Too Late

Chapter 12

~ Will ~

Nico left suddenly once the meeting was over, leaving Will alone. Sybil came up to him and studied him carefully. "What's wrong?"

He looked over, "Nothing."

"No. Something is definitely wrong. You just don't know what it is yet." She tilted her head, "I remember Shelby."

He nodded, trying to stay quiet. Which wasn't like him.

Sybil's face darkened, "You miss her."

Will said nothing, he sat still. If he moved he would break, if he looked Sybil in the eyes he would shatter, if he thought about her smiling face or her last words he would be gone. So he didn't reply.

The daughter of Eros looked at him sternly, "Do you remember the last words she said to you?"

Will gripped the edge of his chair, "Why does it matter?"

"You're acting like Nico, you're running."

He sighed, "Yes. Of course I remember... Who could ever forget."

"I don't want to be one of your ghosts."

He nodded.

Sybil tilted her head, "Do you know what she meant?"

Will shrugged, "She wanted me to keep being happy. Keep living. Living for her." His voice cracked on the last words.

Sybil nodded, "Yeah. She didn't want you to regret her death. But there is more to it. Ghosts, they are deaths you regret. Ones you wish you could have stopped." Sybil paused, "And they can be used against you. Just ask your boyfriend." She didn't stop for him to ask what she meant, "The only way to overcome this, is to be at peace with your ghosts. You have to let go."

Will stared at her blankly, "Let go?"

She nodded, "Yes. You need to-" She was cut off by Calynn, who put her hand over Sybil's mouth. "Come on Syb. Connor's waiting for you." She pushed her friend away from Will and looked down at him.

"You okay?"

"Don't read my mind."

Caylynn put up her hands, "I wasn't going to."

"Good." He relaxed.

She smiled as she took a step forward, "I don't need to. I already did."

Will scowled, "Honestly Calynn, some stuff is personal."

"I know. And it's not like I just go up to people and read their minds. I knew that something was wrong, so I came to help."

"For some reason I don't believe you."

She shrugged, "You do you, my friend. Now, I'll see you at six."

"Where?"

"Well, we'll find that out, won't we." She tilted her head to the side before turning around to join her friends, the daughter of Hypnos took a running start and jumped on Connor's back with a laugh.

* * *

He sat on Nico's bed, next to the son of Hades who was reading a book. Nico looked up at him and frowned, "You alright?"

"Why do people keep asking me that?"

"You aren't smiling." Nico said simply.

Will forced a smile and Nico grimaced.

"What does it mean to have ghosts?" Will asked.

"Ghosts?"

"Yeah."

Nico hesitated, "As in spirits that haunt you because you haven't come to peace with them?"

"I think so."

"Well there's your explanation. A spirit that haunts you because you haven't come to peace with them."

"That's not... not what I meant."

Nico scooted closer to Will and rested his head on his shoulder. "It's a term for a death that you never came to terms with. A spirit that still haunts you. The spirit's never really there, but the idea of the person being alive again is unbearable. It hurts like hell. Having ghosts means regretting people who died. It's hard to explain."

"I think I understand."

"Cool." Nico nodded.

"Can they be used against you?"

"Yes." Nico said cooly. he didn't elaborate.

"How so?"

"Look, Will, I know you're trying to figure stuff out, but I can't talk about this anymore. It's hard for me too."

Will nodded, "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault, or mine. Some days are just like that..." Nico trailed off. He looked at his watch and sighed, "Its almost six. Didn't you say that you had to meet up with Calynn or something?"

Will nodded, "Yeah, I'd better get going then." He stood up and started to walk away when Nico said, "You're forgetting something Solace."

"What?"

"This, you dork." The son of Hades got up and gave Will a gentle kiss, he pulled away looking Will in the eye, "You can leave now."

Will grinned stupidly, as his face turned pink, he probably looked like an idiot, but he didn't care, "Thanks death boy."

He walked out into the cool night air, Calynn hadn't said were to meet so he let his feet take control.

Will found himself walking along the edge of the woods, contemplating why. Why his father was missing. Why he was a demigod. Why his own sister couldn't know the truth. Why Nico was acting so strangely. Why he was so out of it. Why Calynn had known something was wrong. Why he was thinking about the past, instead of focusing on the present. Why he missed her now, after years of living without her.

He stopped short, a few feet from her resting place. He looked up at the stars and wondered where he would find Calynn.

"Don't look around. Stay here." A voice said.

He looked over to see Calynn, kneeling in front of the grave. She looked up at him, "I thought you might find me here." She gave him a tight smile, "Her last words to me were, stay where you are. Because if you look back you'll go mad with longing and looking into the future never helped any heros."

"She never dwelled on the past. Or the future."

"She stayed right where she belonged, in the present." Calynn finished.

Will nodded, he reached out a hand and traced over the words engraved in the stone, Don't look around. Stay here.