Chapter Text
Nico hardly enjoyed his new position as unofficial leader of the search party. Their dynamic had somehow only gotten more tense after the whole situation last night. There wasn’t just contempt now, there was also a loud undertone of hurt chiming through.
Logan had kept his mouth shut ever since, which was nice. Lucky for Nico, as he suspected earlier, Logan was the ‘suffer in silent treatment’ type.
Nico smiled faintly to himself. Good fucking luck trying to get at him with that. Nico was a pro at uncomfortable silence, any type of silence, even. He’d proven that countless times. He could go without talking to people for… Years…
He cringed at his unintended emotional self harm, killing his faint smile instantly.
Nico side-eyed Logan carefully.
Logan stared straight ahead, as he’d been doing all day. Despite his silence, the hurt, angry scowl on his face wouldn’t shut up, telling him everything he needed to know.
Nico tried to ignore how tense and uncomfortable he felt. He hadn’t downright accused him of attempted murder… But, if you looked at his behaviour last night, really closely, reading between the lines, you might have seen a slight hint at an unfortunate implication. An unintended one, to Nico’s credit.
Even without all that. There were also still the remnants of their original passive aggressive conflict about the fight. Logan was obviously also still not amused with how that turned out. How he’d treated the bear skeleton afterward had made that more than clear.
Yeah, that brought back some fond new memories.
Nico tried not to show how much his body ached. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Not after all this petty nonsense.
He rolled his eyes. Logan was just going to have to deal with not getting his way. That seemed like a more than fair conclusion. He kept ruminating over it anyway, just in case…
There was no way of keeping time in the caves other than keeping track of their slowly worsening mood. Every turn they took, leading to nothing but more hallways and empty rooms, seemed to push Logan further to the edge, grating on Nico’s nerves in turn.
Logan’s silent protest slowly became less and less silent. Huffing and grinding his teeth any time they had to turn back to where they came from.
They had been searching for almost two full days now, meticulously working their way through the maze of hallways.
They had come across some monsters, mostly small and insignificant. The way they dealt with them, Nico could tell they were taking their frustrations out on them. Just a few corners ago they had been attacked by countless Myrmekes. One or two after the other. They hadn’t even bothered drawing their swords. Without saying a word they had stomped on the dog-sized ants, crushing them. There wasn’t any passion in it, just irritation.
It was kinda funny, monster or not, he almost started to feel bad for whatever would run into them.
He could feel the inevitable next fight hang over them like a dark cloud, threatening to turn into a storm. Nico tried to ignore it as best he could, just focussing on putting one foot in front of the other.
They entered another empty space, no doors, no progress. There were some empty crates lying around and some long burned up torches on the wall.
“Another dead end” Nico noted “Let’s turn back”. He walked back towards the doorway.
“Right.” Logan grunted. With one aggressive motion, he cut an old, burned out torch off the wall.
The flare of irritation that came over Nico made him tense up. It caused the ache of the bruises on his lower arms and stomach to spike, further fueling his anger. There was no way he could hold it in anymore.
He turned around to face Logan “Alright, enough! You’ve been acting like a raging ass ever since you let me take over. Why are you being so goddamn passive aggressive?!”.
He watched the flames rise in Logan’s eyes, only to see them die down when he narrowed them. “Because if I don't shut up, I'm not going to be able to hold back anymore” Logan growled through his teeth.
Nico felt his hands twitch. He raised his voice “I get that it sucks that you’re stuck here with me! But we have a job to do! Get over yourself!”.
Logan laughed humourlessly. “You actually think I have room to give a shit about you?! I've got plenty of other stuff to worry about! All I want is to find that stupid piece of crap so we can get out of here. Which is taking forever because you want to turn over every single stone we come across!”.
Nico felt his whole body tense up. “Oh, come on! You’re going to pretend you don’t have a problem with me?! You've been a massive asshole to me since the moment we met! You fucking hate me!”. He’d yelled a lot louder than he'd meant to, swept up in the moment.
Logan didn't fare any better, erupting in a fiery explosion. He kicked a crate at full force, making it smash into the wall and burst into pieces. “I don't hate you! You're just driving me fucking crazy and I don't know how to deal with that right now!”.
Nico could have sworn Logan's eyes actually lit up in flames this time, even if it was just for a moment. He pushed down the feeling of bloodlust that welled up in him again, even stronger than before. They regained a semblance of composure, but that definitely didn't mean either of them was any less pissed off.
Logan walked closer. A lot closer. All the way up in Nico's face. The fire in his eyes still raged in the glow of the lantern.
Nico didn’t back down a single step. “Just say what you need to say”.
He could hear Logan grind his teeth before he spoke. “Oh, you think you're up for it?! Fucking fine. I'll open up more! Here’s what’s on my mind! That fight was a shit show, but I can’t believe you thought I’d actually murder you over it! That’s a low blow, man!”. He sounded about as hurt as he did angry.
Nico closed his eyes and groaned. “Per l'amor del cielo! I didn’t think you were going to stab me! I didn’t think anything! It felt like you were coming at me and I reacted. I was just freaked out. I’m not exactly easygoing, if you haven’t noticed. It was nothing personal!” he explained angrily. He meant it.
Logan didn’t seem entirely convinced, but the flames in his eyes died down a little. Nico wasn’t ready to let it go entirely yet. He wasn’t able to resist all the words burling up in him. Logan had dug up the fight’s fresh grave himself, now he would have to deal with it.
“And since you brought it up… I know it wasn’t pretty, and I’m not exactly proud of it, but again, that whole fight was your idea! You agreed that if I won, we’d do this my way! So stop being such a passive aggressive bitch about the outcome!” he hissed, raising his voice.
Logan’s eyes got some of their spark back. He glared at Nico, grinning deviously. “You’re right, I lost, and I did say we would do it your way… But, you can’t expect me to be impressed with what we did back there. You raising the dead and all. Now, that was something! But, my guy, you need to work on your swordfighting skills, and your hand to hand straight up sucks. You couldn’t keep up with me one bit, not even close. And then you just chucked a bear at me. So yeah, I think you got lucky” Logan growled in conclusion. He’d managed a surprisingly restrained voice.
Nico felt his face burn. He hated that he felt Logan was right about some of it. He’d never admit that though. If anything the embarrassment only fueled his anger further. Besides, the bear might have been a lucky draw, but raising it was definitely part of his skillset. What the fuck was Logan on about?
Nico lost some control of his emotions. The shadows drew in closely, shifting the light in the room. He was basically screaming again at this point “Sure! Whatever! You’d have beaten me if it was a swordfight! Or a fistfight! But-”.
“Shut up” Logan told him.
Nico was absolutely furious now. “Who do you thi-!” he started at the top of his lungs.
Logan grabbed Nico’s jaw, stopping him. “I mean it! I think I hear-!”. He didn’t manage to finish his sentence.
