Sunshine and Secrets

Shadows and Blood

Nico's POV

I was in the infirmary-again. I tried to recall what happened. I remembered shadow traveling to the underworld. I remembered that horrid night when Will bled, then ran off without explanation. I remembered trying to clear my head, pacing around in Persephone's garden. I had decided in a grove of poplars to try to confront Will again. What happened after that? I couldn't remember. Voices rang down the hall. The door opened, and a certain freckled, golden-blond, tired-looking child of Apollo walked in.

"Oh, hello Nico," Anya said, looking surprised. "We didn't expect you to be awake until tomorrow morning."

I tried to speak, but couldn't find my voice. I sat up in the cot I lay on.

"Will..." I managed.

"Yeah, he asked me to take care of you for now. Said he had to save himself the shame of ruining your sheets, whatever that means." She smirked. I turned pale and shook my head.

"Blood..." I croaked "He was...there was so much blood"

Anya's face fell. "Oh my gods, you're- did you-are you okay? He didn't-

"No" I whispered "It was his blood. It was all his blood. I was so scared Anya, he ran away. He didn't tell me what was happening, he didn't tell me..." I was slightly aware of a tear rolling down my cheek. "He didn't tell me anything." Then the world went dark, exhaustion overcoming me. I was faintly aware of voices above me and had a strange feeling of De Ja Vu.

"Will what is happening!? Why won't you talk to me!?"

"I'm sorry, An. I really am, I just...I just can't."

"If you can't tell me, you have to at least tell him. He deserves to know whatever it is that you claim is 'fine'.

"I-I'll try."

Then silence. I think I fell asleep because when I opened my eyes light flooded into the room from a window. There was a plate of French toast and slices of watermelon on the bedstand, and I remembered how much Will loved French toast. As if reading my mind, my gorgeous boyfriend stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Nico."

I stared as if seeing an angel. 

"Will..."

"You shadow traveled."

"Will, you..."

"You shouldn't do that too much, it's bad for you."

Tears pooled in my eyes. Will glanced away as if it hurt him to see me.

"You should eat something."

"I-"

"Eat."

Then he walked away. Just like that, closing the door behind him. I looked back at the french toast and the watermelon. Then I let the tears fall from my eyes, wondering whatever happened to the beautiful thing we had.

~~~

"Nico you can't stay here in Hades forever," Persephone said. "Your father is a mess right now, and he doesn't need an extra thing to worry about."

"Of course, I'm just an 'extra thing'. Not like I'm his son or anything." I grumbled. "I haven't spoken to him since I got here, why would he need to worry about me?"

"You've been quite distressed lately, and I'm afraid it angers him that you don't talk to him. He's been storming about the garden, tearing up flowers and muttering to himself. He's ruined my orchids!"

I sighed. "Fine. I'll leave."

"Oh, wait, don't go yet! Your father doesn't want you to shadow travel that far, he knows it's bad for you. He wants you to start taking the ferry."

"He-he what?"

"Oh, is it so hard to believe your dad actually cares about you? Now go!" she snapped her fingers, and suddenly I was on the bank of the Styx. Charon was there with the ferry to the underworld, unloading a few souls.

"Hey, Charon, you think you could give me a ride?"

"Of course You're Highness," he said in his sunken, gloomy voice.

"You know you don't have to call me that right?"

"Of course You're Highness"

I rolled my eyes and stepped onto the ferry. I sat down and watched the sloshing water of the Styx as Charon pushed away from the bank. It wasn't exactly silent, never was in the underworld, with the voices of tortured souls echoing through the poplar trees, but Charon and I didn't talk much. When we reached the beach on the other side of the Styx, I stepped off the ferry and onto the black sand beach. 

"Thanks for the ride, Charon."

He simply nodded, loaded a few souls onto the ferry, and rowed back across. I decided I would shadow travel back to Camp Half-Blood. After all, it was getting out of the underworld that was really exhausting. The rest was a breeze. Then I would try, one last time, to find out what was going on with Will. One last time...

~~~

"Hey Will." I found Will in the infirmary, unsurprisingly. He was sitting in the staff room, staring at a slice of avocado toast like it had just killed his mother. He jumped when he heard my voice.

"Nico! I-I didn't-"

"Will, stop it."

He looked at me, confused.

"You were going to make some random excuse about how you couldn't talk to me right now because of this or that, even though we both know you're on your lunch break and have nothing to do but stare so sadly at your food I would think it just told your dog died. So just don't."

Will looked taken aback.  

"Nico I-"

"No more excuses Will. No more lies, no more secrets. You have to tell me the truth."

"I can't Nico. Not here. Not now." Will said, finally finding his voice.

I nodded. "Then how about in the Hades cabin in fifteen minutes."

"I-yeah. Yeah okay." He sighed.

"Thank you, Will." I breathed. Then I walked out of the infirmary.

~~~

Will's POV

I didn't go. I didn't go to Cabin 13. I didn't do what Clarisse said, I didn't talk to Nico. I didn't go, and now I'm not sure if I'll ever go again.

A/N I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I am a terrible person and I promise you will all get extra Solangelo for being so patient! 😭 I love you guys!!!!!!!!!! <333