"S87 and S97," Joey Salim asked.

"A guy who's having a really bad day. Crushing injury to the lower leg, foot and ankle."

"V97.33XD?"

I looked at him, feeling annoyed. "Seriously?"

He shrugged. "It might be on your exam."

"Sucked into a jet engine. I am never going to treat those injuries. The exam is for common codes."

"You don't know that for sure. Z63.1."

"I'm not worried about it. I'm sure Hades is going to be great."

Joey stared blankly at me. "Dude... I have to hand it to you, even if I did go that way, I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. I mean, he's Hades kid. Doesn't that worry you?"

"A lot actually. We've already been over it. He told me that his dad sent Percy to Tartarus to punish someone and Annabeth to get him out of the situation. Nico isn't the best judge of reality so I couldn't say how true it is. But you know, eternal suffering if I break his heart or something."

"You know all this stuff by heart and that makes me think you're really smart but then you say that and I think you're really dumb."

"Do you really believe that Hades bases his decisions on Nico's opinion?"

"I guess not. But you have to wonder."

"Maybe. But if I don't get through this I will have to repeat the course. I am only able to fail one class or I lose my scholarship. I really can't afford to worry about anything else at the moment." I sighed and admitted, "It's one of the reasons I'm not really pursuing a relationship with him right now."

"Reasons?"

I closed my textbook. Joey was right. I knew all of this already. He was a son of Irene and had a natural talent for communication. Maybe he could help me find a solution.

"He's just not ready. He thinks he is but it's just his abandonment issues in play. He's terrified of actual intimacy and there's plenty of internalized homophobia. And there's the bigger issues of Bianca, Percy Jackson and his capture by the Giants."

"Percy?"

"This can't get out. I'm just saying what I'm feeling. But I'm no one's rebound, even from a one-sided romance. I won't be."

"Are you sure he's the only one afraid of being intimate?"

"You could be right. I'm not ready and it's not just the course and workload. Nico's a mess right now. I don't need to be in a relationship like that. Besides ethically I can't because he's not able to consent to anything yet."

"If Hades is really that concerned about his son than he'll see that you respected Nico enough to think of that. I would assume anyway."

"That's what I was counting on." I cringed. "Not that that was my reason for doing it. Trust is a big deal for Nico and I need to build that between us before anything else.

He told Mellie that the Giants tortured him. Again, this isn't something that can get out. But how I'm supposed to help him with that?"

"Maybe don't? Let Chiron handle that. It's like you said already; just be his friend. Be there for him. Keep showing up."

"So I'm doing the right thing?"

"Sounds like it. But I hate giving advice. You know the situation better. You're the only one knows if you're just making excuses or not."

"My future is too important to me. I've worked so hard to get where I am. If he can join me that would be so great. But I might have to let him go and move on."

Joey nodded. "The rest of what you said sounds good but I can tell you meant that. We have to take care of ourselves first. Sometimes I wish Amy would get that but she's my girl, all the way. You'll be fine either way and so will he."

"I needed this conversation. Thank you."

"Yeah, well. Nico isn't the only one who needs a friend every now and then," he made a point of saying.

I couldn't tell if he was talking about me or him. I grabbed my books and thanked him again before leaving.

I made my way to the private rooms. Nico's door was opened. When I went in he was still asleep. I turned on the light.

I poured the medicine Chiron had prescribed him and waited for him to wake up enough to take it.

"I hate this," he said, half asleep.

"I know you do. It'll take about three weeks before your body adjusts to it but it'll help with the mood swings, okay?"

He grunted his assent. He downed the syrup and I gave him water next.

"Are you hungry," I asked him.

"I'm really sleepy." He started to snore again but I shook him awake.

"You have to eat something. You can't just sleep all the time, no matter how tired it makes you." I dragged him back into a half-sitting position. I grabbed the sandwich he'd been ignoring since noon and put it in his hand. "Eat," I demanded.

He ate half before passing out again. I tossed the rest.

I thought about my earlier conversation and decided to give him an inch and take the rest of the day off. I stretched out beside him and flipped on the TV.

After awhile, he was conscious enough to move closer. "Love you, Will," he murmured drowsily.

It gave me chills and excited me at the same time. I kissed the top of his head and listened to him snore for the rest of the day.