Will's POV
I walked down the dimly lit hallway, trying to ignore everything that had just happened. I just couldn't understand why Nico would leave it so long. His health was terrible. The aura that was around him was so bad I didn't even have to do a checkup to know he wasn't very well. But I didn't know it would be this bad. My hands were still shaking from everything that I had found out, my eyes were watering. I just didn't understand why he thought no one cared.
He was dangerously underweight and sickly. He obviously wasn't hydrated either, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. The dark bags under his eyes made that clear. His hair was completely knotted, and his eyes just looked so tired and sad. I just wanted to hug him right there and never let go. Obviously, I couldn't-he hated touch. And obviously, he hated me as well.
I had had a crush on him since I first saw him when he came to camp with his sister, happier than now, dark brown hair and light brown eyes— different to the dark black hair and almost black eyes now.
But he was still so gorgeous and pretty and hot, and - STOP IT, WILL.
I didn't know why I thought I would ever have a chance with him. He was the powerful, amazing son of Hades, saved the world twice, while I-| was just a healer. Useless, really.
My steps finally reached the infirmary kitchen. It was small,just one microwave we used for the microwaved meals we gave the patients, and a fridge stocked to the brim with ambrosia and nectar.
I was determined to heal Nico, starting with food. I was hoping he just hadn't had much to eat during the travels, and it wasn't something deeper. Wasn't something like... a disorder.
But I was worried.
Not just because l'd seen that hollow look before in patients too stubborn to admit what they were going through, but because Nico knew how to hide things. He'd spent his entire life doing it. Starving himself of care, affection, comfort-he didn't think he deserved any of it.
Most patients were hard to deal with, especially the younger ones, but Nico was like a scary toddler-especially with his height.
l opened the fridge and scanned over the shelves like it held the meaning of life. It didn't. Just half a container of Greek yogurt, some stale bread, and a forgotten smoothie labelled-
"DO NOT TOUCH, KAYLA'S."
I needed something soft. Something Nico wouldn't look at like an act of violence. Something safe.
Oatmeal. That was safe, right? Neutral. Gentle. Warm.
I grabbed a packet and made it with more water than usual, so it was warm and runny-less pressure, no chewing, no stress. Just something warm in his stomach. A beginning.
As I stirred, my mind raced.
It wasn't just about food. I knew that.
I'd seen it before-kids who learned to flinch at kindness, who skipped meals not because they wanted to disappear, but because they already felt like ghosts.
I added a drizzle of honey. Nothing too sweet. I didn't want it to feel... indulgent. Just enough to soften the taste. I placed it on a tray with a carton of orange juice. Hopefully he would like it. Hopefully he would eat.
I grabbed an apple from the fruit platter for my own lunch too and walked out of the kitchen.
I balanced the tray carefully in my hands, willing the toast not to slide off. Everything on it felt a little pathetic, like I was offering up a peace treaty made out of an orange juice carton and watery oatmeal.
Still, it was warm.
It was gentle.
It wouldn't hurt him,at least physically. Emotionally? That was another question.
The hallway to the back room was quieter now, though the main infirmary was still packed-leftovers from the war, kids too proud to admit they needed stitches, and that one Hermes kid who kept trying to fake injuries to flirt with the medics.
I could hear Kayla before I saw her-her boots always slapped a little too loud against the floor when she was annoyed.
"Will!" she called, practically appearing out of thin air, blocking the narrow hallway like some kind of tall, freckled roadblock. "Are you done babysitting the demon boy yet? Because I could really use an extra set of hands. Some idiot tried to bribe a nymph with McDonald's and got his arm turned into a fern."
l inhaled. Slowly. Counted to three in my head before answering. "Don't call him that."
Kayla rolled her eyes so hard I could practically hear the cartilage. "Fine, fine. Nico." She said it with dramatic reverence, like she was naming some ancient cursed object.
My siblings didn't understand why l'd want to care for a Hades kid. I told them, "Because everyone deserves kindness."
They just rolled their eyes.
"When are you done playing Florence Nightingale? Some of us are trying to actually keep people alive out here."
"I just need to drop this off, okay?" I lifted the tray an inch like proof. "Then I'll be back to help. Promise."
Her eyes dropped to the tray, lips twitching. "Oatmeal and orange juice? You're really laying on the charm thick."
"Kayla."
She held up her hands. "Okay, okay! No teasing. Well-minimal teasing." She stepped aside just enough for me to slip past, but as I moved, she called after me, voice lilting with a smirk, "And remember, keep it appropriate. You are his doctor."
I stopped in my tracks, tilted my head back against the wall, and groaned. Loudly.
"I hate you."
"No, you don't," she sang.
I didn't respond. Just kept walking toward Nico's room with my ears burning and my heartbeat annoyingly loud in my ears.
But for now, I had a tray of warm food, a boy who hadn't eaten anything in who knows how long, and a very delicate silence I didn't want to break.
