solangelo

chapter uno

WARNING:
Homophobic language
Swearing
tbh it broke my heart writing some of the things down there i'm usually a very nice person i'm sorry <3
Nico turned and walked back to the infirmary. Will stood in the doorway and raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth as if he was going to ask a question, or say something sassy, but Nico ignored him and shoved past him. He felt good.
Will huffed as he scrambled after Nico. The Son of Apollo wore a white sweatshirt with orange lettering that spelled "Camp Half-Blood" on it. His hair was disheveled, like he didn't even bother to look at it. His eyes were electric blue, his gaze calm and collected, but concerned and determined. Nico felt a tug in the pit of his stomach.
He hated it.
He broke eye contact and turned around. What he saw made him catch his breath.
Every bed was full. Campers, Romans, nature spirits and satyrs lay in them, being tended to by a few other sons of Apollo. Everything from simple cuts to lost limbs.
"I-I never realized...just-what-how-"
Will put a finger to his lips, and Nico shut his mouth. Will grinned. "C'mon, death boy. Let's get you somewhere more private."
Nico's skin tingled where Will's fingers were, and he touched his lips where Solace had touched them. In a daze, he stumbled after Will.
Will led him to a more private ward. There were no doors in the infirmary, but this one was completely surrounded by curtains. The bed was a full twin, where most of the hospital beds were small and oddly shaped. "Thanks," Nico muttered.
"No problem. I figured you should have a good bed because you'll be spending at least three days here."
Nico sat down on the bed. "What now?"
"Um, sleep," Will said as if it were obvious. "When you wake up, we can get you some ambrosia and nectar. Maybe we can start training your body to use your powers without melting into the shadows at some point. Right now, sleep. Doctors orders."
"I'm fine-"
"No, you're not!"
"Yes, I am!"
Will reached forward and grabbed Nico's hand. Warmth shot up his arm and seemed to go straight to his heart. His skin erupted in goosebumps.
"Cold?" Will asked, his brow furrowed.
"Uh huh," Nico lied. Will looked into his eyes, and Nicos stomach did a front flip. They say there a few moments, still holding hands. Them Will looked away.
"I can feel the darkness inside you. It's consuming you from inside out, stripping away your substance." He looked angry, and also-scared. Nico wasn't used to people being scared for him. Maybe Will could sense his discomfort, because he pulled away.
Nico started to speak, but Will shushed him. "Sleep, Death Boy. You need it."
And Nico drifted off, Will staring into his eyes.

Nico's dreams were horrible that night.
      He stood on the deck of the Argo 2 with the Seven. They stood in a circle, holding hands, around Nico. A thousand horrifying possibilities passed through his mind - were they making fun of him? Were they trapping him?
     But they were all smiling at him - real, genuine smiles. "We love you, Nico," Hazel said. "You are not alone."
      They all closed in on Nico. He was about to panic when seven pairs of arms wrapped around him. Normally he hated being touched, but he relaxed into their arms. He felt good. The son of Hades felt warm, comfortable, and happy.
       "Let us in, Nico," Hazel said. "Let us in. Let us in. Let us in! Let us in! Let us in!" The others joined her, but they were..different. Their eyes turned pure black. They all had evil grins.
         "You liked me? Who would like you? Who would ever like you? You stupid little faggot!" Percy shouted. He continued on ranting about Nico while Hazel stepped up.
        "Who would ever like a son of Hades? I may be a son of Pluto, but at least I got the good powers. All you can do is summon your little ghost friends. Your only friends. And some other scary shit too. Go to Tartarus, you freak!" She kept talking, along with Percy, but this time, Jason spoke.
         "Your sister Bianca left you for the Hunters. She didn't want you. Oh yes," Jason said, noting Nico's confusion. "Percy told me all about how your sister abandoned you, then got herself killed, then didn't try to visit you. She probably did it on purpose. She probably hated you so much she went on the quest hoping she would die, so she wouldn't have to see you, your stupid ugly faggot face, your stupid little depressed ass! I would kill myself if I had to spend time with you!"
          Nico stared at them, horrified. But then the dream changed.
         Everyone disappeared. Nico was alone.
         Suddenly Bianca appeared a few feet away. He cried out to her and tried to run and throw his arms around her, but no matter how hard he ran, she stayed just out of reach. She was so close, but so far away. She began to speak.
"You have failed me, Nico."
She might as well have shot an arrow through his heart. But she kept going.
"You're an absolute monster, Nico. Look at everyone you've killed!"
           Figures appeared in the darkness. Hazel. Jason. Percy. The rest of the Seven. Their eyes were blank. Their hair was dull and frizzy. Their skin was pale and their veins stood out.
         "Nico, you have killed us," said Percy. His voice was dull. "I died, because of you.This is your fault. You're a monster."
         "I was trying to save you," Hazel said. "But  I died. It's all your fault. You killed me, Nico."
         "No," Nico whispered, "no, no, no!"
          Reyna stepped out of the shadows. "I am nothing, because of you. You reduced me to nothing. You're a monster, Nico. I am a ghost now. This is your fault."
          "No!" Nico was shouting now! "No, Reyna! No! No, no, no, NO!"
           Will was there, too. "I tried to heal you," he said. "I tried, but I died. I died because of you."
            Nico sobbed. "Will...no...PLEASE...NO!"
He looked around at all of them. "Bianca..Hazel! Jason...NO! No! Please...please...please," he was whispering now. "Please." This was the worst thing that could happen to him. They could call him a faggot, or say Bianca killed herself because of him. They could say he didn't belong. They could say anything they wanted. But him being the cause of their deaths - that was the worst thing that could happen.
     "Nico," Will said, but he sounded different. "Nico."
            Nico opened his eyes. Will's face hovered above his. He didn't hesitate, just threw his arms around Will and sobbed. Will held him for awhile. As soon as Nico came back to his senses. he pulled away, hoping his blush wasn't visible in the dark.
            He looked around. He was in a place he didn't recognize. A bed with yellow sheets, in a small room. The room was messy, as if the owner didn't really care about his stuff. Notes and random things lay around the room. Half empty glasses of water sat on the windowsill, and a stethoscope sat on the desk.
       "Where am I?" Nico asked.
       "My room," Will said. "I get my own room since I'm head counselor and all. I had to bring you back here. You were screaming so loud you would've waken everyone else up." Again, Nico hoped Will couldn't see him blush.
        "Didn't I wake everyone else up in here, though?" wondered Nico.
        "Nah. This place is completely soundproof, you know, because Apollo is the god of music and all. Comes in handy when you want to listen to music at night...or when you have a nightmare," Will said, raising an eyebrow. "So what's up, Death Boy? Wanna talk about it?"
        Sighing, he sat up a little more. "Just...everyone was dead..it was my fault..."
Nico's voice broke. "I just - I never - Bianca, she - and Hazel, two sisters dead, because of me - and Reyna, Jason - Percy...the Seven...and it's my fault-" Nico was stopped by Will taking his hand. That's all. He didn't say anything. But Nico felt himself relax. Everything really was fine. It was all a dream, everyone was still alive, and he was not a monster.
        The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was the feel of Will's hand on his, and the word safe.