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oooOOOooo
Thalia stared into the mirror of the Zeus cabin with something like worry in her eyes.
Usually she wouldn't do this. She was a hunter or Artemis, a self-conscious girl, and very, very protective of her own body. Usually this would be something for Drew to do, something that Thalia would scorn and turn away from.
But here she was, Christmas Eve, standing in her cabin with her hands on her hips and staring into a mirror.
Jason was gone, presumably already at the dance with Piper. She had the cabin alone- therefore she had nobody to help talk her out of this crazy decision.
She had begged Artemis for days to let her come to this. Ever since she heard about the dance she had asked, pleaded, blackmailed and tried to convince the goddess, all to no avail. After a week the goddess had turned around, finally angry at her lieutenant, and demanded why. Why was it so important to go to a dance when Thalia was sworn off boys? What reason could she possibly have that made this so special?
And Thalia had answered with one name.
Nico.
Thankfully Artemis had understood. The goddess's eyes had widened slightly in surprise and realization and a smile had split her face. The other hunters had looked at each other, all confused, but Thalia hadn't explained. She didn't really want to.
Nico was gay. Thalia had only learned it when the Giant War had been over and done with and Jason had come to her, asking questions and obviously hiding something. She had gotten it out of her little brother within the hour.
Nico was gay and in love with Percy. He was planning on leaving Camp when the war was finished and setting off alone. Jason wanted to stop him, to help him. Thalia decided that she would do the same.
Nico was like another little brother to Thalia. Closer than cousins, Thalia knew she could convince Nico to stay. That he wasn't everything he thought he was. But tonight, to help him, she would do this.
Thalia made sure she looked like a girl all of the guys would want to be with tonight. Wearing little to no clothing, heavy makeup and forcing confidence, Thalia was one hot hunter.
She had rules for tonight. She could not talk to any boys except Nico, Jason and possibly Percy. She was to stay with Nico for most of the night and the moment it turned one she was to start making her way back to the Artemis cabin where the rest of the hunters were staying temporarily for Christmas. None of them except Thalia were going to this dance.
She was already late. The entire day she had been debating whether or not to do this, feeling her willpower crumble. But at the thought of Nico her resolve hardened and she carefully placed her tiara on top of her head. Just to remind the rest of the boys out there that she was a hunter. Off limits. No touchy touch or grabbing. If they tried anything Thalia had every right to pull out dagger hidden in her boot (a girl could never be too careful) and stab them in the toe.
With one last sigh she made her way from the cabin and towards the dining pavilion.
It had started to snow, she saw and she stopped a second to stare up at the sky. Dark as stygian iron with stars twinkling throughout, Thalia was sure she had never seen anything so calm and serene. To some people the ocean may look beautiful and calming but to Thalia it was the sky. It was ever present, always there. Nothing could take the sky away, and even though Thalia hated being in it she loved looking at it.
Snow fell into her hair and she wondered if it made her look even more of a girl. Hopefully. Whatever helped.
The music was blasting, Thalia heard it from the Ares cabin. Right now some country song was playing. The one Katie had been obsessing about for weeks, by a guy named Hunter Hayes. Wanted, Thalia remembered. That was it.
She listened for a bit before frowning. Why would people play such a depressing song at a Christmas Party? Really, the Apollo kids could do better. Green Day, Fallout Boy, Skrillex... anything but these sappy songs.
Finally, blocking out the voices around her and the music to the best of her ability, Thalia entered the dining pavilion.
She had expected the stares, the hanging jaws. She saw a guy spit out his punch onto the girl standing beside him and even saw someone drop a candy cane. She looked around at the stunned faces and ignored every single one.
As she stood atop the steps leading into the pavilion, Thalia felt confidence fill her. She wasn't scared of anything in this room, she looked good and no matter what happened tonight it didn't change anything. Why had she been nervous? Everything would be fine. She could defeat most of these demigods in single battle without breaking a sweat.
She spotted Leo, wide his mouth wide open. And there were Jason and Piper standing hand in hand beside the hot chocolate and Thalia almost laughed at the shocked expressions of their faces. She winked at them qiuckly before going back to surveying the room. Where was Nico? He had to be here, there was no way she had done all of this for nothing.
If I was a creepy, emo kid alone at a Christmas dance where would I be?
