Hey! I know it's been awhile, but you know, life happens. Anyway, here it is!

Warning: Some parts are fluffy, some suck. There's some Japanese words, but you don't really have to Google them unless you really want to.

Disclaimer: I'm not Rick Riordan.

Happened

Drew flips the page of her magazine rather boredly.

Nothing exciting is happening at all in Camp Half-Blood ever since the Argo II sailed off. It's been months now, and, according to Malcolm, the Seven were now in Rome.

Drew's always wanted to go to Rome. Anywhere that's not here, where everything is boring and everyone pretends that there isn't another war looming over their heads. Seriously? Why did they still have Capture-the-Flag games and activities planned?

At the same time, you'd think that with a war looming over their heads, Drew wouldn't be bored.

"Tanaka," Valentina- the probably most irritating one in her cabin- addresses her, coming over to Drew's bed, "Chiron wants to see you."

Drew rolls her eyes, but tosses her magazine onto the hard-wood floor, "You better not be lying, Del Cruz."

"Please," the Latina responds as she walks over to her own vanity, "that's you, Tanaka."

"True," Drew hums, getting off of her bunk bed to put on her shoes. "But I wouldn't put it past you to do this so you could get me out of the cabin."

"That'd be a disservice to the whole world," Valentina tells her, twisting open a bottle of red nail polish. The shade of red's actually cute. Drew will have to "borrow" it later…

"Whatever," Drew says, by the door of the cabin already.

Valentina Del Cruz looks up from her nails in surprise, just managing to see a glimpse of the Asian's back as the door closes behind her. Drew always got the last word in, but not with "whatever".

Will angrily dribbles the basketball against the concrete court. A silent anger has been radiating off him all day, causing even Kayla and Austin to give him space.

He shoots the orange ball with a flick of his wrist, watching for a brief moment as the ball goes through the net with a 'swish!'.

The ball then drops from the net, bouncing against the concrete a couple times before Will reluctantly goes up and dribbles it back to where he had been standing outside of the paint.

He is alone on the basketball court. The rest of the Apollo Cabin is either inside, playing music, or at the archery range. Will is too upset for the first and too distracted for the latter.

"Hmm," a voice cuts across the silence, "never thought I'd see the day where Will Solace is alone."

Will doesn't bother turning to their person. He already knows who it is.

"What do you want, Drew?" he asks her tiredly, fighting against the urge to snap at her. He really needs his space in moments like these. People always say and think that Will is a nice guy, which, while true, isn't always true.

Drew whistles lowly, sounding very surprised, "And moody too."

Will doesn't answer her, instead jumping up slightly in order to perform his jump shot.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Drew says after watching for a minute in silence as the ball sinks through the basket with ease.

"I just want to be alone right now," Will finally tells her.

"…" Drew has no idea what to say to this, so she leaves.

As soon as Drew begins walking away from him, Will turns back to the basketball hoop and aligns himself for another layup.

Drew turns around once to watch him, wondering why she'd never noticed these walls he put up and then if she'd ever be able to tear them down.

"Can you believe it?!" Drew complains loudly. "He just blew me off!"

"Maybe he has a good reason," Alice offers, her legs folded neatly underneath her as the two converse on Drew's bed.

Despite the girl still being unclaimed, Drew does not mind associating herself with her. Alice listens, which, believe it or not, is hard to come by these days. She is also brutally honest to a point- a trait that Drew very much admires because she possesses it herself.

"A good reason?!" Drew fumes, arms folded, "There's no good reason to ever blow a girl off!"

"You never know," the girl says again, attempting to reason with Drew. "Maybe it's not a good one, but a justifiable excuse."

"I don't care why Will blew me off," the Asian sullenly pouts, "I just care that he did."

"And why do you care again?" Alice prods, with a slightly knowing smile on her face.

A problem with Alice, however, is that the girl is perhaps too observant and too curious.

"Because," Drew splutters, "I thought he and I were friends!"

"Friends are allowed to keep secrets," Alice says, "I mean, I doubt he's hiding something, but I'm sure it's private. I don't think even his siblings know why he's in a foul mood."

