solangelo one shots

Chronicles of N&W part12

Nico's POV
I

t had been two days. I'd been getting regular meals, but I was lonely. I'd started to feel darkness eating at my mind, the demon part of me struggling to emerge. I feared myself in those moments. So I called for my father, and for the first time in my life, he came when I needed him. Even though he would simply sit at the foot of my bed and study me cautiously, he chased away my nightmares with his presence. All that mattered was that I wasn't completely crazy, that there was more than just me and this room. He looked shockingly out of his element, but I saw now that he really did care about me in his own way.
"It hurts," I groaned, clutching my head as a sharp pain ripped through my skull. Hades's eyes were sad, and he opened his mouth to speak before suddenly standing up.
"Your sister is here, and I daresay she wants an explanation." He walked out, placing a hand on my shoulder and promising to be back before going on his way. I stared at the wall, mind spiraling in meaningless circles. Sister? Bianca? No, Hazel. What was wrong with me? Bianca was long dead. Gone.
"Nico!" Hazel ran over and embraced me. I stared at her with empty eyes. She froze. "Nico? Why do you look like so tired? Are you okay?"
"You shouldn't have come," I rasped, glaring at the floor.
"Well, too bad. I have." She put a hand on her hip.
I looked at her without really seeing her, then pulled up my shield of ice to keep my heart from protesting what I was about to do. "Go away." I had to walk this path alone.
"I promised Will that I wouldn't leave until you told me what's going on."
Will. I snorted. Like I would let him know what was going on. He'd worry his ass off. But Hazel was still standing there, and I didn't know what else to do. "You want to know what's happening? I have a demon inside of me, and it's destroying me. I am slowly losing my mind. It will time for it to die down again and for me to regain control myself. I will get violent and cruel and I'm already starting to. I'm going insane and as I speak, part of me wants to kill you and let your blood color the floor red." I flinched at my own words, and she gazed at me like she didn't know me. "You need to go, and don't come back. I'll be okay. I don't think I want to hurt you." My voice was flat, and she backed away from me. I was in a numb fog now, and everything was distant and blurred.
"Okay, then. Your friends miss you. See you." She turned away, tears falling.
"Later," I muttered blearily, then spasmed in pain, screaming in a way that I didn't know was possible. It was like my brain had been set ablaze. There was fire there, a terrible burning that destroyed me on the inside. I had to eliminate this girl before me. I had to make everyone understand the agony.
"Get behind the door!" Hades grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out just as I lunged at her, hitting the door with a snarl.
"Nico! I'm sorry!" She yelled in anguish, and went silent. Hades had ejected her out of the Underworld. Everything sharpened, and I could see with clarity. Oh no.
"Can you hold it together?" My father stepped back inside, eyeing me in concern.
"Do I look like I can hold it together?" I snapped, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger.
"Do you want to let go? I can put you to sleep."
"Yes!" I exploded. "Just make it stop! Make everything stop!" And the world went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I was chained to my bedpost by the manacles encircling my wrists. I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to break away. The voices in my head were more familiar now, like old friends that I'd forgotten. No. Shut up. I could think rationally, and I could control my thoughts. I shuddered in disgust at how I attacked my little sister. She'd probably told everyone back at camp that I was a psychopath that had to be restrained, but I was grateful that I had decided to stay here nonetheless. I know for a fact that someone would be dead by now if I'd stayed at Camp Half Blood. It could've been Will.
There was a small plate of food in front of me. I sat in the bed and ate in silence. Part of me wanted to fall into the darkness's welcoming embrace. To shatter the plate against the wall just to see the shards scattered across the ground. I decided to go to sleep.
I had a small digital clock on the other side of the room. It was four at noon when I awoke once more. But I didn't feel awake.
"Nico?" Hades was at my door again. He opened it slowly, narrowing his eyes at me. I tensed, ready to fight with tooth and claw if necessary. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't know anymore. I can't tell. I'm so, so cold." My blood trailed sluggishly through my veins, yet a strange sort of rage boiled in my stomach, waiting to surface.
"That's because you're almost entirely gone." He announced solemnly. I didn't know whether I cared. There was something, though, that kept drawing his attention. I glanced down. My skin was as pale as paper but looked otherwise normal.
It was then that I felt them. Large, leathery wings, each nearly ten feet long, sprouting from just below my shoulder blades.
"Am I going to be stuck like this?" I asked, horrified. The whispers were gone, negated by my shock.
"No." Hades responded darkly. He waited for me to process my unexpected transformation."Do you need anything?"
"I want Will!" I gasped, his face suddenly so clear in my mind that I could reach out and touch him.
"I think not. You'll just do something you'll regret. Besides, I don't allow mortals in the underworld, with very few exceptions."
