It All Started With The New Students... And The Murder

Chapter 14 : Nico?

TW: As mentioned earlier there is still blood and violence in this chapter.

Will's POV

Will sat outside Sally's hospital room, along with everyone else. No one had said a word since they got here.

Shock still ran through his body. He didn't understand what had just happened. Percy and Reyna had guns under their pillows. They killed without thinking twice. Worst of all, Nico looked like he was ready to help them.

He looked across the room, trying to read the expressions upon everyone's faces.

Percy and Reyna hadn't moved since they sat down, not even adjusting their seated positions, their heads leaned against each other, and had steely expressions, that were also filled with rage at the same time. He was sure they'd also be full of misery if his father hadn't come in to tell them that Sally would be fine.

Thalia looked distraught, but, much like Percy and Reyna, didn't look like she was anywhere near tears.

Jason on the other hand was crying, his head on Piper's shoulder, who was also on the verge of tears.

Annabeth sat on her own, looking like she felt it was all her fault.

Leo, Calypso, Frank, Hazel, Katie and Travis were all silent, looking sad, but, much like Will, didn't know Sally that well, so they were all just silent.

Finally, there was Nico. After they'd sat down, Nico hugged Percy and Reyna tightly, before sitting down in a shadow next to the door of the room they were in.

The way Nico managed to disappear into the shadow spooked Will slightly.

There were a few blaring questions still ringing through his head: What the hell was going on? Why did Percy's phone alert him to something happening? Why was his mom nearly killed? And, though it was much less important in Will's mind, why was NCIS investigating the case and not the LAPD?

"She's still doing well, she's unconscious, so, unfortunately, I'm only authorised to allow family members inside for now." a nurse said, leaving Sally's room and then their waiting room.

Percy and Reyna got up instantly, without a word, and headed straight for the door.

"Percy, wait." Annabeth said shakily, getting up and walking towards him.

Percy nodded to Reyna, who entered the room and started talking to the still unconscious Sally, before he turned back to Annabeth.

"Was this...?" she asked tentatively, her voice cracking and shaky.

Percy didn't reply. He just nodded, his expression still dull and steely.

Annabeth rushed towards him and hugged him tightly, her body beginning to shake violently as they started a conversation in whispers.

The whispering went on for about a minute, until Percy said three words that Will couldn't quite make out. The two pulled apart and Annabeth sat down again, as Percy entered the room.

As Percy was just about to open the door, he turned to Nico, his expression hardening even more as he pointed to the door.

"Anyone comes through that door that isn't us or the doctor, you kill them." he ordered.

Nico stepped out of the shadow so that he was fully visible, nodding, before he disappeared into it again.

"You can ask, you know that, right?" Nico asked suddenly, after a few minutes of dead silence.

"Ask what?" Will asked in reply.

"Don't play dumb. You're all wondering what the hell is going on, aren't you? You just don't want to ask because you feel like it's tone deaf and inappropriate." Nico explained.