A/N: PLEASE READ THIS
Alright, listen. This is set after The Last Olympian, but before The Lost Hero. I was rereading the series, but the only book I remember anything about whatsoever is the Lightning Thief. So, I have absolutely no idea what happened in the last book. BUT I REMEMBER BECKENDORF ;-;
Anyway, it seemed logical to me that after the battle with Kronos, Chiron probably would have applied safety measures controlling transportation and temporarily banned campers from leaving camp, maybe. Once everything was settled again, Chiron lifted the ban and they were allowed to leave camp again, but the transportation safety measures were still an issue, and thus, Nico could not shadow travel. I think that's really all I have to say. Plus also, THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC, PEOPLE! Nico is not interested in Percy romantically, Percy is not interested in Nico romantically! I shipped them as brothers before HoH, and I still do. I HAVE NOT READ THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS, PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE SPOILERS.
I'm not very experienced at writing Percy Jackson, so this mightttt be crappy. It's my first attempt at a chapter story that has an actual plot in the PJO fandom.
By the gods, Nico really hated Zeus sometimes.
Right now, of course, it wasn't just Zeus he hated. He could also easily blame Chiron, and, though he was loathe to admit it, himself for the situation in which he now found himself. He could have listened to Percy, and let the son of Poseidon know where he was going before leaving camp, but of course, his pride had gotten in the way and he had gone right past Half-Blood Hill and down into New York.
And now, standing shivering, sodden and miserable on a rainy street, squinting around in the gray gloom for any sign of Half-Blood Hill, he was beginning to regret his rashness. Ever since Percy had gently taken him aside and informed him that summoning the dead using root beer and cheeseburgers was simply not the done thing at Camp Half-Blood, and that maybe Nico should try cutting it back a little, the dark-haired boy had known he'd be leaving the camp often, no matter what Chiron said. And Chiron had said a lot following the war with Kronos.
For the first week or so, Nico really had stayed in the camp like a good little half-blood, but after a bit, he'd started getting major cabin fever. Literally.
After a week spent counting the skulls in the Hades cabin, even though he knew how many there were anyway, Nico had deemed it time for a little trip to the real world. He hadn't strayed far from camp, he really hadn't. So why had seven different monsters cornered him at different times already? He'd only been away from the camp for an hour, maybe two. And he could sense danger from somewhere around him, like maybe one of the pedestrians was yet another monster. Nico was tired, but he knew if it came down to it, he could fight. When you were a son of Hades, you carried a Stygian sword and the power to raise the dead, monsters didn't tend to last long against you.
Still, he wasn't eager for more monsters, even if he could fight them off. He was shaking from cold and stumbling a little from all the rain. To top it off, he was receiving odd looks from the mortals. He couldn't fathom what they saw; all he knew was that he was a boy with dark clothing, a skull ring, and a Stygian sword and he tended to unsettle people just by walking in the room. Even other demigods seemed a little uncomfortable around him. Perhaps it was the faint smell of the Underworld lingering on him, or just the fact that he was Hades' son to begin with. Unconsciously, he tugged his sword closer to his side, quickening his pace as the pine tree came in sight once more. Chiron might have allowed half-bloods in and out of camp again after the war with Kronos, but the damn centaur still restricted methods of passage in and out. Otherwise, the whole trip would have been cut an hour shorter, and Nico could have shadow traveled back to camp.
A powerful cough overtook him as he stumbled over the crest of the hill, and so he bent there for a moment, shivering violently now and thankful that it didn't rain in Camp Half-Blood unless they wished it. And right now, he most certainly did not wish it. He sank onto the hill, gazing out at the strawberry fields and the volleyball pit for a second before reluctantly coaxing himself to his feet again. If Percy saw him there, he'd automatically assume the worst. Nico trudged back to his cabin, ignoring the curious looks from other campers as he passed by. They had nothing to be curious about. Chiron allowed campers to leave all the time now. So why were they staring at him again?
The boy couldn't help feeling fidgety and agitated as he reached his cabin, eased the door open and slipped inside. Though he was cold, his exhaustion outweighed his discomfort, and he decided a nap was in order first.
The nap was nice, but when Nico awoke again, he knew that he wasn't moving for another century or so. Rolling over onto his stomach, he groaned, reaching up to put a hand to his pounding head. His throat burned like fire with every swallow, and it was pitch black outside his cabin window. He hadn't wanted the window, but Percy had wanted the window, despite the fact that Percy wasn't even living in the cabin with him. Needless to say, Percy had gotten the window.
Nico dragged himself up onto his elbows with a groan, regretting this instantly as his stomach lurched from the movement. He stilled until the sudden wave of nausea passed, trying to figure out, around the awful throbbing in his head, why he felt so horrible. Sure, he had fought seven monsters yesterday, but he wasn't that weak. Maybe he was sorely out of practice? Maybe the Stoll brothers had poisoned his food. That would be likely. They appeared to be the only people in Camp Half-Blood, besides Annabeth, Percy and Grover, who weren't wary of him.
Despite the fact that he'd just woken from a very long nap, Nico already felt fatigue dragging at him again. If the Stoll brothers had poisoned his food, he thought sleepily to himself as he carefully eased back down onto the pillow and closed his eyes, he would get them back for it somehow. But right now he needed to go back to sleep.