I woke up in a cold sweat. The heavy weight of my nightmare crushed my lungs and made it hard to breathe. When I finally controlled my gasping breathe I looked at my surroundings. I was still in the Apollo cabin and the sun hung lazily and low in the sky. I felt a lot more rested and energetic than I had before my nap.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and pushed my silky blankets back. I slipped out of bed and stumbled towards the clock. Instead of seeing the time, I saw a piece of paper. It was a note written in small, neat handwriting. I picked it up, noticing that the clock read 5:23, and saw that it was from Nico.
Meet me our spot by the lake. I want to show you something.
A warm feeling spread through my stomach when I read the words "our spot". I tried to push aside my giddiness, but it was impossible. I checked myself in the mirror to makes sure I had no drool on my face. After running my fingers through my hair I laced up my converse and set out towards the lake.
Outside, campers were busy cleaning the camp and getting ready for dinner. My stomach growled and I remembered that I had skipped lunch. I saw Nico pacing back and forth at our spot by the lake. He looked nervous, although I had no idea why. He didn't see me approach until I was a few feet away.
"Hey." I greeted and I laughed as he jumped in surprise. His eyes flooded in relief, but were quickly clouded with nervousness again.
What's up with him?
"Hi." He said back. We stood in silence for a couple seconds and Nico rocked on his heels.
"So, didn't you say you were going to show me something?" I prompted. Nico laughed nervously.
"Oh, yeah. I did say that, didn't I?" I nodded and looked at him in concern. I could see Nico internally arguing with himself, but he finally gave up. "Just follow me." He turned and I smiled at the back of his head. I trudged along beside him and I saw that he was taking me to the forest.
"Uh, is it safe in there?" I asked, my pace faltering. Nico kept walking.
"As long as you're with me, it is." I smirked and caught up with him.
"Says the one who almost got killed in there." I saw Nico smile faintly and it suddenly struck me how handsome his crooked grin was.
"Let's not talk about that." We walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way to the forest. I was constantly aware of how close we were walking, and I couldn't help but blush as our hands occasionally bumped and brushed. I was dying to know why Nico was taking me into the forest, but every time I tried to ask Nico would cut me off or just give me a mischievous, lopsided grin that made my heart flip.
When he began to lead me through the forest I fell behind quickly. I was not used to the thick bushes and tangled roots, but he came here every day.
"Nico!" I yelled after him ad I tried to untangle my hair from a branch. "Wait up!" I heard the bushes ahead of me rustle as he came back for me. When he saw my predicament he burst out laughing, but quickly clapped his hand over his mouth when he saw my humorless expression.
He came closer to me so that he could untangle my hair. I sucked in my breath as his fingers accidentally brushed my cheek while he untangled my hair. Thankfully, he was too focused on his job to notice. When he stepped back I combed my fingers through my hair to get the leaves out. When I looked back at Nico I saw that he was holding his hand out. I knew it wasn't a romantic gesture, although I wished it was. It was so that he could help me over the roots and around the bushes.
I reached out and took his hand. His fingers were freezing and his touch sent a mix of ice and electricity up my arm. I felt my face grown hot and thanked the gods for the shadows that were cast over my face. I felt Nico squeeze my hand. It was so soft and subtle that I might have imagined it. Even so, it made my heart pound.
He began to lead the way through the forest again. It was getting dark. The only sources of light were the broken pieces of golden sun that shone through the leaves. I tried to focus on where I was putting my feet, but my mind was stuck on the fact that Nico was holding my hand.
Pull yourself together! I scolded myself. He's just another boy. But that's the thing. He wasn't just another boy. He treated me like I was important, like my ideas were worth listening to. He treated me like I was a somebody. My mind flashed back to the conversation I had with my mom about Apollo. He had treated her like a somebody. She had fallen in love with him and he left her with a baby and a broken heart.
Nico wouldn't do that. I assured myself, but then I realize how stupid that sounded. It's not like we were a couple. I was acting like we were already in love. No. We were far from it.
After we walked for half an hour, Nico suddenly stopped and dropped my hand. I suddenly felt cold, which made no sense because Nico's hand was far from warm. He stepped in front of me and I saw nervousness, excitement, and hope in his chocolate eyes.
"Close your eyes." He said. I obeyed. I felt both of his hands grip mine, sending another spark of electricity up my arms, and led me forward. I shuffled my feet slowly and tried not to stumble. Soon I noticed that my feet weren't hitting any roots or holes in the ground. It was all smooth grass. Nico stopped walking. His slender fingers were still gripping mine, and I was glad he didn't let go.
