They left the arena with the other members of the Hephaestus cabin picking up the remains of the chariots. They would probably re-use the bronze again for weapons or maybe even rebuild the chariots. Nico couldn't help the small temptation to keep their black chariot. It was barely damaged but he let it go. Drew led them to the edge of the forest and turned around.
"I thought this event was too much like Capture the Flag but since I wasn't consulted I guess we just have to suffer through it," she said. "Each team has a tiny flag with their names on it."
She raised her fist and a bunch of flags were clutched in her perfect manicured fingers. Several nymphs appeared behind her and she gave each one a flag and they ran off into the forest.
"The nymphs will hide your flag in the forest and the first team to find theirs and bring it back will win the competition!" she said flashing a big smile.
"You're forbidden to split up from each other while you search. The nymphs will be watching. You'll have to use your natural compatibility and see if your combined skills make the cut. I think we all have our eye on a certain couple," she added with a wink. The other campers cheered but Silena looked like she wanted to make Drew eat her megaphone. Charlie shook his head and rolled his eyes, but Percy looked like he wanted to hurl a rock at her, which was surprising but then again Drew was very aggravating.
"Hmm," Drew said thoughtfully. "Maybe you better have some weapons just in case you run into monsters…" that got her another cough from Chiron.
They were allowed to go to the armory and choose a weapon. Nico stuck with his Stygian sword, Percy uncapped Riptide, Annabeth patted her dagger where it hung on her hip, and Charlie and Thalia ran back to their cabins to get their own. Silena asked him to come to the armory with her and help her pick something since she didn't keep weapons of her own. They picked through the piles of celestial bronze swords, looking for something that would fit her. He watched as Silena picked up a large, triangular dagger that looked suspiciously like Piper's Katoptris. She frowned at it and tossed it into another pile.
"I think I need a spear. I'm pretty good at handling them thanks to Clarisse," she said looking at the wall where the spears were propped.
"Clarisse taught you how to handle a spear?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, we're friends." She must have seen his face because her next frown was aimed at him. "Why is that weird? I'm friends with you, aren't I?"
"Yeah," he said quietly, feeling a bit ashamed.
"There's more to her, just like there's more to you. Ah, this one's nice!" she said grabbing one of the spears.
"Let's go before Drew starts-" she was interrupted by Drew's voice thundering through the air on the megaphone.
"Silena, will you hurry up?"
"Speak of the gorgon…" Silena sighed.
"I could always summon some zombies to chase her," Nico offered as they headed for the door. Silena laughed.
"Can I keep that option in my back pocket?"
"Now that we're all here," Drew said looking at Silena and Nico. "Contestants, get ready!" They all took their positions at the start line. "Set! Go!"
The crowd cheered again and they all took off into the forest. At first they all ran straight but soon started veering off. Clarisse had a grip on Clovis's forearm and seemed determined to keep him awake. They were the first to change course but the other teams started to peel off as well. Percy threw a glance at him over his shoulder when he Annabeth went to the right.
Once they were alone Nico called for a stop. Silena looked around, clutching her spear in her hand with the point aimed at the ground. Somehow her make-up had remained flawless through these events, which he found odd. They were both breathing hard but that wasn't the reason why he wanted to stop. The forest was getting thicker. The trees grew bigger and closer together in the middle and he didn't know if that meant more nature spirits would be watching them. He couldn't risk them hearing and telling Drew.
"Silena, we have to help Percy and Annabeth win," he whispered.
"Why?" she asked.
"They need this. Losing isn't helping them bond," he said.
"How would we even help? We can't stop all the other teams," she said.
"Yeah, I haven't exactly worked that part out, but I think they really need this. Plus, I don't think we need to win and give Drew another reason to make comments about us."
She seemed to consider his words for a minute and then nodded in agreement.
"We're going to need a fast plan. I can see Malcolm and Connor kinda having an advantage with their skills," he said looking around. Silena smiled suddenly.