Nico smacked away his hand. In a flash, Logan swept Nico's legs out from under him, knocking him on his back. Before he had time to process, two needles flew right over him, hitting Logan the left side of his abdomen.
Logan choked back a groan, almost dropping his sword.
Nico scrambled to get to his feet.
Before he could, something huge leapt through the doorway. It smashed its massive paw onto Nico’s chest, pushing him flat against the ground. The claws ripped deep gashes into his chest.
Manticore! Nico managed to register.
The beast bit into Logan’s right shoulder. The sickening crunch was almost buried by the sound of Logan’s scream.
Nico moved automatically, without even thinking about it. He grabbed his sword with both hands and stabbed it straight up as hard as he could. It pierced the manticore’s tough skin and muscle, the resistance felt like thunder coursing through his arms.
The manticore let out a deafening screech, letting go off Logan’s shoulder. Blood poured out on Nico in a thick stream, drenching him. The manticore buckled, threatening to crush him with its massive body. Then, with a whimper it turned to dust and scattered all around them.
A small ornate box hit Nico’s face. With the adrenaline still surging through his body he hardly registered it. He swiped it with his hand, and shoved it into his pocket. There were more pressing things to deal with right now.
Logan cursed under his breath, staggering.
Nico pushed himself to his feet as fast as he could. He quickly scanned the doorway.
Nothing there.
He looked around, his eyes settling on Logan. Logan looked bad. Worse than bad. He was bleeding profusely. The blood stains on his shoulder and abdomen both spread quickly. He had apparently managed to resheath his sword.
Logan wouldn’t meet his eyes, too busy slowly pulling at one of the spikes in his side. His breathing was ragged and uneven. Nico could hear it hitch as he managed to pull it out. It hit the floor with a ting.
“You hurt?” He asked Nico, without averting his attention. His voice was shaky but serious.
Nico almost couldn’t process. “Am I hurt?!” he asked in disbelief. Not even sure if he was astonished or angry.
Logan finally looked at him. His expression was hard to read. It was obvious trying to hold himself together was taking everything out of him. His hands were trembling, and he seemed unsteady.
Nico searched for words. The reality of the situation finally hitting him. Logan was in serious trouble. A manticore sting was…
“Those are venomous.” Nico said as calmly as he could. “We need to get you out of here” he added, trying to regain control of the situation. “If we don't you'll…” Nico stopped, losing control of the situation immediately.
Logan didn’t respond right away. He had shifted his attention to the last stinger, grabbing it with a shaky hand.
He was shivering all over now, Nico noticed.
Logan shrugged. “S’ not deadly” he breathed out.
Was he trying to be reassuring? As he said it, he pulled the stinger out in a slow, painful motion. He almost casually tossed it aside, another ting. He slung his arm around his lower torso, clenching the open wounds shut with his hand. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard.
It wasn't quite a sigh, nor quite a whimper. Either way, it barely served as enough warning for Nico to get to him in time and keep him from crashing into the floor. He threw his arms under Logan’s, around his waist, hopelessly trying to hold him upright.
Not a chance.
They fell to their knees. Nico leaned back slightly, trying to support Logan’s sudden weight on him. He’d buried his face in Nico’s shoulder, probably unconscious at that point. He had to be. His pride would have never allowed this awkward embrace otherwise. Not that Nico had the luxury of caring about that either right now.
He noticed the concerning amount of heat Logan radiated onto him. The situation had been bad before, but it was definitely worse now. He had to act fast.
He might not even make it.
Nico quickly shook that thought. Logan was right, he reminded himself. Manticore poison was a bitch, but it wasn’t deadly. Not much they could do about it anyway. Stopping him from bleeding out was the priority…
But there was no way he was going to be able to drag Logan all the way back to base…
Shadow travel wouldn’t be easy either, but it was practically the only option. No time to dwell on it. With some effort Nico freed one of his hands. He tried to ignore the amount of blood on his arm as he reached out for the lantern and dimmed the light.
Shadow travel wasn’t very delicate business at the best of times. Add trying to drag an unwilling participant along and you get whatever it was Nico had managed to pull off.
They collapsed on the floor in the cabin, barely missing Yan and almost knocking her down.
“Wow!” Yan let out. She jumped back, scrambling not to drop the bottles she was holding. “You guys are late! I was expecting-” she cut herself off. She tossed the bottles to her side causing a barrage of clattering and dropped to her knees next to them. “Oh, Gods! What did you guys do?!” she asked desperately.
“Long story” Nico panted, hoisting himself upright.
Yan shook her head, already lost in the task at hand.
Nico admired her work. Her hands were fast and nimble. She had managed to turn Logan onto his back, and find the wounds on his abdomen in mere seconds. Yan hissed long and sharp as she pulled his shirt away from them.
“Those are deep…” she muttered through her teeth.
Nico swallowed. Then he snapped back into action. “They’re manticore stings, two of them. It bit him in the shoulder too. I think I heard something break” he summarized quickly.
Yan’s eyes snapped to Logan’s right shoulder. She traced her thumb over the holes in his shirt.
“Tell me what you need” Nico added.
Yan looked into his eyes. She scanned him over quickly, lingering on his chest for a few seconds, then shifted her attention back to Logan. “Water, towels, and my med bag” she commanded. “Get me those first. After that, my book about herbs if you can find it. It should be in my duffelbag somewhere.” she continued while struggling to get Logan’s shirt off of him.
Nico took over, and quickly ripped it off. Sorry, ‘Discharge’, whoever you are. No time to spare you.
Yan took the shredded fabric and bunched it together. She pressed it onto Logan's shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding. Something in his shoulder made a nauseating, dull clicking noise as she did. Logan barely reacted, apart from a pause in his breathing.
That was bad. Yan and Nico made eye contact, obviously thinking the same thing.
Nico shot up. Yan started singing to her father in a bid for help. He stumbled through the door to her bedroom and looked around hastily. Yan's quiet chiming in the background only added to the surreal feeling of the situation.
In the panic of it all, he almost couldn’t take in his surroundings. He shook his head, repeating the small list Yan had drummed up over and over in his mind. Somehow, he’d managed to check off everything.
He dumped the small pile next to her and went back for the book. He found three… He couldn’t read, he realized. The words refused to make sense under the time pressure. All three of them would have to do.
Yan seemed grateful enough, picking out the right book from his hands without so much as a glance. Nico tossed the two other wastes of time on the floor and dropped down opposite her.
In the time he was gone she’d already managed to stitch up about half of the bitewound, keeping pressure on Logan’s abdomen with her knee. The towel slowly turned blood red. He carefully tapped her knee, offering to take over. She let him, not stopping her hands even for a second. His own hands trembled at the immense pressure, and the unsettling sensation of the soaked fabric.
“Do these need anything?” he dared to ask.
“No remedy… Just something to speed up healing” Yan replied like in a trance.
