Hello! Python's Cave is my fanfic that takes place about two weeks after the end of BoO (contains BoO spoilers!). It will go back and forth between the POV's of Will, Nico, Lou Ellen, and Cecil as they embark on a quest to save Apollo. First and foremost, this is mainly a whole lot of Solangelo.

This is my very first fanfic, so try not to judge me too harshly! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I also appreciate helpful criticism towards my writing, so feel free to do that. :)

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!

*I do not own anything PJO or HoO! All that awesomeness belongs to the amazing Rick Riordan.*

Intro:

Winter In Summer

For one week after the War, everything at Camp Half-Blood was golden. The Stoll brothers stole things, the Athena kids debated the semantics of medieval historical documents, and the Aphrodite kids sat around reapplying their lip-gloss and insulting everyone else. Percy pelted his enemies with water balloons, and Jason begged Annabeth for help with building the thousands of shrines he'd promised Kymopoleia.

As it was soon discovered, he hadn't the foggiest how to design a single one of them.

It was the Utopian quintessence of Camp Half-Blood. The sun shone, the fighting was kept to minor mutilations, and the two camps didn't want to massacre each other. Everything was perfect. Well... perfect for anyone who wasn't a ghastly, grumpy, aloof, uncouth, curmudgeon son of Hades.

Indeed, Nico di Angelo considered it to be the most obscenely sanguine place he'd ever had the misfortune to be forced-to-stay-at-on-pain-of-death by a blue-eyed, blonde-haired, son of the Sun God who fancied himself a healer.

When Will Solace wasn't failing at archery, and bursting people's ear drums with his singing, he was guaranteed to be found in the infirmary, rather making people bleed with needles instead, and playing doctor. At least, that's how Nico imagined his profession. Of course, if he couldn't be found doing any of those things either, he was most certainly trailing after the son of Hades. Will claimed it was to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't skip town, but Nico wasn't so sure.

No one could possibly be so annoying, sheerly by default. No matter how rude and obnoxious and pitiful Nico made himself, nothing would shake the fool. The blonde boy followed him around like a content puppy with sad eyes who enjoyed being kicked and scolded...

Then the perfection-that-was-not-perfection-to-Nico faltered. The temperatures plummeted. The sun dimmed in the sky, a pale bowl lacking warmth and energy. The Camper's felt it's change, most especially the children of Apollo. Despite the summertime, a chill bit into the air. With each passing morning, they awoke to see the grass covered in a thickening hoarfrost. The dew that blanketed the strawberry fields crystallized into callous beads, which suffocated and burned the plants on whom they glittered.

It seemed Nico alone didn't mind the frigid temperatures. Though unnatural, it was a welcome relief from the heat that scorched his dreams.

Night after night, he found himself stumbling through the parched throat that was Tartarus. His surroundings flickering and distorting, the flame of a candle on it's metaphorical death rattle. The threat of monsters was the only thing that pushed him to continue.

'Just a little further', he thought to himself each time, 'a little further and I'll reach the end.'

It was a lie and he knew it.

No matter how many times he repeated it to himself, no amount of repetition would make it true. It was madness, utter insanity. He felt it's claws digging firmly into his back, just out of reach. With every visit it penetrated deeper and he worried about the day it would reach his heart.

It was all a lie. He could feel it.

Something was coming.

Chapter One:

Monsters Inside and Out
(And Inside-Out as Well)

Nico jolted awake in his bunk inside the Hades cabin at Camp Half Blood.

"It's okay, I'm fine, it was just a-" His mumbling faded as he realized he was alone.

He shook his head, chagrined.

Two weeks after Gaea's defeat, and he still expected to wake up in the infirmary with a blue-eyed, blonde-haired Will Solace frowning down at him in evident worry. That should be the true cause of my nightmares, he thought groggily.

A glance at his alarm clock told him it was 4 a.m..

The phantom heat from his dream parched his throat and he staggered to the sink, where he gulped down as much water as he could. He splashed his face with it, and then watched the stream trickle through his fingertips for a moment.

