Enjoy, I don't own anything, and most people don't read the author's notes so I am keeping them short.   :)

Nico POV

I always feel very misunderstood. People think that I'm depressed, moody or just hate everyone. Sorry to burst your bubble, but those aren't at all true. Well, I don't particularly like people, but that's because they are just. So. Loud! I don't understand why people can't just keep their annoying thoughts to themselves. And hey, I'm all for a nice debate or a good joke, but I don't need to hear someone ramble for 20 minutes about how they exploded some baboon's hideout (*cough*Leo*cough*).

And come on, do people not know what an introvert is? Let me spell it out for you, in the wise words of a cabin full of living dictionaries (AKA the Athena kids): an introvert is a person who prefers calm environments, limits social engagement, or embraces a greater than average preference for solitude. There. Not so difficult to understand, ok? Good.

You may be wondering something along the lines of this: "Why the Hades is this kid talking about this? We don't even know who he is." I'll tell you. My name is Nico Di Angelo. And it's pretty obvious why I'm telling you this. If you've heard the stories about how these idiots (looking at you, Leo and Percy) – sorry I mean demigods – went on a quest to save the world from the world (If you know you know. I'm not explaining my family tree. Suck it up.), then you know about me (You better). I'm the guy who got trapped in a jar and survived on nothing but pomegranate seeds, survived Tartarus alone, killed a lot of monsters, etc., etc. Basically, I stayed in the background a lot, and people all of a sudden thought that I'm this depressed dead guy (Except for Will, because he actually gets me). Well, I am very much alive, thank you very much. Although there are more people warming up to me now, they still think I'm depressed or evil, and it took like five years to realize that I'm not going to kill them (unless they annoy me. Or threaten Will).

Oh, and for people who think that I have no manners, let me tell you something. I do. I was born in 1932. I grew up with etiquette and manners, people. So shut your faces. Thank you. (See? Manners.)

I'm getting sidetracked. That's ADHD for you. At the moment, I am hiding in the woods next to Camp Half-Blood. Listen, they're doing the stupid thing where they sing stupid songs at the campfire, and I have no desire to be part of that. Last time, Jason was visiting camp and dragged me to the campfire, and got people to chant my name to try to convince me to join in the singing. I refused and ran out of there. People chanting my name? Everyone staring at me? No thank you. I'd rather go through Tartarus again. Well, that's actually debatable. It stinks like half-cooked death down there with a hint of teriyaki sauce, and haunts you for the rest of your life, physically and emotionally. It's horrible to be down there, I remember-. Stop it, Nico, don't think about it.

So, back to the present. I'm hiding in the woods, not exactly feeling like socializing at the moment. I hear a faint rustling around me, and I move my hand to my stygian iron sword and unsheathe it. The hilt is cold against my hand, and the shadows collect around it. I smile. Even a pack of hellhounds wouldn't stand a chance against me.

My powers have grown considerably since Tart- That place and the House of Hades and shadow travelling the Athena Parthenos across the world. I think my dad was impressed with me and gave me a few extra abilities. Percy was so kind as to let me know that my powers got creepier in his opinion, but I think that they are awesome.

I can now turn a living thing into a skeleton by just willing it to, I can see in the dark, I can control dark energy – which I don't completely understand how to do still, but it's still awesome – and even summon hellfire, which is great to freak people out with (And a plus is that Leo isn't immune to it!). I can also tell when people lie to me, which I don't understand how. I just know. Which is... weird. Also, very useful (*cough*Stolls*cough*).

Sadly, shadow travelling still takes a lot out of me, but we beat Dirt Face, so I'm not too mad. Also, I get to hang around Will more, because he actually cares about me! Don't get me wrong, a lot of people at camp care about me, but they don't understand me as Will does. He talks to me, makes me laugh, cares about my health and how I feel; he understands me, and it's great, especially because other people don't.

I scan the area. It's dark outside, and there are dark shadows all around, morphing into shapes as the trees dance silently in the cold wind. I'm not scared though. This is my element. I draw the shadows closer to my body, cloaking myself in darkness as the rustling gets louder. Whoever or whatever it is, I know that they are there. Where are they exactly you may ask? Well, off to my right, stumbling around loudly. Honestly, I don't think it's a monster. Usually, they are much quieter, preferring a silent approach – and death. Especially the monsters that lurk around at night. Sort of like me, if you think about it.

I stand silently, poised and ready to fight. A bright shape floats towards me, and I squint. Is that...?

"Nico? Hey, death breath the singing is over, come on out! I'd rather not find your body half-eaten by hellhounds! Nico! Come on out already!" I smile and sheath my sword. It's Will. Only he could be that annoying and concerned at the same time.

He is giving off a faint glow (hence why I call him Glowstick), and is wearing an orange camp half-blood hoodie with some jeans and running shoes. He looks very godly at the moment, all glowy and handsome. My smile goes wider.

I creep behind the glowing son of Apollo, silently moving across the forest. I can feel the smirk on my face. Oh, he is going to get it for calling me death breath again. I end up standing right behind him and tap him on the shoulder.

