So I am a little late on this, but I've been trying to catch up on one of my other stories. So here's this chappy, I had a little bi of trouble with this one, hence why it took me so long to write, but I think it is suitable for what resides in this chapter.

©Rick Riordan

©Scarlett Dove

Chapter V

Love Him, Love Him Not

Percy. Why is he here? Why is he here? Why is he here? Why is he here? Why is he here? That was all that was running through Nico's head.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Percy wasn't supposed to care about Nico anymore. He couldn't. He shouldn't. Not after what happened. Not after him saying he didn't care. Not after him breaking Nico. Not after all the pain. Not after the hurt. Not after everything. He couldn't.

But he was there. Wasn't he? Right next to Nico. But, again, why?

Was there something Nico missed? Was there something that happened? Did the asshole get his ass handed to him? Did he… did he care?

Nico's mind was running at a million miles per hour with these thoughts. It was overloading his mind. He kept telling himself that it couldn't be. That it shouldn't be.

How could this beautiful man want something as disgusting as Nico himself?

Nico could feel the tightening in his chest. His breathing became erratic. He needed to breath. He needed to breath. His hand was squeezed again, but this time there was a warmth on his face and there was hot air on his face as well.

Nico's breathing stopped for a moment. What was going on? A panic swelled in Nico. He stopped breathing and Nico didn't think he would breathe again. It hurt. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to…

He couldn't.

He shouldn't.

But the voice was coaxing.

It felt so warm.

It felt alive.

It felt like…

Love.

But the other voice was coaxing as well.

But it…

It felt…

Painful.

Nico felt the energy around him rise. And with it, his panic rose as well.

The breathing stopped. The redness stopped. The energy stopped. The voice stopped. But the wetness came. It dripped onto Nico's face and rolled down his cheeks and neck.

It reminded Nico of something. It reminded him of all the times he cried. He cried when Bianca died. He cried when his father treated him like he was unwanted. He cried when Percy fell into Tartarus. He cried when Percy broke his heart. He cried when he died.

Yes. That's what it was, Nico thought. He died. But he's alive… right?

Everything's so quiet now though.

And dark.

And sad.

And too…

Too…

"Nico."

Exactly.

"Please be alive…" The voice sounded broken, and wet. Nico remember hearing that voice when he came out of Tartarus. It sounded like it had lost all of the joy. Like it wasn't alive anymore.

There was a fourth feeling now. Another hand. Colder this time. Larger too. It felt like life and death at the same time. It felt like home to Nico. The home he had before he left everything behind. Before he threw it all away. Just to be away from him. The man now at his side, praying for Nico to be alive. For Nico to come back to him. For Nico to just… look at him.

But this other feeling. This feeling was comforting. Even more then Percy's. The feeling brushed the wetness away from Nico's face, as if trying to dry it. It lifted the tightness. It made Nico feel clam. Like he had an anchor.

"Don't worry, boy." A new, deep voice said. "His life line isn't cut."

"Then why isn't he awake?" Percy's voice sounded. "Why is he teetering on life or death?"

The deep voice sighed. "He did it…" It said. "You did it."

"But how did I do it?" Percy sobbed. Extra weight was pushed on Nico's chest. Air left Nico's moth in a short puff. The weight left following it. "How did I do it?" He said quieter this time.

"Only Nico can answer that."

"I wish he'd just wake up…" He will. If he stays like this longer he will be dead. Nico knows this, he's afraid of this. Even more afraid of it then facing Percy.

"Yes," The deeper of the two agreed. "It would make all of us feel better." Nico knew who that was.

"How long do you think?" Soon, Nico tried to say, but nothing came out. Soon. He tired again.

"However long he needs to rest." I'm rested, father. There was air coming in and coming out of Nico's lungs, but none to help him speak. His voice caught every time. He felt so weak this way. He didn't have control. It scared him. He felt useless.

Percy sighed. "Anything you can do?" He asked.

"I've prayed." Nico's father said. "I've prayed to the fates, and that is all we can do now." No. it can't be up to the fates. The fates never liked Nico. They never like Children of Hades. No one does.

He never had it good. Why would the fates favor him now? To humor him? To mock him? To torture him? It could be all of the above for all Nico knows.

"Well," Percy scoffed. "They have been a help so far, haven't they?"

"We do not know of the situation, Perseus." Hades snapped at the emotional demi-god. "And we won't until he wakes." He needs to open his eyes. Nico needs to live. He knows as much as that. He may not be loved, but he still cares about…

"…him…"

"Nico?"

And there you have it! It's been a while since I wrote this, so yeah... I tired to still give it the... *hand motions* (not gonna say it cause of reasons) ya'know? It's also 3:13 in the morning. So that's a thing.

And I'll see you by the end of this month or early September, it depends on how much I still need to do on the other long ass chaptered story.

See you soon,

Scar :}