Countdown

Percy called out to Skylar as she sparred with Annabeth. She turns to him earning a kick to her back as the daughter of Athena holds a dagger to her throat. A triumphant smirk plastered on her face. Skylar sighs and admits defeat after making such a foolish mistake.

"I told you to never turn your back on an enemy. Other than that, good work you've been improving." Annabeth tells her removing the dagger so she can get up. Percy walks over to them letting out a whistle.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side. I hate to interrupt but Chiron sent me to get you. It's something to do with Isaac." Skylar nods in understanding hugging the two goodbye. They'd be leaving in about an hour to go home. She promises to spend more time with them next summer and sets off in the direction of the bighouse.

She allowed her mind to wander during the walk. Come to think of it Isaac wasn't at breakfast and Skylar had yet to see him wandering around. Will even stopped by the Aphrodite cabin but he wasn't there. Lacy was however and she informed him Isaac was cleaning dishes, the last of his punishment from fighting with Dustin.

The floorboards creak underneath her feet as she walks across the front porch. Relaxing in his wheelchair near the house's screen door is the centaur she was summoned by. On a side table beside him sat a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. Chiron offers her one which she gladly accepts, taking a seat in the lawn chair across from him.

"Have you gotten yourself all ready to return home?" The centaur strikes up a simple conversation.

"Yes sir, Will and I are both set." Skylar sips from her glass before continuing. "That's not why you called me here though is it? Percy said you wanted to speak about Isaac?"

"Ah yes that is correct. To be more specific I had a favor to ask of you. Would you be willing to bring him with you? I fear he isn't adjusting well to life here at Camp Half-blood and may need a break. Normally he could just go back to his home in Pennsylvania however his father informed me he's out of town and doesn't want Isaac to be alone." Chiron informs the golden-haired girl stirring his lemonade with a straw.

"So you figured the best solution would be to send him with the people he's comfortable with. I'd gladly bring him along but Will and I already have our plane tickets. My mom probably won't foot the bill for another one." Skylar frowns trying to come up with a solution. She could relinquish her ticket to Isaac and fly home on Ortus but the distance posed a problem. They've never flown that far before and she was running low on mortal money. Her suitcase would also have to stay behind so that plan was terminated.

"Do not worry, I have one already for him. All I ask is that you pass the offer along to Isaac himself." Chiron picks up a square shipping envelope handing it over to her. "If he chooses to stay behind I will do my best to look out for him." The older man smiles pleasantly.

Nodding she clutches the envelope to her chest. "Thank you sir. I do hope you're back on your feet when I come back to camp." Skylar waves jumping down the steps and setting off to find Isaac. After telling Will the plan the two parted ways to search for their friend. They asked around everywhere they could even checking under picnic tables for a trace of the brunet. Not even Isaac's own siblings had seen him since his chores this morning.

"The only place left is the forest but there's no way we'll be able to search it all." Will sighs adjusting the quiver of arrows on his back.

"We don't have a choice. I just...have a bad feeling something happened to him Will." They agree to meet up at the edge of the forest and take off in different directions.

A lone figure stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the water. His wavy brown hair blew in the gentle breeze as vibrant green eyes stared off into the distance. The faint call of his name gradually grew louder as the one seeking him burst through the trees. Without turning to greet them he could already distinguish who it was. Skylar Solace. Her tone changed to one of alarm at how close to the edge he stood. The brunet himself was unaware, too focused on the view. On the horizon the sun was just beginning to set bathing the sky in a sea of colors.

"Isn't the sky beautiful? It's like someone painted the sky with watercolors." Isaac sighs happily a serene smile on his face. How was he not freaking out right now? One wrong step and he'd plummet over one hundred feet into the water below. Hitting the water from this height would be equivalent to smashing into concrete. Broken bones would be the least of his problems. If the fall didn't kill him, Skylar would for being so careless..

"Isaac? What are you doing out here bud?" Skylar calls out to him softly, her blue eyes watching his feet closely. They'd been looking for the son of Aphrodite for most of the day but they weren't expecting to find him like this.

"I remember you telling me this was the best place to watch the sunset. Dustin agreed and told me to stand as close to the ledge as possible. He was right, it really is the best view." He tells them. Something about his voice was off, and since when did he listen to Dustin? Those two were at each other's throats just the other day.

"I'll watch it with you, just from a safe distance. How about you step back a few feet?" She tries coaxing the boy into stepping away from the ledge. His body doesn't budge an inch. Skylar furrowed her brows racking her brain for any potential reasons as to why Isaac would be doing this so calmly. The brunet was always observant he would of noticed how dangerous it was right away and wouldn't of taken the risk. Unless...no, it can't be.

