Chapter 9-

The first game Nico played on that team, he didn't doubt for one second that he was meant to be there. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was doing something right, and good. He amazed the coaches by shooting at the half court line over ten times in the game and many more times closer to the net. He also got it passed to the other players and they, too, scored a lot, and they ended up winning the game with a very high lead.

The first person Nico wanted to tell was Hazel, but they were still fighting. After that one night, Nico had tried to apologize to her, but couldn't find it in himself to do it. His pride was too controlling.

Nico missed his sister.

"Persephone, we won." Nico told her when he got home, the only one he lived with whom he was on talking terms with. "We killed the other team."

"That's great, kiddo." she replied. "It's a Saturday. Doing anything else today?"

"Probably just sleeping." Nico admitted. "I'm exhausted."

"Take a shower first." Persephone replied. "You stink."

"Yeah, okay." Nico climbed up the steps, passing Hazel in the process. Neither sibling looked at each other, and an air of tension passed between them. When Nico finally got to his room and closed the door, he sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad my bathroom connects to my room." he said to himself as he gathered pajamas. "I don't have to go back out there."

And that was how his days went. Coming home, going to his room, avoiding his family. He tried to think of ways to apologize, but everything was too embarrassing and made him cringe.

When he was in the shower, he tried to get his mind off the topic and turned some music on, taking his time and standing beneath the hot water. Usually, this calmed him down. But that day, he only seemed to feel physically worse the longer he stood there. His limbs began to shake and his heart rate intensified. A sharp pain made his way from his stomach to his chest, throbbing to his heart rate. When he tried to breathe, it came in short gasps. Something was wrong, but he couldn't find it in him to move from the shower.

When his vision started to turn black and the pain became unbearable, he sat in the shower and hung his head over the side. Something was wrong.

And then the blood hurtled from his mouth brutally, splattering everything in front of him in red. But the red was dark, really dark.

Nico could barely think anymore, the pain overpowering him. As if in slow motion, Nico moved his head to his hands, which were clenching his thighs so hard they drew blood. But he didn't seem to feel it, his stomach taking over everything.

"Dad…" he called out weakly. Was this it? Was he dying after all? No, he couldn't die like this. He couldn't die fighting with his family. He couldn't. He needed help. "Dad…"

He coughed up another spray of blood, thinking again about how dark it was. Blood wasn't supposed to be that dark, or was it just his vision? Why was it getting so dark all of a sudden? And so warm?

"Da-" he couldn't even finish due to his coughing. It shook his body like a rag doll, creating a pain in is head that seemed minor to his stomach but still bad.

Still, nobody came.

"I…don't…want to die…like this…" Nico whispered to himself. "I don't…want to die…just yet…"

He was so tired and in so much pain….all he wanted to do was close his eyes and go to bed. But he knew he might not reopen them.

But as the minutes dragged on, he was tempted to close his eyes. His blinks became heavier, his pain more evident in his mind. Just one nap…one small nap….

He closed his eyes.