I continue to be amazed by the love I'm getting here. So, I'm out of town right now, I wrote this note in advance, but I'm making the time to post this chapter because I love you! I'll probably be in some dark corner in my friends house posting this, you can all put that image in your head. If you need imagery to picture that, just picture Nico doing so. Because I pretty much look like an older Nico. I'm feeling like shout outs are becoming a common thing here, but since you guys keep giving more and more reviews, I'll keep shouting at you. First we will do that, then I have some news to discuss.
Make-It-Now: You can wait! Because you did! The twist is that this chapter isn't really the story, I just typed meaningless words, somehow they actually appear to be a story though. Actually that might actually make some sense on how I started with this.
AzucenaXshadows: Oh good. I hate to disappoint. See, this is what I did in class, I'd just sit around and imagine things like this, and then my teacher would get all mad. So, I'm epic? Sweet! Clearly I don't know what you guys like, because I thought everyone would hate this story. Yes! I'm still trying to figure out what to do with them. Well, that's pretty much the case with everyone in the story.
Veerayne: I love you, so I must tell the world of your story. I know! I keep telling them to, but they are shy and won't listen to me. Well, then there's Braigi telling me to ruin everyone's OTP (One True Pairing for those of you that don't know). You have! In that bathroom scene I just wanted Percy to press Nico against the wall and have his way with him! But you no give me that :(. That's the reason I moved to different posting days for each fic, so you guys don't have to suffer an entire week with nothing from me. Plus I enjoy posting days the most since it means more love.
luckyducky51: Well, that's not all he has, as you find out in this chapter. I hate waiting too! Also since you are converted you can never leave.
zarterpwns: I mix drugs in. We can creep together! Friendship! I'm so glad you are enjoying both, and I hope you keep loving them more and more.
Reining: The penguins stole my cookies! I hired an assassin whale to take them out. Well...since you asked nicely...he'll die in a burning fire ^.^. Well, maybe not. I just like the big cliff! Oh, wait. This is chapter nine...that means... Nico only gets more badass from here, while I work to keep him away from sickeningly OP status. Chiron trusts Nico, and with Nico's overconfidence...well...
emthereble: I love you. And now you can sit through this completely random comment because as Braigi has told me, I love the dramatics. It was a cold and wintery night when we stood in...oh wait...that's from the second chapter of that one-shot I was thinking about writing. We lived in the future and we fought for our lives against aliens? No...that's an idea for the future...hmm... Oh well, I love you anyways.
Alright, now that the random loving is out of the way, let's move on. I'm really not sure where the hell some people come up with blackouts, but it seems nobody can properly organize one. Like the one two weeks ago was more publicized than this so called one. I saw only one person even mentioning it, so I just said screw it and didn't care to participate. They haven't done anything yet, and they probably aren't going to. At this point I think it's hurting us more than the people running the site. So, I looked at a calendar and counted out how long it'll be before this ends, if I only have 25 chapters. It ended up pushing into October...stop your cheering. Now, I'm going to leave you guys with a decision. I'll let you decide if you want to keep posting to one chapter a week, or if you want me to post a second chapter on some occasions during the week. It'd probably be like Wednesday or Thursday. Just to speed things up. Like I said, your call. Now, the condition would be, to give me five reviews on the chapter I post on Sundays. If I get that, you get your extra chapter. Though, I expect the same from the extra chapter. I don't want to lose reviews if I post another chapter in the week. Considering I'm getting five or more right now, I don't see this as an issue.
Now, one last thing before we begin with the story. It's a long ways away until the end, but I had some news. Braigi told me not to say anything, but I had already let it slip to a few of you. So, that secret is out of the bag, sort of. Anyways, the reason I'm interested in speeding up the process is because I had an idea for a reward for you guys. Remember I said if you keep giving me the high number of reviews I'd give you a reward? Well, Braigi and I were discussing the end of the fic and an idea popped into my head. Long story short, I have an idea for a sequel to Choke. I know, let the celebration begin. A lot of you were sad to learn it would only be 25 chapters, well if this works out it won't end here. Now, it was just an idea, keep that in mind. Things might change from now and then. Braigi or myself might decide to not go through with it, but it's a pretty good idea that I know you all will enjoy. Pretty much I'll be taking Choke to a bigger playing field. So, that's my big announcement. Like I said, long ways off, not sure yet. But if you guys keep doing what you're doing, I'll fight for that sequel until I'm blue in the face. Alright, enough rambling from me. Let's get on with the story so you can learn about Nico.
