Will and Nico stood on the threshold of the infirmary. There were Apollo kids fussing and bustling about inside. The place was rather busy. The number of unoccupied beds yet unfilled could be counted on one hand. There was one such empty bed in the corner, and Nico eyed it.

If he was going to stay for three days, Nico wanted that bed. It was away from everyone else. He could probably lie on it in peace. "Yes", he thought, "that would be the perfect bed". Everyone else could probably shove off. The only one he was letting near him was Will.

Thinking of the son of Apollo, Nico faced his companion. Will was still looking dejected. It was almost as though he didn't think Nico noticed his sadness. It was rather difficult not to, considering how upbeat Will had been most other times. "Will…" said Nico. His voice was tentative.

"If…" Nico's voice caught in his throat. His mind had just entertained the notion that maybe Will didn't want him in the infirmary after all. Maybe Will was just trying to be pleasant. Nico definitely didn't want that. Maybe that was why Will had given him the chance to leave before. "If you don't want me here, I'll go," he said. He couldn't help the disappointment and apprehension in his voice.

"W-why would I not want you here?" Will said. His voice was so soft it was barely even a whisper. It was just intelligible enough to make out.

Will looked up and saw Nico staring at him. The pink that had left his face crept back up and stained his cheeks, and even his ears. His eyes, on the other hand, were red and watery. It looked like he'd been blinking back tears. "I'm sorry," he said.

"I-I…" Will hesitated. He bit his lower lip. "I shouldn't have gotten angry. I shouldn't have grabbed you. I knew you don't like getting touched. It was my fault. If anything, I should leave if you don't want me around," said Will with a sigh. He meant it. He would leave if Nico wanted him to. He'd done a rather grievous wrong by the son of Hades, after all.

Nico was momentarily stunned into speechlessness. He didn't like getting touched. That much was true. Somehow, that fact didn't make Will's apology any easier to stomach. This was the first time in Nico's experience that someone had apologized so profusely for violating his personal space.

"It's just…" Will frowned. "You were threatening to use your Underworld-ly powers again. And…" Will made a choking sound. Nico raised his eyebrows in alarm, but Will waved away his concern. "I'm afraid if you do, you might fade…"

Will was afraid that Nico might kill himself? "I…" Will trailed off. His blue eyes were watery. He looked at Nico and their eyes met. "I-I" Will was stammering. The pink on his face was quickly deepening. "I don't think I can handle that," he admitted.

Nico's heart leaped into his throat. He couldn't get a single syllable out. He'd never encountered someone that could strike him as speechless as Will did. Was Will implying that he liked Nico? Will's eyes widened as he realized what he'd just admitted.

"I-I mean…" said Will, his words tentative and measured, "I don't want to lose a friend." Will looked at Nico hopefully. "Okay. There. You got me," he said, straightening where he stood. "I don't want to lose someone I think I can still save." The words were such a lie, they almost hurt to say.

Nico looked away. Just a friend. "Oh". He fought tooth and nail to not sigh in disappointment. Then he looked back at Will and became angry at himself. Why was he feeling this way for Will Solace? He hadn't even known the guy for very long, but all of a sudden, it seemed as though what he thought of Nico was so very important to him.

"Oh," said Nico, "Well, I promised, and I don't like broken promises." Nico sniffed and tried his best to seem indignant. "Are you going to show me in or should I just waltz in there and terrorize some poor camper who thinks he's going to die because I'm visiting him?"

Nico looked at Will, expecting a horrified look. Instead, it seemed that his second rather poor attempt at making light of their situation had worked better than previously. Will actually cracked a smile.

Still, it didn't change the fact that Will's shoulders were still slumped, and his eyes were sad and almost far away. Nico couldn't think of what Will could possibly be disappointed by. He wanted to ask really badly. He was very curious of Will. Then he frowned at himself. Why did Will matter so much? He decided he wouldn't press the issue.

"Yeah," said Will, "Alright. Follow me." It was almost as though Will had read his mind. Nico walked in somewhat of a trance as they approached that bed in the corner. "I thought you would appreciate being a little bit away from everyone else," said Will. There was a tone to his voice that Nico couldn't quite place.

"Seems like that's where you always like to be," quipped Will. This time, Nico definitely caught the bitterness in Will's voice. It was another thing that he had to add to the list of intriguing things about Will Solace.

