Nico knew this feeling all to well, he'd felt it for Percy, then Will, and now Leo.
All had a girlfriends.
Why did he have to fall for the utterly straight men? He just wanted to be happy, is that too much to ask for?!
As Nico muttered about his live issues angrily as he stomped into the woods not noticing a figure watching him from the tree tops.
(No he is not by camp he's in New Orleans)
"OF FUCKING COURSE I FALL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DONT EVEN CARE I EXIST OR EVEN RECOGNIZE THAT IM ALIVE! by the gods why? I hate this..."
By this point he was sitting on a log head hidden in his hands as he tried not to break down in frustration, to which he was failing miserably at.
The silent figure jumps silently landing a bit behind Nico in a crouched position and stalked towards him hiding in the shadows, which was definitely the figures biggest mistake.
Nico tensed feeling a presence hidding in the shadows, his domain, wielding a weird artifact.
"Who is hiding in the shadows?" Nico casted out not moving nor feeling motivated to move. He sighed when there was no response.
The figure held still holding their breath believing they had somehow made a wrong move and had been heard.
"Stop hiding...I can feel your soul in the shadows. What do you acquire?"
Nico asked wishing the person would step out and tell him already.
Hesitantly the figure steps out of the shadows holding an odd staff that seemed to be filled with litterally pure power, no like filled with holy water kind of pure.
Nico gritted his teeth, of course this person thought him to be a demon or devil, because of his aura.
Bastards the lot of them.
The figure hesitantly spoke.
"I know not of your nature demon but thou must be cleansed in the Holy Spirit of god-" before the figure even finished their sentence the dowsed the holy water on Nicos body.
It really didn't do anything, it was just like normal water to Nico, considering the fact he wasn't a demon despite his father being hades lord of the underworld.
He despised humans, as he wasn't a full one, because of how they acted around him. He'd been innocent once, he'd been happy once, but it had been and still is being torn away is the shallow pits of life.
He hated the world and fates for its cruelty.
But he understood there had to be a balance, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt any less.
The figure once again moved to pull out a cross and Nico just say where he had been sitting paying no mind to the stranger who wanted to cleanse him of "sin".
But alas another figure hidden in the tree line, using their power to make sure the "young one" (Nico) didn't sense him watched making sure he wasn't harmed by the idiotic mortal below.
The mortal then swing the cross jabbing it into Nicos side, all he did was flinch, then sigh.
"You know, it's kinda dangerous to swing sharp objects at people for no reason right?" Nico asked sarcastically.
The figure made a surprised gasp before running full spead away in terror, even though he hadn't done anything wrong.
The figure above couldn't help the smile that crossed their face as Nico ripped the cross from his side and made a disgusted face at the blood that flowed out onto the forest ground.
"Do you need help little one?"
Said the new unknown figure smirking.
Nico blinked once, then twice. Then uttered a curse that had the figure laughing lightly.
"Uh...yes...? N-No I'm fine!" Nico said accidentally stuttering.
"Tsk tsk little one. I can make it stop...if you'd let me." The figure asked smirked leaning closer to nico. It didn't seem threatening but honestly as a demigod you never truely knew who people were.
Nico scooted a few paces away not really wanting to upset or endanger himself or the man.
He heard some rustling in the bushes but was to preoccupied with the man who was slowly walking up closer to him, the top half of his face was covered so all he could see was the smirk.
He felt the shadows try and pull out to reach him but he didn't know what really to do.
As panic rose in his throat he steeled his face into a stoic emotionless facade and stared into the mans eyes and said
"W-What do you want?" Nico asked failing only slightly to keep his composure and not stutter.
A sound to Nicos right made him look over slightly, which was all the odd man needed to jump at nico pinning him to a free and sliding his tongue against his cheek.
(Eww just eww)
"What. The hades." Nico said trying his hardest to push the man away from his body.
The man (with his hand that wasn't holding Nico down) flipped his hood, and Nico saw crimson red voidless eyes that resembled Tartarus. Nico felt his blood freeze and he suddenly couldn't breathe as images of tarturus flashed through his mind displaying the torture he went through, alone.
The man laughed.
"Someone told me that these contacts made people se their worst fear. Or at least look like their worst fear...what's yours sweet boy?"
Nico wanted to die, plain and simple.
"Tarturus..." Nico struggles to not say the word and realized
Why did I say that? Why to him he doesn't deserve to know!
"How'd you get me to tell you-"
"Because they also force the truth. Now...what do you like in...hehehe...partners...?"
What the fuck tangent is this asshole going on?
"Strong, heroic, sweet, caring, honest, and obviously a guy."
Nico paled even more so then usual.
The guy smirked.
The bush that distracted Nico earlier kept moving.
Okay, what the hell.
Nico then mustered up anough anger to snark and glare very heavily at the man which definitely made him shrink away, but only for a few seconds before smirking once again and cracking his knuckles.
He was fucked. Like REALLY REALLY screwed. He should have listened to them when they told him not to leave, but he had too. He couldn't take it and it hurt so much so he had to leave.
Nico then wished right then and there, that someone would jump out and say "hey bitches its a prank" but that never happened. Seconds ticked by as the man drew nearer and Nico felt his chest tightening in slight terror and felt so...terrified.
He then felt shame at the fact that: he's a son of hades, people should fear him! Not the other way around! But alas here he was thinking this to be his end, or the very least a very disturbing day.
Nico forced his feelings the the bottom of his very own soul nd snarled at the man menecingly.
The man didn't even flinch this time, instead his smile grew wider, showing fangs that poked only slightly out of his mouth, as his hideous face drew nearer then he would like.
"Hmmm little one has nothing to say?" The man says liking some red substance, that he truely hoped wasn't blood, off his chin.
Then, a "twak." Resounded throughout the forest as the man suddenly collapsed on the ground suddenly bursting into flames.
"What, in my fathers name, is happening?!" Nico whisper yelled.
Two more men emerged from the woods one holding a shotgun and the other a bow.
The rougher looking one, who also happened to be carrying the shotgun, then pointed it at me.
The shorter one holding the bow looked to be thinking about something before turning to the other and stating,
"I don't think he's one of them, why would it attack him then?"
The other didn't look to agree but lowers the shotgun down, to my relief, and says,
"Fine, but we need to bring him in for questioning.