Fallen Guardian

Chapter Five - Third Day

"I beg to differ! Reveal yourself!" Piper yelled, her voice guttural and full of charmspeak. Solus didn't bat an eye.

"Kneel," he replied back, his voice barely loud enough to hear, but everyone immediately dropped to their knees, sharing an equal look of shock. Only Aphrodite herself could beat that level of charmspeak- yet alone get the veterans of the Giant War to kneel like play-things. "Volume doesn't mean power. It's the emotions you put behind your charmspeak."

"Reveal yourself!" Piper shouted again, tears welling up in her eyes. "Reveal your true identity, Solus!"

Solus blinked, actually seeming mildly impressed. "Very impressive, McLean. Not quite there yet, but you do have some zing."

Day Ten

Nico paced in the single training rooms, gritting his teeth. His eyes were watering, and all he wanted to do was curl up with Will at home. He'd made a promise, a very strong one, that he wouldn't do it, but... 

He studied the blade. All that talk of Percy, the mirage, realizing that they'd been fooled... Percy was alive all these years, and they knew none the better. Nico could have helped him, and yet...

With an outraged cry, he slashed across his upper forearm with the knife, infuriated tears forcing their way from his eyes. The blood came in bountiful quantities, mesmerizing him for several moments before he licked his lips, still entranced, and made another gash next to it, even more dripping down his arm, his body going fuzzy and warm as he felt himself grow dizzy with the blood loss. Just was he moved to make another, a firm grip locked onto his good arm. He jumped, expecting Annabeth or Jason- Definitely not Solus.

"Solus! I-..." Nico didn't know what to say, so instead he tried to defensively hold his bad arm to his chest. Solus merely sighed, letting go of his arm, plucking the dagger from his grasp. 

"I'll be taking this." He flicked it across the room, skidding to a halt in front of one of the fighting dummies. "Sit."

Nico felt himself being pushed backwards, landing heavily against a large chair. He swallowed under the scrutinizing stare of his temporary superior.

"Did you get your fill?" Solus questioned, sounding surprisingly docile. Nico swallowed.

"Not... Not yet."

"Take your time. Not... Not too much, though."

Nico allowed himself to relax into the chair, taking a deep breath and focusing on the sting, the pain, the buzzing in his ears, feeling his face flush like it always did. He waited another minute before opening his eyes, looking at Solus curiously. 

"Finished?" Nico nodded hesitantly, not sure what to expect. Much to his surprise, Solus moved to his shirt, ripping off one of the sleeves and moving towards Nico. "Gimme your arm."

Solus tied his sleeve off around the wound, doubling up and tying a slightly tighter knot to apply pressure, pressing his hand over it. 

"Uhm... Thanks," Nico spoke hesitantly, not really sure what to make of the situation. "Why did you use your shirt? I saw the medical cabinets are stocked-"

"It'll help you realize cutting hurts others more than you."

Nico blinked, shaking his head. "What?"

"This was my favorite shirt, y'know?" When Nico looked down at the sleeve tied around his arm, he realized it had the Led Zeppelin logo on the shoulder, across where the wound was. "I got it at a concert with my mom. I haven't talked to her in almost 17 years- I really miss her."

"Why don't you talk to her? Did she pass?"

"No- Not quite. But I haven't been on Earth for quite some time. But, the memories that I held with this shirt are irreplaceable. Now I'll have to throw it away- or turn it into one of those disgusting long sports tank tops, the ones that show your nipples? Gross. Either way, it's destroyed."