Camp Half Blood: One "Salty" Adventure

Chapter 35

Rose's POV:

Walker pulled me into the hall, acting suspicious while Myra was telling our story. "What is it, Walker?" I asked curiously.

"O-Olthen." He replied nervously.

"What do you mean? Like... he's coming?" I said confused, looking around me cautiously.

"No no," he shook his head. "When Myra was telling the story... she said Cole had to fight that... that person. Well... while she was describing him... Olthen was the first thing to come up in my mind. It was, without a doubt, Olthen that he faught. I swear..." He said, fists beginning to clench up.

"R-Really? Gods... Khione knew the whole time... I gotta talk to Will. He needs to hurry up with that serum... this is bad, Walker." I said, shaking my head and beginning to pace around.

"I know, I know... I'll take you there just in case there are people around. I-I don't want Olthen to find out about any of this..." he trailed off scratching the side of his face that wasn't a skull. I looked at him curiously. "What?" He asked, seeing as I was staring at him. I smiled.

"Oh nothing, I just... is that real? Like a tattoo or?..." I trailed off. He let out a small laugh.

"Oh! My half a skull face... nah, it's not real. Olthen thinks it is, but Corbyn and I have it done every day by one of the other demigods here." I smiled.

"Isn't that a lot of work?" I asked.

"I guess... she does it pretty fast though. Not sure how, but it's cool huh?" He shrugged with a proud expression on his face.

"Guess so! Sorry I got off topic, I was just curious." He nodded his head.

"No, it's cool. N-Nobody's ever asked me that before. To be honest, I'd rather not have it... Olthen just thinks it's better like this cause Corbyn and I are always so... goofy I guess you could say." He said sadly.

"Well, one day I'd like to see you without it. Either way, whatever makes you happy, you should do." He smiled and engulfed me into a hug, picking me up. "Alright, alright." I laughed. "Come on, we should go. I've gotta talk to Will." He put me down and then nodded his head, leading me to Will's lab. He waved goodbye and then turned back in the other direction. I smiled and then opened the door. "Will?" I asked. Will looked up from the small prep table that stood in the middle of the room.

"Rose? What're you doing here? W-wait is something wrong? Who brought you and why are you alone? Did you come yourself? R-Rose that's dangerous! You co-" I cut off his nervous rambling.

"Hey! Calm down, Walker brought me. I needed to talk to you..." He nodded and gestured for me to come over. I walked over and leaned on the table.

"What's up?" He said starting to fiddle with whatever he was doing again before I walked in. He was so intent in his work...

"Ok... so I had Myra start reciting her entire life story... you know, good and bad... b-but it got to the point when we were in the castle and sh-she said she had to watch all of us uh..." I trailed off, remembering what I had to go through like it was yesterday. I shook it off as Will started speaking.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked. He wiped a tear from my eye that I didn't realize had fallen. He had stopped what he was doing, all of his attention fully on me now.

"S-Sorry, I just remembered... uh ok so she had to watch us k-kill our loved ones... or what we thought were... it was like an illusion... but when she started talking about Cole... she watched him only fight one person. And that person kept changing into different people and-and in the end it was... it was Olthen."  I explained. His jaw dropped, a shocked expression plastered on his face.

"B-But how do you know? Y-You've never seen..." He trailed off, trying to make sense of everything.

"Walker told me... Myra's description fit him perfectly... or at least that's what Walker said." I replied quietly.

"I... I've gotta finish this serum... and fast..." He said, beginning to work on it rapidly. I nodded and went to one of the walls in the room, sliding down it into a sitting position. I put my head in my hands and just focused on my breathing. "Rose? Are you alright?" I heard Will ask from across the room. I sighed.

"Yeah... just keep working on the serum." I said not looking up. I heard him sigh, but he just kept working. After about 20 minutes? Maybe longer... I'm not so sure. But later, Will sat down next to me. I wiped my eyes, not sure if I was wiping away the sleep or the tears... or both.

"You ok?" He asked. I looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah... just a little anxious, scared... confused... never mind how I feel, how's the serum going? Why'd you stop?" I questioned. He gave me a sad smile.

"Well, it's done but..." he paused, running his fingers through his messy hair. "I don't think she should take it." I cut him off, sitting up in shock.

"Wh-what?! Why not!?" He smiled.

"Not yet, Rose. I think... For the best results and the best chance at having the old Myra back, that you should give Myra the serum once you get back to camp." I looked at him blankly and then looked down at his lap.

"Are-Are you sure?" I questioned quietly, hugging my knees close to my chest.

"Yeah... I just... It's for Myra's own good. I know this isn't soon enough, but I've thought it through. I've made the serum as stable and as strong as possible. You just gotta trust me with this, Rose..." he tried to assure me. I nodded.

"I want to trust you, Will... I just d-don't want to lose my best friend... not again. I barely got her back the first time... I know I've told you all of this before but... I-I'm so scared, Will." I said getting choked up. He put an arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Rose. We're all doing the best we can... I swear if there was a way where I could make everything perfect... just perfect... I would." I smiled to myself and looked up at him.

"I know... I'm gonna miss that... the way you are. Kind...caring, never... never someone to just give up..." I explained to him. He smiled. "Will... come back to camp one day. But don't look for me... like... to be with me. I just... I don't deserve someone like you. And I know what you're gonna say, but just don't... I know how I am and I know how you are... and I-I know what I said... what we said but... You deserve better. Please don't get caught up on me. You may think that... I don't know, maybe that you wouldn't be happy if you weren't with me or something along the lines, but I think that you'd, honestly, be a lot happier with someone else. J-Just try... try to be with other people. Y-You never know." My voice cracked at the end. His smile faded and he looked at me with saddened wonder.

"A-Are you serious? I-... Rose... I don't.... gods..." He was at a loss for words and he just looked at me for help.

"Please, Will. Promise me that you'll try to be happy with someone else." I said more as a command than a question. I didn't want to give him a choice. He wouldn't listen to me if I said this any other way.

"I-I... okay..." He said, his voice now a whisper. I pulled him close to me, engulfing him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Will... but you have to know that I'm doing this for you... for your own benefit." I said slowly to him. He leaned back and looked me in the eye.

"But what about what's good for you?" I looked down, thought for a moment and then looked back up to him.

"I don't know... maybe... maybe, in time, this will be good for me too... we just gotta give it time, Will." I stumbled on my words. He nodded.

"Alright... I just... I want you to be happy, Rose... do anything it takes, just so long as you're happy in the end." I rested my head on one hand and turned my head to look at him.

"You too, Will... you too."