Shattered

Percy

It was mid-day when Percy finally awoke. His body was cold, stiff, and sore; while his right arm was throbbing. It wasn't until he raised the arm in question to his face did he realize it was in a cast.

"Well that explains that", muttered the son of Poseidon. When he tried to sit up, he noticed a weight on his chest. He lifted his head up, with his neck muscles screaming in protest, to find the son of Hades collapsed on top of him.

What happened?

Percy used his good arm to push the slumbering son of Hades off him.

Nico took in a ragged breath, and then screamed in ear spitting agony when his back hit the ground.

Percy was instantly up and crouching over the son of Hades, despite every cell of his body protesting. Wide awake now, the son of Poseidon noticed that Nico's clothing was singed, his forearms red and blistered. The son of Hades' face was twisted in a horrible grimace; tears rolling down his cheeks.

For the first time Percy noticed they were in a small clearing in some timber, a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground. The son of Poseidon was barefoot and wearing only a hospital gown.

Not the best way to wake up, but I've had worse. At least I know who I am.

Nico was still whimpering in agony; his back arching away from the cold earth.

Percy gingerly rolled the younger demigod over, hoping that it would relieve his friend in some way.

He retched at what he saw.

Most of the back of Nico's shirt had been burned away, revealing a mix of charred skin and huge angry bleeding blisters.

"Okay, don't panic," said the older teen, "what would wise-girl do in this situation?"

First she would do was assess the situation, he realized. They were in the middle of the woods, it was cold, and he couldn't see any structures or roads nearby. Nico was unconscious with at least second degree burns, while Percy was more or less exposed to the elements.

Second, she would make a plan. As much as it pained Percy to admit it, he needed to take care of himself first if both of them were to get out of this mess. He ripped the sleeves off of his gown and wrapped them around his feet as makeshift shoes; frostbite would've set in faster in his toes than anywhere else on his body.

Nico was going to be a problem though.

Percy needed to take the son of Hades with him, but if he wasn't careful he would just end up making thing worse for his friend. He didn't have any ambrosia or nectar, so healing him was out of the question.

Well maybe not entirely out of the question.

Back at school it had been required for all students to take a four week long first aid class. Percy may not have remembered much from it, but he remembered that one of the first steps to treating a burn was to immerse the burnt area in cool water.

With his good arm, Percy scooped up a handful of snow and held it to his mouth. He breathed on the snow until it started to return to its natural liquid state. He then called on his powers, feeling the familiar pull in his gut, and commanded the water to slowly cover Nico's back. Nico's face momentarily twisted in pain, but it was quickly replaced by a look of contentment.

The next part was going to suck with an arm in a cast. Percy crouched down as low as he could and slowly worked sliding Nico up his back.

With Nico now safely piggybacked onto his back, Percy began to walk North.