"Okay," Nico said. I could hear the excitement dripping from his voice. "Open them." When I did, the first thing I saw was a weeping willow tree. It looked so melancholy, but so peaceful. Its leaves were a soft greenish golden and were lying completely still. The trunk was twisted, but the bark looked smooth. The next thing I noticed was that we were in a clearing. There was soft, lush grass beneath our feet and a clear, golden sky above out heads. Everything was bathed in an orange, yellow glow. It was so beautiful, so breathtaking, that I had to tear my eyes away.
I looked back Nico. I was going to tell him how stunning this place was, but when I saw his face and my words died in my throat. His face was tilted up towards the sky, his eyes closed. The thick sunlight bathed his face in a fiery glow and made him look years younger. His normally raven black hair was set aflame in all shades of deep red and brown. He looked at peace.
I'm not sure how long I stared at him, but he eventually turned back towards me. I expected his eyes to be warm and full of tranquility. But they weren't. They were shattered and dark, like sharp the sharp edges of broken glass. His serene features were etched with deep sorrow. I didn't know what caused his sudden change in attitude, but I was determined to find out.
We were still holding hands and I squeezed his reassuringly.
"Nico?" I asked quietly. His eyes were glued to mine. He looked so tired, so lonely. His sadness was a disease and I was soon infected. I felt like my heart was being torn out.
"He betrayed me." Nico said, so quietly that I almost missed it. His voice was shattered and wrecked, like his eyes. "He said he would protect her." I knew he was talking about Percy. His voice was so choked with emotion that I found it hard to speak as well.
"Tell me." I whispered. I took a tiny step closer to him; we were so close that I could feel his warm breathe. Nico shook his head and dropped his gaze to the grass. I wasn't going to let this go. "Trust me." Nico immediately looked back up, his eyes aching with loneliness. He nodded once. He had held himself together for too long and now he was falling apart. I wanted to be the one that picked up the pieces.
"Percy was the closest thing I had to a friend. A father. A hero." Nico looked down at his hands. At our hands. "He cared for me when no one else would. He was the only one who wanted to be seen with the son of Hades. He was the only one who remembered that I had feelings too." Nico's voice cracked and he stopped. I was so afraid that he was going to cry. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to help him. Nico took a shaky breathe and plunged into his story.
*FLASHBACK*
Nine year-old Nico jumped into the lake. He loved the icy feeling of the water and the way it wrapped him in a liquid hug. Sometimes he wondered what hugging Percy would be like. He didn't think it would be cold. It would be warm and strong.
Nico kicked paddled with his legs and arms until he reached the surface. He took a deep breathe of the summer air and began to swim towards the center of the lake. With every stroke of his arms he felt stronger.
I'm going to be as strong as Percy! Nico told himself happily. And then we can swim together. Maybe I'll be good enough to be a son of Poseidon with him! Nico almost smiled, but stopped when he realized his head he would only get a mouthful of water.
Nico swam for hours and hours, only stopping to float when his legs and arms felt like lead. He was so close to halfway through the lake. Percy would be so proud of him if he made it. Nico paddled as hard as he could. He didn't stop even when his lungs burned. He thought about Percy's grin, about how happy he would be to see Nico following in his footsteps. Percy would laugh and ruffle Nico's hair.
Finally Nico came up for air. He took huge breathes until he was breathing normally again. When he looked back at the shore he grinned.
He had made it halfway. He was so happy that he shouted in celebration.
Nico didn't see the "WARNING: MONSTER" sign just four eight feet away from him. He didn't see Percy on the shore, waving his arms and yelling for him to turn back. He didn't see the underwater creature awaken below him.
Until it was too late.
The monster gripped Nico's ankle with its slimy tentacle and yanked him beneath the waves so quickly he didn't even have time to scream. Nico fought and fought, but his arms were too numb from swimming and his lungs were empty. He finally closed his eyes and felt darkness begin to take him. His last thought was that Percy would never know that he made it halfway to the lake.
But then he felt the tentacle loosen. Nico's eyes flashed open and he saw his hero, Percy Jackson, saving the day. Percy fought the monster back into the depths of the lake. Nico was too stunned to swim to the surface, but when Percy gripped his hand he was shocked back into reality.
Percy blasted them out of the water and held Nico afloat. As he gasped for breathe and choked on water, Percy supported him. When Nico was able to breathe easily he looked up into his savior's eyes. The ocean green eyes were crinkled with worry, but they were also soft with affection. Nico stared up at Percy with wide brown eyes, full of admiration and awe. A warm feeling burst open in Nico's chest as he gazed up at Percy because he knew he would be there to help him, to protect him. Even if Bianca had chosen the hunters of Artemis over him, Nico would always have Percy.
Percy was always there to save the day. And he always would be.
"But he wasn't." Nico spat, his thick voice suddenly bitter. The heavy sadness in his eyes flashed hot with anger. "She was the only family I had and he couldn't save her." His anger left as quickly as it came. This time the grief was so strong that he stumbled forward. I caught him and steadied him, but his eyes were so full of sorrow that I thought they would overflow.
