Nico sat on the porch of the Big House, looking out at the strawberry fields as the sun set over them. Tomorrow a meeting would be held, giving all the counselors enough time to get to camp. It felt like an eternity away, like a nightmare away.

As he stared at those fields, he dreaded going to sleep that night.

"Nico." Annabeth walked out of the Big House and sat beside him, her hair falling in curls down her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Nico nodded stiffly. "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"Okay..." she patted his shoulder. "Get some sleep. I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow. And...and I know Percy can be a little much sometimes. But it's because he's worried about you. We both are."

"I don't see why," Nico muttered. "What's there to be worried about?"

"You leaving again," Annabeth replied. "Or you hurting yourself. You've been... You haven't found anything to make you happy yet."

Nico scoffed. "Just figured that out?"

Annabeth's face fell. "Nico...I'm only trying to help. I'll leave you alone if you want. Just promise to let me or Percy know if we can do anything, okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Nico ran a hand through his hair. "Okay."

Annabeth got up and stretched, her eyes on the campers as they made their way to the campfire. "I have a bad feeling about all of this..."

"I do, too," Nico admitted. "None of the gods have warned us but...but I think my dreams are a warning. Something bad is going to go down."

"Let's hope it waits until after college." Annabeth started down the porch. "Get some sleep, Nico!"

Nico waved her away as he got up, his hands moving to his jacket pockets. He had to go to sleep, he had to try to find out more. But that pain...he dreaded it. Dreaded it over anything.

Yet he walked back to his cabin and laid down, let himself close his eyes. Before he knew it, he was in the darkness again.

The pain was the first thing he realized. Just as the night before, it was almost too overpowering to move. His back, his arms, his head. Everything felt as if he had taken a horrible beating.

But he knew what he had to do, knew he had to fight through the pain. It was the only way to fix this.

"Hello?" Nico looked around, cursing himself for not being able to see. "Who's there? I...I talked to you last night."

"Help..." the voice seemed much closer than the night before. As Nico looked to his right, he could have sworn he saw the smallest bit of movement. "Please..."

"My name is Nico." Nico reached out, trying to find the other boy. "What's your name? Where is this place? How can I help you?"

Another sound of movement, a curse of pain and a whimper of torture. "Will...I'm...Will..."

"Will..." Nico was on his knees, feeling around with his hands for the boy. If he had his body, he could easily have controlled the shadows. "What are you doing here, Will?"

"Nico..." a hand reached out and grabbed his own, sending a serious of electricity through him. "I'm scared...please...help me... I don't know where I am..."

Nico couldn't let go of his hand, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but feel this soul...feel it as if it melted into his own. Will, he said his name was. Will...

He couldn't speak, not in the shocked state he was in. He couldn't function. Was it...was it truly possible...to find a soul mate here...

"Nico?" the voice came again, shaking and faltering. "Are you still here? I...I can feel you..."

"I'm...here..." Nico breathed out. "Do you...feel that...?"

Before Will could answer, Nico found himself pulling away, fading into consciousness. He tried to speak, tried to warn Will. But he was too late.

Too late to do anything as he woke to his familiar cabin, as he opened his eyes to his familiar ceiling.

But nothing was as he remembered it.

"Oh my gods..." Nico laid there, paralyzed with shock. It had been a dream, it had only been a dream. Even by demigod standards...it shouldn't have been possible...

But there he was, staring at the colors of the world for the first time.

"Oh gods..." he felt his eyes move around, felt himself taking in the color of the sun streaming through the window, found himself staring at the air beyond that window. "It's...it's actually pretty..."

A world he once thought of as ugly, a world he could barely have looked at. Now he couldn't get enough of it. Was that what finding love did to you?

He couldn't ever be sure. His love wasn't next to him, his love wasn't anywhere in sight. His love wasn't safe.

There was nothing beautiful about that.