#aphrodite i respect you for being so spiteful despite the fact you could have a new otp

[nockstormbringer]

Free the king, he did it all, but I don't care

I see your “Apollo agreed so easily because he doesn’t care about Odysseus” and raise you “the god of prophecy knows that Odysseus is going to make it home, so he’s not going to make much of an effort to stop him.”

[umbran6]

The Argument Against Caleo

Spoilers up to Blood of Olympus and beyond. Beware! (Or not, the book series has been out for a few years, get over it). I wrote this after seeing a user wondering why people didn’t like Caleo, or in some cases, hated it. Here, I want to explain the answer as much as possible while doling out my own points. 

One of the main grievances I have as a fan of Leo Valdez would be the ship Caleo, or Leo x Calypso. It’s a complicated ship, to say the least, with multiple issues that make me question why people like the ship. And I admit it, they initially had some chemistry, but there’s multiple issues that Uncle Rick produced through making such a relationship that makes it extremely open to criticism, criticism which I will explain through this post.

One of my main points against them is that the ship was created on a very limited time scale. Although we aren’t given an exact date to date of when Leo and Calypso met to when they fell in love, we can safely estimate it to be a week at best. Such a limited amount of time from going through the multiple stages of a relationship already stresses the limits of the suspension of disbelief.

A counterexample would be Percabeth, or Percy x Annabeth. Throughout the series, we aren’t introduced to them being romantically involved until the Titan’s Curse, which was two years after they met. Specifically, this is brought up by Aphrodite, the goddess of love herself. Admittedly, Percy and Annabeth were twelve years old when they first met, when romance was definitely out of the picture, especially with a quest to get the Master Bolt.

However, from there we get to see multiple examples of their character depth, ranging from their respective fatal flaws to their ambitions, hopes and dreams, and their friendship. We get to see the slow build up of their chemistry, which was a really good writing move on Uncle Rick’s part. These characters took their sweet time to get to where they wanted to go, and despite the false romantic lead of Rachel, they still got together.

On the other hand, we don’t see enough of this between Leo and Calypso — we only see one book where they interacted with each other in The House of Hades, and that was only for a handful of chapters. While they are definitely older so they can jump straight to romance (some may say too old, but I’ll get to that) its still a pretty huge gap to jump through without making it stick. This makes it hard to root for a ship when it is built on a rather faulty foundation from the ‘they just met’ to ‘they get together’, especially when they don’t have a lot of events to show their chemistry.

Which brings me to Ogygia, which has raised a few red flags for me when looking at it from a retrospective point of view. Now, we know what the main issue of the island is that the hero who landed on said island can’t leave until Calypso falls in love with them. And we’ve seen this with Percy during the Battle of the Labyrinth, where he lands in the island and Calypso falls in love with him while tending to his wounds from, you know, being erupted from freaking Mt. St. Helens. Needless to say, this falling in love with each other montage happened quickly to the point of suspicion, which sets up the complication that Calypso and Leo might have fallen in love due to magical intervention.

And hear me out, because although this  might be a pretty big pill to swallow, we have evidence for this through Percy. It only takes one chapter for Calypso and Percy to meet, and the next he’s willing to consider leaving Camp Half-Blood and Annabeth behind to live on the island when Hephaestus gives him the choice to leave Ogygia or stay. We don’t even get an explanation on why Percy considered giving it all up just so he can be with her. All we know is, girl meets boy, now they want to live on an isolated island forever. It’s especially absurd considering Percy’s hamartia (fatal flaw) is freaking loyalty to those he loves.  Needless to say, It’s a huge YIKES, especially when we apply it to Leo and Calypso. 

It also raises the possibility that the romantic relationship between them is doomed to failure. And if you guys want to fight me on this, let’s look at Jason and Piper, a couple whose relationship started with a similar foundation. Piper had romantic memories implanted into her brain by Hera through the use of the Mist, while Jason was reduced to a Tabula Rasa (a blank slate for those who lack culture) by said goddess. They broke up before the Trials of Apollo because it was clear that when the dust settled, Piper had been aware that their romance was a lie and that their intentions to stay together was a mix of delusion and pressure from freaking Aphrodite. Leo and Calypso get together under what is arguably a very similar set of conditions if Ogygia’s magic had any influence on their relationship, and that this magic could wear off if given enough time. 

Third, and here’s a pretty big one for me, would be Calypso’s character, mainly because there are a lot of unfortunate implications attached to it. In The Blood of Olympus, she was turned into the divine equivalent of Princess Peach, with Leo being her Mario (except he saves her with a badass metal dragon). Its extremely unnecessary to make a character, especially as one such as Calypso, get  turned into the typical reward of a B-Class action movie. It’s insulting and puts her up as a trophy, a narrative that is definitely not ok by any means necessary.

In another direction, Calypso is also really, really worrying when things don’t go get her way. First, let’s look at The Odyssey, the first myth she pops up. Calypso had imprisoned Odysseus for ten years on her island until Hermes said to let him go, and although it gives them plenty of time to fall in love, it also raises the implications of stockholm syndrome. Then we’ve got the fact that Calypso cursed Annabeth out of spite, implicitly saying that she wished the daughter of Athena would suffer the same isolation that she did, which came to reality when Percy and Annabeth met the Arai in Tartarus. And Annabeth wasn’t even aware that she was still in Ogygia, much less intentionally intervened in the matter. When Percy left Ogygia, rather than be angry at Percy, Calypso cursed Annabeth out of all people to suffer the same loneliness and misery she went through. That’s some Hera at her worst levels of spite. 

Through such evidence we can see that Calypso is extremely wrathful towards those who break her heart even though they don’t want to. It certainly implies that Calypso isn’t in a good state of mind, and could easily repeat said actions if provoked. We could almost compare it to Medea and the original Jason, but at least in that case, Medea has every right to be pissed off at Jason and take her revenge. Calypso’s curse and how she handles things certainly implies a level of immaturity that would end in disaster if they broke up.

One issue that, I’ll admit is more from my personal point of view is that the ship took a lot of Leo’s character and threw it in the garbage in Blood of Olympus. Though we see him do a lot of stuff behind the scenes, the fact that its all for the goal of reaching Calypso just reduced him to someone who is more focused on love than, you know, fighting the evil goddess that was responsible for killing his mom and getting sweet sweet revenge. While the revenge plot can be cliched sometimes, it can be played well, while romance and the typical ‘always save the girl’ trope is just overdone. If Leo had been allowed to, you know, be more focused on other things rather than Calypso, we could have seen a lot more variety in his character.

For example as one of the possible character arcs he could’ve gone through, Leo has always been alone among the couples, often being isolated. Heck, Nemesis herself stated that he would always be the seventh wheel, and that he would never find a place among his brethren. Though some fellow tumblr users have taken this in multiple ways, either saying that he should learn to be happy by himself or that he is socially isolated in the Argo II because of these romantic relationships (I prefer a mix of both). Uncle Rick just giving him a girlfriend seems like taking the easy way out of solving such an issue and abandoning what could’ve been a rather interesting character arc. The relationship isn’t a bad thing if we remove some of the unfortunate implications, but it is a bad way to end what is a complex and realistic problem for a character and in some cases maybe possible in real life.

