A Different Reality (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chp 156 - Nico's POV

WARNING: as someone let me know, it might trigger anxiety! If you still want to know what happens in this chapter but wants to avoid the anxiety, PM me and I'll send you an edited version of it!

A/N: Just to warn the readers who don't follow me, I'm a bit stuck with this fic and will gladly listen to your ideas about what to happen. You can read more on my board or comment or PM me. Help me write the fic you love so much! (otherwise, the updates will be far from each other). Oh yes, and I'm working again! It has been two weeks or so but so far, I'm really liking it; half of my colleagues have a connection to Brazil (one has a Brazilian mom, so we talk in Portuguese) and I feel at home. Weirdly enough, I wrote a part of this chapter listening to Indecente by Anitta, which is as far from Nico as it can be (Anitta is a Brazilian artist, but she has some songs in Spanish, like this one).

Nico's Flashback

TUESDAY, 31st January

There was something wrong with school, but he couldn't identify what; all he knew was that it was getting harder and harder to breath. The teacher slapped his table to call his attention. Raising his eyes in surprise, the teacher kept gesticulating to the front of the room and almost yelling. He couldn't understand what the teacher was saying, was that even English? Enraged by his lack of response, the teacher roared in outrage; their breath smelt strongly of sulfur. He tried to take a fresher breath of air but it was like acid on his throat, burning and suffocating. He tried to ask for help, but the students weren't human anymore.

The monsters closed in on him, poking, laughing, pulling his hair, showing their fangs. He tried to look up to the teacher again, but in their place stood the worst creature he had ever seen. A giant made of nightmares, the longer he looked, the greater became the feelings of despair, desolation and downright terror. His field of vision kept getting smaller, until he realized the walls around him were closing in. You're shadow now.

Trying desperately to climb out of it, even if it was to face that terror, his heart got stuck on his throat when skeleton hands came from under him, trying to grab his feet and drag him down. He tried to yell for help, but before he could, a scream cut him off. A girl's scream. Sacrifice for the goddess. A girl clearly being tortured. His sister! They got her! But which sister? You did it. She came for him! His sword! Where was his sword? There, hanging from the ceiling, ready to impale him. Water started to rise from the floor, toxic smell enough to make him gag. Trudging through the quickly rising polluted water, trying to find a way out, he found a mirror. But it wasn't a mirror, was it? No, it was the other him, and they were just as scared.

***

Nico checked the time, seeing there was still an hour and half until his alarm was supposed to ring. Sighing, he adjusted himself on the couch, eyes glued to the TV. He had been watching it for some hours now, but if someone had asked him what he'd been watching exactly, he wouldn't have been able to tell, even if his life depended on it.

Are you still there?

As much as I can be, yes.

He had tried to convince Nanni to go back to sleep, or the inactive mental limbo he seemed to go, but the other boy refused, even with Nico arguing that as long as he stayed awake, the nightmares wouldn't come back. The truth was, even if they'd stayed most of the time in silence, Nico was glad for the company.

Do you want to skip class?

No. I think a whole day empty like the last few hours would be worse.

I see.

I'm sorry.

I already told you, you didn't do it on purpose, you don't need to apologize.