AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I do not own these characters, they belong to Rick Riorden.
I only own the fanfic.
I edit my own stories so please tell me if you find any mistakes!
WARNING:
This is a boy x boy fanfic which includes Nico di Angelo and Will Solace (Solangelo)
If you don't like it, you don't have to read it! *gasps*
This fanfic may include triggers which you will be notified of at the top of the chapter.
NOTE TO PEOPLE WHO READ "It's Not Like I'm Gay":
I deleted this fanfic because it wasn't going anywhere and I just didn't have the energy to continue it.
Frankly, I didn't like how it was turning out.
So sorry to those of you that liked it and followed it.
I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE AN AWESOMETASTIC DAY AND ENJOY THE FIRST CHAPTER TO "A Cherub's Cherophobia"
Chapter 1
Nico di Angelo, a fifteen year old boy of a five-foot-six stature and a full one hundred and thirty pounds, never asked to be punished in the way that he was, and is, being punished.
He swears he didn't cause any of it; that it wasn't his fault. He tells the voice. But the voice fights back. It tells him that it was his fault. All of it. And it was all because he was happy.
He was happy when his mother, sister, and he were out shopping at his favorite store and an earthquake hit and killed several people, including his mother.
He was happy when he, some friends, and his sister, Bianca, were playing in the snow and having a massive snowball fight where he threw a snowball that hit her and knocked her down causing her to hit her head and go brain dead.
He was happy to play the hero for his friends who were stuck underground in a cave only to later be trapped there himself when a rock fell and crushed the entrence.
He was happy when he got his first boyfriend, Percy Jackson, who later dumped him for a girl named Annabeth because he was "too moody."
And all this happened because of him.
He used to be normal.
But now he's not.
He'd be what society calls anomaly. It was bad enough that he was gay, the fates just had to add more to his misfortune by giving him an anxiety disorder.
Cherophobia: a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of gaiety, despite conscious understanding by the phobic individual and reassurance by others that there is no danger.
That's right, he was afraid of being happy; of enjoying himself.
Because no matter what, if he was happy, something bad happened.
Even his father knew it. He put the blame of half his family dying on Nico's shoulders.
It was like carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
There was no escape, and if he failed, there was no getting back up because he would be squashed.
So he took up an instrument.
Because, according to some psychologists, music was the medicine for the mentally unstable.
Nico was definitely mentally unstable.
But the weird thing was, was that it was working.
Whenever Nico played the piano, he could escape.
F
L
Y
A
W
Y
A
.
.
.
Every day, during his lunch break, he would go to the abandoned music portable to play on the baby grand that was hidden inside. No one but him, and possibly the janitors, knew about this piano.
Each day, it sat there, waiting for him to bring it alive again and every day, he visited the lonely piano to do just that.
But it was all over too soon. The pain came back, stronger than before. The trembling started along with the cold and hot flashes. Always the worst right when he started playing the piano.
Nico di Angelo was being punished. This, to him, was obvious. The gods definitely wanted him to pay for the pain he caused his father, mother, and sister.
His father suffered from depression.
His mother was dead.
His sister was brain dead, only artificially being kept alive due to machines and pumps which costs a fortune.
He had cherophobia. It only seemed fair that he should be punished for his crimes.
Then came that one day in spring where he left the window open to enjoy the fresh air as opposed to the dank air of the forgotten music room.
It was that spring day that the sun came through the window, smiled at him, and told him that his piano playing was beautiful.
It was that spring day that the cherub finally saw a piece of heaven.
Nico was currently working on Chopin's Waltz in E minor B. 56 Opus Posthumous when his hand started to cramp.
That was never a good sign since it meant he would have to stop soon and if he stopped, that meant the sadness came back; the fear.
Getting up to stretch, He decided to open the window to let in some fresh air. It was no wonder that the old music building was abandoned due to the fact that the air circulation was horrible. Then again, it was a portable that barely connected to the school.
This was a good thing for Nico because it meant that he didn't have to talk to anyone. That he didn't need to interact and be social and pretend to care about what people were saying.
They were always so happy.
It sickened him.
His symptoms started with the shaking. From there, the sweating and the nausea came which was followed by the fear.
The fear of being happy.
As he opened the window, he leaned out the window to take a deep breath.
You're alive, you are whole, you are you. He chanted to himself. It was something his mom always told him when he came home from school feeling depressed.
Nico started trembling. He could feel it: the fear.
Dashing back to the piano, he started from the top.
The piece started with one lone note.
A B-natural.
The left hand followed with a perfect fifth of E and B.
He started out slow, slowly accelerating as the beginning of the piece unfolded into a loopdy-loop scale; going up and then back and then up once again.
Then came the waltz.
ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three.
Measured.
Concrete.
Nico started to breathe easier, getting lost as the piece continued through it's A theme, B theme, C theme, and then repeating the A theme only to go into something new: a D theme.
Nico brought the piece to its climax as he came to the last page.
Then came his favorite part.
The cords at the end, which were played brusquely and yet, elegantly, as if to say "this is the end and now you know it!"
The spell was broken when applause broke into the silence.
Nico shot to his feet, eyes wide in panic and the trembling and hot flashes coming stronger than before.
"What are you doing here?" He whispered dangerously.
"I heard the music and wanted to see what amazing human being was creating such a beautiful sound."
Nico looked up to see a boy standing there.
At first glance, it was like staring into the sun.
The guy's hair was a bright blond color while his skin contrasted nicely with a light tan. His eyes were the color blue when the sun was just about to rise. To top it all off, his smile held a set of pearly whites that were totally not naturally that white. All this and complete opposite to one Nico di Angelo.
After getting over his shock at the guy's appearance, Nico had to ask any god that was listening why the sun decided to walk into the room.
The guy stood there as if anticipating a response, maybe an explanation about the piece.
He didn't get one.
Nico already had his bag in hand and was bolting to the door, intent on escape.
No! No more friends, they'll just make you happy and you know what happens when you're happy.
He was already 97.3% out the door when he heard the sun boy say, "Wait!"
He turned, expecting a snide remark.
"When did you learn to play the piano? I mean, you're amazing!"
The boy kept rambling on.
Nico wished he would stop.
The shaking was getting worse.
He was just too bright.
No wonder his parents always told him to not look directly into the sun.
Because you could go blind.
Keeping his head down, Nico mumbled that he'd been playing since he was five years old.
"Wow! You're practically a protégé! What – "He started to say, but Nico was already gone and out the door.
The least amount of human contact, the better. Because contact meant getting attached and getting attached meant getting hurt and hurting others.
To be continued...
I have no clue when the next chapter will be up (it depends on how lazy I am...).
Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter!
~Whale