When Nico emerged from the southern woods, the first rays of sunlight were just coming up. Bella hung limply in his arms, but her breathing was good and her pulse was steady, so he wasn't to concerned.

Some of the Apollo campers were already up and about. No shock there, seeing as they were the child of the sun god. They were right at the archery, and it didn't take long before a couple of campers shouted his arrival.

Suddenly, an arrow was protruding from a tree inches from his head. When Nico turned his head from it, Will Solace was sprinting to him, a bow slung across his back. With a grunt, Nico dropped to his knees and gently laid Bella on the ground. She would get help now.

Footsteps thudded on the grass. Seconds later, Will kneeled opposite of him and put his fingers against Bella's neck.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice empty of emotion.

"It's a long story..." Nico muttered, suddenly taking interest in the grass next to him. Will heaved a sigh and picked up the unconscious girl. Without a word, he got up and walked away. Will said something to one of the other Apollo guys, and he turned and ran off towards the Poseidon cabin.

With a grunt, Nico pushed himself up and followed Will up to the Big House. When he got there, Bella was lying in the first cot. Will was standing by her side, looking down at her. Nico cleared his throat and awkwardly stepped into the brightly lit room, closing the door behind him. There was a moment of silence, where neither boy knew what to say. Then Will stepped forward and punched Nico in the gut with all his strength.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKIN'?!" He screamed. Nico doubled over, coughing.

Will went on, "Do you have any idea how dangerous shadow-travelling is in your condition?! It could have unthinkable effects on your mind as well as your body! You could deteriorate, or go insane, or worse! If only you would eat some damn food, maybe you wouldn't be in such a bad condition!"

Nico looked up at him through his pain and was shocked to see tears in Will's eyes.

"Do you know how worried I was about you?" His voice broke, "If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do..." He clenched his fists so tight the knuckles turned white and bit his bottom lip in an attempt to stop crying.

"Will..." Nico stood up straight. "I'm alright. That's all that matters."

Will pushed a hand through his blond hair and looked at Nico in exhaustion. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Really."

Will took a step closer and whispered through a small smile, "I'm so mad at you, di Angelo."

Nico smirked and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. I can tell."

The blond suddenly jabbed his finger into Nico's chest and hissed, "And if you ever, EVER pull a stunt like that again, I'm gonna-"

They were interrupted by the door flying open and Percy running in, an angry fire in his eyes. He saw Bella lying on the cot and sprinted to her side. Percy brushed the hair off her face, taking in the image, and then clenched the sides of the bed. Slowly, he turned his head towards Nico and growled, "What did you do to her?"

Nico took a step back and raised his hands, "Percy, I-"

"What did YOU DO?!" With a yell, Percy slammed Nico against the far wall, his forearm digging into his throat. "If you hurt her in any way I swear to the gods-"

"Stop it!" Will yanked Percy as hard as he could and stood in between the two. Nico gagged, using the wall to stay upright. "Nico's an idiot sometimes, but he wouldn't hurt a little girl. Right?" He turned to Nico, who was nodding weakly, still trying to get air into his lungs.

"See?" Will looked back to Percy.

"Then why was she out in the woods with him? You saw how he reacted earlier! And now she's unconscious!" Percy yelled. He tried to push past Will, but he had surprising strength for a healer.

"I think we should hear Nico's story before strangling him." Will said.

Percy took a deep breath and took a step back, taking up a guard-dog stance at the foot of Bella's cot. "Fine."

Nico sat on the cot next to Bella's and began to describe the incident in the forest. When he got to the part about Bella being taken over by Bianca's spirit, Percy sucked in a deep breath.

"That's not possible." He whispered.

Nico ended by telling how Bella had collapsed after the battle. Will put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. We'll figure this all out."

Nico averted his gaze. A hand on his chin pulled his face up so Will could look at his cheek.

"That's quite a bruise you comin' in."

"Yeah. I guess."

The two held each other's gaze for a moment. Now that everything had calmed down, Nico realized how tired he really was. He gave a huge yawn. Will chuckled.

"C'mon, death boy. Let's get you bed. Be back in a sec, Percy."

"Don't call me death boy." Nico grumbled. But he allowed Will to help him stand up and walk him out the door. Percy could hear their muttered bickering out in the hall.

"You're cute when you're tired."

"I am not 'cute'. I am the Ghost King. I-" Nico yawned again, "-bathe in the blood of my enemies."

"That's adorable."

They continued until Percy heard a door open and slam shut. He walked to Bella's side and took a seat next to her cot. She looked so peaceful and quiet when she slept. He wondered how the recent events would affect her. Would she remember? What if… what if she wanted to stay here with Nico? A Bianca, not Bella? Would he be willing to make that sacrifice? Oh… Mom was going to kill him. Uh oh.

Sometimes I forget that it is canon that Will has a Texan accent. :)

I know that this chapter may not be as good as the others but I'm super stressed and crap. So cut me some slack. Love you guys.

Nightfury