A week went by on the streets. Nico tried to stay away from people as much as possible, but a kid in New York City was going to get mugged eventually. Before he knew it, he had killed two more people.

What scared him the most was the fact that he didn't care.

Nico finally got the courage to talk to Will the next Friday night, since he couldn't stand to stay in the city any longer. He shadow traveled to his cabin to find it empty, slightly disappointed to not find Will there. But why would he be? Nico had hurt him, badly, and had just disappeared after. Who would want anything to do with someone like that? Who would want anything to do with a murderer? Will was a healer. He'd feel the deaths on Nico's soul just as he had felt Anubis.

"Why'd I even come back?" Nico whispered to himself, collapsing onto the nearest bed. "He probably hates me! Why...why did I ever think this was a good idea...Why..."

"Nico!" Almaji's voice made Nico jump slightly and turn around faster than he thought possible. Behind him, Almaji was half asleep under the black covers. His hair was a mess and his eyes were droopy, but he looked happy as ever to see the son of Hades. "You've been gone for so long! Where did you go?"

"I, uh, had some stuff to do." Nico lied. "What are you doing in here? Why'd they let you in here, more like it."

"Will thinks I'm in the Hermes cabin, and Travis thinks I'm with Will." Almaji smiled proudly at his plan. "It works and I get to sleep in here."

"Okay, new question. Why do you even want to sleep in here?" Nico looked around at the dark cabin's interior. "It's not a place little kids would usually want to be."

"It's comfortable." Almaji buried his head back into the blankets for effect. "So comfortable! And Will's been waiting for you. So I'm on watch for him, secretly."

"I doubt he's been waiting for me, Al. Sorry to burst your bubble." Nico laid by Almaji and stared at the bottom of the bunk above him. "He's doesn't miss me at all."

"He said he did." the kid frowned in confusion, peeking his eyes open to look at Nico. "He said to tell you if I see you."

"Probably so he can kick me out of camp." Nico countered. "He wants to make sure I don't hurt anybody."

Almaji's large eyes became ever wider. "You'd hurt somebody?"

Nico quickly shook his head. "No, no. Sorry for scaring you, Al. He just thinks I would. I got mad at him last time."

"Why?"

Nico couldn't help but smile at the anticipated question. "Cause. He stole my bacon at breakfast."

"Ah! No fair!" Almaji brought his hands above him and curled them into small fists, his eyes lighting up. "I'd be mad, too! Let's prank him!"

"As much as I'd love to, that's up the Stolls to do, I'm afraid." Nico gently pushed Almaji's hands down. "Get some sleep, kid. It's late."

"But you're going to leave when I'm asleep," Almaji replied quietly, sadness crossing his features. "You left last time without saying goodbye."

Nico couldn't speak, his heart feeling odd at the way Almaji cared about him. He cared that he left, he expected him to say goodbye. A child actually like Nico. He wasn't afraid of him.

He wasn't afraid of him.

"I'm not going to leave you without saying goodbye," Nico promised. "I swear on the River Styx. Has Will taught you about that yet?"

Almaji nodded, seeming satisfied. "Are you going to go see Will?"

Nico smiled at him. "You seem to read minds, Al. I was planning on it when you fell asleep."

"I'll help Rachel with prophecies." Almaji closed his eyes and brought the blankets close to his chin. "I can help her write them and keep them all neat."

"That'd be a pretty cool job," Nico admitted. "Maybe I'll talk to her about it."

"You would?!" Almaji's eyes shot open again.

"If you sleep," Nico warned. "You need your rest if you're going to have an important job like that, Al."

"Got it, got it." he closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Nico."

"Night," Nico replied, wishing someone goodnight for the first time in years. When had been the last time? He couldn't even remember.

He laid in silence until he was sure Almaji was asleep, the boy's soft breathing the only sound in Cabin 13. Nico didn't even bother to move until he started to notice that he felt another lifeform in the room. Another...rather bright...lifeform.

Nico's head whipped around to face the door, his face paling when he saw Will sitting by it as if he had been there awhile. He watched Nico with a small smile on his face, rubbing his bandaged wrist. "Hi,"

Nico put a finger to his lips before gesturing outside, not wanting to wake the sleeping child beside him. Will got the message and exited the cabin quietly, Nico following close behind. Once they were outside and the door was closed, Will sat on the porch railing.