One more minor but still yikes worthy point is that there’s a huge age gap between them. We’re not talking about the ‘Hazel is 15 and Frank is 17 and in one year that’ll be a problem because then Hazel will be jailbait’ age gap. And even then, we can argue that Hazel is older since she is chronologically ninety-one years old. No, Calypso is older by millennia in terms of mindset and body due to the perks of being a goddess, while Leo is sixteen.

God-to-Mortal relationships are already complicated, even with emotionally and socially well-functioning adults. The fact that Leo is underage, inexperienced with romance (despite his flirting, Calypso was his first kiss), and has been through a freaking ton of trauma in his youth, does not make this okay. At best, they’re both mutually interested in each other but may have different expectations when it comes to a relationship. At worst, Calypso is taking advantage of a boy just so she can get out of Ogygia and possibly dumping him later on like the wrapping of a candy bar. Even though Calypso lost her immortality during The Trials of Apollo, that doesn’t even compensate for the immense age gap alongside Leo’s guilt at the possibility that he might’ve been responsible for her losing said immortality.

Oh, and about Leo... I’m a fan of him, but I can admit that he is in a bad spot both mentally and emotionally throughout the series. He’s lost his mom due to a mix of his own powers and Gaea’s trickery, and never had the chance to fully process that event and come to terms with it. The foster home system alongside his own trauma has forced him to hide his emotions through a façade of happiness and jokes when it’s quite clear to me he needs a therapist, stat. He's also run away from several foster homes, implying this means he was and still is being affected by the event. His mask is still on during The Blood of Olympus considering he hid a lot of things from Piper and Jason.

Speaking about them, not helping this matter is the fact that he’s rather isolated in terms of friendships since Jason and Piper, his supposed best friends are more interested in locking lip rather than, you know, actually hanging out with each other.  He doesn’t have good friendships with the rest of the Seven, and the closest ones he does have is with Hazel and Frank. And even then they start off in the wrong spot since Frank is very insecure about possibly losing Hazel to him during Mark of Athena while Hazel in the meantime, is also dealing with the fact that he is the descendant of her possible boyfriend Sammy Valdez. 

This could indirectly have made him desperate for affection since he has nobody else to confide in during the rest of the series, which is a bad mental state to be in when one lands on Ogygia, the island that we’ve seen could possibly force two people to fall in love with each other. A romantic relationship is not something that he needs or something that will help him in the future. He needs more than that, and having him in one that could end in disaster is the last thing he needs. 

And that does not make him a bad person, much less a bad character. While some who are similarly emotionally and socially isolated may turn to violence or creepy behavior on those they want affection from, Leo does not do that to the other characters. It just means that he as a character needs more time to recover and develop before we go giving him romantic relationships, much less one with Calypso.

That’s not to say that they don’t have some things in common. Both are starved for love and affection, with Calypso being constantly rejected by heroes while Leo was rejected by foster homes and his own family. It’s a trait that they have in common, but it shouldn’t be the only thing that they have in common, especially since it is laced with a trauma that is clear they haven’t had help processing. They need to develop more as characters and as friends before they should be paired together.

So… yeah. The Caleo relationship is, in my eyes, doomed to failure, or at least heavily flawed after taking the above points into account. Uncle Rick, as if seemingly aware of these criticisms, has put the relationship in a rocky place by The Tower of Nero, giving them the possibility of overcoming the above criticisms and their own flaws, or giving fanfic writers an out and pairing Leo with another character or have him single, but happy. Either way, in my opinion Caleo is a bad ship when it comes to how it was created, alongside the flaws and unfortunate implications it has.

While I can see some of the chemistry the ship has, you can’t just use a couple of moments where they get along as evidence that they belong together, especially with the above reasons. That’s like using a band-aid to cover a bullet hole without removing the bullet, stopping the bleeding, and preventing infection. If both characters and their relationship had been given more time to develop, I would understand how they would get together. 

[clovis-enthusiast]

Lotsa Clovis headcanons that you can pry from my cold dead hands

Keep in mind that these are just MY HEADCANONS! None of this is canon unless specifically stated! Feel free to agree or disagree. I juts rlly love my boy and his cabin and will gush about them for hours if given the chance.

Since there is a lot, I’ll put them under the cut so as not to clutter ur feed with my rambling! So uh click ‘keep reading’ to see me babble about my all time favorite character! Hope u enjoy if u read em and always feel free to send me a message about ur own headcanons! (I’m always thinking of more, so this post might be updated every once in awhile!)

He is very French. He was born in France and lived there for a short while before he and his mother (the reason I say mother instead of parent is because it was hinted at in canon that he has a mother. my go to name for her is Camille) moved to the US due to monster related problems. (He has a French last name. Something like Valois is my go to.)

French is his first language but because he moved to the US when he was quite young, he is very fluent in English. He often switches between the two languages when he’s EXTRA sleepy without noticing leading to a lot of confusion (and you can bet that he DEFINITELY swears in French because not many people at camp can understand him when he does. Those who do have a newfound respect and fear for him.)

He was initially a longtime member of the Hermes cabin even though pretty much everyone could guess who his godly parent was.

Was DEFINITELY a part of Luke’s army at one point due to the fact that he looked up to Luke as the older demigod had always treated him like a little brother, AND his godly brother Morpheus was also on Kronos’s side of the war. However, Clovis did not stay with them for long once things began to get bad and returned to Camp Half Blood with time. (Morpheus and Clovis now have a strained relationship.)

Best friends with Lou Ellen Blackstone of the Hecate cabin. They were both temporarily on Luke’s side of the war and were held with suspicion and distrust when they returned to camp, so they tended to stick by each other while the other campers warmed back up to them. Because of this, they are now very close and are always goofing around (much to the annoyance of the other head counselors aside from the Stolls, of course.)

Definitely had a thing for Nico di Angelo in the past. As the two boys are both the sons of underworld gods, Clovis had already felt a certain tug towards him. When he heard Nico’s story from the camp’s rumor mill (thank Lacy and Mitchell for that one) he became utterly infatuated. Over time, his curiosity turned more into a little crush which then became a BIG crush, but as neither Clovis nor Nico are really all that great with normal human interaction, the son of Hypnos’s flirting techniques sort of went unnoticed. That’s why Nico seems to be the only one being pulled into Clovis’s dreams at any given time despite Clovis being a ‘very strong dreamer.’ The truth is that Clovis has full control over who enters HIS dreamscapes. He tries desperately to impress Nico and help him out wherever he can, but when Nico eventually chooses Will to be his boyfriend, Clovis, though a bit sad that his first crush in a long time didn’t share the feelings, is VERY supportive. He loves to tease Nico about how hopelessly head-over-heels the broody teenager is over his sunshiney boyfriend. And if the two were ever to break up for whatever reason in the future? Well, Clovis is definitely still up for a shot.

