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Mist (Eight Years Old)
Will discovers his first demigod power when he is eight years old, and it changes his entire life.
It’s not anything exciting, like discovering he can fly or that he can lift a school bus over his head with ease. Instead, he discovers that he can see monsters - gruesome, freaky monsters that seem to get closer and closer to Will with each passing day, to the point where he sleeps in his mother Naomi’s bed, and they leave the lights on all night.
This unfortunate ability comes to light when Will is eight, a skinny, freckled mess of a boy, prone to tripping, laughing fits, and making a general mess of his personal belongings. He can’t remember where he puts anything, and he never brushes his hair, but he is very diligent about brushing his teeth. He doesn’t like tomatoes, and he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He’s a happy boy, but that doesn’t mean he never gets scared. Especially when he learns monsters are real. Especially when no one but his mother seems to see them too.
It’s only a month of ducking around corners, constantly looking over his shoulder, that Will’s best schoolmate, Fay, reveals herself to actually be a much older person with a goats’ lower half. She manages to see one of the monsters before Will does, this time lurking near the jungle gym at recess, and she grabs Will’s hand and they flee. At first, Will is thrilled that Fay can see the monsters too. The goat legs definitely weird Will out, however, and what’s even more confusing is that when he and Fay burst into the safety of his home, his mother doesn’t even bat an eye at the hooves (or when Fay chews on an empty soda can that Naomi left out in the kitchen).
Between Fay and his mother, Will’s eight-year-old brain is overloaded with words like demigod and Chiron and Greek . It’s a lot to understand, and he doesn’t really get the time to sit down and sort it out, because suddenly his mother is packing him a suitcase and he’s being made to choose between his entire Star Wars VHS collection or his comic books to take with him (he chooses Star Wars, obviously).
Naomi Solace is whispering tearfully to Fay, who Will has learned is called a ‘satyr’, and she clutches Will to her side as if it’s for the last time (and Will doesn’t know it yet, but it’s always unclear if demigods will survive long enough to make visits back to their parents). Naomi begins whispering little affirmations to Will as she wraps him in a hug. She’s kind of embarrassing Will with all the waterworks, if he’s being honest, but he also loves his mother, and he doesn’t want her to be sad. Will also knows, on some level, that he needs to go with this funny little goat-person, because he doesn’t want his mother to get eaten by monsters.
Fay brings him to Camp Half-Blood safely, and Will has to admit that it looks pretty fun to live here. Will is ‘claimed’ fairly quickly, which is how the campers and the large centaur explain a shining symbol of a golden lyre that pops over his head. This is also how he learns he has a father (and apparently that father is Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, the light, music and poetry, healing and plagues, prophecy and knowledge, and so many other things Will can’t memorize yet).
He learns that there are so many other kids just like him, who have this superpower of seeing monsters, and apparently other kinds of powers as well. Still, when the hustle of the welcome dies down, and the cabin that Will has been assigned to grows quiet with the sounds of sleeping campers (that apparently are his brothers and sisters?), Will realizes it’s the first time in a long time that he will go to sleep without his mother by his side.
That night, as he quietly cries himself to sleep, Will thinks that it’s not fair to have these kinds of powers if it means he can’t live with his mom anymore. He’s not sure what he did to deserve this.
Healing (Ten Years Old)
Will discovers his second demigod power when he’s ten years old, because he falls out of a tree.
Will doesn’t really remember the fall - it happened so quickly. He also doesn’t remember the pain very well; the adrenaline keeps his pain receptors dull in his brain. However, the crack of the branch he stands on, the air whooshing around his ears as he falls, the sickening snap that comes from his arm - all of that he remembers. Will has always had a penchant for noticing sounds, which mortals blame on ADHD and demigods consider a gift. It’s how the Ares kids always hear Will’s footsteps from behind, when the entire camp is playing capture-the-flag. It’s how Luke can always hear Will and Cecil rooting around in his stuff, looking for candy.
“Will! Oh my gods, are you alright? I told you not to climb so high! Let me see your arm -”
Michael. Will’s older brother. He’s darker-skinned than Will, with a mop of dark brown curls that don’t match the mop of shaggy yellow hair that Will has, but he just exudes a brotherliness that Will latches onto right away.
“Don’t cry, Will, it’s alright, I’m not mad. You just scared me.”
