Warning: EXTREME self-harm, please do NOT read if this theme upsets you!

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!

Will's POV:

Nico choked in pain. The sound set Will into motion. He threw himself onto Aaron, trying to tackle the camper off Nico. The momentum forced Aaron off Nico and, to Will's relief, Nico gasped in a breath of air. He was so focused on making sure he heard Nico breathe that he had forgotten that he had Aaron to deal with. Aaron pushed him off, and was on his knees, looming over Will. He reeled his arm back, about to knock the daylight out of Will. Will put his arms up in defense, but the punch never came.

He looked up to find Percy and Jason pulling Aaron off him. Aaron wielded his arms around, trying to hit someone, but a punch to his nose by Percy sent him reeling back. Jason and Percy restrained him. Will stood quickly, looking around for Nico. It was chaos. Everyone was running around. Tyler and Ryan were restrained. Piper had her hand on Drew's shoulder to make sure she didn't try and run. Dionysus and Hades were both on their feet. A fireball was burning in the god of the Underworld's hand.

Will looked, panicked, around. He spotted a dark figure huddle under one of the benches. No one was paying him any attention. Whether that was because they didn't see him or didn't care, Will didn't know. He rushed over to him, falling to his knees. Nico was hyperventilating. He was in the middle of a panic attack. He tried to gain eye contact with him, trying to calm him, but Nico was lost. He knew that there would be consequences, but he had to make sure Nico was okay. He carefully put a hand on Nico's shoulder. As he expected, Nico freaked out. He shuddered away.

"Nico, focus on me. It's just me. It's all going to be okay." Will said quietly.

"Don't lie to me!" He sobbed. "He attacked me!"

"And he never will again." Will reasoned.

"No! You said that last- last time." He gasped out. "I have- I- I have to get out of here." Nico reached his arm out for the shadows.

"No!" Will screamed, trying to grasp his shirt to stop him, but Nico had already disappeared.

He looked up rapidly to see if anyone had seen. He locked eyes with Hades. Will bounced up and desperately started pushing his way through the crowd. Someone ran into him, and he stumbled, but he continued forward. He broke out of the crowd. He arrived in front of Hades.

"Nico-" he gasped.

"I know. I saw." Hades glowered. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"I tried- that doesn't matter!" Will said forcefully. "We need to find him."

"I will go." Hades turned in his spot and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Will blinked his eyes. He had disappeared so quickly. His one hope of finding Nico had evaporated in front of him. He was thinking of a plan when Chiron blew his conch. Everyone whipped around to see what was happening. Chiron had gotten out of his chair and was standing over everyone, looking regal and dangerous.

"Enough! Everyone, calm down!"

Percy and Jason brought Aaron in front of the table, forcing him down to his knees. Blood was streaming from his nose. Silence fell over the room as Dionysus walked over to him, his footsteps the only thing disturbing the silence. He bent down, slightly, and grabbed Aaron's chin, forcing the camper to look up at him.

"Would you like to admit anything now?" Dionysus asked.

Aaron tried to spit in the gods face, but Dionysus merely moved out of the way. He considered the spit on the ground before looking back at the camper. His eyes widened, looking deeply into Aaron's eyes. Aaron grimaced, his head twitching. Dionysus didn't break eye contact with him.

"Okay! Ouch, stop!" Aaron screamed out. Dionysus' glance softened. Aaron glared back at the god. "Yeah, I did it. Everything di Angelo and Solace said was true. I taunted him and insulted him. I beat him up. Ryan and Tyler both helped me."

"And Drew?" Dionysus asked.

Aaron quickly glanced at Drew, before looking back at the camp director. "She had nothing to do with it." Dionysus stared deeply at him again. "Okay, okay! She did it. She convinced me to do it. She charmed me. I believed what she was saying. And eventually, she didn't need to charm me anymore. I believed it."

Dionysus tapped Aaron on the forehead. His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped, only held up by Percy and Jason.

"Take him to my office and tie him to a chair. Stay until I get there." Dionysus ordered. The two boys nodded and dragged Aaron out of the room. Dionysus turned to his brothers. "As for you two, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We- we were only doing what Aaron said because he threatened us. He made us help him." Ryan advocated. Tyler nodded profusely.

"We didn't want to hurt anyone," Tyler affirmed.

