The Dark Will Conquer

The Walls to my House

I grabbed Nico's hand firmly, leaving Julia in the dust behind us, the crowd cheering us out of there. Now that I had seen firsthand how some of the students in this school really operate, I had no intention of coming back. He squeezed my hand reassuringly, and I turned to look into his chocolatey brown eyes and suddenly realized how tired and worn down he looked.

"Nico?" I asked, stopping him just inches away from the car. "Are you- okay?"

He nodded his head mutely, but Annabeth and I shared a quick look. It was clear that he needed medical help immediately, even if he wouldn't admit it. She took to his other side, and put his arm around her shoulders. I did the same. He was too tired to even protest.

I didn't understand. He had been fine a moment earlier. He had run to me with only a slight limp-that was normal for demigods. We spent hours in the training arena, and the random injury here and there was quite common. For Nico more than most. He had spent all the free time he had training since the war. Maybe it was to chase the nightmares away.

We slowly lowered Nico into the passenger's seat, and Nico's undead driver-dam it, I keep forgetting his name- took the wheel.

"Nico?" I asked softly, giving his fingers a little squeeze. "Can you hear me?" But his hand stayed limp in mine.

"Step on it!" Annabeth yelled to our undead/dead driver. "He'll be fine." She whispered to me.

"Where was he?" I asked. "What happened? Who did this?"

"He was on a mission." She told me, biting her lip. "He, um, wasn't supposed to tell you."

"He-he tells me everything." I said, my voice faltering. His heartbeat was slowing. We needed to get to camp, and soon.

"He was afraid you wouldn't let him go. And you probably wouldn't have."

"And for good reason!" I gestured at his crumpled body. Of course I wouldn't have let him go!

"You don't understand. If he doesn't do what Hades tells him, horrible things can happen. Hades is the God of the dead, after all."

"I don't care if terrible things happen! He can't leave me!" I shouted, tears blurring the edges of my vision.

She leaned over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Will, but that sentence is exactly my point." And she leaned over Nico and hugged me gently, just as the car jolted to a halt. I yanked the door handle and pushed the door open. Annabeth and I supported all of Nico's weight. His eyes were open but glassy, and he seemed to be unconscious. I was so scared he was dead. We got him to Thalia's tree, and since we were safely inside Camps borders, Annabeth ran off to go find help.

I rubbed slow circles on Nico's back. "I don't know if you can hear me." I whispered, tears running down my cheeks, "But if you can, don't leave me, okay? Don't leave. Stay with me. You- you promised that you wouldn't die when I went off to school. You said you'd be careful." I was rambling now, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't lose him. Not after everything. "You said you would be here to annoy me forever. You said that when we left this earth, we would leave together. You said- you said-" I couldn't stop. I buried my head into his chest and listened to his slow heartbeat, murmuring the words 'you said' over and over, until, after what felt like an eternity of his heartbeat getting slower and slower, strong hands pulled me from him. I couldn't see anything. I kicked and struggled, shouting his name. I yanked myself away from their grasp and lunged for him again.

What I felt then is something I could never un-feel. His heartbeat. Strong and steady for one moment, before blinking off into nothing. I screamed. I screamed until I no longer could. I screamed until my throat ran raw. I felt like I was drowning. My heart shattered into a million pieces. My hands shook. I screamed and screamed. My mind slowed.

Impossible. 

Impossible.

Impossible.

Impossible.

Impossible.

Impossible.

Impossible.

This was not possible. This could not be happening.

He was the moon to my sun.

The walls to my house.

Without him, the roof came crashing down onto me.

Without him, there was only rubble where a home used to stand.

Without him, there was nothing.

Without him, my heart was shattered like glass, and my lungs could not take in air.

Without him, I would not- could not-exist.

...

Nico pushed his way into the Hades cabin. glaring when he found me laying on his bed. "That's a bit suggestive, don't you think?" He asked, laughing.

"That's what I'm here for, darlin'," I said, letting my southern drawl that he loved so much show.

He climbed in with me and I pulled him closer, breathing in the smell of his hair. He kissed me, a shiver of pleasure running down my spine. "What are we gonna watch tonight?" I whispered against his lips.

He sat up, taking me with him. "I seem to remember a certain someone promising me a horror movie tonight." He murmured. "We watched Tangled yesterday."

I shook my head and pulled away. "No way!" I protested.

He took my hand in his and smiled warmly. "I'll be here the whole time." He promised. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I used to think he was so brave.

So brave for not screaming during the scary parts.

So brave for laughing when someone died stupidly, instead of yelling at them to 'JUST TURN AROUND, YOU IDIOT'

But he would never understand.

He would never have to be in a world without his soulmate in it.

That was reserved for me, and I would watch every horror movie in the world just to see him one last time.