Chapter XXVIII

Will Solace

I glanced at Nico. He was twirling his fork on his plate, not really eating, just spinning the tines in slow circles like he did when he was stuck in his own head.

We had not spoken about what happened last night. I had tried—gently, carefully—but he had shut me down so fast it was like I had hit a wall.

And now he sat there, quiet, shoulders tight, eyes unfocused.

I desperately wished I could help him. I could not bear seeing him like that—scared, shaking, clinging to me like he had woken up drowning. Whatever he had seen in his dream had to have been horrible.

"Hey," I said softly. "Nico?"

He blinked like I had snapped him out of something. "What?"

"You... didn't sleep much." I kept my voice low, not wanting him to pull away. "Are you feeling any better today?"

"I am fine," he muttered immediately. Too quickly. He dug his fork into his food as if that would end the conversation.

"Nico." I leaned in a little. "You were shaking. You could barely breathe."

"I said I am fine." His jaw tightened. The fork stilled.

There it was—that shut door again. That invisible line he pulled in front of himself whenever something actually hurt him.

I swallowed. "Can you at least tell me if it was... something from the past? Or just a normal nightmare?"

He hesitated, fingers curling around the fork. For a heartbeat, I thought he might answer.But then he dropped his gaze. "Will, I do not want to talk about it."

And somehow, the way he said it—small, tired, like his voice had shrunk—hurt worse than if he had snapped at me.

I nodded slowly, even though my chest twisted. "Okay."

He did not look up. He just kept staring at his plate.

I leaned back, watching him, trying not to hover but failing miserably in my mind.Because I knew Nico.I knew what normal nightmares looked like.I knew what simple fear looked like.And this wasn't that.

Whatever he saw... it was not just bad.It was something that had happened.Something real.Something that had hurt him long before last night.

My stomach sank.

"Nico," I whispered, even though he was not looking at me, "something really bad happened to you. Didn't it?" I felt stupid asking this, bad things happen to Demi-gods all the time, but this was so much worse.

His lips pressed into a thin line. He did not answer.But the silence—his silence—told me more than any explanation could have.

Something horrible happened to Nico di Angelo.And now I had to figure out how to help him without pushing him away.

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