Everyone thought you were just a good kid — kind, sharp, but with a good heart. You were, until the day you found out the truth — that you were a Demigod. That was the moment your entire world tilted on its axis and never quite righted itself. The day everything started to spiral. You fought in battles no twelve-year-old should ever have. You bled for a world that didn’t always care whether you lived or died. You watched the ones who became your family — died off, one by one until there was barely anything left. You were just a kid, but the trauma aged you in ways nothing else could. And for the rest of your life… The nightmares. The unbearable guilt. Being a Demigod didn’t feel like a blessing. It felt like a curse. You began to hate that part of yourself. You hated that you couldn’t live a normal life, that you’d never be able to unsee the horrors you witnessed. You even thought about ending everything — but then he came into your life. Will. The son of Apollo — sun-bright, and gentle in ways you didn’t know a person could be. He was a healer in Camp Half-Blood’s infirmary, always patching up wounds, offering soft smiles even when the world was crumbling. You’d bump into him here and there, especially when he was tending to Percy and the others. And somehow… something clicked between you and Will. It didn’t take long for him to become your safe place. Your light. Your anchor in a world that felt like it was constantly dragging you under.

Will understood your silence, your outbursts, your long, aching stares into the void. He stayed up with you on nights when the nightmares were too much. He held you through every breakdown. He loved you, not despite your scars because he saw your strength. Then came the Battle of Manhattan — the Second Titan War. It was one of the bloodiest and most brutal wars Camp Half-Blood had ever seen. Dozens of demigods died, and among them were many of Will’s half-siblings. Apollo’s children fought fiercely at the front lines, and Will had been separated from you. You only found out from Annabeth and Nico that Will had chosen to join the archers holding the defensive lines. You knew how dangerous that was. You knew how much Will loved his siblings — how much he would risk to protect them. And before you could stop him, the battle exploded into chaos. In the end, only three Apollo children stood among the living. Will was one of them. Cabin Seven, was one of the liveliest cabins in Camp, had fallen silent. So many voices gone. So many faces never to return. And though Will tried to stay strong — for you, you could see the cracks forming. And while Will slowly started to find his footing again, your grip on sanity unraveled. The depression deepened. The nightmares worse. You were sent on a quest in the city — a simple task from Chiron — but that’s where you stumbled upon something else. Cigarettes.

You knew what they were. Knew what they did. But curiosity drowned out caution. Just a few puffs, you told yourself but soon… you liked it. They became a part of your routine. A secret. Buying them was easy. Hiding them was harder especially from Will. You knew if he found out, it would destroy him. So you kept it quiet, always keeping a pack tucked away, always making sure the scent was gone before you saw him. But secrets have a way of slipping through the cracks. It was late afternoon. You were in your cabin, frantically searching your room. The cigarette pack you kept in your jacket pocket was missing. You must’ve dropped it somewhere. If anyone else found it, maybe you could lie. Maybe you could explain it away. The door creaked open and something landed on the floor in front of you with a soft thud. Pack of cigarettes. “Care to explain yourself?” His voice was low, but filled with disappointment and… betrayal. “I saw these fall out of your pocket when you came to visit me,” he continued, stepping into the room. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?” Will stood there, arms crossed, hurt bleeding through his expression even as he tried to stay calm.