Until It Breaks~Solangelo

Coming Home (Boyce Avenue cover)

Nico di Angelo died on Christmas Eve. The entire camp should've been home, enjoying the holidays with their families, but all of them had traveled back to Camp Half-Blood to mourn the loss of Nico di Angelo. Even though it was snowing profusely, the magic borders had been tweaked to only allow a light dusting of snow to cover the ground. The air around everyone was heavy and sad, to match the bitterly cold mood of this winter day.

And now, at dusk, we were gathered in a semi-circle around one black shroud. Decoration was minimal. A skull had been embroidered on the material around Nico's body. The pitch-black silk was tied tightly around his corpse, setting the atmosphere as one of solemnity.

Torches blazed in four places around the burial shroud, lighting the frosted ground. To the left, right, and back of me, campers stood with lowered heads. An aura of sadness had been cast upon us, an unnatural feeling for Christmas Day.

"Nico was one of the best people you could ever meet. He was loyal and just, He never swayed from his opinion. He was strong. In mind and will." Percy stood in front of the semi-circle with a pained look on his face. His eyes gleamed with tears, his head high in praise and honor. "He might've been gloomy at times, but he was always worth being around. I would have given my life for him at any time. He was one of my best friends. I-I'm so sorry this happened, Nico." Percy's voice cracked, tears spilling down his cheeks. "He didn't deserve any of the crap that happened to him. He didn't mean for any of this to happen, he didn't even want to be a demigod. I am so, so sorry Nico."

Percy walked into the arms of Annabeth, who was crying heavily.

No one stepped forward to say anything, so I decided it was my turn. I took a shaky step forward and turned to face the crowd. I lowered my head, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. "Nico was my boyfriend," I paused as I heard many sharp intakes of breath. "We became friends not long after the war. Before his death, I thought of him as something to fix. I saw Nico as a broken boy, not seeing that he was an actual, living, breathing, person. He couldn't be fixed, unless he chose to be. On the quest, we grew closer. He opened up to me, spilled his secrets, his feelings. Everything," a strangled sob clawed it's way from my throat. "He had never thought he had friends, He viewed himself as a freak, and I was too busy trying to fix him to see that all he needed was someone to listen." Hot, salty tears forced their way from my eyes, rolling down my face and dripping from my jawbone. "At the end of our quest, he began to accept himself, who he was. And when the final test came, he proved his bravery, more than I ever could. I wish I could've done something. Hell, I spent the first part of the battle unconscious. I was rendered useless when he was killed. I blame myself, but I'm not going to dwell on that today. Today is a day of remembrance," I looked up, addressing the tear-stained faces of the demigods. "Nico was a great warrior. He fought without faltering, he never hesitated to save his friends. He also had one of the most unique personalities I had ever seen. He put up a wall around his feelings, so terrified of them being manipulated and completely paranoid of being used. But," I held my head high, smiling through the tears pouring down my face. "When he let those walls down, you could see the most beautiful thing. He had the ability to love without stopping, which meant he was more vulnerable to breaking. With that being said, Nico, I'm sorry. I couldn't save you. I love you so, so much. I always will."

I stepped forward and placed my hand where his hand was, underneath the thin silk. "I love you," I whispered, removing my hand from his chest.

I walked back to the front of the crowd, stifling a sob. One by one, the campers walked up and said kind words for the son of Hades. Each speech drove me to tears, knowing that Nico would never know how much he had touched everyone's hearts. How much he mattered. It hurt to see how many people cared that he was gone forever.