Why hello there!
It is I, Yoyohan, and I have come to grace you with what may seem like a stereotypical PJO high school AU, starring Nico di Angelo, but stick around and you'll discover that there may just be a tiny bit of magic laced into this storyline.

A little twist, a little mist, a small decision could lead to an opportunity being missed. What am I going about? I'd like to know myself, but take your time my love. I'll meet you on the other side and we'll discuss and we'll fix.

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CHAPTER 1: Another Year = Another School

PALE FINGERS TIGHTENED around the tiny handle of the worn, black leather suitcase. It held just about everything he owned since he wasn't very big on clothes.

Using his free hand, Nico di Angelo shifted the over-sized knitted-scarf around his neck, pulling it closer to retain as much warmth as possible. His slightly labored breaths came as white smoke in the cold air and, just for the moment, Nico did the opposite of what he had been doing all morning and pulled the midnight-blue scarf up, over his pale, thin lips.

Nico had never carried any particular scent which he could associate with himself but the odor of the scarf was most definitely not his own. A faint vanilla scent, intertwined with a slightly cinnamon-y aroma, adorned the scarf and, in an odd twist, set Nico at ease.

His half-sister, Hazel, had made it for him, supposedly as a welcome gift. Somehow, her scent had followed the scarf and continued to dwell with it. At first, the entire concept of receiving a gift from anyone, let alone his half-sister who he had never met in person, had almost given him a mental breakdown. In his head, it must have been a joke. The gift must have been toxic or some ply to gain his trust and then shut him down. He had left the package neatly wrapped in it's white and black-patterned shell for the better part of a month, but after reading Hazel's letter, once again, he had registered the lingering presence of anticipation. Whether it was directed towards his reaction towards her gift or seeing him in person for the first time, Nico wasn't sure.

A dam of curiosity had exploded, then, and he had gingerly pulled the gift out of it's wrapping to reveal a stunning, pocket-sized book with a leather cover and, folded beneath it, the dark scarf. Tucked in the leather book, on the first page, he had found a small card with neat handwriting. It had read:

To: Nico
Fr: Hazel

I really hope you enjoy the journal I picked out for you. I figured you'd find it useful. I made the scarf for you myself. Since I bought the journal it would only make sense to make the scarf. You'll definitely need one when you get here. I looked for the darkest color I could find. You seem to like black. I'm sorry I couldn't get any black material. I'll understand if you don't wear it but be sure to carry one.

In the midst of reading the card, Nico had frowned at her belief that he needed some journal to write in. It seemed so stereotypical that she'd assume he had problems from just looking at his pictures and understanding that he didn't have a good relationship with his parents. He did, of course, have many issues but that didn't mean he had to write them down. What was he? Some wimpy middle schooler?
But his thoughts had quickly been thrown out at the mention of the hand-knitted scarf. The fact that she had actually gone out of her way to find black material and had only settled for the darkest colour she could find was enough to hit Nico right where it hurt.

She had been trying to contact Nico for months after they had found out about each other, settling on sending letters, which he had rejected and sent back several times before. Eventually, he had stopped sending them back, but he hadn't responded.

He had set the leather book down and picked up the scarf in all it's delicacy. Had she really made it? Of course she had. It was most definitely nothing created by a name-brand company but it was professionally done. Created with skill and purpose. It must have taken ages to complete.

Nico had laughed then. A big whip backwards followed by nonstop laughter, a lack of air and a growing pain in the gut. He had cried a little too, not because he had laughed so hard, but because he was an ungrateful, pitiful bastard who basically had a stranger caring more about him than his family did.

That was the first time he had written back to her.

And soon he would be meeting her.

As soon as he stopped bitching out.

Nico sighed with contempt directed towards the prodigious building that he could see behind the gigantic wall. Why was the school so big?

The academic buildings alone were horrifyingly large and in plain view. It was the only part of the school that was even partially visible. The dorms were, supposedly, some distance behind the academic buildings and supposedly had a separate hidden entrance that only the students could find, but Nico had to go to the main office first. Sort out some things, figure out where he'd be staying for the rest of the year and then meet his roommate(s). With any luck he might get one that was actually sane and didn't touch his shit or have weird quirks like accidentally setting things on fire or flooding the bathroom every other day. He wasn't sure how the bathroom system worked, either.

Maybe Nico shouldn't be complaining so much. After all, he wasn't exactly normal. He too had weird quirks that sometimes surfaced. Maybe his roommate would be normal but there were several things that just weren't normal about Nico that would freak out his roommate if they ever found out and send Nico packing and heading for another school as far away as possible.

