Boys Like Boys [Nico di Angelo]

chapter thirty-four

  "Chiron, you wanted to see me?" I inquired, walking into the Big House after I knocked. He nodded and gestured to a chair in front of his desk, so I sat down, albeit a little hesitantly. I drummed my fingertips on the armrest and stared at Chiron, waiting for him to tell me why I was here.

"I suspect you were at the campfire last night and heard Atë's letter," Chiron said, and I felt my chest seize up at the mention of the goddess. "Calum...we have to take extreme precautions, especially if she's threatening the whole Camp."

"I know, but-"

"We're going to have to use you as a spy," Chiron deadpanned and I felt my heart leap in my chest.

"She'll have eyes on me at all costs," I argued, sitting forward a bit. "The last thing I want to do is risk the Camp's safety more than it already is."

"You can do that by not joining her," Chiron offered and I looked down at the ground, blood rushing past my ears as I tried to keep my head from spinning.

"She threatened Nico's life-"

"Calvin, you're putting one life over the lives of hundreds," Mr. D piped up, taking a swig from his Diet Coke can. "We don't like the idea of Nick in trouble anymore than you do, but we have to think about the entire Camp's safety."

"It's Nico," I seethed, glaring at the god, who raised an eyebrow at me. "You can't possibly be serious-"

"We just...we have to think about the bigger picture," Chiron said, his voice wavering. "You're powerful, and delivering you straight to Atë would be suicidal."

"You're just being selfish," I sneered as I stood, slamming my hands on the table. "You're just thinking about your precious role as Camp Director. You don't give a single flying f-"

"Watch your tone," Mr. D warned, his eyes glowing with anger.

"You can shut up," I retorted, turning to Chiron. "If you cared about this Camp at all, you'd care about each individual camper, and you'd take any precautions necessary to keep Nico and the Camp safe. You can't seriously be that stupid that you can't come up with a way to solve this-"

"Calum, you're stepping on very thin eggshells right now," Chiron said with the same tone Mr. D used earlier, like I was being warned that if I continued, I'd be blown to smithereens. 

"Let them break," I snarled, my hands clenching into fists. "There's nothing noble about what you're doing."

"Like you're one to talk about nobility," Mr. D commented and I felt my blood boil.

"You're supposed to be role models for these campers to look up to. You're supposed to teach and guide them," I reminded, black smoke slithering up my legs, before they solidified into black snakes and hissed, returning back to smoke. "This is absolutely outrageous."

"We don't need your opinion, Calum," Chiron responded in an even, yet angry voice. "We've already decided. You're going to attempt to spy on Atë, and we're going to look out for the majority of the campers."

"You can't make me do anything," I replied lowly, giving Chiron and Mr. D the meanest glare I could muster. "Go to Hades. Both of you." I walked out without a second glance. The grass around me wilted while the smoke continued turning to snakes, before settling back into smoke. It swirled around my arms and legs like crazy tattoos that came to life.
You're angry, a voice hissed in my ear, and I felt myself freeze in place.

You want revenge, a different one slithered into my head.

You want to even out the scores, the first voice whispered, a shiver racking down my spine.

"Who are you?" I demanded, clenching my fists and jaw.

The spirits of Perseus' harpe, both voices informed simultaneously. When you picked that blade up, we entered your mind.

"The Gorgon blood," I realized, faintly remembering hearing something about it.

Exactly, one hissed.

We've manipulated your mind, hissed the other.

So you can give in to the darkness, whispered the first.

"Veda gave me a poisoned blade," I realized aloud. "That's why she was so desperate to give it to me."

You only just now noticed?

But you're right.

With her giving the harpe to you, it aided in the darkness consuming you.

We must go.

But do not think this is over.

The voices disappeared and the smoke stopped turning into snakes, instead just rising from the ground in tendrils and swirling around me.

"Cal," Nico's familiar voice called, bringing me back to earth. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I lied through clenched teeth. "But the next time I see Chiron or Dionysus, don't think I'll hesitate to punch their teeth in."

"What did they talk to you about?" Nico inquired, obviously sensing my anger. "I've never seen you this mad, not even with Veda."

The name sobered me. I sighed and tried to relax my shoulders and steady my breathing pattern.

"They just...discussed future plans with me, but gave me no say in it," I explained and Nico's eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Plans? For what?"

"I'll tell you later," I lied, before I sighed again and grabbed his hands. "I just want to enjoy Christmas without having to worry about anything else."

"I understand," Nico offered sympathetically, a hand reaching up to brush my cheek lightly. "Let's focus on Christmas, yeah? It's only three days away."

I nodded, before giving him a small smile, which was all I could muster.

"Yeah...yeah, let's do that."