Nico wasn't expecting to find anyone else on the roof of Apollo's cabin, so he almost had a heart attack when he climbed onto the cabin and saw a shadow. A deep breath left him, and his eyes focused on Arria. She was sitting with her knees to her chest and staring at the ground. Arria had a found a part of the cabin where the slope of the roof made it hard to see anyone on it. That was the place where Nico liked to hide out.
Once a week, Nico would get fast food from the Stolls. He didn't know where they got it from, but it was probably best to not ask. Nico would share that food with Will, but his boyfriend was taking a break from Camp Half-Blood to visit his mother. Nico's friends wasn't leaving him alone though, which he appreciated. His plan was to share the food with Reyna, after she was finished meeting with Chiron.
The day before had been hard. Nico and the other counselors all gathered in the Big House and got to hear the story of what happened in the town. It took Camp Jupiter a whole week to figure everything out, and Nico was glad he was able to skip those meetings. He just wished he could have missed hearing Prisca tell the story, but Reyna was there to keep him calm and help negotiate any reparations that Camp Half-Blood may have wanted.
They took a vote on it, and it was decided that Camp Half-Blood really didn't want anything to do with the Inquisition, which was pretty fair. Nico really didn't want anything to do with them either. Prisca had told Chiron to call upon her if they ever needed anything, but she promised to keep the Inquisition away.
Nico's blood boiled as he thought of the story. Apparently, everything that happened in that town was all meant to get to Reyna in one way or another. Nerva went to the town with her most trusted inquisitors They poisoned the entire town and set a trap, but that trap wasn't for the Greeks.
Nerva knew that the praetors would send demigods to check on the town. She had them captured and thrown into cells. Apparently, Nerva knew that Reyna would personally go to check on the town instead of Frank. Nerva also petitioned against it, since she knew that it would make Reyna want to go more.
Nico was probably only one of the few people who knew why Nerva had set the trap at the town. Everyone would be told that it was because Nerva wanted to get Reyna alone and interrogate her for information about some of the hidden artifacts at Camp Jupiter. The truth was that Nerva was going to question Reyna about why she committed patricide and get damning proof.
When Nerva had her proof, the Inquisition would show up to the town and act as heroes. Thanks to the Greeks, that was all ruined. Nerva had to change her plans, and for some reason, she decided the best thing to do was drive a wedge between Reyna and Nico.
The entire thing was some kind of sick and twisted game of cat and mouse. Nico knew how terrible Reyna felt, and she blamed it on herself. When Reyna tried to talk to Nerva, the former inquisitor had slammed her fist into the bars of the cell that separated her from Reyna. Their conversation didn't go anywhere.
Nico snapped out of his thoughts and slowly studied Arria. She didn't seem like she had noticed him yet. There was a backpack at her side, and in front of her was a towel that had a sword, spear, and a few daggers on it. A polishing kit was in Arria's hands.
"Are you doing okay?" Nico asked. Arria jumped and then looked at him. Nico slowly sat by her. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay," Arria said. Nico opened the bag of food and held out a carton of fries. After a moment, Arria took them. "I didn't mean to intrude. I can leave."
"You're fine," Nico promised. Arria slowly wiped her hand on the towel and ate a few fries. "I just wasn't expecting to find anyone in my hiding spot. I'll let you borrow it though."
Arria remained silent for a few moments, as if she was trying to figure out how to respond. Nico relaxed and looked up at the moonlight. He felt a chill run down his spine.
Nico
Nico snapped to attention and looked at Arria. She was still staring at the carton of friends but not eating any. Had she said something to him? Arria looked at him.
"Thank you," Arria finally said. A smirk came to her face, but she stared out at Camp Half-Blood. Her eyes seemed to study all of the cabins. The voice must have been a figment of his imagination "Nico, did he hurt you?"
"He?" Nico asked. Arria took a shaky breath and looked down. A frown came to Nico's face. "I don't know who you're talking about."
"My former master," Arria whispered softly. She took another shaky breath and looked up at Nico. There was a look of pure fear in her eyes. Nico slowly grabbed Arria's arm, and he could feel that she was shaking slightly. Was this how scared Arria was of her former master? "I saw the wound on Reyna's lip. He hurt her. Did he also hurt you?"
