A/N Thanks for being great, everyone! I can see my reviews again, so I'll try and answer them...
Here it is!
On the evening of the third day, Darla's trial was held.
Frank the great snipe (A/N I Google searched the fastest bird over long distance. It can go up to 60 mph! ... *ahem*) had been despatched to Camp Jupiter the moment the battle had ended, and had returned with Reyna, Rachel, Gwen, and Dakota. The four judges (and Frank) had arrived by pegasus, and immediately been rushed into the rec room of the big house.
It had been specially renovated for the occasion. A team of Hephaestus kids, with Nyssa at the head, had spent every spare moment since the battle tinkering around, and, at long last, had produced... A small red button with a judge's gavel engraved upon it.
Actually, Nyssa has explained to the perplexed crowd, it was what happened when you pressed the button that was important. When lightly depressed by a dubious Jason, the arcade games rotated and became wooden benches. The table flipped over and became the accused's podium. At the far end of the room, an area for the judge's to sit and... judge rose out of the floor.
The rec room became a court room at the push of a button.
Predictably, Percy became completely obsessed with the button, and it was a further 20 minutes before Annabeth (now fully healed) could persuade him to take his seat.
The panel of judges consisted of Chiron, Reyna, Gwen, Dakota, and Rachel (who spent the entire time doodling in a sheet of paper as well as paying possibly more attention than any of the others); the jury contained the heads of all the cabins, plus a few extra, and some satyrs.
The trial was quite short.
Will was called on to testify, and spent a slow quarter of an hour answering questions before the final verdict. Then he went straight back to Nico's side.
XxX
"Darla was pretty much silent all the way through. Nemesis stands for trials and justice as well as revenge... I think she must have respected what was going on. I didn't expect her to take things lying down, though. Did you?"
As usual, Nico did not respond. Will was sitting in a squishy, orange armchair that Isla had found in a storeroom, and persuaded Arla to help her carry it in. Will had told Nico, several times, that it was probably full of dust and harmful germs; he could not summon the energy to remove it.
"Well, she did," Will continued. "It was a guilty verdict."
He sat back for a moment, then a flicker of shock crossed his face.
"Oh, no! Not the death penalty, Nico. We couldn't to that unless it was life or death in battle- never as a punishment!" He shook his head vehemently. Nico, however, remained still.
"After a short discussion, Chiron announced that she should be banished. Reyna then added that she could only return if she made it to Athens- the original Athens- and knelt before the place the alter once stood.
Dakota said that, once she left, any demigod who met her was banned from acknowledging her quest or aiding her.
Gwen said that she could stay here for a few days longer to gather food and supplies, and then say her goodbyes. She also said that the demigod she met would be allowed to give her food and medical care if her need was great. I think they're being to kind to her. After what she did to you, she should never be allowed to return here..."
He paused and frowned.
"Oh, yes. Rachel finished with the fact that the Hephaestus and Hecate cabins would create a tracking/monitoring device to make sure that she does get to Athens, and doesn't cheat. They're working on that now..."
He ran one hand over the sleeping boy's face; starting up at his temple and finishing just to the left of and above his chin. He stayed silent for a time, and when he spoke again, his voice was a whisper.
"They decided to drop all charges against you- the ones that say that you could and should have prevented the Roman-Greek war in the first place- because you saved both camps so many times." He sniffed.
"You can wake up now and no-one will say anything about it! You're a hero, Death Boy!" The pale Italian did not move a muscle. "Nico please! Please wake up for me. P-please..."
His voice trailed away as tears began rolling down his face again. They overflowed from his dull blue eyes and dripped off the end of his nose, landing on the bandaged chest of the boy before him.
"Come on, Nico! Open those stupid eyes! Nico!"
He reached up and dashed the tears from his cheek with a trembling hand, then laid it back down on the covers beside Nico's white one.
Which moved to cover his.
