Chapter Text
"WHO DARES SIT ON MY THRONE!!"
Zeus marched into the throne room, wondering who was stupid enough to sit on his throne. At first, he thought it was the Jackson boy, Posiedon's son, and smiled at the thought. When he first sensed someone on his throne, he sent a lightning bolt without question.
He hoped to see the charred remains of Percy Jackson.
Lit up by Hestia's Hearth, Zeus looked at the remains of... something.
"Wow, love the lack of human life."
Zeus narrowed his eyes at the figure nearby, who was sitting on another throne, casually swinging his legs and leaning back on his hands. His golden hair reminded him of his son, but those blue eyes were cold, filled with disdain.
Disrespectful Brat!
Will Solace sat on Apollo's throne, seemingly glowing.
Apollo is protecting him, which is what Zeus thought.
He'll punish Apollo later.
"You dare touch my throne! What is the meaning of this?" Zeus demanded. Will could feel the electricity in the air, but only slowly blinked at the silent threat. A threat like this was nothing compared to the rage that roared in Will, a feeling his kept held back for a long time.
Because he was just a healer.
Just a Healer.
"I decided to demand your audience, My King," Will answered mockingly. He looked over at the charred remains of human flesh on Zeus's throne. "That was an already dead body, if you were curious or concerned, by the way."
"Speak, boy, what is your purpose?" Zeus voiced, boomed.
"Of course you don't care," Will mumbled. "My purpose is to have a chat with you." Will flashed a smile, but it was anything but nice.
Zeus's stormy gaze flashed along with the boom of thunder around, loud enough to break a mortal's eardrum, but again, it was nothing to Will. "A chat? You are either very brave or very foolish, son of Apollo." Will shrugged.
"I like to think I'm determined and fed up. And my name is Will Solace." Will said. Zeus eyed the boy up and down. Compared to Percy Jackson, a demigod he considers a threat, this boy was nothing more than a bug to him.
"I frankly don't care what your name is. But since you offered your name, I do believe I heard of you in a passing comment. Consider this mercy and go home before I change my mind. You're nothing more than a healer, not a fighter, and not worthy of a conversation." Zeus offered. Will chuckled.
"You would think that, huh? Just a healer. Just a person you come to when you are dying. I'm getting pretty tired of that title. But, Zeus, you'll grant me a conversation, and I'll make it worth your while. Might save your life." Will said, slightly glaring at the god.
It irked Zeus that Will said his name as if they were on equal standing, but he decided to take his anger out on Apollo later for harboring an arrogant brat. Zeus began to walk off, ignoring the boy, but the room suddenly grew warm.
"IF YOU LEAVE THIS ROOM, I'LL KILL YOU!" Will shouted. Zeus turned back towards Will, his restraint failing.
No one will get away with threatening the King of Olympus.
"Do I have your attention?" Will asked sweetly.
He was a second away from being struck by lightning.
"Arrogant little insect," Zeus snarled. "You dare threaten me? You think your father can protect you from my wrath?" Again, Will shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not, but as long as I sit on this throne, I know he is listening. As for you, you should listen to what I have to say. You don't have a decision in that." Will said, nonchalantly.
Zeus marched over. "You come here, unarmed, with no prophecy, no power worth acknowledging, and yet you speak of ending me. Ha! You have nothing to offer worth my attention." Will raised an eyebrow.
"Offer? Let's recap." Will moved to get more comfortable on the throne, ignoring his father's warning. "I have watched my friend, MY FAMILY, die to protect Manhattan. My family had to defend the Williamsburg Bridge against the Titan Army. My brother died there, and we still hadn't found the body! Meanwhile, I had to deal with an influx of injured demigods. SO MANY PEOPLE, KIDS, DIED! At least Hades, Persephone, and Demeter helped." Will took a deep breath.
"But you know what? I'll give you a pass with that. You were fighting Typhoon, which, by the way, you couldn't defeat AT ALL until Percy had to convince his father to help you out. How embarrassing is that?"
Zeus felt his eyes twitch.
I should kill him now, Zeus thought, but something told him not to.
