Will folded the bandages, putting them neatly back in the storage cabinet. The infirmary was empty for the night, a rare treat for Will. He would be able to go to bed without worrying about the poor demigods forced to stay overnight, and it was the first night in three days that the corner bed hadn't been occupied by a surly son of Hades, who had practically fled from the infirmary as soon as Will had deemed him well enough.

Will felt a twinge of disappointment as he walked over and straightened up the empty bed. He ran his hands over the cold, clean covers. He shouldn't feel bad about how fast Nico had left. He had been here for three days, after all; anyone would be eager to get out. But something inside Will wished that he had stuck around for a while, if only to keep him company. He thought that after three days they could be classified as friends, maybe even-

No, Will thought, jerking his hands off of the empty covers as though he had been burned. He was reading way too far into their relationship.

Not that they had a relationship, of course.

Will stepped into the dying light and took a big breath of fresh air. He had been cooped up in the infirmary all day, trying to keep himself busy now that his most time-consuming patient was gone. He turned his eyes towards the sun, which was setting over the lake, and frowned. His father had been out of commission ever since the war had ended, and now, instead of the customary rush of warmth he used to feel whenever he looked at the sun, he just felt cold with worry. He had never met his father in person, but he was afraid of what was happening to him now that he had incited Zeus's fury.

Dinner had already started, and the camp was empty as Will strolled through it towards the Great Pavilion. It was full of campers eating and talking, and laughter filled the air. The shock of the war was wearing off, and now that they had managed to put the camp back together normalcy was returning to their lives. As Will walked over to the Apollo table, waving at all the campers calling out greetings to him, he glanced at the Hades table, expecting to see Nico there, hunched alone over his food. He had been planning on sitting with him after he had been released from the infirmary, but if Nico was sick of him he didn't want to push his company on him. He just wanted to make sure he was eating.

He frowned when he saw the table was empty. Changing his course, he headed to the Poseidon table, where Percy was eating with Annabeth, who had completely disregarded table rules since the war had ended.

"Hey, Will," Percy greeted him with a grin as he approached. "How's our favorite patient?"

"I released him earlier today," Will said. "I was actually coming to ask if you'd seen him."

Annabeth frowned and glanced at the empty table. "We thought he was still with you in the infirmary."

"He's probably hiding out in his cabin," Percy said, taking a bite of pizza. "You know Nico; you'd need an army to drag him out to meals."

Will sighed. "I specifically instructed him not to skip any meals. He needs all the weight he can get." Looking once more at the Hades table, he said, "I'm going to go get him out here."

Percy glanced at Annabeth, who was smirking. "I'd say you'll be much more efficient than an army," he said, his lips twitching.

Will frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Percy said, taking another bite of pizza.

Will was fuming as he stalked across the camp to the Hades cabin. It figured that Nico wouldn't even heed his most basic instruction. He's probably been shadow traveling all day, too, Will thought as he stomped up the steps of the dark cabin.

"Nico!" he called, pounding on the door. "What did I tell you about eating? You've got to do it!"

He waited for Nico to shout at him to go away, or open the door to glare at him. When nothing happened, Will frowned.

"Nico?" he asked, knocking again. When still more silence greeted him, he hesitated. It would be an invasion of privacy to just enter, but if Nico needed help, Will needed to know. Maybe he couldn't answer. Maybe he had hurt himself, or relapsed.

Or maybe he was just sleeping and Will was just over-reacting. He needed to find out.

"Nico, I'm coming in," he called, turning the cold black handle and pushing the door open.

It swung open with an ominous creak Will was sure Nico kept un-oiled on purpose. He blinked as he looked around the small room, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. There were only two beds inside, with blood-red sheets and black trimming. Will let his eyes fall first on one, then on the other. They were both empty.

His heart was beating uncomfortably loudly as he stepped inside, peering into every corner to make sure Nico wasn't just hiding. "Nico?" He opened the door to the bathroom, feeling guilty for the violation. "Nico!"

He wasn't there. Will walked back outside, feeling very hot all of a sudden. Something wasn't right.

Percy and Annabeth were laughing about something when he bounded back into the pavilion, flustered and worried. The Hades table was still empty.

"Will?" Annabeth asked when she spotted him. She got to her feet, her stormy eyes wide as she took in his panic. "What's wrong?"

"Nico's not in his cabin," Will said, his eyes scanning the other campers.

Percy frowned. "He's not? But-"

"What's going on?"