Clovis and Nico are still VERY close. Clovis is one of the only people that Nico feels comfortable enough to be himself around and often confides in him whenever his negative thinking gets the best of him. Clovis also plays a big part in Nico regaining the memories of his past when he’s ready which he will forever be thankful for. The two obviously spend a lot of time together in dreams and greet one another in a warm fashion whenever they come across each other by chance at camp. This confuses literally everyone because literally no one has ever seen them interact before?? How are they friends?? 

Has HISTORY with Drew. No one is really sure what kind of history (it seems as if there was a little bit of memory erasure throughout the camp on the situation... hm...) but most people speculate that the two shared a romantic relation at one point in time. Turns out, they were NOT compatible, and the whole thing went up in flames. Drew still holds a huge grudge against Clovis who acts as though he could honestly care less. He still treats her politely though there have definitely been some not-so-subtle nasty looks cast across the campfire towards her direction before.

Also very close with Lacy and Mitchell from the Aphrodite cabin. Lacy feels terrible about Drew’s trash-talking and rumor-spreading and eventually works up the courage to say hi. They became fast friends, and Lacy definitely has a bit of a puppy-dog crush on him, but she is much too young for Clovis. He sees her as a little sister and allows her to put makeup on him, do his hair, and even tries on dresses and such just to make her smile. Mitchell, on the other hand, became friends with Clovis out of spite in all honesty and ended up liking the sleepy blond a lot more than he thought he would. He might have a teeeeeny tiiiiiny crush on him. Don’t tell Lacy.

Close with Pollux of the Dionysus cabin. Pollux sees a lot of Castor when he looks at Clovis which is a huge comfort to him. The two counselors have a lot of deep talks late at night, and Clovis always makes sure that Pollux is sleeping well without being haunted by nightmares. Dionysus would never admit it, but he is very thankful that someone cares that much about his only son.

Good friends with Rachel Elizabeth Dare surprisingly! He helps her out often, and the two like to sit and chat about mythology, artwork, and prophecies in the big house and at the campfire.

Has allies and friends in high places. Due to his powerful dreaming, he’s been to quite a few strange places and met quite a few strange people... or you could call them the gods, I guess. He knows a lot of the gods and goddesses from all kinds of mythologies (though obviously more of the Greek ones than anything) and they seem to like him well enough for some reason. (Probably because he’s one of the only demigods who doesn’t want to strangle them and doesn’t mind listening to them complain about petty godly things.) He often has little chats with them where he keeps them updated with the going ons of Camp Half Blood and they keep him updated about... godly drama. He kinda lives for it tbh. It’s part of the reason why he’s so informed about the gods.(Annabeth is maybe just the tiniest bit jealous.)

He’s a year round camper because it would be much too dangerous for him to go back to living with his mother. He stays in contact with her via dreams, letters, and Iris messages though!

MUCH more powerful than he lets on. He just doesn’t like conflict. 

One of his most frightening abilities is the ability to summon terrible creatures from people’s nightmares and use them to fight. He doesn’t like to do this as it can be very traumatizing for the people he uses it against, AND it’s not always a guarantee that the nightmare creatures will obey him.

His other more battle-ready powers are the ability to put an entire battle field into a deep slumber and memory alteration/erasure. He can use his memory alteration/erasure on monsters of weaker defenses AND demigods (though he feels much more comfortable using it on monsters.) He uses these powers to alter how monsters/enemies perceive demigods. Because of this, there are quite a few friendly hellhounds and scythian dracanae wandering about the camp. All of his powers are VERY draining and take a lot of concentration in order to work as intended. He will often sleep for days after a battle because of this.

He is also capable of fighting whilst asleep. In fact, his senses are heightened, and he tends to perform better this way. He also heals much faster while he is asleep. 

It is speculated that he will either grow wings from his head or his back, but it will not happen until he grows older. It’s a rare trait that few Hypnos kids (and Thanatos kids) develop, but due to Clovis’s power level, everyone is pretty much waiting for it to happen.

He can change his appearance at will in his dreams, but his aura is still the same, so he can still be identified pretty easily by people who know him personally. (As a side note, his eyes pretty much change color on their own to reflect the mood of the dreamscape he’s currently in. Gold, emerald, and violet are the most common colors. His true eye color is blue.)

Doesn’t really care about gender all that much. He has absolutely no problem with people referring to him using any pronouns (she/he/they) and is quite comfortable with himself in general. Many demigods who are questioning their gender comes to talk to him about it, and he’s always open to hearing them out and giving them advice.

VERY bisexual. Likes girls, guys, literally anyone who can keep him awake and interested for more than five seconds.

The unofficial official camp therapist.The role used to belong to Will Solace, but the truth is that the son of Apollo is much more comfortable dealing with physical ailments and problems he can fix medically than he is with dealing with feelings and mental ailments. Clovis is a very good listener despite the popular belief that he’s too busy nodding off to actually hold a conversation with properly and has a very calming aura that helps people feel safe enough to be vulnerable with him.

The go to babysitter of camp. Due to his Hypnos kid vibes, he is able to keep even the most rambunctious demigod and satyr children under control. His nap times are legendary. 

VERY big on respecting people’s privacy and boundaries. He tries his best not to enter any dreams uninvited, and he never talks about what goes on in people’s dreams ever. He also NEVER looks into people’s memories without their permission. He makes sure his siblings follow these guidelines strictly.

He literally lets anyone come into the Hypnos cabin at any time to get a good rest. The cabin has an open door policy.

New campers are often allowed to stay with the Hypnos cabin if they’d rather not face the chaos of the Hermes cabin.

Contrary to popular belief, his cabin is actually NOT the messiest cabin. The Hermes cabin wins that one though they’re followed closely by the Ares and Hephaestus cabins.

He and his siblings are some of the closest in the camp. They meet up and hang out in each other’s dreamscapes and have family nights. Clovis is the oldest AND is a head counselor, so he is very protective and responsible when it comes to his siblings.

Gives AMAZING massages. Leo and the entirety of the Hephaestus and Ares cabins are regular customers. Fight me. 

Actually a very good strategist when it comes to battles and such given that he’s awake enough to actually communicate his ideas. If you get them on your Capture the Team game, you’re already doing good. Annabeth and the Athena cabin love the competition, and they’re nearly unstoppable when they work together with him.

Clovis suffers from TERRIBLE narcolepsy, even for a son of Hypnos. It’s gotten him into a lot of bad and dangerous situations such as falling asleep mid battle, mid conversation, and even in the bath once when he was little. He has developed a fear of heights and water due to his condition.

Holds a lot of frustrations towards himself. Frustrated that he ever turned against the camp that offered him a home, frustrated that he couldn’t help Jason restore his memories, frustrated that couldn’t help more in the war against Gaea, just... frustrated. He tries to sleep off these negative moods because he doesn’t like to bring people down.

