Tinsy bit late, but I already have chapter 14 done
©Rick Riordan
©Scarlett Dove
Chapter XIII
Losing the War
"I think we've come to a point in your recovery where we can talk about why this may have happened." Lucy said. Nico furrowed his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
Nico kept his eyes down casted. He heard Lucy sigh, and a clattering of plastic. "Nico… why did you leave camp?"
Nico's face turned sour. He kept his gaze at his socked feet; he could see a tattoo peak out from in between his sock and his jeans. It was vibrant against his alabaster skin. Weird…
"Mr. Di Angelo…?" Lucy tired once more. Nico jolted, but stayed in his original position.
Nico fiddled with his fingers as he spoke. "It was – ah-" Nico sniffed. "Something that - um – ha-happened between Per-cy and I." Nico glanced up at Lucy with great hesitance. He could see the corner of her mouth twisting. He noted how she bounced her black pump clad feet up and down as she thought; a nervous tick.
"You were in a relationship with Perseus, I was told. Before the incident." Nico twisted the silver ring on his middle finger. He noticed how Lucy stated it, not questioned.
"Yeah." He croaked. "W-we were. Together."
"How long were you two in a relationship for?"
"Almost two years."
"You left shortly before your anniversary?" Nico was glad how she said it with no judgment; it was how people usually reacted.
"Y-yeah."
"Why?"
Nico sucked in a dry breath. His throat was tight. His palms became moist. Nico rubbed them down his jeans so they would soak up the sweat. "I-I-I-" His voice wouldn't come to him. Images ran through his mind of Percy and him together, smiling, laughing, kissing… having sex. Nico chocked back a sob. He started to scratch at his jeans. He could feel Lucy's gaze on his fingers. He jolted back and latched each hand onto his forearms.
He first squeezed his arms as he heard a pen scraping along paper. Then he began to rub his arms, soothing old scabs. Then when Nico heard the physiologist get up and leave the room with clicks of her heels, he began to scratch. Nico ran his blunt finger nails up and down his forearms vigorously, he opened old wounds and ran over new skin over and over until it turned an angry red and leaked deep velvet.
The pressure that had built up in Nico had left his arms; leaving a soothing stinging, but the pressure still remained elsewhere.
Nico let go of his arms and pressed his soaked hands to his face. Nico felt warm liquid slid over his face. Nico quickly moved his hands away from his face and stood up. His chest heaved as he looked about the simple room. Old wooden floors and white drywall. There was a small window on the wall behind him. He shakily stumbled over to the sill, where he pressed his hands down; leaving bloody hand prints.
Nico puffed out a breath, trying to calm himself while he glanced out the window. It was still winter. The fluffy white snowflakes fell from the sky with such grace. Nico sniffed and fell to his knees with a thud. So pure and white. Virgin and calm.
Not messed up and depressed.
Not slutty and anxious.
Not Nico.
Never you, bitch.
"He's in here, Mr. Hades, we were just talking ab- Nico!"
"Mother Rhea, son!"
This is concerning the romance aspect of the story, I know it's lacking, but for a reason; hope you can figure it out.
Scar