SUNSHINE and DARKNESS

"Are you finishing that or...?"

Summary - Katie Gardner decides to organize a picnic for the whole camp and gives Nico a personal invitation.

This isn't explicitly Solangelo, but I had this idea of Nico interacting with some of Demeter's children and I thought of this. You could say this is sort of a pre-relationship fic.

Warnings: Mention of Nico turning to a plant = traumatic experience.

word count - 3,084

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For the last week of summer, Katie Gardner had decided to set up a picnic for the whole camp. Organizing a picnic for over a hundred demigods was not an easy feat, but Katie was determined. She wanted to give the campers, mainly the summer campers and the ones leaving for college, a farewell feast.

Organizing the whole thing took her about a week. She had enlisted the help of her siblings and a few Athena campers; without them, it would have been impossible. A week prior to the set date, Katie made an announcement during dinner. She had invited all of the campers and nature spirits, asking them to 'RSVP' if they wished to come. She highlighted how important the RSVP is so that she can count them in and make the necessary seating arrangements.

That night, after dinner, she made a beeline towards the Hades cabin. Ever since Nico di Angelo had decided to stay in camp for the year, she had noticed his presence more. He was putting an effort to hang out with other people, even if the situation made him uncomfortable. It was one of his personality traits that made her admire him, even though part of her feared him slightly. However, every time she looked at him, the motherly part in her would always tell her that his thinness and paleness were not healthy. His eyes told her the story of a lost and confused child, and that only made her want to hug him.

"Nico," she called out as she saw him about to reach the Hades cabin. Nico stopped and turned to look at her, confusion written in his eyes and body slightly tensed. "I know huge gatherings are not your scene, and you may want to skip out, but it would be really nice if you can make it. If you want, I can arrange your seating to your preference."

Nico stood there, contemplating his choices. While he would really like avoiding noises and social situations, here was Katie, going out of her way to invite him personally. It would be rude for him to decline. besides, he sees the same people during dinner every day; a picnic won't change that. "The picnic sounds nice, and I really don't mind where I sit as long as it's not noisy," he smiled. Katie thanked him with a smile before leaving him alone.

A few days later, she sat with a crumpled piece of paper in her hands. She had been continuously erasing and changing what she had jotted down for the seating arrangement. Every time she added a name, she had to change the entire arrangement as she didn't want a fight to break out, either between campers or nymphs.

The whole time she had kept Nico in mind, searching for the perfect location. She had him sit opposite her, sandwiched between Pollux from the Dionysus cabin and the Stoll twins, the bane of her existence. She wanted the twins within sight and knew that they were friends with Nico. And she had a feeling that Nico will hit it off with Pollux, and she needed to prevent him from turning grapes into wine.

The morning of the picnic was an ordeal. Several campers, including the Stolls, were unhappy with their seating arrangements as it prevented them from causing chaos. All it took was a single glare to shut them up and settle down.

As Nico sat down, he noticed that the picnic mat was very long, spanning 60 feet and made of a patchwork of different smaller mats. There were multiple rows of mats set next to each other on the grass field, enough to fit all campers, nymphs, and satyrs. In the row behind him, several Apollo and Athena campers were chatting together about theatre and arts.