Whenever someone says 'I like you as a friend' or 'I care, why don't you' all I think about is why they say it. They say it out of pity, and disgrace, and sympathy. I don't like peoples' pity, it makes me feel weak. I'm not weak, I'm strong, because I've gone through things that people won't go through in their entire lives. Heck, I went to Tartarus and lived to tell the tale, my sister died at my old crush's hands and I forgave him. My mother died when I was ten, and I got through it without showing any weakness. People do say I'm crazy, demented, weak, pitiful, and other things, but I know that I'm not those things. There are days when I just want to give up, stop fighting, and just end my pain all together. This was one of those days.
I was walking through the camp when some Aphrodite kids spotted me, and I knew that once they saw me it was going to be a bad day and it was going to end badly. They walked straight up to me and stared at me for a few seconds, then it started.
"Hey Di Angelo, why don't you go back to the 40's where you belong? Because we all know that you don't belong here."
"I think he should go back to his cabin. You know why you should go back to your cabin?"
I just stood there looking at him, wondering what he was going to do to me and what he would say.
"Because you're a cutting freak of a monster, you don't belong here at all and you are pitied by everyone around you because they don't want to hurt your feelings and they hate you!"
"They hate you! You should know that! Even your own sister hates you! When you go to hell your father is going to punish you! You know why he's going to punish you?!"
I looked up at her, trying to hold back my tears so that when they leave I can run to my cabin and cry. I don't know the answer, and I don't want to give one for that matter. So I just shrugged my shoulders, and waited for her to give her answer.
"Because 1, you're gay. 2 you are a monster. 3 you're hated by everyone and you have nothing to live for. And my mom said that you will never find love, ever!"
I stood there taking their insults waiting for them to finish. I started thinking I need to get out of here. Once they're done insulting me I'll run to my cabin, cry and sob without anyone hearing hopefully, and maybe even cut my wrists a little to relieve my pain.
When they were about to through another round of insults at me, around the corner came the one and only Will Solace. Every time I saw him I would think, he's so perfect and I'm such a monster. The kid in the middle went to through another insult at me, but Will beat him to talking.
"Hey!"
All of the Aphrodite kids jumped and turned their bodies towards Will, and knew they were in trouble. So they stood there as Will walked really close to their faces and spoke.
"Why do guys always have to pick on the poor kid? Don't you guys have anything better to do? And while you do it, pick on someone your own size, not someone who's shorter and smaller than you! Now do me a favor… Get out of here before I tell Chiron your picking on Nico."
That's the point when they all turned around, went around Nico, and ran as fast they could go. While they were running away, Will turned towards me and asked me the question that I hated most of all.
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
He kept getting closer to me until he was only inches from my face. I backed up from his face and looked at him with my usually scowl. I thought 'don't just stand there say something sarcastic, so that he'll stop asking questions, and leave you alone. So that you can go to your cabin and cry like the baby you are, and cut to relieve you from your own pain.' So I put on my scowl and said in a very low growl like voice,
"I'm fine, and I had it under control."
"It didn't look under control to me. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I said I'm fine, I had it under control, and I'm going to go to my cabin. Goodbye Mr. Solace."
I then turned on my heels and started to run to my cabin, knowing that Will would be on my tail. I didn't look back, but I knew that he was giving me a look of concern. Just like always, and I will never forget it.
Will's P.O.V.
As Nico ran off all I could feel was concerned, and worried. I sighed, for I knew that Nico was upset about what the Aphrodite kids (Not including Piper) said to him. I felt bad for Nico, but I also felt love for the boy. I knew that I had a crush on Nico. I did ever since I saw him for the first time. I looked around to make sure no one was following or looking at me for that matter. Then, I did the one thing I always wanted to do, I followed him.