A/N: This could be read as Solangelo, but you can also interpret it as Nico/Will friendship if you want to.

I wrote this on my phone, so I'm gonna format this and fix any errors and mistakes once I'm home and have access to my PC again.

P.S: I'm back from vacation, and as I promised, I edited and re-formatted the whole story. Wasn't much. Fixed two typos and changed CAPITAL into italic.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus are the intellectual property of Rick Riordan. I own nothing but the plot.

One should not underestimate a sword wound in the ribcage. Nico di Angelo had to learn this the hard way.

He would have never thought that there could be any minor monster that could be a serious threat for him. Sure, major monsters such as a Hydra or even a Drakon would be hard to kill, at least for him, but 'minor' monsters like empousai or telkhines? He used to kill those single-handedly

But the fact that a sword wound, several inches long, now 'graced' his chest prove him wrong. He was rapidly losing blood as he stumbled through the forest. Shadow-traveling to Camp Half-Blood had taken a toll on him, draining his powers even more.

His breathing became more ragged. He coughed and was shocked to find his hand bloody afterward. Thalia's tree came into view when he approached the top of Half-Blood Hill. It was long past midnight, the camp was fast asleep. The only ones awake at this time were the guard harpies. Knowing his bad luck, they'd discover and finish him.

He snorted. What an irony that would be, being killed by the harpies when he was already bleeding to death. He ducked into the shadow of the closest cabin when he heard the sound of wings approaching. The shadow of a harpy zoomed past him, missing him by mere inches. As soon as the monster was out of sight, he stumbled towards the next cabin. Steadying himself at the wall, he made his way to the Big House, in whose basement the infirmary was located. Hopefully a skilled healer was at duty. The last thing he needed was a twelve-year old camper, who would have to get their head counselor to treat his wounds.

Head counselor... the thought of Will Solace brought a broad smile on Nico's face. He had grown to like the son of Apollo during the past months. The blonde, tall young man seemed to feel so easy around Nico, never scared or freaked out. And most of all, he had never tried to urge Nico to do something. He had asked him to come to campfire with him, for example, but he hadn't pried.

He was close to the Big House, maybe 50 feet away, when his chest suddenly stung, the pain in his ribcage becoming close to unbearable. He stumbled. He tried to yell for help, harpies or not, but all that left his mouth was blood and a quiet croak. His face hit the floor, and he groaned in pain. Behind him, he could hear the first harpy scream at the prospect of a tasty demigod as their meal.

In front of him, a door opened and light flooded outside. His vision got blurry, and he could hardly see the tall, blonde young man who leapt outside before his eyes fell shut. Only quietly he could hear the words that were whispered in his ear as strong hands picked him up and carried him inside.

'Don't die on me now. Please .I need you.'