Absolutely not opposed to cuddling with people who are okay with it (he always asks first!) It’s a surefire way to get a good night’s rest since you’re so close to him, plus he’s very soft and warm!

Has a good singing voice, but just isn’t confident enough with it. He pushes through his insecurities to sing lullabies to those who really need them though. His lullabies are unmatched. 

Adores cats with all of his heart due to their lazy and relaxed nature, but he knows that he could never be able to care for one well enough. 

ALWAYS wears pajamas. Like all the time. Chiron has given up on enforcing the dress code. He also made sure to have custom made camp bracelets instead of necklaces to be sure that none of the Hypnos kids are choked/strangled by them if they happen to fall asleep in a bad place or position.

Lives in the past. Old movies, old music, old slang, you name it. I mean, he practically sleeps for the majority of his life, so it’s not all that surprising that he’s a bit behind the times. He thinks the modern age moves much too fast for him to keep up with.

The demigods of camp take turns making sure Clovis and his siblings are taking care of themselves. Walking them to the showers and dining pavilion, making sure they get a little sunlight each day, and the bare minimum of training.

He is the best boy.That is the only FACT that I do not accept criticism on. Thank you.

[nicostolemybones]

Ghost King Solace

When the newest campers arrived at Camp Half Blood and received the standard tour and basic history, they were left wondering which camper they absolutely had to avoid- because Cabin 13 was terrifyingly dark, and from what they’d heard, children of Hade tended to be on the wrong side of morality. Cabin 13 currently had pitch black walls, carved from obsidian, tourmaline, black tiger’s eye, onyx- just about every black crystal one could imagine. The roof twisted into a spire, an empty bell tower at the top looming over camp and casting a sharp shadow on the ground, extending out like the cabin was trying to pull you in, a black carpet of shadows inviting you in a your peril. The door was deadbolted- in fact, there was a large bolt on the outside. The door was wooden, with a tiny window embedded in- the window had bars running through it, like it was repurposed from a prison or an old psychiatric hospital. The cabin seemed designed to keep people in, and to keep people out. It was pitch black inside, impossible to see in, although they figured that if the inhabitant was to stand right close to the window, then the light outside would be enough to show their face. In fact, when they saw a pale figure move across the window, they screamed and ran.

By the time the tour was over, they figured the inhabitant was most likely Nico di Angelo. He seemed to fit the tone of the cabin- he was terrifying, to say the least. He was five foot three and ninety eight pounds of pure spite, eyes like brown glass and dark black curls unruly and untamed, jutting out like bat wings. He was pale and gaunt, the slight hint of an olive undertone only visible if he stepped into the sunlight. The boy was silent when he walked, appearing behind people and speaking without a warning. He wore clothes as dark as his personality appeared to be, with gruesome images of zombies and ghosts and graveyards and heavy metal bands. His boots had thick platform soles, metal screwed and bolted and riveted into the them, buckes all up the side and laces all up the front, purple leather flames snaking up the toes, the heels, and the top of the boots.

However, everybody was rather surprised when, during a game of Capture the Flag, the boy was seen to shoot an arrow at a particularly violent Ares camper and run full pelt to a wounded Athena kid, dropping to his side and emptying the contents of a medical kit. The boy worked quickly to irrigate and treat the wound, hands glowing a warm dark amber, like embers, as he sang a hymn to Apollo and healed the wound with the light. The boy was a son of Apollo, which evidently, left everybody confused.

That’s also why, of course, they were so surprised when they finally saw the Son of Hades. The chill in the air was enough warning that something terrible was probably going to happen and they were probably going to die in the forest before they’d graduated middle school. They were even more surprised when Will Solace stepped through the shadows, strutting confidently as the smoky tendrils seemed to dance around him, wrapping around his arms as he raised them, the earth shaking and splitting as skeletons clawed their way out like bone spiders, following him forwards. Holy shit, he was scary and cool. He lifted an arm, and the shadows extended from him like whips, tendrils of darkness lashing out at the Ares campers who were attempting to get to di Angelo. Seeing the Ares campers who had spent their mornings shoving the new campers’ heads into toilets now running like their life depended on it was certainly something that sparked joy amongst the newcomers. It was when the shadows finally retreated that they were able to properly take in the walking contradiction that was Will Solace.

The boy was a fashion disaster. He should not be allowed to dress himself, they figured. He was wearing a horrible bright orange shirt- not even a camp shirt, which would have been a forgiven fashion faux-pas, but a neon orange shirt with “geek” scrawled across it. To make matters worse, he had a green button down over the top, but it wasn’t moss green or forest green or mint green, but rather mould green, neon green, and snot green plaid. And the as if two layers in the middle of summer wasn’t enough, he wore a yellow leather women’s jacket over the top- but damn was the jacket to die for. However, on the back was a badly painted stylized sun. The boy also wore the worst shorts they had ever seen- neon blue with suns and clouds and beath umbrellas and ice creams and parrots and way too many hand drawn flowers scrawled on in felt tips bleeding out and smudging. And finally, neon pink flip flops with matching loom bands. But damn did that boy wear those clothes with a confidence they’d never seen before. It was very clear that Will Solace couldn’t give two shits what people thought of him, because it was clear that he was dressing for himself and nobody else, and if that boy wanted to wear an outfit that clashed, he’d wear an outfit that clashed. He glared at everybody, an unspoken challenge of ‘say something, I dare you’ in his eyes.

And just like that, with a wink to a very flustered and distracted Nico di Angelo, Will sprinted into the shadows, smoky tendrils still radiating up from the dead grass footsteps he left behind.

In the next few days, the new campers quickly realised that Will Solace was, to put it impolitely, a little ray of fucking sunshine. He handed out bright yellow lollipops to campers, set up a lemonade stall, stuck post-it notes with compliments on camper’s backs to make them smile, picked sunflowers to decorate all the cabins, and even made the cat-like Nico blush. Despite not knowing him, the new campers instantly felt safe and comfortable around him. He radiated unconditional love. Campers felt empowered to express themselves, because if Will could wear whatever he wanted, then so could they, why not? In fact, when one of the recently claimed boys from the Aphrodite cabin was being teased by a bunch of Ares campers for wearing a skirt, Will Solace appeared from the shadows behind them, tapped the leader on the shoulder, and punched him in the face. He sent them running, then put a gentle arm around the boy and invited him to sit with him and his friends- who just so happened to include THE Percy Jackson who they’d only heard of in camp legend. All of the most popular, most respected members of camp were there, and Will made sure everybody invited the boy in with open arms. Ghost King Solace was everybody’s ally, and camp life was just a little bit less grim with him by everyone’s side.

@solangeloweek day 3- godswap

[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 3: Snow Falls

From the moment he awoke in that bed, there had been three things on his mind. Snow and Emma, and finding them.

This place was very strange, but he had put enough together to know that this was the curse, especially the way Grumpy reacted to him like he was a complete stranger.

