Chapter 26: Nightmares

Nightmares and prophetic dreams were old friends of Nico's. But that didn't mean he could always control them. This time, they slipped through his grasp, rushing through his memories so fast, he only caught glimpses. Percy and Annabeth falling into Tartarus, Gaea rising, coming in at the last minute for the Battle of Manhatten, Nero threatening to destroy the city with greek fire, Nico's time trapped in the jar, surviving off pomegranate seeds, thinking no one from the Argo II crew would come to his rescue. His and Will's journey through the Underworld and Tartarus, meeting the Cocoa Puffs, watching as a beam of light shot through Will's chest, clipping Nyx's wing, and not arriving on time to catch him before he hit the ground. Then came one worse than the others. Seeing a limp woman, Nico's mother, in his father's arms, dead. "Stop!" His dreamself muttered. And, lastly, came the worst of all of it, the memory he wished he could forget. Lashing out at Percy for not protecting Bianca and letting her die. But when he spoke to say his apology, it wasn't Percy's voice. "Nico? Nico, wake up! Wake up!" It was Will, his voice panicky and frantic. His eyes flew open, and he sat forward, his fist moving too fast. And, before he could register what happened, Will was on the floor, clutching his stomach. "Oh, my Gods, Will, I-I....I didn't mean to!" He went to stand, and help his boyfriend up, but fell on the floor, having not used his legs in....wait. How long had he been out for? Before he could ask, Will sat up, still clutching his stomach. "Seriously, Nico, how do you pack so much energy in your body? I don't understand it." Then, he seemed to register that his lover was on the floor, trying to prop himself up on his hands, but failing. Will ran over, and helped him get back in bed, then showered him with a warm hug and a peck on the cheek. Typical. "Will, how long have I been out?" The son of Apollo stared deeply into Nico's eyes, which silently increased his worry, and said, "Nico...you've been out for a month." A month?! Had he heard that right? "A.....a month?" He repeated softly. Then: "A month! But how....?" Will's eyebrows scrunched together, somehow making him look calm and worried at the same time. "Y-you don't remember?" Nico thought for a moment, scowling at the floor. The last thing he remembered was someone asking if he could hear them and a strong pair of arms scooping him up. Then, it came to him. "Kronos. He..." Nico's voice chose that moment to stop working, and for the first time, he noticed how raspy and hoarse it was. Will nodded, answering his unfinished question. And, in that moment, he didn't care about looking weak, or his rule of not letting anyone touch him. As Will pulled him in for a warm, comforting hug, he couldn't keep his act together. Tears slowly streamed down his face, but no sound came from him. Not even a sniffle as he clung to his boyfriend, the only person who could ground him as the rest of the world faded away. After a while of silence, Will held Nico at armslength, and wiped a few tears away. "You really needed that, didn't you?" Nico looked at the ground, his tears gone, feeling a little embarrassed. For the first time in years he had actually cried. And, for the first time in years, he hadn't cared. He'd needed it, he really had. "Hey." Will placed a hand under his chin, and turned it so they were face to face. "Its ok to cry, Nico. And, after all you've been through, I don't know how you've kept yourself together. But I do know one thing." He paused, leaning in more, so they were almost nose to nose, and said, "I love you." He leaned in further, and pressed his lips to Nico's in a soft, passionate kiss. He melted into it and kissed back. "Will?" He mumbled into the kiss. "Yes?" "I love you, too."