Love is a terrible thing. It plays with your mind and makes you do thinks you normally wouldn't.
It can hurt you in many ways. Love is your point of weakness, it makes you vulnerable.
But at times, it also makes you stronger.
"They're going out, aren't they?" Hermione asked, looking at Briana, who in turn, was looking at Damien Taylor at the Ravenclaw table.
Nico shrugged. "I'm not sure, but last I checked, yeah. Damien asked her out to Hogsmeade."
Hermione smirked, and tossed her breakfast around in her plate. "I suppose I should have seen it coming. What could be more obvious?"
Nico thought. He looked at Hermione, then at Ron, who was sitting right beside her; stuffing his mouth. "Uh, right." Nico said, smiling to himself. It was that situation of denial again. Nico faintly rememberd the time Katie Gardner had grown a ring of roses around his cabin when he had accused her of liking Travis Stoll. One look at Hermione, and Nico decided he didn't want to find out what she could do.
"I wanted to ask," Nico said, quickly remembering those days when he couldn't ever find Hermione. "If you suspect there's more to Briana's sickness than it lets on. Because I do."
That got Hermione. Fortunately, Ron and Harry were engaged in a conversation about Quidditch, so they didn't notice.
Hermione seemed to hesistate. Then she spoke. "Why would you suspect that?" The tone of her voice was cautious, but almost...relieved. As if she wanted Nico to notice that all along.
Nico shrugged. "It's just a feeling. And sometimes, it's better to go with your instinct." Especially when you're a demigod with monster trying to devour you every five minutes.
Hermione opened her mouth- she looked like she was about to day something, but just then, owl post arrived. Nico didn't know. Perhaps if Hermione had told him then, it would have changed something in what to come. But all he could notice was a black raven, Xavia, and a small piece of paper.
Nico never thought one single sentence could make less sense than that one.
Christmas Night, in the dead hour, I'll be there- arrive, or despair.
Before Nico could try to figure out what in his dad that meant, Xavia gave him a note that he hadn't noticed. It was from Annabeth.
Nico. We're having trouble with the Lares. They don't do-anything any more. They float, but they don't talk, move, or anything so. Christmas break, (huh...quite a school) we need you there, Nico. Please.
-Annabeth
And there it was again- that crushing feeling of responisbility. Nico did his best to clear his mind. Christmas was more than a month away! He had plenty of time to sort out his problems.
"What's that?" Hermione asked. She didn't try to peek a look or anything. No, she was much too polite to, but she was innocently curious.
"Umbridge's been reading mail, you know?" Hermione said, frowning.
Nico stared at Xavia. A pure creature of shadow and darkness. Xavia could simply disintegrate out of place if anyone tried to get her, that, he knew.
"I've heard," Nico said shortly, petting Xavia. But perhaps, just a perhaps, Nico needed to IM his friends for a change.
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Being a Son Of Hades came a package deal. Along with the fact that you'll tend to be a creepy lone at first, you always get to do really cool stuff. Like manipulating the shadows to hide you while you try to contact your friends via Iris Message...
And although Nico may not really like shadowy-work (maybe just a little...okay, a lot. A heck lot's more like it, really.) using some shadows could come in handy in a school full of wizards if you want to keep your cover. He'd consulted Professor Dumbledore before being advised to do what he needed to do at the Astronomy Tower. Of course, there were other options. The girl's bathroom on the second floor, and the dungeons. Between Nico and himself, he wasn't keen on having a conversating in a bathroom. It would probably go something like this:
Nico: Hey, guys!
Demigods: Hi, Nico. Where are you?
Nico: Oh nowhere, really. Just some random girls bathroom.
*insert flushing sound here*
And he dfinitely didn't want to do it in the dungeons where that vampire-bat Snape and his slimy Slytherins resided. So the astronomy tower it was...
Nico muttered a quick Aguamenti followed by a swift suspending spell. Moon light shown through the water, forming a rainbow.
Nico inhaled deeply. You know how hard it is to manipulate shadow and darkness when you plan on forming a rainbow? He threw a drachma, and then another for good measure.
He muttered the usual 'O Iris goddess of the rainbow, show me ...' who? Nico decided on Camp Half-Blood, then immediately regretted not making a precise choice when two demigods appeared before him.
Sparring, jabbing at each other with pointy weapons and splashing/electrocuting each other, the two stood beside the canoe lake.
Nico couldn't help but face-palm. Out of all the stupid demigods in a stupid camp with like, six hundred demigods (Romans included) he just had to get Percy and Jason, and while they were in their competitive sparring sessions, no less.