Progress

You can do this. Just focus. Relaxing her breathing Skylar walked toward the leery Pegasus. A disgruntled whine comes from in front of her but no snapping teeth. So far so good. Aquamarine orbs meet bloodshot chocolate brown. "Easy now just stay seated. My brother and I are here to help. So if you'll allow us we'll take care of you." Every so often she inches closer to the horse's side. In turn the horse would try to move away only to fall back over in defeat. Skylar doesn't stop moving until she's right next to him. Once she's close enough her hand slowly approaches the horse's muzzle.

Surprisingly it inches closer to her hand, eyes closing at her warm touch. "That's a good boy you were just scared huh? You didn't want them to take you back to where you came from. Don't you worry we wouldn't let that happen." The blonde cooed sitting atop a pile of hay allowing the horse to rest his head on her lap. Will hesitantly makes his way over sitting beside the horse's limp wing. He would need to assess the damage first before attempting to heal or it could inhibit his flying capability.

"Skylar just keep talking to him I'm going to see if I can repair his wing. It's broken but I should be able to set it." He says placing his slender fingers lightly against the wing. On the count of three he pulls the bones together strapping the wing to a piece of wood lying around. The horse attempted to kick at him but Skylar diverted his attention back to her as she untangled twigs from his mane. Will smiled to himself the way his sister's eyes lit up as she conversed with the horse. He wiped dried blood from the pegasus's wing looking at his handiwork.

Together the Solace twins sing a hymn to their father their hands glowing brightly over different sections of the horse's body. Green mucus stopped pooling from his nostrils, the broken bones slowly mended back together and his bloodshot eyes began to clear going back to their beautiful chocolate brown. It would still take a day for the wing to fully heal. He still refused to get up opting to continue lying down instead making the pair wonder if all internal damage was fully healed. Will tosses her two apples from the basket. Skylar feeds both of the apples to their patient and fills an old trough with fresh water. Beams of light from the setting sun poured into the building. Without realizing it they managed to work through lunch and dinner was just around the corner. So much for a healthy diet of three meals a day.

"We should call it a day. I'm starving." He tells Skylar packing up the medical supplies and stuffing them in a corner for later. Both of them would return tomorrow to give the pegasus a proper bath, official stall and another round of healing. She hums in agreement nuzzling the creature's muzzle affectionately and departing with her twin to the mess hall.

"I'm surprised he let me near him today. Just yesterday he wanted nothing more than to dent my skull." Skylar speaks taming her curly hair into a ponytail to look somewhat presentable. Her nose scrunches after getting a whiff of her shirt. She smelt like the inside of a barn. If she left to shower dinner would be over by the time she returned. I'll deal with it I guess. It's not like Will smells any better. The twins had been at the stables since early this morning only leaving long enough for a quick breakfast. Will smiles knowingly beside her draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe he finally came to his senses? Finally saw that we were there to help." He squeezes her shoulder. In truth he scolded the pegasus when she fell unconscious. Not that she needed to know that. His sister nodded in agreement waving at a group of campers. They pause their conversation long enough to wave in return before going back to talking. Skylar sighed to herself her fingers subconsciously grasping the necklace around her neck. She missed her friends. Sure the daughter of Apollo got along with most campers but they weren't her best buds. None of them knew her true favorite color or the real reason she preferred to play the lyre over any other instrument. The only people that came close were her siblings and Nico Di Angelo. Speaking of Nico, she hasn't seen the boy since last night at the bonfire. Oh come on Skylar he's allowed to make friends.

Will's blue eyes glanced in her direction when they arrived at the steps leading into the mess hall. Before he can comment on her change in mood, Lee calls out to them from across the field, jogging to their position. His hands ruffle their golden hair. A beaming smile graced his lips. Skylar instantly smiles back though swatting at Lee's hand in slight annoyance. Will huffs in protest but makes no move to remove the older boy's hand. Lee had this air about him that instantly put you in a good mood.

"How are my favorite twins handling the tricky patient?" Lee asks as they sit down for dinner. Michael, Austin and Kayla were already seated at the other end of the table but greeted their siblings nonetheless. Skylar and Will take turns on filling Lee in on today's progress in between eating. The counselor listens intently applauding their efforts and offering small bits of advice. He also reminds them of the deadline tomorrow. They needed to get the Pegasus walking before sunset.

"Having a deadline complicates things. If we can't get him at least standing we'll miss the deadline." Will mumbles munching on a piece of pizza. Skylar nods in agreement stabbing her pasta with a fork. There's a possibility of internal injuries. Lee nods giving the two an apologetic look.

"I know it's tough on you guys but I believe in you. You're the only ones who can help. Seriously, We tried to get close to it and Michael about lost an arm." Lee gestures to Michael's arm that is now in a sling. Hearing his name mentioned Michael jumps into the conversation.

"I dunno how you guys got close! That thing was all defensive kicking and biting. It nearly broke my arm!" He lifts his arm for emphasis, wincing slightly.

Skylar raises her hand to hit her older half sibling on the head with a gentle smack. "We warned you not to get close to it. You're the responsible one of the two of you Lee." She huffs waving off Michael's protest of how he could be responsible too.

"Right, right. Sorry. We just wanted to help." He counters. Couldn't argue there. The rest of her cabin searched for ways to help in their own way. Will worked alongside her two days in a row. He even carried her back to the cabin when she fell asleep. Kayla covered for her in archery. Austin took over both her and Will's shift in the infirmary. Now she finds out Lee and Michael tried to help with the pegasus. A warm feeling built up in her chest. She couldn't ask for a better family. Family. Dad!

