Nico doesn't understand what he thinks he will accomplish.
Running away for a few days.
December.
He remembers waking up with the feeling so heavy yet empty, he hadn't hesitated to leave.
Away from camp half-blood, demigods, memories
He wondered how they'll take it when he'll come strolling back in
With an undercut
Some tattoos
Red eyes.
He met up with Reyna first.
"I just miss her so damn much."
She nodded.
"I miss her too much."
His head dropped into his hands, covering his bloodshot eyes.
"Head back to camp half blood. They're worried. It's been a week." She offered, but Nico shook his head and gave a bitter laugh.
"Such a state of praise I'm in."
He strolls in with a swaying head a little pass two am.
He treks from the shadowy forest, and stumbles into the Hades cabin.
He freezes as her head lifts of the pillow.
"Bianca?" He almost slurs.
The daughter of Pluto sobs.
"Hazel. It's Hazel." She fights to keep herself together.
And the brother would silently make his way to his bed.
"Hazel, oh gods, I'm sorry." The darkness hides their faces.
She starts shaking. Tears reflect the little light there is in the room.
"Hazel, I'm-"
"I heard you," She spits out bitterly. The floor begins to fill with precious stones.
"Nico. You can't just disappear like that! You go and leave me scrambling to figure out where you are, or if you're even okay." Hazel's voice is breaking, she's helplessly crying, and Nico's head is resting in his hands. "Percy has just been beating himself up for it too."
"Hazel. I guarantee it would have been worse if I'd have stayed."
"I guarantee we – as a family – could have helped you." She yells. "What happened to letting us in?"
The raven stands, and walks over to the hysterical girl. His arms are wrapping around her and she's crying into her hands.
"I'm trying to help."
Nico can hear the anger, sadness, and betrayal in one sentence.
"Hazel, I came to check up on you. You missed breakfast." A girl sings as fresh morning light bursts into the damp, dark air of the Hades cabin.
Piper stops as she spots the two siblings, both lying in their beds, asleep.
The burnet slowly back tracks out of the room.
"Oh." She murmurs as she shuts the door.
The campers shiver as they skid around the camp, preparing for the snow Mr. D warned them he's allowing in.
"Hey, Pipes! How's Hazel?" A red cheeked Jason jogs over to her.
"He's back." She mutters, still in disbelief.
"What?"
"Nico di Angelo is back."
"What? Where?"
"In his cabin, dumbass."
"Oh gods." Jason murmurs.
Piper's fingers brush through the buzzed skin on the back of Nico's head.
"Your bangs too. I can see your eyes now." Leo's evaluating the sitting Nico.
"Why?" Annabeth's glinting eyes flick up, at his figure that sits on the bed, above her seat on the floor.
"I guess I just wanted a change…" Nico attempts a cliché response, looking down nervously.
"I think it looks excellent on you, big brother." Hazel's eyes glow amber in the darkness off their cabin.
Percy head lifts up, for the first time since Nico's got back, giving Nico a good look at all the signs of weariness that traces his features.
"Hazel, I -hundred percent- support that statement." The son of Poseidon agrees.
"Nico." The voice is chaste, quietly pleading the raven.
Nico watches as the group filters out of his room, leaving two figures in the dim cabin.
"Percy, I apologize for the whole thing. It was a mistake and I should of gotten in touch with someone-"
"Where did you even go?" Percy's hand rests lightly on his jaw as the Sea Prince pulls Nico's stare off the floor.
Percy studies Nico's tinted red eyes and the new hair cut that makes Nico looks more or less a typical rebellious teenager.
Percy turned nineteen in August and Nico turns seventeen in January.
"How's junior year?" Percy tries again, but all he gets out of Nico is a dry laugh.
Percy Jackson feels pitiful Nico di Angelo won't let him in.