Dionysus considered his words. "You will do 30 hours of labor. The kitchen, stables, anywhere that Chiron sees fit. And you are required to be with a Head counselor at all times and follow their orders. That will up to Clarisse's discretion."

Ryan and Tyler slowly turned to look at their sister. She cracked her knuckles, trying to intimidate them. She succeeded and both boys looked terrified. Will guessed that they were more terrified of Clarisse than they were of Dionysus. Dionysus ordered both boys back to their cabin with Clarisse. Dionysus looked towards Drew.

"And you?"

Drew broke out in tears. "I'm- I'm sorry! I didn't want to do anything. It was all Aaron! He's a liar! He made- he made me do it!"

Will felt compelled to believe her. He shook himself out of it. It was the charm-speak speaking.

"I believe that is a lie," Dionysus said. "I believe that once you got the sign from your mother that it was okay to hurt Nico, you were excited. You wanted to cause those two boys harm. Your mother or some other god may have influenced Aaron, but all your actions were your own. And maybe you didn't use any force, but your words caused great destruction. That is not a crime that is easily forgiven."

Shocking to no one, Drew's tears cleared up immediately. "What are you going to do to me then?"

Dionysus raised his voice so everyone could hear. "Drew Tanaka, you are hereby banned from Camp Half-Blood indefinitely." Dionysus glanced up at Reyna. "I cannot speak for Camp Jupiter."

"The same rule applies. Our borders are shut to intolerance of any kind." Reyna said with conviction.

"You have until the evening to arrange your affairs and clear out of your cabin." Dionysus went on. "Ms. McLean will keep an eye on you." Piper nodded, pulling Drew up. The two girls made their way back to their cabin. Dionysus watched them go before turning his attention back to Will. "Nico?"

Will shook his head. "He disappeared. Lord Hades followed him."

Dionysus nodded. "I want to see him when he returns to camp."

"Who?" Will asked. "Nico or his father?"

"Both of them." Dionysus turned to the camp. "You are all excused from your activities for the rest of the day. Dismissed."

The campers started dispersing in pairs to discuss what had happened. Dionysus beckoned Annabeth to follow him and Chiron. Nico had gone from his mind as he had been caught up in the pace of events. But his boyfriend came back into his head, full focus. He didn't know where Nico would have gone. Wherever he was, he was probably freaking out or passed out. But Will had no way to get to him. He sat down on a bench, pulling his hands through his hair. He thought the stress was supposed to be over, but it wasn't. So now he had to wait. Wait for Nico to return. Wait for Hades to return Nico home. Kayla, Austin, and Cecil came over to him, and sat down, giving him the silent support that he needed.

Nico's POV:

Nico gasped for air as he pulled himself from the shadows. He didn't even know where he was, but he instantly collapsed on the ground. The cold ground felt good on his face. He could feel the panic overtaking him. It was only a matter of time before he was overwhelmed, causing him to pass out. He tried to breathe, but his throat burned. He could feel the indentations where Aaron had gripped him. He knew that bruises were already starting to form. Nico closed his eyes to try to rid himself of the image of Aaron barreling towards him, but images of the forest and Tartarus burned against his eyelids. He opened his eyes again. He thought he had been getting better. But then Aaron beat him up. And he had reverted right back to where he was after the war with Gaea.

Still breathing heavily, he tried to sit up slowly. Once he lifted his head off the ground, the world turned upside down. He had moved too fast. He vomited on the ground. It kept coming up. And it was painful. Feeling disgusted, he rolled over, away from the smell, when he had finished. He sat up slowly again, to lean against a wall that was behind him. A moan issued from his mouth. The moan turned into a sob, and soon Nico was a sobbing mess. What had he gotten himself into? Sobs racked his body. The tears and mucous made it even harder to breathe, but it wouldn't stop.

He cried about everything. Tartarus, Bianca, his mother, Aaron, the maze, Kronos. Gaea, Minos. Everything and anything: he just sobbed. It physically hurt him; he could feel the strain it was having on his body. But he couldn't stop. It was if his body had had too much pain and needed to expel it before he could continue with his life. He had survived so much, but he didn't know if he wanted to be alive anymore. The only thing he knew for sure is that he wanted to expel the darkness and depression from his life. He wanted to be happy. But that seems unachievable for him. He longed to rip into his skin and tear out the bad parts of him, but he knew that he couldn't do that. So, tearing into his skin was the best next option for him. It was a way for him to distract from his mental pain. He looked around for something to use to cut into his skin, trying to figure out where he was.

