Will Solace’s potential fatal flaws: a character analysis and theory.
Welcome! I’ve been working on this post for awhile now ever since I noticed that Will Solace does not have a fatal flaw. While I believe it would probably be revealed in the upcoming Solangelo book, for the time being, why not make a post on his potential fatal flaws based on what we’ve seen so far of him in canon?
In this post, we will be theorizing on Will’s potential fatal flaws, based on his scenes in the canon series– ranging from the original PJO series to the most recent TOA series.
DISCLAIMER: Although I had to revisit most books in which I remember he appeared in, some things in this post may be incorrect– such as context, book titles etc– if so, do correct me (but respectfully)! The quotes I will be using will be recycled throughout the post, not because I’m lazy but because the same thing could insinuate many different things. Like I keep on saying in my post, Will so far is a pretty non-developed character. There is big room for interpretation but very little for actual facts. We might be leaning a bit towards fanon– but I made sure it’ll stay as canon as possible. Pls I’m running this shit with crumbs here.
And now, onto the post! Buckle up, it’ll be a long one.
The concept of fatal flaw originated from Ancient Greece. Alternatively, it can also be called a “Tragic flaw” or “Hamartia”. Like its name indicates, a fatal flaw is an emotional or psychological weakness that could lead a mortal/demigod/immortal to their downfall, or, to put it more dramatically, their death. In the PJO series, death caused by one’s fatal flaw is not unheard of. Thus, it is not all that dramatic either given the fact that it could happen to anyone if they do not learn to control it.
-What causes a fatal flaw?
Personally, the cause for one’s fatal flaw could vary. The fatal flaw could stem from (but not limited to):
one’s talent–Annabeth’s hubris due to her intelligence.
one’s experiences– Luke’s excessive wrath due to his childhood.
one’s godly parentage– like how most Athena kids have hubris as their fatal flaw.
one’s personality, a trait they were simply born with.
-Will Solace’s fatal flaw?
I firmly believe that Will Solace’s fatal flaw stems from the most important part of him– the fact that he is healer. Being a healer is the prominent characteristic of Will. This is what shaped him. Thus, I believe his fatal flaw is also linked to his healer side.
noun
-the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.
-the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something.
I included the two definitions of the word because I feel like both could be applied to Will.
This is the most obvious one, what’s with his responsibility as the head medic (and probably the only medic with healing powers) at camp. As well as the fact that he is the oldest sibling of a cabin full of children, and his duty as a counselor. So basically, Will’s responsibility include (but are probably not limited to): head medic, oldest Apollo child and Apollo cabin counselor. Having been a healer since he was TWELVE, and being responsible of a cabin full of children (and consequently taking on more of a parental role than a sibling role for them), Will Solace has a pretty heavy baggage.
So being exposed to this much responsibility since a very young age, it wouldn’t be surprising if Will feels responsible for everyone that’s surrounding him. And believing that he has to intervene in every situation because he feels like it is his duty. Alternatively, this could explain his… admittedly hilarious tendency of speaking up in tension heavy situations. Perhaps it is not necessarily responsibility that pushes him to act this way (sounds a little bit more like recklessness/impulsiveness), but I decided to include that trait of his in this part anyway.
In the Hidden Oracle, after Kayla and Austin’s disappearance, although Will was just as shaken as the others, he knew he had a responsibility at camp and needed to tend to the injured first and foremost.
I was stunned by his tone. I realized he was just as concerned about Kayla and Austin as I was. The only difference: Will knew his duty. He had to heal the injured first. And he needed my help.
Will defended Rachel against Clarisse, calming the latter down before things could go south.
“She’s right.” Will Solace, head counsellor for the Apollo cabin, put his hand gently on Clarisse’s wrist. Not many campers could’ve done that without getting stabbed, but Will had a way of defusing people’s anger. He got her to lower her dagger. “Everyone in our cabin has been affected. It’s not just Rachel.”
It is explicitly stated that not many people could do such a thing, and yet he did. I believe he knew that he could’ve potentially attract Clarisse’s anger, and yet he still took the risk to calm her down.
BULLETPOINT 3 (speculation):
Every time someone dies from an injury, I believe Will would be blaming himself. He would wonder what he did wrong, and doubt his powers and abilities.
BULLETPOINT 4 (impulsiveness/recklessness):
Here is Will preventing a war from erupting between two opposing camps. What a creative way to save yourself from spending the entire night tending to injured machos! /j
Will Solace saved the day.
He put his fingers in his mouth and did a taxicab whistle even more horrible than the last. Several Greeks dropped their swords. A ripple went through the Roman line like the entire First Cohort was shuddering.
“DON’T BE STUPID!” Will yelled. “LOOK!”
“No one hits my boyfriend,” Will thundered. “And no one kills my dad!”
Quite a courageous thing to say in a room full of powerful ennemies!
