AN: Hey everyone, welcome to Battling Demons! This is the sequel to my first Solangelo story, Healing the Dark. This story was previously entitled Healing the Dark part two, but I have since changed the name as I have begun editing this story yet again. Enjoy!

Warnings: mentions of self-harm, homophobia, bullying

Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.

Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!

Will's POV:

It had been four months since Leo had returned to Camp Half-Blood. Four months since Will and Nico had had their first kiss; since Nico and Will made their relationship official. In September, he had stayed longer than usual at Camp Half-Blood to make sure Nico was healthy enough. He eventually had to go back to Texas to be with his mother and continue high school. He was in his sophomore year.

It was December now, and Will would be returning to Camp Half-Blood. He had spoken to Nico at least twice a week. Unfortunately, because of exams and his volunteering at the hospital, Will hadn't talked to Nico in a month. And he was unbelievably excited to see his boyfriend.

It was nearing midnight, but Will had never felt more awake. He had gotten off his shift at the hospital at 6 and packed like crazy to get here tonight. He wanted to see Nico and the rest of his siblings. He had ridden a pegasus to camp. He started grinning as he walked up the hill, seeing the Big House. He walked through the barrier, leading the pegasus back into camp and suddenly the ground wasn't covered with snow anymore. He thought about letting Chiron know he was back, but he was too excited to see Nico.

Will led the pegasus to the stables before turning back to the cabins. He began to make his journey across the camp, heading toward Cabin 13. Nico's face flashed in Will's vision and suddenly, he couldn't wait any longer. He began sprinting, his duffle bumping him as he ran. Heart beating fast, he knocked on the cabin door. He meant to surprise Nico, who didn't think he was arriving until tomorrow, and hoped that his boyfriend was still awake. When he got no response, he tried to turn the doorknob. The door was locked. Will sighed as he rummaged through his duffle, looking for his key to Nico's cabin. He fished it out and unlocked the door. He pushed it open, calling out for Nico

Moonlight spilled into the cabin, revealing the recently redecorated cabin. Nico had spent weeks meticulously drawing up a floor plan for his cabin, with new furniture. The outside of the cabin was the same, the dark marble fitting into Nico's "aesthetic", but the inside had been completely redone. There was a small "foyer" at the cabin door. One either side was two bathrooms so that Hazel and Nico could have their own privacy. Then, descending two steps, the cabin opened up. To either side, there were cabinets, where Nico had started keeping food and sweets. There were also two dressers, on either side, full of clothing. Straight ahead, there was a small table with chairs, where Nico often ate. Beyond that, there was a fireplace, framed by the curtained windows. A couple of couches were in front of the flames.

The bunk beds had been replaced with two king-sized beds: one for Hazel, one for Nico. On the right was Hazel's bed. The dark golden curtains that surrounded her bed had been pulled back, revealing her white bedspread. Two bedside tables were on each side. A little further down, there was another dresser. On Nico's side, to the left, the black curtains were drawn around Nico's bed. He also had a dresser, mirroring Hazel's. Will did not know where Nico had procured so much nice furniture, but he hadn't asked. Needless to say, the new furniture looked must nicer than the old stuff.

Will dropped his bag at the front door, closing and locking it behind him. The room was sent into darkness. He slipped his shoes off and padded over to Nico's bed. He pulled back the curtains, planning on just slipping into bed with Nico. He began to pull back the covers, revealing his boyfriend. Panic overtook Will as he saw that the son of Hades was shaking; he was having a nightmare. Will lightly touched Nico, trying to wake him, but Nico pulled away, curling in on himself.

"No! Si prega di non fare! Non farmi del male!" Nico screamed in Italian.

No! Will thought.

Although Nico could control his dreams, the past couple times he had done it, he had drained his powers that he had almost faded. Will forbade him from controlling his dreams, instead, giving him sleeping draughts, which promised dreamless sleep. They had always worked in the past so the fact that Nico was having nightmares proved that they either stopped working or Nico had stopped taking them. He thought of all this in an instant before snapping back into action. He grabbed for Nico's hand to try to calm him down.

"Nico! It's okay; It's me! It's Will!" Will pushed the hair out of Nico's eyes.

Tears were running down Nico's face, and sobs were penetrating his pleas. "No! Puoi farmi male! Basta non far loro del male!"

Will felt helpless. He wished he knew what Nico was saying. He started shaking Nico's shoulder, trying to wake him up, but he couldn't do it.