He had spent four and a half years of his life convinced that everyone hated him. He avoided their stares like it was them, and not he, who radiated death. He stayed on the move, never allowing himself to get comfortable. His past was lonely and discordant, but he'd always believed he was doing others a favor. He'd learned to survive on his own somehow, fighting monsters solo, facing the nightmares armed with nothing but his wits.

And unfortunately, nightmares were a fact of life for Nico di Angelo.

Abruptly, he shut the water back off.

He knew better than to try to fall back asleep, and instead tugged on his tattered sneakers and slipped out the front door.

His breath hitched as a gust of icy wind struck him. It made the hair on his arms stand on end and he struggled to inhale for a moment. It bit into his skin, despite his t-shirt and sweatpants, and he pulled his hoodie tightly around himself. In habit, his fingers closed on the small Mythomagic figurine he always carried in his pocket.

For a moment he stood on the front steps of the Hades cabin, taking in the night. The crisp smell of pine trees filled his nose, and the wind howled softly in his ears.

The cabins were oppressive and claustrophobic. He needed to escape.

He ran to the lake, only stopping when the stitch in his side became unbearable. His lungs and eyes burned and he wondered how he'd managed to get so out of shape. He wondered if the whole war- Tartarus, imprisonment, Gaea, all of it- had finally caught up to him.

Then he slid down against the rough trunk of an oak tree and cried.

When he'd fled from his cabin he hadn't known where he was hoping to get to, or what he was hoping to find when he got there. Perhaps somewhere just a little less scary, a little more familiar. Or maybe just somewhere isolated where no one would see him break down. But now that he was here, he knew this wasn't it. It was only somewhere to be just as scared and much more alone.

Eventually it ended, leaving him feeling drained and hollow. He stared blankly out at the lake watching small sheets of ice melt on the black surface. A glimmer of light caught his attention, and he peered back down the trail.

Someone was walking in his direction, strides long and slinking like a cat. The moonlight shown down fiercely enough for him to make out the glint of sun-kissed blonde hair. Like a sixth sense, Nico knew instantly who it was.

Will Solace.

Nico hesitated. No doubt if he didn't evade him, the son of Apollo would pester and bother him until sunrise. He considered briefly crouching behind the tree, but it seemed a little juvenile. Or better yet, he could shadow travel out of camp all-together. Something stayed him where he was though. It might have been the thrum of butterflies racing against his heartbeat which always bloomed around the blonde boy, or just the intrigue of why a son of Apollo was out in the cold all alone, but it hardly mattered. Perhaps it was simply because a part of him enjoyed his company.

"Will?" Nico murmured.

Nico heard a sharp intake of breath as Will started at the sound of his voice. He'd spoken softly, but as a son of Hades, it seemed he had a special gift for scaring the crap out of people. At least, he tried to view it as a gift.

"Nico?" Will whispered back, peering towards him in the darkness.

"Yeah, it's me." Nico murmured. He saw the silhouette of Will's shoulders relax. The movement puzzled Nico. Who else did he think it was?

"What are you doing out here?" Will asked quietly. His breath misted in a white cloud as he spoke. "It's freezing."

Nico scowled. "I could ask you the same thing Solace."

"I was just coming back from the infirmary." Will said easily, walking up to him. "I had the night shift with Kayla and I saw you over here."

When he moved closer Nico finally saw his face.

He had deep shadows under his eyes, darkening like bruises. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his golden hair was unkempt and disheveled. His skin seemed pale, as if he was coming down with something. He looked exhausted and Nico wondered when it last was that he'd had a proper night's sleep. He doubted it was since before the battle. Nico had seen the infirmary afterwards, full to bursting point with injured demigods. Will was the best healer in camp. Nico would never be caught dead admitting it, but he had watched in awe as Will managed to save what must have been the lives of at least thirty demigods, from both the Greeks and the Romans. Nico wasn't one to be caught playing mother hen, but he suddenly had the unbidden desire to order the poor guy to bed immediately.

"Your turn," Will murmured. "Why are you sitting out here in the cold?"

Nico hesitated.

"I was going for a walk," he muttered shortly. He saw Will's expression brighten hopefully and added, "Alone."

"I love going for walks alone." Will said with a small smile. "I'll join you."

