Battling Demons: Book 2 [COMPLETED]

Chapter 15: Short Fuse

Nico's POV:

Nico jerked himself awake. He was in the infirmary. He remembered the empousai attack. He also remembered the hallucinations and his screaming. His throat felt scratchy. He looked at the bedside table and saw a glass of water. He reached out for this, immediately reeling back from the pain that shot through his shoulder. He looked at it. It was wrapped in thick, white bandages, but it still hurt immensely.

Gingerly, he moved his other arm to grab the water. He wrapped his hand around the glass before bringing it up to his mouth. He surveyed the room, realizing that he was alone. He remembered, during his hallucinations, that Will had left him alone. A cold shiver worked its way down his spine. He pushed his thoughts down, trying to stay calm. The door in his room opened, startling him. He dropped the glass of water and it shattered onto the floor. The door opened revealing Jason. Relief flooded through Nico.

"Thank Hades, it's just you."

Jason looked worried. "Who did you think it was Nico?" Nico shook his head, showing that he wasn't going to answer. "Are you okay?

Nico laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"That's not what Will told me," Jason reprimanded.

Anger went through Nico like a fire. "Well, he wouldn't know, would he?" He met Jason's eyes. "Where is he?"

Jason shrugged. "He lost his temper with Thalia before storming out. It's been a couple of hours."

"Which has given time for the venom to work its way out of your system," Kayla explained as she entered the room. "You might have some side effects, so you should stay here overnight until it's out of your system."

"Can't I just stay in my cabin?" Nico whined.

"Someone needs to watch over you," Kayla said.

"Then Will can stay with me. He can watch over me," Nico suggested. He was mad at his boyfriend for leaving him but also preferred not to stay in the infirmary.

Kayla considered him for a moment before she relented. "Okay, fine, but I have no idea where he stormed off to."

"I'll find him. I know most of the hiding places around the camp." Nico stated.

Kayla moved to stop him. "It might not be the best idea for you to go trekking around camp. Your shoulder isn't completely healed yet. And you also don't want to go romping into the forest. Who knows what could be lurking in there."

"Mr. Solace is one of those things lurking." Chiron's voice sounded from the doorway. "It's good to see you awake, Mr. Di Angelo."

Nico nodded to his mentor.

Chiron continued. "At any rate, your healer is correct; you should be monitored tonight. I believe you will find our head healer holed up in the woods on Zeus's fist."

Nico grimaced at Chiron's news. Will usually hid out there when he was very upset.

"Thank you. I will make my wa-"

"Now, hold on a minute," Kayla said. "Zeus's fist isn't that far, but you walk straight there and then you stay in your cabin the entire night, you hear me? Otherwise, I'm keeping you in the infirmary until Christmas, understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Nico nodded, as he pretended to march out of the room.

Will's POV:

Will didn't know how long he had been perched on the rocks. He also didn't know what he was waiting for. To feel better? To have some sort of sign that it was time to head back into camp? To have an epiphany to solve all of his problems? He sighed, realizing sooner or later that he would have to go back unless he wanted a search party scouring the woods for him. He slid off the rock and hit the ground. He steadied himself and started walking back to camp.

"Finally done sulking?"

Will whipped around, pulling out a scalpel that he had in his scrub shirt, and threw it in the direction of the voice. The knife stuck into a tree, inches away from Nico's face. The son of Hades' eyes grew very wide as he looked at the blade.

Will's stomach clenched. He had almost stabbed Nico in the face. "Nico, I'm..."

"Okay, touchy question." Nico causally said.

Will surged towards Nico and grabbed his face. "I'm so sorry, oh my gods. I could have killed you!"

Nico grabbed Will's hands and slowly lowered them from his face. "I'm fine, Will, it's okay."

"Oh my gods, I could have killed you. And I don't know what I would-"

Nico put his hand up. "Will, calm down. I'm okay, I promise." Nico considered Will and his demeanor. "Now tell me what's got you all worked up."

Will paused for a moment. "What if I said that I'm fine?"

"Then I would say bullshit, because obviously you are not. You aren't usually as viole...defensive as you just were. So, what's going on?"

Violent. He was going to say violent Will thought. What is going on with me? This wasn't the first time he had snapped. He kept snapping at Kayla and he had yelled at Thalia. This isn't who he was; it wasn't like him.

"Will?" Nico waved his hand in front of Will's in an attempt to captivate his attention. Will shook himself out of his thoughts.

"I just... I don't know what's happening, what you are doing to me." Will said.

"What I'm doing to you?" Nico asked incredulously.

"When you get hurt," Will clarified. "It makes me so scared and I just snap at everyone because I'm so worried and stressed about if you are going to survive or not. Seeing you hurt and in pain... it takes a piece of me."

"You can't be like this every time I get an injury."

"I can't help it. I know I'm not supposed to overprotect you, but I love you. I care about you, Nico. I hate seeing you hurt."

"Is that why you left the infirmary when I was hallucinating?" His words were accusatory.

"Nico," his heart broke, realizing that he had left Nico alone. "I'm sorry- I just- I couldn't take watching you be in so much pain. And- and there was nothing I could do.

"You had to watch ME suffer in pain?" Venom appeared in Nico's words. There was the anger. "I'm sorry, was that difficult for you? Was that hard for you? Do you think you are going to be okay?"

Will realized what he had said. "Nico, I didn't mean it like-"

"I'm sorry you had to experience that heart-wrenching experience while I actually lived through it, while I actually re-experienced all my worst memories. Just as I do every night. And you abandoned me! You said you would always be there for me, but while I was writhing in pain and screaming my guts out, you left me! I was back in Tartarus. Alone. Just like I always am." Nico finished with a huge breath out, finding relief in letting everything out.

"Nico," Will started, but he didn't know what to say. He reached out to put a hand on Nico's shoulder but then thought better of it. "I can't imagine what you've gone through. I apologize for not being more sensitive to your situation. I'm sorry. I truly am. I wasn't thinking of how everything is affecting you as well."

"Well, yes, it's obvious that you weren't thinking." Nico's words had a sarcastic bite to them. He sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped, but you are not the only one struggling here."

Will put his hand on Nico's face. "And I'm sorry that I wasn't more sensitive to the way you were feeling." Will's eyebrows furrowed. Nico's face was burning up under his hand. "Nico, your temperature is so high! Are you okay?"

"Apparently the venom isn't totally out of my system and I need you to watch over me tonight."

"You just forgot to mention that until this point?" Will said.

"Well I mean, yeah, someone threw a scalpel at me." Guilt overcame Will. His face must have shown it because Nico rushed to reassure him. "I'm fine, I promise."

As he spoke, Nico started to waver on his feet. Will reached out to support him.

"You're fine? Worst excuse in the book." Will said. The two boys started making their way back to the camp.