The Librarian

Not long after Nico had finished his Happy Meal, we were standing in the shadows of Nico's room, hand in hand.

"Ready?" He asked me.

I nodded firmly. "Let's get out of here."

He closed his eyes tight and we collapsed into the shadows. The wind ripped through my clothes and hair, strange noises biting through the darkness and phantom limbs grabbing at my legs. I shut my eyes tight against the emptiness and bit hard down on my lip to smother a scream.

The rushing wind ended as quickly as it began and we found ourselves standing in the middle of a small apartment, fastidiously clean. All the blood in my veins rushed to my head and my limbs felt weak, as if I'd never been healing in the Underworld at all. I shook the idea out my head and ignored the sickly fatigue in my bones.

"Whare are we?" I asked Nico, looking around in confusion, passing of my weakness as bewilderment.

He shrugged. "My apartment, I couldn't think of anywhere else we could go. Dropping in on Percy and Annabeth seemed cruel when they have little Noela and the library's closed on Sundays."

"Nice place." I told him with a smile.

He grinned in reply. "Do you want a ride back to your place or do you want to stay here until you're completely better?" He asked.

"I am better!" I scoffed.

"So you want a ride then?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

I mulled over the question. "I should probably get back to my flat." I told him. "My friends will be worrying."

He nodded. "I'll just go and get my keys." He walked into the adjoining kitchen, leaving me alone in the living room. I collapsed gratefully in the small armchair while I waited for him until finally he returned.

"Are you good to go?" He asked, shrugging on a fresh jacket with car keys dangling from his fingers.

"Yeah." I said, standing and taking a step forward. My knees buckled before I could take another step and spots danced across my vision as I collapsed to the floor.

"Kimmi?" Nico asked, panicked, his voice thick through my clogged hearing.

I put my head on my knees to try and steady my swimming vision, angry at myself for showing weakness. "Maybe I'm not so fine." I mumbled.

Nico wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to my feet, guiding me back to the chair.

"Maybe it's best if you stay here a while?" He suggested and I reluctantly nodded. "Stay here." He told me, walking back into the adjoining kitchen.

I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes. I had felt so much better when I had awoken in the Underworld but now I felt weak again, and I hated feeling weak.

Nico walked back in with a cup of coffee and a cream blanket. I opened my mouth to protest as he pressed the cup into my hands and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders.

"Don't you dare protest." He told me. "I'm doing something nice."

I mumbled a few phrases worthy of censorship under my breath.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Nothing!" I grinned up at him.

He smiled. "You stay there then and I'll give Cally a call, see if see can help."

I groaned. "But I don't neeeeeddd help!"

He crouched down in front of me. "Yes you do."

"No I-"

He leaned forward and kissed me hard, effectively shutting me up.

"Yes you do." He said, pulling away and walking into the kitchen.

"Cheat!" I yelled after him, grinning and sipping my coffee.

"That's me!" He called over his shoulder.

Notes