It was Jason and Piper, who had spotted Will from the Zeus table. Jason squinted at him through his glasses. "Will?"

"Nico's not in his cabin or at dinner," Annabeth said briskly, starting towards the exit. Percy scrambled to follow her, shoving the last of his pizza in his mouth.

Jason looked taken-aback. "I thought he was still in the infirmary! I saw him this morning."

Will narrowed his eyes. "Did you sneak in again?"

"I was bringing him some cookies!" Jason said, his cheeks red.

"I told you that Nico needed rest-"

"Not the time!" Piper interrupted. She grabbed Jason's hand and dragged him after Percy and Annabeth. "Let's go look for him. He's probably just getting some practice in while the rest of the camp is at dinner."

The five of them split up and took different parts of the camp. They sent Will back to the infirmary and the Big House on the off chance that Nico had gone back for some reason. Will doubted it, and only glanced inside the infirmary briefly before sprinting up to the house and thoroughly investigating the staff room, even peeking into the attic to make sure Nico wasn't skulking up there.

As he stepped outside again he rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. He took a deep breath, trying to curb his worry. He was overreacting. The others had probably already found him ripping practice dummies into shreds with that sword of his. He had been itching for action for the past three days, and although Will had told him to take it easy, it was doubtful he had taken that advice to heart.

Will's heart dropped to his stomach when he reached the pavilion again and saw the other four waiting for him. Nico was nowhere in sight.

"We looked everywhere," Piper said, her brow furrowed with worry. Next to her, Jason was shifting his weight from foot to foot, agitated. "He's not in camp."

"He might have gone back to Camp Jupiter," Percy said.

"He did say he wanted to visit Hazel," Jason said.

Will pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes. "I told him not to shadow travel unless it was an emergency!" he groaned.

"This is Nico we're talking about," Jason said, running a hand through his hair. It stood up on end as though he had just been electrocuted. "He's not good at listening. Or self-preservation, for that matter."

"We can send Hazel an Iris message," Percy said, nodding in the direction of his cabin. "Come on, that idiot's probably discussing strategy with Reyna right now."

Nico was not discussing strategy with Reyna. Hazel was laughing as she accepted the message, her eyes sparkling.

"Hello?" she said, beaming out at them all. Her smile died slightly when she saw their worried expressions. "What's wrong?"

"Is Nico with you?" Will asked, pushing to the front of the crowd gathered in front of the fountain.

Hazel frowned. "Nico? No, I haven't seen him since I left." Her expression changed as Will's face dropped. "Why? Is everything okay?"

"Nico's not at camp," Annabeth said. "We thought maybe he had come to visit you."

Hazel shook her head. "No, he hasn't been at Camp Jupiter. Unless- maybe he's with Reyna?"

"Who's with Reyna?" Frank swam into view behind Hazel, grinning. "Hey, everyone."

"Nico's missing," Hazel said.

Frank's grin dropped from his face. "What?"

"Can you go ask Reyna if she's seen him?" Hazel asked. Frank nodded, his expression grim, and disappeared.

Will stepped away from the group, his arms crossed tightly. He felt sick. A thousand different scenarios swam through his mind, each of them more gruesome than the next. Had Nico been attacked? Was he lying underneath some tree in the forest right now, bleeding to death? Had he been kidnapped? Was there another camp that he hadn't told them about and he was visiting right now? What if he was in trouble?

What if he had left?

Will's head swam with possibilities. He covered his face with his hands, trying to calm down. Nico couldn't have left. He'd promised he wouldn't.

"Will?" Will jumped when a hand rested on his shoulder. He spun around to see everyone watching him, worried expressions on their faces. Even Hazel was peering at him, her face rippling in the mist. Piper was touching his shoulder, concerned.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"What?" Will asked. He shook his head, trying to shake off the frown he felt on his face. "I'm fine, why?"

"We know you're, uh, close to Nico," Percy said. He flushed slightly, glancing at Annabeth. "And, uh-"

"I'm not close to Nico," Will said automatically. Nico had made that perfectly clear. "I'm his doctor. I'm responsible for his wellbeing."

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Will-"

"Nico's missing?"

Reyna stepped into frame, and the attention lifted from Will, who didn't even have it in him to breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Reyna and his heart plummeted again. He knew it without her saying anything; she hadn't seen him.

"He's not with you?" Percy asked.

