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Top-Secret Patient

Will sat nervously, fidgeting with the bandage around his hand for the billionth time that day. He had been taken out of the infirmary by Chiron himself for "important business." Will, of course, had protested, he was head medic, and they had just gotten out of the war with Gaea, and Chiron wanted him to go to a meeting? The Minotaur would be impressed by all this bullshit.

So here Will sat, waiting for Percy to show up with Annabeth to brief him on whatever was so important so he could get back to the infirmary.

A couple of minutes later, the golden couple entered, looking far less than golden. Will said nothing, waiting for one of them to say whatever was making them both look more sickly than a horde of nosoi at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.

Finally, Annabeth spoke up, "You know Nico di Angelo?" She asked, fiddling with the gold ring on her camp necklace. "The Hades kid? Ya, what about him? Is he injured?" Will asked, sitting up a little straighter. He would never admit it to anyone, but he's had a teensy tiny crush on Nico ever since The Battle of Manhattan.

Annabeth frowned, "Yes, but...we're more worried about his mental state...he...well ever since Tartarus and The Jar he...he was off but now...after transporting the Parthenos he's...reached a tipping point. He won't talk to anyone but Hazel, and even then, he's delirious at best. Most of the time, we can't tell what he's trying to say," Annabeth said, clutching at her necklace with a new sense of desperation.

"We know that mental health isn't really Apollo's thing, but...Dionysus is out for post-war council, and we don't know when he'll be back," Percy said from behind Annabeth, sounding uncharacteristically small. "We're really worried about him" Percy looked up at Will, and he almost gasped.

His eyes were so...open—shades of green and blue crashing into each other like a raging typhoon. Will never saw such pain in his life, and he was head medic at a demigod camp that has been in two wars. "I-I'll do my best...where is he?" Will asked.

"The Big House basement, just a warning, keep the lights on."

Will stood at the top of the stairs. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight.

He walked down the stairs.

The lights were on, leaving the room an almost blinding white, and in the far corner stood Nico di Angelo.

Will was immediately set on edge when he saw red on the floor.

Pat, pat, pat...

It smelled metallic, tinny.

Oh.

Nico's fists were clenched, and in one hand, he held what looked like a glass shard. Will surveyed the room, finding a broken picture frame with an image of a woman and her two children, a young girl and a younger boy.

Will kept his palms open, hands to his side as he slowly walked towards Nico. The boy flinched back, Will stopped, moved a step back and sat on the ground criss-cross, hands splayed out in front of him.

"Hi, my name is Will Solace; I'm from the Apollo Cabin. What's your name?" Will asked, though he already knew. Nico didn't respond, but he did slide his back down the wall, sitting with his knees up to his chin.

"Is it ok that I'm here?" Will asked. He received a nod, and he smiled. "I'm glad. If at any point I'm too pushy or you want me to leave you be, just say so, alright? I'll back up if you want and wait however long you need," Will said.

"Even forever?" Nico muttered so softly Will almost missed it. He smiled again, "Even forever" Will laughed.

Nico suddenly looked scared, "dark...forever and ever...cold...screaming, loud" he shook his head slowly as if disagreeing with his own incoherent speech.