Percy Jackson: The Curse of Memory

Chapter 15.

Nico's POV:

Those muffled might have been the only thing keeping Nico alive.

They mixed in bitterly with the endless void. Wake up wake up wake up wake up. His eyes fluttered open. He quickly regretted his decision when he was blinded by the bonfire. Finally, his eyes adjusted to the rest of the world. He could see Percy across from him nibbling on a bar of chocolate.

"Ah good, you're awake." The voice startled Nico. He turned to see who had spoken. "I almost-" His voice stopped midsentence including an unnoticeable gasp at the end. "You're the guy from my dream." His breath slowed. "Good, you did remember," The boy replied. Nico almost laughed at how ridiculously content he sounded. His eyes drifted towards the boy in front of him, and once again they locked eyes. The boy smiled a genuine smile. An annoying warm feeling stubbornly stayed put in his stomach. "Stop that," Nico said a little louder. "Will." Will seemed satisfied by Nico remembering his name.

Thalia tapped her knee. "Nico. A son of Hades," She said grimly. Nico looked at Will. "Oh, you did tell them." Will nodded. He didn't sense Nico's distress. "They would find out soon enough. Percy told me about the waterfall and the voice from the sky. I think it was most likely Antheia, but all of you three will find out different ways." Still, no one seemed as if it was a big deal his father was Hades.

"So that means you know my parent?" Thalia asked, a strange, eager hunger glinted in her eyes.
It took Nico a second to realize Thalia was jealous. The more he thought about it, it made more sense. He recalled what it felt like to be ignored, rejected. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.  Especially when it's a parent.

Will shook his head, his golden hair quick to follow behind. "I'm sorry, but I can't interfere." He tried to give her a reassuring smile. "That's for you to find out."
Thalia glowered at the ground. She didn't seem capable of replying with any snarky comment, so she seemed to decide on, "Oh." q

"The west." Percy said. He was trying to change the subject. "That's Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, at least I think." He started counting all the states up on his fingers. Nico resisted the urge to tease him about the finger counting.
"Damn," Will muttered. "Didn't know we were singing the fifty states songs now." That actually got a laugh out of Nico, for some reason. This guy wasn't even that funny. "You forgot Nevada," Thalia said as if she expected Percy to have straight A's in geography.

"So," Will said. "We're in Colorado, right now." Nico looked at him, appalled. He couldn't have shadow traveled them all the way to Colorado, that couldn't be possible. "To be more precise, we are in Colorado Springs. One of the nearest states is Arizona."
"You think the scales are in Arizona?" Percy asked. Will's attention turned to him. "No, but I'm also not saying we have to travel to every state in the west in the span of a week. We will come across the scales."
"You say 'we' as if you are on this quest with us," Thalia said. "You say 'us' as if he wasn't on this quest with us," Nico said without thinking. It just felt so natural. It almost felt as if Will had been with him since he woke in the high school. Thalia surprised him with a dry laugh. Will glanced at him, slightly surprised, but didn't seem displeased. "Perhaps we start making our way to Arizona?" Percy said. "But my feet are not up for that." Nico had seen a bus stop around here. But the bus driver wouldn't probably be too ecstatic about driving a few emo-looking teenagers in ripped soot-covered clothes to Arizona.

Nico rose his head, but Will looked at him and mouthed a "No." So he did know about shadow travel. "I've been here before," Percy said. "The Greyhound travels across the country, right? There is one in Colorado Springs. I am sure of it." Thalia gestured to the ground. "We need sleep first. We can find the bus first thing in the morning."
"Mhm," Will agreed. He was obviously exhausted. "We all need sleep." They all lied down without hesitation. The only blanket was the wind. Nico focused on the cloudy sky, the stars hidden behind them. The faint glow of the moon cast over them. Nico heard one of his friend's breath start to inhale and exhale more calmly. Everyone else wasn't slow to follow behind. That left him there. The sounds of the crickets and the sound of the leaves brushing together mixed so beautifully together. The clouds soon passed, showing what was hiding underneath. His arms lay behind his head, a comfortable position.

An owl could be heard, right as the moon looked as if it reached the pupil in Nico's eye. For a second, it looked as if the moon had morphed into the sun, for a second. As if it missed its other half. If Nico could listen close enough, tropical type music could be heard from a neighborhood party. Like a Hawaiian luau. Nico could almost smell the saltwater. Nico traced his skeleton ring. The night was truly another dimension.