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!

Nico's POV:

The huge group that had attended the Solstice arrived back at camp at around one in the morning. Most of the campers returned back to their respective cabins to turn in for the night. One son of Apollo, however, followed a son of Hades back to his cabin. They laced hands at the door.

"I'm glad everything worked out. I'm really glad I didn't lose you, Nico." Will said softly.

"I'm glad I didn't lose you either."

"Do you…" he asked with his eyes. Do you want me to stay to keep the nightmares away? That's what he used to ask Nico every night.

"I'm okay for the night." Nico could see the disappointment in Will's body language. "I need to learn to keep the nightmares away by myself, Will. I can't rely on you for everything."

"I just want to be there for you." Will earnestly said.

"I need to do this alone. I need time to think about everything that is happening."

"Okay," Will agreed, without a fight. "Just don't stay up all night."

"Yes, yes."

"You'll get me if you have nightmares…"

Nico held up a hand to stop Will. "I know the drill, Solace. You need to sleep as well. And, you don't want to miss curfew. Shockingly, I don't want 'Eaten by Patrol Harpy' written on your tombstone. You need something much more macho."

Will laughed. "Goodnight, Nico." He leaned down, stealing a kiss before jogging back down the hill.

"Goodnight, Will."

Nico looked around, watching the cabin lights going off, one by one. He creaked the door open, moonlight spilling into the cabin, revealing Hazel, already wrapped in sleep. Nico collapsed onto his own bed. His body was exhausted, but his mind felt as if it was going a thousand miles per minute. He thought about his father's offer. He didn't think he was going to take it. After all, he thought that he finally found where he belonged. But his father had told him, when he whispered into his ear, that the offer was flexible. He didn't know exactly what that meant, but one thing was for certain: his father was determined for him to work for him. He honestly didn't know what his father had in mind for him.

He shrugged it off, realizing that late-night decision making never went well. He curled up in his bed and quickly fell asleep.

Nico's POV:

Nico shot up in bed as if he had been electrocuted. He had been dreaming of the ghost Minos. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to get his heart rate under control. He swung his feet out from under the covers. He knew he wasn't going to fall back asleep again. Once he woke up from a nightmare, there was no falling back asleep. He checked the time on his phone. 5:30 am. He had gotten a solid four hours of sleep. Which was pretty impressive for him.

He decided to go for a walk. He put his feet on the floor, which was cold in the winter morning. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. He pulled on socks, shoes, and a hoodie that he had stolen from Will at one point or another. He also brought his sword; in case he ran into anyone that tried to give him trouble.

He creaked the door open. He winced and turned to make sure he hadn't woken Hazel. She was still fast asleep. He shut the door and set off into the morning air. It nipped at his face, waking him up. He walked towards the center of camp and to the hearth. He warmed his hands using the flames for a few minutes.

He moved on, walking to the Apollo cabin. He paused outside the door, hands raised, about to knock. He stopped himself. There was no need to disturb Will. Not for something this insignificant. He turned away, continuing his walk past the cabins, all their inhabitants snoozing away inside.

Walking past Cabin Number 3, he heard a strangled cry issuing from within. He stopped, listening for it to make sure he hadn't imagined it. He heard it again, the same strangled cry. It was Percy. Nico grabbed his sword handle. He crept slowly up the stairs and put his hand on the doorknob. He turned it carefully and quickly sprang into the room, sword pointing around to locate any adversaries. It was empty besides Percy, who was writhing around in his bunk. Nico reattached his sword to his hip.

"Percy?" he whispered.

The son of Poseidon let out another cry. "Please, NO!" His voice was hoarse as if he had been screaming all night.

Nico carefully moved closer to Percy, who twisted himself into his sheets further. There were tears running down his face. He was trapped in a nightmare and, if Nico had to guess, it was probably Tartarus.

"No! Please don't!" He was in pain.

Nico had to do something. He needed to wake him up. He carefully reached out to touch Percy on the shoulder. "Percy?"

Percy flinched back and grabbed Nico's arm. He twisted it, in an attempt to break his grip, and Nico wasn't prepared. He swore as he tore his arm away. It wasn't broken or sprained, but Nico had underestimated Percy's strength, even when he was sleeping. He knew trying to shake Percy awake would be a suicide mission, so he tried a different tactic. One that he hadn't tried in a while.