"They're not the only ones with skills," she said happily. "I have an idea." She stuck her spear into the ground and backed up. Nico watched in confusion as she cupped her hands around her mouth and spoke.
"Could all the nature spirits who can hear me come out please?" he could feel the compulsion in her voice. She was Charmspeaking the forest.
He turned around in a circle and watched as the nymphs melted out of the trees and bushes around them. Soon they were surrounded by youthful girls with green tinted skin and gauzy dresses. They all had various leaves, flowers, or berries in their hair.
"Do any of you know where the flags were taken?" asked Silena. Some of the girls raised their hands.
"I would like for all of you who know where they are to go and find the flag that says "Annabeth and Percy" and bring back to us. The rest of you will go keep the other teams busy and stop them from finding their flags. Do you understand?" she asked very clearly and all the girls nodded as if in a trance.
"Good. Now go." They fanned out and ran into the forest and Nico grinned at Silena.
"You're good," he said in appreciation.
"Thank you," she said proudly.
"So we just wait?" he asked. "How do we get the flag to them?"
"Love should be hard won so maybe we should make them work for it?" she said smiling. Nico tried not to think about how that sounded like something Cupid would say.
"We put the flag somewhere and I could Charmspeak a monster into guarding it?" she suggested.
"That might work," he agreed. "Now we need a monster. And we need to make this look convincing."
Percy was getting frustrated with nature. He and Annabeth were chasing after a nymph that had stolen Annabeth's dagger. The nymph zigzagged through the trees and giggled at him over her shoulder. He tried to tackle her to the ground but she disappeared into a tree. He ended up covered in dirt and spitting dead leaves out of his mouth, but the dagger was on the ground right in front of him.
"Here," he said handing it back to Annabeth.
"This is ridiculous," she said. "There's no way to know where they took the flags!" she growled in frustration. "I can't believe we weren't even given a hint or a lead, what kind of system-"
A roar vibrated through the air and shook the branches of the trees. He and Annabeth immediately stood back-to-back and looked around for any threats. The roar rumbled again but didn't sound like it was coming closer. There were other sounds too. Someone was yelling.
"That sounds like Silena," said Annabeth.
"They're in trouble!" Percy said before he took off in the direction of the noise, giving Annabeth no choice but to follow.
"Not good," Nico said in a low tone. "Not good, not good." He pulled on Silena's arm trying to back away from the giant boar. Its red eyes watched their every move as Silena tried to calm it down.
The nymphs brought them Percy and Annabeth's green flag that was now stuck on the branch of the tree the boar was "guarding". Their plan was starting to go sideways and Nico just wanted to get Silena away.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"It's a beast, not enough brains to understand your Charmspeak. I think the tone of your voice is doing something but that's all," he said tugging her back.
"But my Charmespeak brought it here," she said nervously.
"I'm pretty it just came because you sounded tastey," he insisted.
"Well…well, okay then," she stammered. "Good boar," she said to it. "Nice boar. Now you just stay here and let us escape." They moved backwards but the boar huffed out of its huge snout and growled at them.
"Stay," Silena commanded. "Do not move." She gripped her spear tighter. Nico had drawn his sword long ago but wasn't sure he wanted to get close enough to use it.
The boar started to growl in earnest as they moved further away. It was obvious that Silena's voice couldn't hold it off forever. Something moved on the edge of Nico's vision and that's when Percy dropped down from above and landed on the boars back. They were so focused on the monster that they never even saw him climbing the tree. He stabbed at it while the boar bucked and roared. Silena wrenched herself away from Nico's grip and charged forward. She gave a thrust with her spear and caught the beast in its flank. It roared louder and rushed forward, blinded by pain and rage. The spear was yanked out of her hands with enough force to send her spinning to the ground. He ran to her but something else caught his attention.
"Hey!"
