Wings

36: You Act Like A God

WPOV

Track: Religion, Isak Danielson

For a moment, I think we both think about trying to go save the world. I mean, we might be the only two people alive who know about this—excluding whoever is involved on the wrong side—and if someone really is trying to become more than human, that seems like the kind of thing you'd want to stop.

Except after Nico curses about things not being over, he looks me in the eyes again.

And I'm not particularly a fan of Hades anyway.

I surge forward to kiss him—I'm making up for all the lost time, I think, and it makes me smile against his lips. Nico seems happy enough to let the world burn while we sit this one out, his hands gathering as much of me as he can hold, touching and grazing and making me a little bit crazy.

And it's good. I mean, it's bad. Everything is bad. But he's good. And so I latch on and—

"Agh—!" He cries out and lurches away, hands over his eyes. It looks like—

Fuck, it looks like he's in pain—could the treaty be back—? Panic sparks and my lungs freeze up. By now, I know not to touch him when this happens—it makes it worse when I touch—

Except.

Except he's not dissolving.

No, he's holding his eyes, and...a thread of light is leaking out, floating through the air between his fingers. He remains completely still, barely breathing.

"Nico?" I ask, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. "What...what is that?"

He doesn't answer. He's shaking a little. Not in a scared way—in the way you do when you've pushed your muscles too far, and you tremble as you try to take your body past its limits.

"Can I see?" I ask, reaching out to move his hands but letting my fingertips hover a few inches away.

"No," he chokes out. "No, Will, something is happening—go find Hades. Now."

I raise my eyebrows. What, like there's a lot of rocks I can use to throw at the sky in here? If I leave the castle to try to summon him somewhere the sky can actually see me, there are about a million angels and archers who would happily tear me apart. And besides—Hades does not particularly like me. He wouldn't come down for me again.

"Nico," I repeat, "show me. I'm studying to be a medic—"

"Not a medic for Guardians, Will—"

"Nico," I repeat again, and I let my fingertips brush the hands covering his face. "Let me see."

This time he stills, and I know he's fighting the urge to give in. His shoulders are stiff, his breathing still uneven.

But I'm quite persuasive, so he slowly lowers his hands.

And...

I force my expression to stay neutral, to keep my panic locked behind my ribs, but my stomach twists. Two thin strands of golden light are streaming from Nico's eyes, almost identical to the way Hades once returned his life force from the sky, the same light, the same eyes. And all I can think is—no.

Because that cannot be right because I fucking say so, okay?

"You're going to be okay," I tell him calmly, channeling Mr. Chase's teachings and trying very hard to help Nico stop panicking. "Did I... Did I cause this? When I kissed you?"

"I don't know," Nico says, and his chest rises and falls rapidly. "I don't know. I was fine one moment and then—Will, it feels like... Hades, I don't know what this feels like—"