Nico slumps into the gurney. He had put on a brave face in front of Percy and Apollo, but as soon as they were gone the mask slipped away.
His whole body throbbed; it felt like his joints had been stretched out of their sockets and then shoved back in. Maybe that's what happened, he muses. He stretches and moans in discomfort. His stomach groans as well, paralleling his voice. He hadn't eaten in gods know how long. His throat felt like sandpaper that had been under the sun too long.
The IV stares accusingly at him from the floor. He threw it there when he was conscious enough to move. Hospitals made him nervous- especially needles. Nico tries to stand without any success. His legs were as useful as a jellyfish's tentacles.
Useless, useless. He was useless. Unimportant. Discarded.
Apollo had done his best to heal the demigod, but he could only help surface wounds. He didn't know what was going on beneath the skin, what kind of internal damage there was. Nico knows he's waiting for an explanation as to what happened to further help him.
His mind was blank. There was a gap where the past few weeks were supposed to be. He vaguely remembers an argument before he left camp on some great mission. Then he was in this bed. Nothing but blackness in between. He didn't even know why he left.
And then there was Percy.
Nico thought he was over his stupid schoolboy crush on The Hero. How cliched could he get? When Percy had kissed him, Nico forgot all about his broken body. It was just them, their lips, their tongues... But no, it had been purely one-sided. Percy jumped away from Nico like he was a hell hound, and fucking Apollo came in before they could really talk.
Seems Percy and Apollo have plenty to talk about. His inner voice kept reminding him of how Percy had looked at Apollo. Didn't he know the god was just using him? Apollo never made any serious connections. Nico refused to accept any other reality.
A couple hours later, Nico had made no progress in his thoughts. They kept swirling around each other, never coming to a conclusion on either topic: his disappearance or his love life. His angst was interrupted by Clarisse, one of the most unexpected people Nico could think of.
She hands him a cup of cool water and gingerly sits on the edge of the bed. Well, for her it was gentle; to Nico, it was like she had kicked the mattress. Neither spoke, and Nico plays with the condensation forming on the glass to avoid her penetrating stare.
"How are you feeling?" She asks, almost tentatively.
He looks up, her shyness startling him. "I feel like I've been hit by an 18-wheeler and then pissed on by the driver. Never been better."
Snorting in response, he sees Clarisse fall back into her normal self. "I've missed your snark, kid. Where have you been?"
Yep, she was definitely Clarisse. Straightforward and unapologetic. "That question is a little harder to answer."
"Why," she says as she stands up, "is that?" With her hands on her hips, she strikes an imposing silhouette.
Nico flinches into his pillow. He's not easily intimidated, but Clarisse has pure hell in her eyes. "I can't remember," he says.
Her eyes narrow. For a second, Nico thinks she's going to grab his shirt and shake him. But the moment passes. She runs her fingers through her hair and glances at her watch. "It's dinner time. Do you want me to get you something?"
"Gods, yes. I'm starving."
She cracks a smile. "Okay. I'll be back in five."
Percy sent Apollo to bed not long after they settled onto the beach. He hadn't wanted to go, but Percy insisted. He was afraid the man would pass out in his lap. Not that he would have minded, but he knew the other campers would. Camp Half Blood wasn't homophobic in the slightest, but it was Apollo-phobic.
A small smile creeps onto his face. He knows he should be worried about Nico, and his is; especially since he just made out with him. Yet every time he thinks of Apollo, a weird feeling flares up inside his chest. You're being a fool, his conscious chimes in.
"Oh, piss off," he retorts. A few Aphrodite girls tanning nearby glare at him. "Sorry. Not you." They grumble but put their head back down.
I know I'm being an idiot. I'm always an idiot, he continues silently. He had spent the day training with a bow and arrow and wasn't getting far. Actually, he wasn't getting near; he hadn't hit the target once. To cool off, he decides to take a pre-dinner swim. He's good at that, at least.
The water welcomes him and caresses his sore muscles. Percy was toned, but the bow forced him to work back muscles he didn't know he had. Water is familiar and comforting after the frustrations of the day. It didn't help that it seemed no matter where he looked, people were talking about him. Some tried to hid it behind their hands. Others simply stared him down.
The evening is warm, with the sun just setting. Percy's debating on if he has enough time to do another lap before dinner closes when someone jumps into the water with him.
"Who's there?" He calls, squinting towards the splashing. No one ever swims in the lake besides him. Most think it's too gross, but he loves the natural water.
"Who do you think?" Apollo moves closer and grabs Percy's hand. "Woke up from my cat nap and thought I'd find you here." He wears a lazy grin that Percy wishes he could mimic. "What's-a matter? You look like you're holding an eel instead of a hand."
"Nothing. I just don't want..." He trails off and looks towards the Aphrodite campers lounging on the beach. They stopped tanning a bit ago and were now chatting and gossiping.
Apollo groans in exasperation. "This again? I thought you were okay with us."
"I am, I am. It's everyone else I'm nervous about."
"What do these people matter?"
Percy stares at him. "They may not matter to you, but 'these people' are my friends, my comrades. We've been through a lot together. I can trust them."
"You can trust me too." Percy doesn't respond; he doesn't know how to. He's aggravated that Apollo could just wave away his friends like they're nothing. Yet there's such raw emotion in his eyes that it's hard to think of anything but those blue orbs.
Finally, Percy says, "I'm worried about Annabeth."
The sensitive caring leaves Apollo's eyes. "Are you really? She's been gone for over twenty-four hours. That's enough to call the police and file a missing persons report. And you didn't even notice."
Percy's heart skips a beat. "Gone? Where?"
His voice hard, Apollo says, "I don't know, you were the last person she talked to before she left."
"Oh gods, I have to find her. I have to keep her safe." Panic courses through Percy's veins. He splashes around, looking every which way, trying to figure out what to do.
Apollo grabs Percy's shoulder's and spins him so they're facing each other. "Percy, calm down. I'm sure she's fine."
"You don't understand, if she's in danger I have to help her," he insists. He's frantic, trying to pull away from Apollo and get to shore.
"Percy!" Apollo's yell sounds like a clap of thunder in his head. "Calm. Down. I don't have any evidence that she's missing, I was just mad. I'm sorry for what I said about you not caring for her. I know she's important to you. And I'm sorry for what I said about your friends."
"She's safe?" He says, eyes wide.
"As far as I know. Come on, let's get out of the water and get some grub, maybe relax a little. We're both worn thin."
Percy nods in agreement. He feels deflated, like a week-old party balloon. They both go to his cabin to get dry clothes, though Percy finds it hard to concentrate on dressing when Apollo is nearly naked in his room. "See something you like?" Apollo asks cheekily.
Blushing, Percy looks away and tries to keep his mind on putting on clothes. Just as he slips on a pair of jeans, he feels arms slide around him. He whines softly as hands slide down his chest and down his pants, teasing him.
"You're so cute," Apollo says. He kisses Percy's neck, then behind his ear, then nibbles his earlobe. Percy turns his head so their lips meet and grabs a fistful of the god's hair, keeping him in place.
With one hand rubbing Percy's erection, Apollo uses his other to tweak his nipple. Percy moans again, louder than before. The demigod opens his mouth slightly, letting the other's tongue slip in. "Apollo, I'm gonna cum in my pants if you keep this up," he breathes.
"Then do it."
"But, food..." The god gives Percy's cock one last rub, then releases him.
"To be continued," Apollo says in warning. He leaves the cabin as if nothing happened, then stops once he realizes Percy isn't following. "Are you coming?"
"I almost did," he grumbles, and joins Apollo outside.
