The Sun Without Stars Solangelo

The Doomsday

When they began eating, Nico tapped Frank on the shoulder, who was preoccupied with two fried eggs.

Frank bent down, trying to hear what Nico had to say through all the chatter around them. Nico leaned in towards his ear, and whispered, "Can you give something to Hazel when we leave tomorrow?" Frank nodded slowly while Nico reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper which Frank gingerly picked up, placing it into his own coat pocket.

Nico mouthed his thanks to the boy, wondering how he should go about giving Reyna the one he'd written as an apology. A flash of gold caught his eye.

Picking up another femur from the floor, he waved it in front of Reyna's dog, Aurum. The dog immediately wagged its tail, cantering over with vigor. When it came close enough, Nico reached for its collar, carefully folding and tucking the note in while the dog reached for the bone.

"I didn't know you liked dogs," Annabeth remarked.

"They're fine," Nico answered.

She didn't see anything, right?

"What are those beads around your neck?" she continued.

She really is terrifying in her own way.

"Nothing much. It was a gift," Nico answered vaguely. Thankfully, Reyna's dogs didn't sense any outright lies, so they remained silent; however, Annabeth didn't seem wholly convinced, so he was relieved when Percy asked his own question.

"Nico! You should get back in school. It would be nice to see your face around here more often, but I bet you'll have kids fleeing left and right," Percy interrupted, Annabeth elbowing him, causing him to choke. Nico couldn't tell if he had been referring to the scar along his cheek, climbing up his eye or just his regular demeanor that would send people running. 

"Do you feel like graduating?" Percy added when he caught his breath.

You ask me that the day I die. Ironic.

"I haven't been to school for so long that I'd struggle to write even a few short lines. Back when Bianca and I were kids, I remember her telling me that she wanted to go to the US for college, but I always wanted to stay in Venice because I didn't understand as much English as she did. Then again, many people were trying to leave because of the second world war, but I was really young, so I just didn't want to leave my mother and didn't really understand why Bianca wanted to leave. Now, I suppose I wouldn't mind going to school here if I am able to catch up," he replied nonchalantly. 

Nico had the awful feeling that, if he didn't speak now, no one would ever live to keep Bianca's aspirations in their hearts like Nico had.

When he looked up from his full plate of food, everyone's eyes were on him, Percy looking guilty but also in awe. They all looked astounded. Normally, Nico barely mentioned Bianca at all, so they'd never heard much about his life in Italy. It didn't occur to him often that others hadn't even been born during WW2.

Will, however, seemed delighted by the idea of going to high school, passing Nico a piece of toast despite his plate being both full and untouched.

"Percy, close your mouth. You look like a fish," Annabeth chided, when no one spoke.

"Sorry for being surprised that the Ghost King wants to go to school," he complained, but grinned at Nico.

"Anything else we should know about you now that we've got you talking?" Reyna joked.

"I want to drive a car. It's embarrassing needing a chauffeur to drive you around. I also want to go back to Italy to see if my home is still there," Nico replied matter-of-factly. 

Needless to say, everyone had not expected that.

"You're bringing me on the Italy trip, right?" Annabeth asked.

"I want to come too," her boyfriend whined.

"Dream on. You have homework due last week that you haven't completed," she reminded him.

The chatter continued, Nico once again drowning it out as white noise.

"When's Apollo showing up? I don't want to miss it and all, but I really need to get that assignment done if I want to pass this class," Percy muttered at some point.

The topic Nico had been avoiding finally arose, and it felt as though the three fates were snipping away at their thread in front of him.

"He should be here at around five," Reyna replied, still forking down strips of bacon.

"Why don't I show you and Will around New Rome's school while you're here," she offered when the bacon had been completely devoured.

Perfect. That way Will will be as far as possible from danger when Apollo enters.