Then Thalia saw him. There was a head of black hair hiding behind the enormous Christmas Tree taking up the middle of a wall. Of course, Thalia thought to herself, he would hide in the shadows where no one would see him if they weren't looking.
She practically strut over to the tree where Nico was. He hadn't noticed her, she saw, instead he was busy staring at his shoes.
She sighed loudly. Why was it up to her to do absolutely everything? Annabeth didn't have the guts to tell Percy she liked him? Thalia convinced her. Percy didn't know what to get Annabeth for her birthday? Thalia helped him. Nico couldn't dance at a party? Thalia helped him.
Really, they would all be completely lost without her she thought.
"So were you planning on hiding out here all night? Or will you come and dance with your cousin?" Thalia spoke loudly over the music and she grinned when Nico jumped and looked up, his hand shooting to where his sword hilt would usually be.
He looked good tonight, Thalia thought. Because he wore black so much people forgot how well the colour suited him, but Nico looked really good. Of course Thalias wasn't attracted to him or anything- no boys, remember?- but she was sure there would be many girls looking at him tonight.
And hopefully some guys.
She shook the thought out of her head and went back to studying him. Black shirt, dark jeans, black shoes and a black tie... well you couldn't say the boy wasn't consistent.
UnsurprisinglyThalia felt nothing at the sight of him. No new emotions rose to the surface, she wasn't curious or revulsed. She wasn't scared to be around him and wasn't more comfortable with him. He was still just Nico, the boy who had grown up too fast. The cousin Thalia loved and would die for. Being gay didn't change Nico.
She, to put it simply, really didn't care.
Not to sound heartless. She did care about Nico and who he was. But him being gay? She didn't dwell on it, or overanalyze everything he'd done in the past. It didn't change her memories with him or how she felt. Nico being gay was just like Nico being shy. It was another thing that made him who he was, a characterisitc. Nothing more.
She met his eyes and saw that they were wide as he quickly glanced at what she was wearing. He went pale and looked at her as if she were an alien from some unknown planet.
She put a hand on her hip. "C'mon Nico, I'm not that scary am I?"
He shook his head, stuttering something along the lines of "N-n-n-no."
She laughed and took one of his hands, dragging him out of the shadows and onto the dance floor. When Nico realized what she was doing he froze and dug in his heels.
"Thalia," he whined, previous moment forgotten, "I'm not dancing."
"Really Nico," she said exasperated. "Why would you come to a dance if you didn't plan on dancing?"
He hesitated before shrugging, something flickering in his eyes before it disappeared. "I dunno. But there's no way I'm going to dance."
"Why not?" Thalia asked him.
He looked around at all the people staring and seemed to shrink. He pulled his hand away. "Look Thals, I just-"
"You know what Nico?" Thalia said. "I don't want to hear it. You're going to dance with me tonight, probably all night, and you're going to like it. Any questions?"
Nico stared, mouth slightly open before shaking his head, mouth twitching in an almost smile. "Fine. Alright."
The huntress nodded. "Good." She said, before grabbing his wrist and dragging him behind her
They were hesitant and shy in the placement of their hands. Thalia had only ever danced with a boy twice. Once was Grover on the mission to recue Bianca and Nico, another was... well there had been one other time. While she had been on the run. But that memory was too painful so Thalia let it slip away.
Nico was blushing and Thalia was sure she had a comical expression on her face. Their hands fumbled for a bit before they let them stay in one place and finally they were face to face.
When had Nico gotten so tall? Thalia wondered as she stared into his eyes. They were nose-to-nose now. Had she really missed so much of the last year? Been absent so much?
It was true, she realized. This year she had spoken to Nico only a handful of times, Percy only slightly more. Not to mention when he had been abducted Thalia had been the last to find out of his friends. She had only spent a couple of days with Annabeth when she heard the news before having to leave again. Her friends were growing up around her, Thalia thought sadly, and she wasn't even there for most of it anymore. And now that Jason was back she was spending more and more time with him than the rest.
She closed her eyes. And Luke, she remembered. She had missed so much of his life that he had turned evil. Gods, how had that happened?
Again she pushed the thoughts away. She and Nico got past the awkwardness and just danced quietly. Finally, and surprisingly, it was him who broke the silence.
