One Too Many Heartbreaks

XII. Mama's Boy (Nico's POV)

Nico bit into another pomegranate. Maybe it was all his time in the Underworld recently, or maybe it was Persephone's magic, but he couldn't seem to get enough of the fruit.

Hades was starting to ruin his appetite, though, with all his prying questions about Nico's life. Are you practicing your swordfighting? What do you do for fun? How are you and that Apollo boy?

The flower crown on Nico's head withered and several petals fell to the table.

"Dear, I don't think he wants to talk," Persephone said, quickly weaving a new crown from the flowers in the vase on the table and replacing the dead plants on Nico's head.

The room fell into silence, disrupted only by the moaning of the should trapped in Hades' cloak.

"Nico and I are going to go for a walk, alright sweetie?" Persephone said, addressing her husband.

Hades' frown deepened, if that was possible. Nico wondered if he'd ever looked like that. Probably, he thought with disdain.

Persephone stepped around the long table, taking Nico's cold hand in her warm one and pulling him into her garden.

Nico and his stepmom settled in a patch of black grass. Nico was pleased when it didn't wither at his touch.

"Underworld plants, dear. They're as poisonous as you are." Faster than Nico's eyes could follow, Persephone wove a new flower crown and placed it on her own head.

Much more slowly, Nico picked a few midnight purple and bloodred blooms and started knotting them together.

Persephone cupped her fingers under Nico's chin, gently forcing him to look up. "You know, Nico, I love having you down here. You should come and visit more." There was something in her tone that Nico dreaded.

"But you know you cannot stay." She finished.

The Underworld flowers wouldn't die from the black smoke emanating from Nico's body, so he crushed them in his fist instead.

"Why not?" Nico asked, his voice cracking. Whether it was from emotion or puberty, he didn't know.

"You know why," Persephone said sternly. "The Hephaestus boy is kindhearted, but his power is not to be underestimated. You have unleashed a great danger, Nico di Angelo, and you must fix it."

Nico felt his old face return. Eyes downcast and mouth set in a frown, he stood. Efiáltis appeared in Persephone's hands and she handed it to him. Nico gripped the sword's black hilt.

"Good luck, young hero," Persephone said. Nico started to dissipate. "And young man," she said. Nico struggled to catch her last words before completely traveling out of the Underworld.

Nico could imagine the playful twinkle in her eyes as he heard, "I expect you home for dinner."

___

Nico landed firmly on the grass on top of Half-Blood Hill. He immediately knew something was wrong. Living grass shouldn't crunch like that. Then he saw it.

Camp Half-Blood was half in ruins. Large patches of dead grass and burnt buildings stood out in the green and against the blue sky and sea like major eye sores.

"I did this," Nico muttered to himself in Italian. The last thing he wanted to do was face the campers down there, but he had no choice. He had to find Leo.

Peleus snorted as Nico passed, and by the time he had gotten to the bottom of the hill, he was flanked by at least ten other demigods, including Annabeth and Will Solace.

"Nico!" The blondes said at the same time. Nico sheathed his sword.

"What happened here?" He asked, knowing the answer full well.

Nico felt the entire crowd hesitate.

"H-he was crazy," said a wide-eyed satyr Nico hadn't noticed before. "He s-set fire to t-the whole c-camp basically. O-over a nymph. Calypso."

"Where is he now?" Nico asked sharply. The satyr flinched. "I-I don't, we d-don't k-know."

"Why do you need to know?" Will asked warningly. Nico inwardly sighed. Now was not the time for an overbearing crush.

"Because I need to find him."

"Listen, Nico-"

"No, Solace. I need to find him because I'm the one who caused this whole mess. You can't stop me."

Nico took a wide step towards the blond, whom fliched as though ready to defend, but Nico didn't touch him. Instead, he stepped into Will's long shadow and disappeared.