"That's it!" Her shout grabs the attention of a few nearby tables and startling her siblings. Curious looks and murmurs are directed her way. She ignores them, leaping off the bench and running to the pavilion steps. "I know what to do! I'll explain later!" Skylar calls disappearing out of sight leaving a bunch of confused kids behind.

The sun was just starting to set coating the camp in it's soothing warmth. A lone teenager sat on a grassy cliff overlooking Long Island Sound. Blue eyes shut in concentration as skilled fingers plucked the strings of a golden lyre. The soothing melody carried on the breeze. "Hey dad. I know gods aren't allowed to talk with their children much but I...I could really use your help. Something has been going on with me. It's like I have these powers buried deep down." She pauses opening her eyes to look out at the water. "You probably have more important things to deal with like looking for Artemis. Even a small sign would help."

Skylar frowns down at her hands. The uncontrollable glowing had returned winding it's way around each of her fingers. She doesn't know how long she's been sitting there but the sun casted its final rays of light before disappearing for the night. Darkness enveloped the area surrounding her. The only source of light she had came from her own hands. Sounds echoed through the trees behind her. Any hopes of communicating with her godly parent slowly slipped through her fingers. Time continued to tick on until finally the peaceful song she played came to an end.

"I wouldn't be an awesome father if I left my kids hanging now would I?" A voice chuckles at Skylar's side almost causing the blonde to drop her lyre off the cliff. "Whoa easy there! Don't wanna lose that."

"D-dad! You did hear me." She smiles in relief her eyes observing the man beside her. Nostalgia washes over Skylar. He wore a sleeveless T-shirt, jeans and loafers. His golden hair shined even in the dark night, pulled back slightly by black sunglasses resting atop his head. You look the same as the first time I saw you.

"I always hear you kids. I just can't always make it known or a certain god of the sky would have a tantrum." Apollo jokes the sky rumbling overhead in response. His eyes fall upon her hands. "Anyway kiddo as you can see you're a bit different from your siblings. A rare case that hasn't been seen in a long time. I can't go into details but you'll be able to save a lot of lives if you learn to control it. " He rested a large hand on his child's head ruffling her hair.

"So basically I either learn to control the...light or people could die in the future. Great. No pressure or anything. I don't even know where to start." Skylar grumbles to herself.

Apollo chuckles quietly beside her. "Don't sweat it. You're already getting the hang of it. That shield you made was a good start. Keep those friends of yours close too. You're going to need them." The man rises to his feet. "If you find yourself in need of a good Haiku a certain brother of yours has some awesome ones. Oh and give my regards to the boy hiding in the bushes over there." Apollo winks patting Skylar's head one last time and disappearing in a blinding light. She shields her eyes only small specks of glitter showing any sign of her dad ever being there in the first place. Why would I need a Haiku? What boy?

"Whoever is hiding better come out!" Skylar calls her hands gripping the bronze dagger always on her person. The starstruck face of Nico emerges from his hiding spot, his face illuminated by the moonlight. "N-Nico? What are you doing out here?" She questions walking over to the boy sheathing her dagger.

"That was Apollo? Isn't he supposed to fly around on a golden chariot and wear robes while shooting arrows across the sky?" He questions but shakes his head at the girl's slightly offended look. "You didn't show up at the bonfire so I went looking for you. I sort of followed the music but I didn't want to interrupt you and your dad so I stayed hidden."

"I see. Well it's a good thing you're my friend or I'd throw you into the water for eavesdropping." Skylar jokes removing the twigs from his hair. Nico's chocolate brown eyes shined in the golden glow she produced. A small part of her relished with the thought she could somewhat control the light.

"We're really friends?" He questioned in a small voice. If she wasn't directly in front of the boy she would've missed it. The daughter of Apollo didn't like the way his voice changed to something so fragile. A tan hand latches onto his olive skinned one pulling him along through the woods and back toward the cabins. Skylar lit the way so they had no trouble making it back and the light frightened any creatures lurking in the darkness.

"Of course we're friends. When Percy and your sister get back we'll all spend some time together. Oh and I'll introduce you to Annabeth. She'd be really good at Mythomagic her plans are always brilli-" Skylar's voice is cut off by quiet sniffles. Alarmed she whips around to Nico. The hand not grasped in her own is pressed against his face to quiet his sobs. "D-did I say something wrong?" She questions shuffling her feet nervously. Nico chuckles shaking his head. He smiles in contrast to the tears on his face.

"I-I've never had anyone b-but my sister who wanted to be around me. People always t-thought I was weird for liking Mythomagic so I didn't have friends. So thank y-you for being my friend." A warm body engulfs the crying boy into a hug. Her own blue eyes were starting to fill with tears. Whispers of reassurance naturally flow from Skylar's lips. She never wanted him to feel alone again.

"How about we make a promise then?" She asks holding her pinky up for emphasis.

"We're not kids anymore you know." Nico sniffles wiping his nose on his sleeve. He started to calm down.

"Hey, promises aren't just for children." Skylar huffs.

"Alright fine. What kind of promise?" He gives in.

"That you'll never be alone no matter how far apart we may become in the future. If you start feeling lonely remember tonight and the promise we shared." She smiles brightly a small blush dusting her cheeks. Nico wraps his pinky around hers and a small thread of light seals the deal. This night would be known as the time they officially became friends. According to Nico anyway. Skylar always knew they were destined to be besties since she trapped him to a tree.