I don't own the characters or the setting, just the story. Rick Riordan is the creator of characters and setting


I crouch behind one of the pillars, eyes glued to the door. There is an uneasy feeling in my stomach, and I know that Nico would kill me if he found me here, leaning against one of his obsidian pillars. In fact, this is probably the creepiest thing I could be doing right now. But I push those thoughts away. Nico is so frail now that the war is over, and he needs my help. Only problem is, he won't accept it.

Anyway, he is my priority right now. And he's been sleepwalking.

If the harpies get him in his current state, they might kill him. I can't allow that. So ever since I realized that this was a regular thing, I've been waiting outside his cabin and steering him gently back into his bed. Sometimes, after I walk him back in, if he's having an especially bad nightmare, I sit on his bed and stroke his hair until he calms down. That is bordering stalker behavior, I know, but I just can't help myself when I see his adorable face twisted in fear. I usually fall asleep like that, slumped over in Hazel's red armchair. The only reason why I haven't been found out yet is that I usually wake up before everyone else, and sneak back to the Apollo cabin.

I know that this is kind of a bad idea, but he's my patient. I'm his doctor. He needs me, and I don't know how else to help.

My train of thought is interrupted when suddenly, the door swings open. I leap up and look at the person that comes out. It's Nico, his pale brown skin shining in the moonlight.

He's...different this time around. He looks awake.

But it's dark, and I can't take any chances, so once he starts to shuffle forward, I grab his arm.

He reaches for where his sword would be. Dang it! He's awake! Luckily he doesn't have his swor- And then he slips a dagger out of one of his pockets. Wait...he sleeps with a dagger? Whatever, I need to concentrate. He stabs backwards at my head with surprising precision, but I manage to block him. Good thing he's still so wea-OUCH
He's kicked me, right where the sun don't shine. I drop to the floor as he turns around, and through the pain I see a shade of dismay painted on his pale face. He puts the blade back in it's sheath, face hardening as he does so. His cold black eyes glint, darker and more beautiful than any night.

"It's you." He says, and he sounds so, so angry, "Why are you even here?"

Ouff. That hurt. But I understand. He has every reason to be angry with me.

I try to smile a doctor's soothing smile, even though I'm pretty guilt-ridden at the moment.

"You've been sleep-walking a lot lately, and Dr Will doesn't think a harpy attack would be very good for your health," I say lamely, lifting my eyes up to his, hoping, hoping he'll forgive me, because I couldn't stand it if Nico hated me.

His hard eyes soften a bit, somehow managing to become even more captivating. He offers me his hand and says, "It's not like you're completely safe from the harpies either"

The cold, white hand lifts me up. When I look at his face, I see that a delicate, shy smile is lighting up his face. I can't help grinning back. He is too cute, sometimes.

He, to my surprise, starts to lead me into his cabin. I hear him take a few deep breaths, and when I see his face again, the smile is gone. He's pulling me gently but firmly into his cabin.

"It's too dangerous for you to head back to your cabin, Solace." He says. I try to remember whether or not he's been having trouble breathing lately. Should I be worried?

"Wait," I say, and he stops pulling. I've finally realized that it's kind of weird for him to be doing this. (What? It's not my fault if he's really good-looking and elegant and adorable. No homo)

"I can handle the harpies, and it's not that far from my cabin," I reason. It sounds more like a question than a statement, though.

I'm outside the shadowy cabin, he's inside, our hands linking us together. He looks at me, and I'm struck with the force of his determination.

"Solace," he commands, a hard look in his eye. I wonder why he's acting so strangely, but I'm kind of looking forward to spending some alone time with Nico. I nod, and walk into the cabin.

The door swings shut behind us, leaving only a few slivers of darkness behind. He walks to his bed and plops down, skin glowing in the slivers of light shining down from the closest window. It takes a moment for the two of us to realize how intimate this is, especially considering his sexuality. He turns red and shoots up, quickly moving to a nearby chair. I, red in the face as well, lower myself into a dark ebony stool.

I try to break the awkward silence. "So… do you think that there's a reason why you've been sleepwalking lately?"

He gives me A Look, and I know I should have said something else-anything else. This is not the infirmary, he doesn't want to talk about his problems. He doesn't need a doctor. I have work herd to summon a smile to my face after that thought.

"No," Nico says. I start, having not expected an answer.

I smile, happy he's finally talking to me. "Good."

I'm starting to feel tired, though. Nico is too, judging by his lackluster expression.

"Nico...we should go to bed," I advise.

"Don't!," he says, jolting out of his chair a bit. He sinks back down and looks at me.

"Don't go," he tries again.

I smirk. "I'm not going, Deathboy. In fact, I'd stay here all night if you let me."

Nico's eyes widen, and his face turns bright red.

"O-ok then," he replies, "You can have Hazel's bed."

For some reason, I really, really don't want Hazel's bed. Maybe it's the look in his eyes that tells me, maybe it's something else, but I know he doesn't want me to leave his side.

Huh...that was pretty cheesy. Whatever.

"Or I could sleep with you," I whisper, a sound just loud enough for Nico to hear.

He turns the brightest red I've ever seen. He nods, though, and crawls into bed. I slide in after him, sightly embarrassed and confused at my actions.

We lie there, back-to-back, for moment until we both drop off into the chaos of our dreams.

The next morning, I wake up entangled in his touch.