Nico could be more lively than himself- a son of the sunny and always optimistic Apollo. As he walked back to the infirmary with Nico trailing not too far behind, he glanced back and saw him grinning at no one in particular.

Nico looked like he rose from the grave and hadn't seen the sun in ages.

Which was definitely strange since Will just forbade him from participating in any camp activities. He was beginning to think suspiciously of Nico's unusual high spirits.

Setting his thoughts on Nico's buoyant behavior aside, Will quickly entered the camp's infirmary, and almost ran straight into Catherine, his fellow half-sibling. Out of all of his brethren, she was his closest family.

Immediately he was reminded of their brief encounter the other day . . .

He was staring at the son of Hades, who had instantly fell asleep in bed. The bed was wooden and uncomfortable, but Nico was effortlessly put to rest after so many months. Will wondered how long it has been since Nico had been clean of nightmares.

Will was vaguely in disbelief. The Nico he knew awake was fierce, tough, and even frightening. Just a few days ago, during the final battle against Gaea, Nico was almost inhumane- attacking with his deadly Stygian iron sword and summoning haunting ghosts from the Underworld. His hair was disheveled with a wild look on his face.

Now, staring at the sleeping Death Boy, (Will really was fond of his own created nicknames) he looked so peaceful. All of Nico's fear, or any sign of his worst memories, had worn off.

Nico DiAngelo was an angel of the dead.

Will then warded off any evil lurking around Nico with the ancient three-finger salute. Without even thinking, he leaned slightly forward, hovering just above his friend's face. As if by instinct, Will brushed Nico's hair to one side and kissed his forehead.

It was at that exact moment when Catherine walked in with a tray of sandwiches, saw what was going on and gasped. The kiss was a short-lived act of fondness, but to Will's half-sibling it revealed a secret that was surely uncalled for.

A secret that was partially unwelcome in society, and unwelcome in the hearts of many people.

And Will knew it. As a reflex to hearing the loud gasp, he quickly turned around to see Catherine.

"It's not what you think," Will quickly spoke up, though he had a nagging feeling that Catherine wouldn't buy it.

Catherine seemed to be in some sort of shock. Then she narrowed her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she yelled angrily. "How could you have kept this from me?!"

Will expected her to be alarmed, but not in this way. Instead of feeling offended, even more isolated in today's world, he became furious.

"Why didn't I tell you this little part about me? I'll tell you why. It's because I didn't want you or anyone else to react this way. I was scared people would judge me for who I am. But now you're acting mad toward me all because I wanted to cover up myself from others?! Gods, Catherine, and I thought you would understand. It took me forever to realize who I was and to stop denying I wasn't who I feared to be. Maybe you and everyone else in this world should stop pressuring people like me to 'come out' instead of assuming that every freaking person on earth is straight."

Will's heart was pounding up to the point where it was about to explode of anger, pouring out like molten lava from a volcano. All of his usual bubbly personality was completely drained out from his body, and absorbed into the dry earth . . .

Back in present time, Will's hands were now shaking slightly at the presence of Catherine, who was still staring at him. A few days ago after his lengthy rant, he immediately left the room, leaving Catherine utterly speechless. He paced around the hallways, ignoring the concerned glances of his fellow campers. Luckily, when Will returned to the room after cooling off, he found only Nico, serenely dozing, unaffected by the argument before.

At this very moment, he realized that people can morph into the precise opposites of who they were in the past. Nico was now the cheery guy Will used to be. Will was now the hateful person Nico once was.

Holy Apollo, he thought. How the Hades did that happen?

"Will?"

It was Catherine calling him, and apparently the last comment was Nico's.

Will looked up, realizing his eyes were unfocused for quite some time. Catherine was giving him a pleading expression. With her eyes watery and her lips wavering, it made it extremely tough for Will to ignore her.

"Please, Will," his half-sibling begged. "Just give me two minutes, then you can leave."

Nico was slightly confused, raising his eyebrow. Unfortunately, he seemed to understand and started toward his infirmary room, leaving the children of Apollo alone. Catherine quickly grabbed Will's hand, pulled him to the closest vacant space, and shut the door behind them. Will immediately yanked his arm back.

"Hey Will?" Catherine asked cautiously. "You alright?"

"Gee, I wonder," Will stated flatly. "My closest sibling is having difficulty accepting who I am. I'm doing great, how about you?"

Catherine seemed pretty shocked at his remark. Kids of Apollo usually took after their dad by rarely using sarcasm when they speak.

"Will, just let me explain myself," Catherine pleaded. "I think you misunderstood what I meant the other d-"

"Oh I see how it is. You think the one who took it the wrong way? It's more like the is mislead on what it's like being trapped in a closet. You're almost unable to breathe, yet you receive just enough air to not suffocate, and to not escape this unbearable society.

"But do people realize how much others like me are suffering? We either have two choices: force the dreaded truth out of our own mouths and risk being taunted for the rest of our lives or, lock the truth in a safe and feel its clawing within our hearts forever."

At this point, Will didn't feel anger towards Catherine, but he needed to vent out all the frustrations he kept bottled inside his mind. He was furious at the entire world and its messed up society- all the false labels, high expectations, and invalid standards he had to live with, and still has to live with today.

"Do you even know how difficult it is to drag myself around camp everyday? Especially with no one even noticing how I'm slowly unraveling up to the point where I'm just a single thread barely hanging on to life?

"Do you even know?! DO YOU?! BECAUSE I'M SICK AND TIRED OF HIDING MYSELF BEHIND FAKE SMILES. I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE I CAN'T I CA-"

Will Solace was sobbing now. Pure, wet tears were streaming down his face like waterfalls, landing in a puddle around his worn-out shoes. He'd never in his life cried like this; he was a master at pretending to be happy, so much that he almost convinced himself.

Almost, but not quite.

He wasn't sure how, or how long it took, but he eventually came to his senses and calmed down. Will somehow ended up crouched down, back against a wall, arms hugging his tucked-in knees, and his entire body in the hands of a kind-hearted Catherine.

"Shhh..." Catherine's familiar soothing voice filled the air. "It's alright now, alright."

"I'm so sorry," Will sputtered. "I didn't mean to take all my emotions out on you. I just-"

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," Catherine firmly answered. "You did nothing wrong."

"I shouldn't have been mad at you," she continued. "It's just it was outraging that you didn't trust me with your secret. You could've told me, and I would've still loved you all the same.

"I can't even imagine how depressed you were all these years, and I was too oblivious to realize. Will, I'm so so sorry. This will always be my worst regret: not being there for you when you needed me."

Then she began crying, and at that point he knew he forgave her. They both wept together, their tears a mixture of sorrow, relief, and most of all hope.

For Will Solace, there was hope that there are more people like Catherine, true believers in the happiness of others.