"Looking for me?" He jumps about two feet into the air, and I smile widely at the alarmed look on his face. I cross my arms, and he turns to look at me. A smile creeps onto his face.

"Really Nico? I could've had a heart attack!"

"Right, of course. Because you're secretly an old man?" I say, trying to hold in a laugh. "The only people at risk of heart attacks are older people, specifically unhealthy ones. Sorry to break it to you Glowstick, but you are neither of those things. And besides, I don't think children of Apollo can have a heart attack. That would sort of be hypocritical."

Will is smiling again.

"Aw, Death Breath! You actually listen to my medical lectures!" I am very aware of the blush that is creeping along my face.

"Um, no. That's... common knowledge." I say, wincing at my poor excuse.

Will laughs at me. It's a nice laugh that is filled with warmth, and his eyes light up. I can't help but feel happy. This is where I'm meant to be. My whole life I've been wandering, trying to find where I fit in. But then I spent more time with Will and realized it's not where I fit in that matters to me, it's with who. If I'm with Will, I'm happy. We could live in Antarctica for all I care. This kind, caring guy means everything to me.

"You ok, Neeks?" Will asks. I realize I've been staring at him for a couple of minutes now, and clear my throat.

"Yeah, I'm all good. I'm just grateful I have you." I say, and Will replies with a grin.

"Me too, Sunshine." I bury my head into his shoulder. His head rests on top of mine, and I feel at ease. I smile.

We stay in each other's warm embraces (technically, my body is always cold – a son of Hades trait - but you get it) for a couple of minutes, not caring that we are in the middle of a monster-infested forest at midnight. Perhaps my idea of hiding in the forest wasn't the best idea, I can hear at least three hellhounds howling in the distance, and other assortments of monster sounds.

As much as I would love to stay in the safety and comfort of Will's arms, we should probably get back to camp. Will seems to be thinking along the same lines and pulls back.

"Let's get back to camp. I'd rather not fight monsters right now." Will says. I snort, Will can heal practically anything, but when it comes to fighting, he isn't the most... skilled. I nod and take his arm. It wouldn't be a problem if I was alone in monster-infested woods, but since Will was here, I would have to protect him while killing a bunch of monsters. That would be difficult.

"Come on, I'll shadow travel us back." Will pulled back.

"No, no, no. Neeks, we talked about this! You really shouldn't be wasting your energy. We can easily walk back. There aren't even any monsters around." He is such an idiot. It looks like he's realizing that as well, as his face goes a bit paler, and his glow dims.

"Nice job jinxing us, Glowstick," I mumble, and Will has a guilty smile on his face. I sigh. Will has been very picky about when I'm allowed to shadow travel, which is nice to know he cares, but it can get very annoying. Is it worth the risk of the walk back though? Probably not, but I don't want to get Will mad at me. I can't lose him.

I pull Will along the forest, weapon in front of me. I glance at Will and realize he doesn't have a weapon. So, being the good boyfriend that I am, I hand him a dagger. Will smiles at me and grips the dagger tightly as something bellows in the distance. I clasp his hand in mine.

"Calm down, it'll be- get down!" I whisper quickly as a figure appears a couple of meters in front of us. I yank Will down onto the forest ground with me. I don't recognize the person, but I do recognize the weapon. And let's just say this. I don't have nice memories associated with the weapon.

I draw shadows around us, and Will turns off his glow, leaving us in silence. I'm still holding Will's hand, which is now sweaty and gross. I don't care that much, seeing as we may die in a couple of minutes.

I decide to use a new power of mine that I've almost mastered. Shadow speaking. It's hard to explain, but I'll do my best. Everyone has shadows in their brain. So, I bring the shadows into my control, as well as my own, and sort of... speak to it. Maybe think it is a better description. Basically, it's telepathy with shadows. Except I can't read anyone's mind, just talk to them.

Anyway, I quickly get a hold of Will's brain shadow, and he jumps a bit as my voice fills his mind.

"Will?"

"Nico, who is that?"

"Not sure. But Will, they have Kronos' scythe." I tell him, nausea settling over me. Will seems to be going through similar feelings of disgust.

"That is not good."

"Definitely not."

"You know, maybe you should shadow travel us back," Will says (or thinks). I almost laugh at his tone, but hold myself back.

"Yeah, Let's go." The person with the scythe suddenly runs toward us, and I realize I said that out loud. Schist. I can now see that the person is actually a woman. Definitely a monster, due to the two fangs curling out of her mouth and hair made of Greek fire. Will throws his dagger, and the woman throws the scythe just as she crumbles to dust as the dagger hits its target. Huh; well, he is the son of Apollo.

I see the scythe rushing towards us, soaring through the air. I put myself in front of Will, and it hits my shoulder.

"Nico!" I hear Will yell, but it sounds muted. I can sense other monsters around us now, and I know we need to get out of here. I ignore the searing pain in my shoulder and grab Will.

"Nico, don't you da-" I ignore him.

"Hold on tight," I say through gritted teeth. And with some (more like a lot of) difficulty, I let the shadows carry us away. I just hope we don't land in China again. The shadows spit us out onto a hard, wooden floor, and I lose consciousness.

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