"How long were you sitting there?" Nico asked, standing by Will and leaning against the railing. The sky was dark and the moon wasn't in sight, but a few specks of lights shone through the clouds.

"I was watching Almaji before you came. You just didn't notice me for some reason." Will admitted. "Are...are you mad?"

"No...are you scared?"

"No," Will didn't look fully truthful, but he didn't stop smiling. "You're really good with Almaji, you know."

"You think so?" Nico asked, shocked.

Will nodded. "Yeah, course. You're a natural. Have you had to take care of a kid before?"

Nico let out a small laugh. "Um, no. Never before. This is a first for me."

"Same here, but we're making it work." Will's eyes drifted to his bandaged wrist, his smile faltering for a minute before regaining its past look. "Nico, can I ask you a question?"

"After I say something." Nico looked away from Will, his scowl deepening as he tried to think of a way to apologize. He hated admitting he was wrong, but he had been wrong a lot lately. Too much for his own good.

"Okay, go ahead." Will watched Nico even though the boy refused to look back at him. "Just say it, it's okay."

"I...I...um,..." Nico flicked his eyes around nervously. "I...I wanted to say...that...I'm...I'm sorry, Will. I'm sorry for hurting you how I did. I really didn't mean it. Please believe me."

"Of course I believe you." Will replied lightly. "I mean, if you meant it a lot more power would have leaked through."

Nico frowned, looking back to Will. "What do you mean by that?"

Will tossed some hair out of his face, his smile turning sheepish. "When I healed you and when you did that to my wrist, I've put together some pretty useful information about your powers. I haven't told anyone, don't worry, but I thought you'd like to know as much as you can. I doubt a demigod hosting an Egyptian god has been done before for you to look into."

Nico nodded in acceptance. "Continue."

"When I healed you, I felt Anubis in you, you know." Will started. "I felt...I felt the rawness of that power now that yours and Anubis's is combined. I felt how much you really have. I...I may have been a little scared...but that's only because I was shocked. I've never felt that much power inside a non-immortal being before. It was incredible. That's why when you hurt me, I knew you hadn't meant it.

"When a demigod uses their powers, it comes out more...forced, for lack of a better word. You can feel the push behind it and the motive. A healer can, at least. I've had a lot of patients try to get me away from them, even if that meant using their powers on me. I know the difference between how accidental and purposeful powers are felt. When you hurt me, it wasn't on purpose. That drive wasn't behind it. Yes, it was a lot of power, but it still didn't have that push. If you had really wanted to hurt me, I wouldn't have an arm anymore. It's as simple as that.

"So I know you didn't mean to, Nico. I know. So you don't have to explain yourself to me. And I can take it. I'm a son of Apollo, remember? I've got my skin healing as we speak. I'm going to be okay. And the other reason I knew you wouldn't hurt me...because you're you, Nico. You're not going to hurt your friend, I know you. So it's all okay, I promise."

Nico's eyes had watered slightly but he kept the tears from falling, his heart aching at the friendship he felt. Gods, he was unused to it. Feeling someone care about him, just as Almaji did, was exhausting. A good exhausting. He felt good. At that moment, he didn't feel so much as a monster.

"You think we're friends?" Nico blurted out, unable to get past Will's word choice. "You said...you said friends."

"Yes...? Is that okay?" Will squinted his eyes in confusion. "Usually when two people flirt, they're friends first."

"F-Fl..Fli...I...we don't...we don't flirt...I-I..." Nico spluttered, his face heating up in the cold night air. "Will, we...flirting...it's..."

"Been going on too long? I agree." Will laughed at Nico's expression, his own face tinted red. "Almaji asked me yesterday when I was going to kiss you."

"Al asked that? He's too young! Wait, what did you say?" Nico tried to cover his face with his hands, his stomach twisting into knots.

"Well, that's a secret." Will smirked. "But can I give you a hint?"

"William Solace-"

Will kissed Nico's cheek, smiling at how the usual cold skin was warm. As he pulled away, he couldn't help but remember Nico's scent. How did the boy smell like so odd things but make it work so well? He smelled like the earth and like an old bookstore, with smoke lingered in. He smelled, to Will, like Heaven.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Will said casually, ruffling Nico's hair. "Maybe you'll flirt back, who knows. Bye, now."

As Will left, Nico couldn't help but stare at the spot he had been standing in utter shock. How in the world had that even happened? Will Solace, William Solace, had just kissed his cheek. William Solace.

Nico stumbled into his cabin before he fainted from shock.