Warning: I drew a llama!
Disclaimer: Own this I do not.
Chapter 9
"Are you sure about this?" Chiron asked, rubbing his temple.
"I'm positive." Nico stood next to the window, peering out through the window. "I don't think he's aware of it yet, though."
"I hate to say this, but I need you to get him back here immediately, use any means necessary."
Nico blinked a few times, staring at the back of Chiron's head. "You've never said any means necessary before."
"Yes, well this situation calls for it. Percy will be a danger to himself and to others on the outside. We need to get him back here for training." There was a knock at the door and Leo popped his head in. "Have you located him yet, Leo?"
"No, sir," Leo said, looking at a device in his hand. "It's like he dropped off the face of the earth. No trace of him. Nobody can find him." Nico sighed as he looked back out the window.
"He couldn't have many places to hide," Nico said, placing his head against the glass. "He'll either be at his apartment or his parents' place."
"If the enemy hasn't got him," Leo mumbled, earning a glare from both Chiron and Nico. "Sorry."
Chiron sighed. He leaned back in his chair to think. "Nico, I want you and Jason to go out there and look for him."
"Do you want me to lock him in his room when I get him back, while I'm at it," Nico mumbled sarcastically before vanishing from the room.
He reappeared in Jason's room to find a very disturbing scene. "Fuck, Nico, don't you know how to knock?" Jason yelled, rolling off of Apollo. The older blonde quickly pulled the covers up to cover both of them. Nico, however, remained unfazed.
He just rolled his eyes and tossed Jason his clothes. "Get dressed, we have to go." Jason grumbled and slid his boxers on under the covers. He gave Apollo a quick kiss before climbing out of bed to finish getting dressed.
"Where are we going?" Jason asked once he was finished.
"Chiron's orders are to bring Percy back."
"Well good luck to both of you," Apollo said happily, placing his hands behind his head. Jason scowled at him. Nico smiled and pulled Jason closer, vanishing in a wave of darkness.
They stumbled when they landed in Percy's room. They both looked around. It still looked deserted. "He isn't here," Jason said.
"You think?" Nico said, sitting down on Percy's bed. He heard movement in the next room and quickly ported from the bed to the door. He managed to lock it just before the door rattled.
"I swore I heard something," Annabeth said from the other side.
"You know Percy's still at the hospital, Annabeth," Grover called from farther away.
Nico sighed and walked back towards Jason. "We need to go," Jason whispered. Nico nodded and shadowed them away. They came to rest in the middle of Central Park. Jason looked around to make sure nobody had noticed them. He heard a sound of pain come from Nico and looked back at him. "Are you ok?" Nico was hunched over, hands clutching at his face.
"I'm fine," Nico strained to get out.
"Nico, look at me." Nico shook his head. "Nico, look at me now. You're exerting yourself."
"I'm fine," Nico growled, finally turning his head slightly to look at Jason. Jason gulped as he saw the dark shadows covering Nico's eyes. "I just need a moment."
"W-We should just walk." Nico nodded. He strained to stand back up. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them, his eyes were back to normal. He motioned for them to start walking and they headed forward. "Where are we going?"
"Percy's parents. It's the only other place I can think he would be." Even though he had returned to normal his voice was still ragged. It made Jason look at him in concern. "I'm fine, Jason," Nico said, having caught Jason looking at him. "We all have our limits."
"I don't know if I would call yours a limit." Nico huffed at him.
They made their way through the park, nearly at the exit when they spotted someone blocking their path. Nico growled at the blonde in front of them. "Now where do you think you two are going?" Luke sneered at them.