Reyna frowned. She looked better than she had when the war had ended, but there were still dark bags under her eyes, and her braid was a little more disheveled than usual. It seemed that getting Camp Jupiter back together was wearing on her nerves, though she would never admit it.

The worry lines on her forehead deepened as she shook her head. "No, I haven't heard from him in days. I assumed he was still recovering."

"He was until this morning," Will said. "I let him out of the infirmary and he- he disappeared."

Hazel and Frank hovered behind her. Hazel was pale, her face drawn with worry.

"I'm coming over," she said. "We need to look for him."

Reyna nodded her agreement. "I have to stay here," she said. "Besides, if he does show up here, someone needs to be around to send word."

"We'll get together a search party," Annabeth said. She glanced around at her friends, her gaze lingering on Will. Her eyes softened. "We'll find him," she said, still staring at him.

Will turned away. Images of Nico, beat up or locked away or worse still floated through his mind. He screwed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath, and counted to three in his head. When he finished he opened his eyes again, feeling much more in control. Now was not the time to panic. He needed to find Nico, and then he would lock that boy up in the infirmary and never let him out no matter how much he complained.

"Oh, and when you find Nico," Reyna said, her face drawn, "someone slap some sense into him for me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't supposed to be a big deal.

Nico had done it dozens of times before the war whenever he had been at Camp Half-Blood. His father often assigned him odd jobs in the Underworld, mostly (in Nico's opinion) to keep him busy. He didn't mind them too much; they kept him busy and in practice, and a small part of him was glad that his father needed him in some way. Not that he would ever admit it to him, of course.

Nico had just been released from the infirmary by the overprotective son of Apollo when he had gotten a message from his father telling him to come down immediately. Nico had hesitated briefly. Will had cleared him for shadow travel only under the most dire of circumstances, warning him that pushing it too far would cause a relapse. He had only agreed to give him the all clear because Nico had been- well, he refused to admit he had been pouting, which is what Will had called it. Glaring. That's it, Nico had just been glaring. Nico didn't pout.

The whole camp had been at dinner when Nico had slipped into the shadows, positive that one trip wouldn't kill him.

It turned out that his father needed some help with some stray Harpies that had gotten loose in the Fields of Asphodel. It had been a long, tiring, irritating job and had kept Nico trudging through the fields for four days. When he had finally sent the Harpies back to their rightful places and reported to his father, he curled up for another day in his bedroom in the back of Hades' palace, exhausted from his mission and aching from the cuts and scrapes he had accumulated. He had been forced to use more 'Underworld-y powers', as Will called it, than he had planned on, and he felt drained. Will would kill him if he tried to shadow travel back to camp in that state.

When he finally felt strong enough, he popped his head into the throne room to tell his father he was going and stepped into the shadows, feeling the customary tug in his gut as the shadows overcame him. A moment later he was spit out to land in an unceremonious heap on the grass next to the practice fields. Nico needed to work on his landings.

He groaned, slowly sitting up. His head spun, and every inch of him felt sore. He glanced at the cut on his arm, the only real wound he had gotten on his mission. He had cleaned it up the best he could in the Underworld, but he had refused to admit to his father that he had let some Harpies hurt him. He would deal with it. Maybe he could sneak into the infirmary and grab some bandages.

Once he didn't feel so dizzy, he dragged himself to his feet. A full day of rest hadn't been enough, and he was absolutely exhausted. All he wanted to do was get back to his cabin and curl up in bed for the rest of the week.

As he trooped through the camp, it was eerily quiet. He was a little unsettled until he realized that everyone was probably at dinner. He relaxed a little, pleased that he wouldn't have to talk to anyone until tomorrow.

He was halfway to his cabin when the door to the Aphrodite cabin flew open and a girl rushed out. She was younger than him by a few years and Nico didn't recognize her. She was trying to force her blonde hair into a ponytail as she sprinted in the direction of the pavilion, obviously late for dinner. When she saw Nico she ground to a halt, her hair half up, and stared at him.

Nico stopped and stared back. For a few moments neither of them moved. Nico was frowning, confused, and her mouth had dropped open.

Finally, she spoke. "Nico di Angelo?" Her voice was hesitant.

"Yes?"

She let out a squeak, spun around, and sprinted towards the pavilion, her hair flying loose in her haste.

Nico felt a wave of cold wash over him as he stared after her. He hadn't realized that the campers were so scared of him. He had thought maybe they were getting over it, but if they were going to scream and run every time they looked at him… maybe it hadn't been a good idea to come back.