Nico frowned at himself. Since when had he had a list of intriguing things about Will Solace? He shook his head. "What is wrong with you?" he said. They were standing at the foot of the bed, awkwardly just looking at the crisp made sheets.

Nico looked at Will. The son of Apollo looked somewhat shocked. His eyes were wide, and he was speechless for a moment. "Don't think I didn't hear the bitterness in your voice," said Nico. "I'm something of an expert in that kind of thing…" Anger crept into Nico's voice.

Perhaps it was his apprehension at spending so much time under the power of Will Solace, or perhaps it was some of that Olympian temperament that he'd inherited, but Nico couldn't help being angry.

If Nico wasn't welcome in the infirmary, then he was going to leave. He wasn't stupid. He was beginning to think that Will was just doing this out of a misguided sense of indebtedness. He was going to go if that was the case. "Why are you doing this?" Nico demanded. His eyes bore into Will's. "What am I to you, Solace?"

"You watched me let Octavian die," said Nico. He couldn't quite tell why exactly he was angry. Maybe it was because of the mixed signals coming from Will. Maybe it was because of the bitterness that he'd detected in Will's voice. "He might have been Roman, and a Legacy of Apollo's, but he was technically your family. Is that what this is about? Because I'm going to leave if I'm not welcome and you just can't say it to my face."

"W-what?" said Will. He recoiled as though he'd been struck. "N-no!" he said. Nico scowled and turned to walk away.

"No!" said Will. "I-It's nothing like that," he said. He'd been about to reach out and grab Nico's arm. He stopped himself short of doing that. He didn't want to accidentally hurt Nico again. "It's nothing like that…" Will breathed deeply. "It's just… I've wanted to try and be your friend for a long time," he said.

"And, well, now you're about to fade. And then there was all that talk about leaving camp because no one wanted you…" Nico's breath hitched in his throat. Was Will saying…? "I'm probably just a bit bitter because you always kept to yourself and didn't let anyone get close…"

Nico's expression softened. He'd looked in Will's bright blue eyes. There wasn't the slightest indication that Will was lying. He was sincere. That alone managed to touch Nico's heart. He stopped in his tracks. "I did, you know," said Will.

"I wanted to give you a chance, and I wanted you to give me a chance," said Will. "I wanted to be your friend," he said. Friend? Was that it? Will hit himself mentally. He had had the chance to confess, but he didn't do it. "Yeah…" he said, trailing off.

Will scratched the back of his neck and looked at Nico. "That's probably why I sound so bitter, you know." Will sighed and the sound tugged at Nico's chest. It sounded so forlorn. He'd never thought he'd hear the sound from anyone else. "I tried and I tried, but you always pushed yourself away."

"You always stay in the corner," said Will, looking pointedly at the bed. He reached out, his fingers hovering over Nico's arm. "Alright. I understand. You find it difficult to trust people. Can't you at least try, though?"

Nico shivered. He could feel Will's fingers hovering over his arm.

"So, can we do this over?" asked Will, tentatively. Will's tone of voice was so frightened and uncertain, Nico couldn't help but look back with concern.

Nico nodded, slowly. In front of his eyes, Will's bitterness and fear seemed to melt away. The apprehension was replaced, instead, by a genuine smile. As though Will was using some hithert-unknown power of Apollo, Nico couldn't help but return the smile. He nodded again, the gesture firmer this time.

"Alright," said Will. The cheery clip had returned to his voice. "Lie down on the bed, Death Boy," he said with a smirk.

"Don't call me that!" said Nico. He had no idea why being called 'Death Boy' was such a sensitive subject. He supposed he just didn't like Will pretending like they were close friends already when they weren't. "Solace! I swear! I will—"

Nico trailed off when he realized there was anger in Will's eyes. Anger on the surface, but underneath he could see that there was fear and concern. Nico realized with a jolt that he'd been about to make the same threat of summoning the armies of the undead. He'd already angered Will with that threat earlier. He felt stupid all of a sudden.

Nico flinched when Will narrowed his eyes. "Nevermind," he said. "I… Just…" He didn't really know what to say. "Don't. Please?" It wasn't so much a request as it was a plea. He hoped that Will would agree.

Silently, Will nodded. "Okay," he said. "I won't." Then, with uncertainty in his voice, Will added, "Maybe in the future? When we're closer friends?" Nico tilted his head at Will and just looked at the other demigod for a moment.

