When Nico and Will announced their quest to the camp, their reaction wasn’t all that surprising: everybody had thought they’d gone mad. People didn’t just go to Tartarus and come back with all of themselves intact. In fact, most didn’t come back at all. So for them to willingly go there? Nobody took it well.
Despite that, the campers still bid them goodbye with encouragement and “good luck”’s. As per tradition, the Apollo cabin prepared a shroud for Will. Since Nico didn’t have any siblings at camp, they made one for him, too. As days go by, the campers all wait in silent anticipation and worry for the return of their head medic and the child of hades they’ve grown fond of.
It was on the two week mark when they returned. The campers had a capture the flag game that night, when suddenly, Nico slipped out of the shadows, drenched in blood. Will wasn’t faring any better. They were rushed to the infirmary, where they were taken care of.
The next morning, Nico disappeared into his cabin and didn’t come back. Will brushed everyone off with a reassuring smile, explaining that Nico needed some alone time after what happened at Tartarus. Nobody thought much about it– the son of hades had a lot of demons to deal with after all.
Whatever progress Nico did before their quest was ruined. He reverted back to his previous self, to the Nico who refused to stay with others, to the Nico who hid in his cabin. He barely talked to the few friends he made at camp, either. With every passing day, his eye bags got darker, and his skin more pale looking. Nowadays, he was either in his cabin or reluctantly talking to Dionysus.
It was clear to everyone that Will tried his best to help Nico. He reminded him to eat, to sleep, he was there when he had night terrors, he often urged him to the infirmary if he got a little bit sick. Although Nico wasn’t in the best place mentally, he still managed weak smiles and tight hugs to convey his gratitude to his boyfriend.
Everyone tried their best to make Nico feel comfortable at camp, and not to cross any boundaries. They made sure to pay attention to his mood and what not. So much so, they didn’t notice that Nico wasn’t the only one who changed.
One moment nobody knew, and the next, the entire camp was whispering about it. It started when Austin received a camera from his mother for his birthday. He urged his siblings to pose for a family photo together, under the sun. When the photo was printed, he stared at it with a smile, admiring their happy faces and their shining eyes. That is until he noticed Will.
Will, just like everyone else, was smiling. His grin was wide and almost split his face in half, his left dimple popping out. It would have looked endearing, if it wasn’t for the fact that his blue eyes were dull, devoid of light. If Austin were to cover the bottom half of his brother’s face, his eyes looked even more… unsettling.
During dinner, he noticed it too. His brother talked and laughed just as usual, however, his eyes looked dull and almost… dead. They didn’t hold any emotion whatsoever, as if his laughs and teases were only for show… was it?
Austin talked about it to Kayla. Then Kayla mentioned it to her buddies at the archery range.
Next thing they know, the entire camp would subtly glance at the head medic’s eyes, and their worries were confirmed once they saw the dark and lightless blue staring into the horizon, as if he simply wasn’t there.
