Falling for You

Nico: II

Nico: II

The gods were an extremely unwelcome presence.

By the time land had finally appeared in the distance – a hilly island carpeted with low stone building- Nico had been so close to throwing his chair at them, he could feel his pulse throbbing in his head. It wasn't even that they had said anything bad, it was that they acted more like children than the actual children aboard the ship. They were drained from their split-personality merge, so they had commandeered the dining room, arguments breaking out over who should sit at the head of table (Zeus had bellowed his way there), then arguments about who sat on either side (Poseidon and Hera were winning). It was enough to push him to the brink. Unable and unwilling to listen to their volatile bickering anymore, Nico snuck out to the hull to watch the land come closer.

"Can't take them either?" whispered a voice behind him.

Nico turned; he was rarely caught off guard, but had no noticed the girl sat against the mast. Piper had her head leaned on it. In her green tank top, her beige shorts and her hiking boots, she looked like she was ready to climb a mountain – and then fight an army at the top. Her dagger was strapped to her belt, her cornucopia slung over one shoulder.

"No." Nico shook his head.

Piper bit her lip. Nico rested his arm on the side of the boat uncomfortably and tilted his head; she clearly had more to say, and Jason or Leo weren't about. Frank and Hazel were being lectured by Coach Hedge. Reyna was busy. Percy and- and Annabeth were gone. That left him.

"Do you think I went too far?" she asked him quietly.

Nico paused. Piper had been rude and blunt, spitting out harsh reminders of the horrible things that had befallen their friends, but it had been necessary. The Gods needed to get their heads in gear and realise that their kids weren't pawns, and actually matter. Nico didn't know if he could control himself around Zeus. He was the reason his mother was dead, the reason he and his sister had been trapped in time for near on a century. Maybe if they'd been allowed to carry on in their own time, Bianca wouldn't have-

But if he hadn't escaped in time, then he wouldn't have his friends. What was left of them. And he needed to help them, protect them, stop the gods from ignoring them. Which was what Piper had been saying.

If anything, Annabeth and Percy would definitely approve of what she'd said.

Nico shook his head.

"They need to hear it." he said, before frowning across the water. They were still at least half a mile from the island. "Can we speed this up?" he asked, impatient.

"I'll go ask Leo." Piper said, hesitantly touching him on the arm in a clear attempt at comfort.

Nico gave his best approximation of a smile, though by the look in her eye, it was more of a grimace than he had hoped. His skin shivered uncomfortably as she touched him, and as if sensing it- which he didn't think impossible- she withdrew it apologetically. He nodded. She nodded back.

He listened to her footsteps creak across the wooden boards as she left before turning back to the helm. Sure enough, after a few minutes, there was a dramatic shift in speed. The jolt made Nico have to hold on in order to avoid being lurched into the churning sea below. They all knew how dangerous that could be now, he thought morbidly. It wouldn't have mattered if Percy was here. But then again, nothing would matter if they just had Percy here-