Chapter Text
Nico felt inexplicably rejuvenated after finally telling Percy. After high-fiving Annabeth. And he was slightly pleased with the fact that he left the Percy Jackson in shambles over something as simple as a crush.
Well, let’s not push it with “simple”; the crush was important to him after all. That and it involved Percy and the words ‘you’re cute but you’re not my type’. Most people would be surprised by having Nico starting a normal conversation with them. They’d probably be in shambles too, if Nico called them cute.
Solace fell into his gait as they made their way to the infirmaries. For some unbearable reason, he felt like skipping instead of walking. He resisted the thought.
“What was that all about?” Solace asked, putting his hands in his pockets, trying to look like he wasn’t weirded out by Nico’s behavior. Nico could see right through it.
Nico gave a small smile, the most he could manage, and held his head high. He felt like skipping but he’s passed his ‘things that people don’t normally expect Nico to do’ quota for today. “I don’t have to tell you anything, Solace.”
Ugh, the feeling is so freeing. He felt like he could take on an entire monster army, now more than ever. It sure beats wanting to skip.
They fell into a silence that Nico didn’t quite read as awkward. He didn’t care, he was on cloud nine right now.
“So….” Solace stretched the word out, a teasing tone in his voice. “Three days house arrest?”
There’s the killjoy moment. Nico threw Solace a look. Solace shrugged, a smile tugging at the side of his lips. He had a dimple. Nico immediately felt like rolling his eyes and walking away.
He didn’t know why he didn’t do just that to begin with.
“No guarantees. I actually feel like I can fight a thousand monsters at once right now,” Nico stated, choosing to look ahead. He wasn’t sure if Solace heard that but Nico hoped he did. That wasn’t a statement he could say over and over again. He didn’t aim to make it so.
It’s Solace’s turn to give him a look. He didn’t have to look behind him to feel that glare burning a hole through the back of his head. Apollo kids always hit their marks. Nico smirked and walked faster into the infirmaries.
“I’ll start it in two days tops, Solace. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” Nico threw the empty promise over his shoulder. He didn’t care, he was still a bit too happy with himself.
The day went by with checking up on patients, confirming deaths, and waiting for the Apollo kids and the mourners to prepare their vases for the ashes. Chiron set up to contact the parents of the dead to inform them of the giving of ashes.
Nico didn’t want to elaborate but mostly because he wasn’t sure what happened that day. He was convinced that everyone was going to start to ignore him, like they had before. Because really, he only delivered the Athena Parthenos and ceased the coming of the second Greco-Roman demigod war. And got trapped in a vase for months.
But these kids were new, Nico could tell. Not really got-here-a-day-ago new but, new enough that no one warned them about the Hades spawn that they had around camp.
A group of ten year olds, pushing each other around, going ‘no, you do it’. They approached him in the middle of a small break. Preparing pyres for demigods wasn’t really the easiest job in the world. Nor was it the best. But someone had to give them proper burial rites.
They awkwardly compressed in a tight, nervous group. Nico noticed it from a mile away. They weren’t exactly trying to hide from him. Together, they thanked him for doing the rites and gave him a Camp Half-Blood hoodie.
He looked at it like it just upped and started talking to him. Luckily, it didn’t really. But he was still shocked. He almost muttered a thanks but shook himself out of it.
“No problem.” He said, and it sounded terse and kind of harsh. If they heard the response, they didn’t show it, just went back to being how they were. Just like any other camper. But the thought stuck.
Nico went to hang the hoodie up in his cabin before going back to work.
Later, he checked up on Jason, who asked if he had wanted a hug. The older teen had been left hanging by his cabin this morning. Nico apologized, but Jason insisted that it was okay. Nico wasn’t convinced in the slightest but Jason let the subject go.
Nico complied at Jason’s request, making himself hug back when Jason stepped forward to embrace him. There was less squeezing this time, and less giddiness from Jason. Just comfort and Nico letting his tiredness seep from Jason to the ground like the world’s first human emotional conductor.
Nico sighed something drained and heavy. Sometimes, living with the dead was easier than confirming and mourning them.
It wasn’t the best day in his life, but it was one of his better days.
***FIRST DAY***
Nico sat on a table, watching Solace give a kid a cup of ambrosia and a roll of bandages.
He sipped on his cup of Coke, the cold water on the cup dripping on his jeans. It’s been a while since he’s had a McDonald’s meal from the branch nearest to Half-Blood Hill. The guy at the counter recognized him like it’s only been months since he’s visited the branch.
Oh, Nico thought, it was only a few months. He pushed the thought aside. After all, time passes by when you live in a world not everyone knows about.
He wiped his hand on his jeans, not liking that his palms were getting wet. He looked up at Solace’s confused face, who had walked up to him while he was zoning out. He gave his driest ‘what do you want?’ look in return.
“Where did you get that?” he asked, wiping his hands down on his own jeans in an effort to clean them off... it smelled of cologne and unicorn draught. Solace wears cologne? Nico refrained from thinking about it.
“Wouldn’t you want to know?” Nico deadpanned, taking another sip.
“Seriously, where’d you get it?” Solace demanded, sitting next to Nico on the table. Nico moved away, slightly annoyed by Solace’s lack of personal space. Seriously, has he ever heard of it? Was that not a thing that existed in his vocabulary?
“The Stolls gave me a deal,” Nico lied. He wasn’t just gonna tell Solace that he made a little jump to a fast food restaurant because he was craving fries and a Happy Meal. What with his three day probation and/or house arrest, and the fact that he almost collapsed after doing it. He sipped his Coke with a purpose. It was so worth it.
Thankfully, Solace took the bait.
“You’re so informative sometimes, you know? Very helpful.” Solace rolled his eyes and extended his hand in front of Nico’s drink.
Nico looked at the hand like it had offended him. Solace didn’t seem to care. But if he noticed, he persistently kept it in front of Nico.
“Can I take a sip?” Solace asked, finally, leaning back on the tent’s side, slipping, then leaning on his other hand. Smooth.
“What in Hades makes you think I’ll give it to you?” Nico replied, sipping faster on his drink. Maybe he could squeeze his way out of this situation if he drank fast enough that by the end of it, Solace had nothing to take from him but a plastic cup of ice.
“Well, first of all, I’m not gonna tell Chiron on you and the Stolls,” Solace offered in a tone that said ‘I might’.
Nico pretended like he was considering, resisting the urge to strangle the Apollo kid.
Finally, he gave Solace another dry look. “Like he’d care about the Stolls. They’ve been breaking rules and causing shit since day one, Solace.” He stated as a matter of fact. It was true. The Stolls were known to cause trouble no matter where they ended up.
