When I Don't Remember You (Percico)

Chapter Twenty Five: My Favorite Time of Year

Nico di Angelo

I went back to New York for a few days to visit Sally and even showed my face at camp to pack a bag and tell Chiron and some others that while I'm doing this job for my dad, I'll look for Percy and tell them if I find anything.

Overall, my time in New York ended up being almost a week, and when I returned to Camp Jupiter?

Hazel and Reyna met me in New Rome for lunch, which was a part of the plan.

"Hey! You found it," Hazel remarked and then she gave me a hug, which... Would have been nice if I wasn't as touch repulsed as I am. It like... Wasn't nice and I felt bad because she noticed that I didn't like it. "Oh, uh... Sorry."

"No, it... It's fine, I just don't like being touched," I informed my younger sister, feeling bad about making her feel bad for giving me a hug. "Sorry that I didn't tell you, it's not your fault. How have you been doing since you've gotten back?"

"Pretty good!" Hazel answered as the three of us took a table. "I'm in the fifth cohort and people aren't super fucking racist anymore, which is a really nice development. They don't like Greeks for some reason but... I haven't told anyone, so don't worry. But it's been fun and training is cool and I made a friend in my cohort! His name is Frank. How are you, though? You look... Tired."

Sensing that either of them would call me on it if I tried to write it off again like I did with Reyna last week, I just nodded my head.

"It's been busy and kind of chaotic in New York," I tried to not go into detail. "That and I'm not used to shadow travelling across the country so it takes it out of me still. I'll get used to it."

"What's going on in New York?" Hazel asked and it made me anxious, but I haven't been able to talk about it with anyone besides Sally all week because Rachel's at camp and busy so...

I guess if she hates me I'll just tell Dad that the job is done as much as it can be and I'll take more time to look for my boyfriend.

"It... Well, I mean, Olympus is closed to mortals and demigods right now," I explained to them. "and communications with demigods and mortals is like, cut off, I don't know how much you know about that, but... War is impending so people are kind of stressed and then my... My partner, who is a demigod, went missing suddenly like... On the 14th and so between those two things camp is going nuts and it's tiring. I'll be okay, though. Camp survived the last war with Kronos and we'll survive whatever is coming up."

"Your partner... Oh, Nico, I'm sorry," Hazel apologized. "There haven't been any leads on where he might be?"

I shook my head, not even registering that she used he/him pronouns for him.

"I went to dad to make sure that he wasn't dead and he's not, which is actually how I ended up bringing you back," I told Hazel. "Dad asked me to find you so the gods want you alive, so you're not dying soon again, but he's alive. Dad has no idea as to where he is, but he was told to tell me that he's alive and that eventually we'll find him so..."

I shrugged.

"I just have to look."

"Well if we get any Greek demigods, I'll let you know," Reyna told me, seeming anxious herself. "If um..."

She stopped herself for a second before looking up at me again.

"Jason went missing," Reyna broke the news to me. "Earlier this week. On the 17th."

And while I promised her that I'd tell her if he somehow appeared in New York, I knew that that was a lie.

Because I couldn't. She already shouldn't know what she does about me, but I feel like that something I couldn't...