Sunshine

Nightmares

*Will*

"Nico?"

I receive a weak response to my cries, drawing my attention towards a more darkened portion of the woods, shadows growing deeper as I get closer to Nico.

"Are you alright?"

"The son of Hades is fading quickly, you won't be able to save him."

More voices join in, adding onto my fears of not being able to save him, my deepest fear of losing another patient.

"Nico!"

He's curled up in a ball, appearance more like a smoke than a solid form. I try to reach out to him, tears forming as my hand goes straight through him. I try again, receiving the same heart stopping result. Nico is no longer solid. The grass around us is dying slowly, turning black and brittle underneath of us the longer I try to touch him.

"What do I do? I...I don't know what to do."

The chorus of voices has grown louder, threatening to block out any rational thought as I try to remember anything from my training that can help me right now. A deep sense of dread sets in as he becomes less visible, and I don't need to be able to sense his life force to know that it is weakening quickly.

"Nico...please...I can't do this without you."

"You will fail, he's too far gone to help you. Leave, leave him to fade and return to his father."

"Will!"

Something slams into me, hard, knocking me onto the ground with force enough to tear the air from my lungs. I roll over, coughing and wheezing as I struggle to regain my breath.

"Will! Come on, wake up!"

I open my eyes to a blinding light, sitting up and instantly slamming my head into someone else's.

"He's up!"

"Good."

Percy is sitting back on his knees, holding a hand under his nose in an attempt to prevent blood from dripping down the front of his shirt, possible trauma from his time in Greece.

"Are you alright?"

I nod my head slowly, noticing how uneasy everyone else is around me. Percy pushes my hand away when I reach out to look at his nose, breathing heavily as he moves. My mind goes into overdrive, spitting out all the different possibilities of his heavy breathing, eventually settling on lung damage from Tartarus. Everyone's eyes are on me, silence deafening as I realise they're waiting for me.

"What happened? Why are you all here?"

Percy glances around nervously, looking at Kayla for help before he realises he is on his own.

"You started screaming, and none of your siblings could get you to stop. Woke up half of the camp before someone came to get Jason and I, Nico-"

My heart instantly starts beating faster, my body feeling as if Percy has just blasted me with ice cold water and allowed Jason to throw me through a windstorm.

"What happened to him?"

I'm out of my bunk before I can finish my question, slipping on a pair of shoes and trying to run out the door, but Percy grabs my arm and forces me to sit back down. Blood drips down my arm and onto the floor, something that isn't missed by Percy, who winces when he notices the blood seeping into the hardwood.

"Jason's got him. It's okay."

I nod, worry increasing when Jason runs into the cabin, eyes full of fear as he makes his way over to me.

"It's Nico...he ummm... I lost him."

"You did what! What did you do?"

The cold feeling returns, tears threatening to spill as I listen to Jason.

"I woke him up, and tried to calm him down, but he shadow travelled away as soon as he saw me."

This time Percy lets me go, following me out the door as I sprint off across the lawn towards the infirmary, Jason close behind us. A small group of other campers part to allow us access to the lawn, patrol harpies suspiciously absent and oblivious to the gathering crowd.