"I just," Drew sighs, "I just thought I'd be different for some reason."

Alice hums in slight agreement, "Well, you guys do seem close."

"Obviously not close enough for him to tell me what's eating him," Drew rests her chin in her hands, wandering if this is as close as Will would ever let her be.

"Give him the room and space he needs," Alice advises, her grey eyes solemn, "But let him know that you're there to listen and not judge."

"And you're positive that he'll confide in me then?" Drew says skeptically.

The other girl raises an eyebrow, "It works on you, for starters."

"Good point," the Asian begrudgingly admits, quickly realizing that she had let this girl in so easily, like she had with Silena. She'd have to be careful not to let a certain blond in too.

Drew decides to try talking to Will again after lunch. This time, instead of at the basketball court, Drew finds him sitting on the grassy hills of Camp Half Blood, plucking out blades of grass.

"I like to think that each time I pluck grass from the earth, I'm ripping out Gaea's hair," Drew tells him, stepping in front of him as to block his sunlight.

"And how is it that I'm able to imagine you actually doing that if you had the chance?" Will says wryly in response, putting a hand to his forehead in order see Drew better.

With the sunlight shining behind her, Drew looks absolutely radiant. Not that Will would ever tell her that. She probably already knew it, anyway.

"Because I totally would," the Asian says nonchalantly. "Anyway, I was wondering why you seemed so upset earlier."

She had intended for it to come out as a statement, because it was a fact. But instead, her sentence ended with uncertainty, causing the statement to turn into a question.

"I'm not upset," Will tells her.

"Right, of course," Drew blinks, "that's why you're all alone."

"I'm not alone," the blond argues, "You're here, aren't you?"

"Yes, and I'm not going to leave until you tell me what's going on," Drew sassily puts her hands on her hips, a look of determination on her face.

She's deciding to try things her way first before following Alice's advice.

"It's nothing," he tells her, resisting looking at the Asian. He couldn't look her in the eyes and lie.

"I thought we agreed that this," Drew says, gesturing to the space between them, "is where we don't have to lie."

She adds, "Since I'm more of a feminist, you'll have to excuse me for automatically thinking this worked both ways."

Will looks at her in slight disbelief, "You remember?"

Drew rolls her eyes, "Of course I remember. It's the one of the first sappy things you've ever told me. And the first that actually worked."

She settles down on the grass next to him, her voice switching to a softer tone, "Really, Will. What's up?"

"It's…my mother," Will hesitates for a moment before deciding that if he could confide in anyone, it would be her. Drew would not look at him in sympathy or pity. And he doubted that she'd tell anyone else this either. Personal and intense seems to not be Drew's thing.

Drew nods her head, encouraging him to continue.

Will's slightly callused hand rips another blade of grass from the earth, "She…hasn't been well lately. The reason why I've been staying at Camp Half-Blood year round is because I don't want to be another financial burden for her or get in the way of her singing career."

"So she's sick and you need money," Drew says softly, her knees tucked into her chin.

"And it's times like these where I just wonder…where is my dad when I need him?" Will voices his thoughts automatically, not realizing that he had just vocalized the little voices at the back of his mind questioning how things are currently. The same voice that he had managed to squash during the first Titan War but obviously not entirely.

"Believe it or not," Drew says comfortingly, "I understand how that feels."

"It really stings that I can't really do anything about it," Will admits, "I don't have the money to pay for the hospital bills, and my healing works more for demigods, not mortals."

Drew suddenly straightens, "I have the money."

"No," Will immediately protests, shaking his head, "I am not borrowing money from you."

Drew scowls, "Good. Because I wasn't going to loan money to you."

"Then wha-" Will begins.

She cuts him off, a fierce look in her eyes, "I'm giving it to you. No strings attached. No paybacks."

Despite him telling her not to numerous times, Drew still goes through with it. She goes to the Big House and arranges for herself to speak to her contact via webcam.

Steeling herself, Drew takes a deep breath before connecting the call. A Japanese man who looks to be in his late thirties appears on the screen, a stern expression on his face.