Since Solace was here with them all of the time, Nico didn’t think it was necessary to tell the Apollo kid that but he did anyway.
“Yeah, but he’d care about you!” Solace stated like he’d won their little argument.
Nico wanted to laugh. Seriously? Why would Chiron care about his decisions to buy shit from fast food chains near the camp? Instead, he stared at Solace. The urge to strangle had now reached a sudden level of wanting to whack him on the head with a dog bone. Hard. If he had enough strength to summon one, he’d have done it hours ago and disposed of the body without second thought.
He also resisted the great urge to shout at Solace’s face and slap him over and over again so that he can beat it into the blond’s thick skull that no one cares about him here. He remembered their argument near the Hill, in front of Octavian and frowned. Yeah, definitely a wise decision not to mention that.
Instead of indulging his very sudden and strong urge for violence, he stood and left Solace on the table. He left his cup of Coke, no longer feeling thirsty. Or hungry.
Just feeling dumb, like the idea of coming to the infirmary and showing his oh-so friendly face to Solace. He found it easier to lock himself in his room until dawn the next morning.
He fell asleep by three and woke up abruptly in the middle of the night. Then, he chose to light a candle and read. He wasn’t hoping to get any sleep after that.
He fell asleep again until one of the seven, Piper, walked up and into his cabin and told him it was time for breakfast. She didn’t have to use her charmspeak but he appreciated that she cared enough to wake him up for breakfast.
She told him it was okay.
***MID-SECOND DAY***
He wasn’t avoiding Solace. Not at all.
“Fucking damn it,” Nico muttered under his breath as Solace passed the branches below. He’s been looking for hours. Fortunately, his search didn’t include the ability to look upwards. Why doesn’t this guy just take a hint and go the fuck away, anyway?
Today was the camp’s first annual beach party, prepared solely by the sons of Poseidon and maybe a little help from Frank, Reyna, and Jason.
The Romans came earlier this morning, just quickly after breakfast. Percy’s been chirping about it a week before, Iris-messaging the praetors. They gained Chiron and Dionysus’ approval quickly after. After all, why would the god of parties turn down a party, right?
Chiron believed that the demigods deserved their breaks. The welcome home party wasn’t one he could call a party much since most of the demigods were tired and injured. So, he caved in to their request for a little time off.
Now here Nico was, all the way up a tree, avoiding the bothersome medic. He glared down the trees and cracked the earth a little near Solace’s path. The child of Apollo tripped and Nico almost laughed if it wasn’t for the fact that A) he’s supposed to be quiet and, B) that fucking took a lot out of him. Nico quickly hugged the trunk, since grabbing a branch could have made too much noise.
His ring hitting the wood wasn’t enough to alert Solace, thankfully.
“Oh. Ha ha,” Solace shouted through gritted teeth. This did little to soothe Nico’s fatigue but at lease it did something. Nico let out a silent, shaky breath.
“Very funny, Nico. Come out before I call your sister.” Solace said in a tone that clearly meant ‘you’re fucking dead, kid’. Nico’s used to these kinds of situations, years of solitude and fending off monsters without back up. As much as he hated it when Hazel heard of him in such situations, he wasn’t risking to get down from the tree and talk to the Apollo kid face to face.
Not after yesterday’s events.
“Alright, that’s it, di Angelo. I’m telling Hazel.” Solace stormed off. Nico watched closely as he stomped off into the beach, in his yellow swimming trunks and fake Ray Bans.
He waited and waited, checking if Solace was just acting like he was storming off then would come back to say Ha ha! Caught you red handed, di Angelo. Humiliation wasn’t on his bucket list. Once he confirmed that Solace was gone for good, he climbed down and made a quick walk—if you could call it that, it looked more like he was doing a faster version of the zombie walk—for his cabin.
Minutes later, he wasn’t surprised when Hazel walked into his (their) cabin.
“The medic called. You been avoiding him?” Hazel asked, amusement evident in her tone. Nico stirred in his bed, fuzzy blanket bothering his nose. He got that in his little jump yesterday, wasn’t really too keen on returning to camp looking paler than usual so he went shopping in a nearby flea market. A little treat for himself. More shit to make him fall asleep easier.
Sleep, that sounded so good right now.
But Hazel was still there. Siblings before naps, Nico thought. He sat up, combing a hand through his hair. It’s been getting long. Might need to get something to hold it up. A haircut wasn’t something he wanted to have at the moment. Needed too many words.
Hazel was wearing a yellow one-piece swimsuit under a Camp Jupiter shirt two sizes too large for her. Frank’s. She sat down the opposite bunk and rubbed at her thighs. Must be uncomfortable for her to wear something like that.
Nico decided he had to make this quick.
“Not going to swim with us?” she asked, knowing that her brother wasn’t one for social gatherings. Never really was.
“How long are you gonna stay?” Nico asked back. Hazel barely blinked at his question. He felt his cheeks pull up in an effort to smile.
“Just overnight. New Rome needs its praetors. Tomorrow, Reyna’s crew will be here so that she could catch a break,” Hazel explained. “She needs it.”
Nico nodded, she did. He remembered the battle five days ago and nodded again. “She really does.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Nico fiddling with his blanket while Hazel picking at her borrowed shirt.
“I might—I can go out swimming tonight,” Nico stammered. Hazel looked at him, pleasant surprise showing on her features. “Don’t really like getting sunburned. Plus, the water’s the perfect temperature at night.”
Hazel stood with a big smile on her face. Enough to make Nico genuinely smile back. “I’ll see if we can push Dionysus to give us any more favors. And I’ll make sure it’s just us seven,” she reassured. Nico liked that idea, legs unconsciously swinging off the side of his bunk.
“Of course, that’s if most of us aren’t dozing off already. Percy’s causing a ruckus,” Hazel chuckled just in time as Annabeth shouted ‘Percy Jackson, I swear on every living thing!’ echoed through Long Island Sound. Then there was a crash of a wave and a roar of laughter, from both Greek and Roman campers.
“You better catch all the fun out there for me, sis,” Nico said, shooing his sister out of the cabin. She laughed, and kissed him on the cheek. Nico stood up to kiss her on the forehead in retaliation. She pulled back with a wave of goodbye and jogged out of the door, her flip flops making wet sounds on the ground. Did that huge wave reach all the way over here?
Nico blinked at the damp soil, the smell of the ocean filling his lungs. He shook his head and closed the door. That’ll be a question for tonight. But for now…
Nico appropriately fell face first on his bed and slept like the dead.
