Percy Jackson and the Wizards of England

Unwelcome Memories

Nico's POV:

I crawled back into the shadows after the one-track minded hoard of teenagers made their way into the kitchen. Silently, I surveyed the group, making a mental note of their defining features. A skinny boy who looked like nothing more than a bone sac with red hair and freckles yawned softly, rubbing his sleep-addled blue eyes.
    Ron Weasley...'  I thought. There was no doubt about it. Next to him was a girl with a tangled mess of curly brown hair. She looked more alert, and maybe a bit uneasy. She kept eyeing my corner as if she saw me. She must've been Hermione Granger. Looking farther right, I saw a black-haired boy with round, wire-framed glasses. He had a large lightning-bolt shaped scar on his head. I could feel the necrotic magic fused with that scar... It was like something I've never felt before.
    'Even after all this time... It still contains traces of that death spell... Voldemort must've been an extraordinary wizard.' I shuddered softly, whispering,
    "Harry Potter..." Hermione froze, her astute gaze zeroing in on the source of the noise: me.
    "Expelliarmus!!!" Before I could even react, a red jet of light erupted from a wooden stick that practically materialized in Hermione's hand, and just as quickly, the beam of light seemed to dive for my watch, heating it to unbearable levels and sparking like mad. Screaming, I melted into shadow, leaving the timepiece behind as it glowed white-hot. Furious, I re-materialized.
    "HEY!!!" I protested, "Give a warning next time before you decide to brand someone!"
Ron and Harry were opening and closing their mouths like fish, and Hermione glared right back at me.
    "Well if you let us know you were here in the first place, maybe I wouldn't have to attack!" she retorted.
    "All of you, stop shouting! It's breakfast time, for Merlin's sake! And Hermione, dear, please put your wand away. diAngelo is here because the Order asked for him to be here." Molly Weasley looked disappointed in the both of us, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of shame. Annabeth didn't know who to glare down, practically forcing her eyes to look in two directions like a chameleon; one at me, the other at Hermione. Percy was still bleary-eyed but reaching for Riptide in his...
    'Wait... Percy...' I was dreading this moment, furious with myself for blowing my cover. I could feel the redness spreading in my cheeks just by looking at him. I wanted to melt back into the shadows, but Will's warning blared in the deepest recesses of my mind, forcing me to stay solid.
    "Um..." I turned away, fumbling for my watch. It cooled off enough for me to hold it, but it was still warm to the touch.
    "I'll see myself out," I muttered, rushing for the door. I needed to get out of here. It was too embarressing.
    'What was Chiron thinking, putting me in punching distance of that kelp-headed dolt?!' My mind raged in a dangerous cocktail of shame, anger, and embarrassment. My childhood crush-turned killer- turned close acquaintance-turned hero... I could not deal with the hurricane that is Percy Jackson, pun intended. The memories his mere presence brings back... I needed to learn how to calm myself around him.
    I thought telling him I had a crush on him would help, but all it did was make it even more embarrassing to be around. I honestly tried! All summer at camp before he went on his honeymoon, I tried, but I couldn't bring myself to even look at him. It didn't help that I already flooded the Camp Half-Blood dining pavilion with the undead once. It was better to look at that pale crack in the marble than it was him, though.
    "Nico." I heard a voice behind me, just as I turned the handle to the front door. Turning, I saw a young man with tousled hair, sparkling sea-green eyes, and an athletic build that put some of Camp Jupiter's legionnaires to shame.
    "What do you want, Jackson?" I wanted to sound menacing, but it ended up being a whisper.
He simply shrugged and said,
    "I dunno. Just wondering why you're storming off after looking at me." His nonchalant manner was a thin disguise, and he knew it. I'd been avoiding him since just after the battle against Gaia.
    Mustering a bit more anger, I replied with, "Maybe I just got hit with a magic whatever-it-was, and have a watch-shaped burn on my wrist."
    Percy just laughed. "Really? That's your excuse? You stare down your dad like a rich spoiled brat, and your feathers get ruffled by a girl with a magic stick?" the Son of Poseidon sat down on the wall next to the door, patting the floor beside him.
    I stayed standing. 
    Percy shrugged again, continuing, "Look, we both know this is weird and different and more than likely dangerous. But the Fates seem to like using us as their chess pieces, and we have no choice but to play the game. I dunno what your problem is, diAngelo, but you need to work through it or Tartarus is going to consume us all, with a crazy-powerful psycho wizard with a god complex backing him up."
    Percy's smile was gone, replaced by a serious expression. After he came back from Tartarus, when Percy got serious, you know it's no time to play around. He was scarred for life, and he only saw a fraction of what I had to go through.
    'Maybe I should listen to him...' I thought. Finally, I relented, sliding down the wall next to my demigod cousin.
    "Fine. Talk. But I'm only doing this because I live in this world, too," I relented. Percy just grinned again, revealing a biscuit from the kitchen. He broke it in half, shoved one half into my hand and the other into his mouth.
    "Eat." His mouth was full of biscuit, but his face was unrelenting. I took a bite, and waited to hear whatever Seaweed Brain was going to spout.