Nico's PoV (Surprise!)

"Will. Willlll. Will!" I shook his arm until he groaned and sat up.

"Nico," he yawned, "what time is it?"

"It's one in the morning."

"Nico, what the Hades? Why are you up? You should be getting some sleep." He yawned again and rubbed his eyes. He then squinted at me through the darkness and asked seriously, "What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?"

"No. Well, kind of? It's not my usual nightmares, but I really need to talk to you." I whispered. I had snuck into the Apollo cabin, and his siblings were still asleep.

Will nodded and swung his feet off of his bed. He slid on his flip flops and put on a shirt. I blushed slightly and looked away when his blanket had fallen to the floor. He took my hand to let me know it was safe to look at him again, and we slipped quietly out the door.

We held hands as we walked down to the beach. Usually the harpies didn't go out this far, so it would be the safest place to have a conversation. Once we arrived, I sat down on the sand, pulling Will down with me. He pulled me into his lap and held me to his chest. We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes while we listened to the waves rolling in onto the beach and looked at the stars glittering in the sky. I found the constellation of Zoë the hunteress, and I pretended that it was Bianca smiling down at me.

I blinked and looked at Will startled as he pulled his hand gently away from my face. "You were crying," he explained. I only nodded and snuggled in closer to his chest. He rubbed circles into my back while I soaked in his warmth. Finally, Will asked, "What happened in the dream?"

I sighed and pulled away from him slightly, so I could face him. "It was dad. You know how earlier this evening I told you I felt a burst of underworld magic followed by another burst somewhere else?" Will nodded, and I continued. "I saw dad. He was in a dark place that I couldn't make out. He must have been deep in the underworld or something. I don't know, but since this has been the first time I've heard from him in weeks, I wasn't paying too much attention to something I wasn't going to be able to see. He told me to follow the bursts of energy, and do it quickly. Maybe this will lead me to him."

Will smiled at me. "That's great news. I mean, if he is in danger, then it's not that great, but if you find him, then the underworld will go back to normal! We can go tomorrow morning."

"Um... Will? Who said there was a we? I'm going now."

Will's smile turned to a scowl. "You haven't fully recovered, Death boy, and you need some more sleep. Also, I figured there was going to be a we because I'm not letting you run off by yourself."

"I'm perfectly fine, Sunshine, and don't call me death boy. It's probably going to be dangerous, and no offense, you aren't a fighter." I said rolling my eyes and trying to hide a smile.

"You are not perfectly fine, and you know that. I don't care if it's dangerous or not. I know I'm not a fighter, but I am a healer. What if you get mortally wounded? You would need me there for medical reasons. Also, death boy I happen to be your doctor, so I will consent to going now if and only if you take me along with you." Will argued.

"But-"

"Doctor's orders."

"Will-"

"I said doctor's orders." Will folded his arms stubbornly. Gods if it weren't for the fact that his stubbornness was one of the things I adored most about him, his stubbornness would be one of the things I would hate about him most. I sighed internally. Why was I such a sap on the inside?

"Whatever, Solace. Let's go." Will grinned widely as we both got to our feet and dusted the sand off of our legs.

I was about to grab his hand when he said, "Wait! I need to write a note to my siblings, so they don't freak out. Also, don't you need your sword?"

I pretended to glower at him. "Why of course not, Solace. If I needed my sword, I think I would have brought it already."

Will smirked. "Right. Anyway, go get your sword, and I'll meet you back at your cabin. If you even try to leave without me, you are going to have to stay in the infirmary for another three days."

I rolled my eyes at him. "It's been two months! I'm not going to die. Especially now that I have something to live for."

"You have always had something to live for, Nico Di Angelo," Will said sternly and crossing his arms. All traces of a joke were gone. "You were just being too stubborn to see that."

"Right. Whatever." I turned away from him, and he sighed.

"Well at least you'll admit to having something to live for now," he muttered irritatedly. I could practically hear his eye roll. I was glad that he didn't argue his point for once though. It would have only ended in a stale mate in which he would make good points, and I would refuse to believe or admit to believing them. Frankly, I wasn't in the mood for that argument again, and I don't think he was either.

Before I could run off back to my cabin, Will called out after me. "What is the thing that you are willing to admit to staying alive for?"

I blushed as I looked back at him. "You," I whispered. I caught Will smiling sadly and a small sparkle in his eyes before I ran to grab my sword.

Honestly, I didn't mean to add this much fluff, but I guess I got carried away. Oh well, the part I was originally planning to be in Nico's point of view could easily be written in Will's point of view. I hope you guys have a great day!