A spark of recognition went off in him when he identified the place. It was his old childhood home in Venice. The memories went faint, as he had been dipped in the Lethe, but he felt a strong connection. When he jumped, he must not have been thinking of anything, so it brought to him to where he would feel safe. He stood carefully, his tears drying up. He stepped over the pile of vomit and walked to the window. His heart swelled and broke at the same time when he saw the streets and canals of Venice. He was surprised that he had jumped so far without realizing it. He hadn't jumped across the ocean since he moved the Athena Parthenon.

His body was tense with adrenaline, running on fight-or-flight. And he had chosen the latter. Because he was weak. He hit the wall, frustrated with himself. His hand pulsed in pain, but he welcomed it. He quickly felt in his jacket pockets. A bag of ambrosia. He unzipped and removed his jacket. He searched the inside pockets. He breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out a knife from his pocket. He looked around quickly as if scared to get caught. But he was alone. All alone. As the sadness came back, he pressed the blade into his arm, feeling pain shoot up. He breathed shakily, as he stumbled to the bathroom.

(AN: self-harm trigger warning, please do not read if this upsets you)

He sat on the edge of the bathtub, leaning heavily on the wall. He sliced his arm and watched the blood slowly drip down his arm. It wasn't enough. He lost himself as he cut his skin again and again. He removed his pants, sinking the knife into his thighs. The pain on his arms and legs distracted from the pain in his heart, head, and throat. His thoughts went blank, the activity of cutting mind-numbing. He watched as the porcelain tub was stained with his red blood. He was making a mess, but he didn't stop. All the stress was too much; it had built up so much. It wasn't the ideal way to cope, but Nico didn't know how else to. In his defense, he hadn't cut this badly since Jason had found him in his bathroom with his shattered mirror. It seemed so long ago, but it had only been a couple of months prior. He allowed himself to become swept up in the memories

He could feel himself becoming exhausted with blood loss, a slight headache overtaking him. He knew he should stop and clean himself up, but he was just too tired. The knife fell from his hand. He was reaching down to pick it up when he realized his arms were too weak. They had lost too much blood. Nico forced himself to get up. He grabbed a towel from the sink and toweled the blood from his arms. The blood won't stop. Nico stumbled back to the tub. Nico let himself slowly sink into the empty tub. At least it would be easier to get the blood off the porcelain.

The edges of his vision started going dark. He was going to pass out. He looked up at the doorway as he started to lose consciousness. A figure appeared, but Nico couldn't be bothered by it. His eyes started to close. All of a sudden, a hand grabbed his jaw and forced his mouth open. He opened his eyes and found something being shoved into his mouth. Inadvertently, he swallowed, his throat aching. He moaned in pain. He tasted his mother's pasta; it had been ambrosia. He groaned, not wanting to be helped. He looked up to see his father standing over him, a concerned look on his face. Nico could feel the darkness being held back as he regained consciousness.

"Father-" he said hoarsely, his throat throbbing.

Hades breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to see his son functioning. "I could see a faint trace of your life force in the Underworld. I don't want you down there prematurely."

"You- you don't get to make that decision." Nico slurred, sitting up slowly.

"I'm afraid I do, considering you refuse to take care of yourself."

"I'm a picture of health," Nico said sarcastically.

As he spoke, he keeled forwards. His father caught him. His hands were freezing.

"Yes, I'm sure." Hades shot back. "I can't heal you, but I know someone who can."

"No," Nico whispered. "Don't take me back there. Please."

"I have to," Hades said, looking at his son sadly. "You're fading away as we speak."

He was right. The darkness was back. Nico felt himself being lifted as his vision went dark.

Will's POV:

Will laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Nico had been missing for hours. Drew had been kicked out of camp. Aaron was still under questioning by Dionysus. Will looked to the side to see Austin staring at him. So, he was awake too. Will sighed, sitting up. Austin mirrored him. The two brothers walked out of the cabin. They sat on the steps.

"How are you doing?"

Will laughed bitterly. "How do you think I'm doing, Austin?"

