"Will." Nico inhaled shakily. His body shook in an effort to hold back his tears. Will sat at his side, holding his hand and smoothing his hair away from his face.
"Will," Nico sobbed. The tears started falling. Crying made the wound in his stomach feel like fire. He gasped and grabbed onto Will's shirt.
"I love you," Will whispered. He leaned closer to Nico and caressed the boy's face. Nico nodded over and over until he couldn't find the energy to move.
"I don't want to go," Nico whispered. Blood ran steadily from his stomach wound. Will grabbed both of Nico's hands.
"I know. But I'll see you soon, okay?" Will promised. He was trying his hardest to be strong, but tears started slipping out of his eyes. Nico looked at the sky from where he was laying on the ground.
"Will, I don't want to leave. Don't let him take me. I don't want to go," Nico gasped. He could feel himself slipping away. Will's face hovered over his.
"Nico, I can't. You have to go. I promise I'll see you soon." Will watched as Nico lost the energy to cry. The boy's face went blank and his breathing stopped. Will let his tears fall faster. He let go of Nico's hands and scrambled away from the boy.
The sounds of the battle around him started coming back. Metal against metal, inhuman screeches, and the worst of all was the smell of blood. Will couldn't move. Nico's body lay four feet away from him and Will felt nothing. He felt numb.
Will wasn't sure how long he sat or when the battle ended, but Percy's voice brought him back to reality.
"We won, Will! Grab Nico we're going to cele-" Percy stopped next to Will and froze. Riptide fell from his hand.
"Oh, my gods," he whispered. He took a hesitant step towards Nico and then looked back at Will.
"He-?" Will nodded. Percy was a blurry figure behind Will's tears but Will heard Percy's startled breath. Percy grabbed his hair in his hands and fell to his knees next to Nico's body.
"He was supposed to be an exception. He was supposed to- he was supposed to live. He wanted to marry you!" Percy's voice rose with each word. Will watched Percy fall against Nico. Annabeth came running up the hill at the sound of Percy's yelling.
She stopped when seeing the body. Like Percy, she fell onto her knees with her hands knotted in her hair. Her mouth was hanging open in shock. She crawled over to Percy and wrapped a comforting arm around him.
Will sat numb while watching them comfort each other knowing he would never have that type of comfort again.
*******Four Hours Later*******
"Hazel?" Will whispered into the Big House phone. He was left alone in the office while the rest of the camp cleaned up the battle.
"Hey, Will!" Her voice was pure happiness. Will bit his lip.
"I-" he inhaled shakily. Hazle seemed to sense his distress.
"Is everything okay? Do I-"
"Nico's dead." Will heard the phone fall and then Hazel's strangled scream through the phone.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Will mumbled. It felt like hours before Hazel talked again.
"I'm coming there now. We'll be okay," she assured. Will envied Hazel for having strength in a situation like this. Will hung up the phone.
*******Three Weeks Later******
Will's Pov
Your funeral was small. We buried you in the morning as the sun was coming up. There were no tears, but no one was happy either. I talked about you with people I never meet before, but I assumed you knew them from shadow traveling everywhere.
I found the ring in your jacket. I cried for hours after finding it. You really did want to marry me.
Percy locked himself in his cabin and Reyna had to return to Camp Jupiter. Hazel and Frank stayed for a few days but had to leave. Hazel took your jacket and the Hades statute with her. I got to keep your ghost ring and the wedding ring.
The sun was shining the day we buried you. I'd never hated my father more. I always imagined your funeral as dark and cloudy. Actually, I never really imagined you having a funeral. I'd assumed we'd stay and live together forever. When I was with you I felt like a God, like nothing in the world could hurt me. I'd forgotten we were part mortal.
I'm keeping my promise. I'll see you on the other side, love.
"And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone." - Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles
That was sad . . . have a happy hedgehog
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