He found him at the doorstep of his cabin looking rather down and out. The structure itself was blocking out the late afternoon sun, casting a shadow over the stairs and the lone boy. He sat on the second step, his legs stretched in front of him and crossed at his ankles.
Nico didn't even noticed Jason approaching until he was standing in front of him wearing the standard camp's attire and a concern expression on his face.
Jason sighed inwardly. He hated to see the boy looking like the world was kicking his ass. He carefully stepped over Nico's outstretched legs in order to open the cabin's door. Jason looked down at Nico, who was looking up at him with melting chocolate eyes, a silent plea. "So you coming in or what?" He asked as he pushed the door open with one hand.
As if his true age finally caught up with him, Nico carefully pushed himself up off the stairs and stiffly walked through the open door. He glanced around Jason's sleeping quarter with no real interest. He had been here a few times already and Jason pretty much kept things basic. The area was always clean with clean clothes in drawers and dirty clothes in a laundry basket. His papers were neatly on the desk and pens and pencils in a container that was actually label for such things. His bed was made and window's spot free. Floor swept clean. Everything had its place.
Jason swung his desk chair around for Nico to sit down on as he took the corner of his bed, ignoring the new wrinkles that pulled at his weight.
Nico swiped Jason's pillow off his bed before he sat on the wooden chair. He kept the pillow in front of him, clinging to it as if he wanted to bury his face into the cool fabric as he once did as a child when his mother was scolding him.
"So what's up?" Jason voice was almost a whisper but his eyes were intense with worry. As the year went by, he grew closer to Nico and Nico to him. "You're kind of worrying me here, Nico."
Nico sighed deeply and opened his mouth to say something but obviously changed his mind as he quickly clamped it shut. His lips drawn tight and thin as he rolled the end of the pillow case into a small twist that he grasped tightly with his hand and gave a low frustrated growl.
"Hey. You know you can tell me, right? We're like brothers, you and me." Jason encouraged him with a slight smile that did not reach his light blue eyes.
Nico responded with a roll of his eyes and another depressing sigh as his shoulders hunched in a dramatic defeat.
Jason slid off the bed to sit cross legged on the floor closer to Nico but still facing him. He reached out, grasping the boy's ankle and leaned his torso closer to his friend, his face lifting upward to look Nico in the eyes. "You know, whatever it is we can figure it out. We have been through so much, Nico. You've been to hell and back alone! We can do this! You don't have anything to hide from me, you know that right?"
Nico again opened his mouth but quickly shut it again, biting his bottom lip. His eyes grew wide and he snapped his finger and thumb together.
"What is it?" Jason asked, watching now as Nico pointed to his desk and made an act of writing in the air. Jason looked over at his desk, the paper and pen neatly stored in the proper place. He slowly looked up to Nico, his brows rising slightly. "Did something happen that you can't speak? Are you sick? Do you want me to get Will?" Jason pushed himself off the floor smoothly, his mind already seeking out places the healer might be found.
Nico reached out and grabbed the other's arm. Jason looked down at him, the other shaking his dark head and once again, giving Jason a silent plea.
"You don't want me to find Will?" Jason slowly resumed his position on the floor as again, Nico shook his head held his hand in the air as if he was writing a note.
"Something has happened to your voice!" Jason eyes grew large in start and he quickly scrambled up off the floor, making his way to his desk. His mind started to wonder of what had happen.
He took a pen out of the jar, scribbled on the paper to make sure it worked. It didn't. With a mumbled curse he flung it over his shoulder, ignoring the sound of it bouncing off the floor as he took another pen out of the jar. He repeated this task three times before he found a black pen that worthy of allowing Nico to write down his unspoken words.
He went back to Nico with the working pen, a paper and a book to rest the paper on and gave it all to the boy. He watched as Nico carefully made pen strokes on the paper, into words and for a moment, after Nico was finished, Jason thought he was going to crumple it into a ball before allowing him to see what he had written. The hesitation was there but slowly Nico carefully handed Jason the freshly written note.
Jason read the letter. He read it twice to make sure he understood it correctly. Nico scowled as he watched the corners of Jason's mouth twitched as he tried to hold back his laugh.
"Dude," Jason lowered the note down and his eyes showing the humour that he would not allow his lips to show. "You have to say something. Anything!" Jason smile widen as Nico shook his head firmly. "Oh, come on. If it was versed, you know you'd want me to read a whole script! I'll help you if I can but…"
Nico watched Jason put his head back to laugh out loud; the reaction could not be contained any longer. Nico scowled and grew a bit angry at his so-called friend. He growled at Jason, taking himself off the chair and onto his knees to kneel beside Jason on the floor. Nico put both of his hands on Jason and gave the boy a great push. He had wanted his friend to stop. Jason rolled with it, falling over onto his back and continued to laugh.
Nico grew angrier. Angry enough slam Jason with his own pillow. Still Jason laughed on and in retaliation, Nico tried repeatedly to beat Jason into stupor with the animal-friendly pillow, giving to Jason with love from Piper.
