Christmas With The Seven

Chapter 2: Viva Las Arepas

Art by @haku_spokus on Instagram

6 hours later, they arrived in Vegas. Reyna's cognitive functions were shot but the moment the familiar restaurant came into view she felt herself perk up. This was the last place she had eaten with her sister, Hylla, before they had split their ways. Reyna had joined Camp Jupiter and Hylla had gone off with the Amazons. Just last year they had met up at this restaurant again. After the feast of Fortuna, Reyna had given herself a little bit of time to catch up with her sister over lunch the next day. They had flown on pegasi all the way out to Vegas to share a meal and this restaurant had become one of Reyna's favorites ever since.

"Reyna and I ordered ahead online so we're going to park really quick and Reyna's going to go in and grab the food while I switch over to the driver's seat, sounds good?" Annabeth called back to the others. There was a chorus of agreement before Annabeth continued. "If you have to use the bathroom, go with Reyna when she gets the food."

They had only had to stop once for gas and a bathroom break on their way to Vegas. Annabeth was glad she had mapped out the routes and stops so precisely before the trip. If everything went according to her plan, it wouldn't be long before she was back at Camp Halfblood with all her friends and siblings. Once Reyna found a parking spot, Annabeth climbed out of her seat and walked over to the driver's side. Percy squeezed her hand and gave her a peck on the cheek before following Reyna, Grover, and Frank into the restaurant.

Annabeth sat down in the driver's seat and looked back into the car. Nico sat in the back seat, staring intently at his phone while Hazel cast worrying glances at him from behind.

"Is everything alright?" Annabeth asked.

"Um..." Nico kept looking down at his phone. Every few seconds his thumbs would twitch as if he was going to type something before he stopped himself.

"Did you figure things out with Will?" Annabeth tried. By the look on his face, Annabeth deduced that figuring things out with Will was exactly what Nico was currently trying to do. "Okay," Annabeth turned around in her seat so she was facing him. "What's the problem?"

"He DMed me," Nico stated.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "And that's a problem because..?" She asked, confused.

"I don't know what to say," Nico replied.

"What did Will text you?"

Nico passed Annabeth his phone and she glanced down at the text messages.

"Just uh, ignore the messages before the most recent one," Nico mumbled.

Annabeth did as he said and didn't ask about the paragraph of text that detailed the exact reasons why Jay Garrick from the original 1940 issue of The Flash was the best and why Nico thought Wally West was overrated.

doctorsunnyd: im so so so sorry please talk to me

Annabeth handed the phone back to Nico. "I don't see what the problem is. Just tell him it's fine."

Nico sighed. "But what if.." He trailed off.

"What if... what?" Annabeth asked.

Nico fiddled with his phone, tossing it from one hand to another. Annabeth remembered when Leo had first handed Nico a phone and he'd been so scared to break it he'd hold it with both hands at all times. "What if he's upset because... because I didn't say it back?"

Annabeth felt her heart melt. Her expression softened and she couldn't help but hold back tears. Her gothic, emo, eternally angry and pessimistic little boy was growing up.