Snow Melts ❄️(Nico di Angelo)❄️

"I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead"

Dedication: Taylor, you make my life sweeter than fiction.

Aurora VII
***********

I don't know where I'm going
But I don't think I'm coming home and I said
I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead
This is the road to ruin
And we're starting at the end

Capture the flag sounded pretty dumb compared to everything else I'd seen today.

I'd been exposed to so many different things: demigods, monsters, gods, powers, and the list went on and on.

But capture-the-flag? Isn't that what middle schools play for P.E? But then again, I supposed that maybe some type of mundane game might actually help with the culture shock. Not that it made me any more optimistic.

So I trudged on behind Jake, complaining under my breath.

"Quit your grumbling! I swear if you mutter 'stupid day' one more time I will walk away like I don't know you."

"Stupid day," I deadpanned.

"That's it, I'm going." Jake put his hands up and started walking backwards. I smirked when he stumbled over a sword.

Wait what.

"Hey man, what'd my sword ever do to you?" After the initial shock of 'OH MY GOD A REAL SWORD' I noticed that the voice came from a tall guy around college age. His raven black hair hung over his head but curved slightly at the tips, giving it the perfect side-swept look. Along with his green eyes and toned body, he looked like he had jumped off of a Google search for 'hot boy'.

But the longer I looked, the more the image died down. Like staring at a word so long that it starts to look less like a word with meaning and more like scattered letters. There were random pieces of his hair that curled the wrong way, his eyes looked more dead like he's been spending the last few months studying, and his arms were littered with scars.

"It's okay riptide, daddy won't let anyone hurt you again," He cooed,. and then for some idiotic reason he tried putting a pen cap on it.

I rubbed my eyes. That's it I'm hallucinating.

"What is that?" I voiced aloud.

"This is a pen," the guy said simply, holding it out for me to hold.

"A pen?" I asked incredulously, feeling extremely stupid and confused.

"This is a pen," he smirked, taking it back.

"Stop teasing the new camper Jackson." Instead of the 'jackson' guy, he was less skate boarder and more cliche blond. His eyes were electric blue, but there was something odd about him too; however unlike the other one it did not make him look less perfect but.... More.

I snapped out of my observations long enough to take the hand he held out.

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter." He introduced. "This is Percy, I'm sorry he's a bit of a handful."

"Hey!"

"Shut up Percy. We don't have time for your complaints." He continued with a tight smile on his face. "That is not just a pen. It is an enchanted sword that can turn into a pen."

"Cool!" I exclaimed. That explains it, although, " you could have just said that before."

Percy laughed. "Nobody freaks out about riptide anymore. It's kinda sad." I shook my head, these people were crazy with a capital K.

"Excuse me for never seeing a sword in my life," I said sardonically, "but can you actually write with it? Does it ever run out of ink?"

Percy froze. For a minute I thought he was going to cry but a second later he exploded with laughter.

"I'm so sorry dude it's just that you sounded exactly like my cousin er- friend, Nico."

I thought back to the kid I met earlier, "Nico di Angelo?" I had a hard time imagining Mr. Doom and Gloom asking questions enthusiastically.

Percy's eyes brightened, "you've met?" Next to him, Jason rolled his eyes. "Like I know it's hard to imagine right now but before the whole dead sister and... Did you know he had a crush on-" Jason's eyes shifted into a lighter shade, while he slapped his hand across Percy's mouth, before turning back violently blue.

"I'll take him away now. Nice meeting you Aurora Faye." He gave one last grin before pulling Percy away. There was something wrong, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was until several minutes later.

When did I tell them my name?

~.~

I felt like my teeth were going to fall out. I was chattering so loud and goosebumps appeared along my arms. When did it get so cold?

The sun still shone through the leaves of trees, but I felt like I was living in Canada or, like, on Pluto. Same thing, really.

I leaned back against a tree and contemplated taking the heavy armor off; the metal plate felt like it was getting colder by the second. Suddenly I felt very stupid for not packing any jackets. All I had was my school hoodie with "Goode High" written in bright blue letters buried in my suitcase in the Hermes cabin. I never got cold easily, but this was unbearable.

In the end I decided to move around to raise my pulse. And I was doing okay, until someone tried to scream like a banshee and jump in front of my path.

Later I could describe this feeling. But right then all I felt was cold and all I saw was blue.

It felt like someone had dumped me in ice, like some invert version of the ice bucket challenge. The last thing I thought of was landing softly before everything faded to black.
>.<

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'm so ashamed of myself. Nico's birthday legit was this wednesday and I couldn't get my lazy butt up to do this chapter. I have failed you guys. Not only that, but this is insanely short. I'm so sorry. So very sorry.

~Song "Alone Together" Fall Out Boy