Nico was nine years old, living with his mother and his sister; their father came back and visited them every once in awhile and he was living a happy life. However, there was a terrible crackling sound and a light bright enough to blind him, but he was safe in his sister's arms from whatever had just tried to strike him down.
Nico was ten years old and hiding behind Bianca to make sure that whatever the three lawyers wanted, it wasn't going to be hurting him. The Lotus Hotel had been a fine place to stay when he had nowhere to go, but he had always felt somewhat trapped by the walls there, the weeks that they had spent there, Nico had stayed safely glued to his sister's side because he knew that he would always be safe there.
He was ten years old and hiding in his sister's arms as the world was chaos around him, watching as a human had turned into a true monster before his eyes. He watched as people he didn't know used powers that he couldn't comprehend to ward off this new demon that was for some reason out to hurt him.
He was ten years old and his safe haven had left him, now he was alone and vulnerable. He didn't know what to do now that Bianca had virtually abandoned him; he didn't know what to do. He had nowhere to go to, nowhere that he could call home now that he was alone and afraid of the horrors that the world contained.
He was ten years old and watching Percy through tear-blurred vision as he threw down the Hades figurine that he had just placed in Nico's hand. It was an awful exchange really, his sister's life for a small figurine that meant little to nothing in the long run. He felt a turning in his heart and around him the world broke apart, that was justice, the world would feel the pain that it had caused him.
Nico was eleven years old and he was on the run, he never knew when or where the monsters would find him. He was gaunt and starved, but that was okay to him; just as long as he kept on the move, they would never be able to catch him. Not even Percy could catch him now, not with empty promises, nor his desire to make amends.
Nico was twelve years old and once again, the world was chaos around him. The Earth split at his will and the dead walked again because he commanded it. There were others around him who stood by his side despite all the horrible things that he was doing and that he could do. Maybe the world was an okay place after all.
Nico was thirteen years old and wrong. He was so very very wrong. The people that had stood by his side only months before now looked on him with distaste and distrust. Yes, he now had a cabin, but there was no way that he was accepted. The world is a cruel place that plays it's jokes on the weak. Acceptance and friendship are just illusions created by the world to create a sense of security, so he didn't need either.
He was thirteen years old and realizing just how empty and unforgiving the world really was, he was alone and afraid in the depths that no one should ever be in. Nico had always felt comfortable in the darkness, but this was different: he couldn't see, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't do anything that he had been able to do when he was safe and above.
He was thirteen years old and trapped in a jar. Of all the things and places he could've done and been, he had to end up in a jar, starving himself and surviving on pomegranate seeds alone. The air was stale and he was tired beyond all belief.
Nico was fourteen years old and he watched as Octavian flew into the sky. He felt the eyes of people on him as he had done nothing to stop him. He felt his strength wane as his overused powers took hold of him.
He was fourteen years old and laying his heart bare at the feet of someone who he had trusted and had turned away from. He spilt his secret that he had kept his entire life, only letting the closest people to him know.
Nico was fourteen years old and crying in his sister's arms after a nightmare of the depths. But there was a problem, Bianca was gone. She was gone and never coming back, so who was it that held him as he cried his heart out? Who was it that was mimicking the solace that he had only found in his sister's embrace?
Nico jolted away from the comfort, his body instantly regretting the loss of the warmth and safety the he had felt there. He instantly wiped his tears away, furiously trying to dry his cheeks and calm his heart from beating too rapidly. His legs curled in on his body, trying to hide and make himself as small as possible so that he could just fade from existence.
His breathing was erratic and he was still trying to wipe away the tears that had stopped springing from his eyes when a hand reached over and was placed on his shoulder, trying to calm him down, but that only made things worse, he started to hyperventilate at the slight touch, and his grip on reality seemed to slip for one terrifying instant.
"Woah, woah. Hey, Nico can you do me a favor and concentrate on my hand? Okay, now fix your body in position with my hand. Don't concentrate on anything else around you, just concentrate on my voice and my hand, that's all that matters right now. Okay, now breathe in. Now breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Do it with me, okay, Nico?" The voice was smooth and assuring, but unfamiliar nonetheless. Nico felt like no matter what, he could trust the owner even though he was still struggling to breathe.
Slowly, after being calmed down, Nico looked up at the person who had anchored him back to reality.