"Aisatsu," Drew bows respectfully, placing a warm and friendly (fake) smile to her face. "Chichioya."

For this call, she has rid herself of her pink eyeliner and pulled her dark tresses into a tight bun with only one or two strands to frame each side of her heart-shaped face. She also wears every trinket that her father gave her as a child in order to appeal more to her father. The more she remindsed him of his little angel, the easier this would be for her.

"Drew," her father says, a warning tone to his voice. The way he speaks, one would never guess that Drew was once-upon-a-time, a Daddy's Girl. "You are coming home at the end of the summer, whether you like it or not."

"Nō Chichioya!" she pleads, "Watashi wa sore gate inai yakusoku-"

"No amount of Japanese will get you to change my mind," her father, ever the cold, cold, cold business tycoon, interrupts, folding his hands across his desk, "You've forgotten your studies, your own language…..even your own culture, Drew Tanaka."

"Anata mo kikumasendeshita!" Drew protests, balling her fists at her side. She switches to English, deciding that her first plans can go to Tartarus. "You never hear me, do you?"

"I would cease that tone if I were you, Reijō," He frowns, "Remember that I am still your Chichioya."

"In name, nothing else!" Drew spits out angrily, her facial expression hard. "I wasn't even going to ask about staying here!"

She could always try charmspeaking him via webcam, but her new step-mother would probably be able to talk him out of it. True love and that crud.

Her father pinches the bridge of his nose, his usual sign of exasperation. He's been using that with Drew a lot more lately. And by lately, she means her from her recent interactions with him, the last of which-prior to today- was two years ago.

"Being dramatic again, Reijō?" Mr. Tanaka drums his fingers on his desk, waiting for the habitual tantrum to start. "Be careful of saying what you don't mean."

Drew resists her childish urge to stamp her foot in protest. She had been obedient as a child and temperamental when she had become a teenager. Still, it is hard for her to rein in her temper when he treats her like she is still a child.

"I just want to ask you for money," Drew manages to keep her voice calm.

"No." Her father says, immediately leaning in closer to the camera to annunciate the word before settling back into his black executive chair. "You are not going to waste hard-earned money for useless luxury items again."

"It's not for that," the Asian girl grits her teeth, reminding herself that she is doing this for Will and his sickly mother. Her resolve is stronger against her father whenever it is not for herself.

"Oh?" the Japanese man raises an eyebrow mockingly, "Then is it for yet another hidden villa in the Caribbean?"

"I bought that villa with money I saved up," Drew protests. Her mind completes the sentence, from all your 'I'm-sorry-I-didn't-show-up' gifts. Now she relies on an allowance, because her father doesn't even bother with that anymore.

"And who gave you that money, Reijō? Who gave you the money that you used to purchase that villa, merely because you wanted to avoid their well intentions of sending you to Brooklyn?"

Silence.

Her father pushes forward with his point, "Who gave you your life, Reijō?"

Only more silence.

"I thought so," her father says somewhat smugly. "Now, whether you like it or not, at the end of the summer, you are going to come back here and bond with your family."

"What family?" Drew bites out, "The people here are more like family than you and that...that monstrosity!"

Mr. Tanaka frowns, "Do not address my wife that way. She is the one who insisted that you come home so you could get to know and bond with the rest of your family. You've never met your new baby brothers."

"They're my half-brothers," Drew corrects bitterly, "which is about the same relation as the kids in my cabin here."

This is why she didn't want to talk to her father. The rift between them is more like a chasm. The only reasons why either of them is talking to the other is due to outsiders. Drew's step-mom. Will. Will's mother.

"You better be on your best behavior when you're over here," Drew's father warns her, "Your family will be very upset to hear you speak of them like that."

"Then I have a business proposition for you," Drew says. She can't resist but adding, "You know, since you love them so much. Remember how you missed my spring concerto for that deal with Dole?"

Drew's father doesn't say anything.

"I'll go willingly and without protest early from Camp Half-Blood and even play nice with the other family," Drew starts grandly. She pauses for dramatic effect, waiting to see her father's reaction so she could gauge this properly.