When he was trying, he could manipulate his own dreams and avoid nightmares. He was one of the only non-Hypnos demigods that could do it. He was also able to infiltrate other's dreams, but he typically avoided it because of the invasion of privacy. It also took a lot of concentration and strength. But he had to try. He slowed his breathing and focused on the son of Poseidon. He listened to Percy's gasping breathing and matched it to his. He concentrated on the darkness in the room. He carefully touched Percy's forehead and his movements stopped. Nico entered Percy's dreams.

He found visions of Tartarus flashing across his vision. He flinched back, almost jarring himself from the dream, and the image flickered, but he regained focus. The image solidified and Nico saw himself standing in Tartarus again. He looked around and saw Percy stuck on an island of dust. Akhlys was in front of him, Annabeth behind him. The goddess of Misery sent a jolt of pain through Nico, but he focused on Percy. That's why he was here. To get Percy out of his dream. Nico tried to move towards Percy, but the poison surrounding Percy prevented Nico from moving. Nico watched as Percy glared at all the poison encroaching from all sides. His eyes squeezed shut as the poison tide stopped, turning back to the goddess.

"What is this?" The goddess shrieked. Nico shuddered. He hoped he would never have to hear that voice again.

"Poison," Percy said. "That's your specialty, right?"

He stood as the fumes made her choke. She wailed and stumbled back. Nico's stomach overturned, realizing with horror what Percy was doing. He was controlling the liquid poison, trying to drown the goddess with it.

"Percy!" he yelled, breaking Percy's concentration.

Percy whipped around, giving Akhlys the time to run away. Nico's heart clenched at the thought of allowing that miserable goddess to live, but he did not want Percy to darken his heart with something so unnatural.

"Nico?" Annabeth said in wonder.

"Stay awake from him, Annabeth!" Percy commanded, pointing Riptide at Nico. "He's just an illusion sent from Akhlys. He's here to cause us misery."

"Percy," fear was evident in Annabeth's voice. "He's our friend. He doesn't want to hurt us."

The poison cloud started to surround Nico. "Stop! Percy, this is a dream. You are back in your cabin at Camp Half-Blood! You are dreaming. Wake up!" The poison cloud converged on Nico.

He lost his focus and was ripped out of the dream. He opened his eyes to see Percy waking up. He removed his hand from Percy's forehead.

"Percy?" he whispered again.

Percy gasped, his eyes flying open as he sat up. He grabbed Nico's already injured arm and flipped him over himself. Nico landed on his back. Pain shot through his body.

"Mother-fanculo. Cazzo shit! Gods damn it!"

The pain dulled as he became aware of his surroundings. He noticed Percy still breathing heavily. As he cursed, Percy looked down at the ground.

"Nico?" Confusion flooded his eyes. "What are you doing here? You were just in my dream…"

Nico rolled onto his side, with a strangled cry of pain. Percy, slow on waking up, finally realized Nico was injured.

"Oh, my gods, Nico!" He sprang out of bed. "Are you alright?"

He grabbed Nico's hurt arm.

"Stop! Don't touch me. You'll only make it worse!"

The son of Hades looked to the side and saw that he had landed on some armor and dented it. That's why it had hurt so badly. He carefully pushed himself up, back and arm aching, and stood. Percy held out a square of ambrosia, which Nico gratefully took.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

"I was walking around camp…"

"At 6 in the morning?" Percy asked, looking at the clock.

"Don't worry about it," Nico dismissed. "I was walking around the commons when I heard you cry out. I thought you were getting attacked so, I came into your cabin. You were having a nightmare. I tried to wake you, but you were fighting me, so I invaded your dreams. When you woke up, you judo-flipped me onto the armor and here we are now."

"I did this to you? I hurt you?"

"It's pretty impressive, beating me up whilst asleep. That's a new low, even for me." Nico joked. Percy wasn't laughing. He sat back on the bed, burying his face into his hands. "Percy?" Nico saw flash of sea-green eyes as Percy looked through his fingers. "It's okay. It was an accident." Percy didn't say anything. "Percy, talk to me."