Michael’s voice was like sunlight, though to be fair, everyone in the Apollo cabin kind of has that quality, Will is learning. The unique aspects of Micael’s voice reminded Will of being in the woods, or singing loudly at campfire songs, and warm hoodies lent to Will even though they were far too big on him. Michael’s got a voice only a great big brother can have, one that resonates safety, support, and gentle teasing.
“Do you want to sing a song with me, Will? Let’s do that. Do you know this one?”
“ A year from now we'll all be gone, all our friends will move away. And they're goin' to better places, but our friends will be gone away...”
Will does know this song - his mother used to sing it a lot. His arm is beginning to ache now, and singing along with Michael is a little difficult. Still, he likes Michael, and he wants to try.
“Nothin' is as it has been, and I miss your face like hell - it’s okay, Will, you can say ‘hell’! And I guess it's just as well, but I miss your face like hell.. .”
It’s different than when they sing at campfires - this time, Michael stays focused, his eyes closing intermittently, a peaceful look on his face as though he’s in prayer. And Will learns, as he sings along, that that’s sort of what they’re doing, because it’s not long before Will begins closing his eyes too, and placing his own hand over Michael’s on his broken arm. A settledness comes over the two of them, and for some reason, even though he’s never met him, Will thinks about his father.
“Rivers and roads, rivers and roads, rivers ‘till I reach you. Rivers and roads, rivers and roads, rivers ‘till I reach you.”
Sensing a warm, bubbling feeling leaving him, Will’s eyes widen, and he looks at how the healing light emitting from Michael’s hands spark from Will’s as well. He quickly pulls his hand in front of his face to gaze at it, but his palm returns to normal, the power gone. Will frowns at this, but Michael just smiles, continuing his work. Will’s arm begins to feel better, and better, until suddenly the bones sharply snap back into their proper place.
Moving his arm in awe, Will gapes at Michael. “Was I doing that too?” His wide, blue eyes are eager, looking to his brother for answers.
Michael chuckles, and begins brushing the dirt from Will’s knees and picking twigs from his hair. “Yes you were! Looks like you’ve got the gift of healing.”
“Like Wolverine?” Will feels like his eyes are as big as saucers when he considers that he might be less like a superhero, and more like a mutant, inspired from the stash his friend Cecil has been giving him to read over.
“Uh...Yeah, sort of. Except you can do it for others, mostly.” Michael smiles, and ruffles Will’s hair. “That’s kind of the goal for us Apollo kids, Will - we’re healers first, and we help wherever we can.”
“Wow…” Will is staring at his hands again, his skin more tanned and freckled than ever, even more than the summer months he experienced growing up in Texas. He scrunches his face, trying to see if he can summon the power back on command, but his hands don’t change. Michael seems to catch on, and he shakes his head at Will, but before he can provide any answers, another voice breaks through the clearing.
“Woah! Did you just heal your own bones ?”
Will and Michael turn to see a boy with dark, soft hair and olive skin running towards them, a bright look in his eyes. Charlie Beckendorf is behind him, looking exasperated.
“Nico!” Charlie calls as he jogs to catch up with the boy, and gives Lee an apologetic look. “Sorry Michael, I’m on tour-guide duty for the new kid, but he’s...fast.”
“No problem. I’m Michael. So you’re Nico?” Michael bends to look at the boy straight on, and Nico nods emphatically. “How old are you?”
“Ten!”
“Geez, they get younger and younger…” Michael mutters this part more to Charlie, who gives him a knowing nod, their expressions dark before they put their masks up again. Will is used to this - demigods at camp seem to get a little more serious as they get older, and even the cheery Apollo cabin isn’t exempt from this.
“So who’s your mom or dad? Charlie’s is Hephasteus, and he’s low in attack points but strategy-wise he’s one of the top cards I have! Charlie doesn’t know what I’m talking about though - no one here knows what Mythomagic is.” Nico frowns up at Charlie in disappointment, who gives Michael a shrug.
Also clearly unaware of what Nico is talking about, Michael moves on. “So you’re ten! My brother Will here is also ten. Will, tell Nico who our godly parent is.”
Will has been watching the scene unfold quietly, his knees tucked to his chest and his arms wrapped around them tightly. He feels suddenly shy in the face of this bright, firecracker of a boy, but he isn’t sure why. Nico turning to look at him for an answer doesn’t help - Will can feel his face get hot when his blue eyes meet the wide, brown ones.