And they did.
Uncontrollable tears poured out of Nico's eyes. His face was contorted in pain, a deep, pulsing pain in his heart that would never heal.
"He couldn't save her." He repeated, this time in a choked whisper. "I believed in him. I trusted him. He was my hero! All I wanted was Bianca back. She left me, and I just wanted her back..." A fresh wave of tears hit Nico and he turned away from me, burying his face in his hands.
I was so touched by his story that a few tears leaked out of my eyes as well. I gently touched Nico on the back. I brushed them away. Right now I had to be strong for Nico.
"Nico," I said quietly, talking past the lump in my throat. "I get that you were lied to, that you were abandoned. I know now that the only people you trusted lied to you." I walked in front of him and gently lifted his chin so he was looking at me. I looked deeply into his swollen, red eyes. "But I'm not going to leave you. Not ever." His eyes widened, just a bit, but he still looked so sad. I knew he didn't believe me. After all, that's what everyone else had told him before leaving him in the dust.
I had to prove it, somehow. I was so close to him, my hand already on his face. I could kiss him. And I wanted to; more badly than I've ever wanted anything in my life. All I had to do was lean forward…
But I didn't. I knew Nico needed a friend more than he needed a lover. Instead I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. For a split second he was frozen in shock, but then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. He had to bend over a tiny bit for his head to rest on my shoulder, but if felt comfortable. It felt right. I could feel his gentle sobs vibrate through my body and I could feel his tears soak my shoulder. I buried my face into his neck and tried not to cry. I had to be strong. For him. His skin was warm, unlike his fingertips, and it smelled like the forest right after it rained. Clean, strong, and refreshing. I couldn't get enough of it.
Eventually Nico's shoulders stopped shaking, but he didn't loosen his embrace. I felt the warmth of the setting sun disappear, but I couldn't be sure how dark it was because my eyes were closed and my face was nestled in Nico's neck.
After what felt like an hour, Nico lifted his head from my shoulder and put his lips next to me ear.
"Don't leave me." His voice sounded so insecure and broken and I knew he was far from fixed.
"Never." I whispered into his skin. I would stay here all night if that's what he wanted. He pulled away but gripped my hand immediately, like he was afraid I would suddenly vanish if he didn't have a tight grip on me. His eyes were still very red, but they weren't as shattered and dark as before. They were soft around the edges. He led me over to the Willow tree and we sat down, leaning against the trunk.
I sighed and leaned my head onto his shoulder. I wasn't sure why I was being so bold, but it felt right. Almost natural. I thought about his words. Don't leave me. Suddenly the full meaning of the words hit me. He didn't mean "Stay with me here, right now" he meant "Don't leave. Ever". My stomach filled with warmth as I realized that he trusted me. Out of everyone he met, he chose me.
The stars glinted like tiger eyes through the willow's branches. I was surprised by how much time had passed.
Hopefully my cabin isn't wondering where I am, I thought suddenly. I thought about their reactions as they realized that I was out after curfew with Nico. I mentally scolded myself for leaving the note sitting on the desk. I'm sure Will was going to give me a talking to when I got back.
But right now I was with Nico. I thought about everything that happened, the way he held my hand, the way my head rested perfectly on his shoulder. I'm not sure what Nico and I were. Were we friends? Or more? But at that very moment I didn't care, because I had Nico. Whether or not he thought of me as more than a friend didn't matter. We sat in comfortable silence for a long time. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay with Nico.
Somewhere between star gazing and memorizing every detail about Nico, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up the moon was still high in the sky and I was freezing cold, despite the weight of a jacket on top of me. I realized that it was Nico's aviator jacket.
What is this doing here? I wondered, looking down at the dark coat. I rubbed reached up to rub my eyes, but my hand was caught on something. I looked down and saw my hand tangled with someone else's. Their pale hand was attached to a slim arm which was attached to a sleeping boy. Nico.
I suddenly remembered everything that had happened.
Oh my gods, it wasn't a dream. I thought as I freaked out. We had actually hugged and held hands. I had actually fallen asleep with him. My face suddenly burned red as I remembered that we were still holding hands. I looked back at the sleeping Nico and my heart did a backflip. He looked so young, so peaceful. I heard him snore gently and noted how cute it was. His hair was as tousled as ever, but I found it endearing and attractive.
What now? I asked myself. Were Nico and I just friends? Did anything that happened last night mean anything? I mean, of course I trusted him more and now I knew why he pushed everyone away. But were we… a couple? Did he even like me that way? Questions filled my head, but I had no answers. I was scared to know the truth.