Nico held back a groan as Will plopped down next to him and leaned back against the tree. For a second his hand brushed against Nico's. The feeling was warm and pleasant, and made his arm tingle. It was also foreign and unexpected and he scooted away from him spitefully.

"What part of 'alone' don't you understand Solace?" He moaned, kicking grumpily at the frosted grass.

"I'll be quiet." Will promised. "You won't even know I'm here."

"Solace!" Nico turned and glared at him.

Will held up his hands. "Hey, if you don't want me here, don't beat around the bush." He said. He looked at Nico in amused expectance, like he didn't believe the son of Hades would actually send him away.

"Okay." Nico scowled. "I don't want you here Solace."

Will scrunched his nose at him. "You could've beaten around the bush a little," he muttered. He drew his eyebrows together in a pout. "Please? I really don't want to go back to my cabin right now."

"No. Go away."

Nico shifted anxiously, the frozen grass crackling under him. Will didn't leave but he was no longer talking either. Nico looked at him in surprise, to see him staring desolately at the frosted ground.

Nico was stunned. In the two weeks he'd known the son of Apollo, he had never seen him simply turn down the chance to argue with Nico. He seemed like a different person altogether, rather than the bright-eyed, exuberant guy Nico had grown accustomed to over the past two weeks. He was only wearing a flimsy t-shirt. He had to be freezing, and yet he didn't shiver or even try to shield himself from the cold.

"Will?" Nico asked softly, worried in spite of himself.

Will jerked and looked up sharply, like his mind had been wrenched forcefully from dark side of a distant planet. He stared blankly at Nico, without any expectation or assumption. Nico looked back at him, wondering what could possibly be on his mind.

"What's wrong?" He whispered.

Will hesitated for a moment, looking unsure. The butterflies which had fluttered in Nico's stomach, seemed to have twisted into a sinuous serpent which wrapped it's body around his heart and squeezed. The frighteningly vacant look vanished from Will's face to be replaced by a shallow smile. It was forced, but it was a smile.

"Just tired." He mumbled. He didn't elaborate and Nico wasn't inclined to push him.

He frowned at Will's t-shirt. "Aren't you cold Solace?"

Will looked down at his bare arms and shrugged. "I don't feel the cold easily." The air around Will's skin seemed to mist very slightly in the cold, like he was enveloped in a permanent aura of warmth.

They sat in silence for a while.

The perimeter of the forest loomed mysteriously before them. The pines swayed in the wind, creaking and knocking. Some of the needles were frozen solid, and when Nico reached a hand out to touch them, they shattered like fragile glass. He wondered how the nymphs were holding up. The Athena and Aphrodite cabins had taken time to weave blankets for them, though it really wasn't necessary. Nico thought he saw a few of them draped in the uppermost branches.

Expectably, Will broke the silence.

"Did you have a nightmare again?"

"Pretty sure I'm having one right now," Nico muttered uncomfortably. "What makes you think I had a nightmare?"

"You look upset." Will murmured softly. He absentmindedly held his hand out over a shard of ice littering the ground. Within seconds it was reduced to a puddle of water.

Nico glanced at him. It was nearly pitch black in the forest and Will's face was hidden in the shadows. Nico could see him just fine of course, but he was a son of Hades. The dark was his specialty.

He could easily see Will's soft blue eyes, large and warm, the gentle slope of his nose, and the curve of his mouth… Nico cringed internally and planted a road block in front of the thought before it flew out of control.

"Like you could tell in the dark!" Nico exclaimed.

Will shrugged. "Actually I can see pretty well in the dark. Special skill of Apollo's and whatnot…" He looked at Nico suddenly and smirked. "I can see you looking at me."

Despite the cool air Nico suddenly felt incredibly hot. He looked away immediately and Will laughed softly.

Another silence fell between them.

Gradually Nico realized that Will was still watching him. He glared at the son of Apollo, which seemed to amuse him. For a few seconds they stared at each other in a silent challenge. Unfortunately, as Nico's discomfort grew, so did Will's grin.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" He asked him point-blank.

Will's grin flickered for a second as surprise crossed his face. Nico thought he almost looked confused by the question. "I guess it's like I said before," he murmured eventually, "I don't feel coldness easily."