“A-Apollo.” Will finally stutters out, almost a whisper. Nico doesn’t seem to notice, instead going on about Apollo and ‘ holofoil’ cards.
Will can’t really follow where Nico is going, and he certainly can’t keep up enough to give responses to Nico’s rambles, but he tries to nod along and look interested in what Nico is saying. And Will is interested, but he wishes Nico would slow down a bit. It’s not long before fifteen minutes go by, mostly dominated by Nico, but Will is able to answer a few questions (mainly confirming that yes, the camp food tastes okay), and he finds he’s smiling along with Nico. When Nico says that Will’s new healing powers are “ So cool !” with an excited shout, Will can feel a deep blush spread across his face as he tries to laugh the compliment off.
Maybe Charlie feels like they’ve overstayed what was meant to be simple introductions, or maybe he just wants to get the tour over with quickly, because he finally places a hand on Nico’s shoulder and leads him through the rest of the forest, continuing on their way to the lava rock-climbing wall. Nico turns back and gives an ecstatic wave. “Bye Will! Nice meeting you!” He yells, and soon he sprints out of sight, Charlie close behind him.
“He sure is excited. Good for him.” Michael sighs, shaking his head amusedly, and then chuckles. “You two really seemed to like each other though!” And for some reason, that statement makes Will feel embarrassed, and he decides to push it away the only way a ten year old knows how.
“That kid was weird .” Will states. He makes himself laugh, makes himself believe he was actually bothered by how Nico was too chatty. Too distracting. “He’s a spazz.”
“Will!” Michael looks at him, brows knit together sternly. “That’s not nice.”
“What? It’s funny.” Will defends himself, but he already feels guilty.
Michael is crouching in front of Will now, frowning, and Will’s laughter stops. “Who is it funny for , Will?”
Will thinks about this, staring down at his shoes. He’s never been on Michael’s bad side, and this doesn’t feel great. “Um...me?”
“And Nico? Is it funny for him for you to call him names?”
“He can’t hear me.” Will mutters, crossing his arms. “It’s just a joke.”
“Will, the things we say are more mean than funny when you have to A, defend it, and B, when someone else is the brunt of it.” Michael pulls Will to his feet, and puts his hands on Will’s shoulders, staring at him seriously. “It’s our job to be friends to those who are new or on the outside, okay?”
“I’m sorry.” Will mumbles, and he wobbles a bit, unsteady on his feet even though Michael is practically holding him up. Suddenly, Will feels a little dizzy from all the events that have occurred in the past ten minutes, as well as his growing shame that he made fun of someone he actually liked, just because he didn’t want his brother to know it.
“Will? You alright?” Michael is looking at Will with concern, and Will has to admit he does feel a little off. “Healing comes with a price - it can drain your own energy quickly if you don’t know how to use it properly. Come on, let’s head back and get you an ambrosia square.”
“Why aren’t you tired? You fixed my arm.” Will is baffled that Michael doesn’t seem tired at all - then again, Michael always seems pretty strong and grounded to Will. He accepts Michael’s silent offer of a piggy back, and he secretly relishes in still being small enough to have his older siblings carry him around.
“Well, I’ve been doing this for a while, and you’ve only just discovered this power.” Michael steps carefully down the slope that leads them into the main cabins and buildings of Camp Half-Blood. “I’ll let Chiron know that we should get you helping out in the infirmary - that’s the best way for you to practice.”
“Really?” Will squeaks. “You’d let me help?” Will is only ten, and he can’t do much. He isn’t big enough to ride in the chariot his cabin owns, and he still doesn’t like to brush his hair, and even though he’s been itching to go into the infirmary to help, he’s never felt confident enough to try.
“Of course Will! We need you in there.” Michael assures him, and Will’s heart sings.
Rhyming Couplets (Twelve Years Old)
Will discovers his third ability when he is twelve years old, and it’s an accident. He doesn’t really use it until his friends seriously piss him off, much later.
The first time it happens, Will is helping Clarisse out by being her off-hours sparring partner, in the arena. Will’s not great at fighting, but Clarisse says that’s all the more reason to practice (and even though Clarisse is amazing at fighting, all she wants to do is practice). Despite their odd match, Will likes Clarisse quite a bit - she makes him laugh, and they each enjoy a good natured teasing without their feelings getting hurt. It’s during one of these bantering sessions, when suddenly, Will feels a strange surge in his voice. It’s almost like his breath has turned to fire, though he doesn’t see anything different occur. That is, until Clarisse begins speaking in rhymes, her usual steely eyes now wide and frightened. Completely panicked, and convinced this is somehow his fault, Will bolts, practically dragging Chiron back with him to help. Thankfully, Chiron has seen enough Apollo children come through the camp to recognize the problem right away.
