So Close To Knowing

two: Spending my birthday in Tart-nope not saying it

------------      Nico    -----------

Nico looked at Leo. He was frustrated. He couldn't even figure out a simple way to even move anything because whatever was stopping him from his fire was also blocking his basic ability to think (which wasn't that hard to do he is no child of Athena) Nico rubbed his wrist. It was doing the same to him (minus the thinking part). Leo leaned against the wall and then looked over at Nico.

"I'm sorry your stuck here as well Nico." Leo looked down. "I know it sucks being stuck with a useless child of hephestus."

"Well if anything, I'm glad I'm stuck with you and not alone." Nico sat down next to Leo. "Let's say some things about eachother nobody knows. Deal?" Nico looked into Leo's eyes. He nodded. 

"Okay? Urm...when I was younger my mother and I would work in the workshop fixing things and I accidently burned my leg on a very warm piece of metal, I have a huge scar now." Leo lifted his pant leg. Nico laughed a little.

"Okay wow, well...I actually haven't celebrated it in such a long time being stuck in the lotus casino for so long...but my birthday is January 28th." Nico looked at Leo who let his eyes widen.

"Dude...thats tomorrow!" Leo cried. Nico just laughed at that. 

"Oh yeah...will is gonna kill me for not being there for the suprise party he has planned. Did you know you can easily get things out of Aphrodite kids? All you have to do is let them play with your hair or do your make up." Nico shivered. "That was such a horrible experience. I'm never doing it again."

"You actually went to a child of Aphrodite?" Leo asked. "One that wasn't piper? Jesus. You must really want to know what will was planning." Leo chuckled. He smiled and then started to wiggle his legs in front of him. "Everyone around me thinks I'm a mistake, the only place I ever felt safe was with my brothers and sisters at camp and even then I felt like I didn't belong because I have this fire power that is basically destructive no matter what I use it for..."

"People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer.” Nico said with a smile. Leo raised his eyebrow. (Please tell me someone knows that quote other than me...) 

"Wow." Leo laughed.

"I have a fear of the darkness." Nico said as he started playing with his hands as he awaited to hear Leo laugh at him for being ridiculous.

"That's not irrational. You can turn into the shadows, but if you use them too much you can easily be consumed by them." Leo said.

"You actually said something smart for once hot head." Nico joked. Leo smiled.

"I actually got you to smile." Leo said with an even wider smile. Nico scowled and then laughed even harder.

"You are the most annoying halfblood ever Leo Valdez." Nico said. Leo laughed and then looked at the ceiling.

"Oh would you look at that. Happy birthday Nico diangelo." He said. Nico looked at him oddly.

"But it's not until tomorrow-"

"It is tomorrow." Leo pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Nico. Nico realized it was a watch and he held it in his hands looking at the date.

"Oh." Nico stated as he looked at Leo. "What a birthday, being stuck here." Nico then did something that obviously surprised Leo. He pulled Leo into a hug.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked. Nico pulled away.

"Yeah sure, totally okay being stuck in ta...this place on my birthday." Nico said as he looked at Leo's sad face. "Dude I'm just joking. This isn't your fault." Leo smiled sadly at him.

"Well since we're stuck with no way out of here...happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Nico, happy birthday to you." Leo held something in his hands and Nico stared at him curiously as Leo gestured for him to take it.

"What is it?" Nico asked. Nico unwrapped it and saw that it was a skull necklace made out of wires with a few other things attached to it.

"I was making that as a sort of tracking device for you since when you shadow travel we don't know where you end up and I had it in my pocket for a really long time working on it from time to time." Nico put the necklace on his neck and smiled.

"Thank you Leo, it's nice." Nico smiled at Leo again. "You know your powers never scared me. I know you were scared of that. You don't scare me." Leo smiled.

"At least I don't terrify you unlike Frank and hazel. Maybe even Percy and Jason since you know 'to storm or fire the earth must fall' kinda scared everybody." Leo was playing around with a locket on his neck.

"What is that?" Nico asked. Leo bit his lip.

"Well, it belonged to a very amazing women who taught me not to fear others...." Leo started to cry so he wiped his tears away.

"Well, if she's the way you are then I wish I could have met her. She sounded amazing." Nico said. Leo smiled.

"Yeah, she really was." The door to the cell they were in opened and Leo tensed.

"Hello puny demigods." The girl growled. "Someone wishes to speak to death the kid over here." She pointed a sword at Nicos throat.

"Hey! Don't hurt him!" Leo cried. Nico stared at the sword and he then looked at Leo.

"It's fine Leo, i-I'll go." Nico said. Leo reached for his hand but the girl pointed the sword at him and pushed him backwards towards the wall with so much force it knocked him out.

"Pathetic child of Hephestus." She said as she turned to Nico.

"You didn't have to hurt him." Nico choked out as he looked at Leo's knocked out form.

"Course I did, he's annoying." She grabbed Nicos arm. "Now come." She dragged Nico out of the cell. Nico looked back at Leo as the cell door closed and he immediately felt awful. The kid was in pain, emotional and physical and Nico sucked at trying to help him out but him being stuck alone in a cell might cause him to lose his mind and Nico didn't want that for his friend.

***the photo above is the light saber I made haha***