Just like usual.

With each passing moment it became harder and harder to take the few steps needed to go inside and he was the one freaking himself out.

"If you just stand there all day, you'll be a human popsicle by three."

Nico most certainly did not jump when he suddenly heard a voice after soaking in the relatively quiet surroundings for almost fifteen minutes.

Nico's head whipped to face the person who had somehow snuck up beside him while he had been lamenting. That couldn't have been a good sign. Nico could not afford to let his guard down.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you like that, " a tall, intimidating but very attractive blond with electric sky-blue eyes said. His hands were held up as if to say "Yeah, I'm aware of what you may think but I'm harmless, I promise".

Nico must have looked like a child standing in the middle of the road while headlights approached because the blond frowned with concern, and Nico noticed the tiny scar on his upper lip. He must have gotten it in a fight. 'Not completely harmless, then,' he thought.
As concern was a newly introduced subject to Nico he wasn't really sure what to say. So, he played the independent guy he was supposed to be.

"It's nothing. I'm fine, " he said, stoic and hard. It was the same tone he used whenever he spoke to his father, albeit how rare those moments were. The stranger nodded but narrowed his intense eyes as though he was trying to figure out how to piece Nico together. Like Nico was the mysterious blurb of a book. He seemed curious.

Not a good sign.

Nico looked away and focused on the problem at hand. Right. He was in the middle of being a wuss.

"I'm Jason, by the way, " the blond spoke, much to Nico's displeasure. He had kinda hoped that Jason here would have left once he looked away. What exactly would normal people do in a situation like this?

"Oh. That's nice. "

Silence followed.
Crickets chirped in the distance, the wind blew and behind them a rolly-polly rolled by.

Nailed it.

After the cartoonish moment, Jason cleared his throat, probably to rid the awkward moment of rejection. "Well, I take it you're not big on talking to people, huh? "

"Am I that transparent? " Nico inquired with a strangling indifference. It was better this way. The less relationships he formed, the better. It was best to nip it in the bud.

Jason sighed, running his gloved-hand through his short, messy hair. He mumbled something about glasses but Nico really didn't care. "Well, that's okay for now, I guess, but you're bound to be cracked open like an egg if you keep that indifference up. "

Nico stiffened a little. Was he challenging him?

"Never mind that. Even if you're not interested in talking, I can show you where the main office is. "

"Who said I was looking for the main office, " Nico glared up at the boy but, much to his surprise, the blond grinned a devious smile that simply did not fit his features.

"It's obvious that you're new and don't know what your doing."

Nico turned a little so he could face him, being sure to give him a rock hard PokerFace.

"And how the hell do you know that I'm new? "

"If you weren't new you wouldn't have used this entrance, and even if you had other things to take care of around here, like I do, you wouldn't be standing around out here. And if you're new, you'll need help to find the office. No one finds the main office without help on their first day. "

Nico stared, and Jason stared back, dark soul-crushing eyes against bright electrifying eyes. Pained grimace against smug grin.

Fuck it. Nico was too tired for this. He didn't have any comebacks because his conversations usually didn't last more than a minute. And the grin just looked really out of place on Jason's face. He wanted him to stop. Like, seriously.

Looking away once again, Nico fiddled with the scarf, which had slipped down during his talk with the blond.

"Nico. "

He glanced through the corner of his eyes up at Jason, who seemed slightly taken aback. "W-what?"

Nico rolled his eyes, and began to walk towards the gate. "Nico. My name is Nico."

Jason practically jumped to catch up with him. A smaller, enthusiastic smile, that fit his face much better, surfaced. "It's nice to meet you, Nico! "

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," he muttered, pulling the scarf over his nose. His body relaxed again and he wasn't too bothered by the strange boy anymore.

That's odd.

Oh well. It wouldn't hurt to have a couple of people around from time to time.

Together the two strangers crossed into the threshold that would harbour Nico's life for the next year.

Another year, another school.

'Let's see how it'll work out this time.'

*****
That's right! Chapter 1 is my pilot or pitching chapter. Basically, for now, the story is just an experiment. So guys, if you want me to keep writing, you'll have to comment and tell me what ya think. I'll continue updating anyway but your ideas and criticism will be helpful and great motivation.

Remember, comments, reads and votes are important to writers because it gives the writer a chance to connect with their readers and understand what they think about the progression of the storyline.

Thanks for reading!

~Yohan