Battle Scars | Solangelo Fanfic

3.5 | Blame Game

TW: Blood, self-harm, anxiety, self-hate

W I L L

Will woke up to frantic yelling.

"EVERYONE TO CABIN THIRTEEN! ALL HEALERS TO CABIN THIRTEEN PLEASE! EMERGENCY! PATIENT IS IN CRITICAL STATE!" Kayla yelled.

At first, it didn't register. There was just a moment of confusion but the moment it clicked, Will ran. Nico di Angelo was in Cabin 13, what had happened to him? Will hadn't even discharged Nico yet! Kayla's words echoed in his head, Patient is in critical state. What does that mean? How did Nico get into trouble this time?

Will pushed through the crowd surrounding Nico's cabin, chattering and yelling filling his ears as the feeling of raw panic spread. He was greeted with an unexpected scene.

Nico di Angelo was lying motionless on the bathtub with blood oozing from his wrists. Will gasped with horror, no one should have to ever go through this. He rushed to take Nico's vitals; his heart was still pumping but he seemed pale and wasn't breathing normally. First, Will took of his shirt as a gauze and tied it to Nico's wrist to apply pressure on the wound. The bleeding stopped momentarily and Will took Nico in his arms, rushing out of the cabin while calling for backup. 

He gently placed Nico on his bed as soon as he got into the infirmary. Then he went into full doctor-mode; whenever Will goes into this state, the world seems to fade and all he could think about is his patient. Will injected some nectar and ambrosia through an IV to help with healing while his siblings sang hymns to Apollo. He closed the wounds as best he could and had to stitch up some of the more gruesome cuts. 

Will was exhausted, he had depleted all his energy during that healing and now his limbs felt heavy, his eyelids were drooping, and his mind felt hazy. He had to keep going, he had learned from his past mistake with Iskra. 

*Flashback*

Will was 13 years old when he met Iskra. From a early age, he was a healing prodigy and was highly praised for his skill. Everyone believed that Will Solace could heal anyone, no matter the severity. 

They were wrong.

Iskra Kriska, the daughter of Hecate was 17 years old and suffered from heart cancer. Some people in Scandinavia had heard of Will's healing prowess and had sent Iskra to Long Island in hopes of curing her. Will was pressured by the sudden attention but wanted to help in anyway he could. 

"Hallo Will! How are you?" Iskra asked with a heavy accent. Will quite liked her accent, it was unique and he had never heard it before. 

Will replied with a "Good, and you?"

"I'm splendid. Thank you." replied Iskra with a toothy smile and Will grinned back. 

"How're you feeling today?" Will drawled, sometimes his accent from Texas shone in conversations with her. 

"Okay. I'm absolutely knackered and I got wee chest pain here and there. Nothing to worry your little head about, you mind."

Will took note of that in his clipboard and before you were to say anything; Yes, he had a clipboard. Yes, he was a dork. Yes, he really loved his clipboard, he felt like it made him look professional and organized. 

"Aww, look at you lad! Taking tiny notes in your little clipboard! Bloody adorable! Come here you." She gestured for Will to come closer and ruffled his locks in a friendly noogie. 

"That felt good, innit? I know you felt it too." said Iskra, with a teasing tone but she was right, Will did like though head pats at times.

Will returned to business: he researched, he healed, and he tried so damn hard. Nothing worked, it was a hopeless case that was doomed to fail. He tried anyway. It was Iskra, she was always so cheerful, upbeat, and positive so Will didn't want to let her down. 

But he did anyway.

It had been two months that Iskra had been here and Will decided to break the news. 

"Hiya Wi-" Iskra started saying as Will walked in the room. 

Will blurted it out, he couldn't wait any longer. "I can't heal you, Iskra." He looked away, Will was afraid of her reaction. Iskra said nothing but then she sighed.

"I know, Will Solace. Can't say I'm not terribly gutted but I knew from the start. It was a gallant effort. The whole healing was dodgy from the start but I can't be arsed." She said in a calm tone. 

"What do you mean?"

"I came here for the ride, I didn't come for the cure. I came because I knew that I couldn't be healed so why not enjoy my present life to the fullest? In fact, you should be doing that yourself Will."

"Me?"

"Yes, this doctor stuff. It's for adults but you are not one yet. You don't need to have al these responsibilities, all this weight on your shoulders. You are a little lad, start acting like one."

"That sounded really wise. Who are you?" Will joked.

"Don't be a cheeky prat." They both laughed and Will let out a sigh. 

"Is this a goodbye then?" Will asked, not really wanting an answer. 

"I'll see another time, Will. Don't you worry about little old me, alright?"

Will couldn't say anything, his throat was tight and his eyes watered as he looked away. 

"Come and hug me, Will." Iskra called, wrapping her warm arms around his body. He nestled in the warmth, almost crying as Will thought what would happen to her. 

＞﹏＜

Three days passed and Iskra was getting ready to leave for Scandinavia. She was saying her final goodbyes to Will when she suddenly passed out. Shortly after was when the first convulsions began. It was a stroke. Will had never dealt with a stroke before and sang desperate hymns to Apollo for guidance. A feeling of distress filled his veins as all attempts failed. 

She went into a fatal heart attack and at that point, there was nothing Will could do. All he could do was watch his friend die. The heart monitor flatlined and tears streamed down his face. 

This was his fault. Only if he had been better then he could've saved her. He should've been better. His fault.

Telling Iskra's parents was the worst part. They didn't have the greatest reaction, Will didn't except them to. They yelled at him, their furious rage and grief all dumped on a 13-year-old. But even they knew deep down that it wasn't Will's fault but they still blamed him. All his fault.

. . .

That day was the day that Will first got acquainted with a blade. 

*End of Flashback*

Will snapped out of it when someone started calling his name. 

"What is it? Is it Nico? What happened?" He mumbled, half-awake. 

"I was saying that you should get some rest. The rest of us can handle it from here, Will. You haven't slept since yesterday morning." Austin, Will's younger brother told him in a stern voice. 

"But-" Will started to protest but Gracie interrupted. 

"No buts, no cuts, no coconuts!" The seven-year-old sassed. You do not mess with Gracie, Will had learned from the previous years. 

Resultantly, he left for his cabin and into a fitful slumber.