Chapter 4

~Percy's POV~

Nico was in the midst of wrenching his arm out of Jason's restraining grasp, while Jason was clutching onto Nico's arm determinedly, preventing him from storming into the camp. Both looked up at my clumsy arrival, and I felt the need to explain myself. "I was...Er...walking to my cabin and I kinda heard...a...um commotion..." Jason nodded apologetically. "Um, sorry about that." Nico didn't look to be doing as well as Jason. At the sight of me, something seemed to have drained from him, leaving him slumped and...broken, somehow. His eyes were tired and red-rimmed, large blackish purple bag under them. His frame was emaciated and his black hair now touching his shoulders, curling inwards to touch the nape of his neck. Jason looked helplessly up at me while I stared down at Nico. For a moment the tableau was frozen, before Nico straightened, brushing off his jeans. "Nice seeing you, Jason, Percy." He attempted to wrench his arm from Jason's grip, unsuccessfully. Growling, he grabbed Jason's wrist, encircling it with his fingers and squeezing. Jason's face turned slightly pale, but he held on determinedly.

"LET ME GO, DAMMIT!" Nico snarled, losing his temper, his free hand halfway to his sword hilt. I decided it was time to step in, having stood frozen like an ice statue long enough.

"What's going on?" Jason turned. "Well, Nico here wants to leave without...uh...getting what he came here for." I glanced at Nico, angling my head slightly so that I could see him without having to turn my head.

I know Hades is supposed to be cold and stuff, but the glare Nico was giving Jason was hot enough to melt a glacier. He winced and turned to me,"Something important is apparently in the Hades cabin, something he left there." I tilted my head. "Well, then why don't you go and get it?" I directed the question at Nico, who was now staring at the ground. "It's not all that important." He muttered, almost under his breath, still refusing to meet my eyes. I shrugged, attempting to feign indifference, when all I really wanted to do was to wrap my arms around him and-

Wait, whaaaaaat!? What!? What the hell!? Ugh, I really have to stop distracting myself. I inhaled slowly, looking away from Nico and at Jason, who frowned thoughtfully at me. "Are you alright, Perc?" Nico looked up sharply, something that resembled concern flickering in his eyes. I nodded absentmindedly, "Nico...If you want, I can help you get...whatever it is from your cabin." Nico shot a look at Jason, whose eyes widened slightly. "Uh...we can all go?" He suggested awkwardly. I shrugged again, before turning to walk away.

"OW." Forgetting I was injured, I turned to walk away and fell on my face. Great move, Percy. Well done. You're sooooo smooth. Immediately, Nico darted forward, helping me up. Thanking him, I grabbed my crutches and carried on. You might think that I would have taken some ambrosia or nectar, but seeing as the war had just ended and we were still recovering, it didn't seem right for me to take some.

As we walked across the camp, people openly stared at us, and I realized we were three of the most powerful demigods on campus. Sons of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the 'Big Three'. Jeez, no wonder people were staring.

"Yep, here we are." I gestured in a 'go-ahead' motion. He smiled at me awkwardly, still not meeting my eyes, and limped into the cabin. We waited for a while, before Nico came out, carrying a small black bag about the size of his palm. He pocketed it quickly and then hurried back to the relative safety of the shadows created by the Zeus and Poseidon cabins, waiting for us to catch up. Once we did, he saluted dryly, before turning to leave. I felt something... compress, die within me.

"Wait." He glanced back at Jason, as did I. Jason stepped forward, taking Nico by the elbow. "We need to talk, di Angelo." Nico growled, but allowed himself to be restrained while Jason looked around at me. Catching on, I walked off, far enough for them to talk, before slipping into my cabin and sneaking to the back, where a window was open. Their voices were soft, I could only catch snippets. Well, Jason's was. Nico didn't seem to care.

"What happened on-"

"Shut up! I know what happened on Cupid's island!"

"You should really-"

"No! Leave me alone!"

"Okay, I'm just trying to-"

"Well you're not helping at all!"

Jason's sigh was audible as he apologized.

"I-I'm sorry. I won't stop you from leaving. But...don't you at least want to-"

A whoosh told me Nico was gone into the shadow world. Scratching my head, I attempted to think rationally, but all I could think was what the actual fuck just happened!? Oh, and also how good Nico looked just now, despite being thinner than I'd ever seen him. But that's not relevant.