Kill Your Heroes
Nico di Angelo was rarely sure of anything, but watching car headlights dance across the ceiling of his bachelor apartment, he was sure he was lonely.
He rolled to the other side of his bed, feet tangling under his duvet to look at his alarm clock. 1:36. He sighed as he rolled back onto his back, stretching his arm across his eyes. Gods, he was tired. And he missed the Hades cabin. For once in his life. It'd been a year and a half since he left Camp Half-Blood, and Will.
Oh Gods. Will. Nico sighed again and closed his eyes, wishing his brain would just shut up and let him sleep. He had work at the museum tomorrow, and couldn't risk being exhausted while showing off ancient precious artifacts.
He woke up cold. A layer of sweat covered his skin, and for a moment he was reaching for his sword before he realized it was a nightmare. Gods. He was twenty years old and still had night mares about Tartarus. He sat up in bed, acknowledging he wouldn't be able to sleep and pulled himself off his bed. 5:04. Five hours before he had to get to the museum. Sighing, he checked his phone, remembering the days when monsters would appear whenever he tried to play his D.S. Since he turned nineteen, most monsters left him alone. He didn't know if they were just too scared of him now or if they forgot about him, everyone else did.
Messages and missed calls from Will filled his screen and Nico felt his guts drop. This long distance relationship thing was not working for him. Even if it wasn't the time difference or ocean between them, Nico felt the original magnetism he felt for Will had lost meaning.
When they had first called themselves a couple, Nico felt nothing but utter elation. This had faded over the months as Will and Nico drifted apart. Will was busy being a camp counsellor, and Nico was busy moping, sulking, and researching.
Nico lowered his phone and looked out the window. Snow drifted softly about outside, normal for an English February.
Nico watched the snow a little longer before heading to the shower.
Percy avoided airplanes as much as he could. But it would have been tricky—very tricky—to cross the ocean to England without flying. Turbulence rocked the plane, and Percy could almost feel Zeus throwing a tantrum outside.
Percy opened the window and down at the sea beneath him, wishing more than anything to be down there in the waves than up in the clouds pissing Zeus off. Sighing, he closed his eyes as nausea washed across his guts, ignoring the cute redhead sitting next to him. She'd been checking him out on and off for the whole trip. He could feel her eyes travelling across the pale scar stretching up across his neck and onto his cheek. He might be interested in this girl, of course in a different place and time. Right now was not the place or the time.
Percy opened his eyes again and checked his phone. He could easily and safely use technology now. Ever since he turned twenty most monsters had left him alone. Most. At the triggering of this memory, his hand reached up to touch the scar running across his face. He remembered the pain and the blood and his failure and most of all he remembered Annabeth as if it all happened yesterday, not a year and a half ago.
Pushing these memories out, he unlocked his phone and scrolled through the news articles he had been following recently. Three dead found in the Thames, the reason he was going to London. Local naiads said there was something fishy going on. That was all the information could get, as the naiads were freaked out, and not just normal naiad freaking out. Something had scared them, but they hadn't bothered sharing.
Percy shut his phone off.
"Um. Nice view, huh?" The redhead asked, startling Percy from his thoughts, attempting desperately to flirt with him.
Gods, this was going to be a long flight.
Sorry it's so slow! I'll def be uploading the next chapter very soon and the plot will pick up!
Stay tuned!