scared? | a nico di angelo fanfic

chapter 23: love conquers all

Hoa searched the house for Nico, who had seemingly disappeared.

Living Room? No.

Kitchen? No.

Bedroom? Nada.

Instead, she found him outside, swinging his feet off the edge of the hole where they dug out at the septic tank last night.

The wind blew his hair back away from his face as he stared inside the pit. He was wearing his aviator jacket and black clothes like usual, and he still looked tired and yes, hot, but also... sad.

Hoa walked up to him and sat down next to him in the same position he was in, kicking the air alongside him. "Neeks, tell me what's up."

"Nothing."

She frowned. "Nico, please don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Come on, we're way past that now. Please?"

"No."

"Nico di Angelo."

He sighed. "Why do you think Bianca chose to favor Percy?" he asked, a slight quiver at the end.

It clicked. Oh.

The poor boy didn't even get a chance to grieve Bianca properly. Right after he discovered her death, he ran from Camp, taking Hoa with him. And since then, there hasn't been many breaks for him, especially since he had to be strong when Hoa ceied that one night.

She put an arm around him. "Oh, Nico. It's not like that, she's looking out for you."

His hands shook a bit. "She left me. She chose to leave me, yet she still cares about whether or not I'm okay?"

Hoa unslung her arm from around him, cupping his face with one hand and grabbing his hands with the other. "Nico, love conquers all. Love extends beyond the boundraries of death. If someone cares about you, they will care about you regardless of what happens to you or them."

Nico's hands shook harder as he leaned on her shoulder. "Bu-ut, why? Why did she have to leave?"

"Nico, she chose to sacrifice herself for the quest to save Artemis. She did it because she loves Artemis, in a goddess-to-mortal way. She chose to take care of you your whole life because she loves you in a platonic brother-to-sister way. She's always here to support you."

"But why isn't she here to support me now?"

Hoa gave him a sad smile, dropping the hand on his face and letting each of her hands grab one of Nico's. "Who says she isn't? Who says she isn't watching? There are many different magical ways she can be watching you, guarding you. She could be playing guardian angel right now."

He sniffled. "Really?"

"Yes, Nico."

A lone tear fell out of his eye. "I still miss her, though."

Hoa cooed at him. "It's okay to miss her. You have every right to."

She got up from the ledge and took a few steps away from Nico. She didn't want them to fall inside the tank for what she was about to do.

Stretching her arms out, she smiled. "C'mere."

Immediately, Nico got up and rammed into her, knocking her down to the floor. His sniffles became sobs as smooth, cool arms wrapped around her, pulling them even closer to each other. Nico's head buried itself in Hoa's neck as her head rested on him. She cradled him gently as he keeled.

Her heart sank as it cried along with him. Poor boy. He doesn't deserve this.

Nobody deserves this.

Right now, she wanted to cry. She wanted tears to fall from her eyes.

But she had to be strong for him.

Bianca was his light in this tunnel of darkness, but now that light is gone, and he needs someone else to be that light. If that someone else was to be Hoa, then so be it.

She couldn't imagine what he must've felt like. Bottling up feelings for that long couldn't be healthy for someone, especially not a boy who's barely a teenager. He was forced to grow up.

Demigods have to go through so much, just because they're half god. None of them asked to be chased around by monsters that kill, to watch their friends and family die, to constantly be on the lookout for something that could harm them.

And Hoa knew that it would only get worse. Two demigods isn't enough to fight off a whole horde of monsters, a horde that would only be bigger because Nico's father was Hades, the god of the Underworld and one of the Big Three.

Nico didn't ask for his sister to be taken from him, he didn't ask for more danger to be brought along with him, he didn't ask to be beaten up and broken, both physically and mentally.

Being a demigod was hard, and it would only get worse as they get older.

"C'mon, Neeks," she said, plastering on the fakest smile and hoping it looked real enough for Nico. "Let's get you washed up."

~•~•~

Nico opened the bathroom door, holding a towel. His hair was still wet and looked weak, vulnerable and miserable.

Immediately, he flopped down against the bed, his black shirt sticking to his skin.

Hoa sighed. She couldn't let him get in bed with wet hair, otherwise he'd get the bed wet.

Slowly, she sat herself next to him, grabbing the towel by to his tired form. She gently dried his hair, working from the sides to the center.

Nico perked up, surprised, but quickly relaxed when he saw her familiar face. For a second he got up, but then lowered his face into her outstretched legs.

Once she finished, Nico got up and rested his head on her shoulder. She smiled as she moved to a more comfortable position, wrapping an arm around his waist and using the other to massage his scalp.

He leaned into her touch, a peaceful sigh coming out of his mouth like all the worries and stress he built up for the last few months in the labyrinth were finally being released in one, long breath.

She quietly hummed a lullaby to him, making his eyes flicker with drowsiness.

"Sleep, Nico. I'll be here, I promise."

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hi im madi, your loyal author ♥️

im not rlly satisfied with the post-shower part but oh well, ima edit it later

ok enough of my complaining onto the other books

check out muse! its a jax x reader (from tadc--the amazing digital circus) and doesn't have many chapters yet, but still! plsplspls take a look.

and that one murder drones book is (still) popping off.

anyways

how was the chapter?

also, what are some questions of your own?

anyways, tysm for reading this crappy book! 😃