The Infirmary

Will's P.O.V.

Panic rushed through Will as he watched Nico's eyes flutter close. Blood began to leak out Nico's nose as, what it seemed, tears made out of shadows slid down his face. Will watched, horrified. Never before in the medical field, human or magical, had something like this ever happened.

Will cried out in pain and jerked back as one of the tears fell on his hand. It acted like boiling oil, burning his skin in an excruciating fashion. As soon as he let go, Nico began to dissolve again, and Will lunged forward, grabbing Nico's arm. His arm fell through his fingers; as if Will was grabbing at a cloud. He lurched forward again, this time putting his hands on his face. Nico began to solidify, making Will grin in relief. He put his ear to Nico's chest, trying to check his breathing, but all he could hear was the sound of painful gurgling.

"Crap." Will mumbled, as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the blood off Nico's face. "Annabeth, go tell them we'll need a procedure room, and tell then we'll also need to set up a lavage procedure." She nodded and shot off. Will turned his attention towards Nico.

Will checked Nico's pulse, relieved to find a weak one. He leaned down, beginning the routine for choking. When that didn't work, he sat Nico up, leaning him against his shoulder.

"Percy, I need something to cover his lap." Percy looked around frantically before he realized that he was basically in a dinning room.

"Dude, yes!" Percy yanked a tablecloth from a near-by table. He folded it in half quickly, before laying it across Will and Nico's laps.

Will wrapped one of his arms around Nico's shoulders, trying to not drop him. Gently, he pressed on his torso, just below the rib cage.

Nothing.

This time, Will tried a different tactic. He rearranged Nico so that he was leaning against a chair. Will felt as though he should've done this sooner, but if this what he thought was in his lungs was, this was going to be dangerous.

Will put his hand on Nico's face, since he was disappearing again, and put his hand back below the rib cage. This better work, he thought, right before he pressed into his stomach and breathed into Nico's mouth at the same time.

Nico spluttered, black liquid being expelled onto the tablecloth. Will rubbed his back, helping the movement easier. Blood dripped out his nose and mixed with the darkness, creating small flashes of light. Will kept a hand on him at all times, making sure he wouldn't fade again. After a little bit longer, Nico stopped coughing and slumped forwards. Will caught him.

"Will?" Nico's dark brown eyes remained closed, and black tears continued to fall down his face.

"Yes Nico?" Will wiped his nose again.

"I don't think- I'm not going to-" Nico was out again, collapsing completely. Will check his pulse, before listening to his lungs again. Will grimaced as he could hear liquid slowly filling Nico's lungs again.

Someone came rushing in with a stretcher, and Will picked up Nico, laying him down. As they ran through the camp, he tried to keep a hand on Nico's forehead. A fever had appeared, and his temperature was spiking and falling at alarming rates.

They burst into the infirmary, that was surprisingly silent. Quickly, he pushed Nico into the procedure room, which had been prepared and ready. Someone put an I.V. into Nico's arm, another put an oxygen mask across his face, and another person cut his shirt down the middle and began to prep him for surgery. Will took his hand off of Nico to help, but he quickly began to dissolve again.

"Kayla, get over here." Kayla was next to him in an instant. "Put your hand on his forehead, I need to help." He turned and walked a step before Kayla shouted.

"Will! He's fading again!" Will tripped over himself as he reached over and accidentally, slapped Nico in the face.

"Sorry!" Nico was unresponsive, but Will felt like it was necessary.

"We need you for the surgery. You can't sit there and keep your hand on his face all day."

"You're right. Get ready to take my blood." Kayla paused.

"But we don't have time for that. We have to test it, and I know your blood type, so it's good, but we still have to run the necessary tests and-" the room grew silent at a glowing light.

Will grinned and turned around, seeing Apollo standing there. "They'll be no need for that today." He pulled up a chair and say next to Will, leaning on his knees. "Alright. What's up?"

"This is so weird. I've never seen it before. He's got black fluids in his lungs, and a bloody nose. And he fades if I stop touching him. So I figured, take blood, do a transfusion, and-"

"That's a good idea. But if you want to save this kid, you're gonna need to hurry up." Apollo waved to Kayla. "Could you get me a vile thing?" Kayla nodded, running and grabbing a vile for the blood. Apollo snapped his fingers, and there was blood. Will hadn't felt anything, luckily, and was ready to start getting ready.

As Will was washing his hands, Apollo pulled him to the side. "I'm afraid I can't help you on this one. Just give you strength. You almost on your own." Will grimaced.

"Why?" Apollo sighed, looking troubled at the question.

"You'll see eventually. But he's a child of the darkness. I'm the god of light. I cannot for fear of hurting him. But there's something different about this one, something..." He trailed off, biting his lip as he thought. Will looked over at Nico, making sure he was okay. He was pale, and his pulse was still going, but it wouldn't be for long.
Apollo shook his head. "You'll figure it out eventually. Now. Go. Save that boy."

Will nodded, before sprinting over to the operating table and getting ready to save Nico.