"No," Nico answered. "We didn't know who he was, until he confronted Reyna alone. I wasn't involved. I was helping Percy with the Kraken."
Arria gave him a confused look. Nico spoke, "The Kraken thing is a long story, but all you need to know is that Percy is bad luck. If it makes you feel better, Reyna crashed your former master's ship into the Kraken. I probably wasn't suppose to tell you any of this, so you can just tell her you watched the video."
"Video," Arria repeated. She looked down at the fries, and a confused look came to her face. "I might have to watch it, but anyway, I was hoping to talk to Reyna. She's still in her meeting with Chiron though. Maybe, this is better."
"Did you two make up?" Nico asked. He already knew the answer, but it seemed like it was best for Arria to get a little more comfortable. "I know that she wants to get back with you."
"I want to get back with Reyna as well, but I also told her that she has to apologize to Piper first," Arria said. She looked down and shook her head. "I can't forgive how she treated Piper. The things that she said pisses me off beyond belief. It's exactly what my former master would do, and I can't see it any other way."
"Everyone has yelled at Reyna about how she acted," Nico said. He unwrapped his sandwich. "I called her an immature child, among other things. I feel bad about what I said, but I don't think I was in the wrong. Piper's been pretty heartbroken about the entire thing. Reyna has tried to apologize to her all day, but everyone keeps interrupting them."
"Sometimes, Reyna needs to be yelled at. It might get something through her thick head," Arria whispered. She focused back on the fries. "I love her so much, Nico. I've never cared about anyone this much before. I've never had the chance care about anyone, and I've never really had anyone care for me."
"I know you guys freaked out when you thought I was going to marry Reyna, and that's because you didn't trust me," Arria whispered. She took a shaky breath. Nico slowly looked at her. "I just don't really know how to let people in. I want all of you to trust me, and I want to make this relationship with Reyna work. I don't know how to though."
"If you want to be friends with us, you have to get use to everyone bothering you constantly," Nico said. A small smile came to his face. "They are always checking up on you and asking how things are. It's tiring."
"Trust takes time, Arria. Part of the problem is that Annabeth and I are so worried about Reyna that we kind of just jump to the worst conclusion. It doesn't help that you're all mysterious, no offense," Nico said. "You don't have to tell us about your past, and I get why you don't want to. No one here is going to force you talk about it if you don't want to, but you have to find another way to let people in, like you let Reyna in."
"It's hard," Arria admitted. She looked up at the sky and took another deep breath. "As a kid, I was raised by another slave and taught how to be the perfect servant. I was to be Marius' personal servant, and for the longest time, I was told it was a great honor. That kind of brainwashing doesn't really go away."
"You escaped, didn't you?" Nico asked quietly. Arria nodded. "How?"
"When I turned twelve, Marius wanted me to learn the basic of combat and how to fight anything that may come his way," Arria answered. She stared down at her fries. "I was trained by a man named Wilfred."
"Wilfred is the one who broke Reyna's elbow," Nico said. Arria looked at him in surprise. "What do you know about him?"
"He pushed me hard, but he never pushed me past my breaking point like he did the others," Arria answered. "I trained for years with him, but I also started to see the situation I was in. I began to understand that I was a slave, and it dawned on me what that meant. One day, I was sparring with Wilfred, and Felika pulled him away. Something just snapped into focus, and I knew it was time to escape."
"You have to understand that Marius' personal slaves would never dare of leaving him," Arria whispered. She closed her eyes. "It just wasn't something that happened, so it was more than easy to take a sword and just run as far as I could and for as long as I could. But, Marius always left me tales about my mother. He even left out a small article, so I could find her."
"Is that how Marius found you again?" Nico whispered. Arria nodded but didn't elaborate. Nico slowly reached out and placed a gentle hand to her forearm. He knew how hard this had to be for Arria, and he wanted to show her that it was okay to share. Nico wasn't going to judge her.
Nico felt honored. He knew that Arria had told Reyna many things, but the two of them were dating. She probably hadn't told anyone else about her past. Arria let out a shaky breath and spoke, "I found my mother and thought I would find someone who cared about me. Instead, she yelled at me and berated me. I saw red, and I didn't really remembered what happened from there. All I know is that I killed her, and then Marius found me."