"You're optimistic, aren't you, Solace?" Nico finally said after what seemed to be an eternity. He was, frankly, somewhat amused now. "Don't push your luck," he teased.

Will smiled at Nico. It was one of those less-genial, more shit-eating grins that he'd seen on Percy and Jason a number of times. If anything, it only meant, to Nico, that Will was very much determined to get to the point where he could call Nico "Death Boy" without potentially fatal retaliation.

Nico scowled, almost playfully, as he clambered onto the bed. He kicked his shoes off, and he swung his legs onto the sheets. He laid his back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He was ready for questions, if any came.

It took a good minute before Nico realized that Will wasn't talking. He looked around, expecting Will to be walking around among the sick and treating them, but instead he was sitting beside the bed, looking at Nico with an unreadable expression.

Nico tried to speak, but he couldn't find the words. They just stared at each other for a few minutes. Finally, Nico broke the silence. "I would understand if you hate me…" he said. He turned his eyes to the ceiling. There had been butterflies in his stomach from locking gazes with Wyn for such an extended period, but now they were dead. The skeletal butterflies' un-life had been short.

Nico was hoping that Will didn't hate him. He didn't know where the thought had come from, but he was afraid of it. Nothing that Will had done showed that he hated Nico in the slightest, but some part of Nico was still irrationally afraid of being hated.

Nico looked at Will. He hadn't been lying, though, when he said that he would have understood if Will did hate him.

Nico was pretty sure that he would hate himself, too, if he hadn't already been in the situation where he'd hated himself so much that it was beginning to get old. Will's expression was scandalized. Will couldn't even deign to think of why Nico thought that Will hated him. "Because of Octavian," said Nico, "I let him die. I didn't do anything to stop him. I didn't even try."

Will looked visibly upset by Nico's words. "Please, Nico," he said. His voice was pleading. "Stop it." Will sighed and edged his chair closer to the bed. He looked at Nico. "Stop thinking everyone's going to hate you for the things you've done."

Will took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm a little angry," he admitted. "I'm disappointed. I don't hate you, though, Nico." Will sighed again. "I blame myself probably as much as you blame yourself. I could have tried, too, you know."

Nico hadn't thought of that. He was so used to thinking of himself having all the responsibility, he often forgot that other people could have felt responsible for things, too. "Unfortunately, I am just a healer. I had no chance against even that ratty idiot. He was a trained Roman Legionnaire."

Will laughed bitterly. "Maybe I could have taken him. But then his buddy came. I'm sure as Hades that I couldn't do anything to that brute Kahale," he said.

Nico was about to protest, but before he could say anything, Will cut him off. "If anything," Will said with a sigh, "I would understand if you hated me."

Nico nearly choked, hearing those words coming from Will. It wasn't every day that Nico had his self-deprecating words thrown back at him with the same conviction. He looked at Will, but Will had turned away so Nico wouldn't see the tears glimmering in his eyes.

A minute stretched out between the two boys. They were quiet, in stark contrast to the sheer chaos of the infirmary around them. Yet, they were so absorbed in each other, they barely noticed the other Apollo cabin members bustling about tending to the injured. Finally, Will broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Nico," he said, "I didn't know. I was angry. I didn't want you to leave."

Nico blinked. He was confused. He had absolutely no idea what Will was talking about. "I called it brooding. I told you that you pushed yourself away. That no one in camp ever wanted you to leave…"

Will took in a deep breath. "Okay, that last one was a lie. But, those people that want you to leave, they just do because they don't know you and they don't even want to try and they can honestly go fuck themselves."

Nico felt a blush creep up his cheeks upon hearing Will defending him. It felt good to be defended, for once, but at the same time, Nico didn't know how to respond. He didn't even really understand what he had to respond to to begin with.

Will looked at Nico earnestly. "I'm sorry if I made it look like I was jsut throwing everything you went through out the window. I…" There was a look of pain on Will's face. "I didn't know you'd gone through Tartarus. I didn't know you went through so much pain. I-I never meant it like that."

Will buried his face in his hands. He did it so quickly that Nico didn't even have the chance to see Nico's expression. Then, he started rambling so much that Nico didn't have the time to get a single word in. "I just… I wanted to be your friend."