He scowled, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans and trudging towards his cabin. He would rethink his decision in the morning. Now, he wanted to sleep.

He had just mounted the steps to his cabin when a shout from behind him made him jump. He turned around and his jaw almost dropped in surprise.

A crowd of people were running towards him. As they approached, he realized that he recognized them all. Jason, Piper, Percy, Annabeth- even Frank and Hazel were all running towards him. And at the front was the Aphrodite girl, her hair flying behind her, an elated grin on her face.

"I told you I found him!" she shouted, pointing at him.

Nico frowned at them all. "What are you-"

He was cut off when Jason threw himself at him. He let out a small 'oomph' as the wind was knocked out of him, staggering under the weight of Jason's hug. He blinked, startled, before squirming out of his grip.

"What in Hades are you doing?" he asked.

"Where have you been?" Jason finally released him and looked him all over as if checking to make sure he was in one piece.

"What do you-"

"Nico!"

This time it was Hazel who threw herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her automatically, conceding because she was his sister. He was alarmed when he felt her shoulders shaking. She was crying.

Nico drew away, gripping her arms and looking at her. "Hazel? What's wrong?"

Hazel wiped her eyes, shaking her head. "I was so worried about you," she said, reaching out and running her thumb over his cheek. She sniffed and narrowed her eyes. "Where have you been?"

"The Underworld," Nico said. He glanced over her shoulder where the rest of his friends waited. The Aphrodite girl had fallen to the back, looking out of place. And next to her-

Nico's heart skipped a beat when he saw Will standing there, staring at him. Their eyes met, and to Nico's surprise Will didn't smile at him. He just stared at him with a blank expression, his face drawn and pale.

"Did something happen?" Nico asked, tearing his gaze away from Will and looking back at his sister. "What's going on?"

Hazel was glaring at him. Nico released her quickly, taking a step back.

"Just what were you doing in the Underworld?" she asked, her voice deathly quiet. It carried over the silent group of demigods behind her.

"Father sent for me," Nico said, bewildered. "He needed some help with-"

"You didn't think to tell anyone?"

Nico stared at her. "Huh?"

"We've been worried sick, you idiot!" Hazel said, raising her voice. "You've been gone nearly a week, Nico! We had no idea where you were and we couldn't even get an Iris message through-"

"I don't get them in the Underworld, you know that."

"NO, I DON'T KNOW THAT!" Hazel shouted at him. Nico, who had never been shouted at by the normally quiet Hazel, took another step back towards his door.

"Hazel-"

"No, Nico, I don't want to hear it. We thought you'd been kidnapped. We thought you'd run away! We've had both camps looking for you for the past five days with no sign of you, and you've been running errands for Dad? What in Hades is wrong with you?"

"It wasn't a big deal!" Nico was starting to panic now. All of his friends were staring at him, Hazel was yelling at him, and no matter how many times he scanned the crowd, he couldn't catch sight of Will anymore. Not that he was really looking; the son of Apollo tended to stick out, and Nico was just surprised that he couldn't see his blond hair or bright blue eyes. That was all. Where had he gone?

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?"

Nico blinked and looked back at Hazel, whose eyes were still full of tears. She looked more upset than angry now, and Nico felt a twinge of guilt.

"I'm sorry," he said, focusing on her. "I didn't think it would be a big deal."

"Yeah, well, it is." Hazel sniffed, rubbing her eyes. Nico realized how tired she looked, as though she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a few days. The guilt was gnawing at his stomach now. But how was he supposed to know Hazel would cause a camp-wide panic? When she was set on something, she knew how to get others to help her out.

Frank stepped forward and laid a hesitant hand on Hazel's shoulder. He shot a look at Nico that said clearly: Nice going, kid. Nico wanted to shrink back in the shadows.

"Just… tell us next time," Jason said, his voice weak. It looked as though Hazel's panic had worn on him, as well.

"I'm sorry," Nico said again, feeling very small suddenly. His thoughts kept straying back to his bed, which was only a few steps behind him. The added stress of everything left him feeling empty and more tired than he had been before. If he didn't get some sleep soon, he felt he was going to pass out.

"It's not us you should be apologizing to," Annabeth spoke up. Her arms were crossed, and she was glaring at Nico. Despite himself, Nico narrowed his eyes at her, unconsciously daring her to try anything. Her gaze hardened. "You need to talk to Will."

