Monkey: Yet another thing where I torture Nico!

Nico: I hate you. I hate you a lot.

Monkey: Well, kind of. It's mental torture, but nothing scarring. You already had to deal with Tartarus, and also, you get a new friend!

Nico: Huh?

Monkey: Never mind that, DO THE DISCLAIMER!

Nico: (sighs) Monkey here doesn't own me or PJO in general. Just the . . . what do you own here?

Monkey: (shrugs) The dialogue? I dunno. Anyway, hope you enjoy the one-shot!

Two months. It's been two months since Percy and Annabeth fell into . . . into Tartarus. It was hard for everyone on the Argo II to accept it. Everyone blamed themselves for the event and even got into arguments about it until Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, finally snapped and went on a huge rant about how Percy and Annabeth wouldn't want them blaming themselves and how they need to just swallow their guilt and get back on track. To be honest, he was right. Arguing over it wasn't going to get them back, they had to work together to close the Doors of Death and get Percy and Annabeth out.

Little did any of them know that a certain someone still hadn't gotten over his own guilt.

Leo, on the other hand, spent a couple weeks keeping himself busy by fixing the ship and making sure they didn't run into a mountain or something. But everyone quickly noticed that he was getting no sleep at all. Eventually, Hazel confronted him about it and told him to get a good night's rest.

Turns out, the ADHD boy was suffering from insomnia because he couldn't figure out how to fall asleep. He tried breathing exercises he looked up on Google for about twenty minutes. Of course, that failed. Exercise was out of the question since he figured it would just jumpstart his ADHD. He read random books he found in his room, but the dyslexia got in the way most of the time. He tried counting sheep, but after reaching the four hundred mark and was lulling to sleep, he lost count and woke right back up.

Eventually, he got thirsty, so he decided to go down to the kitchen to get something to drink. Maybe making some hot cocoa would make him sleepy. Unfortunately, the task of getting to the kitchen from his room would be difficult as he had to pass through ALL of his friends' rooms and he wasn't the best at keeping quiet in the dead of night.

Leo managed to get past Frank's room with no problem, the boy slept like a rock, no matter what. Jason sounded like he stirred a bit, but nothing major. The girls were a little harder to get past without making too much noise because for some reason the floorboards were extra creaky there. Luckily, he managed to get half way to the kitchen with no problems . . . until he heard a muffled scream.

The first thought that ran through the boy's head was, monster.

But then he remembered that they were on a magical flying ship that he programmed with an anti-monster cloaking device. Though it somehow didn't prevent those stupid eidolons from getting on board.

But, being the naturally curious son of Hephaestus he was, Leo decided to follow the screams. They led him down the hall and into the guest bedrooms Leo had made in case they had other people on board. In this case, Nico being the only "guest" on the Argo II.

He knocked on the door Nico was in, but the only reply he got was more screams and even a couple sobs. It was pretty hard to listen to, so Leo opened the door to find Nico buried in his blankets and his head in his pillow, screaming in agony.

"Hey, are you okay?" Leo asked, going over. He didn't respond. That's when Leo realized that Nico was asleep, more specifically, having a nightmare. "Hey, kid! Nico!"

Leo shook Nico, trying to wake the boy, calling his name for a few minutes until he shot up so fast, he nearly bonked his head into Leo's. For a second, Leo was relieved that he was okay, but he soon realized he wasn't. Tears continued to stream down the boy's pale face as he hugged his legs, burying his face into his knees.

Watching it was pretty painful and a part of Leo wanted to leave, but he also knew that whatever Nico was going through, he couldn't do it alone. He cleared his throat, but he didn't respond, so Leo walked over and sat next to Nico and pulled him into a really awkward one-armed hug.

"My fault . . . it's my fault," he muttered. "I'm sorry . . ."

In those few moments, Leo's initial idea of Nico completely disappeared. He originally saw him as strong, powerful, a force to be reckoned with and someone who could strike fear into anyone. The truth: he was just a kid. A powerful kid, sure, but still a kid. Just like him. Suddenly, the boy he was holding in his arms seemed that much smaller.

After a while, Nico calmed down enough to sit up by himself.

"You okay?" Leo asked. It was a stupid question since Nico was screaming his lungs out ten minutes ago, but he didn't say that.

