom is touring in NYC. And guess what?”
Yan pondered for a little. “Your mom is actually friends with Sayaka?”
“No, but nice try. She—“
“She’s actually your distant cousin!”
Everyone turned to give Gracie a confused look. “What?” she shrugged. “It’s a possibility.”
“Um, nice try? But no, that’s not it. Since my mom’s kinda famous”—Will ignored Kayla’s “right, ‘kinda’”—“she was able to get me tickets to Sayaka’s show! And they’re front row!”
“Lucky bastard,” Austin and Gracie cried, who were both equal fans of Sayaka.
Will laughed, “Hah, suck a…never mind.”
He blushed in embarrassment.
Kayla burst out laughing. Jerry and Austin following soon after. Yan rolled their eyes.
“Woah Will, I’m too young for that!” Gracie dramatically emphasized.
“Ha ha. So funny.”
“When are you leaving?” Yan asked.
“Next Monday. The concert’s Wednesday, but I’m going early to hang out with my mom for a bit.”
“Okay, this is really nice and all, but we should sleep.” Kayla instructed.
The Cabin fell into silence once again as the inhabitants went back to bed.
Finally, Monday came. After a bunch of heartwarming goodbyes (and a threat from Gracie to take at least one photo of Sayaka), Will headed off to New York City with his mom, Naomi Solace.
“So Will, are you excited?”
“Oh my gods yes…”
For the rest of the hour-long drive, he talked to his mother about his life at Camp Halfblood, and in turn, heard stories about Naomi’s career. It was actually pretty interesting. Apparently, one of the makeup artists was cheating on her boyfriend with someone from the A&R industry. He hadn’t gossiped with his mom like this in the longest time—since he hadn’t actually been out of Camp Halfblood in a while either.
Once they arrived at the hotel Naomi was staying at, they brought out all their stuff and took it in. The hotel itself was more on the fancier side. Will set his stuff down next to his bed. His mother did the same on the other bed.
“What should we do now?” Naomi asked.
Will thought through their options. “We could go over to Central Park—or eat. I’d like that.”
She laughed. “Okay, gotcha! I’ll search up some restaurants near here and we’ll eat.”
They ended up going to a decent place nearby—only a three minute walk. Naomi was recognized many times while they were eating. Once, a fan came up to her and promptly burst into overwhelmed tears. It took a little bit of consoling, but the fan was able to calm down. She even got her Naomi Solace poster signed (Will wasn’t sure if she always carried that around, or if she just happened to today).
By the time the pair got back to their hotel, the sun was beginning to set. One day down, another to go.
It was the night before Wednesday, and Will couldn’t sleep. He was so excited for the concert. It’d be his first one since before camp. Even then, he’d only ever gone to his mom’s concerts.
Eventually, Will drifted off to sleep. In the morning, his mom was gone from the room. On the dining table was a note that said, ”Gone shopping! Have fun at the concert!”
To pass the time, Will decided to text his siblings. He missed them, and he wanted to know how they were.
(A/N - The key for the chat names:
our leader - Will
carrot top - Kayla
saxophone try hard - Austin
tea and crumpets - Jerry
cello there - Yan
rapunzel - Gracie)
I hate-love this family
”our leader” is online
OUR LEADER: hi guys
CARROT TOP: hi
TEA AND CRUMPETS: will come back
CELLO THERE: help
OUR LEADER: what now
RAPUNZEL: they’re being mean to me
SAXOPHONE TRY HARD: huh
CELLO THERE: we didn’t do anything
TEA AND CRUMPETS: it was all gracie
RAPUNZEL: shut the fuck up jerry
RAPUNZEL: uh i mean please stop talking before my ears bleed
TEA CRUMPETS: we’re literally texting??
RAPUNZEL: ok?
CELLO THERE: no no don’t listen to her
CARROT TOP: why is it always you guys doing stupid shit
OUR LEADER: i thought we agreed to keep this chat kid friendly
SAXOPHONE TRY HARD: will, im being so for real right now, you swear more than all of us
SAXOPHONE TRY HARD: even KAYLA
CARROT TOP: hey
CELLO THERE: sorry kay, it’s the truth
CARROT TOP: that’s not nice yan
TEA AND CRUMPETS: bro this is why you’ve dated TWENTY PEOPLE in the span of SEVEN MONTHS
CARROT TOP: EXCUSE ME
CELLO THERE: WHAT
RAPUNZEL: CLIPPED CLIPPED CLIPPED
SAXOPHONE TRY HARD: dude who is in your ear
OUR LEADER: why do i even try with you guys
TEA AND CRUMPETS: SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT WRONG NUMBER NO
RAPUNZEL: TOO LATE
RAPUNZEL: [photo attached (a screenshot of Jerry’s message “bro this is why you’ve dated TWENTY PEOPLE in the span of SEVEN MONTHS”)]
CELLO THERE: who are you talking to
TEA AND CRUMPETS: no one
CARROT TOP: right
OUR LEADER: i’m gonna go get ready for the concert now
OUR LEADER: bye
SAXOPHONE TRY HARD: bye
CARROT TOP: byeee
RAPUNZEL: bye bye!
