AN: I reworded the conversation between Austin and Kayla as well as changing how Nico got back to the Underworld. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.

Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!

Kayla's POV:

After an entire day of exhaustive search efforts, Cecil was still missing. Nico and her brother were still gone as well. That didn't worry her as much. The fact that they were in the Underworld was concerning, but she knew that Nico would protect her brother.

Kayla yawned as she and Austin did a final check on the infirmary. Austin usually didn't work in the Infirmary, but after Cecil's disappearance, Chiron had made everyone swear to go around camp in pairs or groups. Kayla had claimed Austin as her buddy.

The hospital was unoccupied, but Will made sure that someone always checked it before bed. Austin turned off the lights. She was about to lock the door behind her when she felt a cold rush go through the room. She reopened the door to find Nico di Angelo appearing from the shadows. He was sprawled on the floor, holding tightly to an unconscious Will.

Kayla's heart skipped a beat as she rushed back into the infirmary. Austin followed closely behind. She turned on the light. Nico winced as it turned on. The movement caused him to look to the doors. His eyes sought out Kayla's.

"Kayla, thank the gods-"

"What happened?" She asked, kneeling down next to Will, taking his pulse.

"Underworld- Tartarus. Concussion." Nico's eyes rolled in the back of his head. He collapsed onto Kayla. She carefully lowered him to the ground.

"Maybe the Infirmary is more exciting than I thought!" Austin exclaimed.

Kayla glared at him. "This is serious, Austin."

She needed to assess the situation and figure out who needed her the most. Nico had been conscious went he first got here, but his health was usually in more danger than Will. She focused on the son of Hades. His form was still solid. So maybe the shadow-traveling had exhausted him, but it wasn't why he had passed out. Physically, after quickly looking over his body, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with him. He had mentioned Tartarus. If he had had a severe enough panic attack, then it could cause him to pass out. But, now that he was already out, there was nothing she could do for him.

She turned her attention to Will. She surveyed his body. His right shoulder was swollen. She carefully prodded it. The shoulder had been dislocated but popped back into place. He would need a sling for the next couple of days, but otherwise, it was okay for now. Nico had also said concussion. She started feeling Will's head for any bumps. A good-sized knot was on the back of his head. She grabbed a flashlight and peered into his eyes. His blue eyes were sensitive to the light. He, most likely, did have a mild concussion. But, otherwise, both boys seemed to be okay, with shockingly no life-threatening injuries. Kayla breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, they seem okay. Help me get them into beds."

She dragged Nico, who was unbelievably light, over to the closest bed. She lifted him on top of it. Austin did the same with Will.

"Thanks for leaving the fatty with me, sis," Austin groaned as he lifted Will onto the bed.

Kayla rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you were complaining the other day about how much more fit Will is than you."

Austin considered this. "This may be true, but Will doesn't have to know that."

"Thanks for helping, Austin."

"Of course. You need anything else?"

She shook her head. "No, I just have to do some final checks. I'm going to monitor Will and Nico overnight."

"Not coming back to the cabin then?"

"Nope. I can't usually leave the infirmary with these two boys to look after," She joked.

Austin laughed. "No, I guess not. Unfortunately, that means I have to stay too."

"Oh, you poor thing," Kayla fake-pouted. "As if you can't just go to bed on one of the spare beds."

"Don't be a hero; you need your sleep too."

Kayla scoffed. "I am a hero, thank you very much."

"Says your total of zero quests."

"You haven't been on any quests either, Mr. Mightier-Than-Thou. At least I got dad's healing and archery abilities."

"Yeah, I was just stuck with music. My YouTube subscribers are devastated that I am not a doctor."

Kayla rolled her eyes. "I knew it was going to be dangerous for you to get a YouTube channel. The stardom is going to your head."

Austin sat down in the rolling chair at the front of the infirmary. He spun around a few times. "You know, I think I'll stay awake. Healing patients, interacting with the doctors, it's humbling."

"You just want to annoy me all night, don't you?"

"That's just an added bonus," he winked at her.

Kayla grabbed another chair by Will's bed, sitting down next to her brother. She brushed the hair that was falling into his face.

"How is he?" Austin asked, leaning forwards.

"I won't know until he wakes up. I don't want to give him nectar yet because I don't know how bad his concussion is."

Austin nodded in understanding. "When do you think he will wake up?"

"I have no idea. He seems pretty exhausted as it is. And he's really worried about Cecil. He might be down for a while."

"Everyone is pretty worried about Cecil. He wouldn't just disappear."

"Cecil is Will's best friend. Will has been pretty focused on Nico these past couple of months, but Cecil has always been there for him." Kayla explained. "He understood how much Nico means to him."

"I know that Nico makes Will happy, but he can also make him pretty unhappy too. Remember how crushed Will was when Nico tried to break up with him?" Austin reminded.

"Will was devastated. And Nico was talking about leaving Camp again, recently."

Austin tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

Kayla looked over to the sleeping boys, making sure neither was awake. "Nico told Will that he wanted to take a break from their relationship. He was planning to go down to the Underworld to live with his father to 'find himself.'"

"So, he was planning to leave Will again? Unbelievable." Austin scoffed. "Cecil's disappearance must have been like insult to injury."

"Cecil's disappearance is probably why Nico is staying for right now. But, once we figure this all out, it's bye-bye di Angelo." Kayla muttered. She ran her hand through her hair. "I know that Nico's been through a lot, with Tartarus and almost getting killed by Aaron, but I can't believe how much he's put Will through. Will has been injured more times during his relationship with Nico than ever before."

"You don't trust him, then? Nico?" Austin asked.

"I care about Nico a lot. But I don't really know. I don't know if he really cares about Will, considering he keeps putting him in dangerous situations. He's- unstable as well. I think it would do him a world of good to take a break from Will and Camp."