"Bianca and I used to dance together," he said. There was a sad, haunted look in his eyes and Thalia felt the sudden unfamiliar feeling of just wanting to hug him. She resisted, but she did squeeze his shoulder.
"Really?" She asked. It didn't surprise her much, not really. Bianca seemed like that type of girl.
Nico nodded, a sad smile making it's way onto his face. "She loved boy bands. But not the new ones, older ones, like the Beatles. There was this one song by them, Let It Be, that she would just listen to over and over. In the Lotus Hotel and Casino she would play it on an old fashioned stereo and slam her hand down on my Mythomagic cards. She would take my hands and pull me up from the couch and just twirl me around and around and around..." He trailed off, staring somewhere over Thalia's shoulder.
Thalia smiled sadly back at him. "She loved you, Nico. She loved you so much."
His eyes hardened. "She left me, Thalia, and then she got killed because of it." She opened her mouth to deny it but Nico cut her off. "She left."
"Stop that," Thalia told him sternly. "She loved you and you know it. She left to live her life and you know what Nico? She was happy. I bet if she could do it over she would and she would only change one thing."
"Oh yeah?" Nico said bitterly and Thalia ignored the slight sheen in his eyes. "What's that, Thalia?"
"She would want to say goodbye to her little brother, a real goodbye. She would want to tell him how proud she is of him, and how she loves him and how much his friends and family love him. She would want to tell him all of those things so that we wouldn't have to."
Nico stood still and Thalia thought it was because of what she had said for a few seconds. But then she noticed him staring somewhere over her shoulder and when she turned around she saw exactly what it was.
Percy and Annabeth had arrived.
Thalia turned back to Nico, watching as his eyes widened and then shrunk. His hand dropped from around her waist and the one holding her own fell to his side. He stood, staring like a man enraptured by the sun, and all Thalia could do was watch.
"Nico-" she started to say but was cut off by someone behind her.
"Thals!" Annabeth squeeled and suddenly the hunter was being turned around and squeezed to death by the daughter of Athena in front of her. She faintly heard the sound of Percy greeting Nico and turned her head just in time to see Nico's eyes close in the brief embrace between the two boys. When they pulled away from one another there was such pain in the son of Hades eyes that Thalia immediately moved away from Annabeth to go and stand beside him.
Percy smiled at her. "Hey there, Pinecone Face. Do you think Artemis will turn me into a deer if I hug you?"
Thalia forced a smile before squeezing Nico's hand in silent sympathy. "It's your risk Kelp Head. I'll be fine either way."
Percy gave her a fake wounded look before she opened her arms and hugged him. Quickly she pulled away and stepped back to finally take in the couple.
Annabeth looked beautiful. Her hair was down, her dress fit her frame perfectly and the color brought out the tones of her skin and hair. Percy was handsome in his shirt and jeans and Thalia was surprised to see him in a tie.
Annabeth must have forced him into it, Thalia thought as she gave the blonde a look of surprise and jerked her head towards the accesory. Annabeth followed with her eyes and smiled, stifling a laugh. She pointed to herself and nodded from behind Percy and Thalia shook her head but smiled nonetheless.
"So," Percy said and took Annabeth's hand as if subconsciously. "Where's the candy?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Really, Seaweed Brain, the last thing you need is candy."
Percy gave her a fake look of wounded shock. "But I love candy."
Annabeth laughed and stared into his eyes affectionately a few seconds too long.
Thalia glanced at Nico and saw he was staring at the couple as if they were his own personal form of Tartarus.
She mimed puking up, before standing straight to knock them out of whatever silent conversation they were having. They always did that and Thalia only noticed now just how hard it must have been for Nico to be around them all these years.
"Excuse me while I go throw up some more," Thalia said. "But if you guys wanna keep acting like newlyweds then go ahead, Nico and I can leave."
Percy laughed, not noticing anything amiss, but Annabeth frowned at Thalia slightly. Before she could say anything though, Percy beat her to it. "It's not our fault you swore off boys, Thals, look at what you're missing," Percy said, gesturing to every guy in the room.
Thalia feigned interest, scanning the crowd quickly, before raising an eyebrow. "You just proved my point."