A ball of shadows was pulled into Nico's hand. The air crackled around Jason. "Get out of the way, Luke," Jason growled. Luke just smiled sickeningly at them. In the blink of an eye another figure appeared next to Luke. He was of Asian origin. A black eyepatch was placed over his left eye. He laid his arm over Luke's shoulder, supporting himself. "Scared to take us alone?"
Luke laughed dryly. "Hardly. I just think Ethan here would...enjoy playing with Nico."
Nico was about to retort to that when he heard something whistling above his head. He looked up just in time to shove Jason out of the way as a car crashed to the ground where they had just been standing. He looked back over at the two enemy agents, however, Ethan had vanished. Nico yelped as he was dragged up by his collar. He felt his body began to shift. Ethan was going to teleport him. He quickly vanished, pulling himself free of the teleportation pull.
Jason shot a bolt of lightning at Luke, who took the blast at full force. Luke just seemed to shrug it off. He smiled at Jason and ran at the boy. He tackled the other blonde into a tree, cracking the trunk of the tree. Jason screamed from the pain of the impact. He balled his fists and lightning flared from his eyes. Electricity exploded off of him, sending Luke through the air. He bounced across the grass until he slid to a stop, with his face screwed up in mild pain.
Luke growled, rising to his feet. He ripped a tree out of the ground and chunked it at Jason. Jason clapped his hands together, sending out a wave of electricity, causing the tree to explode. However, he was caught off guard from the charge from Luke that followed. He was punched in the gut, sending him back a few feet. His foot was yanked backwards before he hit the ground and Luke's knee came in contact with his back.
Nico stood still, watching as Ethan appeared in different spots around him. The boy was taunting him. He just had to find the right opportunity to strike. He reached out for an attempt to grab the boy with shadow, but missed by a second. He immediately had to roll out of the way as a boulder appeared above him. He was getting annoyed.
A fist came in contact with his jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. He looked up to see Ethan and Luke smirking at him. Now he was pissed. Screw Chiron's rules. He flung his hands up at the two cocky boys over him, releasing a burst of light. The two now stumbled around, unable to see anything. Nico released wrapped a shadow around Luke's neck, and yanked him to the ground, the tentacle choking him as it sunk into the ground.
He vanished and reappeared in front of Ethan, sending a knee into the boy's gut. The boy was about to strike back when he noticed Luke choking on the ground. He growled and extended his hand out to Luke, the blonde vanished. Then Ethan was gone. Nico sighed, placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Then he noticed Jason wasn't there.
He ran over to where he had last seen the blonde to find him hunched over a tree, unconscious. Nico cursed under his breath before running over to the boy. He wrapped an arm around him and vanished. Reappearing in U.N.I.T.'s hospital. "He needs help!" Nico yelled. A boy with shaggy black hair and brown eyes came up to them.
"What happened?"
"Obviously, we ran into the enemy," Nico growled.
"No, need for insulting words, Nico. I'll fix him up."
Nico sighed and laid Jason down on a bed. "Sorry, Michael." Michael just shrugged. "I need to get back out there, but make sure you let Apollo know what happened." Michael nodded and Nico vanished once again.
Percy hadn't said much since he had woken up. He really didn't know what to say. He felt like his whole life had been a lie. His very birth had been a manipulated event. After all the resentment he had shown towards his parents, he now knew they had done everything to protect him. Percy contemplated going back to his apartment, but didn't want to endanger his friends. Part of him wanted to see Will, but again, he would be in danger. Luke and Nico were two opposing factors. He felt something for both of them, but they were both clearly dangerous. The question was, who should he be more afraid of?
Out of all of it, though, his mind kept shifting back to Nico. Nico had been the one single factor that had been there since all of this weird stuff had started. He had kept giving Percy mixed signals, though. One moment he would be so cold towards Percy, and the next he seemed like he wanted to be more with Percy. Maybe he owed it to the boy to at least hear him out. He had saved Percy from those soldiers on the roof. If Luke was as bad as Nico and Jason said he was, then Nico might have saved him twice. How was he supposed to know who to trust, though? Percy couldn't help but think back to that dream. That voice had said Nico was a threat. It had said Nico was using him, that he would lead Percy down a path of destruction.
