Weird Little Things

Nico Stood Alone (PJO/HOO Solangleo)

Nico Di Angelo stood alone. A boy with abilities beyond the norm, even for his kind. People fear what they can't understand. They fear death, darkness, and everything in correlation with it. He was surrounded by death, and darkness; he was born of it. They didn't understand him. They feared him... and he let them.

He was better off without them. They were better off without him. Death, his brethren, followed Nico as much as his own shadow. Nico's luck would run out soon, and they both knew it. No demigod survived alone. Nico had put up a good fight. None had lasted longer. His death was inevitably soon. He wasn't meant to survive. He didn't want to survive.

The nights were spent sobbing himself to sleep. Betrayal after betrayal, death after death, tortured his mind with every step he took. Tears were weakness... but he couldn't stop himself from shedding them. At least no one was around when he did... there was no one to be around. No matter how much he wished there was a specific someone...

Then, Nico met a young doctor, and a light to Nico's darkness. His smile and blonde hair were as bright as the sun from which he was born. His eyes were as clear a blue as the sky that his father raised his brilliant chariot into. Nico wasn't sure when they fell, but when the boy kissed him, he knew he'd fallen hard. Nico kissed back, and he felt amazing.

The nights were spent cuddling with his boyfriend. Kiss after kiss, 'I love you' after 'I love you' saved Nico from his despair. Hope became strength, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. He had people surrounding him, comforting him and loving him when he stopped smiling. He had friends... he had someone.

He was happier with them. They were happier with him. Death stopped following Nico, and Nico's shadow looked less demeaning. There were other shadows surrounding it. Nico couldn't feel luckier, and his friends knew it. He was living - not just surviving. Nico wanted to continue to live.

He stopped trying to push people away. He found that people love other people. People help other people - and then they're friends. Nico started to help others, and people - good, friendly, kind people - got over their fear, and reached out to him. They cared for him... and he let them.

Nico Di Angelo stood alone... until he didn't.