This was it. The place without happy endings. His last memories being awake were of putting his daughter into the wardrobe and then the searing pain in his abdomen, as one of Regina's Black Knights cut him down.

Fortunately, he also remembered all the years spent in limbo, in the dreamscape where he saw his beloved wife and daughter on a nightly basis.

He had been so eager to find Snow though that he had headed for the woods firstly. Then he realized she wouldn't be in the woods, because he remembered Emma telling them that no one had their real memories. Which begged the question as to why he did.

Now he was lost in the woods. At least he had enough mind to find something to wear besides the odd clothing he had woken up in. It was freezing, so he was glad he had grabbed the strange clothes and boots he had found in a wardrobe in the room.

Finally, after what seemed like forever trekking through the woods, he happened on a large house. There was light in the windows, but he was leery about going to see who lived there. He had no idea of knowing who he could trust besides Emma and Snow, even without her memories.

There was a peculiar sound behind him, a sort of clicking, and then a voice.

"Turn around slowly," the man said. David did as he asked and he came face to face with someone he did not recognize.

"You're the John Doe from the hospital," Jefferson said.

"John Doe?" David asked in confusion.

"It's what they call someone with no identity," he explained.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I have an identity. I know exactly who I am...but no one remembers me! She's done something to them! Everyone just looks at me like I'm crazy!" David exclaimed. Jefferson's eyes widened and for the first time in twenty-eight years, he was face to face with someone who remembered like him. Then he laughed merrily...almost madly.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" David growled.

"You...have your memories! I'm finally not the only one in this piss ant town that knows who they really are! It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Charming," he replied, with a bow David's eyes widened.

"Wait...you remember too? The Queen…" he started to say.

"The Queen...the curse...all the misery she's inflicted. I have to say though, this is a surprise. She finally screwed up. If she knew you remembered, she'd be foaming at the mouth. You're the last...well second to last person she wants to remember," Jefferson replied.

"So it's true...everyone else here has false identities?" David said.

"Yes...and she's taken away what they all love most," Jefferson replied.

"Emma told me that Snow thinks she's a teacher," David mentioned. The Hatter's eyes widened.

"What do you mean Emma told you?" Jefferson asked rigidly.

"It's kind of a long story," David replied.

"If Regina is your enemy, then we're on the same side. Let's go in where it's warm," Jefferson suggested. Charming followed him in and he put some tea on, as Charming found a chair.

"Who were you...back in the Enchanted Forest?" he asked.

"For many years, I was a peasant and struggled to feed my child, especially after my wife died," Jefferson replied.

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like to have...nothing," he said. Jefferson looked at him.

"Yes, I suppose you do," Jefferson agreed. He had been working for Rumple around the time he had made bartered the deal with David to take his brother's place.

"Your child..." David started to say.

"Grace...she's ten...has been ten for the last twenty-eight years. No one ages in this town. She lives with a couple in town," Jefferson said.

"How is that you remember?" David asked. He shrugged.

"Who knows? Regina wanted to punish me, I guess. It's my curse to remember and be powerless to do anything about it. Now...care to tell me how you've been in contact with Emma already?" he asked. David sighed and began telling him about the dreamscape.

The search of the woods had been nearly exhausted and Emma was really worried. There was no sign of her father anywhere and she could tell Mary was worried too, though she seemed confused by it.

"Where could he be? What if he's hurt?" Mary fretted, almost frantically.

"Mary Margaret...it's going to be okay. We're going to find him," Emma insisted.

"I wish I was as confident as you," Mary murmured.

"Finding people is kind of what I do," Emma said. She just hoped they found him before Regina did.

Enchanted Forest

60 years before the Dark Curse

Spring had dawned at last in the Enchanted Forest. Today, the fauna was in full bloom on this Spring Equinox, at least that's what mortals called it now. In years past, mortals would have known this day as Persephone's liberation from the Underworld. Her return to the mortal plane marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

But over the last few centuries, the Gods had not left Olympus much. Their interaction with mortals became less and less, so much so, that mortals considered most deities to be legends of the past now. And in Persephone's opinion, that was for the best. The Gods had a very bloody past with mortals, especially Ares and his twin sons Deimos and Phonos, Gods of Terror and Dread respectively. But that was another story entirely.

For Persephone, she preferred the mortal plane and thus why Misthaven had become among her favorite places. She was the goddess of vegetation, after all and the forests were so lush here.

The years being Hades' unwilling wife were getting harder and harder. His infatuation with her had dulled to indifference over the years, but he had refused to release her from her confines to the Underworld out of spite, much to her mother, Demeter's rage.

Persephone was humble though, much more so than her fellow deities, though some of them had mellowed over the years as well. While Aphrodite was always considered the most beautiful, Persephone was by far the fairest of all(much to Aphrodite's annoyance). And adored by almost all, especially her mother Demeter, who coined the term fairest of them all term to describe her lovely daughter, for her skin was white as snow, her hair black as a raven, and her lips red as a ruby.

Persephone didn't know much of her father, for her mother refused to talk about him. The mortals chronicled texts of their stories stated Zeus as her father, but Demeter was clear that he had not sired her and the mortals didn't know any better.

She sighed, as she let the sunlight bathe on her face, enjoying its warmth at last after the cold months of captivity in the Underworld at Hades' side. She found a bushel of snow drops and smiled, for they were her favorite flower. They were the only flower that could survive the harsh winter months that she was away. She felt a brush of wind and smiled.

"Hello Mother," she greeted. Demeter smiled.

"My daughter," she greeted, as she swept her pride and joy into her arms.

"I missed you," Demeter said.

"And I you, Mama," she replied.

"I will never get used to letting that demon incarnate keep you in his clutches," she fretted, as she caressed her dearest daughter's beautiful face.

"Hades is not cruel to me. He affords me all the luxuries of a Queen," she reasoned, though her voice was sad.

"A Queen that he forces into his bed; that he dares put his hands on," Demeter growled.

"Mother please...I do not wish to talk about Hades. And as much as I hope for true love, we know how rare it is...especially for deities," she replied. Demeter sighed, but said nothing. Persephone was enamored with the idea of true love, she had seen glimpses of it among mortals, but it was rare. A rare and beautiful thing.

"Come home with me," Demeter requested.

"I will soon, mama. I'd like to stay here a bit longer," Persephone requested. Demeter nodded.

"If you wish. Be along soon," she requested in return. The raven haired beauty nodded and journeyed off deeper into the forest.

The small woodland creatures, birds, and a few deer followed along with her, as they often did and as she came upon a creek, she saw she was not alone. There was a man getting a drink from the stream, while he let his horse drink as well. As he turned, Persephone felt her breath catch. He was young, with chestnut colored hair, and very handsome. She became startled though when he saw her.

"Oh...I'm sorry to intrude," she said, as she started to hurry away.

"Wait...please don't go," the handsome stranger called.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to bother you," Persephone said.

"You're not...I may be escaping to the forest for a bit, but I could use the company," he said, noticing all the curious forest creatures around her. It was peculiar, but not unsettling.