"Please wake up Nico, please!"

Nico let out a scream that broke Will's heart. "No, Bianca! Mi dispiace! Ho cercato di portare indietro! Mi dispiace!"

He was dreaming about Bianca. That really wasn't good. Although he didn't talk about it, Will knew that Nico had, in some way, encountered Bianca while he was in Tartarus. Which meant he was currently trapped in there. And Will couldn't get him out. He started crying with Nico.

"Nico," he pleaded. "Please wake up. It's Will, it's Will! I'm home."

"Will," Hearing his name broke his heart. "Per favore non dire così! Io ti amo. Ti amo tanto!"

Although Will didn't speak fluent Italian, he recognized those words. Io ti amo. Nico was saying he loved him. He gathered Nico in his arms, ignoring his struggles. "Angel, it's okay. You aren't there anymore. It's okay; I'm here!"

Nico continued struggling, as if under attack. Will began to sing, softly. As he sang, Nico stopped struggling, but continued to shake. His eyes slid shut, as he poured his heart into the song, holding onto Nico, threading his fingers through the son of Hades' hair. Will's eyes opened as he felt Nico shoot up. Nico frantically looked around the room, breathing heavily. Will lightly touched Nico's shoulder and Nico flinched. He whipped around, scrambling away.

"Nico, it's okay!" He crawled towards Nico as he tried to get away.

As Nico pulled himself from the terror of the nightmare, he started to realize that he was in his cabin. Not Tartarus. He finally noticed Will.

"Will," he whimpered, crawling into his arms. He started sobbing into Will's chest.

"It's okay baby, it's okay. You are safe. You aren't there anymore." Will held onto Nico tightly.

It took about twenty minutes for Nico to stop crying and get his breathing under control. Nico started to pull away, not looking into Will's eyes

"Better?" Will asked.

Nico nodded, still looking down. He put his hand on Nico's chin, lifting it lightly, trying to look into his eyes. Nico flinched and grunted in pain. Will was confused as to why. Nico closed his eyes, nuzzling his face into Will's chest. It was as if Nico was trying to avoid showing his face.

"I thought-" Nico started, but his voice was raw with emotion. He cleared his throat. "I thought you weren't getting here until tomorrow."

"I wanted to surprise you," Will whispered, looking down at Nico. "You surprised me. Do you want to talk about it?" Nico grimaced against his chest, giving Will his answer. "You told me you haven't had a nightmare in a while." As Will said that, Nico's eyes open and he shifted, turning away. Will picked up on his discomfort. "Nico, have you been having nightmares?"

"No." His eyes wouldn't meet Will's.

"Nico, look at me." Onyx eyes met blue. "Have you been having nightmares?"

Nico sighed, defeated. "Yes."

"How frequently?"

"Almost every night the last month."

Will sucked in a breath. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have changed your dosage of sleeping draught."

Nico was looking at the covers. He spoke quietly. "I didn't want you to worry. I knew you were busy."

"That doesn't matter. I am never too busy for you, Nico," he gently touched Nico's cheek, trying to provide him comfort. Nico flinched away again, still hiding his face. Will's eyebrows furrowed. "Nico? What are you hiding?"

"I-N-nothing!" Will's eyebrows furrowed more deeply.

He saw Nico's gaze flicker to the side table and back to the covers. Will followed his glance and saw a bottle of sleeping draught on the table, unopened. No.

"Have you even been taking your sleeping draught, Nico?" At that, Nico got off the bed. "Nico?"

"No, I haven't. I haven't been taking that stupid draught for a month." Nico spat.

Will felt a touch of disappointment "Why not?" He thought Nico was getting better. A fear passed over him. " Are you cutting again?" Nico hesitated which answered the question. A sense of sadness and guilt swept over Will. He slowly got up and walked over to Nico. "Let me see."

"No!" Nico grasped his wrist and lunged out of the way. "Leave me alone, Will!"

Will held his hands up in surrender. "I'm just to understand what's wrong Nico, why did you stop taking your draught?"

"That's none of your business."

Those words sent a surge of anger through Will. "It is my business, Nico. First off, I am your boyfriend. Second, I am your doctor. I care about you and your wellbeing-"

"Are you sure about that, Solace? Where have you been the last month? When I needed you most?" Nico exploded, rounding on Will.

