Its been so long and I am so sorry! Sometimes inspiration escapes me, but its come back so here's another chapter and I hope you enjoy it, drop me a review and tell me what you think!
Will was always a worrier; he worried when his Mom worked late and had to walk in the dark on her own, he worried when heroes came into the infirmary beaten and bruised from a night fighting crime; he worried when Mrs Jackson sat down, too tired to speak to him, watching the resting heroes whilst not resting herself. As someone who healed more than fought, his caring instinct was always much higher than everyone else's.
Right now, he was worrying for Nico.
Why did he let the guy go back on his own? Will was an idiot. Something about the grumpy cop just threw him off his focus, allowed him to just do as he was told and leave his companion to face the danger on his own. From what he'd grasped, Nico was used to being on his own. It made Will's heart ache a little for him, epecially after hearing stories from the rest of the team of heroes who'd nominated themselves Nico Di Angelo's 'protection squad' after everything he'd been through. They tried really hard to help him, and Will thought that was nice, but they were all so close and in sync, its hard not to feel left out around them.
Will looked back frequently as he led the remaining hellhounds away, the three males surrounding the female protectively, sniffing the air and scanning their surroundings, teeth bared and ready to fight. He couldn't help when the fire started; it must've been a trap prepared before they even arrived, who knows the poachers could've scared the hounds into the city knowing that Nico would bring them right back, to where they'd laid their plans to kill the animals. It made Will angry to think that someone would do that to these rare creatures, who were no more dangerous than Nico himself was, and since Will had woken up to find the smaller man wrapped around him like a blanket he knew the situation wasn't as dark and dangerous as it seemed. It was actually quite cute.
"Okay, there are some caves further up, we could hide in there until Nico comes back. Which he will. Because he knows this stuff, of course he does, I mean I've heard that he's really powerful and he likes you guys so he'll be real angry so he's sure to kick ass and then come back...right?"
The Hounds didn't answer, which didn't surprise Will, but when Nico talked they made small noises in response. He guessed he was not similar enough to the brooding cop to warrant a reply. He hurried alongside the hounds as they climbed the shallow incline, him silently mourning the loss of his golden armour. The fire was too large and too dangerous to grab it, and he was sure it had been trampled as the hellhounds were retreating. He sighed quietly; it had been Chiron's gift to him, protection that also reacted to his bio-luminescence. It was truly one of a kind.
"Okay, in here" Will announced, once they stumbled across a cave he deemed suitable, ushering the mother Hound inside. He was ready to check her over in case she had any burns or if the pups had been affected by the smoke and the danger, but as he bent down the Hound that returned with Nico stood between them, teeth bared, ears flat against his skull in warning; keep away from my pack.
"Right, hearing you loud and clear" Will said, palms up, knowing that even if the pregnant hound was in danger of losing her litter, he couldn't go near her without losing a few limbs to this guy's gullet. Best to wait for Nico to return to calm them down.
It was getting dark fast and still the cop hadn't returned, and Will had taken to pacing just inside the cave, out of sight, trying and failing to control his anxious glowing. It happened a lot, endearing when he was younger, a little embarrassing now. He used to glow at night when he was little because he was afraid of the dark; his Mom told him that was okay, because he was just like his Dad. When he had his first crush, his cheeks lit up whenever he saw her. His first kiss made him glow like a firefly, though Jacob Green said it was cute and they dated for a month before it wasn't so endearing anymore. Then there was the incident in the Maize, him trying to be a hero, but his light only revealing the victim's hiding place to the man chasing her, and- well lets just say that nowadays, Will kept his glowing under wraps.
The pregnant hellhound whined softly behind him, and it filled him with a heavy feeling; he could almost touch the mourning for the dead hellhounds in the air- the remainder of the pack lay close together, nuzzled into each other's fur, and Will thought their expressions were more heartbroken than he'd ever seen on a human face. He hoped he'd never see something like it again.
"Come on Sunshine" He muttered toward the mouth of the cave "Don't make me come and get you"
No doubt that Nico would kind of resent him for trying to come to the rescue, but if he wasn't back by the time dawn broke, Will was going out after him, whether he liked it or not. Daytime was Will's territory, he was more energized the lighter it was, so if he was going to try for a daring rescue at any time, it would have to be as the sun lit up the forest. Until then, he wasn't powerful enough to do anything but provide a human flashlight, and what use would that be if Nico was in danger?
He stayed at the mouth of the cave for a long time, sleeping as he waited, but not too deeply to stop hearing the night animals coming out of their burrows and their dens and hunting for food; somewhere nearby, an owl snatched an unsuspecting mouse from the safety of the leafy floor, a group of bats left their cave (Will was glad he didn't choose to camp in that one), and he heard what sounded like a moose trampling through the river.
"Whoa- hey girl, can't sleep?" He asked, as a cold wet nose nudged his arm. She whined, laying down next to him, looking out at the sky. She was a night creature, her black fur made for hunting in the dark, big black eyes able to see without the light. She reminded him of Nico, though he seemed to have adapted to living in the light. He too had the big black eyes, almost doe-like when he was sleepy, sharp and alert when not. Maybe he was so defensive because he was exposed in the light. Maybe one day Will would find out. He was an optimistic person, he would like to believe that he and Nico could get along, become friends, become...something. Even if he was the living embodiment of light and Nico was the complete opposite of that.