That’s all Nico needed to know. He wasn’t any good at this, not by a long shot, but… He drew in the shadows from nearby, concentrating them under his hands. This did break Yan’s concentration, making her glance over.
“Keep going” Nico breathed at her.
She did.
Man… These wounds were deep. There was no way he could close them. Thankfully, he didn’t need to. Yan gently put her hands over his, then firmly moved them away.
“You’re trembling all over” she warned. Before she’d finished her sentence she was done sewing up the first wound. “Thank you, you did great” she added, already finishing up the last one.
Nico huffed in utter disbelief. He watched her pop open multiple bottles of varying sizes, applying their contents in several places. She blew a lock of hair out of her face looking at a last, much smaller bottle with a distinct content. Nectar, he realized. She leaned down, opened Logan’s mouth and carefully poured in the golden liquid.
They both looked at him.
Logan let out two barely audible coughs, his hand twitched, then… Nothing… Almost no reaction.
Yan seemed distraught for a second, then got back to work, unwinding a seemingly endless roll of bandages. Nico helped her as best he could while she simultaneously cleaned, and wrapped up most of Logan’s torso.
It couldn’t have taken more than a few minutes.
“That's about all we can do right now…” she said heavily, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
Nico sighed. “You're a hero… Yan… I don't know what we would have done without you”.
Yan smiled weakly and winked at him. They stared at Logan for a bit. Nico looked at the bloody handprint on his jaw. It was almost a smear, except every finger was clearly defined. Must be Yan’s…
“What do you think? Should we give up and head back?” she asked.
Nico looked up from his bloody hands and thought about it. With a jolt he patted his pocket. He pulled out the box and opened it. They stared at its content in astonishment.
“You actually found it!” Yan exclaimed.
“Guess… We did…?!” Nico stammered.
“Well that's not ‘giving up’ then, but still… Can we even head back right now?” she asked more warily. “Shadow travel isn't exactly… Comfortable”.
“Sure isn't, and we'd have to find a way to move him along… I don't know what it'd do to him in this state…” Nico pondered.
“Let's just get him in bed. We'll head to camp once he's back up” Yan concluded.
Whenever that's going to be, he worried to himself. He remembered Logan's last smartass remark about manticore poison not being deadly… Right before setting out to apparently test that hypothesis. He was easily more dead than alive right now. Nico could feel it. And what else had he expected? Aside from being poisoned, Logan had broken at least one bone and most importantly lost a frightening amount of blood. By just keeping him alive Yan already performed a miracle as far as he was concerned.
He tried to stop worrying and just nodded. “You go rest” he said. “I'll get him”.
Yan laughed, startling him. “Yeah right” she said sarcastically. “We'll both get him. And then we'll both rest… After I'm done with you” she added with a stern voice, pointing at the wounds on Nico's chest.
Nico sighed, then smiled. “Yes, ma'am”.
She smiled back.
They got up with noticeable effort on both their sides. Then looked at Logan, then at each other. Well… this should be good…
Yan rolled her shoulders and smiled reassuringly. Nico smiled back, trying not to show his apprehension. They got to work. Trying to spare Yan, he squatted down and grabbed Logan under his armpits from the back, starting to both lift and drag him. He tried to be as careful as he could, but Logan didn't seem to care either way… Yan hurried after him into the hallway.
“Let me help!” she demanded.
At that point he'd gotten far enough, practically next to a bed. He stopped. She grabbed Logan's legs and together they managed to lower him down on it decently elegantly. Nico exhaled deeply at the relief. Yan looked at him a little disgruntled, but mostly pleased. With impressive skill, she threw the covers over Logan in one swoop, like she'd done it a million times. She probably had, he realized, in the infirmary at camp. She looked him over one last time, then turned back to Nico.
“Come” she demanded, walking out the door, beckoning him back to her makeshift workstation, the pile of medical supplies next to a large bloodstain.
Nico took his shirt off and sat down. She immediately got to it. He tried not to show it when whatever she did hurt, which meant staying quiet the whole way through.
“You're not going to tell me what happened?” she asked suddenly, glancing up at him.
Nico held his breath, then exhaled, defeated. “We had a straight up crazy bitch fight and got attacked because of it… He, uh… He took the hit for me…” he muttered, going quieter the further he got. The guilt was more painful than Yan prodding his wounds. He was almost too ashamed to look at her. He did anyway.
To his surprise Yan smiled faintly. “Yeah, that sounds like Logan” she breathed out. She looked him in the eye. “Don't feel bad. There's no way you could have stopped him”. She finished up.
He felt incredibly tired, he finally noticed. Too tired to form any adequate reply.
“You should lie down for a while” Yan commanded.
“You too” Nico pointed out, taking in her trembling frame.
“Later, I'm going to sit with him for a bit” she replied.
Nico felt bad, but he didn't have the energy to fight her on this. He relented and walked off to the first bed he could find, which was, coincidentally, his own. He collapsed onto it.
Crap! He had no idea how long he’d been asleep for! How long had Yan been keeping watch?!
He pushed himself off of the bed and through the door. When Nico walked into Logan’s room he found Yan practically sprawled out over him. She had seemingly collapsed right in the middle of something. She was technically sitting but her head was on his stomach and her arms laid stretched out, reaching for nothing in particular. Even though she was clearly asleep she still looked exhausted. She'd done more than enough, Nico decided.
She jolted as he carefully shook her shoulders.
“My turn” he whispered to her. “Go to sleep, yeah?”.
She dragged herself back onto her chair and looked at Logan. Nico pulled on her elbow. She turned to him and gave him a dazed look.
“I'll watch over him”. He nudged towards the door.
She nodded and gave him a rub on his shoulder as she scurried off into the darkness. Nico smiled faintly as he watched her go. Then he turned to Logan.
He looked uncomfortable. Well, that was an understatement. ‘Glowing’ was the word that came to mind. Glowing, in the worst way. His skin was so pale it seemed to reflect the light shining onto him. It starkly contrasted the bright red hue spread over his face. All of it tied together by the countless little shimmers of sweat spread all over him...
He was a lot less quiet than before, breathing shaky, fast and shallow. His jaw clenched to the point Nico was convinced he could hear it. It was probably a good sign he acted a little more… Alive, but it sure didn't look any better.
Nico sighed as he sat down. He watched Logan’s deathgrip on the covers. His knuckles white and his hand trembling at the effort. What got to Nico most was his expression. He looked terrified. With Logan's usual demeanor to compare, it felt wrong.
Man, manticore poison really was a bitch. He didn’t particularly like Logan, but this was increasingly hard to watch. It absolutely didn't help that he still felt incredibly guilty. Sure, Logan had been the worst, and they had both completely lost their heads... But, when it came down to it Logan had had his back… And now he was suffering because of-!
Seeing Logan somehow manage to tighten his grip on the covers even more made Nico lose his train of thought. The fabric made a small tearing sound.
That was it. Enough of that.
