Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus; Rick Riordan does.

A Cure (Jason/Nico)

"Nico?"

He didn't jump down. He didn't answer. He didn't acknowledge his presence at all. Nico's gaze was fixed on the water, watching the current flow by beneath his shoes. It was painful, yes; it reminded him of other times. Times when he knew the meaning of love. Of laughter. Of life.

Then death had taken over, and all of that was forgotten. All the happiness he'd once felt were drowned in a sea of sorrow and troubled thoughts.

"Nico, what are you doing up there?"

Nico ignored him. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes closed. The river, he thought. The river was the only answer. A drop of its water and he would forget everything. Nico did not care about the consequences. He just wanted to forget. He had learnt long ago that they are not the events that destroy us, but the memories of them. They clouded his dreams and whispered sorrowful truths on his ears, tormenting him, mocking his fate. He couldn't bear one more day of it.

Nico needed a cure for his memory. It was too vivid.

He heard a light sigh, and he could see Jason on his mind's eye perfectly, raking a hand through his hair, glasses askew.

Nico hated that. He hated the fact that he and Will cared for him. He was not worth it. If he didn't care himself, then why should them? He did not know.

The branch was high, but Jason was a son of Jupiter. He hovered himself up effortlessly and landed next to the dark-haired boy. Nico had a rather dismal aura around him. He radiated shadows and mist, dark and dangerous like a panther. He glared at Jason. There was no hint of warmth in those eyes, Jason thought. And yet he saw it: a spark of hurt, a need to be comforted. Maybe the glasses had changed his perspective on the di Angelo kid, but, truth to be told, he saw him differently than he did when they first met. It was a good kind of different, though. He saw the emotions Nico hid, and he saw the barriers Nico lifted. He was able to see through them, but he did not want to tear them down.

Nico was not as unapproachable as he thought.

"Why are you up here?" he inquired, his brow knitting together. "The camp fire is about to start."

"I don't care," Nico snarled. "I don't like bonfires."

Jason couldn't suppress a smile. Nico tried to sound lethal, and perhaps he did, for other people. That was not his case. On Jason's book, the son of Hades was a lost lion. It was not impossible for him to fit in; he just had to be tamed by the right people. Jason wanted to be the one to tame him, to show him his place on the world.

Nico was about to shadow-travel to the Underworld when Jason grabbed his bony shoulder. His eyes travelled slowly towards the Roman demigod's hand. Jason's fingers slid down his arm, coming to a halt around his wrist. With his index and thumb, he held his arm up and looked at it worriedly.

"Nico, when was the last time you ate?" Jason sounded truly concerned. Nico bit back a possible comment. "You look ill," he added.

The gaunt Ghost King scowled. "I don't need Will! I'm fine on my own."

The little scar on his lip stretched as Jason smiled faintly. It was adorable, Nico thought. But he'd never admit that out loud. "Who said anything about Will? But I can call him, if you fancy a visit from the Doctor. He could heal you."

Nico blushed at Jason's annoying smirk. "Shut up. And let go of me," he added, seeing Jason kiss his bruised knuckles. "I said let go of me!"

The air around them cooled down as Nico flinched away from Jason's touch. He hugged himself tightly, as though he were afraid of the other boy. Jason knew he was not. Nico was just scared of forming strong bounds. Hearts are breakable, he knew, and his was specially fragile. He didn't need somebody striking the lethal blow, shattering his dark-tinted glass.

Jason's eyes were glinting with something Nico could not quite decipher. Or maybe he did, but he kept it a secret. Nico di Angelo could not afford to be loved. It was simply wrong. Even if it was not romantic love, it was much stronger, therefore more dangerous. Once you pour your heart into somebody it is very hard to let go. Nico knew it.

"Go away," his voice was a whisper bathed in tears. "Go away. Please."

His lips were trembling, Jason noticed. His whole frame was. "Nico, nothing lasts forever. Not even the deepest wounds," Jason said as soothingly as he could. "Let me be the one to fix you. It will take some time, but we have a Doctor on our side, don't we?" He cracked a slight smile. "The river of life is flowing by, right now, right here. You can drown, or you can float," he paused for two heartbeats. "Let us be your boat."

Nico swallowed. He looked into Jason's deep eyes and found himself draw towards them. They were crystal-clear, like a polished piece of sky. Steady and true, faithful and knowing. Nico knew Will's were identical.

Jason outstretched an arm towards him, and Nico could not help but surrender to his warm, welcoming embrace, as the hot tears streamed down his cheeks.

I love Jason and Nico's relationship so much, I figured the first one should be about them. (I ship Jason/Piper as a romantic couple. Jason is more like a super close friend, I guess.)

Please review and let me know if you want more, and which ships you want!