Nico stared at him slight bafflement. He had never met anyone quite like Will Solace. Before he met him, Nico would have assumed a child of Apollo would be the last person to want to associate with a child of Hades. After all, they were nearly polar opposites.

Nico finally tore his gaze from Will's face, instead letting it fell to his clothes.

He was wearing a white t-shirt with the grinning Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, and fluorescent orange pajama pants. Nico thought the cat's expression bore a disturbing resemblance to Will's usual expression in the morning. He was also wearing neon pink crocs adorned with various pins and clips, which Nico was certain belonged to one of his sisters.

Nico smirked at his attire.

"I'm sorry you were dropped on your head so many times as a baby, Solace."

Will stared at him blankly. "What do you mean?"

"Your shoes are ridiculous."

Will gaped at him. He looked back and forth from Nico to his pink crocs several times.

"My shoes? Yours have holes in them." Will complained, pointing at Nico's foot where his toe was poking out through the worn soles. Nico wiggled it at him.

"So do yours." He exclaimed.

"Yeah, but mine are intentional."

"That's way worse." Nico cried.

"You know what, leave my shoes out of this Death Boy!"

Nico rolled his eyes at him, pushing himself up from the ground. "C'mon, let's head back."

The wind picked up under the canopy of the trees and sent ripples dancing on the dark surface of the lake, knocking the sheets of ice together. Nico pulled his jacket around himself, but Will didn't seem affected. Heat seemed to radiate from him, like he had a permanent fever. Even with the inches between them, his warmth burned into Nico's arm. He was a permanent space heater.

Will folded his hands on his lap, lacing his fingers. They were musician's hands, long with his knuckles protruded a little more than most peoples. His nails were trimmed short, with tough callouses appearing on the tips. Nico supposed it was the price he played for playing so many musical instruments.

"How come you didn't want to go back to your cabin tonight?" Nico asked him.

Will's expression darkened and he watched his feet for a moment as they walked.

Over the past two weeks, Nico had begun to think of Will as an open book. He always knew if he was happy or sad, or angry or scared. Will never tried to conceal his feelings like so many other people did. Like I do, Nico thought. To him the son of Apollo was next to fascinating, a source of intrigue. He was the most honest and sincere person Nico had ever met.

It was why he liked him.

"I cant' help but feel like something's wrong," Will muttered. He looked wearily at the son of Hades. "Do you feel it?"

Nico shook his head. "Feel what?"

"There's something different about this summer. It's not… warm. I love summer but I feel…" Will drifted off, reaching out to touch an icicle on one of the lower branches. In a matter of seconds it had melted. "The sun shines, but it's cold. And my brothers and sisters are having horrible dreams. Last night Austin woke up and just started flipping out, yelling something was in our cabin."

Nico looked at him quickly, startled. "What sort of thing?" he asked.

Will shrugged hopelessly. "Know idea. He wasn't making any sense. Honestly I got the impression it was the aftereffect of a nightmare or something, but now everyone else is on edge. Our powers of prophecy have been gone for a couple weeks now, but we didn't think it would be this bad. The infirmary feels more welcoming than our cabin. It's like it doesn't even belong to us anymore." Will rubbed his eyes wearily. "On top of that, Kayla's had a nasty cold the past few days. It's not bad, but it shouldn't have happened at all. Kids of Apollo don't get sick. I don't understand it."

Nico met his eyes briefly and asked, "It's that bad?"

Will took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "It's just this feeling. Like something's wrong and I can't place it," he said. "It feels like there's a ghost following us around, breathing down our necks."

Nico glanced at him suspiciously, wondering if Will was making a jibe at him. If he was, he gave no indication of it.

He felt a rush of sympathy for Will, noticing the circles under his eyes. "Do you need help?" he asked tentatively. "I know I'm not much use for healing or comfort or anything like that, but I could probably do something useful."

Will peered at him and smiled slightly. "You're offering to help in the infirmary? I thought you hated it there?"

"I don't hate it," Nico muttered uncomfortably. "I am a son of Hades, you know. It's just not really my thing."