TEA AND CRUMPETS: see ya
CELLO THERE: byee!
”our leader” is offline
Will huffed out an amused chuckle. As much as he complained about them, he really loved all his siblings. They could be a handful, but were able to light up a room whenever they walked in. (No, he was not being a corny, nostalgic older brother right now! He’s just very proud of them, okay?)
Checking the time, Will realized the concert was in two hours. Wow, time sure did fly when talking to his cabinmates. He quickly put on (sort of) nicer outfit—at least, one fit for a concert. Before heading out, he made sure to grab his ticket and phone.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have a car (or a license for that matter), so he had to walk to the venue. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far, meaning Will had to walk around thirty minutes.
When he walked outside, he accidentally bumped into someone. It was a boy older than Will, around eighteen or nineteen. He had spiky brown hair and muted green eyes. Oddly enough, the clothes he had on were a blazer over a green hoodie, with black jeans and red converse. Not Will’s style, but it wasn’t horrible.
“I’m so sorry!” the person said. He had a noticeable accent—Japanese maybe?
Will smiled. “It’s no problem sir!”
“Um, actually I need help. Do you know where the venue for Sayaka Maizono’s concert is?”
“Oh yeah! I’m actually heading there now. We could walk together if you want,” Will suggested.
The stranger nodded his head. “I’m Makoto Naegi,” he introduced, holding out his hand.
The name sounded sort of familiar, but Will couldn’t place it. Oh well. “Will Solace.”
“Like Naomi Solace?”
“Ah, yep,” he chuckled awkwardly.
“So…why’re you coming to the concert today?” Makoto spoke up. Will supposed he was trying to make small talk.
“Oh, I’m a really big fan of Sayaka’s music. You?”
He hummed. “Same reason I suppose.”
Once they arrived at the venue, Makoto shot Will a blinding grin.
“Thanks man! I owe you one!”
“No problem!”
As Will walked to his seat, he thought about the conversation he’d just had.
“Huh, that guy seemed so familiar,” Will muttered under his breath. For the life of him, he couldn’t recall why he seemed to know the guy.
As soon as Sayaka and her group began to walk onto the stage, any thought of the mystery guy vanished.
Thanks to Naomi being an established idol, she was able to get Will front row seats. As promised, he made sure to take a lot of photos. He really wasn’t willing to get on Gracie’s bad side, especially what happened last time.
When Jerry had pissed off Gracie, he’d woken up to at least five very big snakes laying on top of him. Gracie still wouldn’t reveal where exactly she had gotten them from.
Will let out an involuntary shudder at the memory. But he pushed the thought away. For now, he wanted to focus on the concert.
After it was over, he was buzzing with excitement. He made sure to send the dozens of photos and videos he took to the Apollo Cabin group chat. Safe to say, Gracie was pleased.
To his surprise (wow, it must’ve been his lucky day), Sayaka and the other girls were hosting a small meet and greet after the concert. Will was thankful to get a spot near the front. When he finally arrived to the table, what he saw surprised him.
Next to Sayaka was the same guy from earlier (Makoto he said?), and he was taking animatedly to her, while she threw back her head in laughter. The pair must’ve been good friends, considering how comfortable they seemed around each other. Belatedly, the mystery person’s identity suddenly became clear.
“You’re Makoto Naegi from Hope’s Peak! The Ultimate Lucky Student!” Will blurted out. Both of them turned to look at him. His face heated up. Gods damn his impulsiveness! (Actually, scratch that, maybe he shouldn’t ask the gods to damn any part of him. That would only lead to something horrible.)
Makoto raised his eyebrow in amusement. “Yep, that’s me. Did you need something?”
“Sorry…” Will started.
“Nah, it’s okay!”
A little embarrassed, he placed one of the overpriced posters he’d gotten from the shop on the table, as well as a marker.
Sayaka took the clue and signed the poster. Then she handed Will back the marker.
“There you go…?” she trailed off.
Realizing she was expecting his name, he yelled out, “Will. Will Solace.”
“Solace? Like Naomi Solace?”
Usually, the question would be sort of annoying, as he’d heard it so many times already. But coming from Sayaka, Will supposed he could make an exception. “Yeah! You know her?”
