Raging Shadows [Percy Jackson] REWRITE

Chapter 3

N I C O

"This," Cecil declared, kicking a little rock with his foot. "Is creepy as shit. I wanna go back to bed."

Personally, Nico would also rather be spending his nights curled up in the comfort of his bed. He cherished his rest greatly. Unfortunately for him, this wasn't one of his normal nights. Then again, his nights were never really normal to begin with, if he had to be completely honest.

The four of them (Nico, Cecil, Lou Ellen, and Will) had successfully managed to sneak into the forest without any interruptions, thanks to a temporary invisibility incantation Lou Ellen had placed on them. There was also the fact Nico had used his own abilities to shield them, just in case the spell didn't work the way they wanted.

Now that they made it, Nico wasn't so sure he was glad that nothing stopped them.

"What?" A grin crept up Lou Ellen's face as she nudged Cecil's arm teasingly. "You scaaaaaared, Markowitz?"

"Scared? Ha, no!" Cecil snorted. He put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. "I laugh in the face of danger!"

"Danger laughs right back," Nico muttered, trudging along. He cast them a stern glance over his shoulder to get his message across. "Now be quiet."

Look, he liked Cecil and Lou Ellen, he really did. They were great people, and powerful demigods that managed to bring a smile to his face, but this wasn't the time for any of that. Everything could flip on them in minutes, and they had to be prepared the moment that happened. They couldn't risk getting caught off guard. Hell, they didn't even know what they were up against.

Nico's stomach churned unpleasantly at the negative thoughts scurrying through his head. This was an awful idea. It'd be smarter to turn back now and pretend nothing ever happened. But at the same time, that overpowering feeling that overwhelmed his senses wasn't something he could ignore and just leave alone.

A hand was placed on his shoulder abruptly, and Nico couldn't help but flinch at the sudden contact. He spun his head around quickly to glare at the owner, but his features quickly softened when he was face to face with Will.

"Nico," Will began slowly, concern written on his face. "You okay? If not, we can always go back—"

"I'm fine," Nico protested, but he knew it was a lie even before the words rolled right off his tongue. "We keep going."

Will frowned at him. His soft blue eyes got Nico every time. "Nico."

Nico sighed and crossed his arms, glancing away from Will before admitting, "Okay, fine, I could be better. But I can't just ignore this. Something's not right."

"Obviously." Cecil commented, "We're all on edge, Nico. Some of us just show it differently."

"Cecil, for example, uses awful jokes." Lou Ellen stated calmly.

Cecil wasn't even offended by that. Instead, he raised his head and smirked playfully at Lou Ellen, "Lou Ellen shows her fear by acting like Drew Tanaka. A stone, cold, bitch."

"Ooh, now that's just ruthless!"

"Guys," Will said firmly, narrowing his eyes slightly at the two. He was giving them the stern look he'd always target Nico with when he was being stubborn. "Shh."