Since this is the first Nissa, I'd appreciate a small mention if you wrote them, thanks.
Disclaimer: The Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus cast belongs to Rick Riordan, not to me.
Please enjoy this drabble-ish one-shot!
-8-
What had happened to him? He was pale and ghostly white. Bone lines appeared on his body, his hair was flat, and all he wanted to do was sink back into the shadows.
He was waiting. He's always waiting (for an escape). He can never be tied down to the world; no one can capture darkness—for he's Nico di Angelo (duh). He rides solo—except for Mrs. O'Leary. She's another story, he thinks while walking along the caverns on the outskirts of Camp Half-Blood.
Everything in the war will work out somehow. Nico knows it will because he just knows these things. How? It's a gut feeling; it's the roots of the earth he feels every time his feet touch the ground. He's the Son of Hades, after all.
It might seem as though he's hard to understand, but all he wants is to be understood. To be honest, he's not hard to read. One just needs to look closely and one will see:
He shadow travels when he wants to escape.
He twists his skull ring in irritation.
In times of peril, he's got a humorous side.
He'll be loyal to someone if someone's loyal to him.
He loves his family.
His fatal flaw is holding grudges. (Just don't let him down and you'll be okay.)
But these things are easy to miss because he's in the shadows. The sweet, innocent Nico people knew is gone now. Mythomagic days are over. And yet, there are times when he pines for those sweet days with his sister, Bianca. His heart aches knowing that she's gone, but he's becoming here and he's now.
Nico is the blink of an eye. He's the instant that one sees but didn't foresee coming.
He's a special lottery ticket, the highest prize on Olympus. He's the extra weight on Atlas' rock, because Nico holds the world in the palm of his hands. No one notices, but sometimes that's a good thing—because he can get away with it.
He's saving his heart for someone special, because he's got no time for romance with all of his duties. But when the time comes, he'll trip and fall off Atlas' rock. When he's in the air, he'll realizing he's in love. When he hits the ground, he'll feel the pain of the reality of what being in love is like. But it's okay, because he's now stronger with the power of love.
If you have him, be lucky. If he sets his sights on you, blush for the heavens and never let go.
Nico's walking, kicking rocks, and making them scurry in all directions as he levitates them. When he turns the corner, the sun burns his skin. He doesn't like the feeling of warmth. But it's what he needs.
Without realizing it, the rocks that he levitated scurry under his feet. Like slipping on marbles, Nico slips on the rocks. He gets a taste of his own medicine. He feels the retaliation of his own power and it hurts. It's as though he's losing his grip or something…kind of like falling off Atlas' rock. He seriously needs Rachel to predict his future. It's as though he's going to meet someone special or something…
"Nico, are you okay?" asks a girly voice with a tough edge.
Nico looks up; white spots invade his eyes due to the incoming blood rush. When his vision becomes clearer, he sees a girl with a tank top, a red bandana, and a smiley-face Band-Aid. "Hi, Nyssa. I'm fine," he says, standing up on his own. He remembers what Leo said about her looking like some action-hero figure, and it somehow describes her perfectly.
Nyssa doesn't know what to say. She's not unnerved by Nico; she's curious but reserved. She hands him some nectar, the drink of the gods.
"So, working on the Argo II?" he asks, accepting the nectar and getting distracted by her toasted brown eyes.
"Yes, sir. She's a beaut if you ask me." She smiles and spins a wrench around her fingers, proud of her contribution to the Argo II.
Nico won't forget her work on the ship, for she's shown him what she's worked on—he'll remember her the next time he's on board, that's for sure. She's attached wires from Festus to the helm of the ship, she's added paddles to the side of the boat, and she's helped build rooms for the seven demigods. After the tour, she sits down at the edge of the cavern. Her brothers and sisters go home and tell her to catch up quickly for the sun is setting. But she loves the sun and she wants to get her tan in for the day.
Nico joins her and the two somehow get lost in conversation about various topics such as Camp Half-Blood, the war, and their parents. They laugh, they disagree, but they challenge each other.
Nico looks at her cocoa-colored skin, and it reminds him of the time he had olive-colored skin. He misses it because it was from a time when he used to play outside with Bianca. It was when he flew kites with his mom. It was a picture-perfect day at the park that even brought his father out into the light.
He looks at his own hands: the color's pale because he's now nothing more than a ghost. If there's one thing he wants, it's to be remembered and not forgotten. He doesn't want to be another lost soul in the Fields of Asphodel. Even though he's the Ghost King, he doesn't really want to be a ghost.
When he looks to Nyssa, he feels inspired to get a tan. He wants to walk in the sun and remember his past, for it had made his future. He can't forget the strips of memories that fall from the sky. He can let them pile up in the sun and let them flutter around him, intermingling with his present memories.
Why? Because it's all he can do.
He's done trying to repress his memories; he wants to move forward with the feeling of wholeness tinged with a singe of bittersweet spice.
As he sees Nyssa lying back in the last moments of sun, he joins her.
She turns her head toward him and he's already closing his eyes.
Nyssa's lucky to be capturing the attraction of Nico di Angelo. To be honest, she's kind of blushing for the heavens.
He's falling off Atlas' rock, and he's okay with it—it's time for something new. Besides, Nyssa might be there at the bottom.
For an instant, the simple things that surround them create heaven: the echoes of the earth beneath them, the warmth of the summer sun, and the presence of one another.
Nyssa feels as though she's looking at an angel as she closes her eyes. And Nico can feel the pigment in his skin change color and darken.
Nyssa's wondering if he's going to be back, but she guesses that's not important because her mind is focusing on the Argo II.
But if she wants an answer, it's yes. How is it yes?
Because the angel is smiling.
-8-
Soooooo…Nissa. I love it. I love them together and I think they make a nice couple. I like the idea of Nysaa inspiring him to get a tan; the meaning is so much more than getting a tan, though. It's the meaning of Nico moving on from his past and keeping it for the future. It's Nico becoming Nyssa's angel in the dark times and it's her becoming an inspiration to him. It's Nico holding the world in his hands, but he's becoming tied down to Nyssa.
Tell me what you think by slipping in a review, thanks. ;)
Thanks to mew-tsubaki for beta'ing.