foreshadow || a percico story

• Chapter 6 •

"Nico?"

Shifting, the raven-haired boy groaned, slipping off the warm blanket that cradled him comfortingly in his short-term sleep. 

"Nico!"

"I'm coming!", he yelled back, his voice awfully uncomfortable and hot because the weariness was still clinging onto him for dear life, refusing to admit it was morning.

*   *   *

When he stepped through the gates of his new school, a feeling of dread washed over him. It sank to his stomach and stayed there like it was trapped in some hollow bottomless pit.

Seeing the unease in her paternal half-brother's eyes, Hazel grasped Nico's left hand and soothingly rubbed circles into the palm. "Hey, look at me. It's going to be okay." she comforted him, giving him the most genuine and warm smile ever.

Though the fact that Hazel was his little sister and that she was reassuring him instead of the opposite, Nico still silently thanked her with a flash of gratitude replacing the usual pain in his gaze. Blinking thankfully at the brown-haired girl, he held her gaze softly, hoping she would stay with him until they had to go to class.

But to his dismay, as soon as his sister's eyes landed on the 'very pretty' boy she met at the coffee shop, she ran off to find him.

Sighing in exasperation, Nico trudged off to the front desk of Jupiter High, eyeing every student's movements. Unlike his old school, they seemed noble and proper. Their shirts were neatly ironed and spotless. Their hair were properly trimmed into a neat line. Their skin were clear and silky smooth. Basically, all the contrary features of Nico.

Clearly being put in unease, he studied the polished marble floor, coming to a halt at the front desk. At it was, surprisingly, a female student. She smiled at him, though he could tell that it was practiced and weary.

"How may I help you?", she asked in a honey sweet voice, but her words were like daggers piercing through his comfort zone.

His vision landing onto the name tag put lopsided onto her dirty white blouse, reading 'Reyna', Nico raised an eyebrow. And only then did he realize the stark contrast between Reyna and the rest of the students. She had dark circles under her eyes that were barely noticeable under the deep tan covering the entirety of her body. Her dark hair was braided into a beautiful french braid, yet a few loose strands wandered around the neatness of the hairstyle. Her almond eyes cut right through skin.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Uh, first of all, you don't have to force yourself to be nice to me. And believe me, I don't want to be here as much as you do. Secondly, can I get my locker keys and class schedule?" he asked matter-of-factly.

Not waiting for a response, Nico looked around him, noticing a girl with electric blue eyes and choppy black hair. Hope tingled beneath his skin. It's Thalia!

Nico snapped back to reality when Reyna raised an eyebrow at him, then raising her hands up in defeat. "Okay, you win.", she said, her voice full of life this time, not monotone and fake. "What's your name...?"

Nico couldn't stop the smile spreading on his lips. "Nico di Angelo.", he replied, his very slight  Italian accent amplifying for some reason. But Reyna didn't seem bothered, so he watched her shuffling her papers, searching for his name in the student sheet. 

When her eyes lit up faintly, Nico knew she found his name. She rearranged her papers into a neat pile. "Leaving for college in two years, huh?" Nico looked at her, waiting for her to make a remark or something. "Well, same for me.", she said, not waiting for a reply. Nico felt a strange desire to have her as a friend.