Yet, there was something in the dark haired boys eyes. A lot of the times, when he would look at Percy, his eyes were soft. They had a look of sadness to them. When he looked at Nico's eyes he didn't feel like the boy was going to do him harm. Luke didn't appear to be a threat on the outside, though. Maybe they were opposites. One a wolf in sheep's clothing, and the other a sheep in wolf's clothing? What if the real threat was the one that didn't appear to be? At this point, Percy wouldn't doubt it. Nothing was as it seemed anymore. So, it could only make sense that Luke's appearance was a lie as well.
In a hasty decision he stood up from his bed and picked up his phone from on top of his dresser. He scrolled through his contacts until he found Luke's number. He could be risking his life doing this, but he had to know the truth.
Percy fidgeted nervously as he waited at the same coffee shop he and Luke had sat at a week ago. Now everything was different, though. He hadn't seen Luke as a threat back then. Now, he felt like he had walked willingly into the lion's den. He spotted Luke's blonde head heading over to him. He sat up straight and braced himself for whatever happened. Luke sat down at the table, Percy immediately noticed a bruise on the boy's neck.
"Hello, Percy. I'm glad to see you haven't been scared off yet. I'm sure those horrible people at U.N.I.T. probably told you all sorts of horrible things about me."
"Th-They said you were the enemy," Percy replied, voice shaking. Right now, Luke felt like a lion ready to pounce him. He felt like crap, he was supposed to be someone important to them. They wouldn't hurt him, would they? He was also skilled in martial arts, but what was that compared to someone who could hurl concrete at someone like it was a pebble? These people felt out of his league.
"Did they? Do you think I'm a threat, Percy?"
Percy looked Luke over. He looked the same as he had a week ago. He had that same warm and friendly feel to him. Yet, there was a hint of something dangerous in his eyes. "I-I don't know. I don't know what to believe anymore."
"Don't tell me you trust Nico over me. Nico is a first class liar. He does nothing but deceive people. Like I'm sure he is doing to you. You saw what he is. He's a monster. Do you know his big flaw? His big weakness?" Percy shook his head. "The more of those shadows he uses, the more dangerous he becomes. He loses self-control. He pretty much goes insane. He was going to kill me last night, and he wouldn't have had a second thought about it."
He had seen Nico become that demon last night. Maybe things were as they seemed. Maybe Nico was the dangerous one. Percy just stared down at the table. Why couldn't this all have been a dream?
"Let me guess, you trusted him?"
Percy nodded his head, sadly. "He lied to me. He had told me in the beginning that he didn't know you. Then Jason told me the truth."
Luke smirked. "Well, that may be one of Jason's few redeeming qualities. He usually tells the truth. Too bad he chose the wrong side, the losing side." Percy looked up at Luke. "You see, Percy, my boss is going to win this war soon, and I want you on our side, the winning side. We wouldn't do the things that these people would want to do to you."
A flare of anger flashed in Percy's eyes. "You tried to kidnap me with soldiers!"
Luke looked at him with confusion. "We did? Wasn't by my order. I was going to let you come running to me, since you seemed like you were about to." Percy looked at him with pure confusion. He felt dizzy again. Something about Luke's face seemed to be telling the truth. If it were true, though, then that would mean...
"Th-They kidnapped me? They set it up so I would go with Nico?" Percy's breath was rapidly quickening. He now had trouble breathing. They had kidnapped him. He wanted to pass out, everything was spinning.
"You don't look so good, Percy. Why don't you come with me and you can rest?" Luke asked, reaching out to him.
"No!" Percy screamed, knocking the hand away. He stumbled out of his chair, drawing some attention to them. "Stay away from me!" Then he began running. He wasn't sure where he was going to go yet, but he just knew he had to get away.
He skidded to a halt when he saw Nico ahead of him. He turned to run the other way, but the boy appeared in front of him again. "I just want to talk, Percy," he said pleadingly.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"I'm sorry about last night, you weren't supposed to see that."
