Chapter 36 - Nico di Angelo

"How could she be so stupid?" Aria ranted in a rush of words, but Nico could hear the concern in her voice as she spoke. Plus, her hands were shaking and he could tell that she was borderlining hysterics. "Elsa runs around here like she's freaking invincible, but she's not! She's mortal!"

His closest friend had been spewing ever since he dragged her out of the infirmary. One utterly annoyed look from Will and Nico pushed her out the door. After a bout of protesting, she had turned to her rants and he just really wanted her to calm down.

"Yeah, who does she think she is trying to stop the camp from burning to the ground?" he quipped in a plain tone as they reached the Mess Hall that was devoid of any campers. Most were still cleaning up after the havoc cause by Festus, while others were in the infirmary.

Elsa was tough, he knew that. She'd be okay. It wasn't the first time someone had gotten hurt in their group and while, Elsa was a good friend of theirs, he didn't understand why Aria was reacting in a such a way. It was unlike her. Even when Nora was hurt during the battle on Olympus, she had kept her cool.

The daughter of Poseidon shot him a glare, but then let out the sigh he had been waiting to hear. "Is this how Annabeth feels every time one of us gets hurt because gods, it sucks." she revealed, her face falling. Her tone was different, Aria sounded almost guilty. "I'm in charge." the dark haired girl then stated, evenly. "If I was actually doing anything right, Elsa would be fine."

Nico eyed her with his dark eyes in a bit of a shock. He didn't think he had ever seen her so unsure of herself. Then, it dawned on him. She thought it was her leadership that got Elsa hurt and he knew that she would never outright admit it. "She'll be fine, Aria. Will can heal almost anything." the son of Hades offered to sooth her as they opted to sit at the Poseidon table.

For a moment, his friend seemed lost in her own thoughts, biting her lip as she reasoned within her own mind. When her blue eyes flickered up at him, finally, questions seemed to swirl in the depths of her irises. "What?" he asked in response to her inquiring look.

"What's your deal with Solace, anyways?" questioned Aria with a thoughtful gaze. "You're always with him which normally I'd find offensive since you've been known to avoid me like the plague and I'm the best friend you've got… I've been so caught up with all this leadership crap that I haven't even noticed. Nico, did you make a new friend?"

Her tone was studded in surprise as if the idea was outlandish. Nico could have rolled his eyes at her incredulous tone. "Jealous?" he quipped, simply.

The dark haired girl snorted. "No, it's about time someone else learned to put up with you."

"You know that sounds a lot like jealousy, Ari."

"Well, it's not." she grinned like an idiot. "I'm actually kind of feeling a bit proud right now. Yeah, like a proud mom."

He scoffed, "You're utterly ridiculous."

"My little Nico is all grown up. He's got his own friends." Aria cooed, mockingly.

Nico smiles very briefly at his friend, not even slightly annoyed by her relentlessness. She practically lived for teasing him and he wondered if this was what he relationship with Bianca was supposed to be like. Or maybe this friendship was something special that only him and Aria could share. With a bit of courage and faith in his friendship, he finally said, "Will's not my friend."

"Oh? Then, what is he, Death Boy?" she asked just as playfully, not grasping what he was really trying to tell her. Her blue eyes were swimming with amusement, but he could still see that dark shadow of doubt in the depth of her eyes. It was like she trying to forget it by teasing him.

The son of Hades bit his lip and hesitated, but only for a moment. It was long enough for Aria to notice and eye him in question. "Nico?" she offered, her playful tone gone.

He looked down at his black sneakers for a moment and kicked a pebble. "We're uh… we're kind of dating." He couldn't bare to look up see her expression, but after a long pause of silence, he looked up to see her unreadable expression. She didn't look upset or confused or any of the things, he expected. In fact, he really just couldn't get a good read on her. Typical, he thought, just like a child of Poseidon to get all unpredictable out of nowhere.

"Oh." she said at last, her tone light and thoughtful. "And you're happy?"

He nodded back, quickly. He liked Will more than he'd ever admit to him anytime soon. He was funny, but in a sort of dark way that Nico knew only few, like himself, could appreciate. And Will was just really honest which he regarded quite highly. "I am."

"Okay." Aria nodded back, smiling a bit. "Well I will admit that I didn't see this coming, however-." she stopped and seemed to think over her words. "However, I just want you to do whatever makes you happy, dude. You're my friend regardless."

She didn't try to hug him or pry further and he appreciated it more than she would ever know, or maybe she did. Since the moment he had met her, Aria kind of always seemed mindful of his boundaries. Maybe it was why they were such good friends. Nico gave her a smile. "Thanks Ari."

She shrugged. "Oh don't thank me, I have to thank Will if anything. He can wake you up from your death naps from now on." she quipped, easily, slipping right back into their usual routine of teasing and jokes.

Nico rolled his eyes. Typical, but he wouldn't have had it any other way. Out of the corner of his eye, he seen Will slowly approach from the infirmary, looking their way. The son of Death, tapped his friend on the arm to turn her attention. Aria immediately jogged over to him, a series of questions concerning Elsa leaving her mouth faster than Nora could run.

Will simply and very tiredly held up a hand to stop her. "I healed her as much as I could." Aria's face fell and Nico knew her heart dropped to her stomach just like his did. "She won't be able to talk for a couple of days and she'll have some scars, but she's okay."

Aria let out a huge breath of relief for the both of them. "Gods, Solace, you need to work on your bedside manner." she sighed, running a shaky hand through her dark hair.

The son of Apollo blinked at her. "You're not the patient."

"Gah! You know what I mean!" she exclaimed as she stomped off back towards the infirmary to visit Elsa, Nico assumed.

They were silent until Nico watched Aria disappear into the infirmary. "She's definitely wound up tight today, huh?"

"Aria just really cares about her friends." Nico explained, "And the whole leadership thing is wearing her down. Once Annabeth gets back, she'll be fine."

Will nodded before biting his lip as is to stop himself for saying what he wanted to next. Nico eyed him, curiously and the blonde sighed, "They've been gone a long time… I mean I know guys are used to being out there, but for us, this isn't a good sign. A lot of the campers are nervous. Especially after the new prophecy was given."

Nico sighed. He had been trying really hard not to feel bothered about how long Annabeth and the others were gone. Truth was, the had never been gone this long. Not without sending Nora to tell them that they were okay. He was worried. More than he had let on and with Aria so stressed over trying to keeps things in order, the last thing he wanted to do was share his concerns and stress her out even more.

"They've been gone too long. Even for us, this is a stretch." he admitted, casting his eyes to the ground. "Something's happened. They should be back."

It didn't seem to ease Will's nerves at all. His frown deepened. "What y-you think they… died?"

Nico shook his head, immediately. "No, I'd know if my friends did. After spending such a long time with them, I would know. I'd feel it. Bianca would be able to tell if Percy had too." he paused for a second and met Will's eyes. They were blue and full of muted concern. "I just think this turned into a lot more than a rescue mission. We should be worried because when they get back, I think we'll have more to worry about than a haywire automaton."