There it was again. Just a friend. There was a dull ache in Nico's chest. He wanted to hit himself for feeling that way. "I wanted you to stay so I could get to know you, so when you said you were leaving for good…" The memory started coming back to Nico. "I got angry. I got scared. So… I got careless, too. I didn't mean to ignore what you went through, Nico," said Will.

Nico blinked at Will. He had, in all honesty, forgotten about what Will had said then. Then he frowned. He couldn't help but feel a little resentment for the "get your head out of your brooding cloud" comment. He had had every right to brood. He'd gone through a lot.

After the Battle of Manhattan, Nico had been welcomed. He'd dared hope that he would finally be accepted, but the joy had been short-lived. The campers started flinching whenever he appeared. They started avoiding him. The message had been clear. He wasn't welcome.

Nico had had every right to be brooding. His resentment was justified. After all, Will had thrown it all out of the window in a moment of anger. Nico looked at Will, scowling. Will's eyes were averted.

Will sighed. He squeezed his own hands together. They were trembling rather profusely. "What I wanted to tell you was that I never pushed you away. That I didn't want you to leave. That I wanted to be your friend."

"You had every right to be brooding because of what happened, and what some people in the camp did to you. I understand that now. I just wanted to tell you, that day, that you have to push through the pain and see what was actually worth staying for." Will finally met Nico's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Will said. Nico's heart lurched in his chest. He could see the remorse on Will's face, and he couldn't help but be swayed by it. He wanted to reach out and comfort the son of Apollo, but he couldn't. "I guess I'm just not the best at giving advice," said Will with a bitter smile.

Nico wanted to say something, anything, but the shock of someone caring enough about him to actually ask about him and apologize for a wrongdoing that Nico didn't even remember himself was a bit too much. He couldn't hold on to his resentment. He couldn't speak, either.

"Anyway," said Will. "There. Okay. I said my piece." Will looked expectantly at Nico. "I understand if you hate me…" Some part of Nico wanted, so badly, to say that no, he didn't hate Will, but his throat was still locked up. "I'll go," said Will. "I just wanted to try."

Nico watched helplessly as Will stood and tapped a spot under one of the chair's arms. The chair promptly folded back down into a square of wood that slipped under the bed.

Will walked over to one of his half-siblings working in the infirmary and grabbed him by the shoulder. The grip must have been rather vicious because the scrawny kid winced and whimpered as he was dragged over to Nico. "This is Andrew," said Will. He was trying his best to keep the hurt from his voice, but it was difficult. "If you need anything, tell him."

"I'll go somewhere I can't bother you," said Will. He walked away. He didn't even look back at Nico. Will's shoulders were slumped forward again. Nico blinked. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, but he could have sworn that Will just wiped tears from his face.

When Will was gone, tending to the other patients, Nico looked at the new Apollo kid that had been sent by the Fates to bug him. Andrew didn't look anything like Will. Nico wondered if Andrew had taken more after his mother.

Nico glared at Andrew. The boy scampered away to leave Nico to his thoughts. What exactly was he to Will Solace? Why did it look like the head counsellor of the golden rays of sunshine so diametrically opposed to his own doom, gloom, and darkness, seem to want so badly to be his friend?

Nico didn't understand. He didn't know why all of a sudden, Will's opinion of him became so important. He didn't know why he seemed so important to Will. He didn't know why Will was trying so hard to befriend him.

Nico mused that it was annoying, but endearing in its own way.

Nico wasn't used to anyone telling him that he was wrong when he said that he would understand if they didn't like him. If anything, Will seemed hell-bent on proving to Nico that he was wanted in camp, even after he'd already decided he was going to stay.

It seemed to Nico that Will was downright afraid of Nico leaving. He didn't really know what to think about that.

More than that, Will himself intrigued Nico. He watched as Will moved from bed to bed. The sadness never really seemed to leave Will's shoulders. There was a smile plastered on his face, but the way he held himself told a different story. It was so strange, finally seeing this other side of Will that he'd never noticed before. He didn't understand why Will felt the need to disguise his sadness. It only made Nico more curious about him.

Already, Nico had had to change his evaluation of Will a couple of times. First he'd thought about Will as a pacifist. Laid-back and cool. Then he found out that Will also had the capacity to be annoying and aggravating.

