Shoot an Arrow Through His Heart

Actually, Fuck Everybody

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Nico faces the consequences of being outed.

BEGINNING NOTES

Word Count: 3029
Content Warning: Violence (mild)

I do use the word "fag" repeatedly in this chapter. Just a warning.

This one is a little over my usual 3K cap but whatever 29 words don't count. Besides, after the last two short chapters I don't think anyone's going to complain here.

And all the characters are owned by Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.

All of us stayed up the rest of the night, hoping for some message from Bianca. But there was nothing.

I did tell them about our fight, not the Will stuff, but how I'd forced Bianca to actually take a look at herself and face some stuff she probably didn't want to. We agreed it make perfect sense why she'd want to run after that. No one said it, but they all knew now that it was my fault she was gone. Papà couldn't even meet my eye. I know we hadn't spoken in months, but it still hurt like hell.

Thalia did mention Jupiter's as a possible place Bianca ran off to, but we also thought that someone would've told us that she'd gone on the trip. The truth was, that was only a guess. She had a lot a money saved up. She could've gone anywhere.

I didn't eat or sleep the rest of the weekend. I didn't touch my phone, which was still blowing up with messages from Octavian's video. Saturday night, some drunk kids egged our house. I didn't give Papà any explanation.

As soon as the twenty-four-hour mark came, Papà and Persephone went to the police. I couldn't bring myself to leave the house. The police decided to keep Bianca disappearance out of the news so they could do their investigation without the press interfering. Papà came home pissed. "That's the damn point!" I heard him shouting. "It would be trending nationally! The public would find her in a day! Damn town, trying to protect its reputation before its own citizens!"

For the first time in a very long time, I agreed with him.

Hazel tried to get me to go to school on Monday, but I wasn't ready to face the world. How could I, without my sister? It was hard enough before. Now, with the death threats and the harassment, it was impossible.

On Tuesday, I got sick of waiting for news that would never come. I snuck out of the house around noon, when anyone who knew about the video would be at school, and went to the Field of Mars to blow off steam. Ares didn't give a shit that I was playing hooky as long as he got his membership fees. I hacked at dummies for hours, screaming and kicking. What did I care if I got strange looks? I'd gotten used to that over the years.

The sun was setting by the time I got out of there. I was almost home when the first rock hit the back of my neck. "Hey, fag!" the guy shouted. It was Ethan Nakamura, the Titian's latest recruit.

I didn't say anything. He must've been waiting for me since he was so far from his gang's territory. That spelled trouble.

"You listening to me?" Ethan spat. "I'm talking to you, dick!" He threw another rock, bigger this time, enough to leave a mark. I walked a little faster.

"I'm talking to you, fag!" Ethan shouted. The next thing I knew, his hand was on my shoulder, and he was spinning me around. I felt his gun pressing into my stomach. I froze.

What the fuck? He was pointing a gun at you? Why?

He's crazy.

"Careful now," I said, "I'm one of Alabaster's best customers. You wouldn't want Kronos to lose his billionaire customer, would you? He might pop a bullet in your ass."