Percy smiled at her easily and Annabeth laughed. Nico just stood quietly from beside Thalia, something that Percy apparently noticed.
"So Nico, are you staying here for a while?" He asked, suddenly serious.
Percy didn't notice the flinch from Nico but Thalia did, and so, she suspected from the confusion on her face, did Annabeth.
Nico hadn't told Percy he was planning on leaving after tonight? Thalia wondered. What was he going to do, just get up and go without a word?
She sighed again but nobody noticed. All eyes were on Nico.
"Actually-," he started but he didn't get to finish before Piper's voice interrupted.
"Hey guys!" She said. "Are you having fun?"
Jason came into their circle slightly behind his girlfriend and Thalia saw worry in his eyes as he glanced at Nico who was again looking like he was a deer caught in headlights. He glanced at Thalia, asking a silent question, and she just shrugged.
"Well Annabeth and I just got here," Percy said. "But it seems really cool. Definitely better than my school dances."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "You never told me you had school dances."
Percy nodded. "Yeah usually about three a year."
"Oh really," Annabeth said. "Were there girls there?"
Percy met her eyes. "Wise Girl, it's a school dance." He said slowly. "Of course there were girls there."
"Hmm..." Annabeth said. "So did you dance with any of them?"
Percy looked at Jason, his eyes screaming 'help', but Thalia's brother just smirked and held up his hands as if in surrender. "I can't help you, Perce."
Annabeth met Thalia's eyes and quickly winked before Percy looked back to her. "I don't dance." He said stupidly.
Annabeth crossed her arms. "You sure? Cause you're sounding pretty guilty."
Now Percy's eyes widened. "Seriously Annabeth, me and a bunch of guys would always just hang out in a corner shooting hoops or something."
One second...two seconds...three seconds silence and then Piper, Jason, Thalia and Annabeth all burst out laughing at once.
"Your face," Jason gasped out, "you should have seen your face!"
"Good one Anabeth," Piper said breathily, "oh gods, I'm crying!"
Thalia calmed down and suddenly noticed Nico standing quiet and looking alone. She stopped laughing altogether and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, guys, Nico and I are gonna go get some hot chocolate," she said. "We'll find you later and little brother, you are not escaping here tonight without giving me a dance."
Jason's eyes shot to Nico before he covered it up by smiling and nodding. "Sure."
Percy looked away from Annabeth long enough to shout, "I get a dance too, Pinecone Face!"
Thalia rolled her eyes, backing away and dragging Nico with her. "Whatever you say, Kelp Head!"
Then, without another glance, she turned around and pulled Nico away from their group of friends. Ignoring the stares from the crowd and the frozenness of her cousin, Thalia dragged him away and out of the pavilion.
When they reached the outer cabins she stopped. They were beside the wall of the Hecate Cabin and Thalia was surprised to see that Nico wasn't looking confused or suspicious.
He just looked sad.
"Nico," she touched his shoulder hesitantly, unsure how he would react to her next words. "Are you okay?"
"Wha-," he started to say but something in Thalia's eyes must have stopped him. "Jason told you," Nico said after a few seconds and Thalia was scared at how emotionless he sounded.
"Well," she said to cover up her feelings, "I may have made him. You know how convincing I can be," she said wiggling her fingers and trying to lighten the sudden tension.
His lips didn't even twitch. Instead he stared at her, wary and scared.
That's what got to Thalia more than anything. Nico, son of Hades and one of the most powerful demigods on the planet, was scared of people finding out he liked guys.
Anger rised in her and suddenly she was shaking her head. "Nico, I don't care."
He laughed, full of disbelief and scorn. Self-loathing and helplessness. But maybe a bit of hope too. "You don't care?" He said finally. "Of course you care. It's not just a little thing, Thalia, it changes who I am. Don't you see that?"
"No," she replied. "No, Nico, I don't. You're the same person you were yesterday, or a month ago. The same guy you were when Bianca was with you. This doesn't change anything and yes, I don't care."
He stared at her. "You don't understand. Jason must not have told you-"
"He told me everything," Thalia cut him off. "I know you're gay, I know you hate yourself for it. I know you plan on leaving after tonight and I know that you're in love with Percy."
Nico's face turned ashen, even more pale than before. "I- I don't-"
"Nico," Thalia said gently. "You don't have to lie to me."
