Sorry if it’s not what you’re looking for! Scene 4: *starts in a dark tone* Nico ‘gracefully’ slams into a cold, hard column…. NICO: looks around confused. His hand quickly reaches for a weapon that’s not there. He looks up, standing up. Nico realises that this is where him and Jason met Favonius. It hits hard. Jason’s gone now. NICO:“Brain, if you’re doing this, this is the worst mental vacation of all time.” He pauses. “If this is a god or demigod, you’re really starting to annoy me.” He remembers Jason. NICO: “This has to stop. Please. Just let me wake up.” UNKNOWN VOICE: “You think this is a dream?” NICO: “Who’s there?” UNKNOWN VOICE: “Come now, Nico Di Angelo. Don’t you remember?” NICO: (sees Favonius) “You. Get out of my dreams.” FAVONIUS: “Oh Nico. If only it were that easy.” NICO: “Nothing is easy for me. I’ve come to except that.” FAVONIUS: “Then you know I have to take you to see someone.” NICO: “Please….no.” (Nico’s heart hammered even harder against his ribs. What came next in the real world had been … well, truly one of the worst things Nico had ever been through, which was saying a lot for him. He’d had to endure Cupid, who was no adorable little winged cherub. The intense, intimidating god of desire had forced Nico to confess his crush on Percy Jackson in front of Jason all so they could acquire the sceptre.) FAVONIUS: “You have to fix it, Nico.” NICO: “ Whatever this is, I get the message. I need to listen. I am listening. So I don’t need to go through this again.” FAVONIUS: “ You have to talk to him. But not for the reason you think.” NICO: “Will Jason be there?” (Speaks quietly, shaken) FAVONIUS: “No, Nico. He’s gone… They’ll all be gone eventually….” (Without another word, Favonius burst into a swirl of dust and sunlight. Nico then felt as if his entire body was being torn to atoms. They zipped through the smallest cracks in the church windows, and through the Croatian countryside) NICO: *thoughts* At least I am #OnBrand in my dreams. Will would hate that joke. (The wind deposited him on a hill overlooking the ruins of Salona. Nico felt nautious.) FAVONIUS: (Laughter floated in the breeze) “ Look at you, still thinking this is a dream. You are so cute when you’re delusional, Nico di Angelo!’” Nico: (thoughts) Cute? He really, really, really hated being called cute. Though this was no time for retorts. Nico looked around at the ruins. They looked the same. “ Let’s get on with it, then! Cupid, I’m here!” He yelled. He waited. There was nothing. Then… CUPID: “You know what you need to do…” It was just a dream. This god had left Nico wounded, shattered, and exposed. He would not be Cupid’s chew toy again. NICO: “I get it.” “ I don’t need convincing any more! I’ll go to Tartarus!” CUPID: “That’s not enough, Nico Di Angelo. Look apon me.” NICO: “ Look upon you? But I thought no one could see you in your true form!” CUPID: (slammed Nico into a column) “Look upon me!” NICO: “ I can’t see you!” Nico screamed. “Stop with these games!” CUPID: “I AM HERE!” NICO: (the hairs stood up on Nico’s arms. His fear had summoned skeletons, standing in a defence form around him, ready to fight for him) CUPID: “Turn around Nico. Look upon me.” (Voice is more gentle) NICO: (Nico did not want to look. He had no reason to believe this, but if he actually saw Cupid, he would …) CUPID: “Please Nico, look at me.” The voice had changed. It was warm. Like honey. It was Cupid. No. It was love. NICO: (Nico turned slowly, and saw Will Sollace, standing with his golden hair lit oh-so-perfectly in the dreamlike daylight of Salona. He wore the red smiling-sun T-shirt that Nico had bought him as a joke, and that pair of camouflage shorts with the frayed hems. He strode barefoot over to Nico. Deep inside, he knew it was Cupid playing games with him again. But his anger simmered away anyway) NICO: “Will,” Nico began. “ I don’t understand. What is this?” WILL/CUPID: “ Listen,” said Will, walking closer. NICO: “ I’ve been listening! Why won’t anyone tell me what I’m listening for?!” (Will reached out for Nico’s hand, and Nico followed suit, but just before their hands touched Nico’s, he pulled back) WILL/CUPID: ”You have to do something, Nico,” His voice was soft and said. NICO: “I know.” WILL/ CUPID: “It’s more than you think. When the time comes, tell me the truth.” NICO: (Laughed, edged with hysteria) “Sure Will. Cupid. Cwill? Wupid? What do I call you?” WILL/ CUPID: (His face changed like putty. Nico could see his sharp, needle like teeth. He tried to back away, but the thing leaped forward and screamed one final command) “WAKE UP!” (Continued Below)
WILL: “Nico!” NICO: (Nico woke up with a jolt, and he couldn’t see the figure properly, unfortunately landing a foot square in his boyfriend’s stomach) WILL: (Will yelped in pain, tumbled off the bed and curled up on the floor of the Hades cabin.) “Nico I swear,” he huffed. “How do you pack up that much energy?” NICO: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! You scared me!” WILL: (Will winced as he stood up) “I think you have that backwards. I could hear you screaming bloody murder from my cabin!” NICO: (Nico put his head in his hands) ”I – I had a bad dream. Bad dreams, plural. Really bad dreams.” (He felt a weight on the bed next to him, and looked up to see Will there) “I’m really sorry about the kick in the gut.” WILL: (Will smiled, and warmth washed over Nico) “Can I hold you? Would that be okay with you?” NICO: (thoughts) He hated looking vulnerable infront of Will. But his fear overrode his pride, and he nodded slowly, as he cried into his boyfriend’s chest. WILL: “It’s all right.” He ran his hands up and down Nico’s back. “They were just dreams.” NICO: (thoughts) But were they? But before he could open his mouth to say this, the door opened with a bang. CHIRON: “Oh –oh, no, have I interrupted something?” NICO: (He pulled away from Will, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.) “No, no, it’s okay.” He began. “We were just talking.” CHIRON: (Chiron smiled awkwardly) “Well … uh, that’s fine. I’m sorry to barge in so late at night, but we have an emergency.” NICO: (He grimaced) “Was it my screaming? Did I accidentally summon a battalion of skeletons while I was sleeping?” CHIRON: “What? No! At least, I hope not. Let’s revisit that in a bit. First, we have a visitor who urgently needs to speak to you.” (In walked Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and she tugged her hood down and her long, gorgeous fiery red hair spilled out. She looked exhausted, as if she’d ran here all the way from Brooklyn) RACHEL: “Nico. Thank the gods. You have to listen..” (End of Scene)
