The Sun Without Stars Solangelo

The Rift

~This begin on page 410 of The Sun and The Star. For context, Nico's cacodemons were just created and Will assumes that Nico is going to attack Nyx~

Will looked to Nico, and he watched as his boyfriend's face settled.

He knew that expression.

And he knew what Nico was about to do.

Nico's POV

Nico's submerged his fingers in the uneven terra at his feet, not allocating any thought to what part of Tartarus he was digging his nails into; though, it was nearly impossible to make an assumption considering Nyx's domain never took root in one place for too long, instead molding itself to the constantly altering nature of hell. Nico strained with the last bit of his power, feeling the cracks along the cliff's edge deepen, using the skeletons and deformed bodies underground as wedges to separate the piece of land. The substantial weight of both Bob and his saber-toothed cat made it easier to dislodge the ground beneath their feet, the land groaning as if in protest as it threatened to give way.

Lunging forward as the edge of the cliff disconnected from its main body, Nico had just enough time to yell to the titan, "Grab Will!"

He saw Bob contemplate whether to follow Nico or grab Will who looked beyond bewildered. In a split second, the titan finally averted his eyes from Nico and reached out, releasing his broom and grasping the golden-haired boy in one arm and the saber-tooth cat restored to its more compact form in his other.

Right before their bodies fell from view, Nico locked eyes with Will who complexion reminded him of a wax figure placed in a microwave, looking just as mortified as was expected of a person about to plummet hundreds of feet. Will opened his mouth--to say something or scream, Nico had no idea--but his voice was drowned out as the surface beneath him cascaded and he descended into the violent river below. 

Nico tore his gaze from the spot where Will had been mere seconds ago before the guilt could tear him apart, inspecting the cacodemons that prowled about his feet, their voices distorted as they spoke to him.

Will isn't looking at Nyx, he's looking at you. 

Will thought you were going to attack Nyx. 

You let him down.

However, as Nico humored their voices, he could not think of any other option he could have chosen that would have ensured Will's safety. Nyx had them cornered and, as the cacodemons surrounded him, he saw them as living proof that Nyx had been right–he was drawn to misery. It was all Nico had ever known, and it was where he would fall back again and again.

 Will Solace would NOT be the next victim in his cycle; he wouldn't die just because Nico needed his solace.

Although still disgruntled over the fire that ignited throughout her home, Nyx's lips curled upwards, revealing a set of pointed, onyx teeth that glistened despite the gloom that fell upon her domain. The darkness that seeped from her body was consistent, much less erratic than it had been previously, pooling at her feet in steady streams.

"YOU MADE A CHOICE!" her gleeful voice boomed, his eardrums ringing from the declaration. It was no match for Will's piercing whistling, but it made for a fierce competitor.

Nemesis, who stood by her, was startled by the sudden outburst, whipping her head back towards her mother. She seemed on edge, so nervous that she kept digging under her nails as she shifted from foot to foot. Hypnos, who stood beside her, appeared drowsy, as per usual, his eyelids drooping as he watched the scene unfold. Even in his trance-like state, though, he shrank back from Nyx when she moved.

The cacodemons crowded Nico like paparazzi, tugging at the hem of his pants but making sure to steer clear of Nyx. Nico couldn't help but think that the wretched creatures that she had procured had a certain level of familiarity,  almost as if they had always been lurking around him for as long as he could remember. 

"Come forward, Ghost King. You will make a fine addition to my legion, my darling child of the Underworld," Nyx purred, offering her clawed hand to Nico. 

Everything in Nico was telling him how disappointed Will must be right now, and he grimaced at the thought, his eyes scrunched up to stop himself from crying. This entire trip, Nico had been forced to see a new side of his boyfriend--one that despised the underworld--and it hurt to wonder how that reflected upon the way Will thought of him. 

He wasn't half as terrified by the fact that he was trapped in hell than the fact that he felt at home in this retched place--a place that kept drawing Will further and further away from him.

Nyx retracted her hand when Nico remained stagnant, her midnight pupils dilating slightly as she stepped towards him, her gait resembling that of an elegant, yet innately menacing feline.

Still frozen in place, Nico could only glare up at Nyx, whose head now loomed well above his. She squinted in displeasure, her face blurring and morphing, just as it had in his dreams, her two children looking on in pity at Nico whose legs felt so brittle that a single movement would cause them to collapse.

As a result, he was forced to simply stand and witness as his mother's visage settle on Nyx's, the  wide, maroon hat his mother took with her when the sun was beaming settling above the goddess' meticulously groomed hair.

It's not real. She's dead... she's really gone...

It wasn't until Nyx answered that Nico realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud. 

"It doesn't have to be real, Nico, because you've already made up your mind." Her voice was an imitation of his mother's so precise that, as his vision swamped and his head felt heavy, he could almost imagine that she was standing before him.

The sky was enveloped in her night as his knees buckled below him, his head swaying in a pool of darkness as he fell into her frigid, yet almost forgiving, arms.

 In that moment, they seemed so welcoming and motherly he could almost fool himself into believing they were warm and soft, like his mother's had been.