Solangelo

Chapter Eight

Nico needed to leave camp before Will found out. He needed to. How could he have been so stupid to fall for another straight guy? So he packed his bag, the energy drink Will had brought him still sitting in his freezing cold cabin on the bedside table and he put that in his bag. In went his sketchbook, his mythomagic collection was too large to take but he took the statue Bianca had given him, he took his sword, a silver dagger Reyna had given him after their encounter with Lycaon and sheathed his sword, strapping it to his side. He was ready to leave.

One good thing about the build of the Hades cabin was the amount of shadows you can disappear into, so he thought of where he wanted to be and melted into it. Just as he faded he saw Will come in. Then he was gone.

The underworld was as dark and foreboding ever, the noise of the screaming souls never truly something you could drown out and the smell of death hung heavy in the air. Home.

Cerberus stood in front of the gate, sniffing Nico and he felt momentarily guilty for not bringing him a treat. Then he slobbered all over Nico and he got over it.

The palace was open as usual. It takes an idiot to walk into Hades' palace. An idiot or Nico. His father was at his throne, saying something to Persephone that he couldn't make out, "Yes, Nico?" He said, without looking away from his wife.
"I'm staying here."
That made Hades look at him, "But aren't you a hero now? Don't you have two camps you can go to?"
"Yes, but none of them would want me."

Now Persephone was looking at him with a sort of understanding, "Nonsense, Nico. I'm sure they would."
"No." Nico was getting worked up, "They wouldn't. Besides, I can't."

Hades just nodded and he went to his room. There was no coffin bed and the walls weren't blood red. Instead his room was the shade of old parchment and his bed was a black four poster. On his walls there were no vampire like decorations, but instead drawings that Nico had made. They were drawings of what he remembered from his childhood. Bianca smiling at him, dimples in the same places, his mom picking him up in a long red dress. It was happy memories. But there was one that stuck out. The sun chariot crashing into the canoe lake.

He looked at it and tears fell from his eyes. He hated it but he couldn't help it. Will was straight and he would never like Nico the way Nico liked Will and it hurt.

Two hours later, Nico was sitting, numb with all the emotions when Persephone found him. "Is there a boy?" Was her way of starting the conversation.
"No." He said, too fast." No. Why would there be?"
"Wow, you're really going to me ask?"
"There is a boy. His name is Will. Will Solace. And he's straight."
She sucked in a breath through her teeth, "And your way of dealing with crushes is running away from them?"
"Much better than what father did."
She laughed, "I'll give you that. But you can't run forever. Some day you're going to get tired."
"You underestimate my ability to keep on going."
"Alright, we'll see a ninety year old you still running."
"I'm ninety two."

She shook her head and walked out, leaving Nico feeling just as empty as he had when she walked in. Maybe she was right. But how could he stop? All Nico had ever been taught was running. Run as fast as you can or you'll get hurt, Nico. Never stop. That's what the voice in his head kept telling him. But Nico never had really enjoyed the beautiful moment in life. He didn't have many to enjoy, but those that he did were a star in a dark sky and he treasured them, but never truly enjoyed them.

There was memory, though. The memory of Will rubbing circles into his back. He hadn't let that star shine yet. He was saving it for when the world came crashing down. Now he wondered what would happen if he enjoyed it.