©Rick Riordan
©Scarlett Dove
Chapter VIII
Choose Your Fate, No One Else Can Do It for You
Nico's new house smelt like dust.
He hated it.
It made his nose all stuffed and his eyes water.
"Could you please pick that up, Nico?" Persephone asked from the doorway.
Nico hummed and kept his position on the couch. He flipped through an old book.
It was small for an old one. But Hades had given it to him.
"Come on, Nico, please can you pick it up?" Persephone persisted. Nico pursed his lips and glared down at the book but didn't speak a word. He heard her sigh and walk back into the kitchen. She was making dinner.
Nico relaxed his face and turned to look at the window. It was snowing now. About mid-December, almost Christmas. He hasn't celebrated that since his mother died. Like he remembers her anyways.
But the snow, the snow made the bland room he sat in brighter. Not in colour in any way… just, brighter. Newer. Whiter. Purer.
The house was chilly. It was cold, and he could feel it, like little pin pricks, but it was nice. Persephone complained about it the first few days, but soon came to understand that she wasn't going to be listened to.
Even with her living with him, it felt… nice in a way.
He felt like a million skies were being pressed down upon him.
It still was hard to breath. Even with the air being so light and cool and pure.
He wasn't even allowed near a cigarette. It was torture. He felt like he was being mentally ripped apart.
Just one light and he'll pick up the damn scissors.
Just one fucking drag.
But would that be the last one?
You'd like to think that wouldn't you?
One more and you're fine, eh?
Nico snapped his head back to the book and glared hard at it.
He was too tired to even look at words.
Persephone's footsteps drew near to him before she was sitting next to him. She bent down and picked up the scissors. She placed them next to Nico's new book before she ran a hand through Nico's newly cut hair.
"We'll have to fix it up, but I think that we can salvage it." Persephone said as she ran her hand over the uneven cropped sides and the long tuff of hair on the top of his head. Nico glanced over at her for the first time in months.
"What are you talking about?" Nico asked. Persephone's hand stopped moving as she met Nico's eyes. She smiled lightly, almost sadly.
"You did a good job cutting it," She told him. "But it needs to be fixed a little bit." She then got up and left him alone.
Nico replayed her words in his head.
You did a good job cutting it, but it needs to be fixed a little bit.
You did a good job cutting it, but it needs to be fixed a little bit.
You did a good job cutting it, but it needs to be fixed a little bit.
What did she mean by that?
Was she trying to imply something?
No, of course not.
You would have killed her if she did.
Even if she was a god.
Nothing would have stopped you, would it?
Nico shook his head furiously and squeezed his eyes shut. He gripped his hair tight and yelled.
He yelled and yelled. Nico lost count of how long he yelled for. Or what he was yelling about.
His throat was sore when he stopped though. It was dry and rough.
Nico brought a hand to his neck to massage it.
He opened his eyes again with a sigh. He felt drained. This was too much for him.
He looked at the table in front of him.
The book and the scissors were laid perfectly side-by-side.
He couldn't breathe. Nico took his hand away from his neck and picked up the book with a shaky hand.
He played with the frayed edges, and read over the cover for the millionth time;
A Study in Scarlet
Nico bounced his feet a few times before he flipped to the first page.
"In the year 1878 I took me degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the Army. Having completed my studies there, I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as an assistant surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time before I could join it…" Nico read under his breath, his leg bouncing once more as his eyes whipped across the pages.
The snow continued to fall outside and bring in a white, pure, clean light.
Hello! I'm back yes, I plan on updating more often in December, since I have a break for like two weeks.
So see you soon!
Scar :}
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