“I really thought he was joking when he said the camp needed a quick bath. Then this idiot made a fucking tidal wave and crashed it all over the camp! The little Roman kids looked scared shitless. Then they all started laughing.” Annabeth retold the story around their makeshift campfire. Percy was leaning on the log behind them, playing with her locks.
Nico snorted. “Well, at least we’ll have salted strawberries for a month.” Percy sat up and nudged Annabeth on the shoulder with a mischievous smile.
“See? I told you it was a good idea!” he shouted. The group laughed. Annabeth rolled her eyes and pushed him back, she tried to look mad but the smile on her lips wasn’t helping the image.
“You’re giving him too much credit, Nico,” Annabeth quipped, amusement glinting in her eyes as Percy paused to listen to her. “You know how his head gets all big when you give him credit.”
“Hey!” Percy protested.
Their group erupted into silent laughter and transitioned back into mildly content smiles as Percy and Annabeth stared up at the skies in deep thought.
A dull thrum echoed inside his head as he tried for a content smile at the couple in front of the campfire. He felt like his ribcage was closing in on him. He breathed in, making sure he was okay.
He was. It was gone, he was over it. But no one really got over the first love, right? Cupid could back him up on it, crazy bastard that he was. His greeting card messages (as Jason had put it) were a bit too close to home. Nico’s poor attempt at a smile faded as he exhaled.
Yep, something’s still pulling in there.
Nico silently sat up and headed for the waters. He told Hazel he’d be going for a swim and he will, he decided. Hazel looked up at him from her position, leaning on Frank. She was all tuckered out from her day of fun, a sad, content smile on her face as she and Frank near by the fire.
She and Frank were holding hands, there was a bit of sadness showed in Frank’s smile and hunched shoulders. Nico could see a pouch in their connected hands. A bronze string sticking out from beneath their fingers. Leo’s gift for Frank.
Nico walked off. He’ll let them have their moment.
Jason and Piper were still by the waters, having a little conversation. It ended just as Nico had approached to even hear some of it. Jason had a brooding frown on his face as he stared up at the sky. Nico looked where he was looking and remembered what happened on that exact spot only days ago. A ball of fire erupted and it looked like there was a second sun forming in the horizon. He heard Octavian’s screaming.
Again, it was getting hard to breathe. Nico swore that it was for the better that he didn’t mention or remember it. He couldn’t help feeling guilty anyway. Death was such a familiar concept to him. Mourning was a second contender. But when he was only feeling the latter, it usually didn’t go well with him. Sure, Octavian was a bad guy, but every once and a while, Nico would catch himself thinking, did he really deserve to die?
He glanced at Jason, who looked like he was about to cry. He remembered the feeling that came over him, that ability to sense death. There were two of them who died up there. Leo Valdez was smiling to his last breath, Nico supposed. No one really knew, save for Piper and Jason, who were near the incident at the time. Nico knew enough that Leo would have been joking around with them now if he were still here.
“C’mon guys, didn’t I always say I wanted to go out with a bang? Eeeh?” he could imagine Leo saying, joking with Jason and Piper. Always wanting to make a joke out of the depressing. Nico could get that. Coping was always different for everyone, he supposed.
He ended up staring at the horizon for a few moments too.
The couple welcomed Nico in the waters once they had noticed him standing there, reassuring him that it wasn’t that cold. Nico knew as much but their reassurances were appreciated.
“How was today?” Nico asked, waist deep into the waters, his usual skeleton shirt clung to him in the warm waters. Jason was obviously trying to float in the water, to no avail. He sunk like a rock, which was ironic to Nico since he was always flying.
“It was good. What happened to you? You were gone most of the day.” Piper responded. Nico stopped when he was neck deep into the water. Nico hummed.
“I was catching up on some sleep,” Nico said, lying down to float on the lukewarm waters. “I sunburn easily so I decided it’d be better at night.” He could hear his voice, words dampened by the water in his ears. He relaxed his breathing.
Piper hummed in acknowledgment. Nico felt water waving onto his face, a little too close to his nose. He popped open an eye to see Jason subtly pushing water onto his face. The blond gave him a nervous, cheeky grin. Calmly, Nico dipped himself under the water and came out squinting and coughing a bit as the salt went up his nose. His hair stuck to his forehead. He pushed it back and looked at Jason.
Then, with a grin, he retaliated, shoving water at Jason’s face. “You trying to drown me, Grace? Huh?” He asked and taunted, continuing to shove water at Jason’s face. Jason was laughing, shielding himself from the onslaught of sea water.
“I give, I give!” Jason surrendered with a laugh, raising his hands up. “I was just—I thought you were showing off because I didn’t know how to float like that.” He was breathing heavily, catching his breath after.
“You should have told me, Sparky.” Piper said, kicking water behind Jason. “I’m like, the second swimming expert here.” Jason gave her a sheepish smile.
“I’ve been trying for the last three minutes, Pipes. You saw me.” Jason pointed out and Nico couldn’t help but laugh at the look Piper gave him.
“Hey!” Percy shouted from the campfire. He was standing up. “I heard waves, were you fighting in the water? Without me?!”
“You’ve had enough fun today, Percy. You’re not the only person who can have fun in the waves, y’know,” Annabeth called out. Nico laughed silently to himself, shoulders shaking.
“Aww, but I feel so left out!”
The night went on, and the stars were unusually bright, considering they were a car ride away from the city that never slept.
Nico found himself content when he collapsed into his bed (third time that day) smelling like seawater and cheap soap. The cabin was still empty aside from him. Despite the fact that she was tuckered out, Hazel still made it a point that she and Frank were gonna be together, happy, every waking hour.
Nico wasn’t sure what time they made it back to their own respective cabins and bunks but Nico hoped it was a reasonable time.
Then again, they all slept at 4 in the morning. He wouldn’t know what the reasonable time would be.
***THIRD DAY***
When he woke up at 8 AM from a nightmare, he stared across his cabin and looked at his sister, still asleep. Nico immediately decided that he was gonna spend every minute with his sister before she left for Camp Jupiter. They stayed for brunch, having hushed and comfortable conversations with each other until it was time to say goodbye again.
Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel had a group hug. Piper kept shouting about how she’ll miss her so much and that she has to come to camp as often as possible. Annabeth agreed and told her that if anything happened at Camp Jupiter, Hazel had to contact them right away.
Jason and Percy were giving Frank some tips on rounding up the legion, which seemed strange to Nico since Frank could lead perfectly fine without any guidance from their short-lived praetorships. What he probably needs is a way to properly discipline his fellow legionnaires without turning them over to Reyna.
