August 6

Will

He was heading out of the mess hall when Jason Grace caught up to him.

"Hey, Solace! I hear Nico is in the infirmary, right?"

"Yeah, he has another day of rest, doctor's orders," Will smiled. "I'm just grabbing him some food."

"Oh, good. Yeah I guess he didn't really eat well the past few weeks… Hey, is it ok if me and Piper and Percy and Annabeth come visit? Classes are starting back up tomorrow so we thought we'd come bug him while we had the time." Jason looked at Will hopefully. Will still couldn't quite understand how he and Nico were friends, but Jason seemed nice enough.

"Definitely. He's the only one in there so he'll probably be glad for the company."

"Great." Jason turned toward where Percy, Piper, and Annabeth were sitting under a nearby tree. "Hey guys! Will says we can see Nico!"

The other three hopped up and together they all headed toward the infirmary. Percy and Annabeth were half-arguing-half-flirting about some monster they fought when Will pulled the dividing curtains back from Nico's bed.

"Hey, look who I found," Will said as he sat Nico's food next to him.

The four visitors started talking all at once, telling Nico how much healthier he looked already and asking about the scars and talking about training, and Nico immediately looked overwhelmed. Will smiled and slid the curtains closed again and headed back to the medicine closet.

Kayla was still working on the shelf she had been organizing before Will left for the mess hall. "This is nonsense. How did all of this get so screwed up?"

"Well, we did have that whole battle thing," Will said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think some of the younger healers really know where anything goes yet either."

"Obviously," Kayla said as she grabbed the inventory list and rewrote one of her counts. The two of them had decided to tackle the closet now that things had calmed down. Will wanted to make sure everything was organized and restocked before the next capture the flag game.

The sound of laughter flooded through the doorway.

"So that di Angelo kid, huh? What do you make of him?" Kayla asked as she counted out a pile of small pill bottles.

Will was quiet for a few moments. "He's… fine," Will said, picking up the inventory list.

Kayla chuckled. "Yeah, that's why you've basically been living here the past couple days? Because the company is just 'fine'? Come on, Will."

"Ok, yeah... he's really interesting, and nice, and I had to make sure those Lycaon cuts healed ok and that he didn't, you know, disappear," Will said, defensively.

"Oh, right, of course. All very professional. Probably nothing to do with the fact that he's totally your type and basically saved the world a couple times," she said, turning to stare right at Will.

He glanced up, blushing. "Kayla, come on. First of all, I don't have a type, and second, it's not like anything would happen. I don't think we play for the same team, you know? We're just sort of friends, I guess."

"You must be joking. You don't have a type? Really? So, that kid from the Hecate cabin you wouldn't stop talking about last summer and after him you thought that jerk Ellis from the Aries cabin was the most amazing thing ever and we can't forget your ex-"

Will cut her off. "Kayla. Do you have a point?"

He tried not to think about his ex, Matteo. Stupid son of Aphrodite and that stupid rite of passage thing they used to do and stupid Will for falling for it.

Kayla cleared her throat and brought Will back from dreaming up awful diseases he'd like to send Matteo's way. "Yes, Will, I do. My point is that you seem to notice the mysterious brunettes a bit more than, you know, anyone else at all. Also, I'd bet good money that Nico does swing that way. I don't know him at all, and maybe his whole goth-y vibe is throwing me off, but the way he used to look at Percy Jackson…"

Will rolled his eyes. "Kayla, when Percy got back from his first quest, everyone looked at him that way." Will sighed. "I just … after Matteo and all of that, I think I'd just rather not, you know? Like, I'm fine just doing the infirmary and hanging out with you and Lou Ellen and Cecil. It isn't really like dating someone here is all that exciting. I mean, what would a romantic meal even look like? Eating a few feet away from the rest of the kids at the table? Sitting and watching the glow of the lava on the climbing wall?"

"Come on, you weren't always like that. Besides, I can tell you about many ways you can have a good time on a date without leaving camp if you want me to…" she said, wiggling her eyebrows and poking Will in the ribs.

"What? No, please, I believe you!" Will laughed, backing up as much as he could within the confines of the supply closet. "I don't want to hear about whatever it is you're doing or whoever it is you're doing it with. I'll be scarred for life."

Kayla laughed. "Well, when the time will come when you'll want to visit the supply closet for more than some fresh bandages I'll have you know that-" Will promptly threw a roll of gauze at her head before she could say anything else.

Nico

He woke up hyperventilating and disoriented. It took him a few seconds to remember that he was safe in the infirmary at Camp Half Blood. It was sunny - late afternoon based on the view from the window. But he couldn't shake the acrid smell of Tartarus or the burning in his throat from the Phlegethon that lingered from his nightmare. It didn't seem like a significant dream, just a run-of-the-mill terrifying mix of memories.

Will stuck his head around the curtain. "You ok? I thought I heard something…" he trailed off, taking in Nico's heavy breathing and fingers, white from gripping the sheets.

"Hey… hey, it's fine," Will said in a soothing tone, slowly sitting down on the edge of Nico's bed. He didn't get too close, which Nico was grateful for as he tried to force down his panic. "You know what? Maybe you want to get out of this bed for a while - we can go take a walk or something?"

Nico appreciated that Will didn't try to pry. He preferred pretending that he was totally fine, that he wasn't afraid of the type darkness that could only be found in Tartarus. He nodded.

