AN: Hey everyone, welcome to Battling Demons! This is the sequel to my first Solangelo story, Healing the Dark. This story was previously entitled Healing the Dark part two, but I have since changed the name as I have begun editing this story yet again. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.
Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!
Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!
Will's POV:
It had been four months since Leo had returned to Camp Half-Blood. Four months since Will and Nico had had their first kiss; since Nico and Will made their relationship official. In September, he had stayed longer than usual at Camp Half-Blood to make sure Nico was healthy enough. He eventually had to go back to Florida to reunite with his mother and continue hgh school. He was in his sophomore year.
It was December now, and Will would be returning to Camp Half-Blood, to Nico. He had seen Nico at least once every two weeks, traveling from Florida to New York as often as possible. Connor Stoll and Lou Ellen had hooked Will and Nico up with cell-phones that wouldn't alert monsters of their locations, so once Nico had gotten accustom to the technology of the 21st century, he and Will texted constantly. Because of exams and how busy school got as well as volunteering at the hospital, Will hadn't seen Nico in a month. And he was unbelievably excited to see his boyfriend.
It was nearing midnight, but Will had never felt more awake. He had gotten off his shift at the hospital at 6 and packed like crazy to get here tonight. He wanted to see Nico and the rest of his siblings. He had ridden a pegasus to camp. He started grinning as he walked up the hill, seeing the Big House. He walked through the barrier, leading the pegasus back into camp and suddenly the ground wasn't covered with snow anymore. He thought about letting Chiron know he was back, but he was too excited to see Nico. His face flashed in Will's vision and suddenly, he couldn't wait any longer.
He began sprinting down the hill to Cabin 13. Heart beating fast, he knocked on the door. He meant to surprise Nico, who didn't think he was coming until tomorrow and he hoped Nico was still awake. When he got no response, he quietly turned the door knob. He pushed the door open, saying "Nico?"
Moonlight spilled into the cabin, revealing the recently redecorated cabin. Nico had spent weeks meticulously drawing up plans for a new cabin and finally discovered one he liked. With Annabeth's architectural skills, he managed to draw up some blueprints. He then summoned some skeletons to help build the new cabin. Even though Will had told him to be careful with using his powers, Nico had completely ignored him, resulting in him being admitted to the infirmary.
Needless to say, Nico was no longer allowed to use skeletons to build his cabin and relied on the kindness of other campers. The new look was much nicer than the previous one. The coffin beds had been replaced by actual beds, but there were only two, one on each side of the room for Hazel and Nico. Will's gaze swiveled to the left side of the room where Nico's bed lay. All he could see was a lump under the giant comforter. Grinning, he dropped his bag by the front door as he closed it, the cabin in near darkness. He slipped off his shoes and padded over to Nico's bed. He knelt down and started to pull back the covers. He revealed his boyfriend. Who was shaking. Panic overtook Will. He was having a nightmare. Will lightly touched Nico, trying to wake him, but Nico threw his hands.
"No! Si prega di non fare! Non farmi del male!" Nico screamed.
No! Will thought. Although Nico could control his dreams, the past couple times he had done it, he had drained his powers that he had almost faded. Will forbade him to control his dreams and started giving him sleeping draughts, which promised dreamless sleep. They had always worked and the fact that Nico was having nightmares proved that they either stopped working, or Nico had stopped taking them. He thought of all this in an instant, and snapped back into action. He grabbed for Nico's hand to try to calm him down, and also to take his pulse. His heart was racing.
"Nico! It's okay! It's me! It's Will!" Will pushed the hair out of Nico's eyes. Nico flinched back, covering his face with his arms.
"No! Puoi farmi male! Basta non far loro del male!" Tears were running down Nico's face, and sobs were penetrating his pleas.
Will felt helpless. He wished he knew what Nico was saying. He started shaking Nico's shoulder, trying to wake him up, but he couldn't do it.
"Please wake up Nico, please! It's Will, it's Will! I'm home." Nico let out a scream that broke Will's heart.
"No! Bianca! Mi dispiace! Ho cercato di portare indietro! Mi dispiace!" He was dreaming about Bianca. That really wasn't good. Although he didn't talk about it, Will knew that Nico had, in some way, encountered Bianca while he was in Tartarus. Which meant he was currently trapped in there. And Will couldn't get him out. He started crying with Nico.
"Nico," he pleaded. "Please wake up. Please, baby, please."
"No! Will," Hearing his name, broke his heart.
"I'm right here! I love you." Will said, desperately.
"Per favore non dire così! Io ti amo. Ti amo tanto!" Although Will didn't speak fluent Italian, he recognized those words. Io ti amo. Nico was saying he loved him. He gathered Nico in his arms, ignoring his struggles.