"That good, huh," Austin said, leaning back on his hands.

"I just want him to be okay. I want him to be safe."

"And I'm sure he will be." Austin reasoned. "His father went after him; you told me that. He will find him."

"But what if it's too late? What if something happened?" Will was getting worst-case-scenario.

"Well, there's no point in stressing if you can't prove anything."

"I-" Will started before he was interrupted by a low rumble. He and Austin both stood quickly. The ground split open and black smoke rose from the crevice. "Hades."

Will started walking rapidly down the hill. The smoke cleared and the god appeared. He was holding Nico in his arms. Will broke out into a run. He arrived, breathlessly, as Hades looked up at him.

"What happened?" Will asked. "Where-?"

"He cut himself," Hades said, letting one of Nico's arms go. It was covered with dried blood.

"Infirmary," Will said, panicked. "Now."

He walked very rapidly down the hill, Hades following close behind. He threw open the screen door and eventually arrived at the infirmary doors. He held it open, allowing Hades to pass him. Will shivered as he felt the cold, decaying aura of the god. Hades laid Nico down on one of the beds, his jacket cushioning him. He found his arms covered with dried blood. His thighs were covered in blood as well.

"What happened?" Will asked breathlessly as he walked over to the cabinet to grab rubbing alcohol.

"What do you think happened?" Hades snapped. "He tried to kill himself and probably would have succeeded had I not shown up."

Will sucked in a breath. He brought a towel and the bottle of alcohol over to the table. He pulled on a pair of gloves.

"It wouldn't have happened if you had been paying more attention to him!" Hades yelled hitting and effectively breaking a side table.

Will took a step back. Hades wouldn't kill him. Right?

Will considered something. "You've never seen him like this. You've never seen him hurt himself like this before, have you?"

Hades glared at Will. Will refused to back down, glaring back. "No, I haven't seen my son injure himself like this. And I never want to see it again. Fix him!"

Will blinked before focusing back on his patient. He dipped the towel in the bottle and started cleaning Nico's arms off. As the blood cleared, Will saw just how far Nico had gone; he had lost a lot of blood. He likely needed another transfusion. Will scoured his body for any more injuries before he tried to heal him and get him the blood transfusion. Nico's arms were shredded. His thighs had barely any uncut skin on them. He saw the bruising on the boy's neck. The bruise was the shape of a hand. Aaron's hand. Dammit, Will thought Another remainder of the incident.

Will closed his eyes and began singing a healing hymn. He could feel the magic and power working its way through his system. He moved his hands over Nico's body. As he did so, he could feel his own energy depleting quickly. He opened his eyes. The open cuts had faded to angry scars lining his body. If he had pushed himself further, he probably could have completely healed the skin, but he was exhausted himself. All Will wanted to do was sleep, but he needed to finish his duty. He grabbed a healing salve out of the cabinet. He brought the jar over and started slathering up Nico's arms and thighs. The burning scars cooled instantly under the healing salve. He wrapped them in bandages. He inserted an IV into Nico's arm to bring back some of his color. He then turned to look at Austin, who was watching the events unfold, with a horrified expression on his face.

"I need you to go get Kayla," Will said. "Nico needs a blood transfusion. We used Jason last time he needed one, but Hazel's blood will probably work better since they are siblings."

Austin nodded, blankly, before sprinting from the infirmary. Will then turned to an empty cot, the one he had used when he had to sleep to get into Nico's dream, feeling lightheaded. He was about to pass out.

"Is that it?" Hades asked. "Do you even know if he's okay? If he's going to survive?"

"He's survived through much worse. Kayla will replenish his blood. He's going to be fine." Will explained. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm exhausted, and I need to sleep before I collapse."

"Aren't you worried that he's going to wake up, and leave? What if he hurts himself?" Hades asked, concern evident in his words.

"The IV has a sleeping draught in it to stop nightmares. It should keep him asleep until I wake up." Will felt droopy. He knew that he should probably stay awake to make sure Nico didn't run, but he was exhausted and stressed. All he could think about was the bed.

"Should?" Hades interjected.

"If you are really that concerned, you should stay with him. You are allowed to do that." Will sat on the bed. "Now, with absolutely no disrespect, I'm going to bed." His head hit the pillow and he instantly fell asleep.