for angels to die
Summary - "Do you not get it?! I'm blind. BLIND." "And don't you get it? I'm not leaving that easily." Reyna/Nico
Notes – I blame Ed Sheeran. Since oh my god, his songs... (And yeah, I know 'The A Team' is about a girl...)

'Its too cold outside for angels to fly'

The moment Nico wakes up, Reyna knows something has gone wrong. He doesn't look around like he normally does or even sit up, just lays motionless. She wouldn't know he was awake if he didn't squeeze her hand, so softly that she would of missed it if she hadn't been waiting for it for hours upon hours.

"Reyna?"he asks, his voice cracking from disuse and normally, she would tease him endlessly about that fact but now, she can't, worry taking over every cell in her body.

"Yeah?"

"Everything is dark. Did you turn off the lights?"he asks and her body tenses up, her grip tightening so hard on his hand that she's almost sure that she's broken it. If he's noticed, he gives no reaction, his eyes flickering around everywhere, trying to catch sight of something that won't be there. Her throat is dry and the urge to cry rises up in her body, only the reminder that she's praetor keeping her from sobbing.

"The l-lights are on, Nico,"she manages, cursing herself for stuttering, and his eyes look towards her face, blank and empty. They're a milky-white, startling her with their blankness. She's so use to his dark eyes that seeing the exact opposite on his face almost scares her.

"Stop lying."

"Do you know how much I wish I was?"

XxXxX

The buzzing in his ear blocks out the noise and Nico isn't sure if he's grateful or not. It blocks out the screaming and sobbing but it means that death is all around him, that people are dropping like flies around him and he's being kept alive for a reason.

'You'll help raise Gaea' A light, feminine voice had told him when he had been tossed into the cell, and when he had replied with 'Like hell I will', they had kicked him in the gut, air rushing out of him. He's lost track of the amount he's been in here and spends his time glaring at the wall, thinking about Reyna holding the weight of Camp Jupiter by herself, Percy on a quest with no memories, and Hazel going on a quest that could mean her death. He wonders if they're being strong or cracking under the pressure like he would.

When the door opens and the light streams in, it takes all he has to not scream from the pain burning his retinas. A woman stands in the doorway, smiling at him and as she strides over, he tries to kick her and bites her hand when she reaches up to unlock him from the chains holding him against the wall.

She only smiles.

XxXxX

"Well, its not that bad,"Nico tells her as he stumbles over yet another step and Reyna sighs, tightening her grip on his arm.

"I think I'll give you Aurum to watch out for you,"she says and he makes a face, sticking to her like glue.

"Those dogs hate me. I think its because they saw me kiss you,"he says and she rolls his eyes before remembering that he can't see her. That will take time to adjust to...

"I rolled my eyes,"she informs him and he shrugs, grinning.

"I kinda figured." They're quiet afterwards and normally she would revel in it, thankful that he managed to shut up for one. But now, it seems empty and awkward, reminding her of the barrier that keeps her from reaching him. It had always been there, walls he had put up to keep him safe from more heartache. But Jackson had wormed his way in. Hazel had wormed her way. She had wormed her way in. And she would do it again if she had to.

XxXxX

The buzzing reaches a lull and Nico tries his best to curl in a ball as he's being dragged, trying to cover up his ears but the woman won't let him. She keeps her nails digging into his arm, drawing blood, and all she can do is smile. He wonders if she's sick or twisted or Gaea has done something. To keep his faith in humanity, he hopes and prays that its the second.

She turns a corner and go through another room, and the screams go away. Its quiet and that horrifies him. The screaming and sobbing has been a constant and without it, it feels almost too quiet. Almost as if something is hiding the darkness, waiting to pounce on him.

The moment Nico sees the dark, swirling hole, he knows that it can only go down.

XxXxX

"How?"is the first thing she asks one morning when she wakes up and finds him awake on the couch, flipping through the channels absentmindedly. Nico shrugs, something that he's been a lot of, Reyna notices. Sighing, she sits down next to him, trying to read his expression. He shows nothing, keeping his face tight and expressionless, and normally, she'd be proud of that. It was trait that allowed even the weakest to go toe-to-toe with the very best. But now, all she wants to do is kick him.

"Why haven't you left yet?"he eventually asks when they're watching an episode of The New Normal, not even a smile on their faces as they watch the strange antics. Reyna turns towards him, her arms crossed.

"Why? Do you want me to leave?"she demands, her ire growing. He's been acting different for the past weeks, even if it was to be expected from going blind. Still, some of it was drastic.

"Well, I'm not sure if you've noticed but I'm blind. You know, I can't see a thing. I can't tell you what your eye color is if I tried. I can't fight now. I can't do a damn thing. Because I'm BLIND."

"So?! Do you really think those are good reasons?! You know my eye color! You've seen it before! You can fight! We'll teach you how! Its a practice to cover our eyes during sword training, you know. And can't do a damn thing? There's still things you can do, Nico. Stop laying around in your self-loathing!" She's yelling now, fighting back the tears, and he looks ready to flip the coffee table over.

"Don't you get it?! I'm blind! BLIND!"he shouts and she shoves him against the couch, knocking Nico over to his back.

"And don't you get it?! I'm not leaving that easily."

XxXxX

"Do it or we'll kill everyone. Every life you cherish will burn. And you'll have to watch it happen,"the woman whispers as she pushes a knife and book towards him. Nico glares at her, eying the book suspiciously. Its in Greek and Latin, switching back and forth, and as he reads in his mind, he realizes with horror that this will be what brings Gaea. He will the one to make it happen. "The sacrifices have already happened. Now, we just need the words and the blood given willingly from a Child of the Underworld."the woman tells him, smirking devilishly, and Nico suddenly remembers the nonstop buzzing, the screaming and sobbing. All of those deaths... He shivers as the cry of a child echoes in his mind.

"Do it! Or watch everyone burn in front of you!"the woman screeches, giving him a swift kick. He hears a devastating crack and knows without a doubt that one of his ribs have broken. The woman only gives him another smirk and pushes the book towards him again, her face growing more and more eager "Read. Or you'll have to watch the deaths of those you love." As he picks up the knife, he looks up at her, defiance glinting in his dark eyes.

"I don't have to watch,"he says before bring the knife up to his eyes and slashing across.

He only regrets that the woman's face is the last thing he ever saw.

XxXxX

Notes – HA. PLOT TWIST.

WHAT NOW, SON?!
Did I get any of you? Or have I failed? ;A;

So, I might continue this since I kinda like it but I'm leaving as completed for now unless I get a nice response. (Hinthintwinkwink)

MARK OF ATHENA DUDES.

ITS COMING.

ITS COMINGGGGGGGGGG

(And I'm going to one of the stops on the book tour :3)

(Also, don't ask me how Nico survived. I don't know. Someone had a change of heart...)