"I don't know about that," Will said as they stepped over them. "I thought it was kind of nice having you around for those first three days."

"I'm glad it was everything you dreamed it would be," Nico muttered.

Will laughed softly and looked at him in curiosity. "So what prompted this change of heart?" he asked. "You didn't seem to want to come back before. Why now?"

Nico glanced at Will, eyes catching on his eyelashes, and the tufts of pale gold hair that glowed in the moonlight, curling over his forehead and around his ears.

"I've got nothing better to do," he mumbled.

Will's blue eyes glinted as he grinned. "We'll see Death Boy. If the situation with my cabin gets any worse, then I just might come call on your tender mercies."

"Maybe you should tell Chiron about this, if you're that worried."

Will nodded. "I think I will, after breakfast tomorrow. It's probably nothing, but I don't want to take the risk," he winced and added softly, "I just wish the dreams weren't so horrible."

Nico looked sharply at him. "Wait, it's not just Travis who's having bad dreams? You are too?"

Will shrugged. "Sometimes. Ever since the power of Delphi vanished, I've felt off. We all have. I think that's what's causing it."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Nico asked concernedly. "I might've helped."

Will peered curiously at him from under a curl of blonde. "How?"

"I'm pretty good when it comes to dreams." Nico admitted. "At least, when it comes to deciphering or controlling them. If you prefer to forget them entirely though, Clovis would be of greater use."

"I didn't know you could do that." Will peered at Nico with a peculiar expression on his face. The intensity of his gaze made Nico uncomfortable.

"What?"

"Nothing." Will shook his head. "You're just surprising. What was your nightmare about this time?" Will asked softly, watching him out of the corner of his eye.

Nico had to fight to keep his voice relaxed. "Again, Solace, what makes you think I had a nightmare?"

"You were standing outside your cabin in the freezing cold." Will said unceremoniously. "I mean, I know you're kind of a weirdo di Angelo, but I've never seen you out of bed before noon." Will smiled at him to soften the words.

Over the past two weeks, Nico felt he had begun to know Will better. He could always tell if Will was happy or sad, or angry or scared. And Will never tried to hide his emotions or his feelings like so many other people did. Like I do, Nico thought. To him, the son of Apollo was next to fascinating, a source of intrigue. He was the most honest and sincere person Nico had ever met.

"Did Jason ever find out what happened to Apollo after the battle?" Will interrupted his thoughts

"No, I don't think so," Nico said. "He tried to convince Zeus to let him off easy though." He wished fervently there was some bit of good news he could offer Will.

They were moving slowly through the trees. A branch cracked loudly underfoot and Nico kicked it aside with his shoe.

"Nico… why were you really out here all alone? Is it bad dreams or… were you planning on leaving?" Will asked quietly.

The question came out surprisingly stiff, but when Nico looked at Will the son of Apollo's expression was perfectly blank.

Nico twirled the ring on his finger. In truth, he didn't know how to answer Will. Was he leaving? That's certainly how it had felt. He had thought he'd been running towards something, but at Will's query he wondered if he had, in fact, been fleeing away from the very same thing.

"You can't just keep running," murmured Will, almost as if he had read Nico's thoughts.

"I'm not running," Nico snapped, but he found himself unable to look towards Will when he said it.

"You've never stayed at camp before," Will said softly. "Out of all the times you've been here. No offence, but I get the feeling you're biding your time, waiting for everyone to turn their backs so you can slip away unnoticed."

"Unnoticed?" Nico exclaimed. "With the way you lumber around after me all the time? You've got nothing to worry about- it's impossible for me to go anywhere unnoticed."

"Oh- good." The corner of Will's mouth twitched up. A moment later it crept back down and his brow furrowed. "How come you never stayed before?"

"I didn't stay before," Nico muttered grumpily, "because your incessant yammering is exactly that. Incessant."

"That's not true!" Will exclaimed. "I've never even spoken to you before two weeks ago."

"I know," Nico smirked at him. "It's a shame how things have changed, isn't it?"

Will glared at him with all the ferocity of an enraged puppy. "You know you're not very nice," he grumbled.

"Who ever said I was nice?" Nico asked, raising an eyebrow, then added under his breath, "'Cause I'll make them sorry."