"Please, just for ten minutes. I won't want to see anyone else for this entire time, I swear." I pleaded desperately, widening my eyes the way I used to do to get Bianca to do whatever I wanted. Part of me cringed away from the flood of emotions filling my soul to the brim.
Hades's face was stony. "Very well."
A smile made its way onto my lips, a shock even to me due to the fact that at this point I thought I'd never be happy again. "Thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet." His voice was beyond ominous.
And he waved his hand, his figure being replaced by nothingness.
I was alone.
Will's POV
Hazel had finished recounting what had happened. I'd locked myself in my office, alone with my grief. I tried to sleep, to end the constant state of anxiety at least temporarily. It had seemed like everything was going to be alright. It was an amazing, beautiful summer. And then the Fates mocked me with this.
By the afternoon, I felt like absolutely sick to my stomach. Nico was going through so much and I couldn't be there for him. Percy and Annabeth were quieter, and Calypso didn't smile as much. Hazel, having seen Nico completely broken firsthand, was obviously going to need time to herself. Leo's jokes were halfhearted, and Jason kept dropping his sword during practice. Piper, Frank and Reyna were all unusually jumpy throughout the day. All of Nico's friends were concerned for his wellbeing. I finally fell into a fitful slumber, dark thoughts churning in my mind. When I woke up, I saw shadows wreathing around figure of an imposing man stood before me, and when I looked up, recognition slapped me across the face.
"Lord Hades!" I gasped. Panicking slightly, I knelt before him, ducking my head and averting my eyes.
"Well, at least you know your manners," He grumbled. Something in his voice reminded me of Nico. "My son wants to see you. I will only allow you ten minutes. Get out of there if he gets unstable. At least, more unstable then he already is." With that, my boyfriend's dad opened the door next to him and I stepped inside.
Nico was there. Nico. Sure, he had wings and looked like a ghost, but it was still him. "Death Boy?" I ventured, nervous once I actually saw him.
His head snapped up. His irises were bright red. "Will." Such a tiny, broken word. He stood as if to walk over to me, but I heard a rattling noise and he jerked backwards again. Alarmed, I noted that he was chained to his bedpost. "I missed you." He sounded strange.
"Is it okay for me to come over there? Are you angry?" I attempted to gauge his mood.
"I don't know. Am I? I can't tell." He responded in monotone. He'd gotten worse since Hazel had seen him.
"Hopefully you'd be happy to see me." I masked my hurt with a grin.
"Okay." He sounded bored as he began to try and pull his right hand out of a manacle.
Unable to restrain myself, I ran forward and hugged him tight, careful not to press against his wings. I felt his posture change, the look in his eyes soften. "Will, thank the gods. I need to keep fighting, and you just gave me something to fight for."
"I'm sorry, I feel like there's something I could've done." I admitted, ashamed. If I hadn't let him go…
"No, it's just… a thing that happens. Don't ever blame yourself. You've done nothing wrong."
"Maybe I could try to heal you. Or at least bring you strength." I suggested, clasping his cold hands in mine.
"But you shouldn't waste your energy—"
"And you shouldn't be so stubborn. Yet you're still doing it." I closed my eyes and started to hum a hymn to Apollo. Nico's eyes rolled back in his head, but I continued, trying to weaken the indestructible darkness within him. I felt it buckle under the pressure of my power. And with my last energy reserves, I weakened it to the point where he would be able to control it. Spots appeared in my vision, and I felt myself start to slip into oblivion. Before my eyes slid shut, I saw Nico's face. He was crying. Crying and… laughing?
I jolted awake. I was still here, slumped on the bed. Hades stood next to Nico, who now looked normal again and wasn't chained. "You okay?" I asked him. He nodded, eyes filling with more tears.
"You saved me, Will. I thought I was going to lose myself." He whispered, and he kissed me until I saw stars. I spun him around jubilantly, and realized belated that Hades was still watching with something bordering on an amused expression.
"You have healed my son. For that, I thank you, child of Apollo." He inclined his head ever so slightly.
I was in a state of disbelief. One of the Big Three was thanking me. "Oh, no, sir, you don't owe me thanks."
"I do." He contradicted, so gravely that I shuddered unconsciously.
I decided not to argue anymore, especially since Nico flashed me a warning glance. "I'm honored, sir." I was getting tired of saying sir.
Nico nudged his father. "Dad? Can I go back to camp?"
"Do you feel fit to?" Hades sighed, fixing him with an emotionless stare.
"Yes. I want to be back with my friends."
"Very well. But you need to know something. You're still part evil spirit, demon, whatever you call it. Your other form can be used if needed. It no longer affects your thought process or personality. It is simply a weapon in your arsenal."
"A weapon that I'll never use." Nico added with utmost certainty.
"With great power comes—"
"—great to take a nap?" He suggested.
"—great responsibility?" I tried. I used to have an unhealthy obsession with Spider-Man.
"—sacrifice." Hades finished, giving us an odd look. "With all you've been through, this was your body's ultimate goal. An upgrade, so to speak, that makes your power limitless."
"That could be awesome." Nico conceded. Personally, the thought was slightly concerning. Power was a burden that could become unbearable over time.
"Until we meet again." Hades dismissed us with a flick of his wrist.
Nico dipped his head and took my hand. We dematerialized together.