Summary: The monster under Nico's bed waits for a chance to break out. It attacks little by little, until it swallows him up completely. Young!Nico. – Halloween fic.

A/N: Written entirely in dialogue. Experimenting with different styles. Can be taken as an AU. This in no way means I'm belittling Bianca; in fact, I'm currently writing another story that shows just how great of a sister she is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Bedtime Stories

All monsters are human

"There is a monster under my bed."

"Don't be silly, Nico. There are no such things as monsters. Just go to bed."

"Okay..."

"Th-they made fun of me again, Bianca. I don't think the teasing is ever going to end; I'm just too easy to bully. But... but I don't like the names they call me. I want them to stop."

"As long as you don't listen to them, it'll be fine. Their words can't control you, little brother. Now go to sleep."

"W-wait! Don't leave yet; stay a little longer... please. Just for a while. I can feel its presence again."

"Who?"

"The monster. It's back."

"I don't have time for your games, Nico. You're too old to still believe in monsters. It's late and I'm going to bed."

"No... please..."

"Mr. Monster?"

"Can you go away please?"

"Bianca won't listen to me when I mention you anymore. I-I know you're still there, but I'd really like it if you left me alone."

"You're hurting me."

"I don't like the feeling I get when you're nearby."

"I never invited you to stay under my bed. You've made my sleep very uncomfortable recently."

"You're not welcome here."

"I don't like you."

"But Nico, I quite like you."

"Wake up. Wake up!"

"Ughh..."

"Your eyes! What happened to them? Nico, why are your eyes red?"

"Heh... it's right there behind you, Bianca. I guess there's really no way of stopping it now."

"What?"

"In the mirror. Don't you see it?"

"Oh, your eyes are back to normal now... weird..."

"It's you and the monster, Bianca. It's you and the monster in the mirror."

"Nico."

"Nico?"

"Nico!"

"Bianca..."

"Where are you? Why is it so dark in here? How come I don't see—"

"Bianca… the monster..."

"Th-this isn't funny, Nico; you know how I feel about—"

"It's not under my bed anymore..."

"Well, that's great—but where are you?!"

"It's inside me now."

...

"AHHHHH!"

("Help… me...")

A/N: This was supposed to be a representation of depression, along with the theme of monsters for Halloween and all that. Writing in only dialogue is certainly a challenge… I hope it wasn't too confusing.

Basically, I was trying to show that if you ignore the cries of help from other people, things will just continue to get worse, and eventually the (metaphorical) monster that is hidden in the corners, under the bed, will consume the victim—they will become the monster. Something like that.

If you want a better explanation, I'll try to explain it in more detail if you ask. :)

Happy Halloween!

~Madin456.