"Great," Will said, standing up. "Kayla and I just finished the supply closet anyway. I still feel cramped from sitting in there all day. I'll let her know and you can just meet me by the door?"

Nico nodded again, still not able to find his voice. He stood up after Will turned past the curtain and his vision faded to black for a second. He quickly sat again and took a few deep breaths and finished the water next to his bed. Once his vision had cleared he stood up a bit more slowly and felt more like himself. It was just a bad dream, he thought.

Will was leaning against the doorframe, looking out into the yard. He glanced up as Nico approached and handed him some gum, smiling. "Thought you might not have a toothbrush on you."

Nico smiled and popped a piece in his mouth. They set off toward the lake. It felt good to be up and outside. Nico knew he had needed the rest, but now his legs felt stiff and weak.

"So, uh.." Will started, glancing sideways at Nico. "I don't know if you have bad dreams a lot or anything…"

Nico tensed up. So, they were going to talk about it. At least he was outside and could … walk away slowly ... if he needed to.

"Well, before your friends left, Annabeth pulled me aside and said that she and Percy kept having dreams about Tartarus," Will said, staring at the ground as they walked. "They sounded pretty bad. She asked if I had anything that would help, and I gave her something to take. It doesn't work if you take it all the time, but it's something, you know?" He glanced over at Nico again, who didn't look up. "Well, I'll leave some out tonight if you want to try it. You know, if you have those too or anything."

Nico just nodded. They walked the rest of the way in silence and sat at the edge of the dock. Nico folded his legs up, his arms around his knees, but Will stretched out and soaked in the sun, eyes closed, reminding Nico again of a lanky cat.

Nico looked out at the lake, thinking about the day last summer when Clarisse had led the charge to throw Percy and Annabeth in together, and everyone but Nico stood around laughing about how they were finally together and how long they stayed underwater kissing. For each second they had spent down there, it had felt like another piece of Nico's heart shattered. As Nico gazed at the softly rippling surface, he was glad to know that the memory didn't bother him anymore. He genuinely liked Annabeth, and was glad Percy had found her.

Will sat up and slid his flip-flops off. Nico looked over as he moved closer to the edge and rolled up his jeans, dropping his feet in the water. He was so different from Percy, Nico thought. So much more thoughtful and calm. Nico chastised himself for starting to go down that path - Will was just a friend. Barely a friend, even. Nico didn't need to start ruining it by getting weird and hung up on him. He had already spent enough time pining over someone far too attractive and confident and probably straight to think about Nico that way.

"So …" Will started, glancing over at Nico with a grin, "your cabin. Are you going to update the theme now that you've discovered the world of tropical prints? Maybe add some palms out front, a fake parrot sitting on that skull?"

Nico barked out a laugh, and Will smiled even bigger. "Whatever, Solace. If you had free reign to design your own cabin when you were 10 and then left the rest of it to a bunch of skeletons, it wouldn't've made it on the cover of Good Housekeeping either."

Will splashed some water out into the lake with his feet, still smiling. "Yeah, you're right. Mine would've had more bones, though, probably. You missed a great opportunity there. Just imagine a white picket fence out front but Made from femurs. You can still add that, you know…"

Nico glanced over. "Yeah? Have you been hiding a gothy emo side, Solace? What would the sun god think?"

"Whatever, all of his favorite painters and poets were dark and moody, he'd probably love it," Will said, leaning back on his elbows. "Besides, who's to say I can't enjoy a good skull now and then? Doctors are all about blood and guts and gore. Healing and death are two sides to the same coin. It's not my fault I have blond hair and skin that tans if I spend even a second outside."

He had closed his eyes again, head tilted up toward the sinking sun, and Nico took the opportunity to study his face once more. He smiled, thinking about this golden surfer-type boy living in a house covered in bones and black and red.

"I guess I'll leave the skull up there, then," Nico said, returning his gaze to the lake. "But I have to do something about the interior. I'm not planning on painting the walls in pastels or anything - and definitely no parrots - but one of those skeletons I had work on it must've been an aspiring vampire because the beds are literally coffins. Not exactly something I want to wake up to after … you know… naps like today's."

Nico rested his head on his knees and his thoughts began to drift back toward Tartarus.

Will nudged him with his shoulder and Nico glanced over. "Hey. I get it. If you need help with painting or figuring out those unintelligible furniture assembly instructions or whatever, let me know. I promise to be better company than undead help. And besides, you still haven't been cleared for any underworldy stuff, so you're sort of stuck with me."

They locked eyes and Will blushed a bit, and looked away. Nico smiled and looked down at the lake again. Will stood suddenly and started unrolling his jeans.

"Well, it looks like people are heading in for dinner - do you want to eat in the mess hall?" Will said as he slid on his flip-flops.

Nico glanced toward the campers starting to emerge for dinner and hesitated, thinking about the empty Hades table now that Hazel had left. "Uh… I think I'm still too tired for all of that. But you can go, sit with your siblings or whatever. You're probably sick of Pop-Tarts and chips. I'll be fine," Nico said as he stood up and stretched.

Will stared at him for a second, then seemed to shake himself. "You know what, I still have a bunch of papers to read through. Want me to grab us something and I can meet you back there?"

"Sure, yeah, that's fine. Thanks."

As Nico headed back to the infirmary, he smiled to himself. Maybe he would get a fake parrot, just to see what Will said.