Paper Planes- a sequel

Nico

Terrifying. That's the word I was looking for.  I could summon blasts of light and heal like a pro.  This felt so wrong!! Not only that, I didn't know how in Olympus to use these powers- half the time they didn't work and the other half they were out of control.  I sat in my room after a hard day at work and sighed.  The roof was my only safe place, so that's where I went.  As I climbed, something landed softly and tapped at my fingers. It was a paper plane, but instead of glowing, it shone a silvery hue.  What had changed? Don't worry, it said. Everything will be fine- we can figure this out. I hoped it was true.  I sent my own back, but this time my curiosity was going to get the better of me.  In scribbled letters I wrote, thank you. It flew down and hit something.  My eyes followed it to... my neighbors window? He was sitting at a desk, messy hair, bags under his eyes.  He opened the window and received the message, then closed it again.  Will turned to face the window and I quickly looked back at the stars.  When he turned away, however, I let my eyes wander over to the window again.   He stood up and tried to do something- maybe summon light? But he jumped back when all that happened was a skeleton cat rising in front of him and purring, rubbing against his leg.  He sat down and put his head in his hands, shaking.  I realized he was crying.  I had never seen him cry before, and it had an effect on me- I just didn't know what.  After a while he wiped his eyes, stood up and walked over to the window.  This time I didn't turn away.  He looked at me, and I pulled a small smile onto my face, waving.  He waved back, and I gestured for him to open the window.  When he did, I made another motion- come here.  He slipped out the window and sat on his ledge, hesitating before leaping over to my roof.  Landing with a soft thud then grabbing the shingles to steady himself, Will quietly and cautiously crept over next to me, still keeping his distance.   I sighed.

"Come on, I won't bite." I surprised myself with those words, but Will looked even more surprised as he inched closer.

"So you're the one sending me those letters." He nodded, looking down and biting his lip.

"Thanks."

"For what?" He raised his chin and his blonde curls bounced.

"For.. I don't know, keeping me hopeful, I guess. The letters.. they helped, you know." I didn't usually talk this much to people who were practically strangers, but right now, I guess it felt kind of appropriate.  He glanced up and smiled.  He was usually like this with me, but never with anyone else.  I wondered why. After a while, I sighed."So, you have my powers now." 

"And you have mine. Tell me, how's being a literal ball of sunshine working for you?"  He chuckled slightly and I cracked a smile.

"Not good. I.. don't know why. It seems to get harder every day."

"You think it's bad on you? You're lucky you didn't swap powers with the son of Hades," he joked.  There was a slight glint in his eye.  "Hey, I'm serious! How do you manage these skeleton cats?" As if on cue, a bony, translucent kitten leaped from his windowsill into his lap, purring furiously.  I let out a snicker. He ran his fingers down the cat instinctively and lay down on his back. A star shot through the sky.

"Nice night, huh."

"Very."  Something flashed behind my eyes- like a thought that I couldn't quite grasp, a memory that was slipping through my fingers.  Something about, Will, and shooting stars.  Ah, but I couldn't remember.  Usually when this happened, I shrugged it off.  It's not like my past had shaped who I was now.  We let ourselves drift off on the roof.  

"Ah! Gods! WILL!" I screamed. It was Sunday- how appropriate, considering I looked like the freaking SUN!! He woke up with a jolt, immediately squinting at the rays of light that I couldn't stop shedding.  "Make it stop!" I cried.

"I can't! It's your power!" He yelled back over the loudness of the light.

"I don't know how! I can't control it!" I tried to stand up, but I couldn't see where I was going and almost slipped off the side of the rooftop.  Will shot to his feet and leaped through his bedroom window.  He returned seconds later to steady me, sunglasses resting on his face. I would have laughed, but I was in a bit of a crisis.  He helped me into my bedroom, and together we darkened the room until it was completely dark.  Sure enough, in the darkness I felt myself weaken and my glow softened considerably.  We sighed with relief.  

"Does that usually happen when you wake up in the morning?" I groaned.

"Nope." Will popped the "p".  "I'm not sure what just happened."  We sat for a moment in silence, catching our breaths.  

"You think I can go into the light now?" I asked.

"Maybe just a little at first, like turning on a lamp.  Then, if I were you, which I almost am, I would take it slow until I was ready to go completely into the sunlight. Be careful though." He warned me.  We eased ourselves up and I flicked on a lamp.  Will sucked in a breath at my room. The entire place was black and white except for the glowing golden paper airplanes I had kept hanging up on the ceiling.  He grinned, but before he could say anything about it, I changed the subject.  

"We should go down."  He nodded and followed me through my house.  

"You know, I've been here quite a few times- for studying- but I've never really seen your house." He smiled cheekily at me and I rolled my eyes.  His floppy blonde hair slipped down to his eyes as he traced his fingers across a shelf of pictures, looking intently at them all.  I knew these photographs by heart- I took them.  The first one was Hazel.  She had been laughing at me when I caught her cheating in a game of monopoly.  Then there was Aaron.  That one had been a ridiculous picture when he stole my camera.  I was behind him, laughing and trying to get it back.  I self consciously flipped the photo down.  The next was a picture I had set up of me and my friend, Leo.  We had been at school then, and I was showing him around his first day.  He had a kind of goofy yet clever smile that could cheer up anyone.  The last one was a picture I had taken of all my best friends at a restaurant when we had gone out.  Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Piper and Jason.  They were great.  Will stared longingly into the pictures, his eyes clouded with sorrow.  His fingers dropped and I got an icy feeling.  A chill. I shivered.  Will didn't seem to feel it.  He was slightly frowning, looking more miserable than angry.  His hands shook a little, but he didn't notice.

"Will? Will, are you okay?" I asked tentatively.  Streams of shadows flickered from his fingers, and he stepped back, his form shuddering as the shadows wrapped around him.  I reached out to him.

"What? What do you mean? I'm fine. I think... Nico..what's happening?!" He looked down at himself and took a long shaky breath.  Then, he fell to his knees and disappeared into the shadows.

LONGER CHAPTER YOU GUYS!! WILL UPDATE MORE SOON, THANKS FOR READING! LOVE YOU, SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER!

XXSAM