It was Annabeth. She jumped out of the brush and waved her arms at the boar. It immediately changed course and went after her. Percy was still on its back, hanging on by a handful of fur and stabbing at furiously with Riptide.
"Are you alright?" Nico asked Silena, kneeling next to her and looking her over for injuries.
"Fine," she gasped. "Ankle hurts a little and I'm dizzy."
"Stay still. I need to help them," he said.
Nico turned away from her and concentrated. His power tugged at his stomach and the ground split open in front of Annabeth. She looked shocked but not half so shocked as the boar as it ran right into a chasm full of corpses trying to pull it in. Percy jumped off and gouged its neck with Riptide. The boar squealed again before exploding into gold dust. Nico relaxed and the chasm closed like it was never there. Percy looked at Annabeth who nodded and then he turned his attention to Nico.
He was dirty all over, the left sleeve of his shirt was ripped, his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, those green eyes were bright with adrenalin, and his black hair was wild. As he stood there looking a disheveled mess with Riptide hanging from his hand, Nico thought he looked like Christmas morning. He let his eyes drop to the ground and tried to neutralize his expression. Annabeth ran over to them and knelt next him to check on Silena.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's just my ankle," she said glancing at Nico. Percy walked over and looked for any more trouble but Nico tried to ignore him.
"That's our flag," said Annabeth looking up in the tree.
"Yeah, we thought it was ours at first," Silena lied smoothly. "Then the boar happened. Ha! Nearly got killed for the wrong flag!" she laughed nervously.
"You okay?" Percy asked squatting down to look at Nico. The concern in his eyes made Nico want hide.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for saving us…both of you," he said turning to look at Annabeth. "You should get your flag and then this can be over."
Annabeth looked at Percy like she was asking a question.
"Are you guys giving up?" Percy asked.
"Silena's hurt," Nico said rolling his eyes. "It's more important that I get her to Chiron. Anyway, you guys earned it."
Percy looked at Annabeth and shrugged. He stood up and walked over to the tree and started to climb. Luckily they hadn't put it up too high. Nico helped Silena stand and put her arm around his shoulders and helped her limp away.
"The way he looks at you…" she whispered when they were a few feet away.
"Don't," he said. "You know it's not like that."
"Do you think we did it at least?"
"I hope so. I'm sorry you got hurt for it."
"It's not that bad. I bet I'll need one dose of ambrosia and nectar."
Percy and Annabeth refused to leave them. Percy even supported Silena on her other side and helped them get her back to the start line. Annabeth presented Drew with their flag and everyone cheered but it wasn't exactly the big victory moment Nico pictured. Percy seemed more concerned about helping him with Silena than celebrating with Annabeth. Chiron called some Apollo kids over who took her from them and carried her away. Afterwards, the horn was sounded to let the other teams know it was over.
"Congratulations to Percy and Annabeth for winning the last event!" announced Drew. "I'd like to remind everybody that these games were about compatibility and I think we've seen some interesting pairs. I always knew Silena had a thing for bad boys," Drew hinted and Nico felt embarrassed.
"I have to say I saw Percy and Annabeth coming a mile away. I mean two quests together already-"
"Will you shut up Drew? It's over," Percy yelled at her and there were a few mummers of agreement from the audience.
"Percy, why don't you go jump in the lake?" Drew said sweetly and Nico felt the compulsion of Charmspeak roll out of the megaphone.
He and Annabeth grabbed the back of Percy's shirt before he could walk off and do as she told him. Chiron confiscated the megaphone after that and the games were over.
Nico spent the next two days avoiding Percy like the plague. He stopped going to the Amphitheater, finished his meals quickly and disappeared after. Silena only had to stay in the infirmary for one night while her ankle healed, but he couldn't spend time with her either. She wanted to be with Charlie before she had to go back home for school but they hid in the arena one afternoon.
"You're still sure you want to leave it like this?" she asked gently.
"I really don't have much of a choice," he said looking at the sky.
