Chapter VIII

Will Solace

I sighed and sank deeper into the wooden chair, the old thing creaking beneath me. The infirmary was unusually quiet tonight. No injured campers, not even a nosebleed.

It was a good thing, obviously. But I needed a distraction.

Matt was supposed to come by and help out tonight, but he had to cancel. I had been looking forward to it — we had barely seen each other all week. Between me running the infirmary and head counseling Cabin Seven, and him leading the Dionysus kids, our schedules never matched anymore.

I leaned my head against my hand, fighting sleep. I missed him more than I wanted to admit. We had known each other for years, and finally got together a couple months ago. Well, sort of got together. Matt still wasn't sure about his sexuality, so we were taking things slow — no labels.

It had been almost two weeks since the incident with Nico. He still hadn't come by for a check-up, which was starting to worry me. His cuts needed to be cleaned daily to heal properly. I had thought about going to check on him myself, but after what happened, I knew he wouldn't want to see me.

"WILL?!"

The shout jolted me upright. I scrambled to the door.

My half-sibling Ash was outside, illuminated by the faint orange glow of the torches. Their face was tight with worry. Beside them stood a girl clutching her arm — she was clenching her teeth, trying to hide the pain in her expression.

Three others hovered behind them. One of them — shorter, dark hair, eyes sharp even in the dim light — made my stomach drop.

"Nico?" I said before I could stop myself.

He looked up, startled, but wouldn't meet my eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked, turning to Ash.

"Daphne broke her arm!" Ash said quickly.

"I'm barely even hurt," Daphne protested, lifting her chin like she wasn't holding back tears.

"She fell weird on it!" another camper, a boy with dyed red hair, blurted, looking guilty.

In an instant, my healer instincts kicked in. I guided Daphne to a chair and handed her a square of ambrosia. Her face softened as the color began to return to her cheeks. Within minutes, I had healed the break and fitted her arm with a clean white cast.

"There," I said, setting down a casting swab. "You should be good to go now. Try to get plenty of rest so it heals properly."

Daphne rotated her arm gingerly, clearly impressed despite herself. "Thanks, Will."

Ash lingered in the doorway, glancing between me and the small group outside. Nico stood behind them, quiet as ever, his eyes shadowed but alert.

"So," I said, looking back to Ash, "what exactly happened?"

Ash sighed and gestured to the red haired boy. "Kai dared her to do a front flip. And it like... snapped"

"It was gross," the smallest girl added, her face turning green.

"Well, she'll be fine. Just make sure she takes it easy."

The group began to head out, Ash guiding Daphne by her good arm. Kai and the other girl followed.

Nico turned to leave with them, but I found myself saying, "Nico — wait."

He froze. Slowly, he turned back to me, his dark eyes guarded.

I wanted to apologize for what happened two weeks ago — for hugging him, for crossing a line — but I swallowed it down. There were more important things right now.

"How are your cuts healing?" I asked quietly.

"Fine," he said, glancing at his shoes. "I guess."

"Can I check on them?" I hesitated. "You can say no, if you want."

He looked uncertain, then gave a small nod. "Okay."

I led him into the next room, the air heavy with antiseptic and torchlight. Nico climbed onto the bed, stiff as a board. He tugged up his shirt, revealing the bandages across his chest.

I peeled the wrapping back carefully. The scars were still deep but cleaner than before. His skin was pale and tense under my hands.

"I just need to put a little healing cream on the worst one," I said, keeping my voice gentle. "That okay?"

Nico nodded, rubbing his knees nervously.

I dabbed a small amount of cream onto my fingers and spread it over the scar with care. The ointment was cool to the touch.

Nico's breath caught. His eyes widened suddenly.

I froze, pulling back immediately. "Did I hurt you?"

He didn't answer. His face flushed bright red, his hands trembling slightly.

"I—uh—" he stammered, then jumped off the bed so fast the stool beside him nearly toppled. He bolted toward the door, grabbed the handle, and ran out, slamming it shut behind him.

The echo rang through the room.

I stood there, my heart still pounding, staring at the closed door. The small jar of healing cream sat open in my hand.

"Great," I muttered softly. You did it again, Solace.

The silence of the infirmary returned, louder than before.

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