Nico and Will - Beginning at the Infirmary [Solangelo fanfic]

A Faded Dream

Sleep is rarely a luxury for demigods, but when it is, they have to deal with dreams. Well, dreams is a rather strong word for nightmares that will likely come to be. Tonight was no exception. Nico never felt himself drift into sleep, but he forced himself to believe he did because the alternate would've been far worse. 

His eyes fluttered open for only a moment before he forced them back shut. The moonlight struck him too forcefully for a beach typically shrouded in the shadows of the forest trees and the Climbing Wall. Easing his eyes back open, Nico jumped back upon realizing the change in his surroundings. The forest was gone; the cabins in the distance were no longer visible. There was only sand surrounding him. Sand and the murky waves crashing down on them. However, inching closer to the water, Nico realized the water no longer glimmered indigo in the shadows of night. The waves had turned a foreboding shade of ebony and no longer splashed the shore with ease. The liquid's movements had turned sluggish as if the water had been replaced with wet cement. 

Nico recoiled and retreated deeper into the sand. He drew his sword and stood en garde. "Who's there?" he shouted, or rather, attempted to shout. His voice came out as a croak. The volume of his words diminuendoed through the short question. His hands began to tremble out of instinct, but Nico's brain overruled them. If Nico was anything, he was no coward.

A sinister laugh began to echo across the black body of water, leading waves to collapse abruptly before reaching the shore. Nico scampered further away to avoid the splash zone. 

However, the tide began to recede, or rather, evaporate as a blinding golden sphere tottering on two humanoid legs began to emerge from the murky liquid. As the figure edged closer, Nico began to discern other features-- a face poking out from the top of the being's round body-- no, two faces. The figure also seemed to have four--not two-- legs to support it's vast torso. 

The creature made his way to a spot in the sand about three feet away from Nico and took a seat. Folding its legs in front itself like a cat, it made itself comfortable on the ground. The figure angled its head to examine its surroundings. Nico gasped. As the creature revealed its side profile, a second face on the back of the creature's head was visible. 

The being turned to look Nico in the eye with its first face. "Hello, Nico. It's time we talked," he greeted.

"Hey, I thought I was going to introduce us!" an exasperated voice whined.

"Hush,  Phaethon," said the first face. "We don't have much time."

"Who are you?" Nico managed to whisper. 

The creature cracked a smile. "Well, to start, my name is Aristophanes, and this," it said while rotating its body to reveal its second face, "is Phaethon." 

"Aristophanes," Nico repeated pensively. "Like in Plato's Symposium?" 

"One smart cracker, aren't you?" noted Aristophanes lightheartedly.

 "I believe the expression is 'smart cookie,'" corrected Phaethon. 

"Oh, shut up!" 

"Ahem," Nico grunted. "Why are you here?" 

 "Well, you probably know my story well enough from Symposium," Aristophanes declared. "All humans used to be like us, combined bodies. Then that old brute Zeus, had to go and cut all our brothers and sisters in half. Nasty temper gets the best of him sometimes." 

"Tell me about it," Nico groaned, remembering the months of silence Camp Half Blood had recently endured due to the pride of the Gods.  

"Well," Aristophanes declared. "My story wasn't just some old wives' tale. In fact, humans and demigods alike still suffer from Zeus's affliction."

Nico snorted. "I don't see us crawling around on four legs."

"Think of the effects as more spiritual. Humans are social creatures. They need to be around others to survive," Aristophanes explained. 

"Not all of us," Nico grumbled.

"Well, um, that's actually why we're here. That's not going to end too well for you-- particularly as a demigod," the creature warned. 

"I'm doing just fine on my own," Nico snarled. 

"Are you?" Phaethon whispered, turning towards him and looking down at Nico's hands.

Nico gazed down at his fingers. They seemed slightly transparent. He pushed his palms to the sand to test his strength, only to find that his hands sank through the ground. "I thought the effects of shadow travel would wear off in a few days," Nico stammered. "What's happening to me?" 

"There's more than one way to heal, Nico," Aristophanes said gently. "And this time, you can't heal alone." 

Nico felt his vision blurring as he began to watch the rest of his body sinking into the ground.