3 Days to Fall in Love

4- Nico

Piper walked in and her eyes widened. 

"Oh, gods! Hey Nico," she laughed nervously.  "How's it going?" I shrugged.

"Fine day to be trapped in this infernal place." I answered.  She just smiled and helped me up.  

"Aw, don't be like that.  I'm sure Will's been working to make it a little more interesting for you.  And you don't even have that much time left, just the rest of today and tomorrow." She smiled and I groaned.  

"Too long." 

"How're you feeling?" 

"Good, I guess."

"How's Will been treating you?" I felt compelled to tell her the truth, even though I wanted more than anything to hold back.

"Good, like really great.  He's always visiting and it's really a lot better when he's around." I said, and found myself completely meaning it.  "He seems to really care." 

"He does." She had a soft smile on her lips.  The feeling went away.

"Nah, he doesn't.  I'm just his patient, he has to do that."

"Nico-" 

"Don't bother."

"I'm going to bother.  You're not just his patient, you're his friend.  And he's yours, just like you and me.  Can't you accept that?"

"Well... yeah, I guess."  I sighed, my bangs falling into my eyes.  Piper squeezed my hand.   

"Good.  Now I'm going to go and talk to your friend, he's been working his butt off all day.  I'll see you." She gave me a quick hug and then left.  And then I was all alone in this big white room again.  Okay.  I lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.  My eyelids slowly dipped, and soon I was asleep.

I found myself in a dark room.  When the lights came on, they were dim, and everything reflected off the walls.  It was confining, and getting hard to breathe.  Then I knew where I was.  That jar. Five seeds lay by my foot, but I wasn't going to go through that again.  I crushed them with my heel, pressing my hands and face against the glass in an effort to see outside it, holding my breath.  A few figures were being forced forward by two large giants.  They cackled, and I could barely make out who the people were, but I did.  I coughed, my eyes watering.  I took a deep breath.  So this is what it felt like to die.  Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Reyna, and- Will? Why was everyone I cared about here? The giants, twins, I gathered, shoved at them with spears.  Piper was openly crying out, screaming at them and trying to charmspeak her way, but it didn't work.  Percy and Annabeth stood back to back, weapons ready in one hand, their other hands laced together.  My vision became blurry and my head felt light.  My throat was so constricted.  

"Where's Nico! Where is he?" Jason shouted, floating up and slashing at one of the giants.  He just laughed and swatted Jason down, where he met the ground with a sickening crack.  Piper screamed and ran to him.  Leo shot a ring of fire around the demigods, protecting them, but the giants just stomped it out, crushing the fiery boy in the process.  I screamed.  Leo was one of my better friends.  Will slashed out with his arrows, firing at the large figures.  They were struck multiple times, then one picked Will up and squeezed, crushing his lungs and limbs, then dropped the limp, blonde boy into a jar next to me.  I screamed, pounding my fists against the jar, then started crying even more than I already was.  

"Will!" I screamed. "Will! No.. no." He didn't answer, he didn't even stir.  He looked dead.  I screamed until I had no air left and just slid down into the jar and stopped breathing.  

"Wake up, wake up, wake up. Please, wake up, please. Nico, come on." I shot up and took five deep breaths of the cool, clean air.  Thank gods.  My face felt stiff with tear stains, and my throat was sore from screaming.  Will was leaning over me, worried.  He was holding one of my hands and rubbing the tears from my eyes, and for once I accepted the physical contact.  "Nico! You're awake, thank gods." He wrapped my in his arms and I leaned my head on the shoulder of his sweatshirt, shaky.  That was terrifying.  He let go, his eyes full of concern.  "You were crying, and screaming." Wills face tinted red.  It was good to see him blush for a change, it felt completely one sided before.  Are you okay?"  I nodded.  "Do you want to talk about it?"  I nodded again.  He sat next to me on the bed and I scooted closer.  I was too tired and scared to do anything else, and too relieved that he was really there and okay.  I took another breath and started talking.  At first it was hard, but then it got easier.  Will put his arm around my shoulders and rubbed my arm.  

"That's terrible." He whispered. 

"I'm not done.  They- they killed you.  Squeezed the air from your lungs and crushed your bones. It hurt, Will.  It hurt to watch." I whispered back and put my face into his sweatshirt.  He just nodded understandingly and hugged me.  I cried silently into his shoulder until the tears stopped, then he tilted my chin up.  

"It's okay.  I'm here." He gave me another hug and then left.  What would I do without him? Where were these dreams coming from? I wasn't.. developing feelings for him?  No.  I couldn't, not again.  But then, here I was, doing just that.  I sighed.  I guess I would work it out eventually.  All I knew was that I really liked Will Solace.