"That's not what I meant!" Percy yelled back, making Nico flinch. "You lied to me! You set the whole thing up to get me to come with you that day at school. How am I supposed to trust you?" Nico didn't say anything, he wouldn't even meet Percy's eyes. "Well?"
"I did what I had to, ok?" He finally turned a glare on Percy. "I don't regret what I did. I had to get you away from Luke!"
"I'm just a pawn in this game you all are playing! That's all you people want me for, a means to your own end."
"That isn't true, Percy."
"How can I trust you?"
Nico looked down, he looked hurt. Percy didn't soften, though. Nico had crossed a line with him. "You don't have to. Just come back with me. Jason's been hurt, and you need to continue your training. I don't care if you hate me. I don't care if you don't want to have anything to do with me while you are there, but I want you safe and away from the likes of Luke."
"No," Percy replied in a whisper.
"Percy, please! You are a danger to everyone around you in your current state. Your second power is telepathy. That is the most dangerous power there is. Nobody can hide anything from you, and nobody can refuse any command you give them when you use your power. You are the most powerful and dangerous piece on the board right now, and we just want to make sure you aren't used for the wrong purpose."
"You do want to use me, though."
Nico still wouldn't look at him. "I-It's not like that. Do you want to be used to worsen the condition of the world or help make it a better place? If you want to help, then you want to side with us. Chiron is a good man that wants to improve the condition the world is in. He wants to help you." There was a pause. "I won't hurt you."
"How can I know that for sure?" Nico bit on his lip, refusing to look up. "I won't come with you if you can't give me an answer to that."
Percy turned to walk off. "Because, I care about you!" Nico screamed. It made Percy stop in his tracks. He turned around to look at Nico, but before he could say anything to the boy he vanished. Percy didn't move from his spot for a while. He just stood and stared at the spot that Nico had been moments ago. Nico's words had caught him off guard. Should he be happy or upset about this? On one hand, he did feel something for Nico. He wasn't quite sure what it was yet, but his mind was often on the dark headed boy. He made Percy feel warm whenever he was near Nico, this past encounter excluded. The other side was that Nico was dangerous, and Percy wasn't sure just how dangerous yet.
Percy hadn't said anything since he had gotten home. His parents kept poking their heads into his room to check on him. His head hadn't stopped spinning since he had run away from Luke. Everything that was happening, it was just too much. He had this constant high-pitched tone going on in the back of his mind. It was giving him a headache.
"Lady, get your fat ass and your ugly kid out of the street and move. I got deliveries to make here."
"Look at the legs on that bitch."
"I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't have the money to pay my bills at the end of the month. My landlord is going to kick me out. I'll be forced to live on the streets."
Percy sat up in bed. He rubbed the back of his head, trying to will the headache away. Was he going crazy? He was hearing voices now. They were all playing in his head at once. Then something Nico had said came to him. Nico had called him a telepath. Was that what he was doing? Reading minds. Well, it gave him a headache, and he wished it would just go away.
He stood up from his bed to go get some tylenol. He stopped in his doorway when he heard another voice in his head. "He must be so angry with us. We let our work come first so much when he needed us. How can he not hate us?" Percy peered around the corner to see his mother sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee. He frowned at the back of her head. He didn't hate his parents, sure they frustrated him, but he didn't hate them.
He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with this power. He felt like he was invading people's privacy, which he was. He could also get away with anything, nobody would ever tell him no. All this power scared him. He needed to learn control. Could his parents teach him? If they could, why hadn't they already? They could have prepared him for this years ago. So, maybe they couldn't. That would leave his only two options to be the two organizations. Which one could he trust, though?
"Mom? Dad?" Poseidon and Sally looked up at him as he came and sat on the couch.
"What is it, Percy?" Sally asked softly. They were concerned for him. For the first time in his life, they were actually showing him concern. It didn't change what had to be done, though.
"I need to ask you both something." They both nodded for him to continue. "I-You don't know how to control these powers do you?"