“It’s a Couplets Curse. Classic Apollo, though I haven’t seen anyone with the ability in some time.” Chiron diagnoses after listening to Clarisse rhyme (and curse) for a bit. Taking in Will’s guilty face, the centaur offers a smile. “It’s only temporary, Will. It’ll probably wear off in a few hours, a day at most.”
Will frowns, hoping Chiron is right. Unfortunately, Will must be one of the new, most powerful demigods of this (useless) ability, because Clarisse speaks in rhyming couplets for three. whole. days. And the camp absolutely loves it - most are scared of Clarisse, but even a prodigal child of Ares begins to look really silly when every other sentence in her rants become so matchy-matchy. The Stoll brothers, who know how to dodge her physical blows and taunt her to speak more are the worst. Will is convinced, by day two of this, that Clarisse is going to murder him while he sleeps.
Thankfully, Clarisse manages to suffer a broken wrist on the third day, and Will is the only one free in the infirmary to heal her. He gives her guilty looks through his blue eyes, and perhaps the gods are smiling upon him, because it seems Clarisse can’t manage to stay mad at the blonde boy.
She does, however, bring havoc on the Hermes cabin and the Stolls specifically. Will figures that’s only fair, and he vows not to use the curse again, even though the campers beg him to.
That is, until Nico di Angelo becomes an unpleasant topic of conversation. But that doesn’t happen until after the war.
----
Nico di Angelo. He had disappeared just shortly after that day at camp - Will had heard that his sister died. He felt sad for the boy, and kind of missed seeing his black hair amidst the Hermes table, but that was about it.
It takes Will a few moments, during the Battle of Manhattan, to realize that the confident, armor-clad boy who parries Kronos’ threats back without flinching, is the same boy Will met when he was ten years old.
Now here he was, skull helmet on and hellhound in tow. His hair seemed longer, black locks reaching down to his shoulders from underneath the helmet, and his skin is more of a ghostly pale than olive. Nico begins waving a Stygian iron sword over the earth, and it cracks with a horrible sound. Campers and Titan monsters both scurried back from the skeletal hands that began pulling themselves up into the open air. Before Will, or Kronos, or anyone else can react to this, the sky suddenly grows dark. A chill breezes through the streets, and Will shivers. Shadows seem to be growing along the buildings, almost as if they’re taking a life of their own.
A war horn sounds, and the dead soldiers that raised from the ground form ranks. The shrill sound of horse cries fill the air, but they’re echoey, not solid. Will looks down the street and sees the largest chariot he’s ever seen barreling towards them, an obsidian and gold chariot drawn by living shadows in the form of horses. The intricate carvings on the chariot seem alive, showing hundreds of waves anyone could die. Holding the reins was Hades, Lord of the Dead and the Underworld.
There’s something about Hades’ presence, and the armor he wears, that sparks dread and fear in Will’s gut, and he can tell he’s not the only one. He realizes it must be the helm on the god’s head, because to Will, at least, it changes shape as he looks at it, and Will is reminded of all the worst nightmares he’s endured as a demigod thus far. Will can hardly hear what Hades is saying, because he’s frozen, but then Hades gestures towards Nico, and Will hears his cold voice interrupt his terror.
"My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies."
Son…?
Nico di Angelo is a son of Hades?
But then the battle picks up again, and the cries of the injured fill Will’s head now, and he can’t pay any more attention. At least it seems like the Lord of the Dead is on their side (for now).
Then, when it seems the battle is finally, blessedly, over, the campers begin to regather, to count the living amongst the dead. Will looks towards the group of his siblings that fought the enemy farther out, and searched the rubble of the broken bridge for survivors. For Michael.
Will has been so busy, healing so quickly, that he hears about the bridge collapsing, he hears that Michael is missing, but he puts any worries out of his mind in favor of helping where he is needed. Michael is his brother. He is strong. If anyone could survive this war, Michael could. If Michael is hurt, he is skilled enough to heal himself. Will is not worried. He’s never had to worry about his older brother. Why start now?
It’s the red eyes of his siblings, when their grim faces come into the light of Olympus, that makes Will realize he should have been worried all along.
