Nico de Varona

art by @littlechmura

**Nico de Varona** was one of the Atlas Six (2020–2022 initiation class). He was recruited by Atlas Blakely in Manhattan, New York to be initiated into the Alexandrian Society, which he accomplished.

## Biography

**Before Initiation**

Nico was born in Havana, Cuba to wealthy Cuban parents. He was brought up in Cuba for most of his life until he moved to New York City to study at NYUMA, where he met Libby Rhodes and Gideon Drake. Not much is known about his family other than the fact that his parents would send him birthday cards and that his uncle taught him how to fight.

## Personality

Nico is described by Libby as arrogant and annoying, though that's not entirely true. He is shown to be loyal and caring through Reina, Parisa, Tristan (somewhat), and Gideon.

## Appearance

Nico is described as a handsome and charming young man. His height is 5’8” as confirmed by the author. He’s arrogant, but his smile and charmingly imperfect nose make up for it. He has dark hair, lightly tanned skin, and dark eyes.

## Relationships

### Gideon Drake

Gideon and Nico are shown to be extremely close. Nico lived with him and Max before being recruited by Atlas Blakely. Nico is also very protective of Gideon, due to Gideon's heritage. Callum Nova, along with Parisa Kamali, noticed that Gideon was visiting Nico in his dreams. In order to achieve the ability to traverse dreams, Nico had to perform such a strong act of magic that it, unbeknownst to him, momentarily killed him. This prompted Parisa into thinking that Nico may be in love with Gideon, which was true.

Gideon had been in love with Nico for six years, although Nico didn’t realize until after Libby went missing. His relationship with Gideon only progresses from there, until Nico is killed. His last thought is of Gideon.

Weeks later, Gideon has decided to stay in the dream realms until further notice. There, he encounters Nico, and soon realizes that Nico’s soul has possibly been preserved by the Library archives, so Nico is alive, in a way. It’s implied that they end up together in the dream realm Gideon had been occupying at that point.

### Max Wolfe

Max was Nico's former roommate before he was recruited.

### Reina Mori

Reina is Nico's sparring partner. After the initiation ritual, their friendship took a hard blow as Nico had (unknowingly) betrayed her when he perceived her to be weaker than him in his ritual. Fueled by Parisa’s subtle manipulation and observations, Reina began avoiding Nico, much to his confusion.

### Libby Rhodes

Nico and Libby were academic rivals at the New York University for Magical Arts (NYUMA). Because of their magical abilities, they're very drawn to each other. When Ezra abducts her, Nico is utterly devastated by the loss and vows to get her back. He is shown to care deeply for her, although he constantly (verbally) denies it. A few months after her return, however, they both confess feelings for each other. They don’t kiss, but they acknowledge that in another universe, they may have been together. Later on, they both reflect on how they’re soulmates.

When Libby kills him mid-experiment, he understands her choice. His last thought is that he hopes Gideon can understand, too.

## Gallery

Nico & Tristan by @littlechmuraNico by @littlechmuraNico & an out-of-frame Atlas Blakely by @littlechmuraNico, Libby, and Reina by @littlechmuraBonus Christmas art by @littlechmuraAtlas Blakely & his chosen six by @littlechmuraThe Atlas Six by @littlechmuraThe Atlas Six by @oblivionsdream on InstagramThe Atlas Six by @littlechmuraThe Atlas Six by @lasq.drawsThe Atlas Paradox cast by @lasq.drawsNico & Gideon by @lasq.drawsNico & Gideon by @lasq.drawsNico & Gideon by @lasq.drawsNico & Gideon by @lasq.draws
## Trivia

* Nico is right-handed, the opposite to Libby's left-hand dominance.
* Nico was born in 1998, making him 22 for a portion of *The Atlas Six* and 23 for the rest of it. In *The Atlas Paradox*, he is 23 and most likely turns 24 at some point during the book.
* Nico’s contact name for Tristan is listed as “Asshole (Derogatory)” in order to differentiate it from Nico’s contact name for Max, which is listed as “Asshole (Affectionate)”
* Nico speaks English, French, and Cuban Spanish. He was taught French partially by Gideon. Along with French, Gideon taught Nico some mermaid language. However, it is a very complicated and very magical language, so Nico doesn’t use it.
* Nico is the only member of the six who’s an only child.
* Olivie confirmed that Nico shares a birthday with Libby: June 12th.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/varonasgf/status/1656034570079465472?s=46&t=mcjOcpESgIZD1C0lLSGj1w