Sun-kissed Angel (a Solangelo fanfiction)

CHAPTER 19: THE CROWN OF PTOLEMY

Nico

Nico had seen horrors upon horrors. Nothing scares him anymore, before the secret of his past came along.

"What?" Nico asked a dozen times.

Will's wince was visible through their Iris message.

"N...nothing," Will said.

"...I need a little more luck than a little bit. Cause every time I get stuck, the words won't fit..."

Nico sighed. Reyna had been singing that song since they left camp, which was a good three weeks ago. It annoyed the hell out of Will and he didn't know why.

"...And every time that I try, I get tongue-tied. I need a little more luck to get me by..."

She has a nice voice compared to Will's standards, and that was saying something.

"I can hear you, you know!" Will half-screamed through their IM.

Reyna's head poked out of the tent.
She had that smug grin on her face.
"That was meant for you."

Will turned fifteen shades of red, the reddest he turned so far, as far as Nico noticed. He didn't even know what this is all about.

"Can both of you explain what this is all about?" He asked, annoyed.

Reyna looked at him like he was a moron, which kind of angered him more. Will looked relieved though.

"You seriously don't know?" Reyna asked.

"Probably."
"No."

Will and Nico said in chorus.

Reyna whistled under her breath.
"You're so dense,"

"Totally," Will said.

The Iris message blinked.

"I'm out of drachmas," Will said.

"Good," Nico muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. I should probably get some sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight Nico."

"Night Will."

Then the IM was gone.

Reyna's head disappeared inside her tent.
"I should probably get checked up for cavities."

"Don't be silly. Demigods don't get cavities," Nico muttered.

"With you and the golden boy, she probably can!" Coach Hedge said on the other tent.

Reyna's laugh echoed over the vast emptiness of Texas's desert like dunes.

Nico shook his head.
"That's crazy."

Coach Hedge sneezed, rattling the tent he's in.

"I'll tuck myself in for the night. Night cupcakes."

"Okay. I'll take first watch."

Reyna hummed her approval before closing her tent.

Then Nico was alone.

The darkness of the night with the silent whispers of the dead made his skin crawl.

Coach hadn't been joking when he said the Dust Bowl isn't the place for satyrs... For life in general.

Hundreds.. No. Thousands of cries of hunger and torment was almost maddening.

Nico closed his eyes for a minute, his mind sharp, his body ready to spring in defense.