----
“There’s that weird kid again.”
That’s the line that starts the whole ordeal.
A few grief-stricken months later, Will is the new head counselor of the Apollo cabin. It feels like a uniform that’s too big for him, but his siblings, Kayla and Austin, become like unofficial co-leaders with him, and he is eventually able to be buoyed by their chipperness. Newer campers pop up at camp now more than ever, now that the gods have promised to do a better job at claiming their children. The youngest Apollo additions are Will’s favorite, because when he heals their skinned knees, or gives them piggy-back rides, he remembers the best parts of his brother, and his smile becomes genuine.
Nico has been at camp, but the son of Hades is broody and elusive. He has a cabin of his own, but the undead he summoned to build it managed to make the cabin look very eerie from the outside, with ever-burning torches of green flames and a large, foreboding black door.
Nico never comes to the regular meal hours in the dining pavilion, nor does he participate in many camp activities. The Aries kids seem to roll with him fine, but that’s mostly because Nico makes a very worthy sparring partner, which is the only time Will ever really sees Nico interact with others.
Nico never comes to the infirmary, either. Not because he’s uninjured, Will thinks (because no demigod walks away from a battle without at least a few scrapes), but maybe because there are too many people. Will isn’t sure what happened to the excitable, chatty kid he met two years ago - this Nico is more often silent, an almost furious look on his face that dares anyone to try and approach him.
Some people do, at first, but it’s not pretty. Kayla stalks away from Nico one morning in a huff, after she attempted to include him by inviting him to practice archery. The Stoll brothers attempt to prank Nico as sort of a re-initiation to camp, but it backfires, resulting in three vicious skeletal bats chasing the brothers into the forest. Katie Gardener mentions that she’s going to invite Nico to have lunch with her one on one, and Will isn’t quite sure what happens, but he notices the flower beds outside Katie’s cabin have wilted, and she is hovering over them, sniffling as an Aphrodite camper tries to console her.
Will tries in vain to reconnect with Nico, to inquire if the boy remembers him and what Mythomagic is and when he found out Hades was his godly parent. Will wants to know so much about Nico, but Nico seems hellbent on not being known, period. The few times Will has said hello in passing, hoping to strike up a conversation, Nico doesn’t reply, moving away from Will without even looking at him. Will knows he shouldn’t be hurt, but he is. Will also knows that Nico is hurting, but that doesn’t mean he knows what to do about it.
For the first time in a long time, Will catches a glimpse of injuries his hymns can’t heal, and they’re not injuries just in Nico - the Battle of Manhattan took many lives of Camp Half-Blood, and even the most fun parts of camp life have a twinge of melancholy. Will can feel it in himself, and he can see it in the weary eyes of his peers, or the distracted way Chiron looks off into the distance when he thinks no one is watching him. Will doesn’t have to try to lay hands on a person to know that there is a brokenness that can’t heal linearly, or be set back in place like a bone. The body has to learn to adapt to the injuries of loss, the body has to learn how to use it as a strength. Will can respect that. He can give Nico space. He can push the dark son of Hades out of his mind.
“There’s that weird kid again.”
Of course Cecil has to open his big fat mouth and ruin the whole thing.
Perhaps it’s Will’s big, intuitive heart that makes Cecil’s comment about Nico tense. He and Cecil are sitting at an outdoor picnic table with a smattering of friends and their siblings. Nico-sightings are even rarer nowadays, and Will knows by now that Nico isn’t just hiding away in his cabin the whole time - he can sense shadows on Nico, even in passing. He must be going somewhere, and Will seems to be the only person who picks up on this. Still, Will figures the most respectable thing he can do for Nico is not mention it to anyone, especially Chiron.
Today, Nico is walking past the scattered picnic tables, on his way to the dining hall. The dinner bell hasn’t rung yet, so Nico must be grabbing food before everyone piles into the dining area.
“Cecil, don’t.” Will says warningly. He loves his friend, but Hermes kids aren’t always the kindest outright.
“Calm down Will. It’s not like Nico is nice to any of us.” One of his siblings, a sandy haired girl, looks at Will pointedly. He frowns, but the conversation is already getting away from him.
“I heard his cabin has upside-down coffin beds,” Cecil says with a smirk, and he nudges Lou Ellen, “Lou, you sure your witchy self can’t convince Nico to let you in to see if it’s true?”