"Shh, shh angel, it's okay. You aren't there anymore. It's okay! Shh, I'm here!" Nico continued struggling, as if under attack.
Will began to sing, softly. As he sang, Nico stopped struggling, but continued to shake. Will could hear him sobbing, so he started singing louder. His eyes slid shut, as he poured his heart into the song, holding onto to Nico, threading his fingers through the son of Hades' hair. Will's eyes opened as he felt Nico shoot up. Nico frantically looked around the room, breathing heavily. Will lightly touched Nico's shoulder and Nico flinched. He whipped around, scrambling away.
"Shh, shh Nico, it's okay!" He crawled towards Nico as he tried to get away. As Nico pulled himself from the terror of the nightmare, he started to realize that he was in his cabin. In Camp Half-Blood. Not Tartarus. He finally noticed Will.
"Will," he whimpered, crawling into his arms. He started sobbing into Will's chest.
"Shh, shh. It's okay baby, it's okay. You are safe. You aren't there anymore." Will held onto Nico tightly.
It took about twenty minutes for Nico to stop crying and get his breathing under control. He picked up his head and looked down at Will.
"Better?" Will traced Nico's cheekbones. Nico flinched and grunted in pain. Will was confused as to why. Nico closed his eyes, nuzzling into Will's hand and nodded.
"I thought-" Nico started, but his voice was raw with emotion. He cleared his throat. "I thought you weren't getting here until tomorrow."
"I wanted to surprise you." Will whispered. "You surprised me. Do you want to talk about it?" Nico grimaced, eyes scrunching, giving Will his answer. "You told me you haven't had a nightmare in a while." As Will said that, Nico's eyes open and he shifted, sitting up. Will picked up on his discomfort. "Nico, have you been having nightmares?"
"No." His eyes wouldn't meet Will's. Will sat up, lacing their hands together.
"Nico, look at me." Onyx eyes met blue. "Have you been having nightmares?" Nico sighed, defeated.
"Yes."
"How frequently?" Will could guess, judging by the bags under his boyfriend's eyes.
"The last month," Will sucked in a breath.
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have changed your dosage of sleeping draught."
Nico was looking at the covers and their intertwined hands. "I didn't want you to worry. I knew you were busy." The son of Hades said quietly.
"That doesn't matter. I am never too busy for you, Nico," he gently grabbed Nico's chin, bringing it up so he could see the younger boys face, but Nico turned his face away. Will's eyebrows furrowed. Nico was hiding something. "Nico? What are you hiding?"
"I-N-nothing!" Will's eyebrows furrowed more deeply. He saw Nico gaze flicker to the side table and back to the covers. Will followed his glance and saw a bottle of sleeping draught on the table, unopened. No.
"Have you been taking your sleeping draught, Nico?" At that, Nico released Will's hand and got off the bed. "Nico?"
Nico whipped around. "No, I haven't Solace. I haven't been taking that stupid draught for a month."
Will felt a touch of disappointment. He thought Nico was getting better. "Why haven't you taken any? Are you cutting again?" Nico hesitated which answered the question. A sense of sadness and guilt swept over Will. He slowly got up, and walked over to Nico. "Let me see."
"No!" Nico grasped his wrist, and lunged out of the way. "Leave me alone, Will!" Will held his hands up in surrender.
"I'm just to understand what's wrong Nico, why did you stop taking your draught?"
"That's none of your business." Those words sent a surge of anger through Will.
"It is all of business, Nico. First off, I am your boyfriend. Second, I am your doctor. I care about you and your wellbeing-"
"Are you sure about that, Solace? Where were you when my father makes me do his dirty work at ungodly hours? Or when an Ares kid beat me- Where have you been the last month? When I needed you most?" Nico exploded. One phrase rang in Will's mind.
"Hold up, an Ares kid beat you up? When did this happen?" Rage flowed through Will.
"It doesn't matter. You weren't here to help." Guilt sparked inside Will.
"Nico, I have to go to school, you know that." Nico looked sheepish after that. "I would never choose to leave you if I was given the option."
"I know that."
"This isn't about me is it?"
"No. It's not. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."
Will took a step closer to Nico. "Want to tell me what it is about?" Nico shook his head. Will took a step closer. "Please?" Nico looked up and Will stepped in front of him. The light from the dying fire caught Nico's face, and Will saw bags under his eyes, and a fading bruise on his face. Will gasped. "Who did that to you?" He was faced with silence. He sighed and gently took Nico's arm and rolled up the sleeve. New gashes made a crisscross pattern across the pale arm. Will sucked a breath in. "How long have you been doing this?"
"The last month. When we weren't able to talk." Nico said, quietly. Will guided Nico to his bathroom, switching on the light. Nico shuddered away from the light, throwing a hand over his eyes. He sat him down on the side of the tub, grabbed supplies, and sat on floor in front of him.
