//Rainbows for the Heroes// HoO AU

[23]Walk in the Woods

Cory's POV

My lungs were burning, everything stung, but I kept on running, Nico was right beside me, his huffing and puffing was the thing keeping me going too. I heard the shouts of them behind us. Cursing at us, telling us that if we came with them, they'd leave the camp alone.

Tha was, until we got to a clearing. It was small, and going forward would throw us off a cliff, so we stopped, swords raised a the 10 men broke out of the forestline, facing the two of us. At the lead, was a very familiar face; Hades. He gave us a wicked grin.

"Hello, kids. I'm sorry we had to burn your camp, but, when people don't comply, you just need to use force." I glanced at Nico, and grabbed his hand. He held on as we each raised our Stygian Iron blades, facing the group.

"Whatever we do, we do together." Nico mumbled to me, I nodded.

"I'm with you. We won't let them take our camp." We readied ourselves and I remembered something Will told me before all this. When we were at the fair, he made me promise to let him help me get rid of the Shadow Eater problem, but we could never do it. Now, we never will. Because I have a plan. One that will save everyone. 

But at a cost

=======4 hours earlier======

Everyone was getting on the buses, ready to go back to camp after the fair. The fair had just closed, and it was around 9 pm at night. Will and I were walking with everyone else, Percy was knocked out on Jason's back, Hazel was nodding off, so was Frank, and Annabeth was carrying a sleeping Piper bridal style. It was very adorable I must add. Capri was just a little bit ahead of us, striking up a conversation with Mary.

I was starting to get tired too and slowed down a bit, my energy not willing to push more than it needs to. I had Shadow Traveled twice today, both times carrying two people with me, I had enough energy to do one last travel to make it back to camp. The buses should be there in about 10 minutes because of zero traffic.

But, I was starting to nod off, so I needed to get to a Shadow quickly. Will stopped and I took advantage of that. "Will, don't move," I told him. He turned to look at me, confusion settling in his eyebrows. I just really didn't want him to grab my arm or something and Shadow Travel with me, and then we burn again. I don't think I can take, A)Carrying another person, and B) Hurting Will again, both these outcomes are serious consequences. I stepped in his shadow, and Will tried to reach out, but pulled back, remembering the Shadow Eater issue I have.

I wished to be in the couch area of Cabin 1. So, I let the shadows swallow me whole and cold shot through me as it transported me to Cabin 1 back at camp. The unfortunate part is that I fell...through the ceiling.

"Fanculo!" I yelped as I slammed into the ground. I pulled myself up to the sound of a door opening. Grabbing my head, I hit it on the ground, I looked up to a voice.

"Using potty mouth are we?" Nico looked down on me with a smirk. He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt. I flipped him off, and he grabbed my arm to pull me up. But a sting shocked both of us and he let go. There was the slight hints of black mist on my arm and his hand. "Wha-, Cory, the Shadow Eater problem's back. I hugged you three days ago, and it was gone, which means this happened within a span of those three days, and your going to explain." Just as he finished speaking, we heard the buses return and people start to go back to their cabins for sleep. It was around 9:15 pm. Nico turned back to me, eyes full of anticipation.

I shook my head, "I-I just can't Neeks." He raised an eyebrow.

"Is it about me? Or...someone else." I held up two fingers and he slowly nodded, as if trying to figure out what to say. "Okay, it's someone else. Do you..do you like someone else?" I went silent and that was all that needed to be said. "Who? Or, you uh, don't have to tell me, just, I want to know." Once again, silence. Nico sighed, "Okay, I'll leave you alone, for now. But, you have to tell me sometime okay?"