Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.
This story discusses themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression. Trigger warning. Do not read if any of these things upset you. Trigger warning!
Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave suggestions! Enjoy!
Will's POV:
He was sitting alone in a room, but he knew that there was a guard outside the door. His leg was bouncing up and down as he waited for Chiron. His anger was so shocking to him. He was so usually calm, but something released the anger inside of him. Whether his true nature was coming out or an outside force was interfering, he had no idea. He looked up as the door opened and Chiron entered. He stood up rapidly.
"Chiron-" his teacher held his hand up stopping his words.
"Sit down Mr. Solace." Will heeded Chiron's words as he retook his seat. "Why don't you explain to me what's been going on? Because I know you William, and you are not typically a violent person."
"I've just been really worried about Nico and my stress got the better of me." Will explained. "It's not an excuse but that is what happened. It feels like..." he trailed off.
"Finish your thought."
"It feels like there is another force at play here. I'm usually not this angry and I feel angry all the time now. There is this hate inside me that I've never experienced before. Maybe there is a god interfering, I don't know."
Chiron stroked his beard as he considered Will's fears. "Hmm, that is entirely possible."
"Aphrodite also admitted to dabbling in my affairs. Hades was trying to get information on his son. Even Clovis mentioned the influence of a god in Nico's dreams." Will further explained.
"The trick is to discover which god is interfering." Chiron concluded. He looked back at Will thoughtfully. "If we discover that there is no god interference, there will be severe consequences for your actions."
"There should be consequences now." Will couldn't stop himself. "There is no excuse for what I've done. I have gone against my own morals and camp rules about hurting others. I am extremely sorry that I allowed to let my emotions influence me. I'm sorry."
"I can sense your sincerity, Mr. Solace." Chiron inclined his head. "But, I'm not the person you need to apologize to."
"No..." Will's eyes went wide. "Please, no."
"You are the one who instigated both fights with Mr. Stevenson. Even though you came off looking worse, that does not forgive your actions. Your punishment is to face him and apologize for what you've done. Also, he needs a medic. You roughed him up pretty badly."
Will sighed deeply, realizing that Chiron's mind was already made up. "Yes sir. It will be done."
Chiron nodded. "Good. You head over to his room now. Percy and Jason will be in there to keep an eye on you."
Will stood, following Chiron out of the room and towards where Aaron was being held. Annabeth was standing outside, arms crossed over her chest as she spoke with Clarisse. They stopped talking as Will approached.
"Will." Annabeth coolly said.
Clarisse stepped towards Will, forcing him to step back and hit the wall. She put an accusing finger on his chest. "Beating up my siblings is my job, punk." She moved her hand, relieving the pressure. "But, I do have to compliment you on your punches. You will leave some nasty bruises-"
"Enough." Chiron grabbed the bridge of his nose, annoyed by the antics. "Can we get back to business? Mr. Solace is here to apologize and heal Mr. Stevenson. He will not interact with the boy in any other way besides those two things."
"He better not. He mucked up my investigation." Annabeth muttered. "Aaron refuses to speak now."
"I'm sorry, Annabeth-" Will's apology was interrupted.
"He will be dealt with in due time, Ms. Chase." Chiron reprimanded. "Now, please, allow Will to help Mr. Stevenson."
Annabeth rolled her eyes as she uncrossed her arms. She knocked on the door and Percy's head popped out. He surveyed everyone and his eyes widen as he saw Will.
"What's he doing here?" He asked.
"He is here to heal Aaron." Annabeth informed. She leaned closer to whisper something to him. "Make sure he doesn't try anything."
"Of course." Percy eyed Will suspiciously. "C'mon in." He opened the door.
Will walked in. Jason was in the corner, relaxed, but Will could see the alertness in the son of Jupiter's body position. Aaron was still sitting in his chair, hands bounded, blood running down his face. Will had done a number on him. Fear illuminated Aaron's eyes before he quelled it.
"Here to bash on me some more?"
Will forced down his pride as he spoke. "I'm here to apologize. And help heal you." Aaron merely inclined an eyebrow, indicating for Will to continue. "I'm sorry that I continue to beat you up. It is against my morals and my mandate and I do not know what cowardice overcame me in those moments to push me to hurt you. I apologize for hurting you." Will sat down across from Aaron. "But, I will not apologize for accusing you, because I have seen what you've done to Nico, and I want you to be brought to justice for it. I'm past physically hurting you. Now, I just want you to experience the consequences for your actions. And I'm sure every last camper wants the same." Aaron started shifting in his chair. "Because, if you truly did what I saw you did, you will be ostracized and shamed for your actions. You will face the vengeance of Nico's family, and that is a scary thing to face. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I may be sorry for hurting you, but they won't be. I will not lay a finger on you again, but I will not stop them. And I will not stop until I get justice for Nico." Aaron gulped. Will felt the corner of his mouth twitch up in a smirk. Aaron was terrified. "Now, let's see what we can do about your injuries."
