This may be triggering for some people. There are mentions of suicide and one character almost commits suicide. 

      "Bianca! Wait! Come back!" Nico screamed as he witnessed his older sister about to sacrifice her life to save her friends. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he was just about to take off running in her direction when a scream ripped through the air.

Bianca.

Everything was deathly silent.

Nico fell to his knees, weeping.

That was when he woke up.

The Italian boy sat up in bed, his face red, breathing heavily, tears running down his face. Tiny sobs escaped his mouth as Nico climbed out of bed. He didn't even bother to pull on some shoes.

He simply left. He walked down the hallway, and out onto the deck.

Nico laid down and stared up at the stars above him.

"I wonder if another demigod is looking up at these same stars right now," he muttered.

After a couple of minutes, Nico grew tired of watching the stars, so he got up walked to the side of the ship. The black-haired boy gazed down at the water below and wondered what would happen if he jumped.

Would anybody miss me?

Or would they just forget I ever even existed?

Would I die quickly?

How painful would it be?

Percy had used some of his water powers to make the ship stay in one place, so everything was perfectly still. The only sounds were of the waves and the occasional bird flying overhead. It was rather peaceful.

Nico made up his mind, stepped up onto the ledge, and closed his eyes.

*On the other side of the ship*

Leo wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, before standing up and admiring his work. He had been adding some finishing touches to one of his many projects, something he had been working on for quite a while.

That was when he heard a strange noise coming from the front of the ship. Leo started to panic. 

What if it was a monster? 

He decided he had to check it out.

Leo slowly crept down the hallway and carefully emerged onto the deck. He almost gasped at what he saw.

It was more of a who he saw than a what.

It was none other than Nico di Angelo, standing on the ledge of the ship with his eyes closed.

At first he was confused, but then it hit him. Was he going to...jump?

Just as Nico started leaning forward, Leo rushed up and grabbed him around the waist, pulling him back onto the dock.

They both fell backwards, landing with Nico on Leo's chest.

Nico quickly scrambled off the other boy and sat back, a dull look in his dark eyes.

"How much did you see?" he asked nervously.

"Enough."

Nico lifted his knees to his chest and buried his head in his hands. Leo didn't know what he was doing until he heard muffled sobs coming from the small boy.

Leo felt terrible for him. What he did next was probably risky, but he did it anyways.

Leo moved closer to Nico and wrapped his arms around him. He tensed up, but after a moment, he leaned into the other demigod.

Nico buried his face in Leo's neck while he cried. Leo waited until he had calmed down a bit before carefully asking, "Were you going to jump?"

He nodded slowly.

"Why?"

Nico sighed and drew his legs to his chest, then set his chin on them.

"I'm alone. My sister, the only family I've ever known, is dead. I'm the son of the fucking god of death. People either want nothing to do with me, or they're terrified of me."

A tear slipped down his face and hit the wooden deck.

"I'm tired of being alone," Nico muttered.

"I know how you feel," Leo whispered. Nico's head shot up. He looked shocked.

"R-really?"

"My mom died. She was my everything. The only person I had. When she died, I was alone. I guess I started using humor as a way to cope."

Nico placed his hand on the other boy's. "I am so sorry," he said. Leo gave him a grateful smile.

"And I'm sorry about Bianca."

Nico looked up suspiciously.

"I never told you her name," he said slowly.

"You scream in your sleep."

"Oh. I'm sorry you had to hear that," he whispered, looking embarrassed.

Leo pulled him closer again.

"Don't worry about it. I do it too," he reassured him.

Leo rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Hey, Nico?"

He glanced back at the son of Hephaestus. "Yes?"

"Do you want to sleep with me?" Leo blurted out.

Oh my gods, Leo thought.

That came out wrong.

He immediately started stuttering to explain what he meant.

Nico burst out laughing and Leo felt himself stop talking.

Nico has a pretty laugh.

He should laugh more often, Leo observed.

"I would love to," Nico said.

Leo stood up first and then offered Nico a hand up. They held hands all the way back to Leo's room where both boys crawled into bed together.

Nico and Leo laid facing each other.

"You know, you have beautiful eyes, Nico," he mumbled, grabbing Nico's hand under the covers.

He blushed in the darkness as Leo rubbed his hand softly.

"You have very nice eyes yourself, Leo," Nico whispered.

A few minutes passed, and Leo wondered why Nico was being so quiet. He looked back over at the son of Hades, only to see that he was already asleep.

Leo smiled softly and moved closer to him. He wrapped his arms around Nico and felt him stir a bit, before burying his face in Leo's neck.

Leo smiled as he closed his eyes. That night he had no nightmares. No strange prophecies or messages, no terrifying demons.

Just normal, peaceful dreams.