Since he had gotten up from the darkness of his bed, Will could now see Nico's face in the light of the dying fire. The light revealed that what Will thought had been bags under his eyes were actually fading bruises. Nico had a black eye as well as a fading bruise on his jaw. Will's stomach dropped; he gasped, stepping forward. He lightly grabbed Nico's chin. Nico tried to pull away, but Will had a firm grip. He tilted Nico's head, trying to see the bruise. The size of the bruise was consistent with being punched in the face. Someone had beaten Nico up.

"Who did this to you?" Will was faced with silence. He sighed and gently took Nico's arm and rolled up the sleeve. New gashes made a crisscross pattern across the pale arm. Will sucked a breath in. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Doesn't matter," Nico said, refusing to look Will in the eyes. "You weren't here."

"Nico, I have to go to school, you know that." Nico looked sheepish after that. "I would never choose to leave you if I was given the option."

"I know that."

Will guided Nico to his bathroom, trying to keep his own temper. "Why didn't you tell me, Nico? You told me you were fine. Why did you lie?"

"I don't know," Nico moved without resistance

Will flicked on the bathroom light, causing Nico to shield his eyes. Will sat him on the side of the tub, before turning to the cabinet under the sink, pulling out some of the medical supplies he had stored in the cabin. He placed this on the ground before going back into the cabin. He grabbed one of the chairs from the table.

He reentered the bathroom, setting the chair in front of Nico, who still hadn't moved. His face was still in his hands.

"Please tell me what this is about."

Nico shook his head. Will gently removed Nico's hands from his face. The harsh light showed the damage on Nico's face. Bags under his eyes revealed his exhaustion. The fading bruises were in the shape of fists. Will looked into Nico's eyes.

"It's nothing." Nico excused.

"Don't you lie to me, Nico. Tell me what this is all about." Will grabbed a towel from the counter.

"It's because I'm weak." Will dropped the bottle of rubbing alcohol he was holding at Nico's words

"Nico, you are the opposite of weak. What got you thinking like that?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Will sighed, defeated.

He picked up the bottle. He unscrewed the bottle of alcohol, poured it on the towel, and started dabbing Nico's arm. Nico hissed in pain, trying to pull away, but Will gripped his arm.

"I know it hurts, but we have got to get you cleaned up."

He started making his way up Nico's arm. He glanced up at Nico's face. Tears were streaming down his face. Will decided to put Nico's physical wellbeing first, as he seemed to have a lot of injuries. He would worry about his mental state after cleaning him up.

"When's the last time you slept, Nico?" Will asked.

"Tonight. And before that, about a week ago."

Will closed his eyes in worry. "Nico," he breathed. "What other injuries do you have besides your arms?"

Nico shifted. "I think I have some chest injures"

"Take off your shirt," Will ordered. Nico grimaced in pain as he pulled off his shirt. Will gasped as he saw Nico's torso, littered with cuts and bruises. Will gasped again. He started tracing the wounds, trying to figure out the extent of his damage. "Who- who gave these to you?"

"I- I gave them to myself," Nico lied.

Will ignored him. "Who hurt you?"

"My dad."

Will's eyes widened in shock. "Your dad hit you?"

"No," Nico moved to correct. "I got them doing stuff for my dad."

Will grabbed Nico's upper arms, causing the boy to look into his eyes. "Tell me the truth. Tell me what really happened."

Nico looked deeply into Will's eyes. The two boys fought a silent battle with their gazes. Nico broke it off first, eyes flitting to the ground.

"About a week ago, I was walking in the forest to try to get my mind off everything and I walked up on this kid beating up this young camper. He was calling this kid disgusting for being... For being gay. I got angry, so I confronted the guy, telling him to stop picking on the kid, and pick on someone his own side. He let the kid go and turned to me. The kid ran. I tried to summon some skeletons, but the guy grabbed me and started beating me up. I don't know how long because I passed out."

Will felt rage surge through him. How had this happened? Nico had gotten beaten up for being gay; his worst fears about his homosexuality were confirmed. "Who did this to you?"

Nico shook his head, not answering. Will realized that he was scared. Will felt rage at the person who had hurt Nico, but he also felt anger at himself. How could he have let this happen? Why hadn't he checked in on him more? Where were Nico's supposed 'friends'?

"Where was Jason? Or Percy? Or your other friends that could have helped you?" Will asked, starting to patch up the wounds on Nico's chest.

"Jason and Piper are in California, going to school. Frank, Hazel, and Reyna are at Camp Jupiter. Percy and Annabeth finishing up their senior year in New York. Leo and Calypso are gods-know-where on Festus. I don't really talk to anyone else."