I could handle Kayla's teasing later.
Maybe.
Probably.
Hopefully never again.
I made my way back to Nico's room and opened the door.
He was sat cross-legged on the bed with that adorably pouted expression. His lips were pushed out like a toddler when they don't get something they want, and his eyes were facing the floor. He was fiddling with the sleeves of his jacket. Underneath his jacket, he had on a Hawaiian-style shirt, which didn't really go with the jacket, but hey, who am I to judge?
He looked up as I entered the room. His eyes went wide at the plate of food.
"Will, I won't be able to eat all that," he said quietly, his Italian accent slipping through, like it always did when he was tired or upset. My name sounded round and soft in his mouth.
Wheel. Like it meant something.
He seemed so ashamed of how bad his health was, as if it was all his fault. The demigod world was cruel, especially toward outcasts like Hades kids, so I knew it wasn't his fault.
"You don't have to eat all of it," I said softly. "Just some of it.
A tablespoon, please?" I sat down on the bed next to him.
He nodded, not seemingly convinced.
I passed the tray into his lap. For a second, he just stared at the food.
He looked like just looking at it made him want to throw up.
His lips were trembling. His fingers hesitated at the spoon like it might burn him.
I didn't like how sad he looked, how broken he seemed, and if I could fix it all with the snap of a finger, I would. But I couldn't.
His hands were shaking as he picked up the spoon and scooped up some porridge. He blew on it, as it was still steaming, before taking a small bite. He held it in his mouth for a long second before swallowing. His throat bobbed visibly.
He looked like he was about to gag.
"Is that enough?" he asked, his voice cracking halfway through the sentence. It was so small, so fragile. Like he was asking for permission to stop hurting.
I just wanted to let him finish. Let him put down the spoon and be done with it. But I knew I had to do my job, and healing also meant pushing yourself.
Even when it hurt.
"Just three more spoonfuls, please?" I said.
"Two more?" he said, almost like he was begging.
"Fine, two more," I said.
I watched as he slowly gulped down the two spoonfuls.
Then he put down the spoon and passed the tray over to me, his fingers barely curling around the edges.
His eyes didn't meet mine. He looked ashamed.
But he had tried. And that meant something.
I stood up and walked to the door. "I have some other patients I need to help. I'll be back for dinner," I said, and then added, more quietly, "Thank you."
I paused. "For trying."
He nodded as I backed out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I could still see that sad expression on his face, and I hated it.
I hated that I had to leave him to help other patients.
But that was my job.
And I would do it.
I made my way to the main room, where the patients were laid out in neat rows of beds like a pastel army of injuries.
The afternoon light was slanting in through the infirmary windows, giving everything a weird golden glow that made it feel quieter than it was. It was never actually quiet in here
-someone was always groaning, or sneezing, or trying to flirt with the medics.
I grabbed a clipboard from the counter. It was old and splintered and had a sticker that said "Don't lose this, Will, seriously." I'd lost it twice already.
The names were scribbled in sharp, impatient handwriting.Kayla's.
I scanned the list.
Connor Stoll - broken arm.
Oh, gods.
Katie Gardner - fractured finger.
Okay, manageable.
Drew Tanaka - scraped knee.
NO.Why her?
That was it. Minor stuff. No gaping wounds or celestial bronze in someone's spleen today. I just had to give Connor a fresh bandage and painkillers, get Katie something vegan for lunch (the word "STRICTLY" was underlined three times), and unfortunately-deal with Drew.
I sighed, a long, soul-weary kind of sigh that came from years of making eye contact with Drew Tanaka.
We'd dated once. Back when we were thirteen. I don't even really remember how it started. She had a nice smile and I was trying really hard not to think about why I couldn't keep my eyes off both girls and guys. She was sweet at first.
Really sweet. Said nice things. Gave me strawberries dipped in chocolate during the Aphrodite cabin's Valentine's thing.
But then Silena died.
And something in Drew just-twisted. She got mean. Rude.
Sharp in the way only Aphrodite kids could be. And I-I had already been crushing on Nico for two years by that point.
Secretly, of course. He barely spoke to anyone and didn't know l existed, and besides, no one even knew I was bi yet.
I hadn't even told Lee or Michael. I was so scared of how they'd look at me.
So I told Drew.
And she broke up with me.
Told me I was weird. Said it was wrong. That it was basically cheating on her, being bi. I didn't understand what l'd done wrong. I just knew it felt horrible.
Later I told Chiron everything, and he said I had done nothing wrong. That helped. But Drew never apologized.
And ever since then? She'd gotten clingy. Creepy, even.
Once she got over her homophobia (sort of), she started pulling this thing where she'd refuse treatment unless / was the one to give it. Specifically me. No one else. She'd fake injuries, demand attention, flirt awkwardly like we were still thirteen and I hadn't spent years pretending that whole thing didn't happen.
