Author note: Sorry this chapter took so long you guys! A lot has happened to me recently. I graduated, had my 18th birthday, and then a really close friend of mine took her own life, so things have been a bit busy lately. Now that I'm out of school though I should have more time, hopefully I'll get some more chapters for you guys you all for the favorites and follows, they're so appreciated, please keep up the feedback!

Nico wasn't sure how long he had been slumped against the door, his shoulders shaking with each sob. He could feel years of bottled up emotions and pure pain coming out in salty tears. Strangely it felt good though, he felt a bit of pressure being released from his shoulders.

And there was someone pacing in front of him and continuously chattering, though he wasn't sure who it was. Frankly, he didn't care; because the picture of Percy holding Annabeth in his arms and flashing her a prize winning grin just wouldn't leave his train of thought.

The person with him had apparently left and fetched him a glass of water. They handed it to Nico and sat next to him, with their hand on his shoulder. He finally calmed down enough to drown the glass and silently handed it back, and put his head in his hands.

His company was now rubbing their hand along Nico's shoulder, "So.. um, are you okay?"

Nico glanced up at Leo, the last person he expected to be comforting him. "Yeah, just peachy."

Leo let out an abrupt laugh, "Well that's certainly not a phrase I thought I'd ever hear from The son of Hades."

"Yeah well there are a lot of things you probably wouldn't expect from me..."

"There's the brooding Nico I know!"

Nico let out a slight puff of air, which Leo took as the closest thing to laughter anyone would ever hear from Nico.

"So, what's eating at you? And I say that figuratively, because I am really not in the mood to have to like surgically remove any kind of brain-eating-life-sucking monster parasite hybrid."

"I.. I need some ambrosia, like yesterday." Nico lifted his shirt up to show his bloody gauze off. "I think I pulled the stitches out on the way here." Leo's face was slightly paler than normal as he jumped up and took off, coming back just as quickly and with some ambrosia.

Nico took it from his friend's hands and downed it as quick as possible. His side instantly felt worlds better. The burning and itching stopped, but he could still feel a dull throb of pain.

He successfully took his own shirt off and tossed it aside, and started to pull his gauze off slowly. Leo sat at the couch across the room, presumably trying to get away from the blood.

"So, how did that happen?" Leo was making his hand busy, and trying to make his mind even busier.

Nico remembered the other night easily. Every detail was stuck on replay. He had been strolling through a bad part of town when some obvious monsters had caught him by surprise. They came lurking out of the shadows, two of them. Though he had no clue what "them" were. They looked human enough at first glance, but if you actually payed attention they had scales running along their neck, and when they talked they gave off a hissing sound, almost like a snake.

"Well well, look what Hades dragged in.." Nico had his sword out in a flash, and he was already checking for escape routes.

"What'ss the boy's name again, sissster?" The man/snake hybrid thing had eyes that flashed a bright green, they almost looked acidic. And Nico noticed that neither of them blinked.

"I believe it'sss Nico, brother. You know what else I know about you little boy?"

Nico had his sword pointed at them, and he was slowly backing up, but they just kept following, staring him down with their unnatural green eyes. "I don't want any trouble, just let me by and maybe you guys can live.."

The siblings gave a spine chilling chuckle at that, with hisses in between. It made Nico's hair stand on end.

"Oh how courageousss of the little hero."

"Not asss courageous as the secret he hidess."

Nico started to shake a little. "What.. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ignorance isn't cute, Nico." The sister dropped her scarey smile and replaced it with a look of contempt. The two started to advance on him even more.

"Everyone knows, Nico, just stop pretending.. "

"It's no use, it will only tire you out."

"Stop!" Nico stopped backing up, he stood his ground with sward pointed right in between the sister's eyes.

She looked bored, which isn't quite the reaction Nico as hoping for. "Just admit it, you're a hopeless little boy crushing on your friend. But what will he say when he finds out his friend is really a fag-"

With a yell Nico slashed at her with a wide arc and a fight ensued. She stumbled backward in time to make Nico's attack nothing but a minor blow to her shoulder. She hissed at him with maliciousness.

"You are going to pay for that you little brat." She lunged at him, and he sliced his sword over and over, waiting for a breather so he could collect his power and open a hole in the ground, big enough for two.

"Don't just ssstand there you idiot! Help me!" Her brother tried at Nico's back and he ended up distracted by one of the two, and then someone's tongue was slicing at his side. He dropped his sword and let out a guttural scream, and the siblings backed away, the Sister had a twisted smile on her face.

She started to reach for Nico's abandoned sword, but Nico let out one more growl and opened the earth beneath the two, and the look of surprise, fear, and pure hatred, was enough to give Nico a slight smile.

He gathered his sword and headed for Percy's, which was luckily right down the road. Nico had a knack for checking in on Percy sometimes. Just to make sure he was still there, still okay. Still the one thing that hasn't be torn out of his life. He knew the way around Percy's town quite well because of it.

Nico managed to tell the story leaving out all the gossipy bits. By the time he finished his story, Percy had stumbled through the door.

"Hey, I'm sorry I-" He cut off as when he noticed Leo on the couch, and quickly assessed the situation. "Did I... Interrupt something...?

Leo observed the way Nico's gaze was planted firmly on his hands sitting in his lap, and the look of worry and concern on Percy's and decided that it was a good time to take his leave. "Nope, I was just helping Nico find ambrosia, and also just leaving." He clapped Percy on the back and barely moved his mouth when he told him to ask Nico how he got hurt, then Leo took his exit, winking at Nico before walking out the door.

"He sure is an odd one..." Percy shook his head as he took a seat next to Nico. "On a serious note though, I'm really sorry for ditching you back there, the campers wouldn't let me go easily, and the were determined to reunite Annabeth and I."

"Don't worry about it alright." Nico slid as away from Percy as he could without practically crawling over the couch arm.

Percy didn't look happy about dropping it, but he changed the subject anyway, "How's your side doing?"

"Better." Nico was angry, and he was taking it out on Percy. He knew he was, and he knew how unfair it was, but he also didn't care. So yeah he was being short, sue him, he's a 14 year old who's literally gone to hell, he deserves a break from bottling it all up.

"Nico, would you just talk to me? What happened?" Percy moved closer to his friend and laid a hand on Nico's thigh.

Nico's breath caught in his chest for a minute. He just stared at his thigh, he could feel his own pulse through Percy's hand. At least he thought it was his pulse. He also realized how incredibly sweaty he was, and his temperature felt like it was rising by the second. He felt like he could feel his heart making it's way up his throat. "Does it feel hot in here, all of a sudden?" Nico grabbed at the collar of his shirt and pulled at it as he quickly jumped off, making Percy's hand fall back to his side. Nico paced the room a bit, running his hands through his hair.

"Nico, are you okay? You seem... Really anxious..."

Nico let out a humorless laugh. "I'm gonna go to my cabin okay, I'll see you at dinner I guess." And with that, Nico rushed out the door, not once daring to look back.