to fear who he was slowly becoming: Will Solace.

Ever since the war with Gaea ended, he had felt elated, like a huge burden was lifted off of him. He wasn't sure whether it was because his body was no longer exhausted from battle or because he was finally starting to accept himself. Maybe it was both; he was feeling restoration in both his physical and mental health.

However, in some ways Nico was his same old self. He was still an extremely short-tempered, easily irritated, and highly detached teenager who lacked social skills. He now was half-sitting, half-laying down in the infirmary bed, impatiently waiting for Will.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity in the Fields of Asphodel, the son of Apollo walked in. Nico suspected that something huge, perhaps life-altering had happened in the last ten minutes. Will's eyes were his normal shade of pale blue, but they appeared swollen, as if he was crying before.

Will, literally the sunniest guy ever to live on Earth, cried?! That was almost as likely as me wearing a Hawaiian shirt and doing the hula dance, Nico thought.

"Hey Nico..." Will sounded nervous, his unusually squeaky voice foreboding something bad was going to occur.

"Uh... hi Will." Nico was concerned now. "I know something's up. But I'll leave it up to you to tell me."

Will sighed. "You, for one, are clearly not the consoling type."

He continued. "So, um... I'm not sure how you're exactly supposed to do this but... oh gods... IM GAY OKAY? I'm gay and I'm proud of it. And I just wanted to let you know since you're my friend and all. And in case you were wondering you're the first person I've voluntarily told so consider yourself special, Death Boy."

Will spoke his last sentence in a jokingly manner, his eyes twinkling in the familiar way Nico would do anything for.

Nico could've sworn his heart stopped beating. He stared at Will with wide eyes, shocked. He didn't realize until later, but he was probably sending his friend the wrong message.

"...well I know you weren't expecting that, but I didn't think you would take this so slowly. COULD YOU LIKE AT LEAST REACT so I don't have to keep standing here awkwardly?!"

"Oh... right, sorry," Nico snapped out of his phase, feeling the blood pumping through his body once again. "I'm really happy for you Will, but..."

"But what?! Oh please don't tell me you're one of those homophobes because I-"

"I'm gay, too."

"-swear on the River Styx I will... WAIT WHAT?!"

"Yep," Nico felt himself grin a little too widely than he was accustomed to.

"No way," Will muttered under his breath, though Nico could still hear.

"Yes. Way." Nico was overjoyed now that he had someone who understood his once self-conflicted mind, his thoughts thrashing around in his brain until they threatened to drive him insane.

Okay, he thought. Maybe there was more to it. Maybe he was developing feelings for Will. After all, there did seem to be a spark that ignited within his heart every time Will-

Nico quickly shook his head, hoping, no, the gods to ensure that wasn't the case. He did not want to ruin a blooming friendship between him and Will.

Which, as they both seemed to realize, there was now an awkward tension between them.

Will cleared his throat.

"So... uh...." Will also seemed unsure of what to say.

"When did you realize... you know... and have you come out to anyone else?" Will blurted out.

Did he really want to tell Will his entire story? Nico wondered. Maybe the time wasn't right... he still needed time to process this shocking revelation.

"Oh..." Will seemed to realize he was overreacting. "Sorry, I think I got too carried away..."

"You definitely do not have to tell me anything if you don't want to," Will continued, his eyes suddenly losing their sparkle, as if he was disappointed.

"I'm sorry, too," Nico's mouth seemed to automatically form these words.

Will became uncommonly quiet.

He spoke up again, after an enduring pause.

"You should probably rest, actually you should rest, doctors orders," Will attempted to crack a joke, but his dull, dimming eyes betrayed his hurt emotions.

"Yeah... see you later," Nico's mouth again spoke before its approval from Nico's brain.

After Will had left, Nico, who had remained in bed the whole time during the conversation, began to repeatedly bang his head against the bed frame behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually Nico fell into a deep slumber, as if he was unconsciously obeying his "doctor's orders". Or maybe his uncommon urge to sleep eternally was in compensation for that unforgettable, scarring experience in that hell jar, where he was sleepless. Nico was somewhat startled he hadn't developed claustrophobia from the period of time he'd love to erase from his mind forever.

Shockingly, he had his first dreamless sleep ever since Bianca's death, or better yet, nightmare-less. For a moment, teetering along the thin tightrope between still sleeping and just being aware that you were awakening, he felt at peace with his mind. No feelings of guilt, misery, envy, or anger. Feelings of neutrality, pacifism, and truce dwelled a few moments longer, as if his brain had established an armistice with itself.

But then he had fully awakened, eyes still closed because he did not want to face the fact that he had basically kicked Will out of a room that wasn't even his own. Plus, he completely ruined the opportunity to learn more about Will's background story and to connect with a friend who knew how he felt.

And you thought you had changed for the better his mind thought, mocking himself. Well, face it, you're literally a son of death. What made you think you could so easily make friends with others, and even earn someone's heart? You'll always be that introverted, shy boy in the shadows of the other campers, so why should you even bother trying?

Hey it's okay, a small, hopeful part of his mind said. You're trying, and look at how much you've changed already! You've made it this far, why stop now? It get better.

It wasn't untypical for Nico to have these warring thoughts in his brain, opposites clashing with one another until they canceled each other out, leaving him with nothing to hold onto. That was the worst part. Not having any morals to live by, to live for. That's when he really started acting like he was dead.

But he knew his future was leaning towards the more brighter side. His hopeful, encouraging piece of mind was right. Things would get better. If there was an X-ray that could make thoughts visible, he would see the negative, bottled-up feelings shrinking and the positive, expressive feelings beginning to grow.

It would be a long time before all the dark thoughts subsided though. The battle with Gaea may have ended in a victory, but the battle with Nico's mind has yet been won.

Until then, he had work to do.

Like telling Will he was sorry for shrugging him off like he wasn't trustworthy enough to know Nico's secrets. Which means he was going to find him as soon as possible, and the only way to accomplish that was to sneak into the Capture-the-Flag game.

Nico tossed the bedsheets onto the floor, not bothering to tidy the blankets. He quickly scampered out of the wooden hospital-like bed and into the infirmary hallways. He was done healing and regaining his strength, whether his doctor liked it or not. He felt newly reinvigorated, perhaps because he had finally casted out his demons within once and for all.

He was ready to take on the world.