Black eyes pierced blue and Thalia could swear she saw something break in the boy before her. "I-," his voice cracked and he took a deep breath. "Thalia, he can't know. You can't tell him."
"Nico," she started to protest but he cut her off, pleading.
"Please, Thalia." He said. "Anyone else I could handle, they all think I'm weird anyway, but not him."
"You're a brother to him, Nico," Thalia said. "He wouldn't just give up on you. You guys would work through it."
He closed his eyes and took another breath. "Please," he whispered, and Thalia couldn't help but give in.
"Of course, Nico." She said, watching him. "Are you going to be okay?"
He shrugged. "When I leave-"
"Hey," she interrupted. "You can't go."
Something flashed in his eyes, "Why?"
"Well, because." She said. "We need you here, Nico, we would miss you."
He snorted half heartedly. "Nobody needs me, Thalia."
"Nico," she said. "Of course we do. Do you think I could stand to live without my little cousin? Hazel without her brother? Percy without his brother?"
Nico flinched. "I don't fit in at the Camps. Either of them."
"That's pegasus poop and you know it. Hazel felt the same way. So did Frank and Leo. We've all felt like that at the start. How long have you stayed at one camp in one time?"
He thought about it, frowning. "A week?"
"Really?"
"What?" He asked defensively.
Thalia feigned nonchalance. "Nothing. Just that's not a long time. I know that I started to feel like I fit in here around the 3 week mark. The rest of the campers were probably the same."
Nico's willpower was wavering, Thalia could see it. The hope in his eyes was creeping up. "The others don't like me, Thalia."
She raised an eyebrow. "And do you think they liked me? People picked on Percy for the first year he was here, you know that. Annabeth was the youngest for years, do you think any of the older kids wanted to hang out with her? Piper was an oddball in her own cabin. Jason was a Roman here for six months." She paused. "We're all different, Nico, don't go around thinking you're special." She grinned at him, teasing. "Cause you're not. You're just as weird as the rest of us."
This time the smallest smile possible appeared on his lips before it dissapeared as quickly as it had come. "What am I going to do, Thalia?" He asked defeatedly. "I can't stay. I can't just stay here and watch Annabeth and him... I just can't."
Thalia placed her hands on his shoulders. "That's why you need to talk to him, Nico. Don't let Percy stop you from being happy and living your life how you want to live it. You want to stay? Stay. Just because he's here doesn't mean you can't be. Besides," Thalia smiled. "Whatever happens in there you will always have me."
He still looked miserable and confused and after moments of silence Thalia sighed.
"But if I'm not enough...well. I don't know, Nico, but you can't just give up. I will not let you just leave and try and erase yourself from our lives. All of us love you. Hazel, Annabeth, me, even Leo, Jason and Piper. And Nico," she said, placing a hand under his chin to force him to meet her eyes. "Percy does too. Even if it's not in the way you would want, he does. You mean so much to him and you'll never get through... whatever it is you guys are doing right now, if you don't go and talk to him about it."
His eyes met hers and Thalia tried to control her face, to hide her shock at the sheen in his. "Stay with me tonight," he asked her. "Please. I will talk to him, I promise, but right now..." He took in a shuddering breath. "Please don't leave me alone."
"Oh, Nico," Thalia sighed as she pulled him in for a hug. "Never."
She wasn't sure how long they stood there in the falling snow with her holding him, but by the time Nico got himself together and pulled away his hair was full of melting snowflakes. Thalia smiled affectionately and tousled them out.
"You ready to go back?" She asked him and both of them knew she wasn't just asking about going back to the dance.
He looked at the pavilion, at everybody in there laughing and dancing and being a family, for a minute or so. Finally though, he nodded. "Ready when you are."
She laid an arm over his shoulders and he wrapped one around her waist as they turned towards the way they'd come. Thalia saw the looks, heard the whispers and could practically feel the dissaproval coming from most of the people in the pavilion.
But she didn't care. And as she saw Nico straighten his back and stare boldy back at everyone, she knew that he didn't either.
She smiled at everyone who shot her a dirty look, stuck her tongue out at Drew who was whispering into Chase Andrew from Apollo cabin's ear and giving her a look of absolute loathing. She waved to the people she liked, ignored the people she didn't and never, ever took herself more than 5 feet away from Nico the entire night.
