Author's Note (AN): I know, the title isn't very witty, but I couldn't come up with a better one.
Disclaimer: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and all characters and quotes from it are the property of Rick Riordan, the master of cliffhangers.
Nico
I felt a huge relief when I walked back towards Will Solace. I had told Percy, and I had told him on my conditions, not on Cupid's. I could hear Annabeth laughing, probably rolling on the ground laughing. I could hear Percy ramble about what I had just said.
"What does he mean, not his type? What do I have to do to be his type? I'm everybody's type!" I could imagine Annabeth rolling her eyes when she said "shut up and kiss me, Seaweed Brain!"
Will Solace stood where I had left him. He looked at me in confusion, but he fortunately didn't say anything about it. I cursed myself for agreeing to stay in the infirmary for three days, but it was too late to turn back.
I called myself to order. I wouldn't allow Will to be the next Percy, to be the next person to break my heart. I would make it though these three days. But a part of me knew I was kidding myself. I had fallen for Will Solace. This particular part of myself wanted to stare into these blue eyes forever.
Will showed me my room, a small chamber next to the doctor's (i.e. his) office. He disappeared and returned with bed sheets and a pillow. Half an hour later, he brought me a plate from the diner.
"Eat up." he said. "Do you want to fatten me? That's enough to feed three people!" I protested. It didn't help. "Fine" I grumbled. "If I burst because of too much food, the whole place will look terrible." I began to eat. When I had cleared the plate, he grinned. "See what I meant? You're dense, but your not an idiot. Now sleep. You need it. Good night, Death Boy!" And gone he was. I was alone. Still cursing, I went to bed.
That night I couldn't sleep. Instead, I was awake, thinking about a certain son of Apollo. At dawn I finally fell asleep, due to pure exhaustion.
Will
I saw Nico talking to Percy, and I couldn't suppress a pang of jealousy. Why was he talking to Percy but not to me? At least, he had sworn on river Styx to come back.
Nico must've said something funny, because Annabeth was literally rolling on the floor, laughing, while Percy looked totally dumbfounded. Probably he didn't understand the joke. Jackson had saved the world, twice, and he might be a hero, but he definitely wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. When someone told a joke, Annabeth would either roll her eyes or laugh, and a few minutes later Percy would follow.
I tried to suppress my feelings when Nico came back, and he didn't raise the subject. I simply led him into the infirmary and showed him his room, a room, that, apparently a coincidence, was located next to my office. Keyword 'apparently'.
I checked up my other patients, a few dangerous wounds, but no one was in a critical condition. When I came back to Nico's room, he pretended to sleep, but I could tell he was still awake. I silently closed the door.
Nico
The ground pulsed. Veins covered the floor. The air burned my lungs, tried to suffocate me. Achlys crying in front of me. "Child of Hades, what more could I do to you? You are perfect! So much sorrow and pain!"
I screamed and flailed around in my sleep. The next thing I saw was Will who tried to wake me up. I stopped to flail and started to cry. He just held me in his arms and comforted me, giving me desperately needed solace. I had a cry on his shoulder until I had no tears left.
He looked at me with indescribable kindness. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Hesitantly, I opened my heart to him and told him everything, from how Percy, Annebeth and Thalia had saved me and Bianca at Westover Hall to the events at the House of Hades. When I finished, he looked shocked. "And you carried this burden all these years?" I nodded.
I realized I was still sitting on his lap, and I immediately blushed. He noticed it, and without a word put me on my bed. "Do you want to get some hours of sleep?" he asked. I shook my head, afraid of more nightmares.
His expression was full with pity when he closed the door.
Will
I had woken up at sunrise, as usual (that was one of these son-of-Apollo-things), and had been at the infirmary from 6 a.m. When I heard Nico screaming, I dashed into his room, finding him screaming in his sleep.
I was really shocked when he told me about his past and his nightmares. I had already known he had lost his sister, but I never knew he had been in Tartarus. All I could do was to listen to him and comfort him. I could heal many injuries, but no mental pain. Not for the first time I wished Nico would accept that I was there for him, that I'd always be.
I was so lost in thoughts, I didn't notice where I was going until I bumped into Lou Ellen. "Sorry, Lou, I was thinking of something else." She giggled. "Are you sure it wasn't someone else? Maybe di Angelo?"
I must've looked surprised, because she burst into laughter. "Did you really expect we wouldn't notice?" she asked. I was taken by surprise; I had never expected somebody would notice my admiration for Nico. "Is it that obvious?" I nervously asked. She nodded. "Be glad we convinced the Stolls not to trap you two in a closet. They thought that'd be the best way to get you two together."
The next words almost got stuck in my throat. "Do you know if he, you know-" "-feels the same? That you'll have to find out on your own" she winked at me.