Solangelo 1

Part 7

WILL

Nico collapses, and I pick him up in a fireman lift. I expect him to be heavier than he is.
I put him down in his bed and he curls up in a ball. I imagine him thinking himself back in that box. I resist an urge to wake him up. He clearly needs sleep.
He looks content for the first five minutes or so. He breathes lightly and evenly.
And then his eyes begin to flutter. He shakes his head, and his body begins to freeze. He lashes out. As if fighting some imaginary monster.
He begins to mutter in his sleep, a pleading, desperate sound. He starts to say no, over and over. And then he shouts out. He gets so loud that an Athena girl comes to check on us, I look at her, panicked.
There's no way Nico can stay here if he's this loud. I wrestle against his thrashing arms and take him in a fireman lift again. He hits me and cries out. It pains me to think what he must be reliving.
'Man the fort, okay? I'll send more people.' I say to the Athena girl, distracted. People are staring at me as I carry Nico away. I ignore them.
My instinct is to take him to his cabin, but the thought of that dark, dingy room makes my insides crawl. Instead I head to my own cabin.
'Hey, wow, what?' A voice comes from behind me, 'is he okay?'
'Fine.' I say, turning. Percy trails behind me. He looks genuinely concerned, 'follow me.' I say.
I go into the Apollo cabin and, thankfully, it's empty. I place Nico in my own bunk, and watch as he curls up in a ball again.
'He says he struggles with sleep.' I explain to Percy, 'since Tartarus.'
Percy's face goes white. Look of understanding goes over him.
'Right.' He says, 'got it.'
'How...you and Annabeth. You're the only other two. Ever. I can't help if I don't understand it.' I say. I sit on the edge of my bunk, beside Nico, 'do you have a way to deal with it?'
Percy actually laughs, 'Sorry.' He says, 'it's just. There's not really a way to deal with it. I mean, there are things that help.'
'Like what?' I ask, desperate for anything.
'Like...I can't sleep alone. Or if I'm alone for too long then...it just gets worse. And obviously water helps; Poseidon and all.' He looks to the ceiling, taking a deep breathe. Even talking about it must give him pretty bad PTSD.
'And Annabeth,' He continues, 'She can't deal with the dark. There was this point where she couldn't see in Tartarus...and now if she can't see she freaks out. But man, it's impossible. Nico went through alone. I can't imagine. He'll find his own way to deal with it. He has to.'
'Yeah. Thank you.' I say. I observe Percy. Just talking about it has bought out a panic in his eyes. His hands shake visibly. 'You know, if you head over to the Infirmary, there's stuff that'll help.'
'I'm all good. Not a scratch on me.' He says.
'I don't mean physically.' I say, delicate. Percy bites his lip. He hesitates then nods.
'Thanks, I'll think about it.' He says, 'Nico seems to have quieted down now.' He acknowledges. And he's right. And that's when I notice my hand is placed on his waist, rising and falling with his steady breathing. Percy seems to notice as well but he doesn't say anything.
'He's a good kid.' Percy says, addressing Nico, 'moody as hell sometimes, but he's good.' I smile and nod. Percy lingers for a moment, then makes his way out of the cabin.
I turn my attention to Nico. I don't move my hand from where it rests on his waist. He's curled up, but looks fairly peaceful. I brush a strand of dark hair from his eyes.
Slowly, my siblings come into the cabin. I raise a finger to my lips to tell them to be quiet. They look at Nico questioningly, but don't ask anything.
The night passes slowly and Nico sleeps soundly. I stay by his side the entire night.
It's barely dawn when he shoots up, eyes wide and looking around the room.
'Hey. Calm down. You're fine.' I say, placing both my hands on his shoulders. His breathing steadies and his eyes land on me. He seems to calm down.
'Where am I?' He asks, confused.
'Apollo cabin.' I say, 'hold on. I don't want to wake anyone. I take his hand without thinking and lead him out of the cabin. We stand outside and I wait a beat longer before letting go of his hand.
I was expecting them to be cold, but his hands were soft and warm. My hands hang limply by my side now.
'So.' He says, not meeting my eyes.
'Breakfast?' I ask.