She danced with Jason, which was slightly awkward but fun. She talked to Piper who was blushing and giggling at any mention of her boyfriend. Nico talked to Leo and Jason and Thalia saw him laugh once or twice.
When Percy finally came to ask her to dance she couldn't help but look at the son of Hades first. He was watching them, she saw, and his eyes were dark as pitch when they met hers. But he nodded slightly in answer to her silent question and Thalia looked away back into the green eyes before her.
She took the offered hand and smiled. "Of course, Kelp Head, I'm surprised it took you this long to ask."
He laughed and led her onto the dance floor where they were given much more looks than Thalia had recieved all night. Percy, as always, seemed oblivious to it all and Thalia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He really didn't notice how people treated him. He was practically a celebrity here after the two wars and Tartarus and yet he was still the same old goofy Percy as he had always been.
She smiled softly to herself. It was kind of nice.
"So," Percy said after they had started dancing slowly, "what have you been up to Thals? Shooting any boys with those arrows of yours?"
She grinned at him wickedly. "A huntress never shoots and tells."
She got a smile back and suddenly Percy was the same old guy he had always been. She forgot about his drama with Nico, forgot about him being annoylingly cute with Annabeth. She forgot everything except her cousin who had been by her side since she had woke up on Half-Blood Hill all those years ago.
They laughed and razzed and talked and Thalia loved the easiness with which they became Thalia and Percy again, the cousins who would always insult one another but had a bond stronger than any siblings.
That was, until Percy asked about Nico.
"Nico?" Thalia asked him in surprise. "What about him?"
Percy shrugged and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well he's been... distant lately. It started after I got back out of Tartarus, after he pretended he didn't know me at Camp Jupiter."
Thalia sighed internally. It started a lot sooner than that, Perce, she thought. You were just too wrapped up in Annabeth to notice.
"Nico's been okay," she said truthfully. "But he's been going through some stuff Perce, and he really needs us to be there for him." She paused, debating whether or not she would regret this later.
What the Hades, she supposed. "I think you should try to talk to him soon. See where he's at right now. I know he's missed having his cousin around. Both of them."
"Yeah," Percy said. "You're right. Maybe tomorrow I'll go see him and we can hang out, just the two of us. Like old times. And maybe," he said meeting her eyes, "our other cousin won't go off and not speak to us for months again like she did after the Titan War."
"I'm working on it," she said, but internally she cringed. Percy said it jokingly but it was true. She had been there when they needed her but she had left as soon as she could. Artemis needed her, Luke had just died and Thalia was slowly coming to terms with the fact that the people around her she loved would die. Lately she had been trying to let them go but with Jason coming back and everything happening with Nico and Annabeth and Percy... she was wondering whether her leaving them alone would be the best thing. Maybe she was just trying to spare herself the future pain that would come when they eventually did leave her.
She shook her head just as the song ended. "I better get back to Nico," she said. "We're kind of the talk of the night and I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on seeing us together."
Percy nodded. "Yeah of course. And Thals?"
She turned back around, composing her face and holding back those stupid tears that were slowly forming in her eyes. "Hmm?"
"Care to explain the choice of outfit?" Percy asked. "As your cousin I hardly approve."
She smiled at him. "Well you know me, always the rebel."
He met her eyes for a bit before finally nodding. "Alright."
She nodded before hurriedly turning back around and heading towards Nico. Just as she reached him she started to speak. "Look Nico, I hate to cut your night short but do you want to get out of her-?"
She was interrupted, however, by the countdown of the people inside.
"10 seconds 'till Christmas, people! 10 seconds!" Someone shouted out and suddenly all around them voices were joining together.
"10!"
"What did you say, Thals?" Nico yelled at her.
"9!"
"I was just asking-"
"8!"
"What?" He yelled back and his eyes looked so concerned that Thalia couldn't help it. A tear fell.
"7!"
Nico grabbed her hand. "Thalia?"
"6!"
"I'm sorry your in love with him Nico." She said. "I'm sorry you're in love with someone who will never love you back."
"5!"
His face looked like she had just struck him.
"4!"
"It's better than being in love with someone who's dead, right Thalia?"
"3!"
