Chapter Text
‘As I said, lord of the dead-’ before Will could finish, I had to correct him.
‘King of the ghosts, actually.’ as I was saying this, I almost tripped over a stone. But will was there to catch me. He held me at my stomach and my chest. Embracing me from the back.
He laughed at that ‘geez I get it king of ghosts, no need to become one so soon though.’ ugh, why did It tingle wherever he touched? ‘Also sorry for touching you, I know you don’t like it.’ he looked truly apologetic. I could see a little pink on his cheeks but that was probably just me seeing things. ‘But as I said, you should take better care of yourself.’
When did we reach the big house? He opened the two big white doors to the infirmary ‘my king’ he said bowing down. I gave him an awkward smile and entered the big house to go to the infirmary. I saw other kids laying with nasty slashes. Kids… I hate the gods.
‘Here, your room’ Will open a door that led to a normal hospital room, just filled with plants. ‘Sorry for this room, the others were too bright or something else you would hate’ ow…that’s… considerate. Nice room.
Oh wait! I should thank him ‘o-oh thank you’ I wanted to smile but then remembered how unsettling my smile was.
‘If you could sit there’ he pointed to the bed with his chin 'so I could just do a little check up and get some of your information’ he said with his perfect warm smile. Then he picked up a clipboard with a bunch of questions on it. I hoped on top of the bed.
‘So, first, name Is Nico Di Angelo, date of birth?’ he asked with a soft smile looking up from the clipboard to look at me.
‘1932 January 28th’
‘Time of entry is 1 pm, truly child of hades way to just wake up right as lunch starts.’ He said with a smirk.
‘How would you know, I’m the only child of hades’ my tone came out a bit harsher then intended, I could see in his eyes that he was hurt by my tone or maybe because I was the only child of hades… ‘I- sorry, didn’t mean to sound so harsh towards you’.
His eyes lit up a little which made my stomach do a backflip for a reason. ‘So, you would be harsh to others?’ the other boy had said in a joking tone. ‘hmpf’ the other boy had to laugh which made Nico almost smile. ‘So, symptoms are, turning into shadows and are there anymore symptoms?’. ‘No, just the scratches on my arm are hurting a bit again’.‘okay’ he said stretching the word out a bit by the end while scribbling on the clipboard ‘I’ll check that out as well. Wait here I will be right back’ he showed me soft smile of kindness and left.
‘Took me a while but found it!’ will stood proudly holding a hospital gown in full black. ‘Specially made it for you!’ will beamed. Dork. ‘Here, I’ll wait outside, whilst you get dressed, if you need to go to the bathroom, it’s that room’ he pointed to the door in the middle of the right wall of my bed.
As he left, I could see his smile immediately escape, of course the definition of sunshine and life wouldn’t want to be around the personification of death and darkness. I could hear a muffled ‘what happened now Conner’ coming from the door. Maybe Will did not hate me that much.
When in the bathroom, I pulled of my worn-down shirt covered in dirt, blood and holes and my pants in the same situation, to put on my gown.My ribcage all blue and purple from getting beaten up, as well my arms, the scratches stitched up by Reyna looked worse than they first did. As I traced down my escaping ribs, I had to hold myself back not to vomit. The warm tingling sensation of wills touch had already left. My legs, covered in cuts and bruises, disgustingly skinny, solely made to run for those who need assistance. my arms mere weapons, for they serve no other reason than obey others. My face, disgusting who would look at it, who would dare to touch it, or even any part of this body. My eyes, pure darkness, no light, no life. Every time I look at it in the mirror, I have a voice telling me to gauche them out, and telling me to kill myself, to run away. ‘who’d care? Who’d care if you’d leave?’ I put on my gown as to not see it anymore. I splashed my face with some cold water to snap out of it. ‘Not now maybe at night when everybody is asleep.’ I told myself
I went to open the door to tell Will I was done, and he could come in, but before I could, will opened the door with a hand in front of his eyes, ‘are ya done?’ he’d asked.
‘Yes’. I went back to sit on top of the bed and solace sat on a chair facing the bed. He took his pen and the clipboard again.
‘Okay, could you lend me your hand?’ for a few seconds I stared at the boy who was sticking out his hand waiting for me to do it in return, until it dawned on me, he had asked it for medical purposes, his Vitakinesis or something like that. I put my hand in his and he tightened his grip. I had to look to the side to try and hide my blush. Wait why was I blushing? ‘Looks like everything is normal, just a bit of blood loss, not much but not the typical amount for scraches.'