"An no one at camp has noticed that your condition has been deteriorating? No one had iris-messaged you? Or even called you?" That's what Will had been doing but had recently been forced to stop because of his busy schedule. And anytime he had tried to call, it never went through.

Nico stood up and shook off Will's hands which were working on patching up his chest. "No one notices me. But it's fine; I'm fine."

"I notice you," Will stood and walked so he was in front of Nico. He brought Nico's chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. "I notice everything about you. And you are not fine, Nico. And you know what? That's okay. Because you will be okay. And I will be there for you, every step of the way."

He tilted his head, and adjusted his grip on Nico's jaw, careful not to aggravate the bruise. Their lips met. Will felt Nico melt against him. Will moved his hands to Nico's waist and encouraged Nico to wrap his legs around his waist. Nico obliged, not breaking the kiss. Will slowly walked them out of the bathroom and over to the bed. He laid the son of Hades on his back and propped himself over him. He broke off the kiss looking down at Nico.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I know," Nico breathed. "I missed you so much."

He grabbed Will's face reconnecting their lips. Before the two boys could get lost in each other, Will broke off the kiss. Nico whimpered in frustration.

"You are hurt, Nico. Let me help you." Will whispered.

Nico closed his eyes, before nodding.

Will's POV:

He flicked on the lamp in the bedside table to begin examining Nico. He peered down at Nico's bruised and lacerated chest. Most of these looked like they were from monsters, but some looked self-made. Will sighed heavily and looked down at Nico's pants. He put his hands on them, pausing to get Nico's consent. Nico nodded. Will slightly pulled them down to look at Nico's thighs. Just as he had thought; they were completely ravaged. And he had been doing so well. The difference one month could make.

"You didn't get all these from your assault," Will stated.

"Okay?" Nico said, asking what Will's unspoken question was.

"How did you get them?"

Nico breathed out deeply. "Because I'm weak."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Will questioned.

"Because it's true," Nico exclaimed, eyes opening as he sat up, resting on his elbows. "I can't handle everything that my father is throwing at me. I keep training and training, but I am not getting stronger. I should be able to have a better handle on my powers and the exhaustion they cause me, but I don't. I still pass out. I'm even too weak to stop my nightmares and have to take a draught to stop them. Do you know how pathetic that is? That's why I stopped taking them; because I should be stronger than this."

Will's heart broke as Nico told his tale. "Nico…"

Nico continued. "I am so weak, so I started cutting again. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to disappoint you."

"You could never disappoint me," Will reassured.

Nico laughed bitterly. "I can see it in your eyes; looking at my thighs, you are so disappointed."

It was true, but Nico did not need to know that. "No, my eyes are sad, because you didn't trust me with this. I am always here for you and I want you to know that."

Nico scoffed, before laying back down, signaling that the conversation was over. Will sighed as he continued looking over Nico. The chest wounds would heal nicely with ambrosia and nectar, so Will wasn't that concerned. The sleep deprivation was what concerned him more. Will reached for the side table. He grabbed the vial of sleeping draught and uncorked it.

"You need sleep more than anything," he whispered.

He brought the vial to Nico's lips and tipped the contents into Nico's mouth. Nico swallowed it obediently. His body relaxed as the draught took effect. Within moments, the son of Hades was sleeping peacefully.

Will set down the empty vial. He couldn't believe he or any of Nico's friends had let this get so out of hand. Even though they were all busy, someone should have stayed with Nico while he recovered. He trusted Kayla to do that, but it wasn't her fault.

While the chest wounds would heal quickly, Nico had already accumulated a lot of scar tissue from the cutting. He also assumed that Nico hadn't left the cabin for days, trying to hide his bruises. Will started humming a hymn, his hands starting to glow. He ran them across Nico's thighs, the cuts slowly disappearing. When those had closed up, he moved to Nico's arms. The red faded into white scars. As the wounds healed, Will grew more and more exhausted. Healing Nico always drained him. But he pushed forward, moving his hands over Nico's face. The bruises faded, showing no physical trace of the assault. The emotional impact, Will couldn't say.

Will stopped his hymn, glow fading from his hands. Nico was finally healed. Dark spots blinked in Will's vision. Uh oh, he thought I overtaxed myself. Will started to blackout as he aimed himself to the side of Nico, hoping to avoid crushing the boy. As his head hit the pillow, darkness embraced him.