Chapter 7
"I do believe in the light, raise your hands to the sky. The fight is done, the war is won, lift your hands towards the sun."-30 Seconds to Mars
The war was won when Will turned seventeen. He had been a prisoner of war for a year. It had been the worst year of his life. If he had gone with Annabeth, maybe he would have been lucky.
"We're moving camps." Nico unbound their feet but kept their hands tied behind their backs. Will thought this was useless, since Annabeth and him wouldn't run away, but didn't voice his opinion. Nico probably didn't really care.
"Closer to the city, right?" Will asked, letting himself be led out of the cave by gunpoint.
Nico nodded. "Yeah." He had been in such a good mood, Will couldn't help but smile.
"Honestly, how long do you think it'll be?" Will wondered. "I really miss my parents."
Annabeth laughed softly, but held no humor. Her head was bowed towards the sand beneath them. "I miss my father."
Will frowned sadly, glad no one could see. He felt guilty, having forgot so quickly.
"Yes, we know." Nico walked lazily. "But you can't really get him back, so stop talking about him. I don't talk about Percy."
"Percy?" Will looked over before looking away again. "Sorry, that was probably a personal question."
"Yeah, it was." Nico gripped onto his gun tightly. "But I guess I can't hate you for asking it. I was the one that brought him up, huh? Well, it's quite simple. Percy was my friend. You rich asses killed him right in front of his mother. Any questions?"
That definitely shut Will up.
"Good, glad that's settled." Nico shook his head a little, as if trying to clear the thoughts.
They walked for awhile, with no end in sight.
They took his last toe, the last day of him being a prisoner.
It had been his last one.
All he could do was cry.
"When we get to our next base, we might split up." Nico told them that night, over the campfire they had hastily made. "I've got other generals that might need to take care of you two for me. I've got things to do."
Will found himself frowning sadly. "But, that's not fair. What if they hurt us?"
Nico shook his head a little. "They won't, I promise. They're good guys."
"Will I get separated from Annabeth?" Will asked softly. "If I get separated from both of you, I'll have no one I know."
"Just relax." Nico played with a small stick. "You'll be fine. So relax and get some sleep. We've got a lot of walking tomorrow." He gestured to Annabeth, who was already asleep. "Take a cue from your friend."
"Nico,..." Will's anxiety was obvious by his voice. "I-I...I'm...scared…."
"Don't be." Nico hesitantly reached over and grabbed his hand. "You trust me by now, right? Trust me when I say, it'll all be alright."
"Nico," Will's voice was weak as blood dripped from his mouth. "How did you not know…?"
Will laid by Annabeth, closing his eyes to sleep. Before he could fall asleep, however, he could feel Nico lay by them. In a minute, Will acted like he was asleep, and cuddled into Nico "subconsciously".
Nico cuddled back.
