WAIT FOR ME [ nico di angelo ]

Crackalacking

THEY SAT ON the roof of Pluto's shrine, which was covered with bones and diamonds. As far as Louis knew, the bones had always been there. Normally, most people would never be caught dead sitting on Pluto's shrine, with two children of Hades. But Louis just wasn't as scared as the other kids. In fact, it felt quite comftable sitting in the presence of death.

Nico swung his feet like a little kid. His Stygian iron sword lay by his side, next to Hazel's spatha. He gazed across the valley, where construction crews were working in the Field of Mars, building fortifications for tonight's games.

"Percy Jackson." He said the name like an incantation. "Hazel, Louis, I have to be careful what I say. Important things are at work here. Some secrets need to stay secret. Hazel, Louis two of all people—you should understand that."

That made Louis a bit uncomftable. That was one of the things he didn't like about Nico. Is how he was able to get Louis to admit things so easily. Maybe it was how he looked a bit ridiculous when he stood with his hand on his hips, not even daring to blink until Louis would tell him what's up. But it was annoying. As there defiantly were things he would like to keep private. But unforuently, Nico had gotten them all out of him. Including one of the main reasons Louis understood why Nico couldn't tell them everything. Although, there was one secret that Nico didn't know. No one knew. And Louis intended too keep it that way.

"What can you say about Percy?" Louis asked, finally zoning back into reality and the conversation.

"Is he dangerous?" Hazel asked.

Nico managed a dry smile. "Very. To his enemies. But he's not a threat to Camp Jupiter. You can trust him."

"Like I trust you," Hazel said bitterly.

"I do." Said Louis, gaining the attention of Di Angelo and Levesque. "If you say we can trust him, then I trust him. Because I trust your judgement. And you obviously know him from before he came to Camp Jupiter. If you say he's not a threat, then he's not a threat. Case closed."

Hazel gave Louis a very small side eye glance, as if she knew something, or at least thought something, he didn't. It only lasted for about a millisecond, but Louis managed too catch it. He then looked back at Nico, who wore a very, very small smile across his face. Although, it disappeared almost imeadently when he noticed Louis was looking back at him.

That's a bit weird. But hey, children of Pluto can be a little bit weird. It's probably just that.

"Thanks Louis." He muttered. Nico twisted his skull ring. Around him, bones began to quiver as if they were trying to form a new skeleton. Whenever he got moody, Nico had that effect on the dead, kind of like Hazel's curse. Between them, they represented Pluto's two spheres of control: death and riches.

"Look, I know this is hard," Nico continued, now addressing Hazel. "But you have a second chance. You can make things right."

"Nothing about this is right," Hazel said. "If they find out the truth about me—"

"They won't," Nico promised. "They'll call a quest soon. They have to. You'll make me proud. Trust me, Bi—"

He caught himself, but Louis knew what he'd almost called her: Bianca. Nico's real sister—the one he'd grown up with. Nico might care about Hazel, but she'd never be Bianca. Hazel was the simply the next best thing Nico could manage—a consolation prize from the Underworld. Louis genuinely felt bad about what had happened to Bianca. On the very rare occasion when Nico had opened up to him, he had told many stories about her. Judging from those stories, she seemed like a really lovely person. Whish was a shame now, because she was dead. Nico had cared for her with his whole heart. So Louis couldn't even imagine the state Nico had been in when she died. Louis didn't want to imagine what he had been like. He never wanted to see someone hurt that badly, especially if it was someone he cared about.

"I'm sorry," Louis mumbled quietly. He didn't know why he was sorry, he did nothing wrong. And he was glad no one heard him eaither.

Hazel's mouth tasted like metal. "Then it's true about Death? Is Alcyoneus to blame?"

"I think so," Nico said. "It's getting bad in the Underworld. Dad's going crazy trying to keep things under control. From what Percy said about the gorgons, things are getting worse up here, too. But look, that's why you're here. All that stuff in your past—you can make something good come out of it. You belong at Camp Jupiter."

Hazel then zoned out. But not in a relaxed type of way that Louis usually did. This was more of a eyes staring straight ahead, no blinking, straight and rigid back, hands clenched in fists type of zoning out. She looked possessed.

Louis had already been sitting near her. But pretty soon he slid down so he was kneeling in front of her, a slightly worried expression over his face. Nico then slid down so he was next to Louis in the same crouched possession. 

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's having a flash back."

Louis then turned too Nico, with an expression that just said what?

Nico rolled his eyes. "Honestly Louis, you really are stupid. She' having a flash back to when she was in the 1900's. I told you this ages ago and I don't really feel like explaining it again."

Louis started at Nico for a minute, wracking his brain for the answer. When it finally came too him, a small smile of realisation cut across his face. "Crackalacking"

Nico rolled his eyes so far backwards they could of easily rolled out of his head. "This is not crackalacking Louis. This is serious."

"Let's just try too wake her up." He suggested. Louis then proceeded too place his hands in a very awkward manor onto Hazel's shoulders. Then then started to shake her shoulders. 

"That won't woke you moron!"

He then stopped. "Well then what to you think will work? If your so crackalacking."

Nico then started shaking her shoulders.

"That's original." Louis said a bit bitterly.

"Shut up."

Then out of nowhere, Hazel broke out of her trance, shaking Nico's hands off her shoulders.

 "You did it again." Said Nico.

Louis put his hand on top of her's. "It wasn't very crackalacking."

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