VII

NICO

'You do care'

It wasn't the first time that Nico was confused about a certain thing. But what Will had said to him the other day was enough to beat all the rest of confusing things that wouldn't get out of his head. It wasn't right. Death angels had lost the ability to care about anything else aside from their job and their quotas. So how was it possible that he was doing it now?

The moment that he had become a death angel, most of his mortal memories and emotions had been flushed out of the toilet. Death angels were forged to be steel and strong. They didn't feel any remorse, guilt, pity, concern, sympathy and anything synonymous to those kinds of emotions that would make them vulnerable.

But why was he now faltering when the subject of discussion was Will Solace?

He wasn't making excuses when he had told Will that he did not want to hold grudges on him, because he thought that holding grudges could be a vulnerability that might hinder his job. But then, to Nico's ears, it sounded half-truth. He wasn't satisfied with that answer. So if that was the fifty percent of the whole truth, what in Hades' Realm was the other half of the truth?

Nico badly needed to know.

What was new by the way? When it came to Will Solace, there was always the phrase needed to know.

The death angel was becoming desperate to ask Bob Iapetus about all of these. He was certain that the fellow death angel could help him with whatever he was dealing with. However, as of the moment, Bob was missing in action and he didn't have time to pay a long visit to the Underworld because of his job and well, because of Will Solace whom he was constantly running into whenever the Fates had a chance to collide them together.

It wasn't helping that he was having these kinds of thoughts while he was in the middle of a battle with a rogue ghost in the parking lot in the middle of the night.

Stygian Iron sword in the hand of death angel, he and the ghost were circling each other, waiting and testing who was going to bite first.

Nico had escorted a murderer's soul towards the Underworld but then when this soul had learned that he was dead; it ran away wanting revenge to the people who had ended its life. The moment a soul ran away from a death angel, the soul was already marked as a ghost. So the chase had started and Nico had chased this frustrating ghost half of the night. It wasn't helping that there would be another soul needed to be escorted in half an hour. Nico was running out of time. If Nico failed to show up to this next soul, the soul would wander and it would become a ghost that would result in another chase, and of course, that would be another problem.

Nico feigned an attack and the ghost dodged as the death angel had predicted. He hit the head of the ghost with the pommel of his sword, the ghost staggered. Nico kicked him in the ribs this time. But the ghost regained balance immediately and dodged the next attack of Nico. He lunged forward trying to claw out the death angel but Nico was quick and went sideways and around the ghost. Nico slashed the ghost at the back. A steam of smoke evaporated on the part where the ghost had been hit. Every hit from a Stygian Iron would weaken the ghost and eventually paralyzed it, unable to run anywhere.

Nico was about to deliver the final strike.

"Nico?"

The death angel almost lost his balance. He whipped around where the voice had come from. Not from afar, Will Solace was standing in his surgeon's scrub and looking at him bewilderedly. For a second, Nico was confused why in Hades again Will Solace was there but one look at the towering building on his side, he got his answer.

He ended up in the parking lot of Jupiter Half-blood Hospital.

What are the chances? Nico thought sarcastically.

Nico was brought back to the present when a growl erupted behind him. He turned in time just to see that the ghost was going to attack him again, with no time to spare he raised his sword to block the attack of the ghost. The ghost staggered back, hissing while its hands were smoking.

"Nico, what are you doing? And what was that thing you're holding?" Will asked.

Nico realized that Will couldn't see the ghost.

"Stay back, Solace! Get back inside." Nico shouted eyeing the ghost.

It could be dangerous when there was a mortal present in front of a rogue and angry ghost.

"But…"

Nico gritted his teeth. Of course, Will was stubborn and annoying as ever. Nico risked looking at Will who was like coming forward to him.

His eyes widened. "Stop right there you idiot!"

The ghost growled again, the seconds Nico had wasted looking at Will gave an opportunity to the ghost to attack, but this time not to the death angel.

The ghost was like a hurling wind running towards Will as it passed by a stupefied Nico.

A ghost did not have brains and this ghost was seeking revenge and it was not a good combination. The worst-case scenario was Will, getting possessed by this ghost. And Hades' realm would freeze over first before Nico would let that happen.

With milliseconds to spare, Nico vanished in black smoke. He reappeared next to Will and he pulled the blond out of the way, just in time the ghost struck.

Nico and Will fell on the ground.

"W-what is-"

"Damn it Solace!" Nico glowered at him. "For the love of everything and if you value your life. Stay right here. Please."

Nico stood up before Will could respond. He strode towards the ghost. There was a loud pulse in his veins and a roar in his ears. Suddenly, the ghost looked more vivid to him than ever, as if it was all Nico could see. He was a predator, ready to unleash the wrath radiating within him.

Nico struck the ghost without mercy because death angels did not have mercy. They were guardians of the Underworld keeping the balance of living and dead. Instead of growling, the ghost was wailing in agony with every hit of the Stygian Iron. Bit by bit, the ghost was fading in white smoke.

That was when some sense hit Nico. He froze, his sword was raised mid-air. He realized that black smoke was curling around him, destructive black energy ready to strike its vengeance.