Nico tried to pry Logan’s hand open. He noticed it felt cold as ice. Fitting, as his hand seemed pretty much frozen solid. Nico shifted his position to get a better angle. Getting his other hand in for backup.
That was a mistake.
Logan stirred. With a wince he let go of the covers and grasped onto Nico’s wrist. Extremely hard. The surprise and pain hit Nico like a brick. He only barely managed to suppress a groan. He grabbed Logan’s hand and pulled at it.
Crap! That only made it worse.
Logan squeezed so hard that Nico was sure he was about to dislocate his wrist. Nico croaked out a curse. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Logan seemed pretty upset about the situation too. He sounded like he was desperately holding his breath, almost choking, baring his teeth. He watched him stir again.
Was this really just the poison? It looked like he was having a nightmare…
Time to change tactics. He let go of Logan’s wrist and put his hand around his. He didn’t try to pull anymore, or even squeeze, he just held it. Hypnokinesis was far from his expertise, but it’d have to make do. He tried to reach out mentally. The pain in his wrist was making that very hard. He almost couldn't concentrate. Still, he found something… Something unpleasant. Something bad.
Fuck.
He held his breath. He couldn't make it out, it was pure chaos, but the feelings were overwhelming.
Fuck!
They both jolted when a deafening bang rang through his head. He could feel his heart in the back of his throat. It almost made him forget about his wrist for a second. He regained his composure and tried again.
Holy fuck!
As soon as he did, another bang echo’d. He ground his teeth in frustration. Alright. Prying into Logan's dream any more wasn't going to help anyone. It was too distracting. He sent a message.
Relax. It’s alright, Nico managed. You’re safe.
It probably didn’t come across very convincing, it sure didn't convince himself. Still, somehow, Logan let go.
Nico gasped at the relief.
Logan flung his arm upward with a whimper and hid his eyes in his elbow, panting shakily.
Nico couldn’t feel his hand immediately, but it gradually came back to life. He moved his fingers to see if they still worked, then took some time to catch his breath.
Logan seemed to have calmed down a bit. He was breathing heavily, but much slower and deeper. Most of the tension had left his body, his arm now slumped down above his head. He still looked unhappy, his face wet with what seemed to be tears and sweat. But, he was not nearly as stressed as before.
Nico stared at him, trying to make sense of what just happened. He rubbed his wrist as he did.
His wrist had developed a nice, big bruise by the time Yan came to take over a few hours later.
She bent over the bed next to him, looking Logan over carefully. Then gently ran the back of her hand over his cheek. She halted at his neck to press down more deliberately. A low hum of disapproval answered any questions Nico might have had.
“He’s burning up…” she diagnosed solemnly, quickly pulling down the covers a bit.
Logan responded with a deep breath and a weak series of shivers.
“I know… But you need to cool down” Yan whispered empathetically. She gave Nico a sad smile. “Did you manage okay?”.
Nico debated sugarcoating it a little. Probably wouldn’t be fair. “Sorry… I messed up... I’m pretty sure I made him cry earlier. He almost made me cry, at least.” He held up his wrist.
Yan's eyes went wide at the sight of the bruise. She slumped her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Nico…” she said almost desperately.
Nico didn’t understand. Sure, this wasn't great, but she almost seemed to take it personally.
Yan quickly averted her eyes, back to Logan. “You promised you were ready for this, Lo…” she whispered. Under the thick layer of sadness was a clear accusatory undertone.
Now Nico really didn't understand. “Wait, is this his first time out in the field?” he asked in disbelief.
Yan gave him a look of disbelief in return. “What..? No! No... Well, it's the first time in a while… He had to take a break”. She fidgeted with her bracelets.
Nico looked at her questioningly.
“Long story” Yan added. “He’s just… He’s going through a rough time… His mother died. Really horribly. He’s not been dealing with it very well”.
Ah. That actually resonated with him a little, instantly bringing back a ton of memories he wished he didn’t have… Not that it actually made it much easier to relate to Logan… ‘Not dealing very well’ was kind of an understatement.
Nico didn't think Yan's shoulders could slump further. She proved him wrong.
“I think so, at least… I haven't spoken to him for a while. Yesterday was the first time in months… He didn't reply to any of my messages…”. Yan looked close to tears.
Nico didn't know what to say. He'd apparently accidentally inserted himself in some complicated personal history.
“I'm sorry, Yan. You don't have to-” he started.
“Go get some sleep. You can still get a few hours in. We can leave when he's up. We finished what we came to do anyway” she told him quickly, seemingly regaining her composure.
Nico didn't want to make whatever she was going through any worse, opting to drag himself away.
As soon as he laid down, he realized there was no way he could go back to sleep. He tried his best nevertheless. Probably tried too hard, he worried, wide awake. At this rate, he might as well let Yan catch up on some rest. She deserved it more anyway.
About to open the door across the hall, a light from the dining table caught his eye. Yan’s dark silhouette was cut out in perfect detail against the brightness. What is she doing over there? He walked over to ask her when she turned to him.
To his absolute horror, he realized she was crying. Not just any crying either. She was crying as hysterically as someone could without making a sound. Her face was so scrunched up it looked like it was imploding. She’d pushed her glasses up to her forehead where they now clung on for dear life with a single arm in her hair.
“Yan…?!” he asked, uselessly.
She got up from her chair and started sobbing like a dramatic scene from a silent movie. He walked closer, putting his hands on her shoulders. He gaped at her in an equally silent scream. That was possibly even more useless…
She started looking up and wildly fanning her face. “~It's just… It's… Just… I've missed him so much…! And now… Now we're here… And…! And I still miss him! So much! I… I don't know what to do! Everything is so…! Wrong!~” she hicced up.
Nico squeezed her shoulders and slowly shook his head. “Aaah…?” he let out.
She narrowed her eyes a little. Then she nodded seriously, tears still running down her chin. “Yeah. I'm just a little stressed…” she concluded breathlessly.
Nico nodded back. “Yeah…! Makes sense! That sounds shitty. And let's be real, It's all been a fucking nightmare so far”.
They both nodded together.
Nico pointed to the sink, not breaking eye contact. “You want some water?” he asked, dying for something useful to do.
She smiled faintly. “Yeah”.
He swiped her mug from the table and practically ran over and back.
She took a single sip before she lowered her head. “I'm so sorry, Nico. This drama is all such a mess…”.
He squeezed her shoulder. “Nooo~” he let out in a long, drawn out lie. That was all… That was all he had…
Yan let something between a giggle and a sob slip out. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I'm going to go take a walk, I think…”.
Nico smiled in relief, pointing at her with both hands. “Yes! You should!”.
She nodded again, slowly, seemingly not all that sure anymore.
“We’ll be fine” he said as reassuringly as possible.
He watched Yan give him a last smile before closing the door behind her. Why wouldn't they be fine, after all? Sure, they didn't like each other. But, Logan wasn't even awake right now. How could he possibly mess this-?
