It All Started With The New Students... And The Murder

Chapter 18 : Just speak, it's easier

TW: blood, violence, torture, self-harm.

AN: It might not seem like it just yet, but the shit that hit the fan is now slowly coming back down, chill chapters coming soon, but for now, buckle up cuz this is gonna be a wild one.

Nico's POV:

"PERCY!" Annabeth yelled, running out of the shack and falling down next to Percy's limp body.

Nico didn't move. He didn't need to. He knew exactly what Percy was planning. It was probably what he'd been planning all along.

Ethan disappeared into the woods and Nico looked across the clearing to make sure the one bitch he'd purposely left alive was still there. To his relief, Luke's lackey still lay there, unconscious but very much alive.

"Jackson, stop being dramatic." Nico ordered, looking down at Annabeth who was on the verge of tears.

Percy's eyes blinked open and his hand unclenches, the single billet fired by Ethan's gun clattering onto the forest floor.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Wise Girl." Percy said with a wink to Annabeth.

Nico rolled his eyes, hoping that the people Percy had called would be there soon so he could go home and sulk in a corner, knowing he'd lost any minuscule chance he'd ever had with Will.

But then, something amazing happened. Annabeth slapped Percy in the face and Nico couldn't help but fall to the floor, rolling around with laughter.

"Don't you ever, EVER, scare me like that again, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth scolded. "And since when can you catch bullets?"

"I've done it once before, good to know that I've still got it." Percy chuckled. "I'm sorry, but it was a necessity to draw Luke out."

"What? How?" Nico heard the groups' voices get quieter and quieter as he slipped into the familiarity of the shadows, which were now unfortunately getting smaller and smaller as the sun was beginning to rise.

He loved the shadows. People often told him about how it was scary that he could just disappear into them, but he loved it. It gave him an easy way out of almost any situation, and it meant there was always another place to go to be alone.

Quickly and silently, he moved towards the unconscious soon-to-be prisoner, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and pulling him into the shadows with him.

He knew Percy had his phone with him, but noticed he'd dropped it during the fight, so he called it, knowing it would go to voicemail, which it did.

"Percy, Reyna, listen to this together with no one else please." He began "I'm sorry. I know I promised I'd never disappear like this again, but I need a second option to get to Luke if your plan doesn't work. I kept one of Luke's bitches alive, and I'm about to make it his problem. If the plan doesn't work, meet me at the location." he continued, on the verge of tears.

He'd lost Will already, he was sure if that. There was no way doctor boy was ever going to forgive him for the mass murder he committed with Percy and Reyna, but losing those two was something he wasn't ever going to be able to get through.

As the familiar tingling on his forearm started playing up again, Nico begged that they would forgive him for what he was about to do.

"P- Percy." Nico stuttered, his voice beginning to crack. He felt the breakdown coming. "I- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You delivered on your promise and I just broke mine. I love you and Reyna so, so much. You are my family and I'm sorry, but I need to do this."