The Sun in the Shadow

Chapter 6

​Will almost catapulted into Annabeth and Nico, but only Annabeth stepped back in caution. Nico stood rock still, though his gaze couldn't quite meet that of the blazing blue look Will was staring at him with.

​The blonde breathed hard, but showed no other sign of exhaustion, and Nico had to train his eyes off Will's shirt, which, with every new breath, molded around and showed off his surfer body.

​"Who in the name of the greek gods do you think you are Nico DiAngelo?" Will demanded, taking a step closer to Nico.

​Nico took a step back.

​"Should I just leave?" Annabeth asked, taking a step away from the two boys.

​"No," Nico replied and he finally looked up into Will's eyes. Just from a second of watching, all the emotions rolling inside of Will became as clear as crystal. "This won't take long," Nico continued.

​Will stepped forward again and almost yelled, "You leave in the early morning like some criminal? No 'Goodbye Will,' no 'See you around,' you just up and left like a prisoner finally off sentence!" Nico continued to stare at Will.

​"I really just should go," Annabeth said, taking another step backwards.

​"There's no need, I still wish to talk with you," Nico replied, then spoke to Will. "I only wished to come back to the safety of my cabin," he deadpanned. Will looked at him with an unconvinced stare.

​"You hate it in there," he said blandly and pointed haphazardly at the black cabin behind Nico. "You hate your cabin, you hate the infirmary, and I'm starting to believe you hate me."

​Nico stepped back again and his eyes widened at the statement. "I don't- I-," he stumbled on his words, but Will interrupted him.

​"All I wanted was a little time with you. Three days of peace! Was that to much to ask?" Will took yet another step forward, staring down Nico's astonished face with one of mixed emotions. "Just three days to try become your friend. Three days I didn't have to worry about what others were saying, or about how I was going to heal yet another mission gone camper."

​He stepped closer, Nico stepped back. And hit the cabin wall.

​"I just wanted you, out of everyone, to be with me! Even for three days, even for the shortest time in the world!" Will took another step and he was getting closer to Nico, who had no other place to go. Annabeth stepped back, but couldn't stop watching, waiting for a reaction from either person that would end the one sided argument.

​"Nico DiAngelo, I wanted you to myself for just a moment. Just so that I could confirm my own feelings." He stepped forward once more and was inches from Nico's face, but he could only watch Nico's hands. "I feel something stronger than pain, stronger than suffering, and it hurts. Don't try to protect me because everything you do kills me, because I'm not doing it by your side." He looked up at Nico now, his blue eyes clear and bright.

​"I had hoped that three days in the infirmary might have healed me, but you have destroyed me anyway. I had hoped three days in the infirmary might have pulled up your own heart, but you've only pushed it away."

​Will was closer than ever and whispering, the words ever more harsher in the soft tone. Nico couldn't speak, but his eyes watered at each new sentence. Will's words were true, he had pushed away his heart, on purpose.

​"Nico DiAngelo, I tell you now, I love you."

​And that's when everything went wrong.

​Annabeth gasped. A single tear plopped onto the ground a millisecond before Nico's pale form evaporated in darkness. Will cursed and reached forward.

​To late. The son of Hades had slipped back into his solitary shadows and in doing so, exiled himself to never coming back out.