Poseidon sighed and shook his head. "We understand much about them, but the one thing that escapes us is how they use their powers. We can understand the genetic code, but not what makes each power tick."
"So, I'll be out of control unless I get one of them to show me how to control this."
"If you wish to go back to them, we won't stop you. We will be keeping an eye on you, though. Just in case you need us."
Percy nodded. "I'll be fine. I don't think they want to harm me, at least I hope not." Percy stood back up and sighed. "Now I just need to figure out how to get in touch with them."
Sally arched an eyebrow. "Didn't you escape from their facility?"
Percy chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I sort of was in too much of a hurry to pay attention." He started walking back to his room. "I think I'll be fine, though. Nico usually pops up when I least expect it." Percy closed his door behind him and plopped back onto his bed.
It was close to midnight. Percy was walking down random streets, hoping that Nico would show up to take him back to the U.N.I.T. He had his backpack strapped to his back. He had told his parents he was going out, and that he may not be back. It all depended on the dark hair boy that seemed to haunt his thoughts. Should he make a move for Nico? He seemed to feel something for the mysterious boy, but at the same time he didn't even know if he could trust him.
He should have been paying more attention to where he was going. He slammed into a hard surface and fell back onto the ground. He looked up into Luke's eyes. They were no longer warm and friendly, they were cold. Luke made an attempt to grab him. "No!" Percy yelled, thrusting his hand forward in attempt to stop Luke. It was like a concussive blast went off. Luke went flying backwards, into the street.
"I'm going to kill him," Percy heard from in his head. Luke growled and sent Percy a death glare. Percy looked down at his hand again. He tried to summon another blast from his palm as Luke approached him, but to no avail. Percy backed against the wall of a building. Luke gripped his shirt, lifting him off the ground. If his powers didn't work when he wanted to, he still had martial arts. Percy thrust his fist out, catching Luke in the stomach. Luke seemed caught off guard, so Percy kicked him in the side. Luke stumbled to his left. After a few seconds, Luke stood back up and walked back towards Percy. Percy prepared another punch and sent it at Luke's chest.
"Fuck!" Percy yelled when his fist came in contact with Luke's torso. It felt like hitting a brick wall. Luke smirked at him and gripped his throat. He lifted Percy off the ground once again, tightening his grip. Percy's vision began to blur.
A huge beam of light came crashing into Luke's side, exploding on contact. Percy flew backwards and landed on his back. He looked up as the smoke cleared. There was a hole in the side of the building. Percy could see Luke's legs hanging out the window. Percy's eyes darted to the origin of the beam. Nico stumbled forward, falling to the ground. Apparently using the light side of his powers had an effect on him too.
Percy pulled himself to his feet and jogged over to the fallen boy. Nico groaned as Percy rolled him over. He had his eyes closed and his heart was beating rapidly. Percy heard glass shatter. He looked up to see Luke climbing out of the building. "Nico! Nico, you need to wake up!" Percy yelled, shaking the small boy. "We need to get out of here. Come on! Use your magic shadow powers and pull a Nightcrawler!"
Percy stood up and stood in front of Nico. Luke bared his teeth at Percy as he slowly walked towards him, fists clenched at his side. He ripped a light pole out of the ground as he passed it. Luke pulled it behind his head, like a baseball bat. Time slowed down as Luke swung at him. Luke's eyes were full of nothing but anger. He wanted to tear the both of them limb from limb. Percy felt Nico clutch his ankle. Nico blinked and looked up to see Luke about to attack Percy.
Everything after that happened in a flash. Nico jumped up and tackled Percy, the pole hitting Nico in the back, sending the two of them through the air. With what little strength he had, Nico wrapped them in shadows and ported them away. They landed on the floor in a dark room. Upon impact, a wave of thoughts flew through Percy's head.
Jason walked around the corner. Nico was perched against the wall. "He's off to have dinner with his family right now." Jason leaned against the opposite wall in their alleyway. "I can see why you like him."
"I don't like him," Nico growled.
Jason chuckled. "Whatever you say, Nico. You were right about them being onto Percy. Luke was with him when I arrived. I think he saw me. He bolted out of there pretty quickly."