Not while he was sitting on the throne, unscathed.
"What really ticked me off was when you, Lord Zeus, ordered everyone to cut off communications and aid to us. The Doors of Death were open, no one was dying, but yeah, cut off communication and leave us in the dark. So many demigods were affected, neglected, and suffered. Annabeth, Percy, and Nico had to sacrifice their sanity to close those fucking doors. Hell, Percy had to save Thanatos, who was bound up. What's the point of having gods if their children are the ones who have to do most of the work?" Will argued.
What was fucked up was that Zeus seemed not to care, not even taking Will's word to heart.
"You speak of my choices and my actions, but you have yet to speak of your deeds," Zeus pointed out.
"My deeds?" Will repeated, his voice almost breaking into a laugh, but there was no humor in it. "You think I came here to brag about what I’ve done? No. I came here to remind you of what you haven’t done. And to tell you, King of Olympus, that I’m done watching you fail us."
Zeus scoffed. "Bold words from a boy who has done nothing but hide behind bandages and herbs."
Will’s fingers tightened on the arms of the throne, his voice low, dangerous. "Hide? You think patching up kids as they bleed out in my arms is hiding? I have to watch them die, knowing I can’t save all of them because you, ALL OF YOU, left us. Every scar I’ve stitched shut was because you decided your pride mattered more than your children’s lives. You know what I’ve done, Zeus? I’ve kept Camp Half Blood alive while you’ve done nothing but sit here and throw your temper tantrums from the sky. There's no reason we have to damn-near beg for your help."
The room grew suffocating, the temperature steadily warming, the room brighter despite the dark clouds covering the windows, the hearth still low.
The room should be dim.
Will was glowing.
"I'm more than just a healer," Will stated. "I'm tired of patching people, watching history repeat over and over again. Like, I'm not stupid. Demigods will have to face monsters, I get it. But the big things, like say Uranus wants to rise this time. Knowing you, you'll act like a coward-"
"Watch your tongue!"
"I will once you start acting like a king, or else, maybe it's time for you to be dethroned. History does repeat itself. Maybe it's time for some demigods to take the throne."
For a heartbeat, there was only the crackling of the hearth and the faint hum of energy radiating from Will.
Zeus’s face darkened, a storm gathering behind his eyes. "You dare—"
"I dare," Will cut him off, his glow chasing the shadows from the hall. "I’ve seen enough to know you don’t deserve it. You only rule because no one else has been brave enough to stand up and say it."
Lightning coiled in Zeus’s fist, a spear of white-hot rage. "Child, you will regret—"
"I won't regret a thing. Percy asked nicely to get more involved. I'm demanding it." Will's smile was taunting, irking Zeus's nerves. "Feel free to test me." Will stretched up, relaxed, compared to Zeus, who was cackling with electricity. "I'm glad we had this talk. Dad, I'm ready to go back now. Zeus, I hope to see better from you. Besides, you're not as respected as much as you think you are. It's kinda sad for mortals to view you as a manwhore before viewing you as a King. Hera can do so much better."
Zeus watched Will glow brighter until he shimmered away, taking the bright light with him, leaving Zeus with the charred remains of a dead body and the sound of the fire crackling nearby.
"Arrogant child. He thinks he can get away with this?" Zeus mumbled. He left the throne room and manifested himself as a growing storm cloud slowly covering Camp Half Blood. The demigods below looked up, concerned as they headed to breakfast, but Zeus kept an eye out for one kid.
Jason, who slept in the Zeus cabin, walked out, his senses tingling.
His father was pissed. He looked around, thinking maybe there was a threat around, but nothing screamed threat to him. Everyone was still half asleep, trying to wake up as they walked or stumbled to the mess hall.
He looked over at Will, who exited the Apollo cabin quite happily, heading towards the Hades cabin to get Nico for breakfast. Something was different, as if he was happy that the clouds above were seemingly threatening. He was about to ignore it until he saw Will smirk towards the sky and laugh.
Feeling the air charge up, Jason raced over to Will just as Will knocked on Nico's door, calling him for breakfast.
"Will!" Jason shouted. Will looked over and greeted Jason happily.
