WPOV

Mars did his best to question me in the moment.

"What are you doing here? Where's di Angelo?" My eyes were somewhere else, so he grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me. "Will! I need answers!"

I raised my head, the urgency in his voice giving me a reason to look away from Octavian's corpse. 

My mouth tasted like metal. It was hard to form sentences because I was still trying to process what happened.

I managed to choke out a few words. "Nico's gone, Kronos took him - he just slung him over his shoulder and walked away. He said something about a guy named Lycaon."

"Kronos? When did they leave? Did you see what the car looked like?" Mars spoke fast, his grip tightening. The intensity of his expression kind of scared me.

"About twenty minutes ago? I don't know.... I didn't see the car...."

Mars cursed under his breath. He pushed me away, turning to one of the other officers in the room. "Call for someone to pull the traffic light footage! Where's backup?"

"We made the call, sir. Everyone will be here soon."

~

I was there when Octavian was carried out, on a gurney and hidden by a body bag.

I always thought covering the body was out of respect.... but that didn't make sense in Octavian's case. The people loading his corpse in the ambulance had involuntarily screwed up their noses in disgust. They looked at each other with grim faces, working a little faster because they didn't want anything to do with him.

News of what he did must have traveled fast.

I sat on the steps that led into the trailer. I already said I was fine, but a paramedic still wasted his time with me. He finally finished waving a flashlight in my eyes, giving me an ice pack for the bruising on my face, a shock blanket, and a water bottle before stalking off.

I didn't touch any of the items - just looking at them made me sick. 

So, I tried to keep myself occupied in a different way. I peered at the large group of people that had gathered on the grass.

Uniforms of police officers crowded the area, mixed with the suits of high-ranking officials. I could see a group of reporters, too. Everyone was conversing against the beams of red and blue, but they made sure to give me plenty of space and to leave me alone. They all watched from a distance.

The flashes of light made elongated shadows on the ground, making the scene even more chaotic in my eyes.

I was watching everything unfold, but I wasn't really experiencing it - if that makes any sense? It was as if I was staring through a glass. As if this was happening to someone else and I was just observing the aftermath.

It was haunting.

I caught sight of my mom, who was talking with Mars. I noticed how she kept looking over at me while Mars explained something to her. 

Her face twisted in confusion. She suddenly gestured for me to join them.

I wiped fresh tears from my cheeks. I took a couple deep breaths as I pushed myself to my feet, willing my legs to work. I was shaking as I moved across the lawn.

I couldn't keep it together. Nico was gone.

Gone can mean so many things. I might never see Nico again. But, if I do, there might not be anything left. He could die and be stuffed inside a body bag - like Octavian.

I didn't know which was worse. Never knowing what happened to him? Or finding out he was dead?

There was nothing but grief and self-blame inside my mind. 

My mom suddenly rushed forward, meeting me halfway and throwing her arms around my body. I collapsed in her embrace, doing my best to keep my sobs quiet.

He was terrified when he was pulled away.... I remembered the wild look in his eyes, his desperation to stay with me.

I failed him. I should've been smarter. None of this would have happened if I noticed he was lying in the first place.

"Will? I'm taking you home, okay? The questions can wait for tomorrow...." She was so gentle. 

Why did her words feel like they were stabbing me?

"No, they can't!" Mars exclaimed. "Kronos is involved! We don't have time for-"

"We'll make time! He's been through enough today, wouldn't you agree?"

Before Mars could say anything, words tumbled from my mouth. "Not as much as Nico has."

What I had said echoed what we were all thinking.

The two of them shared a look. They had an entire conversation with their eyes, silently arguing. After a moment, my mom won and Mars grumbled to himself.

"Fine. But that just means we'll have a shit-ton of work to do tomorrow. We haven't even started interrogating people yet...." Mars relented, sighing. "If everything I've heard about Kronos is true, we have a tough job ahead of us."

I hoped Nico could hold on - that we wouldn't be too late.

A/N ~ ohmygosh

An accurate representation of my brain right now:

All my professors made everything due at the same time and exams are coming up. I'm losing my sanity. PLUS I've been meaning to update my other fanfic for forever and I just.... haven't yet....

I'm sorry, I have no excuse.

BUT I WAS TAGGED BY JMpieguy2001 SO LETS GO:

1. What type of phone do you have?

Ummm I'm not 100% sure.... The brand says Kyocera? *shrugs* It's my dad's old touch screen, so I guess you can imagine the state it's in.

2. Do you have a crush?

nah

3. Birthday?

December 22, 1999

4. Best friends?

I don't have a lot of friends since I started doing dual enrollment.... The only person who really hangs out with me still is named Trinity - so I guess that makes her my best friend.

5. Favorite song?

We Are Number One - epic romantic piano cover.

6. Biggest fear?

Being forgotten

7. Hair color?

Red. I'm a ginger (Yea. Freckles and everything.)

8. Favorite subject?

Math and Chemistry. I actually plan on doing a double major with the two.

9. Favorite sport?

I don't have one.... I'm just not that athletic, sorry.

10. Tag 30 people: (30???? That's a bit excessive lol, I don't actually have 30 peeps to tag)(you guys obviously don't have to do this if you don't want to)

emotionallypizza

actIsceneI

trinniebun

Nico_Solace

MyVintageUnderworld_

tinygayitalian