Blond curls framed a suntanned face, and blue eyes crinkled slightly in a smile as he noticed that Nico wouldn't be fading into nothing. Nico quickly jerked away once more, the close proximity startling him once more.
"S-sorry." Will said, "It's the whole, 'no touching' thing, right?" He took a step back and sat down on a chair that had been brought up next to the bed that he was laying on. "I didn't think, I just kinda, reacted. You were screaming and thrashing around. Then you started to… I don't know… flicker and fade away and I just panicked. Wow, I'm an awesome doctor, aren't I? Panicking when a patient just starts to disappear."
"No, it's fine. I just… I was remembering. That's all." Nico responded, looking down and staring at his hands, they seemed so, solid looking at them now it was hard to believe that they could disappear if he lost control.
"Remembering? What in Hades could you possibly be remembering that would give you night terrors of that caliber?" Will looked both astonished and terrified at the same time, but then something triggered in his memory and his eyes widened in surprise. "Wait. Was it… y'know. The place…?"
Nico scoffed, "Yeah. What else would I possibly be remembering except for Tartarus? You can say it." He loosened his shoulders and leaned back against the wall. "How long was I, y'know…"
"You were screaming for thirty minutes, and shaking for ten. You didn't wake up until I grabbed your shoulders and tried to keep you from hurting yourself. Then, you just… I don't know. You broke down."
"Yeah. That seems to be happening a lot lately. Screw my life." Nico said as he turned away from the man sitting next to his bed and curling up into a ball on the bed. "Sorry, I just want to be left alone right now." He listened as the other man got up and left, quietly and respectfully before he let the rest of his tears fall.
Will walked away from the crying boy, he didn't want to say anything because he knew that Nico's dignity was virtually all he had left and he didn't want to ruin that any further than it had already been.
Moving along the other patients, he couldn't help that his thoughts continued to return to Nico again and again. When he had first entered the infirmary, Nico had looked like death, quite literally. His eyes were slightly sunken in, his cheekbones were gaunt and his skin had been pulled taut over his bones. Now, everything had started to return to the way that he should have been in the first place.
Will spent his time setting broken bones and stitching wounds of various sizes. But every time he wasn't focused on his work, his eyes slowly drifted back to the corner, where he had ushered Nico the day he was admitted.
Nico hadn't moved all day since he had woken up that morning. Occasionally Percy or Jason would come in to check up on him, but they were met with the same response every time. "I'm sorry. He hasn't woken up and we don't need others around when we're this busy."
It was a partial lie, Will really was sorry, and they were awfully busy, so the extra bodies would not be welcomed. But he still knew that Nico was very much awake, just staring at the wall, or trying to sleep and being too terrified of what he'll see if he closes his eyes.
It was around dinner time, when the bell rang, signaling all campers to head to the dining hall that WIll finally left the infirmary in the care of his siblings. He took a small meal and something for the other patients and his siblings that were either too busy or too weak to make it to the hall. He had done this on a number of occasions and he always seemed to get everything he needed for everyone involved.
He made his rounds once more, distributing the food as it was needed and finally stopped at Nico's bed. Everyone else was content to eat their meals in silence or the company of the people around them, but Nico still hadn't moved since the morning and Will was starting to worry about him.
"Just leave it and go." Nico said, his voice was hoarse and dry.
"Now, I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I just let my patients push away necessary nutrition, and wallow in self-pity when I know that if I leave now, they won't eat the food they desperately need." Will said in response.
"I like my self-pity. Thank you very much, and I'll eat, but only if you leave."
"Well, it seems we are at an impasse, you won't eat until I leave, and I won't leave until you eat. So the real question now is, do you want to eat, or do you want to be alone?"
"Are you claiming to be more stubborn than I am, Solace?" Nico's mumbling seemed to have a note of interest in the conversation and Will smiled at the challenge and the fact that he was getting Nico to have a conversation more than, 'go away'.
"No, I am simply pointing out the fact that you haven't slept all day, nor have you eaten. And I have not had anyone to talk to all day. So, clearly, I will be the one to prevail." Will said proudly as he took a bite of his dinner.
Nico snickered slightly and that only made Will smile more. "You know I can turn that same argument against you, right? And you were up before me so it's been even longer without sleep, plus all I've been doing all day is lying around while you have been running around administering care to your patients. That in addition to not eating, I'd say you're in worse condition than I am right now."