"I'm Elijah," he said, holding out his hand. She looked wary for a moment, but the animals did not fear him and that meant he did not mean to harm anyone.

"Persephone," she said. He cocked his head to the side.

"Persephone? Named after the goddess?" he asked. She smiled coyly.

"Something like that," she replied.

What ensued over the spring and summer months that followed that clandestine meeting was a whirlwind romance. By the time the leaves began to fall from the trees, Persephone was in love with Elijah and he with her.

But their lives were not their own and confessions would come on a chilly fall day, as they wrapped together in their secret hovel they had made in the forest near the stream where they had first met.

"You said you had something to tell me?" she asked.

"Mmm...something I should have told you from the beginning," he replied.

"Is this about you being a prince?" she asked and his eyes widened.

"How did you know?" he asked. She smirked.

"Despite the fact that you try to hide your royal ties when you travel, sometimes you forget to hide the royal crest on your horse's saddle. When I saw that, it didn't take long to realize that you're Prince Elijah of the northern Kingdom, younger brother to Princess Eva," she said. He sighed.

"Are you angry?" he asked. She shook her head and pecked him on the lips.

"We are not so different. We are both running from the trappings of titles and responsibilities," she replied.

"You mean how you are actually Persephone and not named after her?" he asked. Her eyes widened.

"You know?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded.

"How long?" she asked.

"I've suspected almost from the beginning. The animals love you, flowers bloom in your presence..." he trailed off.

"Then you know..." she said hesitantly.

"That you're married to Hades," he said stiffly.

"I do not love him," she insisted.

"I know," he assured.

"Then I hope what I have to tell you next won't anger you either," she stated.

"I love you...no matter what it is," he assured.

"I'm pregnant," she revealed. His eyes widened in surprise.

"How...far along?" he asked.

"Four months," she replied.

"Then it is..." he uttered.

"She is yours," Persephone said. He smiled and hugged her.

"This is wonderful!" he exclaimed, but noticed her sadness.

"Isn't it?" he asked.

"She will be born in the winter," said said fearfully and he frowned.

"When you're in the Underworld," he replied, as he watched her shoulders rack with sobs.

"She'll be in so much danger. Hades will kill her in his jealousy and rage," she cried.

"Then you cannot go back there," Elijah stated.

"The consequences of crossing Hades are dire," she warned.

"I love you and I'll not abandon you or our child," he insisted, as he started to dress.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To tell my sister. She may have married for the good of the Kingdom, but I am going to be with the one I love. I'm sure that Princess in the southern isles can find another prince," he commented.

"Then I'll return in a day's time," he said, as he kissed her passionately.

"I'll be waiting and I'm sure mother will know how to help us," she replied, as she watched him ride off. Persephone put her hand to her belly and then hurried off to find her mother.

From the Underworld, Hades observed the entire exchange and shook with rage, as his hair ignited with blue flames.

"I'm afraid that's not going to be a happy reunion, my dear Persephone," he hissed.

"So...she knows. The Savior knows about everything?" Jefferson asked.

"If she remembers all her time spent in the dreamscape like I do, then yes," David replied. Jefferson chuckled.

"And the Queen has no clue who she really is. This is unexpected," he said.

"Yet, but it probably won't take her long to figure it out. Can you...tell me about Snow?" David asked tentatively. Jefferson sighed.

"You sure you want to know?" he asked.

"Of course," David insisted.

"Well, in Storybrooke, Snow White is Mary Margaret Blanchard. She teaches fifth grade. But her personal life...is pretty lonely. The curse pretty much strips away every good trait in a person and brings out their weaknesses. As a result, Mary Margaret is sweet, but very meek. Regina delights in her misery," Jefferson informed. David clenched his fist and noticed his trepidation.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I should tell you," Jefferson replied.

"You must...I need to know everything. If we want our families back, then we need to work together," David said. He sighed.

"Do you remember Deimos?" Jefferson asked. He watched the Prince go rigid and clench his fists.

"You mean son of Ares and former immortal that hunted and stalked my wife?" David growled.

"The same. And tried to kill you on multiple occasions, yes, that's him," Jefferson said.

"Don't tell me he's here?" David lamented.

"Unfortunately, he is and he doesn't have his memories, but he's still infatuated with your wife. He stalks and pressures Mary Margaret on a weekly basis. He gets stopped by the Sheriff and never goes further than talking to her. But with time moving again...he might get more brazen," Jefferson warned.

"That's not possible! We killed him! I watched Red rip him apart," David growled.

"He survived somehow. I don't know how, but he was a God before Zeus punished him for trying to overthrow him in Hades' favor. Regardless of him, I think we need to team up with a certain someone else," Jefferson said. David sighed.

"You can't mean..." he started to say.

"He wants the curse broken as much as we do. Not to mention that he knows all the inner workings of the curse," Jefferson insisted.

"But he's the Dark One..." David said.

"He is and right now, he's content to sit back and let your daughter fulfill her destiny, even if takes months. But I know something that will make him want to speed up the process and make Regina pay," Jefferson replied.

"And that would be?" David asked.

"The woman he loves," the Hatter replied.

"But...he said she was dead," David protested.

"He thinks she is...but she's not," Jefferson replied, as recognition flashed in the prince's eyes.

"Regina..." he said.

"Lied to him about killing her. She's had her locked up in the hospital psych ward for the past twenty-eight years," Jefferson said.

"And he has no idea?" David asked.

"Not until tonight when I clued him in. If the three of us team up against Regina and with your daughter on our side, she'll finally pay for all the misery she's caused. But for now, you need to get back to the hospital. They have an all out search going for you," Jefferson explained.

"What am I supposed to do at the hospital?" David asked.

"Act like you have no memories. Regina will probably try to come up with some fake life for you. But she can't force it on you if you don't let her. If your daughter really does know you, then I suspect she'll go toe to toe with the Mayor. At the same time, you can sweep Mary Margaret off her feet. She visited John Doe every day in the hospital," he mentioned. David allowed himself a smile. Even Regina's stupid curse couldn't erase their feelings.

"Oh, I plan to. But what about Deimos? I'm guessing he's someone of importance in town?" David asked. Jefferson chuckled.

"Get ready to be sick to your stomach then, because he runs the sleaziest tavern in town. He's dripping in money, probably because he's also running who knows what kinds of dealings from the club, unchecked, of course. The place is down by the cannery and is called Vertigo," Jefferson explained.

"So basically he hasn't changed at all. He's the sick, twisted degenerate he always was," David said.

"Here he goes by Damon Tromera," Jefferson said.

"Fitting name for a blood sucker that's obsessed with my wife," David quipped. He nodded.

"We should get to the hospital," Jefferson said. He nodded.

"Time to get my wife back," David said.

"She's not exactly your wife. You need to remember that," the Hatter warned.

"You don't know Snow. She's in there and I will find her. I will always find her, even if that means getting her fall in love with me all over again," the prince said.

