The Girl With the Diamond Blade- Nico di Angelo x Reader (Percy Jackson Fanfic)

Epilogue

Nico stepped out of his cabin into the bright morning air. He squinted his eyes shut, the brightness of day contrasting starkly with the dark interior of his cabin. He then started the trek to the Big House.

He pushed the door of the infirmary open, walking quickly inside. He took the handful of turns he had memorized by now to Percy's room. He knocked before he heard a feminine voice--Annabeth--call out to him.

"Come on in," she said, and Nico entered the room.

Percy sat on the infirmary bed, propped up with several pillows on his head. Percy's eyes wandered from Annabeth's face to Nico, and he smiled.

"Hey, Nico, what's up?" he asked, voice as cheery as usual. In the weeks since the basilisk attack, Percy had been getting steadily better, skin returning to its tan shade instead of the deathly pale bluish tint. When Nico had arrived, frantically running for the infirmary with cure in hand, Percy was definitely moments from death. Nico had arrived just in time; an hour later and Percy would have died.

Nico hoped ______ hadn't ended up sacrificing herself for Percy's chance at life.

Annabeth was distraught. She had broken into joyous tears when Nico arrived; she had been sure she would have had to watch the love of her life die in front of her eyes, powerless to stop it. After Will had helped administer the cure and Percy began breathing again, Annabeth had taken Nico out into the hallway.

"Nico," she had asked, "where is my sister?" 

Nico had been silent, and Annabeth immediately understood.

He wouldn't admit it, but Nico had slept even worse than usual since returning to camp. Nightmares of wandering alone in Asphodel, desperately trying to find his friend--she was his friend, he knew that--and then having her not remember who he was made him wake up breathing heavily in a cold sweat. He would stare at the ceiling from his bunk, wondering where ______ was, what she was doing now. A few days went by, which he expected; then a week, then weeks. 

A month after Nico returned to camp, _____ still hadn't returned.

"Cheer up, I'm sure she's just fine," Percy would say. But Nico could tell. He could tell from the way Percy and Annabeth's eyes drooped every time he mentioned her name.

They were certain that if she hadn't returned by now, she never would.

Nico was on his way to the training arena after seeing Percy and Annabeth, hands stuffed into the pockets of his black jeans. Nico glanced over at Half-Blood Hill, halfway hoping for something, anything.

Nico gasped when he saw a figure stumbling across the border. He immediately broke into a sprint, dashing up the hill towards the tall pine tree--formerly Thalia's tree, that marked the boundaries of Camp Half-Blood.

Nico could've cried with relief when he finally saw her.

Sure, she was beaten and bloody and bruised to the bone, dirty skin, messy hair, clothes ripped and faded. But that didn't matter, because when Nico saw her eyes, those beautifully bright (e/c) eyes that he adored so much, that looked like they were thinking a mile a minute, he couldn't stop the smile spreading over his face.

He dropped his sword and ran towards her, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug as she howled with laughter.

"I get it! I'm back, thank the gods!" she laughed. 

"My diamond girl," he muttered into her neck. She giggled, turning bright red.

"That sounds cheesy as fuck, don't call me that," she said, laughing all the while. Nico took that as an 'I don't mind'." 

They walked down to the Big House, talking the whole way.

"How did you even get here?" Nico asked.

"My mom sent me visions," she said, staring at the clouds. "A clue to a faster way of travel, or the face of someone who would help. Somehow I made it back." She turned and looked at him, those bright eyes boring into his soul. "After all, I promised, didn't I?"

Later, after a joyous celebration at dinner and visiting Percy in the infirmary--where Will insisted _____ come back the next day to get a good patching up--______ and Nico sat on the top of Zeus' fist. They could see the sun setting over the ocean from where they sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying the other's company. ______ shifted a little where she sat.

"Mind if I lay my head on your shoulder?" she mumbled. 

"Mhm," Nico mumbled back. He felt the warmth of her head on his shoulder, and tried to resist the urge to run his fingers through her hair.

"Hey, Nico?"

"If I had a drachma for every time you've said that to me, I'd be richer than Zeus," Nico laughed. She giggled.

"Hey, I'm just curious! I can't help it!" she laughed. Nico grinned.

"Well, what did you want to ask me?" He inquired. ______ averted her eyes.

"Um, I, uh...you ruined the mood, never mind!" she said, laying her head back down on Nico's shoulder. Nico's smile faded into a content expression as he watched the burning ball of flame set over the turquoise waters.

"Nico?"

"Hm?"

"Don't freak out."

"Why would I?"

"I think...I think I like you."

Nico wrapped his arms around the girl sitting beside him, realizing that this, this was what had been missing. Someone he trusted, who trusted him. 

"I think I like you, too, _____."

For the first time, Nico didn't pull away when she drew ever closer to him.

~fin~