Now she was the one who felt as if she had been hit.
"2!"
"Merry Christmas, Nico."
"1!"
"Merry Christmas, Thalia."
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" The words were shouted and all Thalia saw was Nico, turning away to look at the crowd.
She didn't have to look to see that he was watching Percy and Annabeth. When she glanced at the couple she saw they were kissing, of course, and when she looked at Nico she grabbed his hand and squeezed. "You're still gonna stay, right?"
He couldn't seem to look away from the couple. Thankfully nobody else noticed because they were too busy sharing their own kiss, gasping at something that had just appeared at the christmas tree or laughing with friends.
"I'll try." He said. "But if I can't... then I can't. I'm leaving, Thalia, for good."
She nodded, looking out at the crowd. "Where would you go?"
His answer silenced her. "Anywhere but here."
And that was that.
Eventually they found out about the gifts at the tree. Thalia was given a silver charm in the shape of a lightning bolt, presumably to hang on Aegis her bracelet. What really shocked her was Nico's present.
They looked for what must have been 10 minutes and didn't find one. Eventually Thalia looked up at Nico, about to say something, anything, to make him feel better. But he spoke first.
"It makes sense, really. My dad didn't really care about me anyways. He liked Bianca more. And what would he get his gay son?" He stared at the tree, resolutely not meeting her eyes. "It makes sense really."
"No," she shook her head. "No, he did send one. Because he loves you. We just haven't found it yet, we need to look harder, to check every place."
"There's no point," Nico said defeatedly. "You won't find one."
She was about to reply when she spotted something. A rectangular package, sticking out from the back of the tree, wrapped in pitch black paper.
If that didn't scream Hades, Thalia wasn't sure what did.
"Wait," she said as she reached around the back of the tree and snagged it. "Open this one."
His name was on a tag that had been stuck to the wrapping paper and Thalia saw Nico look up at her in happy surprise.
She had never seen Nico look more like a kid than in that moment.
He ripped into the paper, tossing it behind him. And when all of it was gone he nearly dropped the present in his hands.
When Thalia moved around behind him to see she was surprised to see a black and white picture in a picture frame. It was a family portrait and in it was four people. One was Hades, oily and actually smiling. He was staring up at a little boy on his shoulders who was undoubtedly Nico. He must have been months or maybe a year old. Beside them was a woman who was exceptionally beautiful with dark hair and a smiling, open face. She was staring into the camera lense and in her arms was a girl, about 2 or 3 who was poking her brother. Bianca.
"My family," Nico whispered, and despite everyone else around them, Thalia heard him crystal clear.
She looked down and noticed a slip of paper amidst the black wrappings. When she picked it up she read it and looked at her cousin, handing it to him she said, "I think this goes with it."
There was only two sentences and a letter, but when Nico read it his whole demeanor changed. Something in his eyes was replaced by something lighter, happier, and Thalia swore his hands shook.
'Merry Chirstmas, Nico.' The card read. 'I'm so proud of you, son.'
It was signed -H, with nothing else on it.
Thalia saw Nico blink rapidly a few times and heard him sniff. "Persephone," he said. "Probably told him to write it. He-"
"Means everything he wrote on that card and everything he couldn't say when he gave you tha picture," Thalia interuppted him.
He looked up at her, hands clutching both presents falling to his sides. "Thalia-"
"Now will you stay?" She asked. "Here, where you belong. With the people who love you?"
He glanced back down at the words on the paper and the picture before nodding.
"I'll stay."
And that was that.
oooOOOooo
Hope you guys liked this one. It took me a while and I didn't really know where I was going with it until the end. Too sad? Too OOC? Too random and depressing? Feedback is appreciated!
MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS! HAPPY EARLY NEW YEARS! Review and tell me what your favourite present was, how you day was... anything! I wanna hear it all!
My Christmas was fantastic! Despite the family drama I had such a great day! My favourite present? Either a sweater I got or a charm bracelet.
You guys exceeded last chapters expectations. 18 reviews when I was only looking for 10. You make my life. You really do.
Now I was planning on saving Percebeth's chapter until last for this story. But a lot of you want it next. So it's your choice. Keep yourself in anticipation or get it soon. Review and tell me what you want!
Love you all!
Percyjacksonfan3