Nico wiped tears off his face with his shirt sleeve and said, "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I was going down to the kitchen to get something to drink when I heard you scream."

"Oh . . ."

"What were you dreaming about to make you so miserable anyway?"

Nico took a sudden interest in the sheets and didn't answer.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but if it's something you want to get something off your chest . . ." Leo said.

It took a minute, but Nico finally found his voice and responded, "I . . . I was dreaming about Tartarus."

That is what made things REALLY awkward.

Leo didn't respond, so Nico continued, "The things you see down there . . . they'll never go away. I can't imagine what Percy and Annabeth are going through right now." He started to shake, the tears threatening to come back again. "I know I said blaming ourselves wouldn't do anything, but . . . I still can't help but think this is my fault. If . . . if I didn't go down there in the first place, this might not have happened."

"It's natural for us to blame ourselves," Leo said. "The important thing is that we learn to move on. I'm sure Percy and Annabeth would want that."

Nico nodded, "You're probably right."

The look in his eyes really did show how broken he was and Leo decided to do something about it. Of course, he couldn't mend all the scars that were inflicted upon Nico, but he could try. He got up and stretched his muscles.

"Well, I'm still gonna get myself something to drink. Wanna come with?" Leo offered.

It took a minute of internal debating on Nico's part, but eventually he agreed. The two boys walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Leo got two mugs and made warm hot cocoa, the same way his mom would whenever he got a nightmare. She'd make the cocoa and give it to him while telling stories and singing soft songs to comfort him. Of course it took longer than he thought, and he wasn't going to even attempt to use his powers to make it (trust me, he tried) but eventually, he gave Nico his own mug and held his own.

"Thanks," Nico said.

"Careful, it's hot," Leo said as he sipped on his own cocoa.

Nico blew into the drink and took a sip, "It's pretty good."

"Yeah, but not as good as how my mom made it. She would make it after I had some sort of nightmare and then we'd talk for a while until I got sleepy again."

The son of Hades stared into the drink for a minute before sipping on it again and replied, "My mother died when I was young. I don't remember much about her. I don't remember a lot from my past."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It happened a really long time ago."

The two of them stood in silence as they drank their hot cocoa. There wasn't much for the two half-bloods to talk about, but it didn't matter. The best part about it was that the silence spoke louder than words ever could until Leo spoke up.

"So, are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"A little," Nico replied, finishing his cocoa and then putting the mug in the sink. "Thanks."

He gave a grin and Nico returned it with a barely visible smile. It wasn't much, but it was an improvement. When Leo finished, they went back to the guest bedroom.

"You know, when this stupid war is over and we save Percy and Annabeth, I think you can make some new memories," Leo said.

"Like what?" Nico asked.

"Well, guess you'll just have to find out. But remember, we're your friends. We're here for you when you need us the most. After all, we need to work together."

Nico nodded and Leo extended his hand. Nico gave a confused look and asked, "What's that for?"

"I don't think we had a proper introduction," Leo said. "I'm Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus and captain of the Argo II."

Nico looked at Leo's hand and then gave a cheeky smirk as he took his hand and said, "Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, Ghost King, and head counselor of Cabin 13."

The two shook hands.

Leo yawned, "I should get to bed. I'm finally tired."

"Well, good night, then," Nico said.

"Night. If you need anything, just knock."

He nodded and Leo went back to his bedroom and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly. He didn't know the good deed he did, helping Nico. But, they did spark a friendship, a bond that none of the others on the ship had nor could they understand it. They needed each other, two outcasts with strange and horrible lives became friends over a night terror and hot chocolate.

And you know what? They didn't care.

Monkey: Keep in mind, this wasn't meant to come out as a yaoi pairing. I don't actually ship them, I see them more as really good friends. But that was fun!

Nico: It would be more fun, if you LET ME DOWN!

(Nico is in a small metal cage, hovering over a pool of sharks)

Monkey: Ah, suck it up, manservant. (looks to the readers) Hope you liked it! Don't forget to leave a REVIEW!

Nico: (looks to the audience) Please help me before she ends up killing me!

Monkey: Your not gonna die. If I killed you, then I wouldn't have anyone to torture!

Nico: (glares) I hate you.

Monkey: (grins)