"We need to pull him in soon then."
"What are you thinking?" Nico didn't answer, he just pushed off the wall and walked off. He tossed a wave over his shoulder as he disappeared into the shadows.
Nico sat in a van with some men. "I just need you to scare him a little. He needs to come with us. If not, they will find him and we will lose. So, point your guns at him. Make him think he needs to come with me if he wants to live. Not a hard job, right?" Nico vanished from the van and reappeared inside the building he found Percy.
He walked the halls in silence. Leo should be sending out the message soon, Nico thought. He cloaked himself in shadows and continued down the hallway. He stood outside of Percy's classroom, watching the green eyed boy. Why wasn't he getting up? Why wasn't he running? He was just sitting there being scared. "Run," Nico mumbled under his breath.
Percy didn't move, though. Nico growled and threw the door open. He appeared from the shadows and marched into the classroom. Not even paying attention to the teacher yelling at him, he yanked Percy out of the desk.
Nico stood in what appeared to be an observatory. He took a seat on one of the window edges and looked out at the city. The sun was starting to set on the city.
"Don't move, please." Nico turned his head to find Rachel sitting in a chair under a small tree they kept up there. She had a sketchpad in hand and was alternating her attention with it and looking at Nico. "Sorry. It just looked like something I needed to draw." Nico grunted. "Problems?"
"Don't want to talk about it, Rachel."
"I take it you're having problems with Percy."
Nico tossed her a glare from the corner of his eye. "You really need to stop looking at my future."
"Wasn't yours I was looking at. I've told you before that your future is-"
"Unclear. I know." Nico sighed.
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
Nico let his head fall against the glass. "Yea," he mumbled. He stared out at the city again. "There hasn't been any change?"
He saw Rachel shake her head in the glass. "I'm sorry. You save his life and then nothing." Nico felt tears sting at his eyes. He chewed on his lip as he tried to will them away.
"I guess it'll be worth it if he's as important as you said he is going to be."
Nico appeared much younger now. He stood in the doorway with a slightly taller girl, listening to his parents talk to a strange man. The man was very tall and didn't look to be a kind person. He sat at the table with Nico's parents.
"No, we can't let you take our son," Nico's father stated.
"I wasn't exactly asking for your permission, Mr. di Angelo," the man sneered back at Nico's father.
"I'll call the police if you are going to make threats against me or my family!"
"Can't we talk about this rationally? Nico is...special. I just want to help him."
"You mean make him into a monster," Nico's mother spat at the man.
"He could help me with a lot of my work in this world," the tall man stated.
"Well you can't have him."
"Like I said, I wasn't asking. Nico has so much potential. I just want to help him reach that full potential."
"Get out of our house!" Nico's father yelled.
The man stood up and made his way to the door. "You've only made this more complicated for yourself, Mr. di Angelo."
Nico appeared to be around the same age as he had been in the last memory. He sat in the back of a car with his sister. His parents sat up front, laughing about something. Nico stared out the window, looking out at the moon hanging in the sky. The sky was so beautiful, he thought. A perfect mixture of light and darkness.
He jerked his head away when he heard his mother scream. His father jerked the steering wheel and the car turned sharply to the left. Unfortunately, there was a cliff to their left. The car smashed through the guard rail and plummeted to the ground below. His sister began crying. His mother turned to look at them one last time before their eminent death. Nico felt cold as he saw the ground approaching. His mother let out a sharp gasp. She was staring at him, but he didn't understand what was upsetting her. He turned his head to Bianca, who gasped at him as well.
He looked at his window to see his reflection. Shadows had covered his eyes. He reached up to touch his face. Shadows poured like tears down his face. They spread over his body, covering him in blackness. He looked back at the ground below. They were about to hit. He went to let out a scream but the shadows poured into his mouth. He didn't see anything after that.
He blinked a few times. All he saw was a broken guard rail and trees blowing in the wind. Nico slowly sat up, staring at the broken space in the metal railing. He didn't understand what had happened. How did he get here? Where was his family? Why was he laying in the middle of the road?