He heard the toilet flush in the background.
That couldn't be right.
That made so little sense he didn't even turn around.
He did when he heard a loud thump coming from a bedroom. Not just any bedroom… Gods fucking damn it. Seriously?!
Nico almost ran making his way over, trying to prepare himself for whatever trouble Logan had gotten himself into. He found him as soon as he opened the door all the way, almost hitting him with it.
Logan laid on his side, next to the bed, completely still… He’d probably tried to make his way back on his own, like an idiot!
Nico clicked his tongue. He had to admit, Logan had gotten pretty close. Still, a miss was a miss… He knelt down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Logan jolted a little as he did. Good sign…?
“Are you hurt?” Nico asked, preferring full annoyance over worry.
Logan took his time, then finally shook his head. He cracked his eyes open a bit. Even barely open, Nico could tell they were dazed and confused. He cupped his cheek and tilted him slightly, helping Logan's eyes find his. He didn't think he'd ever been happier to see him than now. Some mild relief and just barely a hint at the faintest smile showed on his face…
Nico definitely couldn't muster up the same enthusiasm. “What do you think you're doing, genius?” he more accused than asked.
“... bathroom…” Logan muttered weakly, just barely making any sense. Still, it did make sense. He'd been out for more than half a day...
“I get that, but don't be an idiot. You gotta let us help you next time” Nico complained.
Logan managed a still dazed, but clearly disturbed and angry look. “Gross…” he muttered heavily, a lot more clearly than before.
Nico clicked his tongue. “It's not like I'm excited about it either…”.
Logan responded by closing his eyes and curling up, letting out a long exhale as he did.
Crap.
“No” Nico warned sternly. “You're not sleeping on the ground”. He shook his shoulder as he said it.
The disappointed noise Logan let out got to him a little, almost making him forget how annoyed he was with the situation. Almost.
With some teamwork the hand on his cheek and hand on his shoulder managed to pull Logan into something resembling a sitting position. They both didn't seem that pleased about it. Before Logan could make his way down again, Nico quickly hooked his elbows under his armpits and lifted him up to his feet. This seemed to liven Logan up a little. He grasped at the back of Nico's shoulders trying to get some grip, clearly bracing himself.
“I'm not gonna drop you” Nico responded breathlessly.
He wasn't sure if he meant that to come off as reassuring or irritated, either way the result was the same. Logan settled down enough for Nico to start dragging him over to the bed. He tried his best not to mess up Yan's expertly crafted bandage work, but careful was definitely far from the best word for it...
Logan made an unhappy noise as he got sat down on the mattress. Well, something way closer to sitting than he'd managed before, anyway. Nico stuck out an arm to steady Logan’s good shoulder, trying to keep him up. Logan clung onto it, trying to do the same.
They both caught their breath.
Nico caught his a lot sooner than Logan did, and decided he was done waiting. He started pushing on his shoulder, slowly tilting him. Logan visibly startled as he did, trying to resist as best he could. Which was disturbingly little… A small spark of pity made Nico move his other hand up to the back of his head, for a little more support and a little less rough of a landing. It seemed to have the intended effect as Logan relaxed. In fact, he could feel him fall asleep in his hands before he'd even gotten him all the way down…
Whatever.
Good, even.
He slid his arms out from under him and moved over to grab two handfuls of cargo pants, hoisting all of Logan onto the bed. Then dragged the covers over him before he sat down on the edge next to him. A sigh escaped when he glanced at him. Logan looked peaceful, but still nowhere near comfortable.
Nico leaned in to take a better look at Logan's flushed face. Logan inhaled sharply as Nico put his hand on his forehead. As he'd suspected, he definitely still had a raging fever… How could he not?
Logan leaned into his touch and mumbled something so quietly he almost couldn’t catch it. The barely audible, single word question punched him in the gut harder than Logan had done himself earlier.
‘Mom?’....?!
Nico froze, unable to breathe. His hand trembled at the effort of trying to keep it as still as possible. Logan didn't seem to mind, deeply asleep. The faint smile wasn't just a hint anymore.
Trying to stay out of even more personal drama, Nico moved his hand so carefully, he barely moved at all. After what seemed like forever, his hand was far enough removed from the sickening heat to fully pull away. He leaned back and crossed his arms, the nerves still evident on his skin.
Time dragged by a lot faster than Nico had expected. He startled when Yan suddenly opened the door. She startled all the same when he almost jumped off the side of the bed. They looked at each other, wide eyed.
“Everything okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah. Good walk?” he returned just as quietly.
“Yeah…” she replied with a polite smile. “You take a break too” she offered.
Nico nodded, slipping past her, past all the mess, past the front door.
Fresh air. That would be good.
It was. He watched the sunrise for a while, letting his thoughts drift away with the clouds. The sun was well up at this point.
He should probably go and eat something soon.
So should Yan.
He’d offer to get her something, he decided.
To his surprise he heard talking coming from behind the door. He opened it and found Yan, still faithfully on her chair. She turned to greet Nico, smiling happily. A lot more happily than she’d been the past days. Good. She deserved it more than any of them.
Nico smiled back. He followed her hand over Logan’s, finally forcing himself to face him. Logan's expression turned guarded as soon as he did.
“Hi…” Nico managed.
“Hey” Logan said a little hoarsely.
Nico took a few steps towards them. They stared at each other in a short, awkward silence.
“How are you feeling?” Nico asked even more awkwardly.
Logan looked unimpressed by his interrogation skills. “Bad” he stated coldly. He sounded a little out of breath and tired.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Nico nodded, then cleared his throat. “So, about what happened in there… I need to say something to you” he began reluctantly.
Yan patted Logan on the stomach and got up. “I'll give you guys a minute” she said quietly before sneaking out of the room. She put her hand on Nico's shoulder for a second as she walked past.
Nico dropped himself into the chair heavily. What was he even going to say?
“I don't really know where to start… I really fucked up. You, uh… You saved me back there”.
Logan pulled up his knees a bit, he roughly shoved himself upright and leaned his elbows on them. It was a pretty good attempt at a relaxed demeanor, if it hadn't been so obvious how much effort it took him to do it.
“I guess what I want to say is-” Nico continued.
“Don’t mention it”. Logan waved his words away with a curt, dismissive gesture. His face was hard to read again.
“But, I’m serious. I just want to say thank-” Nico started.
“I mean it” Logan cut him off. ”Don’t mention it”. He rested the side of his head on the palm of his hand and shot Nico an annoyed glance. “Don't remind me of that fucking mess. There’s nothing to be proud of. We screwed up everything” he grumbled.
Nico sighed in annoyance. Logan was right. The guilt was almost physically painful. Not just for him apparently. Logan winced and shuddered, bending over a bit. His scowl faltered and didn't recover until he did.
“Damn, is that still the poison?” Nico asked carefully.
Logan grinned and let out a short, strained laugh. “Yeah, not deadly but it almost makes you wish it was” he mused with a low voice.