Then Hazel approached him.
Without missing a beat, he gave his sister a peck on the forehead and she pecked him on the nose in return. Frank gave him a nod and he reminded the praetor about his position as flower boy.
Frank gave him yet another nervous laugh while Hazel punched him affectionately on the arm. Nico was still smiling when their SUV drove off into New York.
Their group had dispersed quickly afterwards, Piper and Annabeth talking animatedly about something (probably the repairs and new cabins and shrines they had to build) while Percy trudged behind them. Jason was standing beside him, looking down the road too.
Nico glanced at the taller boy, one brow raised in question. “You worried about Frank?”
Jason gave him a guilty look. “I don’t really mean to. I mean,” Jason sighed, combing his fingers through his hair. It had grown long, against regulation. Terminus would throw a bitch fit if he saw the former praetor like this. “Frank’s a good guy but sometimes, I really think he’ll cave into the pressure. Not all the Romans liked it when they received news about Octavian, and I’m pretty sure some of them are still calling Frank a klutz.”
Nico understood very well how campers’ minds worked. You give them the seed of doubt and the controversy spreads like wildfire. He’s been in the unfortunate end of that mentality once or twice in his demigod career already.
“He’ll work it out, I’m sure he’ll figure it out by the end of Reyna’s day off anyway,” Nico reassured. Jason glanced at him, the Imperial gold frame of his glasses glinting as the sun reflected onto it.
He turned to Half-Blood Hill, staring up at the Athena Parthenos. Nico can’t help but think how tired he is of looking at it but it stood tall and proud in front of the camp like it belonged there.
He can’t help but think about how freaked out archeologists would be if they could see through the Mist and find this ancient statue that went missing centuries ago standing on some random hill near New York City. He snorted at the thought and walked back into camp grounds.
He’s in his cabin when there was a knock on the door. Laying down his book with a quick glance at the page, he went for the door and prepared himself for the sudden light he had to adjust to. It had to be either Jason or one of his other close friends. Solace (fortunately) didn’t really come into his cabin. Much less near it. He hoped to keep it that way for the rest of his demigod life.
When he opened the door, he blinked for a second, not believing his eyes.
“Hey there, Nico.” Reyna greeted casually, a soft smile gracing her features. She was wearing a Camp Jupiter shirt.
He remembered that he also bought her a custom-printed shirt from the flea market the other day. An orange one that said ‘There Were Too Many of Them’. The guy who printed it didn’t give a second thought. He needed to give her that later.
Reyna held her arms out for a hug and Nico didn’t even hesitate to hug her. He remembered that night in the camp fire, their first ever hug. One that felt like it had more relief and care. Nico had never felt that from someone who wasn’t Hazel. Plus, they weren’t really that close until they had to make the trip with the statue.
“How’ve you been?” Nico asked first. He’s had a lot of firsts but after Bryce Lawrence… He pushed the memory away and focused on Reyna.
“Haven’t been getting much sleep. There were a lot of things to take care of.” Reyna’s smile dulled, Nico didn’t notice the bags under her eyes before. He blamed it on his eyes, which were still adjusting to the sunlight.
“Octavian left me a mess, but Frank has been a huge help.” Reyna stated, rubbing at her eyes. Nico stepped aside and let her into his cabin. She went in without hesitation. Nico stared at her as she sat down Hazel’s bunk. It’s a weird concept to him, still. The fact that people have that much trust in him that they would go anywhere he suggested.
After the Titan war, it hasn’t been that easy.
He closed the door and sat on his bed and grabbed his book again. Reyna had been looking around from the bunk, hand running on the soft mattress she was sitting on. Nico glanced at the clothes he hung up to the side. The bright-colored tropical shirt from San Juan seeming out of place next to his dark jeans and skeleton shirt (which still smelled like seawater, he should probably wash it).
The hoodies that Camp Half-Blood made were made of some kind of cotton. He chose to wear it with his boxer shorts to bed. It’s the first of many comforts he could find in this camp since Bianca.
He looked back at Reyna, who looked like she wanted the darkness of the interior of his cabin to take her, eyes closed, a sigh escaping her lips. She looked so tired.
“You can take a nap here, if you want. It’s your day off, after all.” Nico spoke up. Reyna looked at him and nodded, taking off her boots and sliding into Hazel’s bed. Soon enough, Reyna was asleep.
The knock on the door was what woke Nico up. He blinked the tiredness away. Reyna was still out cold. He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep.
He looked for his book and frowned. It was on the floor, closed. He’d have to look for his page again.
There was another series of knocks that shook him out of his thoughts. This time, more urgent. He stretched as he stood up and padded for the door.
It was Jason. He looked worried. Nico went through his head of all the situations of why Jason would knock at his door for something urgent. He found no answer.
“Hey, uh, have you seen Reyna, by any chance?” Jason asked. He looked like he was panicking. Ah, okay.
Nico held a finger up to his lips, telling him to be quiet. He stepped out of his cabin, closing the door behind him. He was still just in his boxer shorts and hoodie but he didn’t care. Jason stepped back to give him some space.
“She’s sleeping in there. Why, are her troops getting restless?” Nico didn’t want to wake the sleeping praetor but, he also knew she wouldn’t like it if Percy or Jason would have to deal with what she was supposed to take care of.
Jason sighed in relief, tension running out of his shoulders. Nico raised a brow at that.
Jason laughed nervously in response. “We were beginning to think she’d up and gone missing. We looked everywhere. We even had to call Hazel but she just asked if we had asked either Piper or you.”
Nico rolled his eyes but a smile tugged at his lips. “Well, don’t worry. She’s just catching up on well-deserved sleep.” He reassured, the words coming out a little dull, not reassuring at all. He really wasn’t used to reassuring other people.
Jason smiled and nodded. “Well, take care of her. And ask her if she wants to take a swim, ‘kay? It was kind of the purpose of the visit anyway.”
“I’ll let her know.” Nico said before retreating into his cabin once more.
Reyna was up, staring at the ceiling. Nico felt the need to apologize for waking her up. It must have been the knocking.
“They were looking for you. They thought you’d gone.” Nico said. She didn’t respond. He didn’t wait for her to. He sat back down on his bed, picking up his book.
“You gonna go for a swim?” Nico asked. Reyna rolled to her side, facing his bed. Her gaze was miles away.
“No, I just,” She sighed, like speaking was taking a bit of an effort out of her. Nico has never seen her like this but he knew enough not to ask. “I just want to rest for the rest of the day.”
