skinny love | solangelo

Fear and Love

~Will

"Eros."

Nico appeared at my side, pulling at my sleeve like a little kid. There was pure terror in his eyes. Nico stuttered through his teeth. "That is the guy who made me come out before I wanted." He looked down at his hands, and seeing them shake, he pushed them into his pockets. "I thought he was done with me. I gave him what he wanted." His eyes were frenzied.

I could feel Nico's fear rolling off of him in waves. It was hard not to pass out or break down and start crying. I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him some comfort. It was pitiful, and I could tell. The others looked just as confused and worried as Nico did. I didn't know what to do. Percy wasn't there, he was home completing high school. Who would protect us?

"We need to go, now," I said, breaking into a run for the woods. I looked behind to see if anyone was following me, giving a noise of relief when all of them were. We hid in the trees and tried to catch our breath.

"We're running from Love," Hazel giggled, breathless. "What is happening?" She was fanning her face, looking very lost.

I had no answer for her.

Piper ran into the trees, probably spotting us when we ran, "Did you see-?"

"Yeah," said Jason, cutting her off, "It's Eros. Nico and I met him a little time ago." He was fuming.

Piper looked both triumphant and scared. "I knew there was something off about him. I got all the other Aphrodite campers out of there, but I don't think the others have any idea what's going on." She gulped in some air, "In fact, I don't think I have any idea what's going on. Why's there a god here at camp, and why was he disguised as a demigod? As my half-brother?"

A terrible growl came from the cabins, and in my peripheral vision, I could see Nico tense up.

"Long story short, Nico and Jason got mixed up with him about a year and a half ago, and it seems like he isn't done with them, though we have no idea why."

Nico was pulling at my sleeve again. "I think I know why." He dug his head into my shoulder like a cat, and said, "He wants something from me. Why else would he wreck my love life? He isn't done terrorizing me."

He looked up at me through his bangs. "Last time, Eros wouldn't leave me alone until I told Jason I left camp because I couldn't deal with my crush on Percy. He isn't like Aphrodite. He uses violence."

Another inhumane growl sounded, but this time from the pavilion. "We need to stop him," I said. "How do we do that?"

Austin muttered, "I say we give him what he wants."

"And what he wants," I sighed, looking down at my boyfriend, "Is Nico."

He squeaked and dug his face farther into my arm, tense. After a moment, he slumped and sighed. "I guess so."

Nico backed away, gulping, "Well... What do you want me to do?"

"What did you do last time?"

"He confronted us, and when I wouldn't give him what he wanted, he shot arrows at Jason and I." His face became resolute. "I'm just gonna have to do his bidding."

"It's not that bad, is it?" I questioned, but the grave stare I got was answer enough.

A resounding sigh chorused from everyone present.

Nico started to think aloud. "So I'm going to go over and try to lure Eros away from the camp and get him to go away. Will?"

"Mhm?"

"Would you come with me?" I nodded, and he continued. "Cool. So, Hazel, Kayla, Austin, Jason, and Piper. What're you guys going to do?"

The five of them just looked at one another and shrugged at Nico. "I guess, just make sure everyone is taken care of. I don't really know." He ended the sentence like a question, unsure.

The others only nodded, and headed off to where the angry noises used to be, a troupe of unlikely demigods.

"Will?" Nico grabbed my hand and started playing with it, touching all of the joints and knuckles. The nervous energy was rolling off of him, filling me with waves of black and absence.

"Yes?" I tried to keep calm for his sake.

"Promise me that whatever you learn you won't run away."

"Why would I run away?"

His large dark eyes were like the depths to Tartarus itself. He pressed his lips together and gave me no answer.

"Let's go." Nico's voice was grave.

We set out to meet our doom.