An Extended Visit

Days Blurred

Hey guys if you like it then you should have put a comment on it xD I don't really care but I do love input! Just so you know, another cliffhanger, but this one should have less of a wait between chapters. Also, sorry it was shorter but without a certain Italian boy around it got a bit slow...

Will

Having been trained as a medic, Will went into emergency mode, before really thinking about what just happened. He shook Nico slightly, too confirm he wasn't just narcoleptic. Then Will took his pulse, propped his legs up, and placed a cool rag on Nico's forehead. When Will finished his mortal tendencies, he sang a quick song meant to renew consciousness, and even bring people out of a coma. But it didn't work on Nico.

Will checked his pulse again, to make sure he was alive. It was steadier than it was when Will checked it yesterday, and Will was almost tempted to smile that his hospital visit was already helping. Almost. Then he looked back down at Nico and wanted to cry.

***

Will couldn't just stay in Nico's room the entire time, seeing as how a lot of campers got injured in the war, resulting in both high risk patience still at the infirmary and patients like Nico who waited too long to come in. Travis and Connor Stoll had twisted wrists, Katie Gardner had "Ihaven'tseenTravisinthreehours-itis," and Jake Mason, the unluckiest fellow in the entire camp (except for Nico, but Will tried not to think about that) was a bit too close to one of the Roman's weapons, and stuck in a full body cast the second time that year.

There were other patients, too. Will watched after them, made sure they were all patched up when they left, lectured them about dehydration (it was the cause of minimally half the patients on their average day, after all) and good nutrition if he had a minute to spare, wrapped and rewrapped bandages, gave out ambrosia and sleeping pills, and made sure that every camper was good and healthy.

Except the one he really cared about, he could do nothing for. Though he tried to stay out of Nico's room during the day, because he couldn't just walk out after entering, not without triple checking his pulse, fever, and worse, and he just didn't have that time, he slept on the chair in his hospital room every night. He heard Nico's murmurings about giants, monsters, and the worst of Tartarus. He saw him in a great sweat, and Will replaced his sheets when he saw how dirty they were. The worst part, though, was that Nico was fading. Will didn't see it at first, having been too close to be able to step back, but he noticed it ever since Kayla pointed it out.

Nico was starting to dissolve as he was when he was shadow traveling, which made Will think he was stuck in some uncontrollable dream traveling, since that should use his underworld-y powers just as much.

Will would try to snap him out of it, but he didn't want to make Nico worse. He sang his medicinal hymns, he tried talking to him, he even sang once, even though his voice was not the best, forget being a child of Apollo when it came to music. It was Hermes, after all, who was the jack of all trades, Apollo only passed on a few of his talents to each of his children. Nothing worked.

***

After a long day patching up some new campers who had a mishap on the lava wall and trying to ensure them that it happened all the time and that they have nothing to be embarrassed about, Will went into Nico's room, and ran into Kayla on the way there. "Hey Will, he showing any signs of improvement?"

"No, he's still unconscious, for lack of a better term."

"Huh. Is he as much of a shadow as he ever was or…?"

"Haven't been in there recently, I was about to go check."

"Care if I come with?"

That put a bit of a bump in Nico's plans, as no one knew he stayed in his room all night, and he didn't care to have anyone know. Especially since an Aphrodite girl was in with the flu a couple rooms over. He already had to be discreet enough.

"Uhhh….I guess."

"So, I'm assuming you're extending the three days you initially set aside for Nico?" Nico had already been out of it for two full days; he was supposed to be going home today, and the prospect of that made Will produce a dry, hollow laugh.

"I don't think the Hades cabin will get much use any time soon."

"No, I don’t think it should." Will smiled at her agreement, making him feel better about how protective he was being of Nico, but after everything he's been through. Even with his injuries, malnourishment, and sleep deprivation, Will thought he could restore his health in three days. Even when he passed out, he thought he'd only need a day or two tops after waking up. But every night, Will learned more about Nico's traumatic past, and at least keeping him in the infirmary would ensure he never be alone. Will couldn't bare the idea of Nico being alone.

And that doesn't even start on his dissolving, the longer he's out, the worse it gets.

They stopped outside Nico's room, and said a quick prayer to their dad that Nico was any better than he was the previous day, and they walked in. Will didn't usually immediately notice how much Nico was shadow--he usually had to look at the details, try holding his hand, or more--before seeing how he progressed. Today, Will had to look to the details to see that he was still in any way physical.

"Will, do what you have to do, but I'm going to make sure the other night patients are settled, kay? Come by if you need to talk."

Will nodded curtly, as he bent down by the side of Nico's bed. And he felt that Apollo was answering his prayer, so he listened. Though music had never been a real talent of Will's, he sang. He sang of life and death, of sunshine and blue skies and good days. And just a little about rain. He sang about love and happiness and everything he wished Nico had more of. He sang of the world and the body and the connections to actual physical living.

And he sang about Nico.

Will put his heart into this song, as it came like a vision from his dad, dripping in and out of Latin, and trying to ignore best he could.

If anything could bring a person back into the real, the physical world, it was this one.

***

The song ended, if it was possible. The lyrics stopped coming to Will's head, and when he tried to pick up with a healing incantation, he lost any musical proficiency he had for the moment. "Guess dad gave up on this one," Will thought. Nico had already progressed in his shadow state, just in the time Will had been in the room.

He stood up to leave, to take Kayla up on her offer. But then Will thought he heard something and looked back.

Nico fluttered his eye lids a few times. His breathing became louder.

"Will?"