Nico's glare slid off his face immediately. "Will?" he asked. "What about Will? Is something wrong?"

Annabeth's expression softened slightly. She glanced over her shoulder and then frowned. "Will?" She turned and peered at the back of the group before turning back around. "He was right here."

"I think he slipped off once he saw Nico," Percy said. "Poor guy's probably exhausted."

"Exhausted?" Nico asked. When no one looked ready to explain, he narrowed his eyes and raised his voice. "What's wrong with Will?"

Everyone looked at him, and Nico resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably.

Percy's lips twitched, the first sign of a smile Nico had seen since he'd gotten there. "Worried about Will, Nico?"

Annabeth jabbed him sharply in the ribs, and Percy winced. "Not the time, Kelp for brains."

Percy muttered something that Nico didn't hear, but he didn't care at the moment. He turned to Hazel, who was still standing next to him.

"What's wrong with Will?" he asked, dismayed when it came out like begging. He cleared his throat and tried to school his expression into something neutral. "If he needs help, I'd like to know. I kind of, uh, owe him one. You know, from the infirmary. I owe him."

Hazel had a funny look on her face. She shook her head. "He's run himself ragged the past few days," she said. "Between looking for you and working in the infirmary-"

"Looking for me?"

"He led almost every search party," Jason said. "Last night his siblings actually had to lock him in his cabin so he could get some sleep, but they said he spent the whole night pacing or sitting awake. You've had him real worried, Nico."

Nico frowned. That didn't sound like Will. Sure, he cared about all of the campers, and would get upset if any of them disappeared, but he also had one of the coolest heads in camp. He would never run himself into the ground like that. As a doctor he knew that you could only help someone if you yourself are healthy enough to do so. Losing sleep over the search wouldn't have done anyone any good.

Obviously there was something else wrong with Will. Nico needed to talk to him, to find out if he could help him.

He did owe him one, after all.

"I'm going to go find him," he said, hopping down the stairs and pushing through the crowd.

"Nico!"

Nico spun around and glared at Jason, who had followed him. The son of Jupiter winced slightly but stood his ground.

"What?"

"Try the lake," Jason said quietly.

Nico felt his expression soften. He nodded curtly before turning and walking away, his sword swinging at his hip.

It was a good thing that Jason had told him where to look, because the lake was the last place Nico would have thought to look. He had been planning on going to the infirmary first, but redirected his course towards the sandy beach. The sun was nearly set, and he used the dying light to guide him down to the water.

When he reached the edge of the sand he stopped and scanned the beach. Sure enough, a lone figure sat by the water, close enough for the water to touch his toes. Flip flops lay discarded in the sand next to him.

Nico walked clumsily across the sand, his feet slipping and sliding. It had been a long time since he had come down to the water. It always ended up reminding him of Percy, so he had avoided it like the plague for as long as he could remember. Now he was focused entirely on the hunched figure in front of him, staring out at the sunset.

Nico stopped a few feet away. Even though he must have heard him approach, Will didn't look up. Nico stood there for a few moments, waiting for Will to speak, and when it seemed that he had no intention to, Nico spoke up awkwardly.

"Are you alright?"

Will didn't respond for a moment. "I'm fine."

Nico hesitated. That was what he had come for. Assurance that Will was still fine, still Will. He could go now. He could go and take a nap.

Then he realized that no, he couldn't. So he sat.

He stayed far away from the water and several feet away from Will, and it took him a moment of adjusting to get his sword into a comfortable position. He sat with his legs crossed, feeling very awkward and unsure of what to do. Oh, Hades, would he have to comfort Will? Nico was not cut out for this sort of thing.

"Hazel said you've been, uh, distracted recently," he said.

"I've had a lot on my mind."

"Oh."

Will didn't say anything else. Nico shifted his gaze away from him and stared out at the water. The sun had disappeared beneath the horizon and the sky still glowed a brilliant orange, but it was fading fast. Soon it would be dark, and then it would be curfew, and they would have to go.

"Where'd you go?"

It took Nico a moment to realize that Will had spoken to him. Then he thought, Of course he's talking to you, idiot, you're the only one on the stupid beach.

"The Underworld," Nico said. "My father- Hades needed some help with something." Nico waited for Will to scold him for shadow traveling, and when nothing came, he glanced at him. Will was staring straight ahead, his expression blank. "It was only a quick jump, I wasn't shadow traveling much. He just has odd jobs for me to do sometimes. You know, Harpies, uncooperative spirits, that sort of thing." No response. "It's like chores, except I don't get an allowance." It was a weak joke, but all Nico ever had were weak jokes, and normally Will spared him from feeling too awkward and laughed. He stayed silent this time, though. Nico frowned at him. "Look, did something happen?"

