Rowan → Ethan Nakamura ✔

Heart to Heart

Insomnia seemed to be a side effect of resurrection, for Ethan didn't feel the fatigue that instantly dragged the rest into sleep. He kept an arm around Rowan's waist, watching her shoulders lift with every breath, making sure that they didn't suddenly lie flat and forget to rise.

It was a calm, cloudy night in Singapore. The lake was motionless, debris of statues lightly bobbing in the water. New York hadn't been completely silent, not even when the sun had retired – here, Haw Par Villa was noiseless.

It was broken by a rustling at Ethan's feet. His hand found the handle of his knife, but once he saw that it was only Will, he relaxed.

Will Solace placed a hand on Nico's forehead, checking for something. Once he was satisfied, he extricated himself from Nico, careful not to wake him. Will rubbed the back of his neck and sat up on the floor of the pavilion.

"Can't sleep?" Ethan asked.

Will jolted, head whirring to see Ethan wide awake. "Gods, I thought you would be dozing off by now."

"Haven't slept since I came back."

Will squinted at his silhouette, darkened by the night. "You don't feel tired at all?"

"No."

"That's weird. I can give you some herbs if you want to pass out for a little bit."

"Thanks, but someone has to keep watch. Why did you wake up?"

"Nico used to have really bad nightmares. I trained myself to wake up in the middle of the night to check on him every once in a while."

Ethan glanced down at Rowan, wondering if she was having a nightmare. Like she had been for the last couple of hours, she was untroubled and breathing.

Will noticed his concern. "She's fine, Ethan." He said softly.

"I know." Ethan sighed. "But - "

"But you're still worried," Will finished. "I get it. I'm the same with this idiot."

He gently flicked the side of Nico's arm. The sleeping boy didn't feel a thing and continued to slumber.

"You love him," Ethan said. "A lot."

"And you love Rowan just as much."

Ethan flushed. Will grinned. "What? You thought nobody would notice?"

"Of course not – not even I noticed until I was dead." Ethan confessed. He shook his head. "For three years, my biggest priority was returning glory to minor gods, to restore the balance of Olympus's power."

"You did that," Will said. "There are cabins for every half-blood, regardless of whether their godly parent is one of the Big Three or barely worshipped."

"Jackson did that," Ethan said bitterly. "He won the war and an audience with the Olympians. How could they turn him down after he saved their skins?"

"Ethan, you were the one who made Percy realize that there were forgotten kids. You showed him what pain and neglect could cause." Will insisted. "Kronos made you a promise he never intended on keeping. It's not your fault you believed him."

"I should have known better. I should have turned my mother away, kept my eye and stayed home with Ro." He brushed a hand across Rowan's face, returning a strand of stray hair to its place. "I realized that in Elysium."

"What's it like – the Underworld?" Will asked. He glanced briefly at Nico. "Death Boy won't tell me. He said it'd freak me out."

"Di Angelo's right. It's not a nice place. I got lucky, changing my mind at the last second to land in Elysium."