How to Save a Life

eleven

• Nico •

  Will made sure Leo was one hundred percent okay, before leaving the bunker. I was sure he was pretty shaken up, hell, I was too.
 
  I cleaned up the blood, feeling Leo's eyes bore into the back of my head.
 
  "Why don't you ever just let me die?" he whispered monotonously and I felt myself freeze up.
 
  "How could I?" I asked, turning to him.
 
  "By just...staying away."
 
  "What?" I muttered, feeling my heart break.
 
  "Why can't you just stay away?!"
 
  "Because I'm scared you'll try to off yourself anytime you get the chance!"
 
  "Then why don't you just let me?!"
 
  "Because I can't lose you!" I cried, before I began to scrub the floor again. "I can't lose anyone else," I whispered, avoiding Leo's gaze. Once I was finished with the floor, I turned to Leo and grabbed a washcloth, softly wiping away the dried blood from his wrist. Dark, deep scars lined his skin and I felt myself choke back a sob. I turned to Leo and wrapped my arms around him tightly, burying my face into his chest. I felt his arms snake around my waist as he held me against him. He began to cry too, and suddenly we were both sobbing against each other.
 
  When we were finished crying, I pulled us into Leo's bed and he curled up to me, pressing his face into my neck. I began singing Truce by Twenty-One Pilots, hoping that the message would embed itself into Leo's brain and I'd never have to walk in on something like that again.

---

Leo avoided me. I tried to talk to him, to hang out with him, but after that incident, I woke up in Leo's bed and he wasn't there. I searched for him everywhere and found him in Jason's cabin. It figures. I would never be good enough.
 
He was always with Jason. Always. For a solid week, Leo hadn't given me so much as a second glance.
 
It hurt. It hurt like fucking hell and I wanted to leave Camp again. But I knew Leo would come to his senses eventually. I didn't have any idea what was going on with him, but he'd get over it. At least, I hoped he would.    
 
I hung out with Will to distract me. He was bubbly and happy and it was a huge relief from everything I had been going through. I still missed Leo, though.
 
With everything that had been happening, I didn't have any chance to be somewhat rude and sarcastic like I usually was, but hanging around Will allowed me to scowl and glare and make awesome comebacks I wouldn't dare do to Leo.
 
We didn't talk about what had happened or what Will had seen. We didn't talk about what Leo and I did afterward. We didn't talk about how many times this had happened. We didn't talk about Leo at all.
 
A week turned into two weeks and I was miserable.
 
"Nico di Angelo," Will snapped, causing me to jump in fright. I turned to Will, glaring harshly at him.
 
"What?!"
 
"Go talk to him. Right now."
 
"No," I replied instantly.
 
"Are you worried about him?"
 
"You have no idea."
 
Will got up from his bed and grabbed my wrist, and pulling me out of the Apollo cabin.
 
"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to tug my wrist away from his grip.
 
"You'll see."
 
We stopped in front of Jason's cabin and I felt panic rise up in my chest. I tried to pull away from Will.
 
"No, no," I protested, flinching as Will knocked on the door loudly. Jason opened a few seconds after, his hair slightly disheveled and his eyes tired as if he had pulled an all nighter.
 
"Hi, Jason. Is Leo here?" Will chirped, and I groaned to myself, glaring at Will as harshly as I could.
 
"Um...no. I don't know where he is," he answered and I instantly snapped my head up to look at him.
 
"What?" I asked quietly.
 
"Yesterday morning I woke up and he wasn't here. He left a note saying he couldn't do it anymore and he wanted to break up. I checked everywhere and couldn't find him. He took all of the clothes and essentials from his Bunker and Cabin. My Iris Messages aren't going through either. Something tells me he doesn't want to be found."
 
My stomach dropped. What was Leo planning?
 
"Do you have any idea where he could be?" I asked and Jason sighed.
 
"Houston, maybe. He's from there, y'know, but I wouldn't bet on it. He's too unpredictable. For all we know, he could be anywhere."
 
What if he shielded himself from the radar and I couldn't tell if he was dying or not? I quickly pulled away from Will and stormed into my cabin, grabbing an over the shoulder bag and shoving as many clothes as I could fit in there.
 
"What are you doing?" Will asked, running up to me and grabbing my arms, halting me.
 
"I'm going to find Leo."
 
"Alone?"
 
"Yes. I'm worried he'll do something," I said, watching Will's eyes flash with hurt and worry.
 
"You're right. Just be safe," he whispered. "And IM if you need anything. I'll pack you some ambrosia and nectar. Please be careful."
 
"I'll have my sword. It'll be fine."
 
"I hope so," Will muttered, before pulling me into a tight hug. "Tell me if anything happens."
 
"I will. I promise."
 
I slung the bag over my shoulder and slipped on my sword sheath. I walked outside, noticing it had started to get dark. The sun was setting and I felt worry pool in my gut.
 
"Wait here," Will said, before he rushed to his cabin. He came back with a small, wooden box. "It's a special demigod first aid kit. I took it with me during the Battle of Manhattan."
 
I opened it and saw all sorts of bags and bottles.
 
"It has everything you could possibly need, from anti-venom to ambrosia."
 
"You think I'll really need this?"
 
"You're a child of the Big Three. Monsters will want to kill you for bragging rights," Will said, before hugging me again. "Please be careful. Don't die."
 
"I'll try my best."
 
I thanked him and put the box in my bag. I waved goodbye, before stepping into a shadow and thinking only one thing.
 
Leo.