“Get on your swimsuits, demigods, ‘cause we’re at Ogygia II!” Nico cracked open his eyelids. Shadows danced above his vision. They twirled with memories, just out of reach and with…. with... he could barely spit out the word. The word that had taunted him for so many years. First, Bianca. His only family, the only one who’d accepted him, who had always been there for him. She was gone forever. Forever. His stomach clenched viciously, like it was being beat at with a sadistic hammer. And somehow, the one who had lied about keeping his sister safe was number two on the list of the unnameable word. Percy. He’d been Mythomagic come to life, with the blazing sea-green eyes and sarcastic attitude and… Annabeth. She was part of him, and Nico accepted that, but… a little piece of him still wished Percy would be his. He knew that by confessing to Percy, he’d pretty much ruined all their chances of friendship. Who wanted to be friends with a freaky son of Hades anyway?
A small strip of light from the window sliced through the shadows swirling with rage above his head.
Finally, the word could come out of his mouth.
Love.
He didn’t know if he could ever love again. His heart had been broken too many times, smashed to tiny pieces that he didn’t think could be put back together by anything but a miracle. His only solace was-
No, he thought. Not, solace. I can’t think about Solace now. Will Solace, so perfect, with his tousled blond hair and infectious laughter. But a boy like that couldn’t like a monster like Nico. He was sure to be in love with a daughter of Athena, anyway. Maybe they were even dating! It wasn’t like he liked Will anway. It was preposterous! Ridiculous! Utterly impossible! Of course he wasn’t!
Moving right along, thought Nico. An image of Hazel surfaced from the abyss of his mind. Maybe love was a possibility. He knew Hazel would accept him. But still, some things were better kept inside.
Nico, heart aching for something more, pushed back the blankets from his bed. Only when Demeter’s children stopped eating cereal would he wear a swimsuit, he thought sourly at Leo. He pulled the shades over his window shut so tight that the rod they were hanging from fell and the thick curtains clattered to the ground. No, not light, he thought. I need darkness and shadows.
Nico turned away from the bright light and changed into a pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt, and his aviator jacket. As they heavy weight of the fabric settled on his shoulders, he felt ready to face the day. Slipping his sword into a sheath around his hips, he traipsed out of the room.
YOU ARE READING
A Tale of Gods and Magic
FanfictionThe Seven are expecting another year of school after Camp Half-Blood ends. But they, Nico, the Stolls and another very sunny demigod are summoned to a mysterious school of magic in England. The story is mostly told from Annabeth's POV with a few gu...
