Boys Like Boys [Nico di Angelo]

chapter eleven

  'You betrayed his trust?!' the woman's voice from earlier cried out. I saw a terrified Veda standing in front of her.   
 
  'I had to come clean,' Veda said. 'And we cannot let the son of Hades get away.'
 
  'We need the son of Hades!' the woman yelled, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers.
 
  'He's destined to-'
 
  'I know what he's destined to do, but we can not risk losing him. You were our only hope to infiltrate the son of Thanatos' mind and you blew it!'
 
  'I know. I'm sorry,' Veda apologized, hanging her head.
 
  'Make it up to me, daughter of Hecate, or I will punish you,' the woman demanded in a harsh voice and Veda nodded, before exiting the building. The woman turned to me, a mischievous grin on her face. 'You're getting awfully close to that son of Hades, aren't you?' She chuckled. 'That won't last very long, you know? Not if Veda has anything to say about it.'
 
  'Veda can't control me,' I commented quietly and the woman laughed.
 
  'She can, dear boy, she just has chosen not to. And she doesn't have to control you to end the son of Hades.'
 
  'She will never come near Nico again, or I swear to the gods-'
 
  'You'll kill her?' the woman cackled. 'Sweetheart, you and I both know you will never kill anyone.'
 
  Black smoke curled at me feet. It slithered to her and wrapped around her legs. She laughed again and gave me a knowing look.

  'I'm a goddess, son of Thanatos. And we both know you're dreaming.'

  I awoke with a start, breathing heavily. I placed a hand on my chest, feeling my heart beat radically in my chest.

  "Are you okay?" I heard Nico ask softly beside me and I nodded, taking deep breaths. "Another nightmare?"

  "No, just a...an odd dream," I whispered.

  "Want to talk about it?"

  I shook my head and he stood in front of me, his eyes meeting mine. They were a warm, soft brown, like chocolate, and I wanted to melt into them.

  "You're going to have to talk about it at some point," he said. "If you don't, it's going to eat you up and make everything worse. Trust me."

  "I-I can't tell you." I would like to think I stuttered because of my nerves, but I knew it was because Nico's eyes weren't leaving mine and I was totally infatuated with him. I looked away from him and stared at the floor by my bed.

  "Alright," he whispered. "It's almost time for breakfast, so you should probably get up and get ready."

  I nodded and changed into a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and some jeans, tying up my sneakers. I then brushed my teeth and combed my hair, before meeting Nico at the door of the cabin. We started heading to the dining pavilion, and I made eye contact with Veda from across the camp. I instinctively grabbed Nico's hand, making sure he was behind me and she couldn't successfully hit him from here.

  We sat down at the Big Three table (where all of the children of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades sit). Considering I was staying at Nico's cabin, I would sit with him too.

  "Cal, it's fine. She can't shoot from here," he whispered to me and I realized my hand was still holding tightly onto his. I blushed brightly and pulled away from him, murmuring out a, "sorry." He just let out a small laugh and told me it was fine.

Percy and Jason were arguing about something, "probably something stupid," Nico whispered to me when I asked about it. Then, Jason yelled really loud and slammed his hand on the table. I jumped and instinctively looked down, fiddling with my fingers in my lap.

"Dude, stop," Percy said a few moments after. "Calum?" he asked and I looked up at him hesitantly. His green eyes looked worried. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I-I'm good," I whispered, looking back down at my hands.

"After breakfast, will you come by my cabin?" he inquired.

"I guess."

He nodded and Percy and Jason continued their conversation, except quieter. When we were done with breakfast, I walked with Percy to his cabin. He shooed off Jason and Nico as they tried to spy on the conversation. We sat on the steps of his cabin and he looked over at me.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, and it surprised me that he was suddenly worried about me, considering we had only talked once.

"Yeah, why?"

"When Jason yelled and slammed his hand on the table, you looked terrified and you avoided eye contact," he said and I shrugged, looking away from him. "The household you grew up in...was it stable?"

  I didn't look at him. How could he have known? Was it that obvious?

  "It's okay to talk about it, okay?" he asked softly. "I understand."

  "How could you possibly-" I stopped myself when I saw the look in his eyes. He knew exactly what I was going through. "My mom's husband - Bobby - he's a..."

  "A jerk? A fuckwad? A douchedick?" he asked and I laughed.

  "Yeah..."

  "Yeah, I had one of those, too. Just know that it gets better, kid," he said. "And you're safe here. And safe there. If you ever need someone to come over and help you get through it when you're at home, let me know and I'll get there as fast as I possibly can," he offered and I felt a lump rise in my throat. He didn't even know me, yet he was offering to be there for me. The people in this camp were kind - too kind. I wanted to cry, but I blinked the tears out of my eyes.

  "Thank you," I whispered, avoiding his eyes.

  "Anytime," he said. "Now, let's get you to Nico before he freaks out."

  Suddenly, Veda walked out of a cabin and headed over to me. I couldn't help but to shelter behind Percy.

  "Calum, can I just talk to you for five seconds? Please?" she begged and Percy looked at her, then looked at me. I sighed and nodded, telling him he could go back to whatever he does. "Thank you," she whispered. "Listen to me, okay?"

  "Alright."

  "I know you hate me, and I know you probably can't trust me-"

  "That's an understatement," I commented under my breath.

  "Just listen," she said. "I know we've only truly known each other for a year and a half, but you're like a younger brother to me. I don't want to lose you, okay?"

  "You tried to kill Nico," I snapped, feeling anger boil in my chest.

  "I wasn't thinking in the right mindset, okay? I had a vision and I just...You know how it feels, right? To wake up from a dream disorientated and dysphoric," she asked and I knew exactly what it was like. "In this vision," she said, her voice low. "Nico was trying to kill you. I can't let that happen."

  "First of all, he would never. Second, I'll believe you once you tell me who that woman is."

  "T-The woman?"

  "You know exactly who I'm talking about."

  "How do you..."

  "I keep having dreams about her. You were talking to her. Who is she?" I demanded and her eyes avoided mine.

  "I can't tell you," she said defeatedly. "I swear I would if I could, Calum."

  I believed her. Her voice was sincere and desperate as tears welled up in her eyes. I sighed and stared at the ground.

  "Will you tell me one day?"

  "Of course," she whispered.

  "Alright. I forgive you, but only on one condition. Stay the Hades away from Nico."

(A/N: I'll be updating every Thursday morning since school for me starts tomorrow.)