"Well, I think you've done enough. I'll pray to my mother to forgive you, but I wish you'd let me help you with Percy," she sighed.
"Silena, you're great person," he said looking at her. She looked a little shocked but smiled. Her brown curls were loose today and her make-up was perfect as always. She was wearing a pair of jeans with holes in them that he guessed where on purpose. She even made the orange camp T-shirt look fashionable.
"I know Luke hurt you," he said. Her expression changed and she looked slightly panicked.
"How?" she breathed. He knew he had to be careful but he couldn't let her leave without saying something.
"It's that," he said nodding at her. "The look you get whenever he's mentioned. It's the same look Annabeth, Percy, and Thalia get. Look, I don't need you to tell me the details, but I hate that you're hurt over him. He doesn't deserve to have you sad for him. I want you to be happy…like you are with Charlie."
Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes were glassy. He knew it was coming before she even moved and let himself be pulled into the hug.
"Now I really hate that you won't let me help you!" she said starting to cry into his shoulder.
"I know," he said patting her back.
He stayed in the shadows and watched as Percy and Annabeth lit the first firework in honor of winning the last event of the games. He could also see Silena and Charlie and smiled at how sweet they looked. He didn't know what to do now exactly. It was the end of summer and everyone would be leaving tomorrow, including Percy. He didn't really know if he'd succeeded or failed either since Aphrodite remained silent. He'd made up his mind to leave but after that he was at a loss. The fireworks lit up the sky and this scene reminded him too much of the last time he'd been on the beach. It was at a celebration much like this where he'd watched from the sidelines as Percy and Annabeth announced their plans. He could remember how his chest hurt and the anger that had taken over.
Now he watched their younger selves laughing and joking and felt nothing but sorrow. He wished he'd let Jason stop him before he shadow traveled away and got himself into this mess. The sparks in the sky illuminated the beach and Percy spotted him. He tensed and then turned to leave but saw Percy move to follow him.
"Nico!"
He hated himself for it but he stopped walking and waited for the son of Poseidon to catch up.
"Hey, I've been looking for you. Can we talk?" he asked and Nico simply nodded.
"Come on," Percy said walking ahead of him.
"What did you want to talk about?" he asked Percy as they walked into the Amphitheater. Even here he could still see and hear the fireworks. There were distant sounds of the party too but they faded in and out. Percy looked nervous and that made him nervous. He didn't know what could be wrong or what he was expecting but the next thing Percy said wasn't even close.
"This is kind of hard to say... Umm I like you, Nico," he said softly.
They looked at each other but said nothing. His mouth wouldn't work and he couldn't tell if the loud booms going off were the fireworks or his heartbeat. He wasn't breathing right either but that fact that he was still breathing at all was a small kind of accomplishment.
"This is a joke isn't it?" he asked sadly and Percy's expression turned into one of shock.
"No! I'm serious!" Percy said loudly and his voice bounced around the space. Nico noticed the fire behind Percy was pinker than he'd ever seen it and he finally realized that it wasn't just him affecting it. He looked back at Percy and knew he was telling the truth. Those sea-green eyes were too open for Percy to be a convincing liar to anyone with half a brain.
"Wait…Annabeth. You're supposed to like Annabeth," he said dumbly.
"We're just friends. I told you," Percy said looking down at his feet.
"You like me?" Nico asked. He refused to believe he'd heard correctly.
"Well, I know it's probably weird, but yeah I like you," Percy said apprehensively. "I thought…well it's not a big deal or anything. If you don't like me like that I won't bring it up again, I promise," he added quickly.
How could he have messed up so badly? Everything he did to get them together had somehow backfired and Aphrodite was sure to be even more livid with him. But he just couldn't lie in that moment with Percy standing in front of him saying what he was saying. This was his chance –maybe his only one ever—and he just wanted to say it, just this once if he was doomed anyway.
"I do. I do like you, you have no idea, but…" he looked down and tried to figure out how to tell him.