Nico hummed in acknowledgement. He knew that feeling. He stood up and grabbed a towel and the shirt he’d bought for her. He placed it in front of her.
“You’d better take a bath, it’ll be time for dinner soon.” Nico said. Reyna sat up and took the pile. Then she smirked at him.
“Are you suggesting that I smell, di Angelo?” She asked, a challenging tone in her voice.
Nico grinned. “I’m not saying anything, praetor. Why would you think that?”
Reyna laughed and threw a pillow at him but she left for the showers anyway.
She returned with a smile on her face. The shirt fit perfectly, much to Nico’s relief.
“You like the shirt? I had it custom-made, two days ago.” Nico asked, a smile on his face. He’d change into his jeans, deciding to keep his hoodie on.
“I love it. Thanks, Nico.” She said as Nico walked out of the cabin.
The mess hall was filled with orange and purple shirts. There was laughter and spilled drinks and someone singing at the top of their lungs. Nico thought it was a little too early for that. They could have saved it for the campfire.
Nico sat down his table, Reyna sat with him. There wasn’t a cabin for Bellona (or Enyo) but Reyna didn’t seem to have any siblings with her today anyway. Or any siblings for that matter.
Over dinner, Reyna talks about Guido, the pegasus who decided to adopt her. About Frank and Hazel getting caught doing couple stuff in unexpected places (Nico stores that in his must talk about with sister folder). She completely avoids talking about the camp’s condition. Nico didn’t want to bring it up since he knew she loved the camp to bits. She must have been having a rough time if she didn’t want to bring it up.
He, again, remembers Bryce Lawrence and the incident surrounding him. Then their conversation stops and drops into companionable silence. Nico can’t help but feel guilty for making her stop talking but decides to wave it off as Reyna not wanting to talk anymore.
But Nico’s stubborn sometimes, he doesn’t want to talk about himself. There’s not much to talk about anyway.
“How are Rachel and Ella doing with the books?” Nico asked. And that seemed to be the right question to ask.
Reyna smiled, as if recalling something that happened. “They’re doing great at translating the books. I’ve been visiting them more recently. They’ve been at it for days so I figured that it might have been time for a little intervention.”
“She’s doing fine now.” She reassured. Reyna talked about Rachel like… well, he couldn’t quite pin it. But he’ll leave that thought for later. He’s just happy to hear that an old friend was doing fine and that Reyna seems happy about it.
The campfire seemed happier now, as compared to days ago. The offerings had some prayers in them now, mostly for Apollo. Friends wanting friends to get better. Some of his kids were praying for luck. His luck.
Jason had told Nico the story of what had happened with Apollo and Zeus. Nico couldn’t help but feel like he should pray for Apollo’s luck too. He didn’t. Apollo was old enough to deal with his own problems. Even the gods had to face their own mistakes.
“Where’s Percy?” Reyna had asked Piper as they sat down the campfire.
“Visiting his mom downtown.” Piper said. “He’s been staying over there since we got home, save for yesterday.”
Nico nodded. Sally was probably worried sick about her only son. He wondered how she’d reacted to what had transpired in the last couple of months. It had been the first time she’d seen him since Percy went missing.
When everyone started settling into the campfire and started singing, Nico left, feeling a little bit too over-socialized, tired. He stood and excused himself, telling Reyna that he’ll be retiring for the night.
In his cabin, he could still hear the singing. He left the door unlocked, maybe Reyna was gonna sleep over again.
There was a knock on the door and then it swung open. Nico sat up from his bed.
“Why’d you leave?” It was Solace. Nico should have known. He regretted leaving the door unlocked. The guy barely even asked if it was okay to enter the cabin, he just strolled in. Nico rolled his eyes.
“Why do you want to know?” Nico responded, hiding under his blanket. Maybe he could shadow-travel away from this conversation.
Silence was his response. Nico sighed and sat up. “Get the fuck out of my cabin, Solace.”
“Why’d you leave?” Solace asked, determined to get an answer.
Nico sighed. “I’m tired, okay? I don’t wanna be outside right now. Or talk to anyone.” He emphasized that last statement, wanting to make it a point that he didn’t want to talk to anyone. That includes Solace.
The emphasis and his words fell on deaf ears.
“You’re pushing away again.”
Nico sighed, again, and it was deeper, heavier this time. He felt like his lungs were getting heavier and heavier every second this conversation lasted. “Don’t jump to conclusions, Solace. Seriously, do I seem like an outdoors-y type of person to you?”
Silence answered again. Nico was beginning to think they and Solace were related.
“Just, get the fuck out. I wanna sleep.”
“You kiss your mother with that mouth, di Angelo?” Solace finally responded, trying for a joke. Nico felt the anger rise like bile in his throat.
“Get. Out.”
He felt the whole cabin shake, the shadows grew darker. Solace made a quick escape. Smart decision.
When the door closed, Nico lied back down on his bed and gave one last sigh. The social tiredness dropped lower into fatigue. He had to control his temper. It didn’t help that his powers were emotionally triggered.
He was unconscious by the time the campers started cleaning up by the campfire.
***HOUSE ARREST LIFTED: FOURTH DAY***
Nico was up at 3 AM, he vaguely recalled a nightmare but by the time his head stopped spinning, he’d forgotten what it was about. Probably a memory. He didn’t want to remember. He lied there for seconds, minutes, hours, his eyes set on the ceiling he couldn’t see in the darkness. He didn’t know. Like the Underworld, time was hard to discern inside his cabin.
Reyna’s still asleep so Nico decided it’d be for the best to take a bath before everyone else woke up. He took his skeleton shirt and jeans from where it hung by his bunk and another spare towel. Maybe if he was lucky enough, he could find an extra shirt in the drawers of his cabin. But that’ll be an adventure for another time.
By the time he got out of the showers, few of the campers were up and running, cleaning their bunks up for orientation. Damp, fingers prune-y, and smelling of cheap soap, Nico trudged back to his cabin, his skin tingling from the time he wasted standing under a showerhead, with his thoughts running a mile an hour. He felt like he could sleep all over again and wake up for dinner.
He decided that that wasn’t a good idea.
Instead, he hung his towel up and grabbed his book, then headed for the docks for a silent place to read.
The sunrise looked great in New York, and Nico decided he wanted to watch the sunrise after spending so much time in the dark corners of his cabin. Maybe it was his former daisy form wanting sunlight for so long, Nico snorted at the thought.
He heard footsteps behind him. He turned to look. Jason was walking up, barefooted.