Nico's POV:
He opened his eyes and looked around, finding himself alone. He took a deep breath, trying to gather himself. He hadn't fully come to terms with what had happened to him. He didn't want to yet. But, he had a feeling that he would be asked a lot of questions the next couple of days. Who, what, where, when, why, how, etc. He didn't want to talk about what had happened to him. He just wanted to forget about it and move on with his life. He wanted to leave camp. It was too toxic here for him. But, he had a feeling that that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. He knew that he still needed to heal before taking off into the world. He also knew that Aaron needed to be brought to justice and they couldn't do it without him. A shiver travelled up his back. He didn't need to think about Aaron right now. It would just stress him out more.
He took another deep breath and slowly sat up. He swung his legs out and placed them on the ground. He grabbed the phone off the bedside table. It was 1:30pm on January 10th. He didn't have any messages which didn't shock him since everyone knew he has been passed out for days. He hadn't seen any of his friends in so long. He didn't want to talk to them about what had happened. He just longed for their company. He hoped that the Romans hadn't left yet. He wanted to see Reyna and Hazel. He decided to go look for them. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he didn't really care about his injuries at the moment. He slowly stood up and managed to balance himself out. He didn't fall over. He unattached the IV and heart monitor, which caused it to beep uncontrollably. He pulled the plug out of the outlet so he won't alert any of the Apollo kids. He stepped forward and immediately stumbled, his legs going out from underneath him. He hit the floor quickly.
"Shit." He muttered, pushing himself up.
"We can't leave you alone for two minutes, can we?" Kayla's voice sounded above him. Nico looked up. Brandon and Kayla had entered his room, probably alerted by the heart monitor disconnecting. "Otherwise you'll try to escape."
"What can I say? I like consistency." Nico joked.
"Alrighty then, let's get you up. Brandon." She indicted her head to her brother and he bent down grabbing Nico's arm to hoist him up. A wave of fear went through Nico as he watched Brandon's hand make contact with his skin.
"No!" He wretched his arm away, his heart pounding in his chest, his breathing heavy. He backed up until he hit the wall. What was happening? Brandon backed away, his hands in a defensive position.
"What- what did I do?" Brandon asked Kayla, whose eyes had narrowed, examining Nico quickly. "Did I hurt him?"
"How about you step out, yeah Brandon?" Kayla suggested, calmly. Nico barely heard anything. He was trapped in his head. In combat with Aaron. "And get Will."
Nico heard footsteps, and then saw Kayla's face as she lowered herself in front of Nico. She knelt in front of him as he leaned against the wall.
"Nico, talk to me. What's going on?"
"The forest-" he gasped. "I'm in the forest-"
"No, you aren't. You are at Camp Half-Blood. You are in the infirmary. You. Are. Safe." She said with conviction in her words. Nico believed her. He slowly started calming down. He closed his eyes, relief washing over him. He was okay.
"Better." He said, looking back at Kayla's concerned face. "I'm okay."
"Okay, good. Let's get you back in bed, and we can talk about what happened."
She grabbed his arm and slowly lead him back to his bed. His lungs ached. He guessed that he was still healing. He sat back on the bed, winded from the effort it took to get in bed.
"What happened?" Kayla asked as she started to examine his wounds. None of the stitches had broken open.
"I don't know, honestly." Nico admitted. "Brandon touched me and suddenly I was back in the forest-" he trailed off.
Kayla's eyes sparked in understanding, but she said nothing. "I would suggest just getting some more rest then. You need to heal. I can get you some food, or we can just rehook you up to the IV."
"I think the IV would be better... I don't think my stomach can stand solid food right now." Kayla nodded in agreement with Nico's words. She turned around to get the bag. "Hey, Kayla?" He asked and she turned. "Do you think I could have visitors?"
The words sent an uncomfortable squirm through the girl. "I don't know. Chiron and Annabeth suggested that you don't have too many visitors. Just because we want to keep the news about Aaron quiet."
"Doesn't the camp know about that at this point?"
"Rumors are running rampant and people have noticed, but Chiron and Annabeth don't want you exposed to any gossip or anything." Kayla explained.
"But, I'm allowed to see Will-"
"That's different. He wasn't allowed in here for a while since he was deemed too close to the case. He only came in when your father-"
"My father?" Nico asked sharply. What had his father been doing.
Guilt reddened Kayla's face. "I thought Will had told you."
"I've been asleep since yesterday Kayla. Will hasn't told me anything about anyone. Not my father. Or any gossip about camp."
"You were on your death bed, Nico."
"Yeah, people keep saying that. And I know. I experienced the attack every single night."
"That's why your injuries were so terrible. Your father somehow figured out and came up to see you. He was checking in on you, making sure you were okay."
"Really?" The words sent hope soaring through Nico. His father actually cared enough to check on him.
"Yeah, it was shocking considering the gods aren't supposed to be in direct contact with their children. You should probably contact him so he knows you're awake. He wants to know that you're okay and when the trial is."
"Trial?" Nico asked.
"Yeah, we are making a case against Aaron. He's going to pay for what he did."
"So I have recount everything he did?" Nico felt fear hit him. "In front of everyone?" He didn't want to tell anyone what had happened, much less the entire camp. He would be viewed as vulnerable and weak. The whole camp couldn't know what had happened to him.