Mary Margaret trekked through the woods furiously, kind of surprising herself. She had never been one to venture into the woods that surrounded Storybrooke, but she found herself to be surprisingly adept at finding her way through. It seemed funny to her. In her life in town, she seemed almost to literally stumble through her life. And here she was, navigating the darkened forest like some kind of pro.

But when she came face to face with John Doe at the Toll Bridge, she could hardly believe it and they seemed to stare at each other for the longest time.

"Oh my God, Emma...I found him!" she called, as she found herself rushing to him. He smiled at her, soaking in the vision of beauty she was.

"You found me," he agreed.

"We were so worried!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry for that. I...guess I woke up and got a little confused. I'm afraid I have no idea where I am...or who I am for that matter," he told her. He hoped Jefferson was right about acting like he didn't know who he was.

But then he recalled Emma telling him that she had been laughed at when she was a child when she told people that her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming. For some reason, in this strange world, they were just fictional beings. So telling people that he was Prince Charming probably wouldn't do him any favors.

"It's okay...but we should really get you back to the hospital," she said. He smiled at her.

"I'm glad you found me. You probably saved me," he replied, enjoying her blush.

"I don't know about that," she stammered, as she tripped and yelped, as she started fall. But strong arms stopped her from taking a nasty tumble and she gazed up at him breathlessly, as he held her close.

"I...I guess I'm not the only one doing the saving," she mentioned. He smiled.

"Guess not," he agreed, as a blonde blur arrived and Charming finally lay eyes on his grown daughter. Sure, he saw her every night in the dreamscape. But somehow, seeing her like this was different and he found himself looking at her in awe.

"There you are!" she said in relief.

"Yeah...she found me, even though I don't even know her name yet," he replied.

"Oh...I'm Mary...Mary Margaret," she stammered. He smiled.

"It's wonderful to meet you Mary. I wish I could tell you my name, but I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank at the moment," he replied. Emma locked eyes with him and they were not the eyes of a confused man. They were the same eyes she saw every night in the dreamscape. Her father was awake...in more way than one.

It didn't take them long to get back to the hospital and the nurses quickly swarmed around him, insisting that they take him to the exam room to run some tests. He had no idea what any of that meant, but a nod from Mary and Emma told him he should do as they said for now. He could barely tear his gaze away from Mary Margaret. She was still his wife, but Jefferson was right. She seemed so unsure of herself and too timid, definitely not like Snow at all. It didn't matter though. She was still Snow, just buried behind a wealth of insecurities projected upon her by the Queen. He thought about what Jefferson said before. As hesitant as he was about teaming up with Rumplestiltskin before, now he knew that if he was going to get his family back that he needed his kind of help.

Mary Margaret twirled her ring nervously, as Emma talked with Graham. She waited anxiously to hear if John Doe was okay. He seemed fine, but the man had been in a coma for a very long time. She prayed there was no lasting damage because of that. She had no idea why she cared so much though. She didn't know him, not really. Why did he matter so much to her? She felt so drawn to him and decided she didn't care about the why. She just wanted to see him again and was going to venture down the hall to find him. But she was halted by a hand on her arm.

"Miss Blanchard...how lovely to run into you here," Damon Tromera leered and Mary felt her entire body tense with unease. He was a tall, dark haired man with chiseled features. But his eyes had always made Mary shiver in fear, for they were so cold, almost dead. He was the creepiest man she had ever known, especially when he looked at her like he was now, like he wanted to take a bite out of her.

"Oh...Mr. Tromera," she said, trying to pull her arm away.

"So formal Mary...I really wish you'd call me Damon," he said, as his eyes skated over her.

"Um...I need to go," she stammered.

"Why such a rush? I'd love it if you'd join me for a cup of coffee," he said.

"I don't think so," she replied.

"Mary...why must you always turn me down? It's bordering on rude, you know," he said arrogantly.

"I ask you out repeatedly and you say no. I send you all those lovely roses on a weekly basis and yet you still refuse me," he said and before Mary knew it, he had backed her into a corner.

"Please Mr. Tromera...I'm just not interested. It's nothing personal..." she stammered, barely able to make eye contact when he frightened her more by lifting her chin to force her to look at him. His eyes sent cold shivers down her spine and she shuddered, which only made him smirk smugly.

"You don't like the roses?" he hissed.

"Considering that I prick myself on the thorns every week, no they're not my favorite..." she blurted out and he chuckled at that.

"A lucky thorn it is that has the pleasure of drawing your blood," he leered. It was by far the creepiest comment she had ever heard and she had never wanted to get away from someone more than she did now.

"Perhaps you'd prefer daisies...or violets then?" he asked.

"N...no...I just want to go," she said, her breathing now coming in ragged gasps, as he pressed closer to her. Her head felt like it was on fire now, like someone was screaming at her from inside. It was crazy, but she felt sudden violent urges telling her to fight. It was disturbing, for she had never fought anyone in her life, much less someone as large as him.

"One date Miss Blanchard...and I promise you'll fall for me," he pressured. A tear slipped down her cheek. Maybe if she agreed, he'd leave her alone. But the fire in her head intensified at that thought. No...if she gave in, he'd never stop and he would hurt her. She could feel it. This man wanted to hurt her.

"No," she said more clearly. But he didn't stop and as he leaned in to force his lips onto hers, she listened to the fire inside her and kneed him between the legs. He doubled over in pain and glared at her.

"That was a mistake, Miss Blanchard. I guess you need a lesson on why," he growled, as he raised his hand to her. She gasped, but a voice stopped him.

"HEY!"

Mary looked behind Damon and saw that her rescuer was none other than John Doe himself.

"This is none of your concern, pretty boy," Damon growled.

"She said no and you seem to have a hearing problem. Get away from her," Charming growled, barely containing his rage at the moment. Damon stared him down and slowly backed down.

"Good evening, Miss Blanchard," he said, as he left quickly, just as he saw the Sheriff coming toward them.

"Are you okay?" Charming asked, as Mary stared at him with captivation.

"I...thanks to you," she uttered.

"That's two rescues you have to my one now," she commented. He could only smile at her and soak her up.

"I'm just glad I was here. I may not know who I am, but I know that the man that was just here was dangerous," he said.

"He just really wants me to go out with him and I'm sorry, it must be terribly confusing to not know who you are," she replied.

"It is, but there is one thing I do remember," he countered.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Your voice," he replied and she blushed under his charming smile, as they became absorbed in each other's gazes.

"Well, Mr. Doe, it seems that the doctor wants to see that you're taken back to your room," Graham said, though David recognized him as the Huntsman that had once saved both his and Snow's lives. He spared a glance at Emma and seeing her like this nearly took his breath away. His baby girl, all grown up and so incredibly beautiful and strong.

"I'm...sorry I worried everyone when I wandered off. I got a little confused and wandered off. Fortunately, Jefferson found me when I wandered onto his property and helped me back here," Charming said, gesturing to the man, who leaned against the wall casually. Jefferson waved, a bored look on his face, just as Dr. Whale arrived. He was someone David didn't recognize.