“Know her?” Sayaka almost shouted. “I love her music!” Realizing her volume, she quieted down. “Sorry.”
Will laughed, the tension from earlier slowly seeping away. “It’s fine! I totally get it, I mean I woke up my siblings at three AM when I got the tickets to this concert.”
“You have siblings?”
He realized his mistake. “They’re half siblings.” Phew.
“Oh okay.” Sayaka smiled. “Um, if it isn’t too much to ask, could you tell your mom that I’m a big fan of hers?”
Will was about to respond until he heard someone calling his name from behind him. “Hey, I think that’s her now! You could tell her yourself.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up.
Makoto, who’d been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. “Sayaka, I guess it’s your lucky day.”
He was met with her unamused stare.
“Okay okay, sorry.”
“Anyway, would you be fine staying back here for a bit? I’d love to meet your mom, but…” Sayaka gestured to the long line of fans, “there’s a bit of a line.”
“Oh sure, no problem!” Will pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his mom. “She said she’ll be shopping nearby and would be honored to meet you.”
Sayaka let out a little squeal, before beginning to talk to her friends. Will stood beside Makoto, who handed him a plastic water bottle.
“Thanks,” he said.
Excited chatter filled the background. Will decided to try easing into conversation. “Are you and Sayaka close?”
Makoto smiled fondly. “Yep. She’s one of my best friends. You know, we went to the same middle school.”
“Really?”
“Mhm. To be honest, I was kinda surprised when she started talking to me. I thought she’d never notice someone as average as me.”
“But—“ Will stuttered. “You made it into Hope’s Peak! Isn’t that like the most elite school in Japan?”
“I mean, I only made it in because of ‘luck’. Is that really a cool talent?”
Inwardly, Will winced. The last time someone had said that to the Tyche Cabin, he had to reset a dislocated shoulder. “I don’t know. I think luck’s pretty cool!”
“You think?” He couldn’t quite place the look in Makoto’s eyes, but it looked almost…appreciative?
“Yeah, totally!”
“Thanks Will. But that’s enough about me. How about your hobbies?”
“Oh mine?” He thought about what to say. He definitely couldn’t say anything about taking care of pegasi, or glowing, or anything demigod-ish for that matter. “I like, uh, studying medicine! It’s a little something that interests me.”
“Do you wanna be a doctor when you grow up?”
Will had to bite down the urge to say, ”If I even can.” He knew that now, with New Rome, he would be able to live a longer life, but he’d lived in the fear of a young death for so long. It was almost natural at this point. “Yeah, I hope so. There’s a college in California I’m hoping to get into.”
The other man made a noise of acknowledgement.
Finally, it seemed that the line in front of Sayaka was beginning to die down. Once the last person got their merchandise signed, she turned around eagerly. “Is your mom still around?”
He shot a quick text to Naomi. The response was instant. “She’s coming over here right now.”
Sayaka began dramatically fanning herself, muttering “oh my god” under her breath.
“Saya, you’re a famous singer as well. I’m sure Naomi would be happy to meet you,” Makoto reassured, laughing at her eagerness.
“You’re right—I would!”
Naomi stepped in front of their table with a beaming smile. Sayaka held onto Makoto’s arm.
“Sayaka Maizono, right? I’ve heard so much about you! Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too! You’ve been one of my idols since forever!”
“Oh really?” Naomi grinned. She looked smugly at Will, the latter rolling his eyes. “I’m so glad to hear it!”
The pop star suddenly reached into her bag. She pulled out a cutely decorated notebook. Then a matching pen. “Would you—would you sign this for me?”
Naomi gracefully took the pen and began to sign her name. Sayaka looked ready to explode from excitement. Both Makoto and Will had similar expressions of fondness on their faces, although neither noticed.
Once she was done, Naomi took out her own notebook. It was rough from the many years of use—the cover worn and dented. Will recognized it as one of the books where his mom wrote all her songs.
“Would you sign this?” she asked.
Instead of responding, Sayaka’s jaw dropped. She numbly signed her name onto the notebook. Naomi gave her an encouraging smile. They thanked each other and began saying their goodbyes.
Before Will could leave, Sayaka quickly handed him a folded slip of paper. On it were two phone numbers labeled “Makoto” and “Sayaka”. He looked back at her. In return, she gave him a small grin. Makoto held up a thumbs up. Will nodded back.
Only when they got back to their hotel room did Will finally process what happened. Wow, one number from a student at the elite Hope’s Peak, and another from a famous pop star (who was also from Hope’s peak). Will couldn’t wait to rub this into Gracie and Austin’s faces.