I told myself that it didn't matter if he didn't like me. He was still the best friend I ever had and I was not going to mess that up. But I still had the urge to kiss him. To tell him how I really felt.
I closed my eyes tightly and pushed those thoughts out of my head. It was kind of hard, considering Nico was currently holding my hand. I sighed and pulled his coat up to my chin. It was so cold! I thought about waking him up, but he looked so calm. There were no dark circles under his eyes. I wondered how long it had been since he slept peacefully.
Goosebumps prickled my skin as a fresh wave of icy air wiggled its way beneath Nico's jacket.
That's it. I thought and turned to Nico. I poked his shoulder.
"Nico." I whispered loudly. Nothing happened. "Nico." I said again, louder. Still nothing. This time I pushed him with so much force that he fell over. He woke up as he hit the ground.
"Ouch!" He groaned, sitting back up. "What was –" but then he saw me. He saw our hands. I knew that he was blushing. He dropped my hand and folded his own in his lap. My heart sank.
Back to square one.
"We should probably go." Nico said, breaking the awkward tension. I nodded and stood up. Nico's jacket slid off my arms and I shivered. I picked it up and handed it back to him. He shook his head. "No you can keep it for now. The cold doesn't bother me very much." I pulled my arms through his jacket and warmth that had nothing to do with the thickness of the coat spread through my body.
We trudged through the forest, back the way we had come. Only this time, Nico didn't offer his hand for me to hold. He walked quickly so that he was always a few feet ahead of me. The warmth in my stomach extinguished and I felt cold all over again. Was nothing different between us? Was he going to push me away, too?
We walked in silence the rest of the way out of the forest. Unlike our usually comfortable silence, the air was filled with awkward tension that I had no idea how to break. I didn't want to bring up what he told me in case it was too painful. But I also wanted to know if he was just going to ignore everything that happened.
We finally reached the edge of the forest and pushed through the last patch of brambles. The moon was high in the sky and cast a silver glow and intense shadows over the cabins. Nico finally stopped walking as soon as we were free from the stifling forest. He turned to me, but his face was cast in a shadow and I couldn't read his expression.
"Um," he voice was gravelly so he cleared his throat. "About what happened last night -" but I interrupted him.
"You don't have to explain yourself. If you just want to pretend it never happened that's fine and I know that there's nothing between us, but-"
But then Nico rushed forward pulled me into a crushing hug. For a second I forgot how to breathe. Then, when I remembered how, I still couldn't because Nico was holding me too tightly. Thankfully, Nico loosened his desperate grip on me and I wrapped my arms around him. Maybe there was a spark between us…
"I don't regret it. I'm glad I told you." He said into my ear. "And I don't want to pretend like it never happened." I smiled into his t-shirt. We stayed like this for a couple more seconds, before he pulled away. This time the warm buzz in my stomach didn't go away.
"Good night." Nico said with a small smile on his lips. For a fleeting moment I wondered what his smile would feel like on my lips. Then I blushed.
"Yeah, good night." We each turned out separate directions. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep the fuzzy feeling inside of me. Then I realized I was still wearing Nico's coat. For a brief second I thought about keeping it, savoring the lingering scent of earth and pine needles. But I knew it would be weird if Will saw me with it so I turned around. I couldn't see him very well, but the moon light outlined the frame of his small, but muscular, shoulders.
"Nico!" I called out. He turned around. I slipped off his coat and held it up, ignoring the sudden chill that struck me. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He walked back over to me, his hands in his pockets.
"Thanks." He said, removing a hand to take his coat. Our numb fingertips brushed and sparks shot up my arm.
"No problem." I replied quietly. He played with the collar of his jacket for a second before saying "Well, good night for real." I laughed softly.
"Good night, Emo boy." He gave me a final grin, which I returned, before turning and walking away. I watched his back as he strolled towards the Hades cabin. Only when he the darkness swallowed him did I turn and walk back towards my cabin. I opened the door as quietly as I could. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw that everyone was asleep. Will was sleeping in one of the chairs at the desk, his arm folded and neck resting on his shoulder. He probably fell asleep waiting for me to get back. A glance at the clock told me it was 2:28.
I slipped my shoes off and pulled my covers up to my chin. I smiled goofily to myself as I remembered the way Nico's hand fit into mine, the way his touch sent tingles up my spine.
When I finally closed my eyes I was felt like a giddy school girl. I was so consumed with thoughts of Nico and I, of what we could be, that I didn't even think to be worried about my quest. Eventually I slipped into a comfortable, dreamless sleep.
Sooo... did you like it? REVIEW and tell me! Thank you all SO much for all the views, reviews, and favorites. Nothing makes me happier than knowing you guys like what I write! :) Stay tuned for the next chapter.
NOTE: All rights for the new cover photo go to ViperPhotography!