"Mr. Nolan...I believe it is. You gave us quite a scare," Dr. Whale said.

"Mr. Nolan?" David asked in confusion.

"Yes, we have it on good authority that you are David Nolan. Does that ring any bells?" Whale asked.

"Can't say that it does," David replied.

"Well, be that as it may, I'd like to give you a full exam myself. The tests all came back normal, but I'm not fond of my patients wandering off," Whale said irritably.

"For a doctor, your bedside manner is seriously lacking," Jefferson commented.

"And you are?" Whale asked.

"My friend," David answered. And the doctor noticed that he was still holding hands with Miss Blanchard. It figured. Mary Margaret had visited this man almost every day he was in his coma, despite claiming not to know him. It irked him, if for no other reason than he didn't like the fact that he couldn't compete with a man that was comatose until just a few hours ago in her eyes. She would have been a nice notch on his bedpost.

"Please Mr. Nolan, I'd really like to examine you," Whale pleaded. He nodded and looked at Mary Margaret.

"Will you still be here when I'm done?" he asked. She nodded, probably too eagerly, but wild horses couldn't drag her away at this point. He smiled and he reluctantly let go of her hand, following Whale back into the stuffy hospital room.

[nicostolemybones]

Ghost King Solace (1)

[I posted this before BUT I'm turning it into a long fic so I'm using the tag #ghost king solace so that this fic can easily be found in one place. I'll tag all my multi-chapter fics by their titles from now on.]

Out of Place

When the newest campers arrived at Camp Half Blood and received the standard tour and basic history, they were left wondering which camper they absolutely had to avoid- because Cabin 13 was terrifyingly dark, and from what they’d heard, children of Hade tended to be on the wrong side of morality. Cabin 13 currently had pitch black walls, carved from obsidian, tourmaline, black tiger’s eye, onyx- just about every black crystal one could imagine. The roof twisted into a spire, an empty bell tower at the top looming over camp and casting a sharp shadow on the ground, extending out like the cabin was trying to pull you in, a black carpet of shadows inviting you in a your peril. The door was deadbolted- in fact, there was a large bolt on the outside. The door was wooden, with a tiny window embedded in- the window had bars running through it, like it was repurposed from a prison or an old psychiatric hospital. The cabin seemed designed to keep people in, and to keep people out. It was pitch black inside, impossible to see in, although they figured that if the inhabitant was to stand right close to the window, then the light outside would be enough to show their face. In fact, when they saw a pale figure move across the window, they screamed and ran.

By the time the tour was over, they figured the inhabitant was most likely Nico di Angelo. He seemed to fit the tone of the cabin- he was terrifying, to say the least. He was five foot three and ninety eight pounds of pure spite, eyes like brown glass and dark black curls unruly and untamed, jutting out like bat wings. He was pale and gaunt, the slight hint of an olive undertone only visible if he stepped into the sunlight. The boy was silent when he walked, appearing behind people and speaking without a warning. He wore clothes as dark as his personality appeared to be, with gruesome images of zombies and ghosts and graveyards and heavy metal bands. His boots had thick platform soles, metal screwed and bolted and riveted into the them, buckes all up the side and laces all up the front, purple leather flames snaking up the toes, the heels, and the top of the boots.

However, everybody was rather surprised when, during a game of Capture the Flag, the boy was seen to shoot an arrow at a particularly violent Ares camper and run full pelt to a wounded Athena kid, dropping to his side and emptying the contents of a medical kit. The boy worked quickly to irrigate and treat the wound, hands glowing a warm dark amber, like embers, as he sang a hymn to Apollo and healed the wound with the light. The boy was a son of Apollo, which evidently, left everybody confused.

That’s also why, of course, they were so surprised when they finally saw the Son of Hades. The chill in the air was enough warning that something terrible was probably going to happen and they were probably going to die in the forest before they’d graduated middle school. They were even more surprised when Will Solace stepped through the shadows, strutting confidently as the smoky tendrils seemed to dance around him, wrapping around his arms as he raised them, the earth shaking and splitting as skeletons clawed their way out like bone spiders, following him forwards. Holy shit, he was scary and cool. He lifted an arm, and the shadows extended from him like whips, tendrils of darkness lashing out at the Ares campers who were attempting to get to di Angelo. Seeing the Ares campers who had spent their mornings shoving the new campers’ heads into toilets now running like their life depended on it was certainly something that sparked joy amongst the newcomers. It was when the shadows finally retreated that they were able to properly take in the walking contradiction that was Will Solace.

The boy was a fashion disaster. He should not be allowed to dress himself, they figured. He was wearing a horrible bright orange shirt- not even a camp shirt, which would have been a forgiven fashion faux-pas, but a neon orange shirt with “geek” scrawled across it. To make matters worse, he had a green button down over the top, but it wasn’t moss green or forest green or mint green, but rather mould green, neon green, and snot green plaid. And the as if two layers in the middle of summer wasn’t enough, he wore a yellow leather women’s jacket over the top- but damn was the jacket to die for. However, on the back was a badly painted stylized sun. The boy also wore the worst shorts they had ever seen- neon blue with suns and clouds and beath umbrellas and ice creams and parrots and way too many hand drawn flowers scrawled on in felt tips bleeding out and smudging. And finally, neon pink flip flops with matching loom bands. But damn did that boy wear those clothes with a confidence they’d never seen before. It was very clear that Will Solace couldn’t give two shits what people thought of him, because it was clear that he was dressing for himself and nobody else, and if that boy wanted to wear an outfit that clashed, he’d wear an outfit that clashed. He glared at everybody, an unspoken challenge of ‘say something, I dare you’ in his eyes. 

And just like that, with a wink to a very flustered and distracted Nico di Angelo, Will sprinted into the shadows, smoky tendrils still radiating up from the dead grass footsteps he left behind.  

In the next few days, the new campers quickly realised that Will Solace was, to put it impolitely, a little ray of fucking sunshine. He handed out bright yellow lollipops to campers, set up a lemonade stall, stuck post-it notes with compliments on camper’s backs to make them smile, picked sunflowers to decorate all the cabins, and even made the cat-like Nico blush. Despite not knowing him, the new campers instantly felt safe and comfortable around him. He radiated unconditional love. Campers felt empowered to express themselves, because if Will could wear whatever he wanted, then so could they, why not? In fact, when one of the recently claimed boys from the Aphrodite cabin was being teased by a bunch of Ares campers for wearing a skirt, Will Solace appeared from the shadows behind them, tapped the leader on the shoulder, and punched him in the face. He sent them running, then put a gentle arm around the boy and invited him to sit with him and his friends- who just so happened to include THE Percy Jackson who they’d only heard of in camp legend. All of the most popular, most respected members of camp were there, and Will made sure everybody invited the boy in with open arms. Ghost King Solace was everybody’s ally, and camp life was just a little bit less grim with him by everyone’s side.