Avoiding the Hunters of Artemis

Chapter 1- Nico's P.O.V.

-Friday, July 1st-

"Nico~ time to wake up for breakfast. Nico di Angelo~" Will coos at me.

I try to smack him, but he isn't lying next to me like he's supposed to. I look up, and he's standing by the bed. "Ugh, what?"

"Time to get up and get ready for breakfast. C'mon." He smiles at me. "I've learned to get out of the bed before waking you up now."

"Man, you get punched in the face once, and all the sudden you won't cuddle with me in the mornings?" I mutter, sitting upright, rubbing my eyes.

"No~ that's not it. I just actually want to get up and get going, so I got up this time."

"Uh-huh."

He's already dressed and stuff. Ridiculous.

"So...? Get up and have breakfast with me? You don't even have to get dressed, you can just come with me." He says.

"I can't go in pajamas." I roll my eyes, pushing my blanket back a bit. It's cold. He must have been out of bed for a while.

"Who's going to stop you? Not me, probably not anyone else... well, maybe someone else. I wouldn't, I guess."

"Oh, Chiron would kill me on the spot." I hold a hand out to him.

He takes it. "You think so? He'd just whip out his bow and arrow?"

"He would trample me. Death by centaur hoof." I say, pulling him down so he tumbles onto me. I hold onto him. Warm.

He yelps, before giggling against my shoulder. "Nico. We do need to go, I let you sleep in as much as I could."

"It's...so cold."

He glows faintly, warming me. "We can do this for a second, but then I can get you a hoodie and some jeans if you're really that cold."

"I had a bad dream." I start, adjusting to trace circles on his back with my hand.

"Oh, again?" He asks, relaxing against me.

"Mhm, the first time I left Camp Half-Blood. It was winter, I ran into the woods by myself. I was fully alone for the first time in my life, ten years old, in the cold, dark wilderness...without a boyfriend who glows and warms me up." I say, trying to coax him to stay in bed with me. "I was so lonely. So cold."

"Ooh. You poor thing." He hugs me gently.

"I was ten." I add to get some pity points.

Sometimes, I'll tell him things like this for attention. Sue me. It works. It also actually happened and I also actually dreamt of it.

"How long did the dream go on for?"

"All night? What do you mean? It was like a day's worth of...what happened."

"The second one was what I meant. I wish I knew you more then. You were clearly hurting a lot."

"I wouldn't have let you near me anyway. I'm just now learning to do that. That's why I'm forced to tell you about all of my dreams."

"I hope you don't feel forced."

"I am, I have to tell someone."

I'm not allowed not to. Will is my person. I promised Jason that I would try...

"Well, I'm glad it's me. I'm sorry about your dream, that must have been so scary when it happened?"

"I didn't even care when it happened."

"You didn't?" He prompts me, not moving. My plan is working.

"Of course not. Why would I have been?"

"You left, completely alone at ten years old. You said it yourself."