"What do you want me to say? I hurt you in my dreams, when you were trying to help, and I hurt you in real life too."

"Perce- Percy, it was an accident. I know you would never try to hurt me purposefully."

Nico meant what he said, but after seeing the dream, it made him a little wary of the son of Poseidon. The way he could control the poison. Nico thought of the possibilities. If he could control poison, he could control other liquids of the body. Vital liquids. Nico suppressed a shudder. Percy was powerful. And dangerous. He flashed back to what he had said about Percy months ago.

Nico twisted his silver skull ring. "Percy is the most powerful demigod I have ever met."

Another memory flashed in his mind.

"Is he dangerous?" Hazel tentatively asked.

"Very. To his enemies."

Without realizing it, he had begun twisting his skull ring. He froze and stopped his hands, putting them down.

"So, you saw everything in the dream?" Percy asked, scared of the answer.

"Yes."

"Do you hate me now?"

Nico was shocked at the question. "Why would I hate you?"

"Because you know what I can do. Because I'm a terrible person."

"Hey, now, you might not be my type, but I don't think you are a terrible person." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. But Percy stayed quiet. "In fact, I think you are an amazing friend. You are a good person, Percy."

"But I have the ability to do… whatever that was. I could hurt people without moving a muscle." Percy moaned. "That's not normal."

"Oh, don't be dense." Percy looked shocked that Nico had insulted him. "What? I know what you are doing; you are doing what I've done to myself since I was twelve. You aren't a monster. Sure, you have some powers that you don't understand or can't control, but a lot of demigods face this challenge."

"But, Annabeth- she thinks I'm a monster." His voice filled with anguish.

"Annabeth loves you, Percy. You scared her, yes, because she didn't understand the powers you possess. But she does know that you would never use that power to hurt anyone. None of your friends think that. And I'm pretty sure you know that you shouldn't use that power unless absolutely necessary."

"I know."

"It just… it isn't a natural way to die. You can't mess up the natural order of life and death."

Percy wrung his hands. "I know. It scared me as well."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of your powers, Percy," Nico explained. "You can't control what powers you are given. The only thing you can control is how you use them."

"Yeah," Percy said.

Nico sensed the conversation was over. He chose another topic. "Doesn't Annabeth usually stay with you at night? To help with the nightmares?"

"Yeah, but it was really late when we got back and we didn't want to get caught by the patrol harpies, so she went back to her cabin." Percy explained.

"Yeah, I understand. It's always easier to sleep and deal with nightmares when someone is there." Nico said, referring to himself and Will.

"Do you ever talk about… it with Will?"

Nico shook his head. "Not really. He just can't wrap his mind around it. He just doesn't understand what I'm talking about, so I keep it to myself."

"You don't have to. Annabeth and I lived through it and are always willing to talk to you about it. Help you come to terms with what happened."

"I know and I appreciate it, but you have to understand that I went through a very different version than you and Annabeth. I- I almost went insane. And I didn't get myself out; I was taken out because I was a pawn. That's hard to come to terms with. And…the things I saw… I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

"Nico," Percy's voice was filled with pity, which Nico didn't want, so he continued talking.

"At any rate, I might not be willing to talk about it, but I'm willing to listen. Anything you need to talk about that place, I'm here. I want to help you as much as you want to help me. I am beyond help, however. You aren't. You can talk to me." Nico provided.

And that's what Percy did. They left the cabin together and began walking around the camp.

Percy and Nico had talked for hours, walking around the camp. They stopped on the beach and watched the sun as it rose. As the sky brightened, the camp started to wake up and start the activities of the day. The two were silent, not wanting to ruin the peace that sunrise brought. Nico was the first to break it.

"Well, I have to say, Percy, you really did lay it on me," Nico joked.

"Too much?" Percy asked, nervously.

"No- I mean- well, it was a lot, but I did say that I was willing to listen, and I meant that. Whenever you need me." Nico assured.

Nico thought back to months prior. When Percy asked him to lead the crew to the Doors of Death, he had done it because of his crush on Percy; he would have done anything for him. And he still would, but not in a romantic kind of way. He just wanted to be loyal to his friends.