Fuck.
Nico swallowed. He hadn't thought he could feel more guilty before, he'd been very wrong. Thank the Gods Yan wasn't there to hear that gem...
Logan seemed to realize he went just a touch too dark too. His scowl died down further, close to a pout. “I'm just a little… Grumpy” he muttered. Almost like an apology.
With that Nico remembered what he came here to do in the first place. “Yeah… Alright, so… Fine, I won't thank you, but I am really sorry. About everything” he stammered. Desperately trying to avoid eye contact. “You know, you getting hurt… It was mostly my fault. I really lost it back there”.
Logan huffed and let himself fall back onto the mattress. “Yeah, well… Me too… I was being an unstable asshole. And you did manage to kill it pretty much immediately and drag me back here, making sure I wouldn’t die and all... So, I guess we’re even.” he replied coolly. His expression softened a bit.
Nico almost smiled, he decided to purse his lips instead. It's not that he suddenly liked Logan better than he had before, he was still a jerk, but it was nice to know he hadn't made their ‘feud’ even worse.
“Not that it’s going to matter. Clarisse is going to murder both of us when she figures out how badly we fucked up…” Logan grumbled quietly.
“About that” Nico said, hand already in his pocket. “I got you a little souvenir”. He tossed the small ornate box on Logan’s chest.
He took a second to pick it up, giving Nico a wary glance before opening it. His eyes went wide as soon as he did. “No way… Where did you get that…? When did you get that?!” he asked.
“It was inside the Manticore Hit me in the face after I stabbed it…”.
Logan huffed in disbelief and snapped it back shut. “Hah… Blessing in disguise, I guess…?”. He held out the box. His eyes narrowed when Nico took it. “What did you do to your arm?” he asked, eyes fixed on the large bruise.
“What did I do to my arm?” Nico chuckled humourlessly.
His expression fell as soon as Logan’s did.
Fuck.
“Did I…?” Logan almost asked.
Nico held up his hands. “It’s not nearly as bad as it looks. Doesn’t even hurt” he lied, moving around the answer.
Logan’s expression hardened, looking away to the ceiling. He drew his lower lip between his teeth, clearly upset. Very upset. Upset enough to-!
“What’s up with you all of a sudden?!” Nico asked, trying desperately to sound mocking rather than desperate. “You were more than happy to beat the shit out of me yesterday!”.
If there had been even a trace of tears, they’d evaporated in the heat of the annoyed fires igniting in Logan’s eyes. They finally snapped back to Nico. “That was consensual!” he countered angrily.
Nico had to put a fist to his mouth to stop himself from laughing. “Yeah, sure… I guess that’s true”.
Logan’s expression softened, all fire died. He seemed to think something over, then sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, something that seemed alarmingly close to an apology.
Somehow, every single part of Nico resisted violently. He got up so fast he startled both of them. Nico and his mind regrouped, forcing up a hand. “Just go back to sleep, alright? You’re still all sorts of messed up”.
What tone was that? Neither of them seemed sure.
Nico paced out of the room without waiting for an answer. He closed the door behind him and looked to the left, finding Yan before she found him. No. He went straight across the hallway, into his own room, and just stood there for a while.
What was up with him?! He cursed to himself under an extra long breath. The necklace shifted in its little box when he turned his hand, making a dull rattling sound. He held it up and glared at it. “All of this is your fault…” he grumbled to the contents of the decadent little box.
The necklace didn’t even try to defend itself, hiding behind wooden lips, tightly sealed with a golden clasp.
Coward!
He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, back still against the door.
Hypocrite…
After one last look at the intricately placed mother of pearl on the box, depicting some sort of scene, he opened the door to face the world.
“Hi~” the world greeted him pleasantly from the dinner table.
“Hi…” Nico returned, walking over to Yan and the inventions of various sizes she seemed to be studying.
“Interesting?” Nico asked.
Yan hummed in mild agreement, rotating the pyramid shaped remote in her hand. “Mostly just keeping myself busy… I can’t figure any of these out…” she complained.
Nico put the box down on the table, catching Yan’s attention. She studied the scene on the box carefully. “An ancient Greek wedding ceremony. A very high class one, at that” she expertly deduced before opening it.
She held up the necklace by both ends.
The large red stone in the pendant looked dull and boring… A lot less interesting than the box it came in. The sunlight glinted in a particularly shiny, metal invention in front of them. They caught their reflection at the same time.
Funny, from this perspective it was almost like she was… Wearing it…
The necklace noticed too, suddenly glowing an angry blood red, far from dull and boring.
Yan dropped it on the table. She grasped at Nico’s arm, looking horrified. He was too stunned to react, the world around them did instead. The ground trembled, the wood cracked, dust fell from the ceiling. Yan quickly pulled herself up by his arm, he held onto her. Large silhouettes moved past the windows, crawling quickly in all directions. Yan's gasp got drowned out by loud sawing noises from all directions. The noises of the Myrmekes' large pincers trying to get through the wood. Trying to get to them.
Nico slowly pulled up his hands, wrapping tight shadows all over the outside of the cabin, dulling the noise instantly and turning everything dark. Shit. That cost a lot of effort… Why did it have to be such a nice, bright day outside?!
The Myrmekes gnawed at the makeshift barrier, efficiently and tenaciously. More and more of them. A promise of what was to come when he'd surely have to let up, sooner rather than later…
Logan walked up from the hallway, clearly mostly held together by pure willpower and spite. He looked at Nico intently, accusatorily. “What's going on?!” he yelled.
Nico made sure to scowl before he opened his mouth.
Yan stuck out an arm in front of him to stop him, facing Logan directly. “It was me! I handled the necklace wrong!” she declared, her tone firm despite her trembling lip.
Nico got ready to defend her back. He was surprised to find he wouldn’t have to.
Logan's shoulders slumped down and his expression drained away, still unhappy but no trace of anger. “We'll figure something out…” he said softly. He reached out a hand and gave a strand of Yan's hair a light tug for emphasis.
A tear fell out of her eye as he did.
Logan turned back to Nico. “So… how long can you do whatever it is that you're doing?” he asked. He sounded tired.
Probably not as tired as Nico. “Definitely not much longer” he admitted.
“Then we should probably not stay much longer” Logan offered, completely unhelpfully.
Nico was about to share this feedback when Yan decided to be even less helpful. “They're never going to stop! They're going to follow us everywhere! Hephaestus said so!” she fussed, wiping at her face.
Nico tried not to groan under the weight of the situation and the ever growing number of giant insects. “Well… let's at least get all our stuff…” he groaned.
Nico watched Yan run around, gathering everything at what had to be record breaking speed. It still wasn’t quick enough. He let go of the shadows before he fell over, catching himself on the table with both hands.
The cracking and sawing picked up right where it had left off.