Will started laughing out loud, the sound was so sudden that it caused Nico to turn and face him from his bed. "You know, you literally just told a medical professional that he was in worse condition than the patient that could actually fade into nothing at any point in time, right?"
"Medical 'Professional'?" Nico asked incredulously, "Just because your father is Apollo and you are the designated apothecary of camp doesn't mean that you are considered a 'medical professional.'"
"It absolutely means I am a professional! I know all the things about human anatomy, the correct way to bandage wounds, how to set breaks, and a number of other things!"
"Would you even know what to do with a scalpel if it was handed to you?"
"I absolutely wo-" Will cut himself off and thought. He had never had to actually use one in the infirmary, all he ever had to do was sew up cuts, not make new ones. "I absolutely would! You take it and you cut people while they are sedated to… to remove harmful tissue and afterward, you sew them back up and voila. Problem solved."
"You're an idiot."
"Says the idiot."
"What makes me an idiot?"
"Calling the person responsible for your life an idiot."
Then the unthinkable happened: Nico laughed. It only lasted for a moment and then he started coughing uncontrollably, but he laughed. Will handed him water and made sure that he drank it before speaking again.
"Well, then I guess I'll be off. My patient thinks I'm an idiot and I'm quite tired from all the running around that I do here."
"Wait, get back here," Nico called after him. The laughter fading from his face somewhat. "Will, get back here, you still owe me my food."
"Ahhh, so now we have a new problem because you want me to come back because I have your food, but-" He said holding up a finger, "You also want me to leave. So, my esteemed patient, Should I stay or should I go?"
Nico seemed to ponder this for a moment before answering. "Stay"
They stayed up into the night, laughing together and talking about light-hearted things. It was dark out when they finally realized they should sleep because Will had almost fallen out of his chair after talking about some of the adventures he had had with Lou Ellen and Cecil when he had somehow tripped on a log while in the middle of a race and landed in a mud puddle.
Nico wished him a good night as he watched Will leave the infirmary and head to his cabin. He felt… different it was like he was lighter somehow. Nico felt more material and substantial as the night had drawn on and somehow, he regretted watching Will leave the room.
The next morning, Will showed up on time as usual and looked his normal self, despite the length of time that they had spent talking the previous night. He made his rounds, checking wounds and administering ambrosia and nectar where it was needed. Will never seemed to stop and take a breather and he always had his face lit up with a huge smile. It made Nico's cheeks hurt just looking at them.
Every time that Will stopped by Nico's bed he greeted him positively, his blue eyes sparkling, and his cheeks a little red from the constant smiling. He would laugh and smile, talk about the day and how the other patients were before asking about how Nico was doing.
Will always seemed to linger a little longer at his bedside than any other patient which he seemed to enjoy, try as he might to hate it.
"Hey! Hey! I need some help over here!" A voice rang out through the infirmary, riddled with panic. "Please, someone needs to help her!" Will's response was almost immediate, his laughing face was replaced by one of concentration.
About half of the Apollo kids ran out of the infirmary, Will included, while the other half stayed there, prepping a bed for whoever was being brought in. Nico tested his balance cautiously and when he didn't immediately fall down, he started to make his way to the empty bed to watch the spectacle that was about to unfold.
He didn't recognize the girl that they brought in, but one thing was for sure and that was that she was in really bad condition. Nico could literally feel her life ebbing out of numerous cuts around her body, but the worst was the large diagonal cut across her chest that was oozing blood.
"We need to get this thing cleaned and stop the flow of blood. She's in danger of hypothermia, we don't know how long she was out there." Will said, his voice commanding as he purposefully moved around her, applying antiseptic and wiping the blood away from the wound. Not a movement of his was wasted, and his hands were incredibly steady as he tossed a reddened cloth out of the way and held his hand out for another one.
Even as he was watching, Nico knew something was wrong. He could still feel her life slipping away, like water trickling through Will's fingers. The large cut wasn't the problem and he knew it, there was something else pulling her life force out of her body.
"It's not the cut." Nico suddenly spoke out loud, causing the people around him to look at him, and getting a brief glance from Will as he looked up. "It's not the cut, there's something else that's pulling her life force away. The big cut on her chest has practically nothing leaking out, there's some other wound that is either poisoning her or leaching her life away."
Will's eyes grew wide with the realization, there was something else that was killing her, some small little cut, but which one? Her body was covered in them. "Can you pinpoint where?" Will asked, "Can you tell where her life is leaking out, or whatever you said?"