“No way.” Lou Ellen shakes her head, giggling. “I don’t want to get ripped apart by a skeleton.” The campers around her join in the laughter, Cecil making spooky ‘ooohs’ with his mouth and waggling his fingers at her.
“That’s enough, you guys.” Will stands up now, and his peers have the decency to be quiet. “It’s not funny. He’s one of us, you know.”
“Will, gods. We’re just joking.” A friend waves their hand dismissively at Will, and he feels his blood boil as he’s brought back to the one time he mocked Nico di Angelo behind his back.
“Will, the things we say are more mean than funny when you have to A, defend it, and B, when someone else is the brunt of it.”
“Yeah Will, stop defending the creep. He’s mean.”
“Yeah! It’s not like we haven’t tried.”
“It’s our job to be friends to those who are new or on the outside, okay?”
Will feels a familiar hot air building in his throat. Begging to come out. To curse. He is mad, but he still tries to resist it.
“You’re being sweet Will, but trust me, if he was one of us, that would have been clear long ago.”
Will snaps at that.
“If you don’t have something nice to say,” Will says with a growl, and he feels the hot air leave his mouth, and he can almost feel the power in it, like he’s directing it over his siblings and friends, “then don’t say anything AT ALL.” He shakes his head now, his parting words the seal for the curse. “You guys know better. Be better.”
Will must have been really mad - the group at the picnic tables can’t stop rhyming for a full week and a half. But Nico is long gone after that day, and never gets to see the fruit of Will’s defense of him.
Will tells himself he doesn’t mind. It’s the principle of the matter. Doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
Even when Nico di Angelo isn't watching.
Even when Will can’t admit he misses watching Nico di Angelo.
UltraSonic Whistle (13 Years Old)
Will discovers his fourth demigod ability when he is thirteen years old, and he is surprised, but delighted.
Clarisse and Sherman are training some fresh, new campers, and are blatantly ignoring the bell that rings through the camp, the bell that is supposed to end their session and move the campers on to Will’s first aide class.
Will finally stalks over to the arena, hollering at Clarisse, Sherman, and the campers, but they’re all too caught up in the fake war they’ve put on. Will can barely be heard over the thunk of wooden swords slamming against each other and the shrill laughter of campers and Clarisses’ war cries.
Whatever. Will is more confident with each passing year. And he’s learning that he does not like being ignored.
What is meant to be a normal, loud whistle (one his mom taught him how to do way back when), comes out in a piercing, ear-splitting noise that almost lifts Will off the ground with the force of it. Everyone stops fighting, but they also all drop to the ground, their hands clutching their heads as if stunned or in pain.
It takes Will a few moments to realize that the powerful sound came from him. And normally, he’d feel embarrassed, or guilty, to discover yet another ability that causes harm to someone else (not that rhyming couplets cause harm , but they sure aren’t welcomed by anyone).
But again, Will does not like being ignored. So he decides to own this ability and wear it with pride.
“If you aren’t outside of the infirmary for class in the next five minutes , I will come into your cabins in the dead of night and whistle again!” His threat made clear, Will strides back to the infirmary, a feeling of pride swelling in his chest. He doesn’t know it yet, but that same pride will wash over him again, when he is fourteen, and showing off his supersonic whistle as he’s fighting alongside Nico di Angelo.
Also, no one is ever late to a course taught by Will Solace again. And that’s pretty great, too.
Glow (15 Years Old)
Will discovers his fifth demigod ability when he is fifteen years old - at the most embarrassing moment, a moment that is supposed to be the best moment in Will’s life.
It’s the moment he is kissing Nico di Angelo for the first time ever. And while Will would go to the Underworld and back to make sure it’s not the last kiss, he wants to savor this moment. He will never get another first kiss with the moody Italian boy who is somehow as charmed with Will as he is to Nico.
It’s been a few months of them being official significant annoyances , but Will still feels extremely giddy over the whole situation, much to Nico’s embarrassment. It‘s to the point where Will is using the word ‘boyfriend’ in every sentence he can, because he finally has a boyfriend, and it’s Nico di Angelo, that’s his boyfriend , can you believe it?
It takes Lou Ellen and Nico’s combined threats of a pig ball and skeleton attack for Will to keep it to himself, just a little bit. Will relents, but it doesn’t stop his glee.
