3 Days to Fall in Love

25- Nico

My feet didn't touch the ground first.
Oh, no, of course I landed smack on my side with a sharp crack and the shards of the Tartarus ground deeply imbedded in my palms. Leo was much better. He hoisted himself out of the Phlegethon and helped me up, dusting glass off his hands.
"Here." He mumbled, rummaging through his tool belt for some bandages. When our hands had been wrapped, we continued our journey.
"So, who is this... Ak--"
"Shh!" I shushed him quickly. "It's better not to say her name, we are in her realm after all."  He nodded, and I quickly and quietly explained who we were looking for.  While we talked, I ducked us into shadows and tried to steer clear of unnecessary fights. 
"So that's it. No big deal." He confirmed.
"Yep- ah!" I pushed him out of the way and swung my sword over his head, disintegrating an empousa who tried to knock his head off.  Thank gods for me. He grunted a thanks, and we went on our way, trudging across the now pink and blue, veiny surface of Tartarus.  Oh gods, ew, I couldn't believe I was doing this a second time.   My eyes hardened and I remembered we were here on a mission. A mission for Will.
Will? I reached out my brain to him. How are you?
Poisoned, came the snarky reply. I bit my lip. He must've sensed my discomfort, because his tone regained its usual calming tone. Sorry, I'm sorry, Nico. I'm just worried. We both could die right now. I mean, you're in Tartarus! And I'm pretty much dead already. Come home, Nico. Just come home, you'll be fine.
But you won't. I protested. I'm going to save you, Will. I won't fail you.
You could never fail me.
And in that moment, all I wanted was to feel his arms around me again, his soft kiss on my forehead, the way his lips melted into mine, and his husky southern accent in my ear. I felt a surge of strength rush through me and I whipped my sword out from my belt. My feet carried me across the pulsating surface and I knew Leo was following me. My eyes narrowed, I could feel the shadows dripping from my fingertips and my boots. The entrance was close- I knew it.
"We're close." I muttered. He nodded, staying behind me. In other circumstances, he would have pushed to the front, but he knew I had been here before, it was part of my turf. The air was toxic, and I could almost feel my body fading. Leo's face was turning white, but he still wore a determined expression. After a couple minutes, I was a bit confused with the silence behind me. "What, no jokes?" I asked, not turning to look at him. No response. Now I was a bit worried. "Leo?" My voice dropped and I whipped around, my back to the entrance. He was there, all right. But he was dead.