Will rolled his eyes. "Oh come on di Angelo," he sighed. "You're deflecting. Why do you us? You'd think we chased you away with torches and pitch forks."

"Sort of seems like I was," Nico said without thinking.

"Will looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter now Will," Nico said haltingly. Will looked at him in frustrated disbelief. Strangely, Nico found the expression almost endearing on the son of Apollo.

"I want to know," Will pleaded.

"Well you don't always get you want Solace!" Nico snapped. It came out much harsher than he'd intended and Will flinched. Nico let out a breath and looked around him uncomfortably. "It's not that I hate people, Will, I just-" He took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain. "I'm the son of Hades."

"So?" Will pressed.

"So, no one likes that. It makes people uncomfortable. I make people uncomfortable," Nico muttered. "No one wants to be around someone who can summon corpses and skeletons out of the earth, who spends most of his time in the Underworld, and who is better friends with the dead than the living. People don't like me, and I'm certainly not going to chase them around and force them to accept my company. It's like you said already, I'm not very nice, and I have neither the ability nor the desire to pretend otherwise. I come here when I need a break from… well, the rest of my life." By the end his little tirade Nico's eyes stung. He blinked hard already regretting letting Will goad him into this discussion. Why couldn't he ever keep his mouth shut?

Will didn't say anything for a minute. They had stopped walking. Nico knew Will was still watching him. More than anything he wished Will would say something, anything.

"I like having you here," Will said softly.

Nico had no answer to that. It was something that had never been said to him before. When he looked over, Will's calm eyes met his own. For the first time, Nico found himself noticing that their clear blue was speckled with tiny flecks of molten gold, like the sun itself was fighting to shine through from somewhere beyond. They stood out in the dark.

"Um, thanks, I guess," he muttered, unsure what else to say.

Will nodded. "Just make sure you stay this time."

"I want to right now," Nico began haltingly. "It's just… I have a bad track record. I'm not sure I know how to stay in one place."

"You can start by coming back with me," Will told him, surprisingly intense. "Right now."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It's not supposed to be hard," Will insisted. "You just like overthinking things."

Nico hesitated. For years he'd done the same things, over and over again. He would go to a place, either New Rome or Camp Half-blood, and then leave from it. Not once had either of them ever made him happy, and more than anything he wanted to try for that again.

"That's how most things in life work, you know," Will continued. "Things usually have to get worse before they can get better."

Nico sighed. "Fine. I'll come back with you."

"Good," said Will. Then bluntly he added, "So was your nightmare about Tartarus?"

Nico ignored him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Will prompted.

"Do I look like I want to talk about it?" Nico snapped.

"Suppressing every horrible thing that happened to you will only make it worse," said Will. "It's another problem you've got."

"What, are you my shrink now?"

Will sighed. "Okay fine. I won't make you talk about it."

"Smart move Blondie."

"You're still calling me that?" Will asked with a small smile.

"Of course I'm still calling you that. You're still blonde aren't you?" Nico had taken up the nickname during his three days in the infirmary. "If you insist on calling me 'Death Boy', then don't expect me to call you by your name. Besides, 'Blondie' is a way nicer name than 'Death Boy'."

"That's not true!" Will cried. "I'm way more-" Will gave a small gasp, and froze.

"What is it?" Nico asked, startled. Will turned his head, squinting into the dark frozen foliage around them. Nico followed his gaze. A few ferns and shrubs rustled in the wind, but other than that the only signs of life were themselves. He didn't answer and Nico grew worried.

"Will?" Nico reached out a hand to touch his arm. His skin was burning hot. "What's wrong?"

Will jumped slightly, and finally turned back to Nico. His eyes were wide and frightened, but he shook his head. "I thought I saw something. We shouldn't be out here," he stammered. "We need to get back."

"Why? What is it?" Nico demanded.

"They keep the forest stalked with monsters. C'mon, let's just go. We're almost out anyways."

Nico sighed. "That's the last time I take you for a walk, Solace," he muttered, hurrying after Will. He'd nearly caught up with him when a soft crack made him pause.