It took some time for Nico to get his breathing back under control. He glanced over when Yan put a hand on his. She looked terrified. It didn’t fit her ginormous, puffy pink jacket. He straightened up and looked past her, past the pile of bags on the floor, at Logan’s much more sober expression. He hadn't even bothered to put on a shirt under his spiky biker jacket. His hands shoved into his pockets.
“There's one place they can't follow…” he shrugged, tossing Nico his trench coat.
Right… Camp… All the way on the other side of the world.
Nico pulled his coat on and looked down. Yan's now serious, deadset expression didn't fit her outfit any better.
The silence was tense. They rounded up, trying not to pay attention to the absolute chaos around them.
“I'm going to be honest here, I don't think I can get us to camp in one go. I'm barely able to stand. I doubt I'd survive” Nico admitted.
Yan looked at Logan nervously. “That leaves fighting and running… I won't be able to get more than three at a time…” she concluded.
Logan huffed. “Okay. Talking about barely being able to stand… Running isn't going to work out for-”.
Intense fires burst up in the fireplace, casting long shadows on the wall. Even more intense guitars-!
“Stop…” all three of them groaned loudly.
Thankfully it did, leaving them in near darkness.
Logan closed his eyes, ran the palm of his hand over his forehead and sighed deeply. All a bit shakily, clearly not just in annoyance. He accidentally proved the point he’d been trying to make. Until just a few hours ago he hadn't even been able to sit upright…
They looked at each other nervously. The sawing and cracking all around got louder.
Yan whimpered.
Logan scowled.
Nico sighed.
“Alright, we don't have a choice. I'll try to get us as far as we can get” he stated.
Yan and Logan looked at him.
“Nico…” Yan started warily.
“Don't be stupid” Logan scolded.
The corner of Nico’s mouth twitched right into a growl. Anger flared up inside him. “I'm not ‘being stupid’, there are no other options!” he snapped.
Logan glared at him. “Course there are! There's three of us! You don't have to take both of us! Just take her!”.
Nico threw his head back in exasperation. “What are you on about?! We're not leaving you!” he shouted.
Yan shot an angry look at Logan, looking back at Nico with worry.
Logan stuck up a hand in an annoyed gesture. “Yan’s the one who set it off, right? If you just take her, and the damned fucking necklace, they might just back off” he growled.
Nico threw up an even more annoyed hand. “Yeah, might! We’re not risking that!” he yelled.
“I'm getting better by the hour! I can probably hold out till at least tomorrow!” Logan yelled back.
Nico snapped. “Probably?! Look at you! You'd never make it! Stop being crazy!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
“I've dealt with worse!” Logan shouted back at full volume.
Yan burst out crying like a broken fire hydrant. “~This is all my fault! ~ If anyone should stay behind, it should be~!”.
Nico and Logan turned on her as one, in a split second collaborative effort.
“No!” They thundered at the same time, knocking all wind out of her.
Yan just gaped ahead, wide eyed. Nico swore he saw her tears run back up into her eyes as she shut her mouth.
Logan was the first to reopen fire, leaning threateningly close to his face. “I'm not coming. Now get the fuck out of here” he spat through gritted teeth.
Nico grabbed his own face. This guy is fucking impossible!
He turned cold to the core. “We don’t have time for your ego”. Somehow, he’d managed to emphasize every single word.
Nico had no time to think, no other options and he was seriously pissed off at this point. He grabbed Logan’s wrist with his left hand and used his other to punch him in the wound on his abdomen, swift but hard. It’s not that he wanted to hurt him, but the absolute last thing he wanted was for this to turn into an actual fist fight. He felt Logan’s wrist tense up in his grip as he cried out, probably as much in pain as in surprise.
Yan gasped loudly.
Nico quickly dropped to one knee as Logan practically folded over his shoulder. He gripped Nico’s coat with an angry, painfully weak, grip. Nico felt Logan’s hand slide down his back and all tension leave his body as he heaved him up. That was a relief. Logan’s full weight on his shoulder definitely wasn’t... He was heavier than he’d even anticipated. The exhaustion probably didn’t help either.
Nico pulled one of Yan’s hands off of her mouth, tugging her along. “Come on! Running or fighting definitely aren’t options anymore now!” he shouted.
She moved fast, swiping the bags, then tightening her grip on his hand.
The shadows enveloped them as they stepped forward.
Nico needed all his willpower not to collapse from the get go. He bared his teeth to bite through. Miles stretched out in front and behind them. Just a bit more, he told himself. The usual calm of the cold whispers nauseated him. He felt the shadows clamp and pull on him from all sides, less and less gently, trying to make him part of them. Yan’s hand strained painfully in his crushing grip, going colder and colder. He felt bad for her, but he couldn’t let up. If he did, he’d let go altogether. All his senses were so overwhelmed, he barely even felt Logan’s weight anymore. Numbness took over his entire body.
No.
He wasn’t going numb, he realized. He was fading. The whispers and shadows now slipped right through him, chilling his bones.
The final few miles took forever.
As soon as he smelled the cool summer air, Yan’s hand slipped out of his grasp. He fell to his knees, unable to catch his breath.
Logan writhed.
Nico pulled at his back to slip him off his shoulder. He sighed in exasperation when he felt Logan retch right before he could. Nico almost fell right on top of him as he got him onto the ground, barely managing to catch himself with his hands. He noticed they had turned see through at the amount of energy he’d used. A drop of sweat fell off his chin and hit Logan’s temple.
“Nico… He… Uh… On your back” Yan stammered.
“Uhuh” Nico panted. He pushed himself back up and struggled trying to get his coat off. While he did, he saw the large bloodstain on Logan’s stomach. He hadn’t really had time to feel guilty before, it caught up with him quick. As he threw his coat behind him, he toppled to the side. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.
The emptiness filled him completely with a quiet, dreamless sleep. It felt like it could have lasted five minutes to a thousand years.
Sounds of the world coming back to him felt disoriënting. Something was going on. He slowly remembered where he was and what had happened.
“Where is he?!” a familiar voice shouted close by.
“Lo! Stop! Please! He’s barely alive!” another familiar voice pleaded desperately even closer by.
He heard what he assumed was a curtain get torn aside, the sound of metal rings tingling wildly and the rapid fluttering of fabric. Nico couldn’t really move, he had absolutely no energy. There was no way he could fight back right now. Pretending to still be unconscious seemed to be his best bet, he practically still was anyway. Hopefully Logan wouldn’t go that low in his quest for vengeance. He mentally prepared himself to be strangled, just in case.
Nico almost opened his eyes when he felt his pillow get punched right next to his face. Yan yelped loudly. Logan left his hand right there. Nico could feel the mattress sink slightly as Logan leaned on it when he bent down over him.
“Sleep tight bastard. You're going to need it when I find you later” he growled into Nico’s ear.
The mattress shuddered, almost like a gasp, as Logan tore himself away. Nico heard the curtain rings tingle dramatically again as Logan stomped off. He opened his eyes just a crack and drew a deep breath.
