The Nico That (Almost) Destroyed Christmas

Nico's First Kiss Sucks...

Trix lived alone if living could be what to call it. As far back as she could remember, she was alone.

"Do you have any friends?" Nico asked, following her up the trail across the lake. They were headed in the exact opposite direction to Camp Half Blood, but it didn't really matter to Nico. If it got too late, he could shadow travel back.

The girl shrugged, leaping onto a large rock. The ground slanted upward, making it hard to climb. "I guess I had some, but they don't last very long."

"Do you always move around like this?"

"Have to," she said. "Only way to stay alive."

"But isn't there somewhere you can go eventually? Or at least to stay for awhile? Even if it's not all the time?"

Nico thought of Camp Half Blood. New Rome. All the places that kept drawing him back in, the places that had drawn him in. For good now... 

"I can't think of any," Trix said. "There were a few people that offered to give me a home... but..." she sighed. "They didn't like me in the end."

"Oh."

"They didn't understand me," Trix said, dark eyes glaring across the lake as if she could see something on the other side.

Nico swallowed hard. "Oh."

"But anyways. Where are you going? At first I figured we were going in the same direction, but now I get the feeling you're following me."

"I-um," Nico said. "Sorry, I-I'll go."

"No, wait." The girl stumbled forward, slipping on the ice down the decline until she caught his arm. "If your not busy. Maybe I could show you something."

"Show me what?" Nico asked uncertainly.

"Just a place," Trix said, "I sometimes go when I need to get away from everything."

Nico glanced in the direction of Camp Half Blood, then the sun. The shadows were growing longer. People would start getting worried soon. "How far?" Nico asked.

Trix smiled. "Come on."

----------

"Something wrong?" Percy asked joining Jason then jumping as the son of Zeus spun around. 

"Have you seen Nico?" he asked abruptly.

Percy took a step back. "No... Is he missing?"

"He should definitely be back by now," Will said, searching across the faces around him as if Nico might pop up, glancing down towards the beach, out into the woods.

"Where did you see him last?" Piper asked. She had already been among the group. The others, including Lou Ellen, Kelly, Cecil, and Clarisse, nodded in approval to the question.

"He wanted to practice shadow travelling," Will said. Already the stress was showing. His usually bright face was pale. "He just went across the bank and was gonna walk back. He should have returned by now."

"Why didn't you go with him?" Jason asked. His face was going a similar shade, but quickly darkened to red.

"Shadow traveling takes more energy with two people."

"Maybe you could have told him to shadow travel in camp with two people then."

Will's gaze snapped out of searching to glare at Jason. "Well-I--"

"Okay," Percy said, quickly stepping between the two. "Calm down. Did you check his cabin?"

Both boys turned towards him, eyes burning.