Just when Nico had thought that that was the entirety of Will Solace, he learned that there was a gentler side to him. Now he'd learned of another layer, a sad, seemingly forlorn Will Solace. One that was desperate to make him, a son of Hades, a friend. He didn't know what to make of it, at all.

Nico's thoughts wandered, unwanted, to the fact that Will had made it almost abundantly clear that he only wanted to be friends. If he wanted to be more, he definitely did a rather poor job at showing it. Nico was angry at himself that the thought of being just friends with Will disappointed him.

Nico didn't want to recognize the fact, but part of him wanted more than that. Still, Will probably had a girlfriend already. That Lou Ellen girl. They seemed close. Nico mentally slapped himself when he realized that he resented that possibility. He had to stop himself. If he didn't, then he would end up with another Percy situation all over again.

Nevertheless, Will Solace was an enigma to Nico. He was a conundrum that Nico couldn't quite understand.

If there was one thing that their conversation so far had made clear to Nico, it was that he and Will seemed much more alike than he had thought initially. Nico was pretty sure that he'd sensed some insecurity from Will. The way that Will had said that he was 'just a healer' had been so self-disparaging, Nico couldn't have mistaken it for anything else.

Nico watched Will work. He hoped that maybe Will would come over to him. Instead, he got the unpleasant and unwelcome face and voice of Andrew Greene. He scowled at the poor kid. Andrew cowered and fled instantly.

Nico noted, bitterly, that Andrew's reaction was more familiar. It had happened so many times before, but it still managed to hurt him.

Will's reaction to him was so different from everyone else. Instead of being afraid, Will had stared him down. It made Nico uncomfortable, the fact that Will was something entirely new. Yet, somehow, for some reason, Nico found some comfort in that fact.

Nico felt a warmth in his chest that Will had not acted like everyone else. That Will had tried, in his own way, to get through to Nico.

Then Will had driven himself away. "Hypocrite," mused Nico. He was distracted from his thoughts by Will suddenly taking a seat on one of the empty beds. He watched as Will buried his face in his hands. He watched as Will suddenly jumped up and ran out of the infirmary.

Will Solace felt like both the biggest wimp and the biggest idiot in Camp Half-Blood. He had run from the infirmary. He was crying because he couldn't handle it anymore. Nico's silence when he had asked if Nico hated him was too much to bear.

That was it, thought Will. Because he'd been careless in his anger, the guy he'd had a crush on for so long despised him. He couldn't bear the thought. He tried. He desperately tried to cling on to some shred of hope, but he couldn't.

It was too much. Will couldn't stay in the infirmary, nor could he just stop and let everyone see how much of a wreck he really was. Instead, he ran. He kept running until he very nearly crashed into the front door of the Hecate cabin. "Lou!" Will called out for his best friend.

"You're an idiot, Solace," said Lou Ellen, appearing beside Will. He flinched and came frighteningly close to punching her. He was at least grateful that he was too distressed to scream like a frightened child.

Will turned to face his best friend and opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, he was interrupted. "Yes," said Lou Ellen, "Yes you are." Normally she was more exuberant, like Will, but when it came to her best friend's romantic problems, Lou Ellen got rather scary.

Lou planted her fists on her hips and glared at Will. "You didn't even give him a chance to answer!" she said. "You piled it all on him without even considering whether he was ready for it or not." Lou was really good at pointing out where Will had gone wrong. It was one of the reasons she was his best friend, after all.

"It's really great how much you care for him, but you know you can't fix everything, right?" said Lou. Again, it was another great point. "You can't apologize for everything, either."

Then the realization hit Will like a brick. "You were there?" he asked. The words came out in more of a squeak than the voice of outrage he'd had in his head. It was too late to take them back.

"I was the nightstand," said Lou Ellen, giggling. "Or, well, at least I was standing where the nightstand was. I made you see a nightstand, but it was totally me."

Will was surprised. And confused. "Ow. Stop it. You're making my head hurt again, Lou," said Will. He hadn't thought Lou Ellen was quite that good in manipulating the mist just yet.

"I heard everything," said Lou Ellen, "I saw everything." Lou's expression turned stern. "You, Will Solace, are the biggest idiot in the entire camp!" she said. Will stopped sniffling. He had the grace to look at least a little offended.