"Except for the fact that you don't seem to care about any of us enough to tell us where you were going? No, nothing happened."

"I told you that it was no big deal! What, do I have to make a camp-wide announcement every time I want to go somewhere?"

"You need to tell someone! I was worried sick, Nico!" Will stopped, his next words catching in his throat. "We were worried sick. Everyone was. Your sister came all the way from California to look for you."

Nico rubbed the back of his neck. There was that guilt again. "Yeah, about Hazel- listen, thanks for humoring her. With the search parties and stuff. It means a lot."

Will finally turned and looked at him. His eyes were wide with disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"I know she can be a bit overprotective sometimes, and she probably made the whole camp look, so thanks for, you know, playing along."

Will stared at him for another few moments. Nico tried to keep eye contact but eventually let his gaze fall away, uncomfortable.

"You are the stupidest person I've ever met," he said.

Nico looked back up again, scowling at him. Will met his glare evenly. "What?"

"You think we were all just playing along? How thick can you get?"

"What are you talking about, Solace?"

"You think Frank was playing along when he volunteered to scout New York as an eagle all day to look for you? You think Jason was playing along when he demanded audience with his father to ask about you, only to come back fuming because he had refused to tell him anything? You think Percy was playing along when he got every single creature in the ocean to look out for you? You think I was playing along when I led every damn search party because I don't have any special powers and can't do anything else? Do you think I was playing along when I prayed to Hades every single meal and ended up with a pile of bones in my pillowcase when I shouted at him for not answering?"

"You shouted at my father?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, DI ANGELO!"

Nico jumped. He had never heard Will shout before. The sound sent a chill down his spine- a very uncomfortable chill. A wave of shame washed over him, far worse than the guilt he had felt for upsetting Hazel. Hazel's feelings made sense. Will shouting- that didn't.

Will dropped his head into his hands. When he spoke, his voice was muffled. "I thought I was never going to see you again."

They both fell silent. The only noise was the lapping of the water and the growing buzz of crickets in the woods behind them. The sky was beginning to darken, casting shadows across the beach.

Nico regretted the next word that left his mouth as soon as he'd said it. "So?"

Will slowly lifted his head, turning to look at him. He looked crushed. "You really think that, don't you?" It wasn't much of a question.

Nico squirmed uncomfortably, aware that Will was staring at him, and that he wasn't angry anymore. If he wasn't angry, what was he? Disappointed? Upset his patient was so down on himself?

"Think what?" he asked.

"That we were all just playing along. That that's all we ever do- play along. That's what you think, isn't it?"

Nico frowned. "I don't understand what you mean."

Will shook his head. "No, you wouldn't," he said, almost to himself.

"What are you talking about, Solace?"

"Are we friends?"

The question was so abrupt it took Nico a moment to realize what he meant. It took him another moment to figure out how to answer it. "I, uh, I don't- are we?"

"Why do you have to ask me? You have as much say in the matter as I do."

"Well, yeah, but- I don't have friends, Will."

"So we aren't."

"I don't know! No, we aren't, I guess."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have friends, Will!"

"Why?"

Will said all of this in the same calm voice, oblivious to how flustered Nico was getting beside him. Nico grabbed a fistful of sand, letting it leak out of the cracks of his fingers. Irritation flared inside him.

"Because I'm the son of Hades!" Nico snapped at him. "I represent death, and people don't like to be around things that represent death! My powers scare people. I can raise the dead, Will. I travel in shadows and hang out with skeletons and have a bedroom in the Underworld and- and-"

Nico stopped, heat rushing into his face. He hadn't meant for all that to come out at once. So far Will had tolerated him, even gone so far as to care for his wellbeing, mostly because he didn't really know who Nico was. He just thought he was helping another lonely camper. Now he'll realize what a mistake that had all been.

Nico waited for Will to say something, anything to let him know what he felt about all of this. He wanted Will to yell at him, or tell him to go away, or talk about how disgusted he was that he had let Nico into his infirmary, that he had spent three days taking care of him. Nico's heart twanged when Will didn't speak. He couldn't even say anything to him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'll go now." He pushed himself to his feet and turned to go.

