In Time {Solangelo}

~ Nico ~

He could hear voices, many concerned voices... He could see blank faces with no expressions, and he could hear the river calling to him, he could hear it wailing. As he left the boat behind him he could hear the old ferryman call to him, "Your journey will not bring what you seek, and you will only find pain..." Nico kept walking, choosing to avoid the warning. He was the son of Hades, this was his domain, and he would not let a stupid daemon tell him what to do.

His ears blocked out the sound of wailing from the fields of punishment, they blocked out the sound of joyful laughter from Elysium and the sound of chattering souls who did nothing with their lives. All he could hear was Percy Jackson's voice, "Do I know you?" He hated himself for it but he had to do this, and he knew that. No one will except me... they all have something to lose... I have to do this... Nico had to close the Doors of Death, he just had to.

As he approached the pit he could sense the hatred of it, the hatred of the gods. The pit pulled him closer sensing his despair and pain, his anger and loneliness, No one will ever accept you for who you are, you should jump in and end your misery... the pit seemed to whisper in his mind. Nico took a step forward, "I will jump," he said in barely a whisper, "But on my own terms... not because you want me dead... But because I am the son of Hades." And then he jumped.

*

He opened his eyes to find a short girl sitting on the end of his bed, she looked worried. "You good?" he croaked. Her green eyes were hypnotizing, they look like glass, he thought, stained glass that's just about to break. A tear fell on to his sheets, Nico knit his eyebrows, "You're crying," he said stating the obvious. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "Sorry," she mumbled, "It's just my book just has too many feels..."

"Oh..." he managed.

"Anyway..." she pushed a piece of her light brown hair out of her eyes, "You're awake now. Will sent me to make sure you where okay. He had to go take care of some... er minor injuries."

Nico swallowed, "Paolo?" She nodded and continued "Chiron said he needed to, he was like," The girl's voice dropped to a lower tone, in an imitation of the old centaurs, "You have been neglecting your duties for too long, young hero." Her voice returned to normal, "And then Will was all like," Her voice rose a bit higher, "But Chiron I want to make sure Nico is alright, he is a powerful demigod, the camp needs him."That doesn't sound like Will at all, he thought, The girl went back to her Chiron voice, "Oh yes the camp does need him my boy... but I think you need him more." In her Will voice, "Fine!" The Chiron voice, "I don't want to have to call your mother..."

Before he knew what he was doing he grinned.

"Gods Charlie, It didn't happen like that, I swear..." Suddenly Will Solace stood behind the girl, apparently named Charlie. "And Nico... you look like death." Nico tried to kill the grin as Will placed his hand on his forehead, his hand felt warm and comforting.

Charlie's face lit up like the sun, "Aww... Will that is so cute!"

Nico could feel Will's hand tense up, "What?" he muttered.

"You look like Death... best pick up line ever!"

"How?"

"Death... as in Thanatos..."

Nico and Will both tilted their heads in confusion.

"Well," Charlie explained patiently, "Death is a god, right?"

Nico nodded, "Thanatos."

She grinned, "Death as in Thanatos... I have been told he is quite good looking!" She wiggled her eyebrows then jumped up and down and spun in a little circle, "I SHIP IT!!! YOU GUYS ARE MY NEW OTP!!!"

Will's hand flew to her mouth covering it, so she would stop squealing. Aphrodite, Nico thought to himself. "Now young lady, do you remember our little deal?" Charlie nodded, "Good." Will continued, "Now you stop fangirling about... or I'll take away your books for a month."

She squirmed away, "You wouldn't dare!"

"You bet I would." Will shot back.

Charlie grabbed a book from the bed side table next to Nico's sick bed, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hard cover. She picked it up and tried to hit Will with it, but he ducked.

"Stop that!" Will cried his eyes widened, "Ouch! Stop! Charlie! That hurts."

The short girl with green eyes and light brown hair, didn't look scary until she was charging at you with a book in hand ready for blood. "DON'T!" thwack "JOKE!" thwack "ABOUT!" thwack "MY!"thwack "BOOKS!" thwack "UNLESS!" thwack "YOU!" thwack "WANT!" thwack "TO!" thwack "DIE!!!!!!!!!!!"

With each thwack Charlie hit Will over the head with her book. "Surrender!"

"Never... actually... yeah I give up."

"Good." She did a little twirl. "Well I need to go tell Ja- I mean go do some um... stuff." She skipped out the door, leaving them alone.

"That was interesting..." Nico managed.

Will nodded.

"Aphrodite?"

"No..." Will said shaking his head, "Apollo."

"Really?"

"Ya. Now get some rest." Will sat down on a chair and watched Nico fall asleep.