"Cool Kids."
Nico di Angelo stared at his friends. They were laughing and smiling as they sat out on the beach, Nico merely sitting on the sidelines.
His sister- Hazel Levesque- was talking with Frank and Leo, both of whom were listening to her words intently and giving quick responses.
Percy Jackson stood next to Jason Grace, the two debating whether or not they should practice using their elemental powers together.
Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, and Reyna Avira Ramirez-Arellano were talking about battle tactics and how having a daughter of Aphrodite helping with planning could potentially heighten the success of future battle, Piper seemed distressed when Annabeth brought up how Piper would be able to use her powers over fashion and persuasion to help with undercover missions.
And here he was, sitting all alone with his dog, Mrs. O'Leary, and contemplating leaving.
Nico knew he wasn't ever really wanted when it came to others. He was always in the background, always neglected or feared.
It wasn't pleasant.
The dinner horn sounded, and he watched as his friends all walked away towards the dining pavilion, walking in a seemingly perfect straight line, ignoring all the rocks and patches of weeds that got in their way, stepping over or through them.
Nico, himself, preferred to go around. Much easier, less painful.
He got up slowly and, after patting the hellhounds head lovingly, walked off towards the nearest shadows, walking into them and exiting next to the Hades table. He sat down and stared as his friends all took their respective seats at their respective tables. Frank sat with Clarrisse, Hazel on his other side. Nico could spot Reyna sitting next to Annabeth. Jason was seated at the Zeus' table, like usual.
Yeah, they may all have the same heartbeats, but Nico feels like his is falling behind.
In his mind, they were perfect. Hazel had Frank, Leo was always happy, Annabeth was smart (and she had Percy, too), Percy was welcomed as a hero in both camps, Jason has a wonderful girlfriend, Reyna and Frank were Praetors of New Rome, and Piper was strong and immensely beautiful, able to break the stereotypes of her parentage.
Unlike Nico. He's always gloomy and depressed, and when he smiles he can tell it creeps people out. He reeks of death, and doesn't have anybody who's there for him like Frank for Hazel, or Piper for Jason, or Percy for Annabeth and the other way around.
He was a nobody. Just sitting, alone, in the background like the pathetic loner he was.
Nico was staring down at his half eaten pomegranate dejectedly, "I wish I could be like them. The cool kids, is what they are. Damn it, they fit in here, and I fit in a graveyard. I just..." He teared up, ducking his head so his hair blocked his tear filled, obsidian eyes from view. "I wish I was like them."
Leo frowned as he walked behind his friends, all of which were smiling brightly and laughing.
He wanted to hate them for living their life, for having one that was seemingly filled with more happiness than fear and pain... But they honestly don't have a clue what he's going through, not a clue as to what he's feeling, so he can't push himself to speak harshly towards them.
He remembered how after he had returned, he was dragged into a hangout session with his friends (after having about a dozen people smack him across the face, mainly Piper and his siblings, as Calypso silently stood to the side, watching her boyfriend being pummelled to death), and how everybody were talking about what their lives were like before this quest and after.
They all had it better in the end. He was still suffering. They had family, he didn't.
They spoke of college, Annabeth was the only one who knew what she wanted.
Leo knew what he wanted, but he couldn't reach it with what was happening now. He and Calypso were to leave with Apollo on a quest in a few days, even if he didn't want to. He knew Calypso sure as Hades didn't.
Leo just wished he were like his friends, they would know what to do. He wasn't a fighter, just a lowly mechanic.
He didn't know how to handle a god who was in a mortal body, didn't know how to handle a goddess turned mortal who dearly missed her powers and fought with him constantly.
He wished he was like the others.
It wasn't until he was sat at the Hephaestus' table for dinner that he noticed Nico suddenly appearing at the Hades table, seemingly deep in thought.
He swiftly got up and headed over, drawing the attention of his fellow half-bloods, but he payed them no mind as he sat down across from Nico, who looked up at him.
They locked eyes, and Leo understood.
He knew they felt the same.
"I wish I could be like the others, the so called 'Cool Kids' of the Mythological world, the ones who're popular and always treated with respect."
They didn't say it, it was left unspoken, but they both knew what the other meant.
Leo couldn't help but hum a small tune, only to have Nico silently sing along.
"I wish that I could, be like the cool kids..." Nico's voice was dark and rich, and Leo couldn't help but want to hear more. He gave a small sound of happiness when Nico continued. "'Cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in..."
"I wish that I could, be like the cool kids, the cool kids!" Leo added, much louder than the son of Hades, causing heads to turn their way.
By this point, the two boys didn't care. Nico stood up, surprising everybody (including himself) when he climbed up onto the table and pulled Leo up with him, and began to sing that very song from the very beginning.
Leo quickly joined in, pulling a small ukulele from his tool belt and strumming along to their conjoined voices.
The two began making broad gestures to their friends and the world around them as they got more and more into the song, their voices positively dripping with sadness, loneliness and pain as they continued on.
They finished singing, both of them now sitting on the table, back to back and panting heavily as they had began to practically scream the lyrics, the rest of the members of the Prophecy of Seven quickly getting up to move towards them.
Nico wasn't having any of it.
He grabbed hold of Leo, who was still tiredly strumming out the final chords to the song, and shadow travelled them to Bunker Nine.
"I can't believe we actually...." Leo mumbled, helping an exhausted Nico over to the makeshift bed in the far corner.
"Yeah, neither can I," Nico replied, shoulders shaking softly as he finally became to tired to contain his tears. "That was emotionally exhausting, and I never..."
Leo hugged him, and Nico could tell the shorter boy was crying as well, but they both didn't seem to care as they sat there in silence, merely hugging each other, trying to be comforting for the other.
"Let's sleep, okay? We'll feel better in the morning."
Nico nodded and lied down, Leo doing the same.
They fell asleep to the sound of each others broken, yet slowly healing, hearts.
{La Fin}
~Ashton Lanteigne