As Different as Night and Day

Nico

I watched as his eyes slowly closed. I shook his arm. He had to be alive. I couldn't lose him. With out him I've lost everything. I don't know what to do. I'm going to join him. I am going to stay with him.

I picked up a knife that was lying on the ground nearby. I turned it over in my hands and watched as something splashed into the blade. I looked up but the sky was cloudless. You would have never guessed that the only person I cared about had died today. I brought my gaze back down to the blade. I kissed Will's forehead and glanced at the blade one last time. Another tear splattered onto it and I rubbed my hand against my cheeks. They were wet. I took a deep breath and set the knife down. I placed my head on his chest and stayed there. I just sat there. No crying or sobbing. I just sat there with my head on his chest.

Silence.

Not even the wind gently sweeping the leaves around.

Not even the trees whispering.

Not even the thumping of a heart in the chest I was lying on.

Stillness.

No not even the leaves dancing around on the wind.

Not even the branches of trees stretching to reach out to each other.

Not even the rising and falling of the chest I was lying on to signify that he was breathing.

I rose reluctantly but knowing that I had to do something. I slumped to the Apollo cabin and kicked down the door. Everyone was gone. No one was lounging on the couch where Will and I had bundled up together. No one was in the room the we were going to occupy together. There was no one in the bed that he had refused to give up. A tall boy with a mop of blonde hair wasn't hiding in the closet trying to scare me. I exited the room because otherwise the nostalgia would have taken over and I would have collapsed on the spot.

I shut the door and took a deep breath. I stalked through the rooms looking for any signs of life. No one in the Apollo cabin. No one in the Zeus cabin. No on in the Hera cabin. No one in the Poseidon cabin. No one in any of the cabins. At least that I could see.

I rechecked the Hecate cabin and remembered that they had some closets that looked like the wall. I dragged my hand along the cool surface and finally felt a knob that I could grab and twist. The door swung open and I felt around in the mist induced blackness. There were people here. Maybe a handful but they should know what happened to everyone else.

The campers only had their hands tied and their mouths gagged. It was easy enough to escape that. I removed their bonds and gags. "Why didn't you guys escape?"
An Athena kid piped up. "Power dampening cloth and very, very resilient."
"Why weren't you banging on the door for someone to let you out?" I shot back.
The same boy responded. "First of all, they had a Hypnos kid who put us to sleep. Most of us have just woken up. Secondly, none of us could see through the dark to find the door or a wall with out falling. The name's Marco by the way."
"Go find the other campers and release them. Do any of you know where Chiron is?" All of them shook their heads but one very little boy of about the age of five stepped forward. He was an Apollo kid and looked exactly like Will. I winced at the thought. "Pony man?" He asked. I nodded my head. "I know where Mr. Pony man is." I knelt down to his level.
"Where?" He thought for a moment and looked like he was trying to say something. He must have given up because he ended up grabbing my hand and tugging it. I pitched forward and he started giggling. "What's your name?"
He pointed to himself and puffed out his little chest as if proud. "I am Wyatt and I'm four." He held up his hand with three fingers pointed up. I stood and he grabbed my hand again. "What's your name?"
"Nico"
"I like that name. That's my name now. I'm Nico and I'm four." He tested it out and smiled triumphantly. He was pulling me in the general direction of the Big House. "Your name is Wyatt now." I rolled my eyes. This kid was a handful. His small hand was only able to grasp two of my fingers. Those two fingers were very warm. He was emanating heat. Just like Will.

Wyatt, or as he prefers, Nico, stopped at the steps. "This is where I seed Mr. Pony man"
"Saw" I automatically corrected. He looked at me in confusion. He looked exactly like Will. "Thank you Wyatt-"
"Nico!"
"That was a big help. You can go back now." He shook his head vigorously and refused to move. "I don't wanna go."
"Wyatt-"
"Nico!"
"You need to go. It might not be safe."
"Well then why are you going?"
"Because I need to find Chiron."
"Mr. Pony man?" I nodded. "He's not here though." I sighed. "Where is he then?"
"The people took him into the sky."
"What? What do you mean?"
"There was a stringy thing that fell out of the sky and they tied it to Mr. Pony man. The stringy thing went up into the sky and took Mr. Pony man with it."
I fell to the porch steps. I sat for what seemed like an eternity and Wyatt danced around me. Playing with sticks and talking to his imaginary pet cat. Then he started to get closer to me. He scooted up against me and I slid away from him. He sat behind me and I moved down a couple of steps. He climbed onto my back and started messing with my hair. I shook my head to make him stop and he slid off.

I stood up to go back to Will and he attacked my leg. He was latched on like a leech. The kid would not move. I shook my leg and he giggled. I tried to pry him off and succeeded but he just grabbed my other leg. I tried walking but I had to drag my foot on the ground. "Wyatt! Off! Now!"
"No!" He laughed, "This is fun!"
"Wyatt!"
"Fine then, meanie" I shook my leg to try to return feeling to it. The genius kid decides to crawl on the ground right in front of my swinging foot.

He wailed and my eyes widened for the briefest of moments. I crouched down again and attempted to help him. He pulled up his shirt a little revealing a small bruise already forming. The tear flow would not stop. His face was covered in the salty liquid as well as snot. I backed away a little. Sniffling, he rubbed to spot and I saw a yellow glow emit from his hand.

This kid had to be powerful to do this at his age. When he stopped the bruise was gone. "I'm tired now." With that, he promptly fell onto his back snoring. I sighed knowing that I couldn't just leave him lying on the ground or people would think that I knocked him out.

I scooped him up and brought him to the bustling Apollo cabin. I set him on the couch and walked away. I glanced over my shoulder to see one of Wyatt's sisters sitting next to him on the couch rousing him and handing him a cup of what looked like hot chocolate.

I sped out the door and walked back to where I had left Will. This time I wouldn't become distracted and I would succeed in what I originally intended to do. I would be with Will again.