NICO

Nico Di Angelo was not happy. Though you can be assured that he wasn't happy most of the time he wasn't at camp (and even then, it wasn't too hot), he was particularly unhappy right now. There were many reasons for his current state of miserableness.

First, he was pretty sure that he wasn't even in the US anymore. Second, there were weird people pointing wooden sticks at him. Third, he had gone and dragged Percy into this as well. He could go on, but the main reason was that he never got the Happy Meal he was craving.

Nico didn't know why he ever bothered to leave camp. He was staying with the Jacksons right now and as nice as they were, he didn't want them to feel like they had to take care of him.

Percy was always fussing about him, something he probably inherited from his mother (as she was doing the same).

He had just wanted to get away for a little while. In hindsight, he probably could have told someone where he was going, or at least that he was going. If he had done so, Percy wouldn't have come looking for him.

Percy had found him a few blocks away from the nearest McDonald's (ugh so close) and had immediately grabbed him with a whispered curse.

~~~

"Gods, Nico," he said. "You can't do that."

Nico pouted (not that he would ever do something so childish). "Do what?"

"Run off."

"I don't run. If I wanted to get somewhere fast, I would shadow travel."

Percy gave him that look, the one that made him feel guilty.

"I just wanted a Happy Meal." His answer was considerably quieter than the one before it.

(He hated that. The big brother vibe that Percy gave off. Not necessarily the vibe. It made him feel cared for but the fact that he knew Percy didn't see him like that. Nope, too many thoughts. We're done here.)

Percy tilted his head. "And you couldn't have just mentioned it? Or left a note at least?"

Nico was about to answer but Percy's eyes caught onto something over Nico's shoulder and he cursed, pulling his magical sword-pen out of his pocket.

Nico spun around, hand on his belt where his sword was sheathed.

His eyes fell on a donut shop - Monster Donuts.

He was confused, what was so weird about donuts?

Percy (who was still holding on to his arm) slowly started pulling him backward, his eyes darting around the area. They had just made it around the corner when Percy's head turned and he broke out into a sprint, pulling Nico along.

Nico was about to ask what was going on when he caught a glimpse of what was chasing them.

A hydra.

What the-

Nico was yanked into a doorway just as acid went flying where he stood a second ago.

Percy had that protective look on his face again. He was nervously spinning Riptide in his hand.

Nico opened his mouth to say something but Percy shook his head. He looked out of the little shop they had entered (thankfully, the actual 'lounge' are was farther in and they seemed to be standing in the entrance hall or something) before quickly bringing his head back around, following quickly by an acid spray.

Percy muttered something along the lines of "Where's Clarisse when you need her?", which Nico thought was weird.

He wanted to ask but figured this probably wasn't the time.

Percy leaned down toward his ear and whispered "We're probably just gonna have to make a run for it. Or at least lure it somewhere out of the public."

Nico nodded, resting his weight on the balls of his feet in preparation to run.

Percy motioned with his hand and they both took off, racing down the street away from the eight-headed monster trailing behind, dodging venomous splashes. They gained strange looks from pedestrians but didn't dare break their stride.

One lucky (more like unlucky) shot hit Percy in the shoulder and he faltered. By the time Percy cried out and Nico turned his head, it had burned through his shirt and was bubbling on his skin.

Percy slowed down and the hydra immediatelytook its opportunity. As it spit another spray, Nico grabbed Percy (by the uninjured arm) and dragged him to the shadow of the nearest building. Within seconds, they were engulfed in the sensation of darkness, feeling the wind rush by them.

Nico wasn't focusing on where he was taking them (usually a very not good thing), focusing instead on the sounds of pain coming from Percy. Percy wasn't the kind of guy to make a big deal about injuries or anything, prefering to keep an air of confidence about him so as not to be seen as weak (the idiot).

Because he wasn't focused on where he was going, Nico found himself tired in a way that indicated he went farther than safely recommended by his doctor. They were standing in the middle of a street and it seemed to be around nighttime compared to the midday it had been earlier.

Nico was starting to get a bad feeling about this. He wanted to go back to Sally's (or Aunt Sally, as she wished to be referred to as) but he could tell that it would take too much out of him. They were standing in the shadows in front of a large house with the number 12 on it. It looked a little blurry, as though it was trying not to be seen but also willing Nico to see it.

He didn't care so much about that at the moment, seeing as it was the closest abandoned area he could get to and Percy was getting heavier as he started putting more weight onto Nico.

He quickly decided that it couldn't get worse and Percy needed medical attention.

He (gently) pulled Percy into the shadows once more, traveling all of the ten feet from the area they had been standing in to just inside the door.

The second they got in, Percy collapsed from exhaustion and pain, making a loud, but kinda muffled, thump. Nico (despite being pretty tired himself) bent down next to him to make sure he was OK, barely registering the sounds of gasps and hurried footsteps. He chose to ignore them for now, pulling the backpack from Percy and frantically searching through it. He found a thermos of nectar in one pocket and a little baggie of ambrosia in another. Not for the first time, he blessed Percy's mom, knowing these were not the actions of her son.

He opened the thermos and poured a little down Percy's throat before quickly putting it back in the bag and zipping it closed once again.

He was still watching Percy's face for a sign that it was working when the footsteps reached him.

He turned around, shielding Percy's body (well, more like Percy's shoulders and head, Nico wasn't too bulky) from whatever was coming.

There were multiple men and women with wooden sticks pointed at his face (um, rude). He could see some teenagers around his age watching from the stairs, lookinmg like they were most definitely not supposed to be there.

Nico's eyes snapped back to a man with a weird eye and a peg leg saying words that he was pretty sure meant 'to stun' in Latin. These words were followed by a red light.

Nico's last thoughts before it hit him were 'I was wrong earlier, it can always get worse' and 'should've gone to McDonald's first'.