Young and Old, Back and Bold

Chapter 15

Annabeth sat at the Ravenclaw table as the cold sense of distrust ran through her veins. That kid had been Nico, she was sure of it. Nobody could ever mask so many emotions like that boy did.

But he was different, he had changed. And his age wasn't the only thing. He showed more happiness up front, had joked around with whoever had been sitting next to him. Was that the brother McGonagall had warned them about? She'd have to find out.

But for now, she looked back to the professor as she called the next name. Jackson, Percy.

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Dominic looked away from the blonde girl as the new boy came into view, just one glimpse of him sending Nico's head to the table.

"What?" he whispered, trying to see Nico's face through his hair. "What is it? Who is that?"

As the hat took its time to sort the transfer student, Nico mumbled into his hands as if it pained him to speak. "Percy... I saw him at that cabin. I saw him."

Dominic looked up at the boy in question. He hadn't seemed to see Nico, his green eyes instead on Annabeth as if they were having a silent conversation. After a minute of this, he looked directly toward Nico and Dominic.

"He definitely knows you." Dominic glared at the boy as a sudden urge of hate washed over him. Who was he to come and ruin Nico all over again? He had been doing so good...

"I think I'm going to lay down." Nico stood up as the hat called out 'Gryffindor'. "I feel like throwing up."

"Do you want me to walk you?" Dominic asked over the cheering of the red table. "I can, it's no problem."

"No, I'm fine alone." Nico shot one last glance toward the exchange student before basically running from the hall, leaving Dominic to himself at that old table.

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Percy sat at the Gyriffindor table as close as he could to Dominic, just happening to sit beside Ron and Harry. He stared at Dominic with broken eyes full of tears.

"McLean, Piper!"

The hall was silenced as the newest girl walked up to the stool and had the hat sat on her head.

"Do you know Nico?" Percy whispered, his eyes meeting Dominic's in a minute of fate. Time seemed to stall. "Why did he run from me?"

Dominic stared at this boy, stared at him as if he came from Hell itself. "Why do you care? Just leave him alone. Go back to wherever you came from."

"Excuse me?" Percy stood up in a flash of anger, causing all heads to turn to him. "You have no right-"

"No right?" Dominic scoffed. "I'm the one that's been holding him together! He was fine until you came here! And why did you come? To screw him up again? Fuck you!"

Percy's face turned red. "I didn't-"

"Gentlemen, please refrain from fighting during a sorting." McGonagall was suddenly beside them. "Mr. Cook, you should know to welcome all of our guests with peace. This is nothing more than a midnight brawl."

"Sorry, professor." Dominic looked away from her eyes. "May I go to my dormitory, Ma'am?" As soon as she nodded, he sent one last glare toward Percy before speed walking out of the room. He could feel the eyes on him, could hear the whispers that went about the hall. What had gotten into him? He could never be sure. Maybe it was his need to protect his family, maybe it was his need to keep whatever good he had in his life.

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"Why did you do that?" Annabeth hissed, pulling Percy aside before he could follow his house to his dormitory. "You never start fights! And talk about giving us away!"

Percy sighed at the expected lecture. "I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking."

"No shit."

He put his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry. You should have seen how that guy was hanging on him."

"So he has a friend." Annabeth shrugged. "Why does that matter?"

"What if he's cheating on Will?" Percy asked. "Not to mention he's like eleven years old. Is that the Mist?"

"I don't know." Annabeth crossed her arms. "And he's not cheating on Will with that guy."

"How do you know?"

"That guy's as straight as a ruler." Annabeth sighed. "Just...stay calm next time. No need to get so defensive."

"Nico's my family."

"I know."

"He's my little cousin."

"I know."

"They're taking my little cousin away from us," Percy whispered. "Did you see him? He likes it here. That's probably why he never told us where he was going."

"Percy... I'm sure that's not it." Annabeth wrapped her arms around his waist. "At least he's alive. Let's get to bed and try to talk to him in the morning. You can still catch up with your house."

Percy nodded. "Fine... Goodnight, Annie."

"Night, Seaweed Brain."

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"Are you okay?" Dominic sat next to Nico on the bed, frowning at the motionless lump that was hidden beneath the blankets. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I've seen him before..." Nico whispered, his voice as broken as Dominic had ever heard it. "My dream, with the cabin... I saw him and he saw me... Does that mean all those other dreams were real? The voices? That dark place? Even the possibility of that place existing scares the absolute shit out of me."

"Oh..." Dominic gulped. "I... Yeah, that sounds pretty bad... But you don't have to think about it. Think about maybe meeting some old friends, not about that place."

"Do you really think they were my friends?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, course." Dominic pulled his knees up to his chest. "The one almost fought me. He obviously really cared about you, almost like family. Do you think you two could be related?"

Nico pulled the blanket from his face, revealing his tear soaked cheeks. "I don't know...I don't know anything anymore, Dominic. Everything's falling apart."

"It's not falling apart. This is what you wanted." Dominic smiled, though his feelings didn't match. "You can figure out who you were. You can meet your old friends, discover your past. You won't be so confused anymore. You won't think you're insane."

"What if I get my memories back?" Nico questioned. "I...I don't want to remember that place. It must have been really prominent if I still have nightmares about it."

"Yeah, that's true..." Dominic admitted. "But you obviously survived it. So you can kick its ass again."

Nico wiped at his raw eyes. "I don't think it'll be so easy."

"You don't know until you try."

Try. All he had to do was try. Was anything so easy?