"You do?" Percy sounded so relieved that it sped his pulse and made his palms sweat. "I wanted to know if we could…you know next summer when I come back? We could date? Or just hang out more or something?"
His smiled hesitantly at Nico and it was the worst thing in the world to see.
"Percy…please trust me. You need to be with Annabeth," he said slowly.
"What? I just told you, I don't like her that way. I like you." He took a step closer and Nico backed away. Percy looked at him curiously but didn't advance again.
"What's wrong?"
"Percy, please. We can't," Nico said firmly.
"Why?" Percy demanded. He looked nervous and angry now.
"Because I might not be here next summer or at least not for long," he said thinking about his eminent death at the hands of the Fates. "There's stuff going on with me that you can't know about and we're not supposed to end up together. I messed up," he said painfully.
"Nico, what are you talking about? We're not supposed to be together? Says who?" Percy asked incredulously.
"Everything!" Nico said bitterly. "You're the hero and the hero always gets the girl! I'm the son of Hades, and Aphrodite was nice enough to remind me that I don't get happy endings!"
"What?" Percy spat. "First off, I'm not a hero. I didn't want any of this! Second, who cares what Aphrodite says?" he stepped close enough to Nico that they were face-to-face. "This is stupid. If we like each other we should date. The gods can't control everything."
"And if I'm gone next summer?" he asked.
"Where are you going? The Underworld?" Percy asked gently.
Yeah, permanently, he wanted to say but stopped himself.
"Look, can we just go watch the fireworks together at least?" Percy pleaded. "And worry about everything else later?"
He felt Percy's fingers wrap around his own and looked down at their hands and then back up at the hopeful look on the son of Poseidon's face. Maybe if he was stronger he would have pulled away but he wasn't and nodded instead. Percy smiled and he mirrored it back, but when they turned to leave Nico's blood froze in his veins. Aphrodite was standing right behind them and he had a moment to grip Percy's hand before she reached out and touched his forehead.
In less than a blink he was back in Croatia on his knees in the middle of the ruins. He just stayed there in shock because he couldn't believe any of it.
"You see?" Aphrodite walked over to a pillar in front of him and leaned against elegantly.
"See?" he repeated quietly.
"I gave Percy several possibilities in love," she said matter-of-factly. "It all depended on how things worked out. Under the right circumstances he could have fallen in love with you, but he met Annabeth first and that path was chosen."
"Oh…" he whispered. He could feel hot pin pricks of tears behind his eyes. He was trying so hard to hold himself still. He wanted to cry and scream, and rip out his hair, and maybe a little of hers, but he held it all in.
"I hope you see now how complicated my plans are and the effort I put into them," she said self-importantly.
"I…yes…I see now," he said quietly and without feeling. He was staring at the cracked marble under him because he couldn't look at her. He would lose it if he looked at her smug face.
The wind rustled his hair and helped cool the burning in his eyes but it carried a weight that made him inhale sharply.
"Mother." It was Cupid's voice and he went still as a frightened rabbit.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Aphrodite asked.
"This was once my temple. Why are you here? And with Nico di Angelo?" He really couldn't look up now. It felt like being in a cage with a lion.
"I was just explaining that his broken heart is perhaps the most beautiful I've ever seen."
"You sent him back in time?" asked Cupid.
"It was just a little trip and I wiped the minds of everyone so it won't affect history," she said flippantly.
"Are you alright, Nico?" Cupid asked. Nico almost laughed at that but decided it wasn't wise.
"I'm fine," he said even though his mouth was dry and his heart was racing. "I need to go."
He scrambled into the shadow of a pillar and melted away. He came out in the shadow of his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. It was the same night he'd vanished because the party was still going. He just ducked inside and crawled under the sheets of his bed. He broke once his head hit the pillow and cried until his throat hurt. Even after he ran out of tears his body still jerked like he had more to shed. It was in that moment that he promised himself that he wouldn't go near love again.
End...