Opposites attract, right?
"How about I check you over, huh? Just to be safe" Will said softly, and the Hound let him, though behind her he could see three steely pairs of eyes fixed on his every move. He found burns around her back legs and her tail, and he sung his healing hymn, hands glowing softly, and they healed, the fur growing back thick and fast. He felt around her belly, feeling seven rapid heartbeats, a few paws and the mother whined, tail thumping against the ground.
"Yeah, not long now and they'll arrive. We'll get rid of the poachers and you guys can raise the pups safely" Will said, running a hand through the soft fur on the Hound's side, nearly losing sight of his hand, feeling her steady pulse like a drum against his palm. The Hound nuzzled him, warm and inviting and he rested against her, watching the stars for as long as he could before he drifted off to sleep again.
"What do we do with him?" A deep voice asked, and Nico's head hit something sharp. By the feel of his back and shoulders, he was being dragged along the floor, and it was pretty rocky. He opened an eye and glared. The giant of a guy that was dragging him had him by the ankle like he was a ragdoll, walking alongside a weedy blonde boy with an upturned nose and the air of someone that believed he was the best thing since a double edged sword.
"Use him as bait. Don't you know who this is Bryce? This is Hades' son! Friend of the Mutts! If we can keep him with us long enough to attract that cousin of mine and the rest of the pack, but not the hotshot heroes of Olympus, we'll have our prize and be rich within the week" He said pompously, a sly smile appearing on his thin lips. Cousin? He did have a similar look to Will, but it was unhealthy, thin and tired and unkempt. Will was (dare he say it) Radiant, whilst this guy...looked like he'd been attacked by a bear. twice.#
"Octavian, is it really worth the risk of attracting the attention of the Heroes? We could go back to hunting Hydras-"
"Who is in charge here, Lawrence, me or you? Oh yeah that's right, its me, so how about you do as I say before I gut you like a teddy bear? Hydras aren't worth as much as they used to be, but Hellhounds- oh Hellhounds, they're so rare, their fur could last you a thousand winters, unobtainable- just one pelt could make you richer than your wildest dreams! Which is why we're staying here and hunting down every last one of them, and if the Hades boy and my dear cousin get in the way, then they'll be hunted too"
Nico's irritation spiked, especially when Octavian's speech clashed with Bryce dragging him across a patch of particularly sharp rocks, and he shadow-travelled, right out of the giant's hand, into a nearby tree, the dark letting energy seep into his bones. The pair turned and drew weapons, Bryce raising a club, Octavian brandishing a small knife and looking like a child who wasn't getting pizza after all despite his Mommy promising.
"Where did he go? Find him Lawrence, he's our ticket to riches!" Octavian ordered, and Bryce squinted through the dark as he stepped toward the trees, stepping over small bushes as if they were nothing to him. Even with Nico's training, Bryce would crush him with a single blow- he couldn't pick a fight with him until he'd really got some strength back, and after being dragged a fair few miles across uneven terrain and hitting his head enough times to make him feel woozy he knew it would be a while until then. So he kept quiet in his tree, holding his breath and praying the branch held, because Nico wasn't strong enough to summon a dog treat never mind a skeleton or two to distract the poachers whilst he stumbled away. He used to hate backing down from a fight, but since he grew more appreciative of being alive, he realised sometimes it was best to back away instead of getting hurt for the sake of pride.
Thankfully, Bryce didn't seem so great at seeing in the dark and returned to Octavian, who didn't look happy.
"He could be a thousand miles away by now Boss, you heard the stories. He can go wherever there are shadows, remember?" Bryce said, and Octavian scowled.
"Whatever, as if those stories are real. Keep looking for the Hounds whilst I gather the pelts; we can't leave them unguarded"
Nico was flattered that Bryce thought he was able to go that far after being knocked out, whoever told these stories about him must either be a big fan or very dramatic. Either way it stopped him being found, so he'd have to shake the hand of whoever let Bryce Lawrence know he was all powerful at shadow travelling.
Nico fell back against the tree and wished for some light so he could check his wounds, or maybe even a certain hero who could help him out; but Will was somewhere else with his Hounds, keeping them safe, and he didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed about telling him to go. He might even have been able to endure Will's teasing and calling him Sunshine at this point if he would be there to fix his hurting head and back. He could feel the pain more now the adrenaline was gone, feel the blood that soaked his shirt (after he'd cleaned it too, he couldn't catch a break) from hem to collar. He was covered in dirt, he brushed away stones that had stuck in his skin, winced as he blindly picked thorns from his shoulders. He didn't know how long he sat there, head spinning, but not making him pass out as the night kept him going as it did when he needed it to. He remembered Sally telling him never to sleep with a head injury, so he let the night invigorate him like the day did with everyone else, the faint moon being absorbed into his skin, washing away the call for sleep. He'd trained himself to not be nocturnal, but it was his natural state, strangely easy to just go back to even after so long of sleeping all night and working all day. Must be the injuries.
He just had to stay awake long enough to gather the strength to get up and find Will, sit and let the night do it's work.
But it was getting harder, because the sky went from black to inky blue; the sun was rising, and Nico knew he was in trouble. He fell sideways and off of his branch, blacking out in mid-air before he even felt the pain of hitting the ground face-first.
Gods of Olympus help him.