‘yeah’ I tried my best to avoid eye contact, people don’t really like looking in my eyes.
‘Then let’s take a look at them.’
I rolled up the sleeve of my hospital gown and watched Will’s face go from calm, to angry, to sad and then a mix of both angry and sad. ‘You said scratches Nico.’ He said with a hard tone.
‘They are’.
‘No, they’re… sigh Nico, look at me.’ His voice now more sympathetic. Huh, what did he say?
‘What?’ I asked, still avoiding looking at him and just looking to the bed.
‘I said,’ he turned my head to face him with his fingers on my chin ‘look at me’ in the same caring voice. I noticed a little pink but decided to ignore it. As much as I’d like to think, I don’t think I could hide my blush. ‘These are not scratches, they are gaping flesh wounds.’
‘they’re not that bad’ the boy lowered his hand from where it felt warm on my chin and sighed.
‘They in fact are Angelo and, wait here I’ll be back these stiches aren’t that great really.’
‘Try and say that to Reyna’s face.’ Will abruptly stopped and looked at me, knowing that if she hears that, he would be her dogs next meal.
‘I never said anything’ he gave me a warm smile and then went to get some stuff from the cabinet in the room and in the main hall of the infirmary.
‘Now I know who to come for when I need torture devices.’
They are not torture devices, just medical devices Angelo’.
‘Difference?’ I asked with a small puff.
‘big’ he looked happier. Which in return made me feel warm inside, why?‘Okay, so first I’m going to make the stitches looser with these tweezers’ he held them up to show me. he pulled on my stiches one by one as to loosen them up first. ‘And now I’m going to cut them with the suture scissor’ and so he did. Very carefully.
‘Why do you explain everything you do?’ I asked.
‘So that you’d feel more comfortable. Does it work?’ ugh, why must he shine so bright.
‘I suppose so.’ he smiled at that.
‘So, this might sting a little’ he said showing me a bottle of water. ‘This is just to clean it. After I am going to put on an Antibiotic ointment, stitch them up and wrap them in some bandages.’
I hissed a bit from the stinging when he poured the water on my wound but for the rest it was fine.
‘a feral black cat, are we?’ Will said teasingly in a fake britihs accent.
In a try to return the Favor of joking insults I said ‘says the care bear’
He blushed a bit and then responded with ‘don’t say that pleas.’
‘Now I will be saying that every chance I get’.
he looked me in my eyes and said, ‘please don’t.’
‘Okay maybe some times.’ ‘Ow!’ he had started putting the ointment while trying to suppress a grin.
‘Now, I’ll get you something to eat really quick, you stay here.’ he stood up as he brushed my arm with his hand for the last time, leaving a trail of warmth across my cold skin.
‘Okay so, I got you a sandwich with cheese, lettuce and some other things. Is that alright?’ he said holding a plate. He closed the door by pushing it with his foot almost falling. ‘Woah, almost fell there didn’t I?’ he laughed awkwardly while walking towards me.
Even looking at the food made me want to vomit. After a few minutes of staring at my food will said ‘you know, I made these so you could eat them.’
‘But I don’t want to’.
‘But you must. To heal.’ He said now with a frown on his face and more stern.
‘I’m not hungry.’ I lied.
‘Since you woke up you have eaten anything Death boy.’ True, but that doesn't matter. And what was with that nickname? Will sat there with a worried look on his face. I am probably making his job harder than it already is… so reluctantly I took a small bite.
‘Oh and, don’t call me that.’
‘Call you what?’ he said looking fake confused.
‘You know what I mean solace.’
‘Okay, okay.’ He said with a laugh that could smelt permafrost. Ugh, children of Apollo they always run hot, opposite of children of the underworld.
The sandwiches tasted good, but I still had to suppress the urge to vomit. After two more bites I couldn’t take it anymore, so I just stopped.
‘why’d you stop?’ he asked me. Ugh why does he care? Just leave me alone.
‘can’t eat anymore.’ I said monotone. He doesn’t need to know more.
‘Why? Didn’t you like it?’ he asked disappointed. ugh what’s up with all of his questions?