Nico stumbled when a hand closed around his arm. It would have startled him enough even if it hadn't been his injured arm. He hissed in pain and shook the hand off, drawing away.

Will frowned at him, then at his hand, which was now covered in dried blood. When he looked back up at Nico, his eyes were narrowed. "You're hurt," he accused.

"It's just a scratch."

"Shut up, Nico."

Will reached up and grabbed his hand, carefully avoiding his injury, and gave him a sharp tug. Nico fell back to the ground beside him, blinking. Something in the back of his mind wondered why Will had been strong enough to pull Nico to the ground, but a large portion of his thoughts were devoted to the panic-inducing fact that Will was holding his hand. This was the second time this had happened, and Nico was no more comfortable with it than he had been the first time.

"You should have told me immediately," Will chastised. He seemed to have dropped his mood from earlier and was back in doctor-mode. Nico was glad that Will was himself again. He hated when people got emotional.

"It's just a scratch," Nico repeated.

"That I can heal in my sleep," Will said, rolling his eyes. He moved his hands up Nico's arm, leaving his fingers tingling from where he had just been gripping them. "Harpy claw?" he asked, bringing the wound close to his face and squinting at it. Nico swallowed when he felt Will's warm breath on his skin.

"How'd you know?"

"Harpy claws are poisonous, stupid. It's not too bad, but another day and you would be very, very uncomfortable." Will brushed his fingers next to the cut, his movements gentle and precise. Healing hands, that's what Will had. They practically thrummed with Apollo's blessing, and every time Will touched him Nico felt shivers running up his spine. He had to have some powerful healing magic to do that.

"Stay still," he instructed. Nico tried to say "Okay" but his mouth didn't seem able to make any words.

Will's grip got steadier, stronger. He closed his eyes and began murmuring a prayer in Greek under his breath. Nico tried to follow the words but was distracted by the voice that spoke them. Will's voice was smooth and light, dancing in the air. Nico had heard him hum to himself in the infirmary enough times to know that Will hadn't gotten the gift of song from his dad. Nico would never say it, but even he knew that Will was terribly out of tune every time he tried to sing. But Will's voice had its own kind of magic that had nothing to do with his father's blessings. Will's voice was all his own.

Nico was so distracted by listening to Will he didn't even have time to be embarrassed as Will ran his fingers up and down Nico's arm. Slowly, the dull ache Nico had had in his arm for the past few days disappeared. The first few times that Will had healed Nico's injuries Nico had stared at them, captivated as the skin was leaked of its sharp red color and the skin knit itself back together. He knew that the same incredible magic was happening at that very moment, but instead he used what little light he had to stare at Will, letting his eyes trace his features. His eyebrows, scrunched together in concentration; his nose, just a little bit too long at the end to be considered completely normal, but Nico thought it suited Will completely; his mouth, arched like a bow, and moving smoothly as he whispered his prayer.

It only took him a minute to heal Nico's arm and sap it of his poison. When he was finished his hands rested on Nico's, finally still. Nico watched as Will's eyes shut and his shoulders relaxed, so he looked like he had fallen asleep where he sat.

"Will?" Nico asked, well aware of their hands. His heart was beating uncomfortably in his chest. "Are you alright?"

Will took a long, slow breath and opened his eyes again, blinking unsteadily at him. He smiled and Nico's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah," he said, "I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping well, and removing poison requires quite a bit of energy."

Nico wanted to yank his hand away, but he didn't want to embarrass Will, so he kept it as still as he could. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I'm glad I could help."

Will still didn't lift his hands. Nico was aware that his palm was getting sweaty and felt a flush creep into his cheeks. Oh, Hades, what if Will felt that? Nico wanted to sink into the ground and never come back up.

"Will-" he faltered before pressing on. "If you weren't playing along, then- then what were you doing?"

"I was worrying about my friend," Will said. "And I'm still waiting, by the way."

"For what?"

"For a valid reason you don't have friends."

Nico turned his face away even though Will probably couldn't see him anymore. "I told you. I'm a son of-"

"I don't give a damn who you're the son of."

Nico spun back around, startled, and not just from the fact that Will had actually sworn for once in his life. "What?"

"I said I don't give a damn," Will said calmly. "I don't care that you're the son of Hades, or that your powers all have to do with death. Heck, I think they're cool. Do you know how much I admired you during the first Titan war? When I saw you swoop in and save the day with those skeletons, I wondered if I would ever be as brave or powerful as you."

