A Hero, The Hero (Solangelo)

I'm so Sorry, Will

Will chose that moment to wake up.

He chose the moment that I was naked on the floor of the shower to regain consciousness. Mumbling, he rubbed his eyes and creaked the door open.
     "Neeks?" He asked, his southern accent drowning his voice. All I could do is nod. The door widened as Will strode into the pale-cream bathroom. Kneeling by my side, he stared into my eyes.
That's what I loved about Will. I was naked and exposed, but he didn't even look. All he cared about is what was on the inside of me, not the outside. Picking me up, he grabbed a towel and wrapped me in it. Silently, he sat me against the wall. I was not going to cry because he would come back. Right?
     It felt like hours. I kept waiting. Eventually, Will stumbled in, carry two weird sticks with loops on the tops and ledges on the middle. Ledges. Just like the ones that Percy and Annabeth hung off of when I promised to meet them at the Doors of Death. They trusted me. Why would they trust me. For the love of Gods, I was a son of Hades! (Nico is NOT over reacting. He has PTSD and he has had other traumatic experiences. Please to not think that he is overreacting. He is strong and fighting.)
     I focused on my breathing and found myself back, safely, on the floor. Will was slumped casually next to me, holding my hand and rubbing small circles on the back of my hand. His voice seeped into the silence that enclosed us.
     "I was thinking. So, crutches didn't work for you. But, uh, these are Grover's and I thought we could try them." I simply nodded while extending my arms towards Will, who gently picked me up and got my arms into the new device. He set my legs on the ground as I lifted up my bad leg from the top of my hip. All was going well, so I tried steadying myself on my leg and pushing forward my new "legs". It was going relatively smoothly, so I tried to get to Will.

     And that's where things got bad. I fell and landed with my legs awkwardly pinned beneath me. Apollo children were flooding into the infirmary for their morning shifts. Will was by my side, trying to coax me into my wheelchair. Suddenly, embarrassment drowned out my logic and I snapped.
     "Close the goddamn door and leave!" I yelled mercilessly. "Just leave me." Quietly, he left and took all the warmth in the bathroom with him. Now, how to get up...