And today, she was back.
Great.
I walked to the storage room and grabbed a roll of fresh bandages and some standard painkillers for Connor. My hands were still buzzing slightly from the Nico thing-his sad eyes, the soft way he said "Wheel." The way he looked like he was trying to become invisible in front of me. I blinked hard and shook it off.
Focus.
Connor Stoll was on bed 4B, grinning like he was about to rig my shoelaces together again.
"Hey, Will!" he called out the second I got close, flashing that mischievous smile that meant definitely did something illegal recently.
"Hey, Connor," I replied, trying not to smile but failing a little. "How's the arm?"
He lifted his not-broken hand and gave me a thumbs-up. "Solid eight out of ten pain. Got a free popsicle out of it though."
"Wow, so brave," I said dryly, sitting down beside him.
He leaned forward, stage-whispering, "Is it true you're nursing the Ghost King back to health in private?"
I nearly dropped the bandages.
"I-I-what?" | stammered, my ears burning immediately.
"You know, Nico," he said with a smirk. "Shadow guy. Big eyes. All black everything. I heard Kayla say he's back and you're 'personally overseeing his care,' and she made finger quotes. Finger quotes, Will."
l opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"I'm a healer," I said weakly, "that's literally my job-stop smiling like that!"
Connor cackled. "Oh my gods, you're in love with him."
"Shut up," | muttered, yanking his arm a little harder than I needed to. He winced.
"OW-jeez, okay, okay! I'll shut up," he said, still grinning.
I finished wrapping his arm, gave him the painkiller, and watched him swallow it down with water from his canteen.
He saluted me with it like I was a war hero.
"Don't tell Kayla I said anything," he added, leaning back on the bed. "She'll start planning your wedding."
I gave him a look that said 'I am a professional and I will kick you in your balls'.
Next up was Katie.
I jogged back to the small kitchen nook, scanning shelves for anything vegan. There was a suspicious tuna sandwich, some old spaghetti, and finally- a salad box. Tofu, kale, cucumber, the works. Still in date. I grabbed it and walked it back to Katie.
She was sitting up in bed, inspecting her fractured finger like it had personally betrayed her.
"Hey," I said, holding the box out. "Vegan lunch delivery for Miss Gardner."
She looked up and smiled faintly. "Did Kayla threaten you?"
"Only a little. Said I'd be growing mushrooms out of my ears if I gave you dairy."
Katie laughed. "Sounds like her. Thanks, Will."
"No problem. How's the finger?"
"Still rude," she said, flexing it slightly. "But I guess I'll survive. Unless Drew kills me first."
"Don't give her ideas."
"Too late."
We shared a small smile before I turned back toward the worst part of my afternoon.
Drew.
She was sprawled dramatically across her bed like it was a throne, one leg bent, the other kicked up slightly in the air.
Her scraped knee wasn't even bleeding. It looked like she fell over in the dirt and decided it counted.
She was wearing a very short skirt.
I approached cautiously, like she might bite. She perked up the second she saw me.
"Will," she said, drawing out my name like it was an invitation.
"Drew," | replied, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.
"Scraped knee?"
"It huuuurts," she whined, pouting in that exaggerated way that used to seem charming when I was thirteen and very stupid.
I knelt down to check the wound and-gods.
Her skirt rode up. Way up. I averted my eyes so fast I nearly fell over.
"Can you-uh-maybe sit differently?" I muttered, mortified.
She blinked at me, all fake innocence. "Oh, is this better?" She crossed her legs slowly. Too slowly.
I resisted the urge to scream.
I dabbed the scrape gently with antiseptic. She hissed dramatically. "Ow. Be gentle."
"I am being gentle."
She leaned down toward me, smiling. "You're so tense. Is this about us?"
"There is no us," I said, sharper than I meant to. I kept my eyes on her knee, not her stupid glitter lip gloss or the stupid way she batted her lashes.
"Will," she said sweetly. "You were always so sensitive. We were good together-"
"We weren't," I said, standing up abruptly. "We weren't good. You were mean. You were cruel. And you made me feel like I was broken for being myself."
Her mouth opened slightly. No sound came out.
I took a step back.
"Look," I said. "If you still have feelings for me-which, gods, I hope you don't-I'm telling you now- let them go. I'd never date someone like you again."
There was a long pause.
"You're not a bad person," I added quietly. "But you were a really bad person to me."
Then I turned and walked away, heart hammering in my ears.
And as I reached the counter, my face burning, Kayla appeared out of nowhere and said, "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"
I exhaled. "I was just reminded that Nico is hotter than literally anyone else at this camp."
She blinked. "Did you say that out loud?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
AN-
Drew's plain evil.I gave her the "tragic backstory" for Will's development.Just that.I bet she looks like Echidna.
Enjoyy,pookie bears😘😘😘😘