Nico nodded and was quickly ushered forward to the bed, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the flow of life around him, the contained life meant nothing to him, all he needed was the lack of life. He could almost feel a trail that was falling off the girl, that led him to the smallest of cuts at the base of her neck. "Here. Whatever is doing whatever it is, this is where her life is leaking from."
Will nodded and inspected the wound, muttering a curse under his breath he cleaned around it, revealing a blackening spot where there had been a small prick of some type. Nico heard a muttered "Thank you." and decided to leave because he knew that he couldn't do anything more, for the girl or for Will. Everything was up to Will now.
"You know, you just saved a life today, right?" Will said as he brought the food around to the patients again, stopping at Nico's bed. "I would have gone on along trying to treat the gash and she would have just… faded."
Nico simply shrugged, "I just saw the problem and told you about it. It was nothing."
"That wasn't nothing. You saved a life. How did you even know what was happening?" Will asked as he handed Nico his dinner.
Nico shrugged again, accepting the food, "It's some perk of being a Child of Death I guess, I can detect life so, therefore, a lack of life as well. If I concentrate, I can detect the flow of life through people and when I looked at her, I could tell that her life was being drained, but not from the huge wound."
"That's amazing." Will breathed, "You would think that the children of Apollo would have some type of power similar to that."
"Not particularly, the kids of Apollo can actually heal wounds. All I can do is see that there's a problem."
"You know, a combination like us could save a lot of lives." Will offered, "I wouldn't be opposed to you coming by every so often to help save a few more lives."
Nico had a stunned look on his face and then started to laugh.
"What? I'm not joking, having someone around who can tell exactly what and where someone is going to die from wouldn't be a bad thing!"
"No, no. I wasn't laughing at that." Nico assured him, "I was laughing at the fact that you think it's a good thing to keep a child of Death in an infirmary around sick and possibly dying patients."
"Oh, well that didn't exactly come to mind…" Will trailed off
"It's fine, I'm just making sure you're still in your right mind. I like it here." Nico smiled, "Now, you need to get back to the story you were telling me about your mishaps with Cecil."
"Is that all we've become friends for?" Will asked in mock apprehension, "For the stories of my pain brought on by my friends? I am hurt." This brought another smile to Nico's face and once again they made their way into a light-hearted rally of storytelling.
Some point during the night, Will had migrated his way to sit cross-legged on Nico's bed. While Nico had seemed a little wary at first, he soon forgot after Will told of stray arrows that had hit trees rather than targets, and buildings rather than trees.
Will was supposed to work the night shift, so they were able to stay up through the night talking and laughing. They both fell off the bed at least twice and neither felt the effects of sleep deprivation until the morning when Will fell asleep five minutes before one of his cabin mates came to administer the morning medications.
As Will's brother walked by, shaking his head, he told Nico that he was free to leave as long as he helped get Will back to the cabin without hurting himself or others. Joyfully, Nico conceded and gently shook Will awake.
Together, they made quite a sight, one groggy and half asleep child of Apollo leaning on one physically weakened child of Hades, both stumbling down to the row of cabins, and both in desperate need of sleep.
Safely, but not without mishap, they eventually made it to the Apollo cabin, where oddly enough none of the other campers were. Will mumbled something incoherent about breakfast and medications, but Nico couldn't understand any more than that. Subtly smiling, he moved to the bed that he could only assume was Will's being the largest in the room and unceremoniously dropped him down on the bed.
This caused a groan to escape Will's body, and again as he pulled Nico on top of him because he neglected to let go. "Hey, hey Will." Nico mumbled on top of the near lifeless form, "You need to let me go, I need to sleep."
"No." Will mumbled, "not letting go, comfortable." His grip of Nico tightened as he pulled him closer to his body. "Warm too." Will continued, nuzzling the arm that he was wrapped around.
Nico sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Okay, if you're not going to let me go, then at least loosen your grip enough for me to rearrange myself, you might be comfortable, but I'm sure not."
Will reluctantly loosed his grip on Nico's arm, allowing him to move his body so that it was flush against Will. As soon as he was comfortable, Will latched onto Nico's arm once more, "Better." Will whispered, already half asleep.
Nico smiled as he shifted on the small bed, for the first time since he was nine, Nico felt totally, and irrevocably safe.
Nico was fourteen years old, and he was happy.