"It's okay, Nico. No one blames you or is going to think you are weak. I promise."
Nico felt his heart beating faster. He didn't want to face anyone. Kayla stepped forward, asking if he was okay, but she was interrupted.
"Nico." Will. Will's voice caused his head to snap up. Everything else in the room faded and his sights were on Will. He felt himself instantly calm down.
Will's POV:
"Will." Kayla interjected as she walked over to him.
Will broke off their eye contact to talk to his sister. "What's going on? What happened? Brandon didn't say..."
Kayla grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room, trying to take him out of earshot. "- Brandon touched Nico and he freaked out. I just got him off the edge of a panic attack. I was scared he was going to injure himself further. When I touched him, he was fine. I think, because of Aaron, he-"
"-is going to have a problem with men." Will finished, looking at Kayla intently. "He probably associates men with Aaron, because of the trauma that he caused."
"But for how long? And why didn't have a problem with you touching him?"
"Because I got him out? I don't know, maybe the full impact of his trauma is finally hitting him?" Will suggested.
"Maybe it's better if we don't let him get... overwhelmed. Keep males away from him." Will knew what Kayla was implying.
"You mean I shouldn't see him?" Will bluntly asked.
"Not just you. I mostly mean like Percy and Jason." Kayla recommended.
"Okay. Let's go back in." Will walked into the room and Nico looked back up at him. "Hey Nico. How you feeling?"
"I've been better." Nico answered.
"You've been stuck in that bed for ten days now. Do you think you want to shower? If it's okay with Kayla?" Will looked around at Kayla since she had taken over Nico's case.
She nodded. "I'm sure that would be fine. But just be careful. And don't be a superhero. If you don't feel strong enough to stand, tell us."
"I could always give you a sponge-bath. That is an option." Will joked.
"I'd prefer the shower." Nico said quickly.
"Good choice." Kayla teased. "Will can get very hands-y during them."
"That is not true!" Will felt his face get hot. Nico smirked, but it immediately melted off his face. He was anxious.
"It is." Kayla continued, trying to lift Nico's spirits. She leaned to him, whispering. "You should see the complaints I get."
"Which is a total of zero, thank you very much." Will defended.
"Whatever, bro." Kayla shot back. He held a hand out to Nico. "I'll help you get to the bathroom."
"Thanks Kayla." Nico said as he slowly stood up. He stumbled forward, even with Kayla's help, directly into Will. Will steadied Nico and to his dismay, Nico shuddered at his touch. Will sighed and released Nico. Nico looked pained to have shuddered, but continued to the bathroom. Kayla looked back at Will sadly as she helped the injured boy into the bathroom.
"If you need help, just call out. Don't let your pride get the better of you." Kayla instructed as Nico was left standing in the bathroom. "There is a towel on the rack and a change of clothes on the sink. Let us know if you need help."
"I will. Thank you." Nico closed the door. After a few moments, the shower started running.
"I'm worried about him." Will voiced his concern as he leaned against the bed, his arms crossed over his chest. "I want to be able to help him. But, I don't want him to be scared of me when I try to touch him."
"He has a lot on his plate with the trial coming up and coming to terms with what Aaron did." Kayla was looking at Nico as she spoke. Will could see the concern in her eyes. She looked up at him. "Also, have you told Nico about the trial? Or his father?"
Will hadn't shared that information with Nico. "I haven't yet. I wanted to wait a little while." The question seemed random to Will. "Why? Did you tell him?"
"I didn't know you hadn't!" Kayla defended. "He had a right to know."
"I was trying to break it to him softly." Will said, running his hand through his hair. "I don't want him to panic or anything."
"I don't think that the trial is the best thing for Nico. I brought it up and almost triggered a panic attack. He doesn't want to recount what happened."
Will looked helplessly at the bathroom door, listening for any sounds of distress. "I could probably testify for him. I saw everything that happened..."
"That won't be enough and you know it. You know how strict Annabeth and Chiron have been about this. The vision could have been altered or distorted. They will need a first-hand account. From Nico." Kayla reported.
Will sighed. "Let's cross that bridge when we get to it. The trial won't be for a least a day or two. Let's let Nico heal first and not stress him more than we need to."
"He wants visitors." The statement shocked Will, which must have shown on his face as Kayla spoke up again. "I know. He usually refuses to see anyone."
"This attack must really have him freaked out. He wants company." Will felt a pain stab his heart. Nico was terrified to be alone.
"What do you think? Should we let them in?" Kayla asked. "They've been asking to see him for days. Every morning and evening they've asked and I've had to refuse. Should I let them in?"
"Not everyone. And not Annabeth. She'll cause him more anxiety with how close she is to the case." Will advised. He also wasn't feeling very happy with the daughter of Athena at the moment either. "Maybe Reyna and Hazel. Frank could probably come in too. But not too many. We don't want to overwhelm him."
"Agreed."
A loud bang startled the two siblings. Terrible situations circulated through Will's head as he and Kayla gained eye contact. They both sprang into action, Will's hand jostling the door handle.