“You’re up early.” Jason commented, sitting beside him. There are bags under his eyes, not as deep and dark as Nico’s (which kind of look more like bruises), but they’re there. His hair is messy and so are his clothes. Nico looked back down to his book and began to read again. He knew what it was like to be criticized in weak moments like exhaustion. He didn’t want Jason to feel the same way.
“I could say the same to you,” he noted nonchalantly, turning a page. Jason huffed, but it sounded more like a weak laugh.
“You had a nightmare too, huh?” Jason asked, laying down on the dock. He let Nico’s shadow shield his view from the sunrise. Nico didn’t mind but Jason was kinda missing out on how great the view was.
“How’d you guess?” Was it really that obvious? Was he really sagging in constant sleep deprivation or did he just emit it in waves?
“Well, don’t we all? It hasn’t really been that long since Greece. I’m pretty sure most of us seven are awake right now.” Jason stated like he Nico asked him what the answer to ‘one plus one’ was. Nico didn’t deny anything. Or comment on the fact that he wasn’t really part of the seven.
“Right.” Nico replied, but it felt lost in the ambience of the waters lapping over the shore and the winds blowing in from the east. Nico took a deep breath and let it out, with all of the weight of his earlier nightmare.
Jason was staring up at the sky. He always was.
“How’s being Pontifex going for you? Have you been receiving thank you cards from gods recently?” Nico decided to ask, closing his book. Reading lost its charm once he got someone who he knew was gonna pester him and keep him distracted. He pulls his feet up on the docks, blocking Jason from the sunlight completely.
“You don’t know the half of it. I think some of them even want to date me.” Jason joked, his voice distant. Nico couldn’t tell if his latter statement was that much of a joke. He made a face
Jason noticed and chuckled. He brought a hand up to weakly pat at Nico’s arm. Normally that would have made Nico uncomfortable but right now, he didn’t mind. “It was a joke. I’d be freaking out if a god started flirting with me.”
Nico blinks then looks back at the rising sun. He remembers Apollo, the Hunters, Artemis, Thalia Grace.
Bianca.
“Y—,” Nico took a deep breath. He couldn’t get it out without his eyes tearing up at the memory of her. He stared at the sun, maybe he could fool himself into thinking that the tears were because of staring at the sun. “Did you know that your sister called Apollo hot?”
Jason looked at him. The sun was still in Nico’s eyes even when he turned to look so he was staring in his shadow.
He felt ridiculous, talking about the ridiculously obnoxious sun god and tearing up about his late sister all at the same time.
“I was ten. I was new to all of this. Myths being real, gods existing.” Nico continued, twisting his ring in his finger. He avoided the subject of his sister. He instead talked about Jason’s.
“She— Thalia was angry before he arrived. With Percy. They were fighting a lot. Percy tried getting rid of me by giving me to Grover.” Nico didn’t want to keep his head in the past. He wasn’t like Hazel. Blackouts weren’t his thing.
But this was close to it. Close enough.
He didn’t notice that the tears dropped. He didn’t know why he was crying anymore. If Jason noticed, he didn’t say anything. Nico wouldn’t know how to respond either way. He was grateful for the silence.
Gods, Nico still can’t believe he’s crying while talking about Apollo.
“You can’t blame her you know.” Jason said after a moment of silence. Nico wiped at his nose. Great, because he could breathe just fine before. He sniffs, a curious look on his face.
Jason looked at him, a teasing smile on his face. “He does seem hot. I’ve seen him before.”
Nico laughed and coughed as something crackled in his throat. He composed himself before saying, “Don’t let him hear you say that.”
“What? Too much of an ego boost?”
“More like he already has too much of an ego for you to boost. It’s through the roofs.”
They laugh. Nico likes it, doesn’t need to force it. It’s a good laugh. It’s been a while since he’s let himself go like this.
Their laughs fade into silence. It leaves them smiling. Nico can’t breathe through his left nostril. Curses.
“You really think I should be trash talking my half-brother?” Jason asked, goofy smile still on his face. His glasses look like they’re about to fall off again. Nico resisted the urge to push them up.
“You do that all the time with Percy. He’s your cousin.” Nico responded in a joking tone (or the most joking he could come up with. It came out wry). Jason shivers and laughs, nervously this time.
Nico tries for a teasing look but fails. Jason seemed really affected by the fact that Percy (who he treated with mild and humorous antagonism, and platonic flirting) was related to him. Nico didn’t really give the joke much thought. He didn’t see the problem with it.
“Let’s stay away from the fact that we’re all related, shall we?” Jason asked.
“Agreed.” Nico responded faster than expected, which made Jason smile. A teasing smile. Nico rolled his eyes and elbowed him near the ribs. Jason’s teasing smile didn’t falter. Nico didn’t expect it to. He resisted the smile that pulled at the corners of his own lips.
“Sometimes, I hate Cupid for having to let you know while we were in Croatia.” Nico said lightly. He hated Cupid for a lot of things, really but, who could blame him?
“He’s your cousin too, Nico.” Jason teased.
“I already told him.”
This caught Jason off guard. It was enough to make Nico forget that he even brought up any memories and cried silently about it. He let out a short laugh. It sounded bitter, but it always did, didn’t it?
To Jason, it seemed affectionate. He was looking more excited by the second. “How’d it go then?” he asked. “I-if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t mind. He was really surprised. Annabeth and I even high-fived.” Nico mused, remembering Percy’s face when it happened. He looked so confused. “So far he hasn’t mentioned it. Which is good for me since I know he’ll just make it sound like it’s a big deal.”
Jason was silent, his eyes hidden by the reflection of the sun on his glasses. But the sentiment was there with the silence in the air, it really was. Nico knew well enough that it was a big deal. He was the one who grew up with it for the gods’ sake.
Jason sat up, gathering his knees in his arms. He looked at Nico with a sigh, sounding more tired than relieved. “That sounds great, Nico.” He muttered under his breath, lazy smile on his face.
“You need some sleep to catch up with?”
“If I can. I’m sure Chiron wants us to get to training soon.”
Nico sighed, “We’ll get used to it.” They always did.
They let the waves carry out their silence, the sound lulling them into a dazed state, between unconscious and conscious.
Nico trudged back to camp with Jason, who looked like he could use a pillow and a blanket. It was just about time for breakfast, and they were kind of getting hungry. But the waves may have gotten Jason to fall asleep, if only for three and a half minutes. Now, he was groggy and hungry. Nico had to deal with that.
Once they got to the mess hall, his usual seat was empty. He looked around for Reyna and found her chatting with Percy. Great, Nico thought, just great.