"Morning, Jason!" Will looked like he had the best night's sleep ever. Jason didn't know how to ask what was bugging him, only feeling like he had to stay nearby. "What's wrong?" Will asked.
"Um, the sky. I think Zeus is angry." Jason answered. Will snorted.
"So Zeus is throwing a temper tantrum. What's new?" Will commented.
"Careful! You're going to piss him off!" Jason warned, looking at the sky.
"So?" Jason looked back at Will, surprised to see him so... uncaring? Stern?
Just... not like himself.
"Are you-"
Nico opened his door, interrupting Jason's question. Nico looked at both blondes, then at the sky. "What’s with the sky?" Nico asked.
Will’s grin softened, just for him. "Nothing to worry about," he murmured. "Ready for breakfast?"
Jason couldn’t take his eyes off him.
There was something dangerous about Will Solace now.
He watched Will and Nico walk away, unsure about what to do.
What do you do if you think your medic is going rogue?
"You seem more cheerful than usual," Nico pointed out. Will took his hand and pulled Nico close.
"I had a good dream, but I'm mostly glad to see you," Will said softly, placing a kiss on Nico's head. Nico mumbled about Will seeing him every day while blushing. They were pretty open by now, but Nico was still getting used to the random display of affection. Regardless, it felt nice to receive it.
The boisterous thunder interrupted the nice feeling, making Nico flinch.
"Think most of the camp activities will be cancelled?" Nico asked, looking at the sky. The clouds were pretty dark, threatening enough to make his skin crawl. He kinda wanted to hide in the Underworld until the storm passed.
"Maybe. If it does, maybe you can come watch movies with me and my siblings. I think you will like the Jurassic Park series." Will suggested. Another crack of thunder, and Nico realized Will didn't flinch, not even when most of the campers were covering their ears.
Even Percy seemed to be in fight mode, but didn't know what for, so that definitely unsettled a lot of demigods.
Will was acting like it was a bright, sunny day.
"Are you okay?" Nico asked, thinking about skipping breakfast. He wasn't feeling too hungry, not with the thunder nearly giving him a headache. "Hey, let's go to the underworld for a little while, until the storm passes," Nico suggested.
"Everything will be okay, Nico," Will said softly. Then he looked towards the sky, towards Zeus, and smiled, creeping out Nico. He said something under his breath, something Nico couldn't hear, then suddenly, Nico felt like he had to move.
He hardly had time, Jason screaming his name while Percy was already running. He felt Will push Nico behind him, which confused him, but he was too busy waiting to be struck by lightning. The moment the lightning bolt struck down, Nico felt... nothing.
It was bright, too bright. Nico kept his eyes closed, but still felt like his eyes were burning. Then it felt warm. As the light died down, he prepared for the worst. In front of Nico lay Will, holding a compressed, bright energy in the shape of an arrow.
And Will looked disappointed.
Will looked back at Nico, who stood wide-eyed. "Are you okay?" Will asked, as if he hadn't just caught a lightning bolt.
"What... How? Will-"
"Science. Lightning and Light are both energy. It took a lot of training and tons of focus, but I simply caught and redirected that energy and compressed it into something I can hold. There's more to it, but don't worry about it." Will explain. Nico still felt confused as Will carried the arrow to Jason, handing it to him.
"I'm sure he'll want this back," Will said before leaning close to whisper into Jason's ear. "Make sure you tell him that if he ever tries to kill me while I'm with Nico, or anyone of my friends, there will be a new king sitting on that throne." Will threatened. Jason jerked back, finally seeing what Will had been hiding.
Will was glowing, but not due to Apollo.
It was almost godly energy.
Did someone bless Will, or was Will a...
"What are you?" Jason asked, his voice barely over a whisper. Will shrugged.
"I'm just a healer."
Will walked back to Nico, his light gone. Jason watched them walk away, Nico asking questions while Will held his head high amid the looks he was getting. Percy walked to Jason, looking at the glowing arrow, then at Will.
"Should we be worried?" Percy asked, his weapon out. Jason looked at the glowing arrow, then at the sky.
"I don't know."