AMANTI, nico di angelo

VII. i'll try. for you, i'll try.

0007. | I'LL TRY. FOR
YOU, I'LL TRY.

          Vela was one of Annabeth's most favourite people in the whole wide world, but he truly did do some odd things. The most recent of which was showing up after being gone for four days at cabin six in the middle of the night.

He had driven her mad with worry when he popped off the face of the earth like that. It reminded her a little too much of that sickness she felt in the Labyrinth when he disappeared to see his mother and she thought he was dead. Annabeth had no idea where he had gone to then, and she certainly hadn't for the past four days. She had no idea if he was dead or alive and that thought made her stomach churn like no other.

The only clue she had been allowed in his absence was a sulking Nico di Angelo with his arm in a sling (for some reason). Nico didn't speak to anyone for two days and Percy had to hold her back from shaking the information out of him. Finally he cracked. Said he and Vela had an argument. Said Vela got mad, or sad, he wasn't specific, and left.

Annabeth was furious at Vela. How dare he disappear and make her worry just because he was having a sulk with his boyfriend (or whatever he and Nico were—he wasn't ever clear on what they were together)? The cheek of him! Therefore it wasn't such a surprise that she wanted to smack him for showing up out of the blue.

"Vela, you idiot!" She hissed, giving him a quick shove that did nothing to move his sturdy body. "Where the Hades have you been?"

"Hello to you too." He grinned and winked at her. That was when she noticed the huge difference to his face. He didn't have to tell her he was winking, she could tell. Vela had both his eyes.

"What the fuck!" She shrieked a little too loudly and Malcolm stirred in his bed, closest to the door. She winced and shut the door behind her and her best friend so they were out on the porch of cabin six. "Where did your eye go? I mean— where did it come from? Where the Hades did you go?"

Vela's boyish grin faltered slightly and he bowed his head slightly. She could tell he was about to lie his ass off. "Oh, you know... it just sort of did..."

She wanted to laugh. He always made her laugh. "Tell me." She spoke with such a compelling voice she knew even Vela's stubbornness couldn't withstand.

"Alright." His shoulders sank. "But you can't tell anyone. I mean it." He insisted, his silver eyes aching with severity. "Not even Percy." Her own shoulders sank at that but still she nodded. Annabeth sucked at keeping secrets, she always ended up telling one of three people; Percy; Thalia; or Vela.

"Cross my heart." She mimicked the gesture, and just like that they assumed the positions of best friends.

Annabeth sat down on the steps of the porch, and in between her legs, sat back to chest, was Vela, both of them looking out at the ever burning light of Hestia's Hearth. He told her everything. About Nico; about Starlight Silver and Stygian Iron; about Venice; about his brothers; about his mother; about the mysterious god who healed his eye...