Austin considered this. "I don't think he has had time to deal with the trial and everything Aaron put him through, much less all the other shit in his past. He needs time to heal. Physically and emotionally. And his self-harm… It's not healthy."

"How did you know that?" Kayla's voice was like a whip. Nico's self-harm was supposed to be a secret.

"Doesn't everyone?" Austin looked alarmed.

"No, not everyone does," Kayla said forcefully. "Nico has been trying to keep it a secret, but people keep finding out."

"Who- who does know?"

"Why? Have you told anyone?" Kayla's voice was defensive.

"Of course not!" Austin reassured. "I just wanted to know."

Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Will and I obviously know. Chiron knows as well. Jason, Percy, and Hazel know. As for the others, I have no idea. Most have them have probably suspected. I'm sure that Reyna and Annabeth have picked up on it. But Nico has never admitted that he does self-harm. He's never had a conversation with them."

"How do you know all about this?" Austin asked.

"I am Nico's doctor as much as Will is. I've been briefed on his situation and the things he's been through. Obviously, I don't know it all, but I know a lot about Nico." Kayla explained. "Now, how did you figure out about Nico's self-harm?"

"When Hades returned with Nico after he disappeared after the trial, I was with Will. We brought Nico into the infirmary and he was hurt. Badly. He had cuts all over his arms. I put two and two together. It was devastating to see."

Kayla nodded. "I can imagine. Actually, I can't. I have seen Nico injured many times, but I have never helped heal him when he has cut himself. That's always been up to Will."

"Will puts way too much pressure on himself. He's acting like he's an adult, but he's only 15."

"I agree with you." Kayla brushed his hair out of his face. "I worry for him as well. As I said, I know Nico cam make Will happy, but they both have a lot of things they are struggling with. Nico has had hardship after hardship thrown at him. I worry about him. But I also am looking out for my brother. Those hardships affect Will as well. And Will is still dealing with his mother."

"Did she relapse?" Austin asked.

Kayla looked uncertain. "Will won't talk about it, but he is staying at Camp, so I'm guessing she did. That was their arrangement after all."

"He hasn't talked to you about it?" Austin asked.

Kayla shook her head. "He rarely does. His mother is such a sore topic for him. He wants to believe the best in his mother. But she keeps finding ways to hurt him."

"Will doesn't deserve that," Austin noted.

"And yet, it keeps happening," Kayla whispered. "He keeps getting hurt by his mother. And by his boyfriend. Not purposefully of course, but still. I know I might sound like a bitch, but someone had to say it. Will gets hurt because of Nico."

Austin grunted his agreement.

Kayla was on a roll, letting her feelings be heard. "Nico hurts Will with the things he says, trying to get Will to leave him. He disappears, worrying the hell out of Will. He plays with Will and his emotions, taking advantage of his overwhelming need to help everyone. He is preying on Will's doctor complex."

"It seems more like Nico is using him than anything else."

"I can't disagree with that." Kayla acquiesced.

The siblings became silent as they looked over the two boys.

Nico POV:

"Nico hurts Will with the things he says, trying to get Will to leave him." The sound of Kayla's voice wakes him. "He disappears, worrying the hell out of Will. He plays with Will's emotions, taking advantage of his overwhelming need to help everyone. He is preying on Will's doctor complex."

"It seems more like Nico is using him than anything else." That was Austin.

"I can't disagree with that." Kayla acquiesced.

So, that's what Will's siblings think about me Nico thought. That I just hurt Will time after time. That I'm using him.

Nico felt a stab of guilt. She was right; no matter what he did, whether injury to himself or protecting Will, Will always ended up getting hurt. He would drain his own energy trying to heal Nico. Maybe he was using Will, unintentionally. The only solution would be that he would have to stop asking for help; stop letting Will hurt himself to save him. That wasn't how relationships were supposed to be. He was a terrible boyfriend and Will deserved better. These were the last thoughts he had before sleep reclaimed him.

Sunlight burning across his eyelids woke Nico. He slid his eyes open, looking at his surroundings. He was in the infirmary. To his right, Will laid unconscious, bandages wrapped around his head and shoulder. Because of him. He remembered shadow-traveling Will out of the Underworld, glimpsing his father's face of concern. He remembered Kayla and Austin talking about him. Anger at the Apollo siblings flooded his being. It morphed into hate for himself and how he constantly put those he loved in danger.

Nico sat up, pulling out the IV that was in his arm. Kayla started from her desk across the infirmary. She stood up, making her way over to Nico.

"Nico, what happened to you guys?" she asked as she attempted to grab Nico's arm.

Nico moved his arm, not allowing her to touch him. She frowned before grabbing his arm. Nico didn't flinch but he felt the anger boiling in his stomach. She started looking over him. Within minutes, she finished her examination.

"You seem to be okay, physically. But, emotionally…. Tell me what happened." She commanded.

Nico looked up at her, anger pouring out of his eyes. Kayla looked fearful, taking a step back from Nico. He took this opportunity to jump off the bed, grab his nearby sword, and head towards the door. She called after him, but Nico was already out the door. He made his way across Camp and towards his cabin, wanting nothing more than to cut himself. He hated himself for hurting Will. He hated himself for not being good enough for his boyfriend.

He entered into the cabin, shutting the door behind him. The cabin was almost completely dark, the fireplace providing little light. But something felt off; the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. There was something in his cabin. He quietly unsheathed his sword, turning to the dark cabin.

"I know you are in here," Nico said to the darkness. "Show yourself and I won't have to kill you."

"Like you could," a familiar voice croaked. It was accompanied by a snap.

Before he could even swing his sword, the darkness in the cabin increased tenfold and a cloud of black smoke encased Nico.