"I really appreciate it. Some of those things… I haven't even told Annabeth before. It gets…"

"Difficult?" Nico finished. "Like she doesn't understand?"

Percy looked at him with broken eyes. "I love her to pieces, but I know that what I can do scared her. It scared me. So, it makes it easier to have another person to talk to."

"That's how I feel with Will. What I can do, what I have done, that would scare him. I'm just not ready to come to terms with it."

Percy clapped Nico on the shoulder. "I know that. Unfortunately, you will have to face it eventually; but you don't have to face it alone. We're here for you. We are your family."

"I know, Percy, I know that." A smile lit up Percy's face. He held out his arms.

"Hug it out?"

Nico scoffed. "Gods, Percy, showing PDA crosses a line. Especially since you aren't my type."

"You are going to pay for that one, di Angelo!" Percy threatened. He wrapped his arms around the son of Hades.

"Holy mother of Zeus, Jackson, let me go!" Nico demanded, squirming around. Percy had lifted him, so his feet weren't touching the ground. "You are choking the life out of me. My soul is half-way to the Underworld."

Percy released his grip and set Nico back down. Nico pulled away from Percy before heading up the sand dunes.

Percy's POV:

Nico started trudging up the sand dunes just as the Demeter cabin was approaching from a distance away.

"What's on the agenda for the Hades cabin today, Mr. Head Counselor? Would you like to duel the Poseidon cabin?" Percy asked.

"I have and can beat your ass, Jackson. In dueling and even on…" his statement was cut off.

He looked up to see Nico swaying, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. Even with his demigod reflexes, Percy wasn't fast enough to catch the son of Hades before he fell backward into the sand.

"Oh my gods, Nico!" He lunged over, dropping to his knees in the sand. He looked wildly around. "Hey!" he screamed at the Demeter cabin. They looked up. "Go get Will Solace!"

The senior counselors picked up on what was happening after seeing Nico's comatose body. They sent some younger campers to look for the son of Apollo. Percy looked back down to Nico. He had had no reason to pass out. He had ambrosia for his injuries. And the injuries that he did have shouldn't have caused him to pass out. Unless Nico had cut himself last night. Percy pushed up his sleeves, but there were no cuts on his wrists. Percy wished he had more ambrosia to give to Nico, but he also didn't want the head healer chopping off his head for incinerating his boyfriend.

Percy was saved from making a decision by the arrival of Will Solace. He came sprinting over to Nico and Percy. He fell to his knees on the other side of Nico and started pulling out supplies from his bag.

"Percy, what the hell happened?" Will was fumbling.

"We were talking- I don't know what happened!" Percy anxiously asked.

Will shined a light into his boyfriend's eyes. Will sat back on his haunches, looking quizzically at Nico. "He's asleep."

"Excuse me?" Percy asked, surprised.

Will looked up at Percy, amused. "He's asleep, not unconscious. It was like he was just too exhausted to do anything else and he just collapsed, asleep!"

"But, why? Has he ever done this before?"

Will shook his head. "Not to my knowledge. I have no idea what's going on."

"I can help with that."

Both Percy and Will looked up to see who had spoken. They finally noticed the small crowd that had gathered around them. Clovis had been the one to speak up.

"Clovis? What are you doing out of your cabin?" Percy questioned.

"I had a dream that brought me here. I know why he passed out." Clovis claimed. The Demeter cabin dispersed, giving the boys some space.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why?" Will said.

"He was interfering in the dream world. He was using hypnokinesis. He was controlling dreams again." Clovis revealed.

He started to fall asleep. Percy caught him, shaking him awake.

Will rubbed his forehead. "He shouldn't have tried to do that. His body wasn't ready to handle it. He needs to train before trying that again. Whose dream was he trying to control? His own?"

"He was trying to control mine," Percy piped as he set Clovis on the ground. Will looked up to Percy in confusion. "Long story short, I was having a nightmare and Nico came into my cabin after hearing me call out. He entered into my dreams and got me out of my nightmare."

Will had started to look over Nico. "Why does he have bruises on his back and arm?"

"I accidentally judo-flipped him over a piece of armor," Percy mentioned.

Will looked stunned. "How does one go about accidentally judo-flipping people?"