Nico is so many things, and he’s letting Will get to know him. He stayed the three days Will required, and he stayed when the three days were up. Will has been captivated watching Nico’s confidence grow, watching him slowly, shyly, let himself befriend those around him at camp, and let himself be included in things. He knows it’s a two-way street; any campers who still get spooked by Nico, or gods forbid, try to make fun of him, get an earful from Will (or Kayla and Harley, who after a rather ridiculous pseudo-quest with Nico involving a loose hellhound in the labyrinth, love him like one of their own brothers). Nico isn’t perfect, but neither is Will, as they learn as their close friendship awkwardly stumbles into something more. After the I like you ’s and the I like you too ’s have been uttered, Will and Nico are more glued at the hip than ever.
It’s actually Nico who asks to be boyfriends first, but Nico makes Will swear on the Styx to never tell anyone that. It’s a lazy day spent out in the hills, holding hands as they lay in the grass and nap in the sun. When Will comes to, he turns to snuggle by Nico’s side, and Nico mumbles quietly to ask if this means they’re boyfriends now.
“Do you want to be?” Will asks, and he savors how Nico sighs, not in frustration, but more like he’s thinking of what words to use.
Finally, Nico mutters, “I do. If you want to be.” And then squawks in shock when Will envelops him in a crushing bear hug.
So when the time finally, finally comes for their first kiss, Will is ready. They’ve had a great night wandering around camp, eating contraband candy bought from the Hermes cabin, and Nico is smiling and at ease and Will even asked for consent before leaning in to kiss him and Nico said yes, this is happening -
He just wants to savor the moment, gods.
“Um...Will?” Nico’s tentative voice comes out, his mouth pulling away from Will’s before they’ve even connected. Will lets out an embarrassing whine of disappointment, until he catches the odd way Nico is staring at him.
“Uh...you’re...you’re glowing.” Nico finally says.
“I’m...what?” Of all the things for Nico to say, Will couldn’t have predicted that.
“Look.” And Nico reaches out to grab Will‘s hand, lifting it to eye level. Sure enough, Will is glowing . A light emits from within his skin and his freckles shine like glitter against his skin.
“Why...how…?” Will is baffled, now looking at his arms and legs.
“I mean,” Nico waves a hand thoughtfully, “Child of Apollo, right?”
“I guess so...but why…” Will decides not to finish the thought, which is, Why now ?, because it dawns in on him that he was so elated about his first kiss with Nico, that now it’s literally shining from inside him for the whole world to see.
Well, for Nico to see.
It’s still pretty damn embarrassing.
Also, what is the point of glowing? Why do Will’s gifts have such an odd way about them? Why can’t he just kiss his boyfriend like a normal person, and light up not literally, but figuratively speaking?
“Why can’t I just be good at archery or something useful?” Will finally mutters, pressing his hands to his eyes. “Gods, this is lame. And embarrassing.”
There is a long silence after that, and if it weren’t for Will being able to hear Nico’s slow inhales and exhales, he would have thought his boyfriend melted away into the shadows. But Will keeps his eyes shut, his hands up, because the moment is ruined, and he has an embarrassing power, and -
“Hey.”
Will starts when Nico’s cool hands touch his, tugging them away from his face. Will’s shining face is exposed, but he keeps his eyes downcast. After a few beats, Nico puts his palm against Will’s cheek, forcing the blonde to look at him.
“I was just thinking,” Nico says, a faint blush on his face, “that with your freckles, you kind of look like the night sky, a bit.” He offers Will a soft smile. “I like it.”
“Y-you...you do?” Will asks, genuinely shocked. He’s better at giving compliments versus receiving them.
Nico laughs, and leans in swiftly, pressing his lips against Will’s in a firm, gentle kiss. It’s the perfect, kind, sweet first kiss Will has dreamt of.
His heart soars, and so does his light. When Nico finally pulls away, Will is glowing like a 100-watt bulb.
“Guess I’ve got a glow-in-the-dark-boyfriend,” Nico says with a raised eyebrow, but softens when he adds, “Lucky me.”
Will melts at the words, and resists crushing Nico in yet another bear hug. He decides to get an amazing second kiss with Nico di Angelo, because you only get a second kiss once.
The glowing mostly comes out with Nico only, but the son of Hades almost seems proud of that, like it’s a gift Will gives only to him. As he works on trying to control it, he knows this is by far the weirdest, and most random of the demigod abilities Will Solace has acquired thus far.
But all that to say, this one has definitely become Will’s favorite.