Chapter 1- Bloody Blankets

By the time the wedding rolled around, Nico had lost twenty pounds and only weighed around eighty. If he could eat, he would, but those pains that came with it…it was much better to just not eat. Hunger pains were so much more bearable.

He has still not told his dad and intended to keep it that way. Hazel, true to her word, hadn't told anybody, but helped him when he needed it. If he was at all religious, he would thank God for her every day. Even though she was only his half-sister, she was much as a sister as Bianca was.

Bianca.

She had gone through the same pain he had. For the first time in his life, he finally realized why she never wanted to play with him. It wasn't because his games were lame, or that she didn't like him. It was because of the pain. And the same went for his mother.

Knowing that he wasn't alone, that others had gone through it, too, comforted him a little; but then he remembered what happened to the ones that shared his pain. Both of them had died.

That idea scared him the most.

Nico put on his suit, looking mournfully at himself in the mirror. He really, really didn't want to ruin his dad's wedding. But, he was his best man, and if the pains started in the middle of the ceremony….his luck couldn't be that bad, right?

"Nico, are you ready?" Hazel knocked on his door, causing his to jump out of his thoughts. Even before he saw his sister, he could tell she was clad in her best jewelry, since he heard in jingling.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Nico opened the door and exited his room, following her until they reached the living room, where his father was waiting.

"Come on, come on." he ushered them out of the door. "We're going to be late."

Nico had been convinced he was doing fine, he hadn't even eaten that day. In his mind, he should have been pain free until he put something in his stomach. That was, in fact, how it had been working. Until, unfortunately, that day.

Hazel and him had been waiting in the back of the church for directions on where to go when the first wave of pain hit him. Uncontrollably, he dubbed over, the pain totally hitting him by surprise.

"Nico, oh my god, not now." Hazel rushed to his side, trying to keep him up. "Nico, please tell me you're kidding."

"I wish." Nico grounded out, clenching at his stomach uselessly.

"Kids, time to go." Hades called, walking up to them. When he saw Nico, however, he rushed over worriedly. "What happened?"

"Nothing, dad." Nico answered hurriedly. "I'm fi-oh, god!"

Nico's vision turned red, the worst pain he had ever gotten so far raging through his body. He could feel himself fall to his knees, but he couldn't really process it. Pain….pain…pain…

The next thing he knew, he blacked out.

—

When he woke up in that hospital room, his first thought was of how screwed he was. His dad knew. His step mom knew….and he ruined their wedding. Could his life get any worse?

Unfortunately, yes, it could.

Nico looked around the empty room, scowling at the white walls and the large window to his left. On the wall in front of him, a TV hung but was off, the remote sitting on top.

"Well, that's helpful." Nico glared at the remote, stuck with not wanting to get up but wanting to watch TV. Eventually, his laziness won, especially when he noticed the IV's in his arms.

Bored out of his mind, Nico played with the blanket covering him, its fabric soft against his fingertips. It made him smile, remembering the blanket his mother had made him once. That blanket, however, had been ruined when Bianca had fist started coughing up blood. He hadn't gotten to that faze, yet, but he knew it was coming eventually. It was only a matter of time.

After what seemed like hours, Hazel walked in with a coffee in her hand, her wedding dress still on. When she saw that he was awake, she visible sighed in relief.

"How are you doing?" she asked, coming over to his bedside. "The doctor said you passed out from the pain."

"I'm fine." Nico grabbed her hand in his. "Is dad mad? Is that why he's not here? I didn't mean to ruin his wedding, I swear."

"Nico, dad is not mad at you." Hazel looked at him as if he was crazy. "He's worried. He's been through this twice before, remember? He's scared for you."

"Is he mad that I didn't tell him?" Nico asked.

Hazel smiled sadly at him. "Yeah, but he'll get over it, don't worry."

Nico sighed heavily, laying back in the bed. There was too much happening at once, too much to take in. His father wasn't mad at him…

"Where is he, then?" Nico asked. "If he's not mad, then why isn't he here?"

"He's talking to the doctor." Hazel explained, taking a drink from her cup. "They're trying to figure out what's wrong."

"They tried with mom and Bianca." Nico replied. "What's makes them think they're going to find anything in me?"

Hazel shrugged. "At least they're still trying. They could have easily given up and discharged you with pain meds."

"Yeah, I guess." he still didn't look convinced. "Hey, what happened with the wedding anyway? Is Persephone mad at me?"

"Persephone is not mad at you. Just like dad, she's worried." Hazel stood up. "I'm going to go see how they're doing. You should get some sleep."

Hazel left quickly, leaving the still steaming cup beside him. Quickly, Nico snatched it, having always loved coffee. As soon as it was in his mouth, however, he spit it out, the taste overwhelming. Looking at what he spit all over him, he saw why he had tasted that one taste. On his blanket in front of him, more blood then coffee was mixed with his saliva.