Will's POV
I seriously missed Nico.
I didn't even realize how much I was around him at camp and now, when I wasn't around him, I felt a big, gaping void in my chest. In my heart.
Trying to fill my head with happy, cheerful thoughts, any thoughts, I walked down the streets of New York. Oh look, that's where Michael Yew was last seen. The Williamsburg Bridge. I tried not to let my mind wander after that.
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I got on a public bus, paying with a few of the mortal dollars that Apollo had given me before I left. About twenty minutes before noon, my father had walked up to me and handed me a backpack. In it was one hundred dollars, a handful of golden drachmas, a change of clothes, ambrosia and nectar, a small knife, and a first aid kit. Apollo had really gone full out for me, even though he was sending me on a suicide mission.
I rode the bus as far as it would take me, and then continued on, switching between trains and buses. I surprisingly didn't have to fight any monsters the whole way there, but I did think that I saw a couple beasts out the window of a couple buses. And I definitely did see the Minotaur out one of the train's windows. I had wondered why none of the monsters had come near me. A blessing from the gods, I had concluded.
My most recent train dropped me off in Indianapolis a day after I had stepped across the border of Camp Half-Blood. I started to walk around the city and look for both a) a map to find where in Hades Delphi, Indiana was, and b) eventually a form of transportation that I could use to get to the freakin' city.
Finally, a bum that told me his name was "Fred" pointed me in the direction of Delphi. I looked to where his finger was pointed, squinting my eyes to block out the glare of the sun. When I turned back to Fred to offer him my gratitude and possibly a couple dollars, he was nowhere to be seen. It struck me as creepy and weird, like it was the beginning of a horror movie, but I brushed it off. I couldn't waste any time on this gods forsaken quest worrying about some random hobo on the side of the street. Or, rather, some random hobo not on the side of the street. I had to get back to Nico as soon as possible, and any sidetracking would just prolong our being apart.
Speaking of Nico, it surprised me when he kissed me in public, not that I minded it. At all. Just thinking about it made me smile.
Still speaking of Nico, the night grew very dark around me. I knew that I needed to find somewhere to sleep for the night, but I only had about twenty dollars left with me, so a hotel was out of the question. Maybe I could find Fred again and ask him to share his sidewalk with me...
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Nico's POV
Boredom. Sadness. Hatred. Anger. Annoyance. Irritation. Anxiety. Fear. Bitterness. Loneliness. Worry. Those words could only begin to scrape the surface of the metal box that pent up the emotions that I was feeling at the moment. I went and practiced some sword fighting. What better way to get rid of unwanted emotions than to pulverize some other campers? My feelings were taking over my mind.
Boredom: Who knew that I spent almost the whole day, every day, with Will? I hadn't realized how often we were together and now that we're not together, I don't have anything to do.
Sadness: I have so much fun with Will that I am used to happiness, for once in my life. Since Will is gone, all of that happiness is gone.
Hatred: Hatred for this stupid quest. Hatred for Apollo for sending him on the stupid quest. Hatred for the gods pressuring Apollo. Hatred for the idiotic Oracle and the dumb Python. Hatred at Will for being so... him. For being so nice, and sweet, and caring, and funny, and adorable with his tan skin, and his annoyingly blond air, and his blue eyes like the sky, and his stupid southern accent...and, well, I could continue on about the things that I definitely do NOT like about Will Solace, but I'll spare you.
Anger: Again, anger for this stupid quest and anger for the gods. Who am I not angry at right now? The list goes on and on.
Annoyance: I am annoyed at everything, living and non-living, on this planet. Why does the grass have to be so green? Why does the sky have to be so blue? Why do couples at camp have to be so lovey-dovey all the time?
Irritation: Everything is so irritating! Why do kids feel the need to laugh and be happy? Why does the infirmary have to look so inviting, yet so empty?
Anxiety: When will William Solace come back? What if he doesn't? He will. I am sure of it. 100% positive. But what if he has to fight. Who am I kidding? Of course he will have to fight! What if he gets hurt? But he's a healer. But what if he can't heal himself?
Fear: Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die. Will's going to die.
Bitterness: I couldn't even think about the sun without hating the world, which was ironic because I had always hated the sun, but for the past year or so, I had welcomed the sun, the warmth, with open arms.
Loneliness: Why did every camper at this freakin' place feel the need to be dating someone? Or have friends? What good were friends anyway? In the end, they were just bound to let you down or run away on some stupid quest for their stupid father and leave you behind to stupidly worry about them being stupidly alive.
Worry: Will William Solace come back to me alive? Will he be okay? Does he have a weapon? I don't even know if he has a weapon with him! But, even if he does have a weapon with him, will he know how to use it? Of course he will... right?
Those emotions fluttered around in my brain for the entire day, until, finally, dinner rolled around. And then a new emotion took over all of my thoughts. Hope.
Hope: I can't believe I didn't think of this before.