"Gods!" said Lou, grabbing Will by the shoulders and shaking him. "Will, you're showing him that you care for him. That's great. Keep it up. But Olympus, you are trying way too hard! Are you trying to scare him away from camp?"

Okay, maybe Lou Ellen was exaggerating a bit, but when it came to such matters, Will only ever listened when you yelled at him enough, or when you terrified him enough. As it happened, Lou managed to accomplish the latter. "No!" said Will, voice squeaky. "I wouldn't dream of it!"

"It's like you're pouring your heart out on him already, Will!" said Lou Ellen. "Think about it. If you met a random stranger in the park, would you appreciate it if they started telling you their entire life story out of nowhere?" Will shuffled uncomfortably where he stood. He wouldn't. "This is Nico di Angelo we're talking about. I don't care if you don't think you're strangers. From what you've told me, I'm pretty sure he thinks you are a stranger to him."

Lou's expression turned gentler. She looked Will in the eye and said, "I'm not the best at advice, but I try. So, here goes. If you want to get close to him, and get to know him… I dunno, sunshine—" Will smiled at the endearment. "—maybe take it one little step at a time?"

Will sniffled and rubbed the back of his hand against his nose. Lou was right. As always. He had to admit that he'd been far too enthusiastic.

"Besides," teased Lou. "Maybe you should stop liking the sound of your own voice too much."

Will elbowed his best friend in the ribs. She laughed. He couldn't help but chuckle, too. After a few moments, Will sighed. "I can see that now," he said, "I wish you could have told me something."

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. "I just… I feel this connection with him," said Will. "He thinks he's an outcast. He thinks he doesn't belong. He does." Will looked off into the distance. "Whenever I look at him, I feel like there's someone who finally understands how I feel, you know?"

Lou squeezed Will's shoulders. "I just," said Will, "I want that feeling of belonging, Lou. I'm such a loser." Lou Ellen frowned, but Will didn't let her speak. "I don't have any of my father's other talents. I'm just a healer. I don't even fit my own cabin!"

"Stop it, Will!" said Lou, shaking Will by the shoulders a second time. "Stop it with this not belonging nonsense." Her expression softened. "You do belong, just like Nico. Difference is, you've actually been welcomed in the camp. People actually like you, Will."

"Maybe take your own advice, Solace," said Lou, "Think about what's worth thinking about instead of this self-pity of yours. Sure, you're not as musically-inclined or accurate with a bow and arrow as your siblings, but that doesn't make you any less Apollo's son. It doesn't make you a loser."

Lou took Will and gently steered him back in the direction of the Big House. "Now go," she said, "Nico needs the care of a damn good healer. That's what you are, Will. Whether you believe it or not."

Will looked back at Lou and smiled gratefully. "Go," she said, shoving him back in the direction he'd come from.

"Will," said Andrew, walking up to his older half-brother as soon as Will walked into the infirmary, "He… uh… asked for you." Will looked at Nico. He was feeling better. He was feeling more focused. More determined. He nodded and patted Andrew on the shoulder.

Will could feel Andrew tense under his touch. He felt somewhat sorry about having gripped Andrew's shoulder so tightly before, but then, he thought it would be good to toughen the kid up. He'd heard from the rest of the cabin that Andrew had gone and cowered under his bed during the war with Gaea.

Will didn't apologize to his half-brother. He made a beeline for Nico, instead. "Hey, di Angelo," he said with a small smile. Nico looked up and, to him, saw Will looking much more himself, with a bright smile that could dazzle a rock.

"Sorry about a while ago," he said, "I don't know what came over me." Will's smile changed. It became gentle, less cheery. "I did mean it, though, so I hope you can forgive me." Nico nodded. He'd already thought of things to say to Will, but the sudden change in attitude had caught him off-guard again.

"Are you alright?" asked Will, when Nico still didn't answer him verbally. Nico grimaced weakly. Lying there in the infirmary, he was beginning to feel the weariness of the past few days starting to weigh down on his shoulders. Nico's form flickered and Will's heart jumped into his throat.

"I don't know if I can, Solace," said Nico. "It was a pretty offensive statement." Nico's voice was growing weaker by the second. Will looked absolutely crestfallen. "I was kidding," said Nico with a small smile. "Thank you," he said, "for trying. I…" Nico trailed off. He breathed deeply. "I appreciate it."