"W-Will? I didn't want you to die, too..." Nico's voice was scratchy and weak from lack of use.
His dark eyes were trained on Will's tear stained face.
"Nico!"
Will flung his arms around the thinner boy and hugged him tightly. "Oh gods, Nico! You're awake- you're alive!"
Nico patted his back in confusion. "What are you talking about? I died! And you're hurting..."
"Sorry! Sorry, sorry..."
Will released the other boy, who felt his ribs and seemed surprised to find them bound. "What do you mean?! You're not dead! You've finally woken up!"
Will beamed as he tried to hand Nico a glass of Nectar, but Nico refused to take it.
"Will, I know what an arrow to the chest means. Why are you-"
Will burst into tears again.
"Woah, woah! Don't cry, Will!" Nico sounded worried and shocked.
"You- you're not dead, Nico! The arrow didn't kill y-you! I saved your life and we're gonna live forever a-and ever..."
Nico looked impressed, but still worried. "So, if I'm not dead... where am I?"
He patted the bed beside him, and Will sat down. As he dried his eyes (again), he explained.
"You almost -died. But we got you here in time and- and-"
His throat clenched. What if, when he told Nico everything, this turned out to be a dream?
But Nico spoke. "Wait... when I said your name, you started babbling about how I've... 'woken up'. How long have I even here, Will?"
He stared into Will's eyes, and Will could not look away.
"Eighty-one hours, and thirty-seven minutes... I was starting to think you'd left me..."
Nico shook his head. "Eighty- three and a half days?!" He yelped.
"Yes, and maybe now you're awake we can get Will to sleep," said Kayla from the open doorway. She grinned. "Welcome back, Nico."
"Thanks." Then Nico looked searching at Will. "What did she mean by that, Will?"
Will looked at his scuffed trainers, embarrassed.
"I meant, he's barely left your side since Darla shot you. Now, go, Will. I'll monitor Nico for twelve hours."
She raised her hand to cut off his protests. "No. William Solace, you are going to go to your cabin, and you are not coming back here until eight this evening. Go! Shoo!"
She glared at him, and he stood up and trailed out of the room. He stumbled a few times, until Kayla took pity on him and called Mike to help him reach cabin 7 without collapsing.
He was out the second his head touched his pillow.
XxX
Drew watched him enter his cabin from a red and white checked rug in the centre of the open spaces by the cabins, Lacy at her side. As expected, Lacy dropped her queen with a squeal when she saw Will.
"Drew! Will's left the infirmary! That means Nico's woken up!" Drew rolled her eyes, even though she'd just thought the exact same thing. Clarisse, who was watching the fallen piece of wood with interest, did nothing.
Just to say something, Drew responded with a dark smile. "Or... Nico died. And now Will is going to mourn him forever and never date any one else again. Or commit suicide to be with Nico. Either of the two; they're both romantic enough for me."
Lacy picked up her piece again and aimed a swipe at her. "Don't say that! It's much more romantic if Nico wakes up! Also, everyone here would be really upset if he did die..."
Clarisse scoffed. "Speak for yourself," she said gruffly. Then, "Are you going to take your move or not?"
"You can't mean that! I know how worried you were about him," Lacy replied. "And yes." She placed the queen onto a black square, knocking a knight to the side. Clarisse did not hesitate. Moving her other knight abruptly, she said, "Checkmate. I win, again."
Drew chuckled at the stunned look on Lacy's face, then returned her attention to the Apollo cabin.
When Clarisse started returning the pieces to their start positions for another game, she stood up to go.
She was going to find out what had happened to Nico, then tell everyone she could find.
A/N Ta daaa! What do you think?
Also, how many of you spotted that I used the same dialogue when Will was waiting for Nico to wake up, as I used when Nico was waiting for Will to wake up... only switching the names over, obviously.
Thanks to all my reviewers!
This will be continued!
I love being reviewed, so...
Thanks all!
~Fi