𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋

꧁𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐎 𝐜𝐡𝟒𝟐꧂

A/N: PLOT GETTING A LOT THICKER FROM HERE ON OUT! starting buildup ....
An extra long one x

Nico

Considering the amount of shadow travel I'd done today, I was absolutely exhausted.

Sure, my powers were getting stronger, but going to the Argo II and back, and then capture the flag? Yeah, I was tired. You see, I was on a team with the Apollo cabin, Hermes cabin and the Athena cabin. There were all the other cabins of course, but those were the biggest  (apart from Aphrodite on our team, but they don't really do much when Piper's not around). Malcom came up with the idea that Travis and Connor would provide me with flash bombs, stink bombs, actual bombs, etc. and I would shadow travel around, planting them wherever to confuse the hell out of them. Not wanting to look pathetic, of course I said yes. The tactic worked, of course. I watched Will bring the flag back to our side with a slight smile, trying not to tease a one Clarisse La Rue, who was on the other team screaming bloody murder.

She'll get over it by tomorrow.

Unlike the Nike kids. That lot need to grow up.

And you may be wondering: why are we playing capture the flag? Isn't there a war going on? Well, yeah, but between the funerals, meetings and repairs, Chiron really thought we could do with some normality. Not that camp is ever normal, but, you know, as normal as the routine life of a demigod can get.

Saying I'm glad that none of my friends had passed on would be an understatement, but I recognised quite a few names here and there. I nearly had to leave while they were burning an Iris shrine, as the feeling of death was making me slightly nauseous.

I stumbled towards my cabin, regretfully leaning against a lecturing Will.

"You really need to take care of yourself more Nico!"
"Uh huh."
"Let's go get some food real quick, Chiron won't mind. Then you need to sleep."
"Sleep sounds good."
"It sure does."
"Sleep first, though."
"But-"
"With great power-"
"-Comes great need to take a nap," Will finished.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, come on. That's, like, one of your favourite catchphrases. It's right up there with 'you're not my type.'"
"I said that once! And to Percy! How do you know about that!?"
"You said that to Percy Jackson, of course I'm gonna know," he smirked and I grumbled.
"So who is your type?"
"Huh?" I pretended not to hear him.
"Who's your type?"
"Hey, look! Travis is kissing Katie!"
"Don't change the subject."
"Uh... why do you care?"
"It's not that deep," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Then don't worry about it."
"No! No. No, I want to know," he said.
"Okay, Will. What if I said I liked a blonde?"
"Oh, Gods! You like Mike!?"
"Uhh, absolutely not."
"Jason Grace!?"
"... no."
He went through a list of blondes. Seriously, I was about to pass out from exhaustion and we were doing this NOW?!

"I like you! Idiot!" I yelled. Gods, that shut him up. Immediately, my ears got hot and I was tempted to hide. Did I seriously just say that?

Do you ever wanna dig a six foot grave and lie in it, hoping to bury yourself under your embarrassment so you don't ever have to feel it again?

No? Never mind...

The dude looked at me in shock. "Me?"
"Uh, bye!!" I quipped. Heart thudding across my rib cage, I opened the door to my cabin and quickly stepped inside.

The whole room was spinning. My senses had gone numb and there was a ringing in my ears. My blurry vision focused on the bed and I took a wobbly step towards it.