Young Gods [Nico Di Angelo x The Vampire Diaries]

LOADING SCREEN

Nico had made sure to pack a couple cans of spray paint in his travel back pack, it was the back pack that had a black Pegasus patch stitched onto its front pocket; along with random words messily written along its strap, one written in permanent marker that read 'blue for life,' a terribly drawn peace sign beside it.

He would visit every couple of weeks, catching Will up on every little detail of his little pragmatic pilgrimage, simultaneously making sure to keep up with everyone else from the supposed 'Titan-busters' crew; even if it was difficult to do so with the different time zones. The Seven may have slightly drifted apart due to the different lives they lead but they always knew to come back to each other.

Most seeing each other at random spur of the moment stop byes.

In all honesty, it was a sweet nicety that no one had expected the year prior; before the second prophecy had yet to be discovered by many.

***

The first official stop was Italy.

After years of avoidance, Nico had finally decided to revisit his beloved home country, a place he tried hardest not to think about when the memories got too much, when the reminder of what wasn't there became a heavy burden that he couldn't carry.

He had taken doctor's advice (aka-absolute ray of sunshine, boyfriend ,Will Solace) and decided to confront his past.

Making the burden lighter when he was able to share it with others and focus more on the positive highlights instead of the bad.

So, that's what he did.

He went all throughout Italy, searching for some sort of remnant in every back ally crevice, following the bread crumb trail down its path, in hopes of any sign of his family's existence.

He didn't remember much of the place since he was made to forget (by his father - for apparent convenience) but he liked the nostalgic familiarity that came with the sights, a nice warm feeling that spread in his heart when it reminded him of something fond.

However, at some point he was forced to admit that so much of the area had changed in spite of it all, no matter how many aspects he did happen to remember of the place.

Italy had gone through world and civil wars in the period he had been absent, as well as great cultural change that came with the domineering west. The pathways of the city had changed, streets renamed, the food less diverse, the stylised buildings and technological advancements that accompanied them, most noticeably — the people had changed.

He hadn't expected for there to be as many tourists as there was.

The whole place was flocking with a range of them from all around the globe; his hometown had seemingly become a central gathering for internationals to converge whilst he wasn't present. This was due to the many historically preserved memoirs, the infamous religious architectural element that stood at the centre of the town, and its surrounding target areas like the river canal that accompanied activities targeted towards romantically involved partners.

Not to say that he didn't enjoy his minor excursion, it was nice for clearing his head and allowed him to feel closer to his past and home when he didn't really have one growing up.

Not having much of a chance to have a childhood made him unhinged - to say the least.

Truthfully, Nico only feels at home when in the presence of his misfit band of family, or when he was wandering around the surface with Mrs. O 'Leary, sadistically laughing as he watched the comical reactions of the newly discovered demigods and the Roman praetors' absolute skepticism.