"I was defending myself! I thought he was attacking me." Percy defended. "Anyway, after he woke me up, we started walking around the camp. We talked about my nightmare."

"He talked to you about Tartarus?" The son of Apollo sounded dismayed. Percy felt a stab of regret go through him. He didn't mean to hurt Will.

"I talked about my experiences and he just listened. He gave some advice but didn't recount his experiences." Percy corrected.

"I guess I'm just surprised he talked about it at all. He usually does everything in his power to avoid discussion about it."

"Will, you have to… Tartarus… you can never truly understand the hardships and challenges he went through. That place almost drove him insane." Percy lamented.

All of a sudden, Clovis sat up quickly, causing Will and Percy to jump. "That's true. When I tried to get him out of nightmares, I saw the things that he saw. Even I had nightmares for weeks, and I only saw it for a couple of seconds." He fell back asleep.

Will hit the sand in frustration. "I just want to help him. I know that I told him that I will back off, and I will, but I want to be there for him as well. He doesn't have to face it alone."

"I hate to say this, but maybe that's exactly what he needs," Percy said. "He shouldn't have to, but he went through Tartarus alone. He has to learn to accept it alone as well."

Will sighed. "You're right. It's just difficult. I want to be able to understand."

Percy's eyes widened. "No, you don't. You have no idea how wonderful ignorance is. Especially about Tartarus. Trust me. You have to let him heal on his own and on his own time."

"Okay, okay. But there must be something I can do. His nightmares are so bad that they interfere with his sleeping schedule. And he refuses to take sleeping draughts so unless I tip some over his evening drink…" Will suggested.

Percy laughed. "Drugging your boyfriend? That will get you far." He paused. "With Annabeth and I, just being in the same room makes a world of difference. But Nico is a different story. He had no one with him in Tartarus. I don't know how he can deal with his dreams."

Clovis woke again. "I can help with that too." His eyes opened. "When Nico was transporting the statute to camp, he passed through my dreamscape. Even in the past couple of months, he passed through without realizing it. He used to be able to control his dreams very easily. But, because he was so hurt and almost faded away, he lost the ability. He lost it because he is dealing with so much PTSD, after repressing everything for so long."

"Why did he get it back now?"

Clovis shrugged. "No idea, but he gained it back at a cost; it exhausted him. He needs to retrain himself to learn how to control dreams again."

Will sighed. "If he is exhausted, I am going to take the Lord of Darkness to catch up on his sleep." He stood up. He bent back down, picking up Nico. He threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Thanks for your help, Percy."

"Anytime." Percy raised his hand in farewell.

He watched as the two boys disappeared over the ridge, towards Cabin 13. As he sat on the beach, Percy wondered the strange sight they would be. Son of Hades draped unconscious on his boyfriend's back. But, at this point, people probably got freaked out when they didn't see Nico unconscious. Percy chuckled, turning towards Clovis, who was face down in the sand, snoring. He gently rolled Clovis over, so he wouldn't suffocate.

"Clovis," he said. "It's probably time for you to get back to your cabin."

Clovis merely yawned in response, making Percy yawn as well. "I'm just so comfortable. You can leave me here. Just open my backpack. I have a pillow and blanket in there."

Percy shook his head as he extracted the items. He handed them to Clovis, who turned over and continued snoring. Percy stood, heading to the dining pavilion. On his way, he ran into Annabeth.

"Annabeth, my darling!" He planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Yes, hello." She seemed distracted, peeking over the sand dunes. "What were you doing on the beach?"

He smiled. "I was talking to Nico. I had a nightmare and he helped me."

Her eyes lit up. "That's great! But, what did you do to him? Why did I see Will carrying him? And is that Clovis sleeping on the beach? What's going on?"

Percy kissed her on the lips, effectively shutting her up. "You ask too many questions too early in the morning. Let's go get breakfast, and I will tell you everything, okay?"

"But you can't leave Clovis on the beach! It's the middle of the winter! He could be washed out to sea or stampeded."

"He asked me to leave him?" The statement came out more like a question. Annabeth shook her head and took his hand, leading him back to the beach.

"I swear to the gods, Percy. I don't know what you would do without me. I am 98% of your impulse control."

Percy smiled as she led him along. Yes, she is.