It wasn’t that he was avoiding Percy (unlike a certain Apollo kid) but he really needed more energy to deal with everything in the world going on around him right now.
Walking up to his table, he sat down and nestled his head in his arms. Maybe he could sleep here. He did have a knack of falling asleep in places he shouldn’t, after all.
Once, he started getting used to the constant buzz around him, along with the chirping of the birds and the heat of his hoodie slowly making him sweat at the back, he started falling asleep.
Until someone tapped his shoulder. With a grunt, he covered his head as if to say ‘leave me the fuck alone’.
Tap tap tap. Nico huffed and complied. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked to glare at the person who kept him from sleeping.
“Rise and shine, Nico! The mess hall isn’t the best napping place,” Percy greeted. Nico couldn’t help but groan to himself. Percy laughed. Why did the gods hate him so much?
Nico steeled himself and faced the older teen. “What do you want, Percy?” he asked, though it sounded more demanding than he’d intended. If Percy noticed, he didn’t show.
“What, I can’t greet you ‘good morning’ from time to time?”
“You just did. What do you want?”
Percy faked a shiver and rubbed at his arms. Nico’s eyes didn’t miss the SPQR tattoo but he kept his eyes on Percy’s face. In a constant glare. “Brr, Nico. So cold.” Percy joked. Nico kept on glaring.
“Alright, alright,” Percy raised his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. I really just came here to talk to you though.”
Nico didn’t believe one word he’d said after ‘sorry’. With the way Percy makes the ‘oh, come on’ face, it may have shown on his face. Nico didn’t speak, and they spent a moment in silence, in the middle of the mess hall. Nico glanced around to other tables, Jason gave him a questioning look and mouthed a ‘you okay?’ Nico subtly raised his hand to say ‘I’m fine’.
“Seriously, Nico. I just had something in my mind. I wanna ask you something.” Percy sounded serious, Nico put his focus back on the son of Poseidon. What was this about?
“You…” Percy struggled with the words. Nico waited patiently for him to continue. He took the cup from his table and took a sip, he tasted mango juice. “You consider me a friend, right?”
Nico didn’t choke on his drink. Not at all.
Okay, maybe a little. He coughed and wiped at the juice that dripped down to his chin. “What kind of question is that?” Nico asked, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and took another sip. Strangely enough, this time, it was coffee. He downed the cup in one go.
“Whoa, there. Calm down with the drink. What are you drinking anyway?” Percy took the cup and took a sip. Nico rolled his eyes.
“You’re not gonna taste what I drank, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, but I wanted a drink too.” Percy responded.
Nico huffed, something close to a laugh, and Percy grinned. “Well?” Percy looked at him, expecting an answer. Nico’s mind focused on Percy’s question.
Did Nico consider Percy a friend? Nico internally rolled his eyes. He didn’t really hate Percy to begin with. The question sounded ridiculous even in his head!
“I don’t remember ever hating you, Jackson,” Nico stated, sounding annoyed. He really wasn’t.
Percy was silent, complete with the brooding frown on his face and that furrow of his eyebrow. Nico immediately hated the fact that he’d downed a whole cup of coffee. Great, now he had to deal with the rest of the day awake.
“Well?” Nico echoed Percy’s earlier question. The older nodded.
“Yeah, thanks for that clarification, Nico.” Percy responded with a genuine smile. Nico looked down at his hands and played with his rings.
Percy stood up to walk away, Nico could feel the tension dripping from his body, slowly.
“Oh, uh, also,” Percy started. Nico looked at him, without the persistent glare. “Reyna’s wearing a nice shirt. Heard she got it from you.”
Nico blinked. “Thank you…?” he muttered, but Percy had already walked back to his own table.
What was that about?
Nico shook his head and stood up from his table. He wanted some sleep. And if it meant having to be up, staring at the ceiling, he was gonna do it anyway.
Once he reached the cabins, he felt the wind blow in his face, and a silent oof!
It was Jason.
He put his hand up, handing Nico the book. “You forgot this on your table.” Jason said. Nico blinked and reached out to take it.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. He grabbed the book, but Jason didn’t let go.
“You didn’t eat,” there was concern in his voice. Nico pulled at his book again but Jason didn’t let go. He sighed.
“I lost my appetite, I’ll try for lunch.” Nico reassured, appreciating his friend’s concern and pulling at the book as Jason’s grip loosened.
Once the book was free from the son of Jupiter’s grip, Nico promptly stepped into one of the cabins’ shadows and shadow-traveled back into his cabin.
He fell face first on the bed.
With a tired sigh, Nico tried to pass out.
Unfortunately, he can’t do that. If he could, he wouldn’t have been awake to witness the stupidity that was Percy Jackson being cryptic and asking stupid questions.
Nico was still up when Reyna walked into the cabin.
“So, you’ve told him, I’m assuming?” Reyna stated, laying on her stomach.
Nico frowned at her. “What was your first clue?” he deadpanned. Sarcasm was as easy as a hilt to his hand, especially during moments like these. When he was tired of everything around him. He just wanted to close his eyes and let time wash over him. He couldn’t care less if another war went on while he snored off into the next century.
“He seemed to be upset, about the shirt.” Reyna continued, undeterred by his mild hostility. “It’s completely petty, but I don’t think he sees it as lightly as you do. He’s reading too much into it.”
Nico looked surprise. Percy was upset about the shirt?
Reyna seemed to know where his train of thought was heading. Then again, Nico wasn’t exactly the hardest person to read.
“He talked to you right? He seemed happy after that talk with you. What did he ask you?”
“If I considered him a friend.”
There was a moment of silence between them before Nico laughed. “It’s such a stupid question, I don’t know why he even asked it.”
Reyna frowned, moving to sit up. “I’m sure he had his reasons. After all, you spent four years avoiding him. He might have gotten jealous of our relationship.”
Nico raised an eyebrow. Reyna shrugged.
“I would be, if I were in his shoes, to be perfectly honest.”
“We grew closer in a short amount of time when he had four years.” Nico stated, uncaring of the words spilling out of his mouth.
“He didn’t push me away, I know I was annoying to him, scaring him, creeping him out.” There was a kind of bitterness in his tone. He couldn’t stop, not now. Now that he’d started it. “Eager to ease his discomfort, I distanced myself. He never asked me to come back. And now you think he’s jealous of our relationship.”
Reyna stayed silent, her mind was racing, miles away. But her focus was on their conversation. That much, he knew.
“Well, he’s trying,” Reyna answered, after a moment. “And that’s all that matters.”
