Solangelo between HoO &TOA

Chapter 11: Capture the flag part two

Just read the A/N at the end of this, ok?? I'll let you find out what happened now.

Nico arrived early at Zeus' Fist, and alone, as Hazel and Frank had left their armour at Camp Jupiter, so they had to go and get some more armour fitted before the game. He scouted around the perimeter of the clearing, and then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around, his sword already out.

'Jesus, Nico. No need to decapitate me!!!! I'm not an empousa, even if you seem to think I am.' Drew was behind him 'What's the plan of attack?'

'Ummm, I think you need to take that up with Annabeth, Drew, She's the planner, not me. I think I am mainly here if we get attacked so I can summon skeletons or zombies, and for your information, I have jump reflexes from the past three or four years, so give me warning when you are at least two meters away, so I don't skewer you, like ............................. last time'

'Oh we were getting on so well, and then you bring that up.' Drew looked angry 'Do you just not want to get on with ANYONE?'Nico flinched. It was true, he found people difficult, but he had been getting on with people at camp better, but there were still those doubts, the little voice inside his head telling him no-one could ever truly love him, even Will, even Hazel. Out of these thoughts someone was calling his name, but he couldn't pull out of these spirals easily. He was a son of Hades. Who would ever want to be around him? A voice jerked him out of his spiral

'Nico, get your head in the game! You ready?' It was Annabeth. Somehow whilst he had been thinking the entire blue team had assembled

'Yeah, I'm ready Annabeth. Are we moving out?' He replied

'Drew?' Annabeth questioned

'Yeah, let's get that flag' She glanced at Nico with an unreadable expression. 'I hope you have enough energy for a skeleton army, plus fighting later, as I believe your medical boyfriend is on the other team....' She said the word boyfriend with half disgust, half admiration and something flicked over her face, through the neutral expression for a second, then flicked back.

'I guess I better have enough energy then.' Nico sassed, knowing full well his boyfriend would get him into the Hades cabin quicker than you could say Holy Hera with Gatorade and cuddles, same team or not. They set off.

On the way to the stream, they met almost no-one, except Travis and Katie making out behind a bush, and they left well enough alone with this. The only other encounter they had was with an Empousa, and Annabeth and Nico dealt with that efficiently. The Empousa tried to get Nico when she'd shoved over Annabeth, but he just said 'I'm gay, you bitch!' nodded to Annabeth who had risen behind the Empousa, and in unison, they stabbed it in the chest. It was at the stream. Percy, obviously, had decided to stand guard on the stream. Annabeth jumped straight out of the bush they were hiding in. Percy looked up and raised Riptide. He caught Annabeth's raised dagger and they began to dual, yelling insults like

'I hope you learn to drown, Jackson'

And

'Hey Wise Girl, plan fail this time? First time in this game your plans failed?'

Around a minute into the duel, Annabeth nodded to Nico, he grabbed Drew's shoulder and shadow travelled across the stream, directly behind Percy, smirking at Drew's expression from shadow travelling, like she'd sucked a kilo of limes in a few seconds

'C'mon' He whispered 'Flag!!' And they continued, any obstructions mainly distracted by the distraction party sent, until a certain blonde boy turned out to be one of the two guards by the flag along with his sister Gracie

'I'll distract Will and Gracie, you go around behind and grab the flag then get out of here, I'll summon a skeleton escort for you' The ground bust about ten meters behind them and around twenty skeletons crawled out. He muttered a few words to them that bound them to her until he released them. Then he ran out, in what appeared to be a full frontal attack, towards his boyfriend, who caught his sword on his own. Gracie ran towards them to intervene, and then he was fighting the both of them. He saw Drew creep forwards, her skeleton squad still in the trees, barely visible. He saw her climb the rock where the Red flag was being kept. She grabbed it and was almost to the trees, when Will turned, and saw Drew and the skeletons escaping through the trees

'Gracie, go get Drew, and NICO I said shadow travel was ok, but not skeletons!! Or the undead!!'

'In my defence, William, I take being allowed to shadow travel as permission to do Underworld magic in general, and also my teammate is getting away with your flag, and I should help her. See you later, Sunshine!' and with that, he disappeared into his own shadow and reappeared by Drew's side, in a crowd of skeletons, around five hundred meters away from the steam, but at the stream, there was a twenty camper gang ready for them, Percy and Annabeth still fighting behind them. Nico summoned more skeleton soldiers underneath the party who then held them down, until The Ghost king and Drew had got past them. Nico stopped to smirk at them, and then ran on, now in the midst of the skeleton mob. Percy and Annabeth stopped duelling as they past them, then Annabeth knocked Percy down, smiling at him. But Nico was more concentrated on getting the flag across the steam. Drew stood up on the bank and just yelled. Percy looked over and sighed, Annabeth asked

'What were you saying about my plan not working, Seaweed brain?'

Nico released the soldiers, and just as they sank through the earth, his boyfriend came crashing through the bush. He looked mad. Uh oh.

'Nico!!! SIXTY SKELETONS? AT ONCE? IN-oh wait, Kayla banned me from the infirmary for a month. You are not doing camp activities for three days, and stay in your cabin for those three days.' Will picked up Nico and held him under his arm.

'Well done everyone. I'm going to get the lord of darkness some Gatorade, then some rest. Come on Neeks,' Nico started to pound his fists on Will. Halfway through the walk back Will conceded

'Ok Neeks, BUT I'm piggybacking you to the Hades cabin'

'FINE' Nico yelled, but really, he was tired, and just wanted to snuggle, so when he got up on will's back, he rested his head on Will's shoulder and relaxed. He felt Will smile as they got to the campfire pit, and Will walked back with Nico on his back like this.

Back in the Hades cabin, Will tucked Nico in and got him some Gatorade, but as he was about to start to go, Nico grabbed his wrist, and whispered

'Stayand cuddle a while' Nico just got cuddly when he was tired, and he didn'treally care around Will. Will joined him in bed, and they cuddled, as they fellasleep.

I love writing these fluffy cute bits at the end. The dreams Bit is going to be chapter 12, set a week or two after this, and is going to be a bit angsty, so bear with as I am no good at it, and may be a bit bad, and take a while, but enjoy this holiday from Real Life called our Neek's birthday. If you are having thoughts like Neeks was having earlier in the chapter about people not truly knowing or loving you, just remember that there will always be someone who loves you, I love you all so much for reading, and bearing with me whilst I had writer' block, and whilst I am not going to be updating regularly, and if you are having a bad time, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Love you all, again, for reading, and good morning/noon/evening/night, carpe Diem/ Carpe Noctum (seize the day/ seize the night)

Alice ❤❤❤🧡🧡🧡