Death's Door.

chapter eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE ESCAPE PLAN

Hazel was at Nico's side pretty quickly—after freshening up, and making sure that Nico wasn't alone when she was gone, she was there in an instant.

The boy still had his head in his hands, with Will at his side trying to calm him down. "She's okay." Will said. "She's gonna be okay." His voice was soft and comforting. He didn't say it out loud, but he was glad Nico wasn't shutting himself out. Nico was allowed to feel scared, or worried, or anxious because it was his sister. He didn't need to hide that he cared for her.

"Nico." Hazel crouched in front of the boy. Nico made no move to show he was listening, but Hazel knew he would be. "Go take a break while you can. Use the washroom, eat something... just trust that the Fates will keep their word."

For the first time in ages, Nico spoke. "She's gonna be different when she comes home." His spoke softly. Slowly, he glanced up to meet her eyes. If he was being honest, that's what worried him. What if Layla never got her memories back? What if Layla changed so much that she didn't want to see him?

Will seemed to know where Nico's mind was going, and took his hand, rubbing small circles on his palms. "She misses you, even if she doesn't know you yet." Will sounded absolutely positive of that. "You wanna know how I know?" Nico remained silent, but nodded. "Think about how many times she mentioned you, even without knowing who you are. Think about the time she said she wanted to get back to you—and Percy and Hazel." Nico suddenly felt ridiculous for thinking that Layla didn't care, but Will wouldn't let him feel that way. "It's okay to worry. But she's coming home, and I know she'll be glad to see you."

     The faintest smile appeared on Nico's lips. Slowly, he looked down to his feet and exhaled. "Thanks." He muttered to both Hazel and Will.

     The two smiled at him, before Will stood up, offering a hand. "Let's go." He left no room for debate. He was fully ready to help Nico clean up before getting him something to eat—but Nico had enough energy to roll his eyes and say he could do it himself, all with a smile on his face.

     Leo, Piper and Jason had found their seats again. The two boys were thankful that the snack tables reappeared, and were happily stuffing their faces with popcorn chicken. "When we meet Layla," Leo said in between bites, "you think she'll like us?"

     Jason and Piper turned to face him with frowns, but nodded nonetheless. "I hope so." Piper said, "why?"

     Leo looked at them as if it was obvious. "Because she looks so cool. Who wouldn't want to be her friend?"

     "You could say that again." Percy interrupted, snatching a few pieces of chicken from Jason's plate, much to the blond's surprise. Annabeth and Grover weren't far behind, the latter of the two chewing on a tin can.

"Dude—" Jason stared at the blank spaces on his plate with his jaw dropped.

Percy grinned, despite his worries for Layla. "Thanks." He nodded. Jason glanced up, amused by the boy's behaviour. Still, he grumbled on about his missing chicken.

"You said she was the mom friend?" Leo asked, curious—there was a mischievous look in his eyes.

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah." She pointed at Jason, "she was almost as bad as him."

Leo shot up, dropping a piece of chicken on the floor. "That was my joke!" He exclaimed, causing the others to break out in laughter. It was a nice change of pace after all the worry they had been feeling while going through the book.

Grover gazed off, his eyes landing on The Maze Runner, and was glad to see the first book was almost finished. Still, the other two looks laid their, keeping him on edge. What else would happen to Layla?