The Trials of Will

Possessed Demigods Harass Will

"Sir, can I speak with you?" Will asked and poked his head inside Chiron's office. It took him a while to find him before Annabeth said he might be in the big house. He wasn't a centaur anymore, instead he was sitting in a chair with wheels as he filed through papers on his desk. His head jerked to him.

"Will, I didn't hear you come in," he whispered.

"Sorry," Will stood at the doorway and shifted from foot to foot.

"Come and sit, I'm free to talk," Chiron waved to the chair across from him, which Will took. He put his papers down and focused his attention on him, Will took a deep breath and spoke.

"I was wondering, is there a way for me to... get to my time? Back to Araluen?" Once the question left his mouth, Chiron's face fell and so did Will's hope. The expression wasn't promising, the centaur was quick to wash it away.

He sighed, "Will, for you to understand your situation, I'll explain how I believe you got here in the first place," he said, Will leaned forward. He had wondered how he ended up sleeping for many centuries, the best explanation he got was 'old ladies' and 'fates'. A trio of teenagers didn't help explain much. "I believe your fate was rearranged for this prophecy, whether the Gods have a play in it or if it's Fate. Something interfered and put you in an endless sleep. You were frozen in time, hidden until the moment arose."

"Why me? They could've chosen another demigod, or..." Will trailed off and Chiron shook his head.

"Perhaps. But they needed a child of Apollo with the ability to control light and you are said child. You're also a ranger, which makes you a desirable candidate for this prophecy."

"They ruined my life, took away my future and my friends for one prophecy?" Will spat out the words with venom. He had a life at Araluen, he had people he loved, and yet the Gods, fate, or whoever ruined it. Prophecy or not, camp in danger or not, Will couldn't help but feel bitter about it.

"Fate is cruel and so are the Gods, it's a sad situation most demigods find themselves in. If you ask Percy, he'll tell you about the cruel quests he's done," Will heard about Percy around camp, and people would whisper how he was a hero or one of the strongest. Will could believe it, Percy had a presence of pure power and he held himself like a skilled knight. "Your fate may be the cruelest," Will stiffened at his words.

"What do you mean?" He demanded. Chiron stared at him with a deep frown, it put the hairs on his neck at end.

"I'm no oracle, Will, although I have my suspicions. To bring you back to Araluen requires time-traveling to the past. It's possible, the Gods can do it. However, it's also dangerous."

"How so?" Will asked, afraid to hear the answer. He could be satisfied knowing he could go back, but he's a ranger, and rangers needed to gather information, every bit of it. If something dangerous was in his path, he had to know.

"Time travel is a fickle thing, even Kronos never tried to mess with the past. If you were to go back, you may change the future by accident. One small difference could ruin the future, or make it better," Chiron said. "Either way, it's too risky to mess with it. The past is the past, and there's no changing it. I doubt the Gods would be willing to send you back, I would be hesitant as well."

Time travel was a fickle thing, it appeared. It did little to sway Will's conviction, and if one small change can ruin everything, bringing him would have consequences as well. "The past doesn't have me in it. After I become a ranger, I disappear," Will muttered, more to himself than to Chiron. "Sir, does Araluen exist today?"

He shook his head. "No, the kingdom fell. I cannot tell you when, but it doesn't exist anymore," Will thinned his lips. Could Araluen's fall correlate to his disappearance? No, he couldn't have made such an impact. At the same time, a small change could result in Araluen's destruction, if what Chiron said was true. Will stood, he was glad he talked to Chiron about this because now, Will knew what to do. Chiron smiled, "I see you've made up your mind."