She decides that she also needs to toss in another amenity for her father, "I'll also refrain from purchasing any clothing over $30 for the next year."

Goodbye, designer clothes, and hello, bargain bins.

"In exchange for what?" the Japanese man sighs, finally giving in.

"For the complete health insurance and payment of any necessary or accumulated hospital fees for Ms. Evangeline Solace," his daughter says without hesitation. "Give her the best treatment possible. Take money from my allowance or something if necessary. Just please…"

He looks at her with a mild look of surprise in his eyes before that emotion quickly fades away. With his normal stoic expression in face, he says, "You've gotten yourself a deal, Reijō."

He signs out of the conversation with a click, and Drew can only stare almost blankly at the computer screen before her.

She's just as surprised as her dad that she'd go this far for somebody else.

He gets a letter about half a week later from his mom, with a hospital address stamped in the corner of the envelope, where the sender's address is.

She tells him that she's receiving a marvelous treatment at the hospital, with staff practically waiting on her hand and foot and tending to any of her medical needs. Under the intensive care, she is recovering quickly. His mother goes on to say that he must have a really good friend in this Drew fellow, because she is at one of the best hospitals in the country and in a really luxurious hospital room. Overall, his mother seems pretty happy, even more energetic in the letter.

Even though his mother misunderstood the identity of her benefactor, Will already understood perfectly who it was.

He confronts her about it almost immediately after he finishes reading his mother's letter. Will finds her sitting on the front porch of the Aphrodite Cabin, tracing random patterns with her finger into the palm of her other hand.

"You went and helped my mom," Will's stuck between being grateful and angry for her not listening to him. "even when I told you that I didn't want to take your money."

Drew shakes her head, not looking at him, but rather a random spot past his shoulder, "You can't take what's given to you."

"I didn't want you to give it to me either," Will persists. Then his previously tense shoulders relax slightly, "But…thanks, Drew. I can't tell you how grateful my mom and I are for what you've done."

"I wouldn't have been much of a friend if I didn't do something," The Asian points out, finally looking at him. She still looks weary, like she's so tired.

Will settles down onto the porch next to her, "You're a good person, you know that, Drew?"

"I'm not," Drew says softly. Whatever is making her look weary is affecting her mentally too. "I still had a motive when I did something to help."

"What motive could you have possibly had?" Will asks incredulously. What could Drew possibly gain from spending her father's money on his mom's health?

"I wanted your mom to get better, of course," Drew admits, looking away from him. "but…I also wanted to make you happy again… Don't you see? There's no such thing as a purely good-intention."

"What you did is still good," Wills says firmly, not in the mood to start up a debate with her. Mostly because Drew would probably win. She'd prettily blink her dark lashes and have him tongue-tied just like always.

"I guess," Drew finally replies, turning to him. In the porch light, her honey-colored irises look even lighter. "You know, your friendship's really changed me."

"Me too," Will agrees, thinking about how he never would have let anyone know about his mom. He wanted to always seem like Mr. Put-Together. Mr. Nice-Guy. Now? He just wants to be himself. He wants to be more expressive with his feelings and unhesitant in telling someone off.

Before either one of them fully realizes what they're doing, the two simultaneously lean in towards each other. Their lips meet in the space between them, immediately sending up sparks despite the kiss not lasting for more than a minute. When they pull away from one another, they can't help but feel breathless.

"Um," Drew says, speechless for once as her face flushes a light pink and her eyes blink rapidly, "what just happened?"

"I think we just did," Will murmurs in shock, his forehead still resting against hers.

Drew anxiously nibbles on her lower lip, which draws Will's attention. He finds it almost impossible to believe that a mere moment ago, those lips had been against his.

They end up not talking about the kiss or about what it meant for their still fledgling friendship. Still, the two begin to see each other on a more regular basis, still hanging out and talking with one another. Over time, their hang outs would involve into dates, and their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend would be unofficially official.

(This, my friends, is the story of how Drew and Will happened.)

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