Wasted Butterflies

Never again, baby. Never again.

When I woke up next, I looked outside, and my heart dropped.

We were back at camp.

I ran to the driver's seat, hoping to turn us around, but Nico was sitting there, dark bags under his eyes, which held a haunted look, shallow breaths puffing from his mouth, which held a timid, lucid smile.

His pupils were dilated. "We're here." He whispered to himself, as if I didn't exist.

He flung the door open and ran outside, leaving me shocked and unsure what I should do next. So for a moment... I just watched him run out into the New York spring.  

Then, I came to my senses, and ran to the bedroom to wake up Jason. 

"Ahh! Ugh..." He fumbled for his glasses. "Wasgoinon...?" He slurred. 

"Nico drove us back to camp." 

He sat up immediately. "He did what!?" He jumped to his feet, stumbling to the door. 

I picked his glasses up off the nightstand. "Won't be getting far without these." 

He grabbed them from me and put them on before rushing through the van, stopping at the kitchen table, looking horrified. I didn't notice it before, but Nico's laptop was open, displaying his unfinished essay, as well as that box of chocolate. A few of the pieces were missing, and one of them was left abandoned, with a bite taken out of it. 

I reached for one, but when I lifted it up, there was a message underneath it. 'Don't eat it!' scrawled in tiny white gel pen. Looking closer, every empty divot contained the same message. 

Suddenly, Ofelia's door creaked open. "Daddy? Tata? Where's papa?" 

I froze. How was I gonna explain this to her. "... Um... Papa's not doing well right now. You just go back to your room for a bit." 

"But..." She struggled to find her words, and eventually gave up. 

I sighed and kneeled down to her level. "Look, we'll find him, ok?" I stroked her hair. "You just go back to bed." 

She looked nervous, but nodded, wrapping her tiny arms around me. "Love you." 

I picked her up. "I love you too." I walked back to her room and tucked her in, making sure her snack bin was full. 

Then, I went back out, and Jason and I both went out the door, heading into camp. 

- 

We looked for him, at least an hour. Asking everyone we came across if they'd seen Nico. But when we asked Travis... 

"I... No, I haven't." He admitted. "But... I think I might know where to find him. Come on." 

We followed him across camp, and as he approached the Apollo cabin, I felt something sinking in my stomach. 

He flung the door open. "Will... What the hell did you do!?" His voice was stern, eyes cold and sharp as needles, looking at Will, who had someone under him. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he sat up abruptly. 

It was Nico. 

"I'm so sorry." He said. "I'm sorry for not warning you, for not telling you anything." He had bruises around his neck. Hickeys, maybe. And his pupils, I realized weren't just dilated; they were shaped into hearts. "But I just realized I made a terrible mistake." 

Jason was the first to speak. "What?" 

"I never should've left him. He knows me better than I know myself." 

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "This is exactly what I was afraid of." Travis muttered. "Why did I ever trust you, Will? You told me you'd changed." 

"I have changed." Will smiled. "I've realized how much of a fool I was to let him out of my sight!" He turned to Nico and cupped his cheek, kissing him on the lips right in front of us. Nico closed his eyes in inexplicable bliss, but Will's were open, gleaming glowing blue in the dark of the dawn. When they separated, he tucked a loose, dark curl behind Nico's ear. "Never again, baby. Never again." 

"I couldn't leave you if I tried." Nico replied, tone sickly sweet. 

Suddenly, I was a little kid again. Gabe promising to go back to rehab for a third time, both times before paid for by what was supposed to be my college fund. 'he's not going to college anyway, don't kid yourself, Sal. He can't even read.'

He only acted this way when she'd threatened him with divorce. 

And he'd turn on the charm the rest of the day. The next? He'd be back to his old, awful self. 

And still, she couldn't leave. Neither of us could.

I couldn't stand to see them any longer, and stormed out of the cabin. They were serving breakfast at the dining pavilion, but for once, I didn't feel like eating. I just sat, numbly, at a random table, my face in my hands. I was the first one there, so I felt like I could safely cry. 

And fuck, did I cry. I cried more than I ever had before. Everything was spiraling out of control, and I couldn't do anything about it. I felt someone sit next to me, and tried to control my breathing. "Not now, Jason." 

"It's not Jason." A female voice said. When I turned towards it, I came face to face with bright purple hair and a pale, round face, with black smudged eyeliner surrounding her eyes. "It's Lou." 

I sighed. "... What do you want?" 

"I... I've seen everything. I came back from doing a spell, and... I was walking by the Apollo cabin. You and Jason need to come to mine, and I'll explain everything."