Chasing The Dark

Chapter 9 - Athena Wishes She Didn't Knew Too Much

Entry #13

Will woke up from his 'nap' yesterday. I haven't check on him yet.

Goals of the day:

-Find out who is 'she'

"Apollo" Apollo looked up to see Chiron looking at him.

"Yes, Uncle?" he replied, a bit disappointed. Chiron trotted to him, showing a gentle face to him.

"I haven't been called 'uncle' in a long time" the centaur admitted, chuckling. Apollo chuckled too.

"Well, at least, let me do something right..." Those words had a hidden background, that Chiron caught right away. He has been training heroes for eons and he sensed the regret behind the words.

"This is about Will, isn't it?" Apollo looked up from his lap, where his journal was resting, to the activity director of the Camp "Apollo, Will isn't a kid anymore..."

"I know, but..." he sighed, trying not to unleash his anger on a third person "First Lee, then Michael... I don't want my kids to go without unresolved issues..."

"What do you mean?"

"Lee's mother, though she lost her son over drugs" Apollo explained to Chiron, who was unaware of the life of his students beyond the Camp "Michael's, well... she was drunk one night and kicked him out... She still blames for it..."

"You are trying to bring peace to their mothers..." Chiron understood, nodding.

"I haven't seen Will's mother in years... I don't wanna get to her door with the note: 'We're sorry you lost a child'"

"I thought gods didn't feel empathy" Apollo rolled his eyes.

"Don't be silly, Chiron. Of course we feel empathy... We can't show it..." he emphasized, smirking.

~oOo~

Knock, knock!

"C'mon in!" he called, playing with some arrows and a bow, shooting at the target across the room.

"Hey, Pollo!" Rachel Dare's cheery voice made him look up, while she walked in.

"Hey, Rachel..."

"Wow, what an effusing welcome!" Rachel mocked him, walking closer. She was wearing a heavy jacket over her clothes "And, here I was, thinking you'd miss me during the school term" she pouted at him, joking.

"You're leaving?" Apollo let her words sink in his brains and looks at her "It's already the second term again?"

"Well, yeah, Pollo... Are you feeling alright?" Rachel looked concern at his answer.

"Yeah, yeah..." he lied. He didn't want to involve more people in his concern about Will.

"OK..." Rachel didn't sound sure, but didn't add anything "I'll be leaving in two hours, just letting you know..."

"Why in two hours?"

"I haven't say goodbye properly to everyone" Rachel shrugged "I'll see you later!" she waved and left the office, surprising the god.

~oOo~

"You have to go?" Apollo heard Aria's voice, pouting. Walking by, he saw Aria with Rachel, Austin, Kayla, Will and Nico.

"Yes, Ari..." Rachel told her, stroking her blonde hair "But, don't worry... I'll come back for Spring Break, OK?"

"OK" Aria nodded and kissed her cheek.

"We'll see you later, Rach" Kayla gave her a hug, which later, Austin joined, lifting both girls from the ground and making the squeak "Austin, put us down!!" Kayla ordered her brother, while Rachel laughed about it.

"You are no fun, Kay!" Austin complained. Kayla rolled her eyes, waved at Rachel and grabbed Aria's hand and started to argue with Austin, walking away.

"How are they alive everyday?" Nico wondered, watching them walk away.

"Beats me" Will shrugged, smirking "We'll miss you, Rach..." he stated, wrapping an arm around her.

"And I'll miss you two too!" Rachel ruffled both, Nico's and Will's hair. That distraction was enough for Apollo to hide nearby to hear their conversation.

"The hair! Not the hair, Rach!!" Will whined, shoving her hands away.

"Seriously, Rachel?" Nico supported Will, shocked.

"Oh, c'mon! You're rubbing your seriousness to him, Neeks!" Rachel groaned. Will raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"He's all the seriousness I need" Will wrapped an arm around Nico, who looked away. Rachel was ready to explode in fangirling, something Apollo was totally oblivious about it. His Oracle had been rooting for Nico and Will since they became friends.

"Sometime, you have to tell me the key to your, um, friendship" Rachel said, looking at them meaningfully.

"Communication" Nico blurted out.

"Speaking of which..." Will pulled out a note from his pocket and handed it to Rachel, who openly, curious "Can you do it?"

"Um, sure... But, why is important?" she frowned, curious.

"Just... do what you can, OK?" Nico passed his eyes from each other, a bit hurt.

"OK... See you guys on Spring Break!" she waved goodbye and walked away. Only then, Nico exploded.

"What was that?!"

"What was what?" Will repeated, playing dumb. He knew exactly what Nico was asking, but he didn't want to hurt him.

"Will, you're seriously making doubt our friendship right now!" Nico snapped at Will. Never he snapped at Will "I know you're hiding something from me. That only proves it!" he accused him, pointing at the direction Rachel left. Will paled and looked away.

"I can't tell you..." Will whispered.

"And you could tell her?!"

"She doesn't know why!!" Will screamed at Nico. Tears were trailing down his face, surprising Nico. Will Solace, the most cheerful, helpful and nice guy in Camp Half-Blood, was crying "No one can know!"

"You don't trust me? I swear on the Styx I won't tell anyone" A thunder sealed Nico's promise, reassuring Will. And Apollo congratulated himself to stay.

"When- when I was 10, my Mom remarried..." Will started, a few hiccups in between "The guy was OK... until she got sick, a few months later..." Nico placed a hand on Will's shoulder, pushing him down to sit "T-cell-prolymphocytic leukemia... We caught it on time..."

"You want Rachel to pay for the treatment..." Nico understood, rubbing Will's shoulder.

"I can't pay it myself anymore..."

"Why?"

"My stepdad, he... he works with gangs... The dangerous ones... He made me too or he wouldn't pay for the treatment... Anything but her health..." Will broke into sobs again, but this time, on Nico's shoulder.

For Nico, Will was all he saw.

For Apollo, everything turned red.