Nico slowly pushed himself off the ground. He stumbled a few times. His legs felt weak. He walked over to the railing and peered down. There was a dark cloud of smoke rising from the ground below. Nico let out a choked sob. He fell back onto the ground, pulling his knees to his chest. How had he escaped? It didn't make any sense.
Nico jerked his head up when he felt someone touch his shoulder. He looked up at the man that had come to visit his house. "Hello, Nico. Do you remember me?" Nico nodded his head, wiping at his the tears forming in his eyes. "My name is Kronos, and I want to help you with this gift you have just discovered." He held his hand out to Nico, but the boy didn't take it. He didn't feel safe with this man. He wanted away from him. Nico scooted backwards and the man let his smile fall. "Now, now, there is no need to run."
"Stay away," Nico whispered. The man glared at him. He moved closer to Nico. "I said stay away!" Nico yelled. Shadows erupted around him and shoved the tall man back. The shadows pinned him to the rock wall that lay on the right side of the road. Nico's voice took on a darker quality. "Don't touch me." Shadows rose from the ground around Nico's feet. It covered his body and carried him away from the scene.
Percy blinked his eyes. He had a horrible headache. He looked to his left. Nico was lying next to him, still unconscious. The two of them were lying very close together. Nico's arm was draped around Percy's side, and Percy's arms were around Nico's waist. He slid one of his hands up to the boy's face, brushing a strand of hair out of the boy's face. Percy frowned at the unconscious boy. He had been through a lot of shit in his life. No wonder he was so defensive. Was he scared Percy was going to treat him like Luke had treated him? Was he scared Percy would abandon him?
Nico's scrunched up his face in pain. He rolled away from Percy and began screaming in pain. Percy shot up from his place on the floor and picked Nico up bridal style. Nico continued to scream as Percy opened the door and ran into the hall. Was Nico's back broken? Oh god, what if he had made it worse by picking Nico up?
Nico gripped at Percy's shirt tightly as Percy entered the elevator. "Floor t-ten," Nico whispered. Percy wasted no time, hitting the number ten button.
"Hang in there," Percy whispered. The doors slid open to reveal a bright white hallway. "I need help!" A few doors swung open and some people came out. Percy noticed Apollo's head poking out from one of the doors. A woman with long black hair pulled a gurney towards Percy.
"Lay him down," she said calmly. Reluctantly, Percy lowered Nico and let the boy go. Nico, however, still clutched Percy's shirt. The woman pried the hand off and a young boy came up to help her steer it to a room. Percy followed after them, but Apollo extended an arm to stop him.
"He'll be alright, Percy," Apollo said quietly. He shut the door behind him. He led Percy over to some chairs and sat them down. "What happened?"
"Lu-Luke attacked. Nico tried getting us out, but got hit before we teleported. He got hit with a light pole. What if his back is broken?" Percy rambled hysterically.
Apollo squeezed his arm. "He'll be ok. Our healers are good at what they do." Apollo let out a long sigh. "I'm glad you came back, though. Even if it isn't under good circumstances." He eyes Percy for a moment. "You are staying, right?"
"I-I guess. For now." Apollo nodded. "Is it true that Jason got hurt too?" Apollo nodded again. "Can-Can I see him?"
Plot twist! Who saw that coming? By that, I mean that it was Nico setting up the thing at the school. And Nico admits he has a thing for Percy! But...now he's all injured...and there was that thing from Rachel about his future being unclear. Also, how was Nico's past? He's always such a tragic character. Now you know why Nico hates Luke for joining the enemy. I'm working on Nico's character as well, he needs some work. I don't want to border him on the line of a flat OP character. Plus I talk about him going crazy as he uses his shadow powers, but haven't really shown you any of that. Well that is going to change! Next chapter...fluff? Wtf...who let fluff into my story? Gtfo fluff bunny! Oh, and you can find out what I took out in the next chapter to give you another Will and Nico moment in the next chapter. You're all going to hate yourselves for suggesting it ^.^. Anyways, goodbye until next time.