"Okay. Okay!" Jason held up his hands in defeat and took in a gulp of air when Nico backed off. He continued to lie upon on the floor, one hand under his head and the other draped over his chest as he looked up at the ceiling. "Okay. Give me a minute to think."
Nico fell hard beside and used the pillow to rest his elbow on as his used his arm to prop his head up but continue to look at Jason, believing he had answers to this terrible predicament.
"Isn't this, like your first real fight?" Jason smiled as Nico nodded his head. "Yeah, I thought so. Well I suppose I could speak with him? Since, well you can't." Jason kept his smile as he watched Nico nod again in agreement. "Tell Will that that your sorry maybe?"
Nico scowled at Jason and pointed to himself, shaking his head viciously.
"So….you are not sorry?" Jason asked sighing inward. "Someone has to be sorry, Nico. It's just how it works. Both of you maybe but someone has to step forward and be the better man."
Nico sighed again, sitting up and crossing his legs in front of him. He pointed to himself and shook his head and then pointed towards the door and nodded his head.
"The argument that you and Will had, you say…well are trying to…you think it's his fault? I got to be honest; I don't know how this works. When I have a go-a-round with Piper, it's easier to let her think that I think I was in the wrong and apologize." Jason told him. "Maybe that's what you need to do as well? Just tell Will that your sorry and you'll make it up to him, you'll try not to do it again and all the nonsense that will make things smooth again. See if he goes for it. Hey, you could try singing it to him! You know a little ditty or something!"
Nico glared down at Jason, his facial expression clearly showing how wrong he thought Jason was about him admitting he was at fault or even tempting to sing in a situation as this one.
"Fine. It works for me, just so you know but I'll see what I can do." Jason picked himself off the floor and headed towards the door. "I'll go speak to Will and you stay here and wait for me. I shouldn't be too long."
And Nico did wait. He waited longer than Jason probably thought he would have to wait. And he waited much longer than he thought he should have to wait. But Jason did come back. He came into the cabin looking tired and worn out. There was nothing on his face that indicated that things were fixed. There was nothing in his body language to show that his talk with Will made things all better.
Jason slowly made his way to his bed and once more sat upon it. He closed his eyes and this time Nico raised his brows and waited.
Jason cleared his throat just before he took a breath of air. "I too am in despair." Jason voice was but a whisper. "Since I cannot mind my own affair."
Nico cracked a grin.
"Without so much as a rehearse," Jason gave a growl in frustration. His voice stronger and louder with each word he spoke. "All my words now in a verse!"
A laugh tried to escape Nico's mouth and he quickly bit his fist to prevent it from forming.
"Why are you laughing at me?" Jason stood up from the bed, waving his hands in front of him. "Whose fault is this but thee?"
Nico couldn't hold it back; he cracked in a fit of laughter.
Jason stood before him; eyes wide and mouth open in disbelief. "Why are you still taking in such a delight? You know what has happened isn't right!"
"It seems that this Apollo Curse is much worse," Nico hiccupped. "Because you have to let it run its course! Will it be broken tonight or must we have to wait till light?"
"What? But wait! Is this of your tricking?" Jason asked with a glare, not liking the shape of this conversation at all. "For if I had not meddled in the bickering… "
"No, no! I assure you it is not even from the start," Nico shook his head. "I even cross my heart! Oh, If only I had been aware for I would had told you to beware!"
"Beware! It is too late for that I declare! For if I had known how this would end, oh how I would been on the defend!" Jason ran his fingers through his short hair in frustration. "This is not right! How can we fight? Our words have become a weapon of mistrust because the Stolls will use it against us!"
"The Stolls? Those trolls! What clever foes they do impose." Nico whispered. His eyes darkened with the idea that others, especially the Stoll brothers, would do once they found out about this curse that his boyfriend had placed on him and Jason.
Jason grasped the front of Nico's shirt, pulling the boy roughly towards him. "We either use force or we pray our voices go hoarse!"
"Force?" Nico brushed Jason's hands off his shirt.
"But of course!" Jason gave a shrug, realising this wasn't actually going to happen. "Nothing too serious."
"You must be delirious." Nico shook his head. He would not use force against Will. "No, I cannot hurt him. I love him from limb to limb."
"No, not by you. You cannot," Jason pointed out. "But who to say that I will not?"
"I shall be the one to say!" Nico's eyes darken once more. "No, this discussion is a nay!"
"Then tell me, without a fight how do we end this rhyming delight?" Jason asked, placing his hands on his hips to wait for Nico's answer.
"An answer I have is none but for tonight, I think I am done." Nico walked over towards Thalia's old cot. "To sleep over night and dream of one I might."
"I will remain awake and think of ways this curse shall break. But not all. For I shall too succeed in finding a way to avenge this misdeed. So sleep well my friend, because as you dream," Jason stared out of his window, across the campus lawn towards the Apollo's cabin. "I shall scheme."