"I can't." Slowly Isaac looks down at his feet the rocks beginning to crumble underneath. "Oh...the ground is cracking." His words came out dazed.

Skylar was beginning to internally panic. She attempts to take a step forward only to freeze as Isaac's foot inches closer to sliding off. The leaves rustle to the left of their location revealing a boy with perfectly styled platinum blond hair. Makeup caked his face to hid the bruises he received from Isaac.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. It would be a shame if I accidentally told him to jump." A sinister smile appeared on his face.

"Dustin! Why are you doing this to him?!" She all but growls at the older boy.

"I'm just giving him the extra push he needs to actually go through with it. " Dustin sneers. "My mother accepted that...thing as one of her own children and abandoned me here in this wretched place. The king of titans is right. We'll put an end to the reign of the gods once and for all." He turns his back on them, Skylar's hands glowed with power. If she could get a clear shot then maybe Isaac could be free of whatever spell put on him.

"Now now Skylar. You try to come after me or move any closer to Isaac he'll be greeting that boyfriend of yours in the Underworld. It's quite funny how the one who saved his pathetic little life abandoned him to moment someone better came along." The light diminishes from her hands instantly watching helplessly as Dustin makes his escape. How did he know about Nico and I? Shaking her head she focuses back on Isaac. I can worry about that later.

"Isaac? I need you to fight against him. Don't let his voice overpower you."

"Do you think I really belong here? I'm not like the rest of the kids in my cabin. They all look like models but I'm just...me." Isaac mutters sadly staring down at his hands.

"There's nothing wrong with being yourself Isaac. For what it's worth, I think you're perfect the way you are, quirkiness and all." Her words seem to have a small effect at the slight twitch of his fingers.

"Then why hasn't my mom talked to me? She must be too ashamed to even acknowledge me. Even you replaced me with Nico." A rustling from the bushes signals Will's arrival. In his hands was a makeshift lasso made from vines in the forest. If they weren't in such a life threatening situation Skylar would of laughed. His timing was impeccable.

"Gods and goddesses are weird like that sometimes. I'm sure Aphrodite is just waiting for the right moment. I-I can't reverse time but I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you adjust but I am now. How about you come to Texas with Will and I? We can bake cookies, ride horses, and you can meet our mom. She'll be impressed with how badass you were at defending your friends." Skylar nods at Will to ready the rope. They'd only get one shot at this.

"C-can I really?" His voice comes out small.

"Of course, Chiron got you a plane ticket already. We just need to go back to your cabin and pack." Will cuts in gently.

"I-it hurts. I-I don't want to hurt anymore." Tears poured from his hunter green eyes slowly turning his head to face her. Isaac grabs at his head trying to fight the voice invading his thoughts. The commanding voice willed him to jump and end it all. Everyone would get along fine without him. Skylar could easily replace him. His own mom never even cared enough to show her face to him. He was always the weird nerdy kid no one wanted to hang out with after school. People always judged him by his appearance instead of actually trying to get to know the boy behind the oversized sweaters and graphic t-shirts. Faintly he hears Skylar scream his name as his feet leave the safety of the ground. I didn't want to do it. I'm sorry. Shutting his eyes, Isaac's body free falls toward the awaiting water below.

Will's sneakers slide across the stone and he digs in his heels to stop his sister's descent as she dove over the ledge. The lasso he made tightened around her waist suspending her in the air over the side of the cliff. Sobbing and the screaming of Isaac's name is heard and Will assumes the worst. Gritting his teeth he begins to pull on the vines slowly bringing Skylar closer to safety. After a few minutes his sister's blonde hair peaks over the rocks her hand reaching out to him for help. Grabbing onto it he hoists her back onto stable ground. A sense of relief washes over him as his blue eyes land on the boy clutched around the waist by Skylar. One arm and both of her legs were wrapped around his slim body. Will's legs give out underneath him sitting on the ground beside the other two. They made it.

Isaac sobbed into Skylar's shirt apologizing over and over to her. The blonde girl quietly shushes him running a hand through his wavy hair. She apologizes to him as well for not realizing how he was feeling sooner. Will rubs his back humming a soft tune to ease his crying. Tears prick the corners of Skylar's eyes as her gaze meets her brother's. They have a silent conversation vowing to make Dustin's life a living hell. For now they would console their friend and give him the love and appreciation he deserved.

Will watched over the now sleeping form of Isaac as Skylar went to the Aphrodite cabin with a spare duffle bag. After crying himself to sleep Will carried him to the Apollo cabin for the night. In the morning they'd discuss what to do about Dustin with Chiron before heading to the airport. Ocean eyes sadden at the thought of how Isaac's thoughts plagued his mind enough for Dustin to Charmspeak him into ending his own life. His fingers tighten on the book in his lap.