Responsibility as his fatal flaw;
Will would bite more than he can chew, always taking responsibility for everything. The responsibilities would all stack onto his back, becoming overbearing. He would feel responsible for every bad thing that happens, believing that he could have done something to prevent it. He would speak up and do potentially dangerous/reckless things, thinking that it is his responsibility to do so.
dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something.
Just like all of his potential fatal flaws, Will’s stubbornness stems from the fact that he is a healer since a very young age. He has been responsible for his patients and KNOWS what to do when they’re under his care. He also knows what a person in pain needs, thanks to his expertise in medicine as well as his vitakinesis. Imagine being able to tell what’s wrong with someone with a single touch, and thanks to your knowledge, you also know what to do to heal it. What else would you need then? You would firmly believe that your opinion is a fact, that you are right in every sense of the word and don’t need anyone to change that opinion. Hence Will’s stubbornness and his refusal to hear out what others have to say.
In The Blood of Olympus, Will kept on insisting that Nico needs to rest ever since he found out about his transparent body. In fact he only relented when the latter agreed.
“Coach Hedge told me all about your shadow-travel. You can’t try that again.”
“I just did try it again, Solace. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. I’m a healer. I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. Even if you made it to that tent, you’d be in no shape to fight. But you wouldn’t make it. One more slip, and you won’t come back. You are not shadow-travelling. Doctor’s orders.”
Short one, but Nico himself described Will as stubborn.
“And Will Solace … Nico revised his impression of the son of Apollo. He’d always thought of Will as easygoing and laid back. Apparently he could also be stubborn and aggravating.”
Stubbornness as his fatal flaw;
Will would refuse to listen to what others have to say (especially when it comes to medical terms), believing that what he is saying is right. And even if he IS right, he wouldn’t change his decision by listening to what others have to say. This could be borderline hubris.
the quality of being reticent; reserve.
When you are a healer/doctor, you have to stay composed at all times, for the sake of not worrying your patients. This must be a trait Will has developed pretty early on( given that he started healing at the age of twelve. If he is constantly hiding his emotions during his work, and he works almost all the time– Will could have naturally developed a kind of wall around himself as a habit. Never talking about how he’s feeling– especially the negative emotions.
Will’s approach could be more subtle than Nico’s explicit “NO I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY FEELINGS”.
To learn more about this, you can read this awesome post
I was stunned by his tone. I realized he was just as concerned about Kayla and Austin as I was. The only difference: Will knew his duty. He had to heal the injured first. And he needed my help.
This is quite an explicit proof of his emotional reticence, and the fact that it is linked with him being a healer.
Will laughed under his breath. “I’m terrified. But one thing you learn as head counselor: you have to keep it together for everyone else. Let’s get you on your feet.“
This is said about Will’s personality on his wiki.
He has also developed a kind of shell, meaning that even in extremely stressful situations he at least looks calm and collected.
Reticence as his fatal flaw;
Will would always insist that he is fine and never talk about his feelings. He would close himself up, and worse of all, he is good at hiding. Will would bottle up every negative emotion he feels for the sake of looking composing in front of his patients. Until the day he cracks and spills everything.
disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.
Having so much responsibilities, it is natural for Will to always put others above himself, as the big brother/counselor/head medic. Consequently, he ignore his own desires and emotions (see previous fatal flaw) in favor of helping others.
During the battle of Manhattan, after witnessing his brother’s death, Will is whisked away by Percy to go heal Annabeth. And he didn’t bring up Michael once. Instead, he was focused on healing Annabeth, and he ignored his brother death in favor of saving someone else– the lover of his brother’s (indirect) killer.
In the hidden oracle, Will had to put aside his desire to go search for his siblings in order to heal some campers. He directly admitted wanting to go find Kayla and Austin.
“I got it reattached,” Will told me, his voice shaky with exhaustion. His scrubs were speckled with blood. “I need somebody to keep him stable.”
I pointed to the woods. “But—”
“I know!” Will snapped. “Don’t you think I want to be out there searching too? We’re shorthanded for healers. There’s some salve and nectar in that pack. Go!”
This is said about Will’s personality on his wiki.
With a tendency to overwork himself, Will is extremely dedicated to his work, even going so far as to not sleeping for days on end.
Altruism as his fatal flaw;
Will would put everyone above his own needs and desires, consequently ignoring his own health and well-being. This could be dangerous, because well, overworking can be bad for his health. Not sleeping for days on end is bad for his health on both short and long terms. His own altruism will weaken him considerably.
So in conclusion, all of Will’s fatal flaws (at least to me) has something to do with the fact that he is a healer. If you noticed how the proposed fatal flaws are quite similar, then you have a keen eye. They are indeed pretty similar, with only little to differentiate.
I’m looking forward to learning more about Will, both of his good sides and bad sides in the upcoming Solangelo book.
Have any thoughts? Which fatal flaws do you think he most likely has?
The Blood of Olympus (HoO #5)
The Last Olympian (PJO #5)
The Hidden Oracle (TOA #1)
The Tower of Nero (TOA #5)
This amazing video essay I found on YouTube that inspired me to write this