It was.
They both stood, knowing that it was about time Reyna and the rest of the Romans got back to New Rome. It wasn’t much of a struggle to round up the Romans (except for Dakota, who was somehow passed out by the door of the Hypnos cabin instead of the Dionysus one). The SUVs came like clockwork.
Reyna and Piper were chatting up a storm and Nico was beginning to wonder if he was missing out on something. He’d have to ask either of them sooner or later.
When Reyna came to him for a goodbye, he wordlessly gave her a hug and a smile. She hugged back, tight but not suffocating. When she pulls back, there’s a bit of hesitation.
“Are you sure I can keep this?” She asked, pulling at her new shirt. Nico gently shoved her towards the SUV.
“It’s fine, no big deal. I can buy you a thousand of inside joke shirts and it wouldn’t change the fact that you’re a good friend, Reyna.” Heat crept up on his face. By the way that Piper laughed behind him, that was probably the cheesiest thing he’d ever said in the entire fourteen years of his life.
It was true though.
When the SUVs left, Piper and Nico were left staring at the back of them and Nico felt a sudden déjà vu because this was exactly like yesterday with Jason.
“What were you guys talking about?” Nico asked, wanting to stop the awkward silence and Piper’s nervous tick: making popping sounds with her lips.
Piper gave him a cheeky smile that seemed to cycle the color of her eyes. Nico tried not to stare. “That’s for her to tell you. I honestly don’t know how you haven’t picked up on it with how she talks about her.”
Nico hated riddles and secrets. What the fuck was she talking about?
“Rachel.” Piper answered simply, almost as if she’d read his mind. But that was impossible, Piper didn’t read minds.
Then, she left him on the bottom of the hill to his thoughts. Nico realized that he’d said that last part out loud. Minutes later, he walked back to his cabin.
Rachel. What about Rachel? Nico vaguely remembered the former oracle, being good friends with Annabeth despite the fact that she’d owned up to Percy. He envied her for that, maybe hated her, but that was all in the past.
Why were Piper and Reyna talking about Rachel?
When lunch dropped by, sooner than expected, there was a knock on the door. Nico was abruptly jolted out of his thoughts.
Jason stood at the door, expectant. “C’mon, it’s lunch time.” He said, his tone suggested that Nico could back out of it. Nico didn’t. He knew Jason would have picked him up and flown them into the mess hall if he refused, profanity, shadows, and murderous intent aside. He stood and fixed himself before heading out.
After lunch, Chiron had paused his archery lessons, passing it over to the older Apollo kids. This took Nico by surprise. Chiron never passed up the chance of teaching. It must be something important.
He gathered them on the porch of the Big House, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and himself. A gentle summer breeze added to the ambience of the trees, plants, grass, the sound of the distant creek, and the flag by the small window of the attic. Nico needed to hang out near the Big House more often. And probably nap on the porch.
Chiron stood in front of them as they sat on the porch, making themselves comfortable. Nico stood, feeling awkward as he stared them down. There wasn’t any disapproval, disappointment, or any negative emotion on his face, but Nico stood still and held his breath anyway.
“The five of you have been through a lot, I understand,” Chiron stated. His voice was gentle, stance stiff. Philosophy and advice was easy for him but not with a group who’s been through so much… and without his guidance and his eye on them the entire time. He had no idea what to say, probably. Nico felt a drop of sympathy for the centaur.
“But this cannot take you away from your training. You have learned much from your journeys, each of you,” Chiron continued. “Much that I cannot have taught you. But,” he cut off, smiling. Nico couldn’t help but give a shy smile back. “You can never get too rusty.”
Nico nodded, it was reasonable. At the thought of training, his hand itched for that grip on his sword. Chiron had that kind of way with words that didn’t work quite like charmspeak. Nico, soon, realized that it was respect and authority. It was far from a foreign concept to him, but he’d never connected both concepts to only one person. Gods excluded.
The demigods rose from their comfortable seats on the porch and started stretching. Looks like they were all going to jump into training as soon as they’d gotten dismissed.
“Before you’re dismissed however,” Chiron announced. “I’d like to issue a new class to misters Grace, Jackson, and di Angelo.”
Nico blinked. Twice. Did Chiron just say his name? Did he just say “new class”?
“You will be helping some of the children of Hecate in controlling the new children’s powers. Some cases are very hard for them as it is.” Chiron explained. “I hope you can ease this… predicament for them.”
Nico can already feel the dread weigh down, getting lower and lower and settling in his stomach. The kids were gonna hate him, they always do. Why’d Chiron want him to teach these kids? Should he ask Hazel for help? Maybe Piper? She knew how this worked. Better than him, probably.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he twisted away from it in surprise. It was Annabeth and Piper. Behind them was Jason, who had seen his troubles from afar. Percy was nowhere to be seen. He gave Jason small glare, how come he didn’t tell Annabeth and Piper that Nico wasn’t one for touching?
“Are you okay, Nico? Your breathing was getting a bit too fast there for a second.” Piper asked, concern in her voice.
Nico shook his head, though if it was an answer to Piper’s question or to clear his thoughts, he didn’t know. “I-I can’t. They’ll hate me.” He said to himself, quietly.
Jason stepped closer. Piper was still confused. Annabeth gave him some space.
“What are you talking about, Nico?” There was disbelief and confusion in Piper’s voice, eyes, and expression and he didn’t know why she was so surprised. Like, has she seen him, did he look child-friendly to her?
Nico stammered some more he couldn’t describe it to her without them seeing him as shallow and weak.
“If you’re not comfortable with it, it’s okay, Nico. Even I’m dreading it. Scared of it.” Jason said, understanding it perfectly. His voice was gentle and comforting to Nico. He realized that Piper was more confused at his statement and not what he had meant it to portray.
“We’ll get through it together, ‘kay? We can ask a lot of other people for advice. Chiron said the classes started tomorrow, anyway.”
Nico blinked, he didn’t know about that last part. It must have been announced during his little break down. He tried not to get tense at the thought of asking for help but this was something out of his comfort zone. He had to try. He had to make Chiron proud. It was an irrational feeling, wanting someone he barely knew to be proud of him. Chiron and he weren’t even close.
But it was something he wanted to aim for.
Powers were hard to control.
His finger was getting raw from him twisting the rings on it unconsciously. He dropped his hands to his side and took a deep breath. He gave Jason a weak nod and tried not to dread the future so much.
“Great. Now, let’s get to training. Percy’s probably waiting for a sparring match.” Jason grinned, making Nico grin too.