Will frowned at Nico. "I know you don't like touching," he said, "but dammit, di Angelo!" Will's voice rose in volume as he spoke. By the time he finished, the entire infirmary was staring at him. Well, most of the infirmary. Some of the patients were out cold.

"You're fading on me again," said Will, in a voice laden with concern.

There was a moment of silence as Nico regarded Will with the most level glare he could manage. "No shit, Sherlock," he said. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Do I even have a choice?" he asked.

"I'm trying to give you one," said Will, "but you're making it difficult." Will pulled up the chair from underneath the bed and plopped himself down on it. "I'm a healer, Nico," he explained. "I kind of have to touch you to… you know, heal you."

Nico coughed. He couldn't even muster the strength to bring his fist up to his mouth to cover it. He'd not realized just how much he'd been running on adrenaline and post-victory positivity for the last couple of days.

It had all started catching up to him at some point during the time Will was gone from the infirmary. All the pain, hardship, and tiredness came crashing down all at once. It had been rather difficult to bear. He was somewhat glad of Will's company, even if it meant being touched.

"One choice isn't much of a choice at all, is it?" said Nico. Nico didn't know why he said that in as humorous a voice as he could muster. He thought that maybe injecting some levity into the situation would make it easier. It didn't really help much, but he guessed that it was better than sulking about how weak he had become.

"You know what I mean, Nico," said Will. There was a hint of anger in his voice, but it was mostly overshadowed by gentle concern. "Now," said the healer, "I'm going to touch you whether you like it or not."

Nico grumbled in protest, but it seemed like Will wasn't done. "I am not going to let you fade," said Will, "And you will not do any Underworld-ly stuff to try and stop me. Doctor's orders." Nico nodded silently. "I wasn't asking, Nico."

Nico blushed. He didn't know why he blushed, but he did it all the same. "Olympus help me, if you so much as summon a the shadow of a fly, I will end you," said Will. Nico grunted his approval. Like he'd said earlier. He didn't really have that much of a choice.

At the very least, it seemed as though Will was channelling his aggression into healing Nico. Soon enough, Will's hands found Nico's arm. The touch was surprisingly gentle, compared to earlier, when he'd accidentally provoked Will's anger. The touch was also pleasantly warm.

Will closed his eyes. He could feel so much pain dwelling under the surface of Nico's skin.

The moment Will closed his eyes, Nico became acutely aware of the pain at his core. Nico had to wonder how he was still alive. He should have faded already. Perhaps while he'd been transporting the Athena Parthenos, the need to save the camps had kept him anchored. Now, Nico wasn't quite sure what was keeping him bound to the world of the living.

Will was wondering the same thing, but he didn't have the time to get to know why Nico was still anchored. Will had to do something. He tightened his grip on Nico's arm and prayed to his father to lend him strength and guidance.

Will didn't feel anything change. He frowned, but he persisted. It wasn't like he hadn't ever healed people without his father's guidance before. It was just that Nico's condition was so new to him, Will was afraid of fucking up.

Without Apollo's intervention, Will had only one choice. He breathed deeply and began to sing the hymn that he'd sung so many times before. He shivered as he felt the strength flow from his body, through his hands, up Nico's arm, and into the Italian's body.

Nico's colour went from deathly pale to a more human sheen. Will felt exhausted, but he felt satisfied with what he'd done. Nico still looked rather weak, but at least he seemed in better condition than before Will had done what he could.

Nico felt great. Relatively speaking, of course. He still felt bone-tired, but at least it wasn't as crippling as before Will laid hands upon him. He managed to crack a smile at Will. "I thought that horrid dog whistle was your best musical talent," said Nico, "That wasn't half bad, Solace." Will turned pink at the jab.

However, instead of a smirk and equally witty response, which he'd come to expect from Will, what Nico got was a bitter smile. "Healing's the one exception, Nico," said the healer, "Here."

Reverently, Will slid his arms under Nico's shoulders and hauled him up from the bed. Will held up a cup of something to Nico's lips. It was unicorn draught, Nico noted with surprise. Apparently the Romans had given the Greeks some.

"Sleep," said the son of Apollo, as he gently lay Nico's head back on the pillows of the bed. "It will help."


A/N: Alright! Here we are! Chapter two!

I'd like to read what you think, so please, leave comments! If you liked it, do leave a fave. :3. It would be very much appreciated!