And it was not good because he almost obliterated the ghost, as in vanished the existence of it. Death angels had no right to obliterate a ghost. It was not up to them to give a punishment.

The ghost was on his knees. Fortunately, he stopped fading but one wrong strike and he was gone, as in gone without a chance to be judged.

Nico closed his eyes briefly as the sword melted into black smoke and vanished in his hand. He never lost control. So what in Hades, had happened to him?

When he opened his eyes, he strode towards the ghost. He held him on the shoulder and both of them vanished.

They both materialized inside the DOA Recording studios. The ghost was still on his knees and some death angels and souls looked at them curiously. A back notebook materialized in his hand. He opened it. He signed the golden paper and tore it.

Nico knelt down and slapped the golden paper on the ghost's forehead. He spoke quietly. His voice shook slightly because of the rage that still remained in him. "That's your ticket to the Underworld and I do hope you go to the fields of punishment and you experience the worst punishment of all punishments for eternity."

The ghost whimpered in response. Then Nico vanished.

Nico appeared in a long white hallway. For one panicky moment he thought that he was back in JHH but as he looked around he realized that it was another hospital. He was there to escort another soul.

He leaned on the white-tiled wall and closed his eyes once more. Now the adrenaline's gone, it felt like the earlier battle zapped the energy out of him which was kind of absurd because death angels didn't feel sluggishness and tiredness. Then he shivered at the thought of black energy surrounding him earlier. He had felt how powerful that energy was and one wrong tap on it, he wouldn't just obliterate the ghost but also cause severe damage to the surrounding area where Will was.

Oh gods Will… Will was there and he could have been hurt if he didn't reign his power just in time.

The vibration in his chest pocket. Nico opened his eyes. He stood straighter. He pushed his current thoughts including the certain blond at the back of his head. There's another soul to escort.

After escorting the soul, Nico was back at the parking lot of JHH. He chose that place because he knew Will wouldn't be there, it had been a while since he had vanished from the blond's sight and he doubted that the blond would still be there. . .

His pace slowed down when he saw the familiar mop of blond. Will leaned at the back of a car, this time he was now wearing his white coat. He was looking down at the ground while his hands were shoved at the pockets of his coat. Of course, Nico was wrong. He should have known that this idiotic blond would wait no matter what.

As if sensing his presence, Will looked at his direction and froze. He immediately stood straighter. He looked at Nico expectantly. Nico just walked towards him.

"Why are you still here?" Nico asked when he was in front of the blond.

"I was worried," Will said.

Nico frowned. Worried?

"And I need an explanation." Will continued hastily. "What in the name of Hades happened earlier?"

"A ghost happened," Nico stated.

"Ghost?" Will's brows knitted together.

"You can't see a ghost but there happened to be one here earlier and I was chasing after it. It was dangerous because that ghost wanted revenge, he almost hurt you." Nico explained.

"Oh,"

"And that brings me to the topic of why were you here earlier? Why were you always in places you shouldn't be?"

"It's not like I wanted to happen it either," Will countered. "I saw you on the window acting weirdly and as you have said I couldn't see ghost and I had no clue what's happening, that's why I came to you to know what's going on."

"I told you to get inside! Why didn't you just do it?"

"Wait a sec, why are you shouting at me?! I told you I didn't have any idea what's going on and I panicked because I couldn't just leave you there!"

"You have to remember Solace that I am immortal and I can take care of myself, for Hades' sake!"

"But even so, I couldn't just run away like that!"

Nico took a deep breath, calming his nerves. "You know what, why bother, you're stubborn and annoying. What's the point of arguing with you?" This time he was the one who leaned back on the rear of the car.

"Anyway, thank you, for earlier. I didn't know mostly what happened but I think you just save me back there."

Nico just snorted.

"But then, there's like black smoke around you earlier, it's quite scary. What was that?" Will asked curiously.

Nico stiffened briefly but then he answered. "I lost control earlier. I almost obliterate that ghost and it's against the rules."

"Ah," Then Will hesitated. "I-I'm sorry, I am always causing trouble, aren't I?"

Nico snorted again. "Now, you are apologizing."

"At least, I am admitting now that it was kind of my fault too," Will grumbled.

"Just don't pop out unexpectedly out of nowhere and you'll be fine." Nico waved his hand.

"Can't help it, you're like a magnet…"

Nico stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Will answered immediately rubbing the back of his neck. Nico noticed a square bandaged on the side of Will's hand.

"What happened to this?" Nico held Will's wrist pointing at the bandage

Will gazed at his hand. "Oh, I kind of scrape my hand when we fell earlier but no big deal it was just a scratch."

Nico stared at the bandage. Unconsciously he held Will's hand and grazed the bandage with his thumb. He frowned. Mortals are so vulnerable.

Will cleared his throat, reluctantly pulling his hand away. "Anyway, were you always like that? Fighting ghost? Where these ghosts came from?"

Nico went back on leaning on the car.

And Nico told him, disregarding the rules of what happens in the Underworld, stays in the Underworld. He knew that he was being reckless. Again, what's new? Nico was reckless and Will was trouble. It had always been like that since the beginning.