‘No, they were good, just full’ Will’s face was a mix of happy and sad. Why? I get happy, I mean I would be happy if somebody complemented me, maybe not for a sandwich but still. And then sad. Is it a terrible thing in Texas? That’s where will is from, right?
He took the plate and put it next to me on the bedside table. ‘For if you want to eat it later.’
There was knock on the door. Will stood up and then talked to someone. I couldn’t really hear anything or wanted too really. ‘You have visitors.’ He opened the door to Hazel, Reyna, coach hedge with a baby Sater in his arms. And then will stepped out and closed the door to give us some privacy.
Hazel speed walked to me and hugged me. ‘Oh, I’m so happy to see you’re doing okay!’
‘Hazel…breath…pleas’ I managed as she was squeezing the air out of my body.
‘Oh sorry’ she pulled away from the hug and just smiled at me and held my hand.
‘I see you got new stitches. Honestly for the better, mine were just practice-.
Before Reyna could finish, Coach Hedge jumped in with the baby Sater in his arms. ‘NICO, this is Chuck, I’m going to teach him all of the ninja moves, you will teach him your sword moves and Reyna will teach him how to rule over others!’
‘Whoa there Coach, we never agreed on that kind of stuff, ever.’ Reyna said laughing. ‘And who would he rule over if I may ask?
‘All the other Sater of course!’ hedge said proudly. Reyna and Hedge were arguing about whether that was a smart idea or not for a solid 10 minutes.
‘Is that your plate?’ Hazel asked. Looking a bit concerned. ‘How many bites?’
‘Three, why?’
‘Did you eat anything else?’ why do people ask so many questions today? Geez.
‘No, not really.’ Now all of them looked concerned. Accept Chuck, who was only what? A few days old?
‘You should eat more, even more after your suicide mission.’ Reyna looked concerned ‘don’t think you’re off the hook with that one yet.’
‘Yeah, who would teach him how to sword fight? Maybe Percy, but he never learned from Achilles, but you did!’ Coach followed with a sad expression.
‘Chiron maybe? The millennia old centaur who toughed all heroes?’ I voiced because come-on I may be good in in sword fighting but Chiron… you should cower if you have him as your enemy.
‘When are the romans leaving?’ I asked.
‘Honestly I don’t know, we still have to get the peace treaty written and printed, the strawberry orders out and some weapon orders to.’ Now that I took a good look, you could see dark circle under her eyes. Must be tyring being a praetor.
Hazel looked me in the eyes, she may be one of the only people who don’t mind looking in them. ‘Maybe we should let Nico rest for a bit.’ She said squeezing my hand and then standing up to leave.
‘Yeah, you must be really tired.’ Reyna followed and then also she walked to the door.
‘Rest a lot kid!’ Coach told me. Hazel smiled at me for a last time and then left the room as last.
‘I can see you’re really tired, best to take a nap’ will told me.
‘But it’s only 7pm?’
‘Still.’ I did not argue back anymore because…sleep and not because will looked like he was really concerned, why would I care about what he thinks? He put a sun globe next to me so I could get some vitamin D. And I quickly fell asleep.
‘You were a burden’ Bianca’s corpse said ‘you’re the reason I joined the huntresses, you’re the reason I died. And then you blamed it on Percy? Disgusting, mom would have hated you.’
‘you’re the reason I died mio figlio, if I hadn’t conceived you, Bianca and I would have lived. You’re a failure’ mom said, with her scull cracked and her brain falling out.
You’re the reason I died, if you didn’t let Octavian shoot the onager, I would have lived. Leo Valdez said, sobbing. I tried to speak but I couldn’t and neither could I move.
I was back in the underworld Percy choking me ‘you’re useless, worthless, you’re a traitor! Die!’
The dead were crawling up my legs, digging their claws in my legs ‘this is all your fault! You need to pay for this!’ they opened their rotten mouths to reveal thousands of maggots suddenly crawling up my body, nesting in my wounds, crawling in my ears, up my nose in my mouth, they ate their way through my eyes.
my arms chained being ripped apart by faceless campers ‘you’re disgusting! You should kill yourself! You’re a child of Hades you bring only bad luck!’ I couldn’t breathe anymore. I tried to breath, but the maggots found their way into my lungs. With tears running down my face. I tried to scream for help, with no success.
I woke up sweating, crying, and shaking. the clock on the wall said it was only 10pm. I kept shaking and crying until I could calm myself enough and slept without any dreams.