"Will, I don't think you realize-"

"No, I don't think you realize, Nico. Can you just get it through your thick little head that there are people who care about you? Hazel cares about you. Jason cares about you so much I actually had to ban him from visiting you in the infirmary, something I've never had to do before. Every time I visit Coach Hedge and his son the only thing he asks me about is you and whether you're okay. Everyone in this camp cares about you, Nico, but you're too wrapped up in your belief that you're un-loveable to realize that you have people out there who do love you." Will hesitated. "There are people here who love you a whole lot."

"They think they love me," Nico muttered. "They think they do, and I appreciate it. But they don't know me. I've done things, Will, things I'm not proud of, and as soon as everyone sees who I really am-"

"They'll care about you even more," Will said adamantly. "We've all done things we're not proud of; we're demigods! No one cares what you've done, Nico. When you disappeared everyone in both camps dropped everything they were doing and looked for you because they care. They wouldn't waste their time otherwise."

Nico stared at the ground. Will had let one of his hands drop, but he left the other one on top of Nico's. Nico knew it wasn't accidental anymore. He was trying to comfort him. For some strange reason Nico felt tears prick at his eyes, and he hurriedly blinked them back. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of Will.

"Please let us be your friends, Nico," Will pleaded. "We want to help you. I want to help you."

Nico clenched his jaw. He didn't know what to say. His mind was yelling at him, telling him that Will was lying, picking through every word to try and find a hidden message in it. He felt like hundreds of little monsters were jumping around in his head, beating on his skull and trying to make him understand that this couldn't be true, that Will couldn't mean what he was saying. A thousand memories vied for Nico's attention; campers, wide-eyed with fear when he walked into the training arena; Percy frowning at him before turning to Annabeth, a genuine smile lighting up his face at the sight of her; his father glaring at him, unsaid words resounding in Nico's head: It should have been you.

Nico squeezed his eyes shut, silently begging for them to all to stop. It had gotten worse since his trip to Tartarus, the doubts that would seize him whenever he thought he was getting better. It wasn't fair.

"Nico?" Will sounded worried when Nico didn't respond. Nico wanted to say something to let him know he was alright, but he didn't trust his voice enough. Instead, he slowly twisted his hand until it was palm to palm with Will's. Then he waited with bated breath for Will's reaction.

Will seemed to hesitate slightly, obviously confused. Then, very gently, he squeezed Nico's hand. When the son of Hades didn't draw away, he allowed a smile to creep onto his face and entwined his fingers with Nico's, squeezing again. His hands were warm in Nico's cold grip. I'm here, they seemed to say.

They sat in silence for a long time, hands entwined, and after a while Nico stopped obsessing over whether Will noticed his palms were sweating. He focused instead on the peace of the moment, the sense of belonging that Will carried with him everywhere he went. He always seemed to know how to make everyone he talked to feel wanted. Nico turned all his attention to this, and was surprised when he found it quieted the voices in his mind just a little bit. Every once in a while a particularly bad thought would jump at him and he would squeeze Will's hand, but it always calmed him down when he felt Will squeeze his hand just as firmly back.

After what felt like hours, Nico felt Will slump to the ground. Nico sat up straight, alarmed, and squinted through the darkness. When he realized what had happened, he relaxed. Will had fallen asleep.

It was no wonder. It must have been hours after curfew; Nico was surprised no one had come looking for them yet. Nico hesitated, unsure of what to do. He couldn't just leave Will here.

"Will?" he whispered. He got no response other than a light snore. He grinned. Will snored. "Will?" he tried again.

Will's head turned towards him, his mouth falling slightly open. One part of Nico wanted to jump up and run away. The other part was very, very tired after the events of the past week.

He tried to slip his hand out of Will's, but Will seemed to be conscious enough to squeeze even harder. Nico stopped struggling immediately, not wanting to wake him up. He rolled his eyes. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Sighing, Nico laid back on the sand and tried to get comfortable. It seemed that he was going to have to wait until Will woke up again. That shouldn't take too long. The temperature was slowly dropping, and although Nico was used to freezing temperatures in the underworld, Will moped around whenever the sun wasn't out. He'd be up and searching for a warm bed in no time.

He shut his eyes for a moment, focusing on the sound of the waves and the feel of Will's hand in his. And in a few minutes, he was fast asleep.

A/N: I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this or leave it as a one-shot. Leave me your thoughts! Thanks for reading!