"Nico. It's Nico."

Will could have jumped a mile, except he hadn't the room. He was trapped in a cupboard, in the dark, with Nico Di Angelo: the most dangerous/gorgeous demigod he could think of. Was this a good thing, or a very bad one? If Nico went mad, he was liable to kill Will by accident, and yet Will couldn't help but feel that Nico needed the company to keep him sane. Besides, Nico would never hurt him on purpose, Will was sure of it. He listened to Nico's panicky breathing. That isn't right, he thought to himself.

Some doctor he was. Of course it isn't right for someone to be hyperventilating in a dark cupboard, on more than one level.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine! Fine," Nico lied.

O.K, then. That line of questioning isn't going to work.

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

Nico's arm (at least, he assumed it was Nico's arm he was resting his hand on. If it wasn't...) tensed. Bad question, he thought, but Nico answered.

"I went to my cabin and lay on my bed. I think I fell asleep. I woke up here." His words were punctuated with small, hiccupey gasps.

Panic attack, Will thought. He should have realised that a while ago, but he was a little preoccupied with loosing his own sanity to notice much.

"You?"

"I, uh. I don't remember much... I was picnicking with some couples by the lake, I think. I went back to my cabin, and... and... I think I just went to bed. I woke up here. I think I was drugged..."

There was a long silence, punctuated only by two sets of shaky breathing. Nico's, and his own, he realised.

O.K, Solace, keep it together, keep it together. It will be morning soon, KEEP. IT. TOGETHER.

Then Nico asked, "Are you alright? You sound... I don't know... upset?"

I know how I sound, Nico. Do you know how you sound? Will couldn't quite believe this. Nico had flipped the doctor-patient roles over, and was asking about him! It's his way of keeping control, Will thought suddenly.

"No, Nico, I'm not alright," was what he actually said.

"... What's wrong?"

Will took a deep breath. He had to tell someone.

"The dark. I'm scared of the dark. I'm only just holding it together, Nico. I'm scared." He waited for Nico to laugh at him: a child of Apollo, scared of the dark? Couldn't he use some special power to call the light, or something? That was what he expected people to say. That was what he expected Nico to say.

But he was suprised.

"Me too. Well, not the dark. I mean, I'm only just holding it together myself."

I can hear that, Will thought dryly, then hated himself for thinking it.

There was another pause. And then, all in a rush, Nico blurted out:

"I'm claustrophobic. I've been claustrophobic ever since Rome. I can't stand small spaces- cupboards, wardrobes, even tombs... I find myself panicking, like I'm going to drown, or like all the air's being squeezed from my chest..."

Nico sounded close to tears. Will found himself feeling unusually tearful himself, too.

"Hey, Nico, it's O.K. It's fine. Lots of people are claustrophobic."

"It's not fine! It makes me the most useless son of Hades ever! And it doesn't matter, cause we're probably going to die in here anyway!"

"No, Nico. No we're not." And Will pulled the other boy into his arms and hugged him. By the hitch in Nico's breathing, he had expected this as little as Will had planned it. But after a second, he relaxed and returned the hug.

"Thanks, Will."

"It's fine. You're not useless." Will had started talking now, he had to finish. "And even if you are useless to Hades, you're important to me."

Nico's voice was muffled when he responded. "And you're important to me, too."

At that moment, light spilled in from the top of the box. After his eyes adjusted, Will was able to see that they had been trapped in a two meter long crate. Leaning over the edge was a familiar figure. Rubbing his eyes (and suprised to find them wet) he was met by Connor's grin before a dazzling sunset.

"Rise and shine, boys! Did you enjoy your day in the box?" he asked in a jovial, teasing way.

Will and Nico jumped to their feet, hands still intertwined. Will felt ready to kill Connor, for what he had put Nico- for what he had put them both through.

When they spoke, they spoke with one voice, with one fury.

"CONNOR STOLL, WE ARE GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Connor's smile died as he glanced at their irate faces; he turned and ran.

"I told him it was a bad idea,"commented Annabeth, but both boys ignored her, turning to pursue their quarry.

Even through doling out Conner's punishment, neither Nico nor Will dropped their hands from the other's grip.

(Connor paid for his crimes, but everyone else was happy.)(Everyone important in this fic, anyway.)

That's all from me guys! Hope you enjoyed it the way I enjoy reviews! (Hint, hint.)