"I was no longer his favorite slave," Arria whispered. There was such anger in her voice that Nico froze. "He sent me into his gods forsaken arena, and I was subjected to Felika's mist."
"There are still nights that I wake up expecting to be in a cell and nursing a broken bone," Arria whispered. "Unless I'm with Reyna. Then, I know I'm safe. I just can't stand the thought that Marius hurt Reyna. He left that scar for me to see. It was a warning."
"Arria, we'll protect you from him," Nico promised. Arria shook her head and stared down at her sword. There was a faraway look in her eyes. "Arria, you'll be okay."
"I'm worried," Arria whispered. She rested her head on her sword handle. "If he hurts Reyna, I will not be able to live with myself. He knows how much I love her, and I think he's going to use her to get to me."
"It's not going to happen," Nico promised. He slowly rubbed Arria's back. She was extremely tensed. "It seems like Marius is smart. He wouldn't risk angering the two camps, the Amazons, and who knows how many groups you are apart of, just to get you back."
"He would," Arria said. She shook her head. "Nico, he has a contract for me. In the end, those groups will respect that contract. I am not worth it."
"You are for your friends," Nico said. Arria placed her head in her hands and remained silent. Nico rubbed her back and stayed silent. It felt nice to be able to comfort someone and help them open up. He thought he was the difficult one.
"Thank you," Arria whispered after a few moments. She slowly looked up and started to polish her sword once again. Her hands had been shaking, but the action seemed to calm her.
Don't listen to her.
Nico froze. It sounded like the same voice that had said his name earlier. He felt like her recognized the voice, but he couldn't tell who it was. It also didn't sound like they were speaking English. Who was it? And, were they telling him not to trust Arria?
They heard the sound of someone climbing the ladder, and Nico turned. Reyna pulled herself up the roof and stared at them.
"Hey," Reyna began. She stared at Arria for a long moment and then looked at Nico. There was a red mark on her face. "Was I interrupting something?"
"Nico was helping me open up," Arria answered. She studied Reyna's face. "What happened?"
"I tried to talk to Piper. She kind of slapped me and didn't really hear me out," Reyna answered. She sat by them and stared at the sky. "I don't blame her, honestly. I wish she would have let me talk before she slapped me and stormed away, but I deserve it."
"I'm sorry," Arria said. Reyna slowly looked at her. "I shouldn't have said that you had to apologize to Piper for us to get back together. I just felt strongly about it, but I shouldn't hold our relationship over your head."
"It's okay, Arria. I needed the push. The yelling didn't really help me get it," Reyna admitted. Nico and Arria exchanged looks. "I think Piper needs more time, but I'll try again later."
"Reyna," Arria began. Reyna looked at her. Arria moved towards her and kissed her. Reyna immediately kissed her back. "I want to get back with you, if you'll have me."
"Of course I will. I shouldn't have broken up with you in the first place," Reyna whispered. Nico knew that was his cue to leave. He grabbed the bag of food and made his way towards the ladder, but Reyna cleared her throat. "Nico. Wait. You're stuck with us tonight."
"We won't make out too much," Arria promised. She kissed Reyna once again. "Last time. I promise."
"You guys are sharing a sandwich," Nico warned. He sat by them. Arria leaned on Reyna and smiled at Nico. There was a small grin on Reyna's face. Nico tossed them the bag and focused back on his own sandwich.
A shiver ran down Nico's spine, and he slowly looked around. What was going on with him? Nico slowly looked around and shivered. He didn't know why he was so freaked out?
"You okay?" Reyna asked. Nico looked at her and nodded. He shivered for a third time and heard another whisper in the wind. Nico closed his eyes and tried to focus on the words. Who was talking? What were they saying? "Nico?"
Nico held up a hand and tried to focus. There was no wind. He could hear a few other campers talking, but none of them were that whisper. What was going on with him? As another shiver ran down Nico's spine, the hair on the back of his neck raised. There was another whisper, but he heard the three words clearly. He would also remember them for the rest of the night
Nico. Save me.
