Nico opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. His friends immediately caught on concerned looks spread among them like a cold. The teen pressed his lips together, "Nico? What's wrong?" Percy's seemed to get stormy and the latter slowly removed himself from the two demigods grip. Leo frowned as he heard no answer from the brooding teen. The son of Hephaestus followed the younger teen to his cabins determined to get something anything out of him.
"You guys didn't know?" A familiar blond said in a soft voice. All six turned towards the Son of Apollo, "He's become mute, no one really knows why, not even me." The sun of a Apollo sighed his warm glow faltering.
Nico quickly ran under the shadows of his cabin, fully aware of Leo at his tail, he simply shadow traveled to the woods.
He exhaled, relief flowed through him. Nico leaned onto a tree, then sunk down to a sitting position, with his legs pulled up to his chest.
I've become a burden, I'm only going to weigh them down.
Why did they even bother to greet me anyway? it'not like I can say anything back.
Nico sighed into his knees. "NICO! I know you're here! Let's go back to camp together! Please Nico," A voice that belonged to Leo echoed through the woods. The dark hair teen flinched in his spot. Keeping very still, as he waited for his friends to give up on their search for him. When the rustling and shouts of his name were gone he slowly and silently started to get up from his spot, but counted to 20 before leaving his spot against the tree, in case he was still in looking of him.
When nothing happened in those 20 seconds he decided to walk back to camp, no he didn't shadow travel. These days shadow traveling was more tiring than walking. There was no use in wasting his powers on simple human tasks such as walking. As he was cautiously walking a small rustle was heard from his right and before he could turn his head, he was being tackled. "Gotcha," the latino said from above him with a smirk, the mute glared daggers at him, which he wished he had at the moment.
He didn't want to explain the cause for him being mute, it just… happened- there was nothing that he could link the cause of his situation, he couldn't and wouldn't want be able to remember, because whatever the cause was it may have been devastating for him to be in this silent state.