He turned to look back into the forest, but couldn't see anything amidst the trees. He frowned. Whatever he had heard, it had sounded close.

"What is it?" Will asked.

"I thought I heard…" Nico shook his head. "Nevermind."

He took a few more steps forward, and then on a whim, he decided to look up.

Nico had a fraction of a second to catch the glow of luminous eyes looking down, however they weren't focused on him. Without a second thought he shoved Will sideways with all his strength. He wasn't a moment early, and before he could reach for his sword something heavy slammed into his back.

He landed on his stomach, his breath punched from his lungs with a sharp whoosh. A ripping pain sunk into his side, a low snarl rumbled in his ear. Unable to draw his sword, Nico lashed out wildly with his fist. It connected with thick, barbed skin. Off to the side he heard Will shouting.

His voice was enough to briefly distract the creature, allowing Nico to twist onto his back, bring his feet up and kick, sending the thing sprawling. It turned on him again, almost instantly, but he had time to recognize it as a hydra.

It's hindquarters tensed, and he rolled sideways on the cold ground, rocks scraping his hands as he desperately tried to avoid it. He rocked to his feet, drawing his sword.

He swung at the monster, but his blade deflected off of it's scales. Stumbling backwards, heart pounding in his chest, his foot caught on something and he felt himself fall backwards... then his vision was filled with stars and a splitting pain in his skull.

The hydra dove after him.

The only thing keeping it from sinking it's teeth into Nico's throat was his arm thrown across the creature's chest. Despite it being relatively small for it's size, Nico was nowhere near strong enough to throw it off. He caught a flash of the pink insides of its foaming mouth. He tasted blood in his own mouth- but then the weight lifted.

He lay there shaking and panting in the dirt, trying to gasp in air as the pain in his side intensified. The hydra was gone and Will was- Will!

Nico sprung up and realized what had happened. In his desperation, Will had tackled the beast. But Will was not a fighter, at least not in the combative sense of the word, and he was now pinned under it as Nico had been seconds before.

Regaining his senses, it took only a second for Nico to lunge at the beast, swinging his sword at it's body.

The hydra exploded into gold dust, which rained down around the son of Apollo. He spluttered and coughed, wiping it from his face. He looked shaken, but otherwise unharmed.

"Are you okay?" Nico panted, clutching his side. The puncture marks from the hydra's claws burned like fire, his head swimming sickeningly. He reached out a hand to Will, trying to help him up. Will gripped it, but when Nico went to pull him up he found himself in the dirt next to Will.

"Nico!?" Will shouted. Nico felt hands on top of his own, clutching at his side. "Nico, you're bleeding."

Nico saw him reach to draw his hands away from his side, but Nico snarled and shoved him away.

"Don't touch me! It's fine, I'm fine," he repeated automatically. "It's just a scratch, it's-" Another splash of pain lanced through him and he yelped before he could stop himself.

"It's not fine. Let me see." Will's voice spiked sickeningly through his skull. It made him want to cover his ears. Nico tried it and it didn't help. Nothing made sense. Why was he even in the forest at all? He couldn't remember, he needed to go back, he needed to escape before Gaia caught him…

"It's poisoned. You need to stay still." He barely registered Will's voice over the pounding rush of blood in his ears. He grit his teeth against another shot of pain, but it abated quickly.

He looked down to see Will's hand on his side. He couldn't remember ever releasing his own.

The son of Apollo was saying something, his mouth was moving urgently, but Nico couldn't understand. Mostly, he saw blue eyes, large and concerned. Why was he concerned? He could no longer remember...

He was staring up at the canopies of leaves. He felt weightless, warmth flooded through him, warming him to his core. The sensation reminded him of being in the infirmary…

He watched his breath mist in front of his face in fascination. Beyond the branches, the dark navy blue of the sky merged with the first orange streaks of sunrise. It was beautiful and surreal, and seemed to fill his vision.

Everything shattered into the night.

To Be Continued...

THANK YOU so much if you took the time to read this! Okay, so I know hydras aren't technically considered poisonous (I think, I'm not an expert on Greek monsters) but I wanted to use one. Thank you for reading, and please leave a review after the beep!

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*beep* :)