They were supposed to have a quiz in the first period, but Reyna figured that this was a more pressing matter. Tending to the guy who had just saved her life was way more important.
So far, he wasn't conscious yet. He was snoring soundly, his bandaged hands clasped on his stomach. The man who had run him over paid everything before he was sent to jail, and bailed out just as quickly. Reyna had been watching him ever since, contemplating if she picked the right kind of fruit he might want to see on his nightstand.
Reyna was in the middle of informing Hylla what just recently happened when she heard Nico stirring.
"Seriously?"
He reached out for the pomegranates on his nightstand when he groaned, clutching his side.
"The nurses found pomegranate seeds in your jacket pocket, so we thought you liked them?" Reyna said, standing up and helping him ease his back into the pillows. "How are you feeling?"
Nico scowled. He didn't like the fact that there were pomegranates on his nightstand; he didn't even know he had seeds in his pockets. The strong scent of bleach was burning his nostrils. He was aching all over.
"Yeah, I'm fine." he lied, forcing a smile. He tried to sit up, but his side was burning in pain. He winced instead.
"Why don't you lie down for a second?" Reyna fixed her dark eyes on his, and instantly, he felt calmer.
Nico propped himself on his pillow, trying for a position that wouldn't make him feel like he was mangled.
Ah, to be mortally hurt again. Over the years he thought he missed it, but now that there was actual blood coursing through his bloodstream, he decided he hated it.
And since he couldn't leave yet, the only option he had was listening to Reyna on the phone.
"Reyna, what the hell? All right, all right. I'll be right there as soon as possible." Hylla hung up. There was nothing more that could distract her now, and as soon as she realized that, she felt really tired.
She can't help thinking about what happened a while ago. More importantly, there seemed to be something nagging at her in the back of her mind, although she couldn't point out what it was. The only thing she knew about it was, it was the thing making her feel exhausted. And really scared.
Seeing a doppelganger of Reyna, the girl sitting beside his hospital bed, made Nico's stomach squirm uncomfortably.
Except that the doppelganger was much, much more glamorous. Another thing that indicated that they were separate beings was the scar on the glamorous one's forehead, almost fading into her hairline.
The one with the scar smiled rather stiffly at him, stretching out her arm to shake his hand. "I'm Hylla Ramirez-Arellano, pleased to make your acquaintance. Thank you for saving my little sister's life."
Her hand hovered there for a few moments until Reyna nudged her and motioned to Nico's broken elbow and wrist. Hylla withdrew her hand and cleared her throat awkwardly. She regarded Nico a little sheepishly after that.
"Oh. Sorry." She looked back at Reyna. "What's your name?"
Nico blinked at her question. He didn't have much time to think about any aliases in case humans saw him. Before his dad decided to turn him completely mortal, the chance of being sighted by any mortal was null. Impossible. Now that he was one, he didn't really feel like giving his real name.
So. Bob? Should that be his name? Bob Roberts?
He realized the sisters were staring at him with anticipation. Reyna looked particularly worried that he might have actually forgotten his name after hitting his head.
"Nico. Nico Di Angelo." Nico blurted out all of a sudden. He mentally kicked himself. He gave his name back when he was mortal a long, long time ago.
Reyna let out a sigh of relief. She placed a light touch on his shoulder which gave him goosebumps. He flinched from her touch, which made her withdraw her hand quickly. Something made Nico want to apologize for that, but he tried to shake off the thought in his head.
Unfortunately, Hylla's phone rang all of a sudden. "I'll just take this one for a second. Excuse me."
She disappeared behind the curtains, leaving Reyna and Nico alone.
Reyna stared at him intensely. For some reason, Nico shied away from her gaze. What on earth was even happening to him?
"I really can't thank you enough, Nico. You saved me." She said quietly, still not breaking eye contact. Her stare felt heavy on Nico.
Nico would've waved off her gratitude, but seeing how his limbs were all bent and broken, he didn't want them to break any further by doing so.
"It's okay." He simply responded. Warmth was creeping up to his cheeks, and he prayed to all the gods (except Hades) that Reyna wouldn't notice it. And thankfully, she didn't.
After that, Reyna gave her goodbye with another promise of visiting him after school with some. Hylla's head poked from a gap in the curtains, calling on Reyna and nodding to Nico. He watched them leave.
As his eyes began to feel heavy, he heard the curtains draw open.
The entire hospital went quiet. It was as if time had stopped. Even his IV fluids stopped dripping.
" I was just about to sleep?" Nico raised an eyebrow at the tall man in the dark suit.
The main chuckled. His obsidian-like eyes bore into Nico's with a playful glint to them. His eyes flitted to the pomegranates on his nightstand, then back to him. "It's good to see you well and alive, Nico."
"Barely," Nico muttered under his breath as he tried to nestle deeper into his pillow, preparing to sleep. When he still felt the man's presence in the room, he opened one eye. The man was now sitting at the foot of his bed, regarding him with the same look as before.
He sighed. "Why have you come, Father?"
________________________________________
This part was a bit short haha; it was literally where I left off.
I came back to this after four years. I was feeling nostalgic yesterday, so I decided to visit my old works before I got into drawing.
Is it crazy if I actually want to continue this series? It's been so long, I hope you guys are still out there~
-- H2K