"Why didn't you tell me, Nico? You told me you were fine. Why did you lie?" He gently removed Nico's hands from his face. The harsh light showed the damage on Nico's face. Bags under his eyes revealed his exhaustion. The fading bruise was in the shape of a fist. Will looked into Nico's eyes.
"I don't know."
"Don't you lie to me, Nico. Tell me what this is all about. Because I know it's not about me being at school."
"It's because I'm weak." Will dropped the bottle of rubbing alcohol he was holding.
"What? Nico, you are the opposite of weak. What got you thinking like that?"
"I don't want to talk about it!" Will sighed, defeated. He picked up the bottle. He unscrewed the bottle of alcohol, poured it on a cotton swab, and started dabbing Nico's arm. Nico hissed in pain, trying to pull away, but Will gripped his arm.
"I know it hurts, but we have got to get you cleaned up." He started making his way up Nico's arm. He glanced up at Nico's face. Tears were streaming down his face. Will decided to put Nico's physical wellbeing first, as he seem to have many injuries. He would worry about his mental state after cleaning him up. "When's the last time you slept, Nico?"
"Tonight. And before that, about a week ago." Will closed his eyes, in worry.
"Nico," he breathed. "What other injuries do you have besides your arms?" Nico shifted.
"I don't know. I know I have some chest injures" Will sighed. He wrapped Nico's arms.
"Take off your shirt." Nico grimaced in pain as he pulled off his shirt. Will gasped as he saw Nico's torso, littered with cuts and bruises. "Nico, how did you get these? Why haven't you gotten them treated?"
"I got them because I'm weak! I am so weak. I can't handle these tasks my father is giving me. I keep training and training but I can't get any stronger. I keep passing out when I use my powers. I am too weak to even fight my nightmares, so I stopped taking the draught because I shouldn't need help to sleep, but I kept getting worse nightmares. I was too weak. I started cutting again. I wanted to tell you, but I was too weak. And I knew you were busy. I didn't want to be a disturbance." Will's heart broke as Nico told his tale.
"What about that Ares kid? Is he responsible for some of these injuries?"
Nico gulped. "Yes."
"Please, Nico," Will begged. "Please tell me what happened."
Nico looked deeply into Will's eyes. The two boys fought a silent battle with their gazes. Nico broke it off first, eyes flitting to the ground. "About a week ago, I was walking in the forest to try to get my mind off everything and I walked up on this Ares kid beating up this young Hermes camper. He was calling this kid disgusting for being... For being gay. This made me a little angry, so I confronted the guy telling him to stop picking on the kid, and pick on someone his own side. He let the kid go and turned to me. The kid ran. I tried to summon some skeletons, but the kid grabbed me and started beating me up. I don't know how long he did so because I passed out."
Will felt anger surge through him. He was going to kill this Ares kid. Why has he not been there to help Nico? And where were the rest of "Nico's friends" who were supposed to be there for him?
"Where were Jason? Or Percy? Or your other friends that could have helped you?"
"Everyone is coming down for Christmas in a couple of days. But right now, Jason and Piper are at Camp Jupiter with Frank, Hazel, and Reyna. Percy and Annabeth finishing up their senior year in New York. Leo and Calypso are Gods knows where on Festus. And I don't really talk to anyone else."
"No one noticed though? If your condition has been deteriorating for the last month-"
Nico stood up and shook off Will's hands which were working in patching up his chest. "No one notices me, Will. Look, I'm fine. So if you wanna head out-"
Will stood and walked so he was in front of Nico. He brought Nico's chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. "I notice you. I notice everything about you. And you are not fine, Nico. And you know what? That's okay. Because you will be okay. And I will be there for you, every step of the way."
He tilted his head, and adjusted his grip on Nico's jaw, careful not to aggravate the bruise. Their lips met. Will felt Nico melt against him. Will moved his hands to Nico's waist and encouraged Nico to wrap his legs around his waist. Nico obliged, not breaking the kiss. Will slowly walked them over to the bed. He laid the son of Hades on his back and propped himself over him. He broke off the kiss looking down at Nico. "I love you." He whispered.
"I know," Nico breathed. "I missed you so much."
He grabbed Will's face reconnecting their lips. Before the two boys could get lost in each other, Will broke off the kiss. Nico whimpered in frustration.
"You are hurt, Nico. Let me help you." Will whispered.
Nico closed his eyes, before nodding.
Will reached for the side table. He grabbed the vial of sleeping draught there and uncorked it. "You need sleep more than anything," he whispered. He brought the vial to Nico's lips and tipped the contents into Nico's mouth. Nico swallowed it obediently. His body relaxed as the draught took effect. Within moments, the son of Hades was sleeping peacefully.