Boys Like Boys [Nico di Angelo]

chapter twenty-four

"I'll kill Nico and Percy if it means I can turn you in."

"Try," I taunted. Her upper lip twitched.

And she released the arrow from the bow.

I felt a tug at my gut and raised my hand, watching as a forcefield of smoke surrounded Nico, solidifying as the arrow hit it, causing it to ricochet back to Veda, who barely ducked out of the way to avoid it. Her eyes widened, staring at the smoke around him. Nico looked over his arms, which he used to shield his face, and stared at it, then glanced at me. Trust shone in his eyes, and he whispered, "thank you."

  "Veda, I think it's time you go," Percy said, turning his sword into a pen again and twirling it between his fingers. Veda threw me a look, before huffing.

  "This isn't over," she murmured and stomped away, cursing under her breath.

  I moved my hand slowly towards the ground, the black smoke disintegrating into the earth. Nico instantly walked over to me and pulled me into a hug, causing me to drop the harpe in shock. He held me tightly, and I could feel his hands shaking against my back. I hugged him back and buried my face into his shoulder, feeling his tense shoulders relax.

  "It's okay. We're okay," I whispered, pulling back from him a bit.

  "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he apologized, cupping my face in his cold hands. "I-I don't know what I was doing, I was just ignoring you and maybe it was because I was terrified of losing you, but maybe I was just being selfish and I didn't realize-" he rushed out, half of his words slurred together.

  "Nico," I said softly, placing a hand over one of his. "It's okay."

  "It's not," he whispered, a frown etched onto his face. "I hurt you. And I ignored you, and then I felt hurt when you ignored me, but now I realize that what I did to you wasn't right, Cal. I don't...I don't know how to explain how sorry I am right now, I can't find the words-"

"You don't have to. I understand," I assured him, noticing the tremors in his hands.

"I just..." His eyes held an emotion, one I'd never recognized on someone. It was soft and full of wonder and awe. His eyes shone and for once, they were light, the soft green of a flower bud during Spring. Suddenly, his hands fell from my face and he stepped away from me, his frown deepening. "Never mind."

"What's wrong?" I asked and he just shook his head, hurt portrayed on his features.  

"I-It doesn't matter. We have bigger things to worry about-"

"Neeks," I murmured, reaching for his hand. His were cold and clammy and they were still shaking, but it had gotten a little bit better.

"I can't tell you," he whispered. "I would, but I just...I'm not ready.

"That's fine," I said, despite my growing curiosity. "I'll be here when you are."

---

  "Chiron, we need to talk," I said upon entry to the Big House. He frowned at my sudden interruption of him and Mr. D's card game, watching me warily. "It's important." 

  "How important?" Mr. D inquired. "I'm about to win, Calvin-"

  "It's Calu-"

  "Let's talk," Chiron said, plucking the cards from Dionysus' hands and setting the deck on table. "Take a seat."

  I sat down in the plush chair I had sat in when I first came to Camp Half-Blood and nervously wrung my hands together.

  "There's a goddess that keeps contacting me," I started, before closing my eyes and sighing. If I was going to tell him, I needed to say it all. No secrets, no holding anything back. "She was contacting me...Uh, it all started in my dreams. I'd see visions of people dying and they were all dead because of me."

  "I see..." Chiron trailed off.

  "I heard her voice a few times, too, but I shook it off. I figured it was just stress from being in a new place." I sat on my hands and stared at my feet, which were kicking back and forth under my chair. "She kept trying to convince me to join her and her evil army, or something. I didn't want to - I never would do anything like that. Then Veda showed up and-" I stopped, remembering back to the time when her arrow first pointed itself at Nico; the fear of losing him had turned my blood cold. "She tried to kill Nico. Said he was the only thing in my way from joining Atë."

  "Atë," Chiron murmured out, his eyes growing dark. "Goddess of mischief, delusion, ruin, and folly." I nodded.

  "I ignored it as best as I could, but Veda was worrying me and I kept feeling this darkness wash over me...like Atë was infecting me with what was already inside her. One day...after denying her several, several times..." I took a deep breath. "I was training with Nico, trying to not kill the things I touched. I passed out and she visited me, replayed all of the dreams of her I'd had...then she put anyone I've ever cared about...Nico, my mom, Percy, Leo, Jason, the Stolls, in front of me. She told me the way they'd die and killed them in front of me. Each time, they were dead because of-of me," I choked up, but looked to the ground and swallowed. I couldn't cry, not here, not now. "She said if I didn't join her, she'd kill them."

  "So you agreed to go with her," Chiron said sadly and I nodded, feeling a few tears track down my cheeks.

  "We agreed on two weeks," I whispered. "Two weeks at Camp, two weeks with Nico, and once that was up, I was to do as she said," I explained, more tears coating my cheeks. I covered my face with my hands and tried to swallow my sobs. "What am I gonna do?"

"We need to shield you from Atë, keep you as hidden from her as we possibly can."

"She has spies everywhere. Veda's one of them...I saw another demigod in my dreams as well. Who knows how many she has?" I inquired and watched as Chiron sighed and shuffled the cards.

"I'm going to have to think this over, Calum. In the mean time, get one hundred percent in control of your powers. The less stable you are, the easier it is for her to infiltrate your mind," he suggested and I nodded, wiping my cheeks. "Don't stress, son of Thanatos. We'll figure this out."

"May I suggest something?" Mr. D asked. "Do yoga. It'll help with stabilizing your mind so that Atë's darkness doesn't affect you as much."

  "As for Veda," Chiron began. "She'll be dealt with."

"Thank you. Thank you both. So much."