three days

-Fourteen-

Will's POV

Needless to say, I was more than a little embarrassed when ordering a kids' Happy Meal as a fifteen year old teenager. Behind the counter was a girl who looked a slightly older than me. She was giving me a weird look the whole time, which made me feel extrememly uncomfortable. I didn't hesitate in leaving the McDonald's right after grabbing my order of two Happy Meals.

Scanning the parking lot, I finally spotted the camp's familiar van with Argus behind the wheel. Half of his hundred eyes turned to me as I approached and he opened the passenger door. Buckling my seat belt and nodding for him to drive, I held the Happy Meals, making sure it didn't topple over.

-

After arriving at camp, I made sure to thank Argus for the ride before going my own way. The Happy Meal was still hot by the time I kicked open the infirmary door. Roxane West, my older half-sister, had her feet up on the front desk and was folding paper cranes.

"Kayla's practicing archery."

"Good to know."

"Your friend is waiting for you." She said, pointing down the hall with her hand. I raised an eyebrow on her emphasis on the word friend. She laughed lightly while waving me away halfheartedly and starting on what looked to be her 20th paper crane. Peeking in behind closed curtains, I noticed that most patients were just starting to doze off in their beds.

Except for one, where the curtains were pulled back and the white bed neatly made. I couldn't help but remember the life that had been lost there. The brave camper who had been gravelly injured due to the war. I turned my back to the sight, walking away from it hurriedly. I didn't want to think about it; what I could've done to save an innocent person. Tears were beginning to blur my vision and I could feel them fall down my cheeks. I wiped them away with the back of my hand.

Nico's POV

I flinched at the sound of sneakers squeaking against the infirmary's polished floors. It echoed in the dead-silent hall, and I knew right away that it was Will. A second later, he stepped into the room with a runny nose and two Happy Meals in each hand.

"Hey, Death Breath," he said cheekily, sitting himself down in the uncomfortable chair next to my bed. He placed one on the nightstand, pushing it closer to me with his fingers, and the other on his own lap.

"Don't call me that. And thanks." I mumbled the last part before reaching out to grab my food. It was still hot and I took a deep breath as I unfolded the top. I picked a couple of fries that weren't in half and shoved them in my mouth without ketchup.

Will opened his box too, "Yup. Smells like diabetes and high cholesterol."

"Oh my gods!" I choked on my fries, coughing maniacally with tears streaming down my face. Will stands up automatically. The chair fell back and made a clattering sound that vibrated. Our Happy Meals were abandoned as he rushed to see if I'm wasn't dying.

"Are you choking??" He takes my face in his hands. His eyes lock onto my own, never wavering. His thumbs brushed over my cheeks gingerly in a manner that reminded me of Bianca and my mother.

"That's a... stupid question... Solace."

"Oh, thank gods! You're okay," he whispered. Yet he didn't let go. "Sorry. I'm... making a big deal out of this." His hands dropped to his lap, and where they once were, I felt cold.

"No, I'm sorry for worrying you. I just- I was just laughing so hard, and the fries went down the wrong tube." I chuckled, looking away from him anxiously.

Will laughed. He threw his head back, shoulders shaking, and tears formed at the corner of his eyes.

"I didn't know you'd have that reaction to what I said." Will said after taking a sip from a water bottle I don't remember seeing. The bed made a low creaking sound as he pushed himself off and sat in the chair, after picking it up from the floor. I might have been imagining it, but I thought he was sitting closer to me than before.

"Eat your food, Nico." The son of Apollo tried sounding firm, but that tone of voice just didn't suit him. I nodded and unwrapped my burger, watching as some pieces of lettuce fell into the box. Will took the wrapper from my lap and crumpled it into a small ball. I watched him toss it into the trashcan and proceed to do the same with his own.

"Ugh, why do you like this?" he asked me once he had finished swallowing a mouthful of his burger.

"What are you talking about? It's good."

"Chew with your fucking mouth closed, di Angelo."

"Fine. Where are the drinks?"

"Oh, I forgot about those. Here―" he tossed something onto my lap. "―take this. It's juice."

I picked up the juice box and stabbed the top with the straw. I took a sip, "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

We ate in silence for a while, listening to the shouts from campers outside. I had just finished my hamburger and was slurping the remaining drops of apple juice from the box. There was nothing left at the bottom so I abandoned all hope of there still being some. "Hey, Will, can you―"

Will stopped shoving my fries in his mouth. His blue eyes were wide like a deer's in front of headlights. I was staring him down, raising my eyebrow as if to say, "What the fuck, Solace?" This went on for a minute before I grabbed the toy from the box, aiming and then tossing it directly at his face. The toy hit him square in the nose.

"You―fucking―asshole!" I screeched. He bent over, clutching his face with his hands, and cursing under his breath. I grabbed another from his box and hurled it at his head, screaming in Italian.

"Perché?! Perché, Will!? Ho pensato che erano amici!! Non mi piace che si, non mi piace che si."

"Nico... WHAT THE HADES ARE YOU SAYING!?!"

-

Roxane's POV

I looked up from my 58th paper crane, a small, emerald, green one. There was shouting coming from down the hall in a language I recognized as Italian. It was obvious that the person screaming was enraged and my brother was at loss.

"Can they shut up?" I shook my head and laughed.

-

I want to apologize for the extremely late chapter. It took longer than I would have liked, and it's not even that good, so I am sorry for making you all wait two months for this crap. I haven't been feeling my best and have felt no motivation to do basically anything, but these past couple of days have been a little bit better, and I decided to finish writing this for you.

I wanted to say thanks because this story got to 3k reads and I'm so glad that so many people seem to enjoy my story!

Friendly reminder that the next chapter will be the last one. I can't guarantee when chapter 15 will be up since it all depends on how I am doing. Hopefully, I will continue to feel better so that I can write the ending to this story.

Thank you all so much for bearing with me and don't forget to vote, comment, and share!