"Just try to get some sleep, okay?"
He cringed as soon as he said it. He had told Nico the same thing several days earlier, but now he was saying it to a camper he barely knew.
Nico had been gone for five days. No one else seemed to notice, though. Everyone was wrapped up in their own responsibilities or significant others. Except for Jason, almost no one asked where Nico was. It infuriated Will. Nico had sacrificed his life for his friends and the world several times over and no one batted an eye. They only chose to cheer on the remaining six. It was as if Nico disappeared and no one minded if he stayed gone for days. In fact, some of the campers looked relieved. The disdaining looks weren't too bad anymore, but Will definitely noticed that the campers who still gave Nico a weary look whenever he walked by looked a lot more at ease since Nico's recent disappearance.
Will always thought Nico had exaggerated the lack of support he received from the camp. But looking around at the faces he thought he could always trust, he knew there was some ounce of truth in Nico's disheartened attitude about the Half-blood campers.
It crushed Will that he had to continue his duties when his (almost) boyfriend was still on the brink of death, angry, and alone gods-know-where. Will kept picturing how Nico melted into the shadows that night in front of the Hermes cabin. His mind wasn't clear when he shadow travelled, so his location could be anywhere. Will just prayed he ended up safe and not 5,000 feet in the air falling towards a cactus grove.
The guilt was incredibly overpowering. At the time, Will couldn't believe that Nico would actually think he was seeing Travis. But looking back on it, Will could understand why.
And he hated himself.
Will knew he was one of the few people that Nico started opening up to. He was mad that he blew a chance at a relationship, sure, but more importantly, he was mad that he had shattered what was left of Nico's trust.
Though everyone seemed to turn a blind eye that Nico was gone, they all noticed when Will didn't share his signature bright smile with everyone he passed. They noticed when he didn't help lead the campfire songs. They noticed when he walked along the beach shore at night and stared up at the moon instead of basking in the afternoon sun. They noticed when he stayed inside so long that his golden tanned skin started to fade.
Sure, he made sure to do his job and to do it well. But he knew his heart wasn't in it when he didn't feel the constant rush of adrenaline knowing Nico could walk in at any moment with some sort of injury that needed any kind of attention. His eyes kept flitting to the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nico's dark clothes and sullen eyes that lit up when he looked up at Will. When the fifth patient asked what was wrong, he knew he needed a break.
Will stepped out into the warm evening sun. Except to walk from the cabin into the infirmary, Will hadn't seen the sun much lately. Even then he tried to avoid it by showing up earlier than his other siblings and trying to bury himself in his work, then leaving late into the night.
Maybe then he could temporarily forget about Nico.
But he couldn't. He couldn't let go of the pain. He needed to see him before he fell apart. It already felt like someone took one swift, steady hit to his heart with a hammer and a chisel. One wrong move, and his whole heart could crack in two.
"Hey, are you alright?" A short, bright faced girl popped up next to Will. Lou Ellen. Oh gods, in all this Nico nonsense, he had forgotten about her. Immediately, guilt washed over him for the hundredth time that week.
"Lou Ellen. I- uh, yeah, I mean no, no. I'm sorry, I forgot to talk to you-"
"It's okay! I understand," Lou Ellen shot him a wide-toothed grin. "I'm not mad at you for not talking to me this week. After Nico and you started hanging out, I figured you'd want some alone time. But now, I think it's your turn to answer up. Tell me everything!" She giggled and looked up at Will with big, expectant eyes. She'd always been there for him when Will needed to talk about his feelings. He didn't like to say much, but she was the first to know how he felt about Nico. She always teased and pestered him afterwards, but he secretly loved it. It was confirmation that his feelings maybe weren't that crazy, that he was somewhat normal.
"Actually, Lou Ellen," Will hesitated. "Nico is gone."
Lou Ellen's eyes widened. "Again? Why didn't you strap him to the infirmary bed?!" She lightly punched his arm and put her hands on her hips, giving him a stern look. She could never look threatening, but that was one of her strengths in battle. Monsters would take pity on her or wouldn't give her any attention until she stabbed them with her sword and sent them back to Tartarus.
Will sighed and leaned against a tree. "He saw me talking to Travis one night and thought- well, you know..."
Lou Ellen's eyebrows scrunched together. "Travis? Travis Stoll?" She giggled. "He didn't seriously think-" she stopped short when she looked into Will's pained expression. "Oh. Oh, gods... I'm sorry, Will."
"It's okay... I'm going to fix it... somehow." He sank to the base of the tree and propped his arms on his knees. Lou Ellen quietly slid next to him and tucked her arm under his.
"It'll be okay. Nico will come back. He always comes back," she said reassuringly.
Will shook his head. "You should have seen the look on his face. I mean, he really thought that I did something. He looked so hurt." Will leaned his head back onto the tree and looked up at the stars. Reliving that moment always sent a shock of pain through his heart. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but Nico blew it up and made it a big deal. No, he shouldn't think that way.
"I just feel so... so hopeless," Will said softly. Lou Ellen gripped his arm tighter and laid her head on his shoulder.
They were silent for a few minutes. Finally, Lou Ellen looked up into Will's eyes. "You can do this," she said firmly. "You're Will Solace, master healer. You can fix anything."
He studied her. "I sure hope you're right."
"I am," Lou Ellen giggled. "Now, what's your plan and can I help?"
Will sighed and knocked on a cabin door. The blue eyes that greeted him widened and darted around wildly. "You again?" Travis hissed. The door narrowed until Will could only see one eye and a raised eyebrow perched above it. "Does your boyfriend know you're here? I don't want to meet Hades so young."
Will shoved his hands in his pockets and fixed his stare on his shoes. "Listen, I need a favor..."
He heard a groan from somewhere behind the cracked door. "Did you not learn your lesson earlier? Nico will literally open the earth and-"
"Nico's gone," Will cut in sharply. He took a deep, shuddering breath and said again, "Nico's gone."
Travis' eye softened and the door widened a bit. "Look, I'm sorry man, I mean it." He shuffled and leaned against the door frame. "But I don't know what I can do for you."
"Just... help me, okay?" Will pleaded. He knew he was asking for a lot, but he feared it was the only way he could ever see Nico again. They were risking solitude at camp, and potentially their lives. But he had to do it. He couldn't leave Nico alone. Though, he wasn't actually alone. If he knew Nico at all, he knew exactly where he was.
Travis sighed and looked him square in the eye. "If you're asking what I think you're asking..." His eyes almost seemed to glint with mischief, but Will never could tell if it was because he was a Hermes kid or he was really excited about the plan.
"Yeah, I am," Will said firmly. He couldn't change his mind now. There was no going back. He hadn't ever been the adventurous camper. He never went on quests. He was the camp medic. Sure, he went to work on campers in the middle of a battle field, but someone always had his back and assured his safety. Actually putting himself in danger intentionally? This would be new. But then again, these feelings towards Nico weren't something he had ever felt before either.
Travis' grin spread across his face. "Alright then," he announced. "We leave in 10 minutes. Bring lots of ambrosia. And whatever else you medics use to save lives."
