The Nine Times Percy Saved a Friend...

Chapter 2: Nico

Nico

Nico wasn't really surprised by this outcome.

He saw it coming from a mile away; the only thing that got him was that there were only four angry demigods who wanted to stuff him into a bag and toss him to the earthborn. He sort of figured that there'd be some mutual animosity towards him because of how he snuck behind each of the Camps' backs and pretty much let Hera/Juno have her way.

At first, Nico had a small flicker of hope that maybe the fact that they won and were still alive would be enough for the other demigods to turn a blind eye to what he had done, but being pinned against the climbing wall by a son of Ares kind of killed it.

He was pretty sure the guy's name was Mark and his friends backing him up were his half-brother Sherman, Hayden, son of Hecate, and of course, Drew Tanaka. The little she-devil didn't look like much, just a pretty face, but Nico knew how much power her voice held, and he was actually a teensy bit wary of her. He'd seen what Piper could do, and from what he'd heard, Drew used her charmspeaking very flippantly.

Technically, he could just summon some skeleton warriors – only a few was all he really needed, or he could just rip open a crater in the ground. But despite popular belief and stereotype, Nico didn't kill demigods so summoning was out of the question. And opening up the earth seemed like pouring salt on an open wound. Both camps had lost too many people to Gaea's attacks, and it was just too soon to be demonstrating his terrestrial powers.

Not to mention he did feel pretty guilty.

Yeah, everything worked out in the end but lying to Percy's face and keeping his cousin in the dark about his own identity seemed harsh. Even for him. Like always, they'd gotten over any hard feelings. After all, their relationship was always rocky at best, but Nico couldn't help but feel like it was always his fault things were so messed up between them.

Hades, Thalia was on better terms with the son of Poseidon, and they turned little spats into full out wars that would make their dads tear up with pride. That was pretty sad. Almost as sad as needing to be lifted off the ground about two feet just so Mark could look him in the eye without bending over. So much for growth spurt.

"You're a little traitor," Mark grit out, gripping Nico's shirt so tight his knuckles were turning white. "Sneaking out behind our backs, buddying up with the Romans, telling them all about our weaknesses." Nico swore he just heard a tooth crack. "You're a little rat, you know that? Nothing but a corpse-breath worm."

Nico shrugged as much as he could, bleak face set perfectly in place. "So I've heard," he said flatly.

Mark's eyes flashed, and Nico fought back a wince when the rough, stone wall dug painfully into his skin. "What did you tell them?"

The son of Hades clenched his fists. "Nothing."

"I'm having trouble believing that."

Nico glared at him. Idiot. "The Romans aren't our enemies," he started. "They helped us win this war."

Drew barked out a laugh. "Us?" she asked mockingly, a small, coy smile playing at her lips. "You're dad's not even an Olympian. He's an outcast." Drew tilted her head a little as if she was inspecting Nico's haircut. "Like you."

The son of Hades's hands started trembling. Maybe just a small, weak skeleton warrior...

Drew's warm, brown eyes softened with sympathy. "Hon, you don't belong with the Romans," she continued, shaking her head emphatically. "But you definitely don't belong at Camp Half-Blood. Never have, never will."

Nico's breath hitched.

Hayden nodded in agreement. "Why do you think Cabin 13 didn't even exist until a couple years ago?"