Nico

Once we got to Mayo, he was sent to operation right away. He hasn't woken up, and I was freaking the fuck out, pacing back and forth in his hospital room.

I knew what happened, I just wasn't quite there to tell them. I'm still scattered around and just freaking out.

He told me he had depression. He told me about Gabe, about his dreams, about every little fucking thing that he hates about himself.

It was dumb, but for some reason, I didn't think he'd try to kill himself.

But look at where we are now. I'm holding his suicide note while he's being operated on because we can't get ahold of any family and he could die.

And then it hit me.

Percy might not make it out of that operating room.

I don't pray that often. Not to the gods, because I mean, I can just call my dad and talk to him. But this requires more than just my dad. This was a fucking miracle.

Guys? I thought, unsure if this bullshit actually worked or not. Most Demigods don't pray. We just don't. I don't know if this works or not, but I'm getting pretty desperate. Please, don't let him go like this. Give them a miracle, Apollo. Make your son hold on to his last string of hope, Poseidon.

I paused to wipe away a few tears.

He has done so much for you guys, I tried to at least he reasonable with them. Please, don't give up on him now. I don't care what it takes, he can't die. Not yet. Not now.

I was in that room for a good few hours before a lady came in, probably Percy's doctor.

"Mr. Di Angelo?"

I looked up. It was the middle of the night, almost 1, but I can't sleep. I tried going to bed at like 11, and I can't stop.

"Yes?" I asked.

"You're here with Perseus Jackson, correct? You're his boyfriend?"

"I uh... Yeah. I am." And I hesitated. "Is he okay?"

My heart throbbed in my throat, my stomach was in an impossible knot, and my lungs no longer knew how to function. The feeling felt like it was rising, trying to take over my entire being.

I've never been this worried before. Never have I ever wanted something as bad as I wanted him to be okay.

My heart shattered before she even told me anything.

"He's going to be okay, physically speaking." She answered my question, and that helped me just enough to breathe. "He just got out of surgery and is on his way here. He's still asleep, but his vitals are no longer a threat to him. We expect that he'll wake up in the morning. From there, we will figure out how long he will stay here or if he'll be sent home to a hospital in New York."

When Percy was brought here, he looked like shit. He had lost a lot of color to his skin, his arms and torso were wrapped. They said that he had cut and then his stomach. After that, he stabbed himself and punctured a few different things. Broke three ribs in the process. I'm not sure how, he did this in his room.

He managed it, though.

And as the doctor said, he slept through the night. I know because I didn't. I was afraid that if I fell asleep, he'd hurt himself again. I was asleep when it happened. I stayed home from school today and went to Percy's and it was just an upset stomach that lasted half the day.

But I was sleeping when he got back. I thought I heard something, and that's what woke me up.

I found him in his room, out cold, life leaking out of him. Because yeah, I'm the son of Hades. I can feel when somebody is dying. It's just a thing, and I hate it. It's a terrible feeling, and the closer I am to the person, the stronger it is.

That's why I hate hospitals. I'm still trying to figure out how to turn this off. I don't want to deal with this feeling.

I had been sitting in bed next to Percy when he woke up. Not noticing me right away, he didn't seem too happy about the outcome.

He didn't want to live, that was the point. He didn't see one in living. I don't go to school with Percy, my dad put me through somewhere else. But the others tell me about it. Kids just fucking hate him.

I ask about it, and he doesn't deny it. But he claims that he doesn't care. When he just so obviously should and does. It gets to him and it tears him down. It makes him feel worse about himself than he already does.

It wasn't until he spoke that I realized he had even noticed I was there. He didn't look at me, and I think I knew why. He couldn't bring himself to do that.

"It was dumb," my boyfriend apologized before I even said anything to him. "I know. I should've talked to you. Or anyone, really. I just... You were asleep and I didn't want to disturb you and the others were just having fun together and I didn't think... You deserve better."

"Hey, don't start with that." I told him as I held his hand, because both of us needed the reassurance. "You know what, maybe I do. But I don't want better. I don't know what better is, Percy. What did I tell you? I'm not leaving you because you have a few problems. We're going to get through this. You've hit rock bottom? Okay. It can't get worse, it can only get better. Even if it's better for a few days followed by a shitty week. Or just a few minute. Like... It's going to be a challenge, I know that, Percy. I'm willing to be here for it. To hold your hand because nobody else gets it. Okay? I don't—"

I stopped myself for a second.

"I don't know what's happening in your brain right now," I summarized for him. "Aside that it's nothing good. And if you're willing to talk to me about it and tell me what goes on, we can get better. You can get better. It'll just take some work and time. Yeah?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah."

Sally

I woke up to a lovely voicemail and text from my son's boyfriend and the Mayo Clinic.

That one sort of freaked me out, because I've never gone to the Mayo before.

I read through Nico's texts, and that alone freaked me out enough to wake up Paul, because he needs to wake up.

"Hm...?" He asked as he woke up, half asleep. "Sally, if this is motherly instinct, call first. Okay? He's 16, he can survive on his own for another few days."

"Paul, I have voicemails from both the Mayo Clinic and Nico." I told my husband, and that woke him up. "Percy's at the Mayo. He tried to kill himself last night."