Apparently, he was lying on his side. He pulled his hand up to his face with all the effort he could muster. No longer see through. Good.
He felt a hand gently move his hair out his eyes. Startled, he turned his head slightly. Yan smiled at him, a little sadly.
“Good to see you, Nico” she said. “Sorry about that… He’s, uh…”.
Nico smiled back weakly. “Don’t worry. I knew what I was getting myself into when I took him out like that” he breathed.
Yan pursed her lips and shook her head. “You two…” she sighed.
Nico rolled himself onto his back and propped himself up. “Thanks for everything Yan, you’re a lifesaver”.
Yan pushed him down again, way too easily. “You’re welcome. Now go back to sleep” she soothed.
He did, almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
Some time later, he startled awake. He shot up and faced her. Yan sat up straight with a jolt.
“Is Will here?!” he asked insistently.
Yan stared at him for a second, wide eyed. “Do…? Do you want me to get him?”.
Nico flung himself out of bed, holding up his hands defensively. “No!” he answered even more insistently.
Yan’s stare grew a lot more worried.
Nico lowered his hands slightly. “Yan, thank you so much for everything! It’s been gr-”. Nope. It hshad been the worst. “You’re great! I, uh… Goodbye”. He grabbed his stuff, fighting his freshly cleaned trenchcoat trying to get it on while running off.
“Oh…! Uhm…! Goodb-?!” he heard Yan shout after him as he closed the door behind him.
Nico looked around. Nobody. Good. He had to get away from the infirmary as fast as possible. Pacing past all the cabins, he set off in the direction of the edge of camp. Over there he could safely recover enough to finally get himself out of here, out of sight from anyone.
The Ares cabin’s angry red colour stood out among the others. Speaking of hiding... Logan was still going to kill him. He debated evading it, then he adjusted course right towards it. There was something he wanted to ask him. If it turned out he wasn’t there, tough luck though. He wasn’t spending any more time at camp than absolutely necessary.
He opened the door, maybe a little more roughly than he meant to.
Logan sat on a bench, across a young girl with a black, frizzy mohawk seemingly trying to eat her entire head.
“Hey! You can’t come in here! This is-” she started screeching in her cockney accent.
Logan shot up and drew his sword, holding the tip against Nico's neck in one fluid motion. He scowled, his eyes on fire.
“Hahaaa~! You’re so dead!” the young girl jeered at Nico, punching an armlength of spiky leather bracelets at him.
Two young boys ran closer from the back, almost falling over each other trying to get a better view.
Logan’s eyes flashed to the young girl. “Steph, shut up for a sec”.
She didn’t reply, unable to take her eyes off the sword on Nico’s neck, enjoying the show quite a bit.
He turned back to Nico. “Get your sword. I’m getting you back for that little stunt of yours” he growled coldly.
Nico didn’t budge. He took a deep breath. “You already have, you threw up all over me”.
A flash of surprise, maybe even embarrassment went over Logan’s face. It didn't last longer than a second. He quickly narrowed his eyes. “Good…” he bit. He jabbed his sword into the hardwood floor and dropped himself back on the bench with a thump.
The young boys boo’d loudly. Logan ignored them and stared straight ahead. Nico blinked a few times. That wasn't so bad…? Not the beating he’d expected, at least. Why not, though? He doubted Logan minded an audience. Maybe Logan wasn't feeling good, he wondered with some guilt.
“How's, uh…?”.
Logan looked at him as Nico gestured at his stomach. He snorted. “Despite your best efforts, not bad. The poison's worn off and Yan's gone to town on them with all sorts of experimental, witchy recipes” he pulled out a cigarette as he spoke.
Nico actually felt a little relieved.
“You, on the other hand, look like shit… And you fucking deserve it too” Logan declared smugly.
And, just like that, Nico got annoyed again.
Steph shot Nico a mean smile. Logan nudged the side of her head and got up.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t snoop” he told her. He pushed past Nico through the door. Holding it open, he looked at Nico impatiently.
Oh… Guess he did mind the audience.
Nico followed him out and shut the door behind him. “Look, I'm not going to say I'm sorry for what I did. Because I'm not. You were being stupid. You would have gotten yourself killed. I did what I had to. But… I didn't want to hurt you. I am sorry about that”.
He saw Logan grind his teeth. Maybe he shouldn't have said what he just did, but he meant it. Logan would just have to suck it up.
To his surprise Logan didn't say anything for a while, still staring straight ahead. He took a drag of his cigarette and blew a stream of smoke out of his nose. Then he threw his head back a little and side-eyed Nico, obviously pissed off. “Well in my defense, Spooky, you were being pretty stupid too... First you say that your shadow trick isn't an option because you're about to die, and then you expect me to be cool with it when you just decide to do it anyway? You almost killed yourself too, you know?”.
Nico stared down at his feet. The buckles on his dress shoes looked at him apologetically, apparently not knowing what to say either. He hadn't even considered Logan would have actually cared about that enough to remember that. Nico had figured he was just being arrogant and proud, which was still true, but... For an idiot, Logan sure managed to make him feel stupid.
“Yeah…” Nico managed. “Guess we kinda had the same idea”.
Logan looked at him for a second, then gave him a cocky smile. “Just so you know, you would have never gotten away with it if I weren't poisoned”.
Nico felt his eyelids drop in annoyance. “Sure, tough guy. Don't forget, I was about to pass out myself”. Their fight and then their heated conversation in the caves came to mind. He remembered what he came here for. “Actually, I have a favor to ask” he said finally.
“Don't push it” Logan bit back “I'm not helping you with jack shit. You're lucky I haven't punched you in the face”.
Nico put his hands in his coat pockets. “Actually, that's kinda what I wanted to ask. You were right earlier. My sword fighting and hand to hand aren't really up to standard. I was wondering if you'd teach me. You can beat me up as much as you like”.
Logan seemed caught off guard, cocking his head in clear surprise. Then he grinned deviously. “You know what?... Sure”. He got up. “I'm game”. He stuck out his hand.
Nico grabbed it. Logan squeezed hard, probably as a threat. Nico squeezed back, probably to tell him to bring it on.
“You can come by as soon as I'm back on my feet” Logan offered. “You got a phone?”.
He did, he realized. Adamantine SIM cards had only been around a few years and he hadn't been particularly interested, but somehow he'd gotten one anyway. Gods bless Hazel and her unwavering optimism… Nico dug in his pocket and pulled out an ancient flip phone. He handed it to Logan, who seemed far less than impressed.
“Not a fan of technology, huh?”.
Nico shrugged. “Not a fan of most things” he explained, not ashamed in the least of his unwavering pessimism.
“Probably should have guessed that much…” Logan muttered. He pressed some buttons and handed it back. “Send me a message in a couple of weeks. I'll send you the address".
Nico gave him a half smile. “Looking forward to it”. He wasn’t, of course, but at least it’d be useful.