Back on the cliff he watched from the trees as Skylar tried to confront Dustin. Previously he heard the commotion and ducked behind a tree waiting for the right moment. When Will heard they couldn't get close to Isaac he set to work on making a lasso while listening to his sister trying to break the hypnosis their friend was under. His heart practically plummeted seeing both Skylar and Isaac go over the edge and out of his line of sight. It would of been bad enough losing Isaac but Skylar as well? He'd fall into a pit of depression having seen it with his own eyes.

"You two are going to give me a heart attack one day." Will whispers pulling the blanket over Isaac as he turns in his sleep.

A quiet knocking signals the return of his sister. She drops the bag beside the bed and bites her lip at the tearstained face of the brunet. "I don't know what to do anymore Will. All I ever wanted to do was help people but lately all I seem to be doing is making things so much worse." Plopping down on the edge of the bed she cradles her head in her hands.

"There's no way you could of known. He's been sheltering these feelings for a long time." He interjects patting her knee.

"I promised I would keep him safe and look where that got him. Dangling precariously off the side of a hundred and fifty foot cliff. Gods if it wasn't for you I don't think I could've..." Skylar trails off.

"Sky, what happened is in the past. We're not going to let Dustin get away with this and Isaac is still alive. You can rely on me more than you have been. Put some trust in your little brother." Will manages to receive a barely visible smile from her. He ushers her into her room to sleep claiming Isaac wouldn't be awake until morning. She complies hugging him goodnight and curling up on her mattress. The son of Apollo wanders across the cabin to his own bed curling up and listening to the deafening silence. Michael, Austin and Kayla all left this morning leaving only the twins. Silent tears spill from his eyes now that he was finally alone. One could only stay strong for others for so long until the facade shatters to pieces leaving behind a fragile body.

Early starts were a staple for the Solace twins. Isaac however felt like someone ran him over with a truck. He was annoyed about waking up so early but got over it after Will gave him his usual dazzling smile. It was the one you couldn't help but return and made you feel that everything was right in the world. Argus helped the trio load their bags into the van and got into the driver's seat. The ride itself was awkward to say the least. Skylar stared out the window absentmindedly spinning the ring on her finger. Isaac drummed his fingers against his leg to the music on the radio. Will rested his head against the door trying to get a few more minutes of sleep. Argus was silent as always traversing through the streets to the nearest airport.

With her ADHD kicking in Skylar bumps the back of Isaac's seat with her foot. Isaac turns around in his seat to face her, an eyebrow raised. "Have you ever been on a plane before?" It was her attempt at making small talk not sure if she should bring up yesterday's events. Her logic was Isaac would bring it up when he was ready.

"Once or twice but my dad was always with me. I'm sure you and Will do it all the time right? To visit your mom and all." He asks nodding toward a now snoring Will. Skylar snorts at the sight drool pooling from her brother's mouth. Covering her mouth in embarrassment Isaac lets out a light chuckle. Okay, that's a good start.

"We actually aren't able to go home too often. Our mom's always been a busy person so we just tend to stick with one another at camp. It's just...how it is I guess." She shrugs indifferently. Isaac nods hesitating with his next words. Skylar tilts his head at him urging him to continue. Whatever he had to say she would give him her undivided attention.

"Dustin...he wasn't wrong when he said I just needed a push." Argus runs over a bump and Will hits his head on the window with a displeased groan but doesn't open his eyes. "I-I always wondered why my mom never cared enough to be in my life. My dad spoke so highly of her in his stories claiming it wasn't her fault she left us. As the years passed I could never bring myself to hate her even if I wanted to. I used to get into fights at school over her my dad had enough. He packed our things in his beat up corvette and we settled down in Pennsylvania." His eyes shift over to Will who was shifting in his sleep.

"It's funny, growing up I always dreamed of having a brother or sister so when I got to camp I was excited but also nervous. Mitchell and Lacy are great. Silena's a great head counselor but none of them really feel like siblings only acquaintances. Then Nico showed up and I slowly began to fall into the confines of my mind. Dustin was angry at me for messing up his face he confronted me after we cleaned dishes in the kitchen. My mind went hazy from there leading up to the two of us dangling by a vine." Isaac sums up pushing his bangs away from his eyes.

"From now on you come to us if something is bothering you, do you understand?" Will demands causing the other two to jump in surprise. He was quietly listening to Isaac's story with his eyes closed pretending to be asleep. Isaac punches his arm playfully claiming he could've just said he was awake instead of pretending like a creeper. His green eyes held a small spark as he promised to confide in them. Skylar giggles at the two boys as they bicker amongst themselves. Part of her wondered if Will ignited the light within Isaac giving him the hope he needed to move forward. If so then maybe, just maybe Skylar didn't have to worry.