"I haven't done anything!" Nico yelled desperately. "It wasn't me! It wasn't-"
"It was you! Who else would have destroyed the camp?" The King of the Gods roared, bearing his gigantic bronze lightning bolt in one hand. He partially stood up from his throne, glaring at Nico. His eyes were grey and stormy, filled with rage.
Nico went silent. He put his hands in his pockets, gritting his teeth. It wasn't him, he wouldn't do such a thing. Yes, his boyfriend had died on a quest and he had been mad, but he wouldn't ever destroy Camp Half-Blood. It was his home.
His old home. He hadn't been there when it was destroyed. He didn't know how, he didn't know why. All he knew was that that thing had been powerful enough to take on all of the half-bloods at camp, including Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. It had been capable of killing them both.
He winced, remembering the enormous amount of death energy that had been unleashed during that time. Everyone had been annihilated.
It wasn't me.
He glanced around the room, taking in the sight of all of the gods, twenty times bigger than he was, sitting on their thrones. All mad, all suspicious of him. Most were fingering their weapons, a select few looked uneasy. Apollo had actually taken out his bow, nocked an arrow to it, and was aiming it at him.
He sensed a deep aura of death cloaking his body, felt the shadows slink closer to him as if they were protective armor. Everyone else looked even more disgusted.
Of course. I'm hated everywhere.
The ones with the least amount of anger towards him, he could feel, was Athena, Poseidon, and Artemis. The Goddess of Wisdom was biting her bottom lip as if thinking. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap, a book opened up on it.
Poseidon was angry, Nico could feel it, but also slightly relieved. Why? Nico wondered. It couldn't be he was relieved he was alive. Color flooded into his cheeks. The God of the Seas held his trident loosely and seemed calmer than everybody else. Water circled around him.
Artemis just gazed at him pityingly, sadly. He hated that look. It cut through him like a fiery blade.
This is just how everything works, he reminded himself, ignoring the burning feeling of self-hate building up inside him. This is just how it is. He twisted his skull ring for a split second before stopping.
Nico glared back into the eyes of Zeus, knowing it was futile. The King of the Gods would believe what he wanted to believe. Nico couldn't stop him.
"All in favor?" Zeus boomed.
The King of the Gods raised his lightning bolt as Nico closed his eyes. There was loud crackling sounds as if he was at a July fireworks festival, making him smile sadly. Will. The other Olympians sounded their agreement, raising their hands. Only Athena refused.
Then Nico remembered. Did he see the fates? Did he? He closed his eyes.
He tumbled out of the shadows, almost immediately rolling himself into a ball. He remembered what he had said before he shadow-traveled. 'Where the gods can't find me." Nico didn't know if he had achieved that purpose. He lifted his gaze upwards, relaxing, though constantly on alert just in case.
Where am I?
His expression was carefully guarded, his hair a mess. Nico rubbed his eyes, then shielded them. It was way too bright. The floor was grassy, the shadows supplied by a dirty white building stained grey.
That was a surprise. He had expected to appear at about an alleyway or a corner, not such a revealed wide-open space. Nico didn't move.
Is this Australia? Please tell me this country speaks English...
Nico stood up shakily, still feeling a bit turned-over at what he had just encountered. He fumbled for some ambrosia, taking out a carefully-hidden packet in his jacket. Should he eat it? He hesitated to pop in his mouth for just a second. He didn't know where he could get some more.
The sunlight stung his eyes, making him scowl. He tried to walk but his legs gave out under him. He decided to just eat it. He couldn't go anywhere like this. Pathetic. He pinched out just a bit of the godly food then slowly chewed, savoring the taste. Energy filled his body and warmth flooded him, allowing him to stand up straight. Thank the gods for ambrosia, or rather don't.
His legs started to work again. He sighed. Looking back up, the sky was gray and smoky. Grey and white buildings were everywhere around him, telling him he was in the city. Not America, definitely.
Cars beeped and motorcycles roared down the roads, people walked around on the streets.
Nico picked himself up and walked along with them, submerged in the crowd.
It was what he did best. Hiding.