Chapter Text
“What are you doing here?”
The question was called casually across the table in the dining room of Erebus. Nico had shadow traveled straight outside the door from camp, he’d barely waited for dinner to be over. It wasn’t like he had any obligation to tell anyone where he was going. Hades seemed to be just finishing dessert. That, or Persephone wasn’t around to stop him from having ice cream for dinner.
“I’m staying here.” Nico sat at the table and grabbed a spoon as one of the serving skeletons set a dish of ice cream in front of him. “Thanks, Ferdinand.”
“I thought Jackson’s whole deal was for you to have a place at that camp.” Hades' expression darkened, “Have the others not been living up to the bargain?”
“No, they followed through. I just -” Nico grimaced, “I just don’t really belong there. You know how it is.”
Hades eyed him critically before letting out a sigh, “I do.”
“So I’ll be in my room.” Nico stood, taking the dish of ice cream with him.
“Wait - you can’t expect to live here without responsibilities -”
“Yeah, yeah.” Nico waved his spoon nonchalantly as he made it to the door, “I’ll be out patrolling Asphodel in the morning. You should really give me something harder to do.”
He left Hades staring after him perplexed as he made his way down the familiar halls of his father’s palace.
Nico thought he’d fall right back into the routine he had before Manhattan, before building his cabin, before that evening hiding with Clarrise and the others… but he couldn’t. Even in the Underworld, he was restless. He tried to get back into the routine of his rounds around Asphodel, he visited Bob and the hellhounds, he even asked his father if he could sit in on his meetings again. Still, he felt out of sorts, out of place.
He found himself shadow-traveling to the surface to wander alone, trying to find that same clarity and sense of purpose he’d had after Bianca when the only thoughts that he had room for in his head were how to stay alive. But he couldn’t. Things were different now. He had a place to return to, a safety net. Unfortunately that freed up space for his mind to wander.
For no apparent reason, his mind regularly wandered back to Percy. What was he doing right now? Had he noticed that Nico wasn’t at camp anymore? Was he and Annabeth still being all ‘lovey-dovey’? He tried to tell himself that it was stupid, and it didn’t matter. But his brain wouldn’t shut up. Everything reminded him of Percy - of he and Annabeth holding hands, of them stealing kisses at the campfire.
Why couldn’t he get Percy out of his head? He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way before - feeling this overwhelming sense of longing. It was like those stories Bianca used to tell him about when you knew the two characters really liked each other because they couldn’t stop thinking about each other. Except… he wasn’t supposed to feel this way about Percy - about a boy .
But here he was, like one of those pining girls in Bianca’s books, daydreaming about the hero and the day they could be together.
Stop it, he told himself, You can’t feel like that. Not about Percy, not about any boy. That would make you -
He couldn’t even think the word, but he knew it was something he definitely did not want to be.
“Hey - hey kid” a raspy voice pulled Nico from his own head. He looked up from his shoes to realize where he was. He had paused at the opening of a dark alley, the only light was cast by a flickering street lamp half a block away. The sky was dark, the sun having set over Boston Harbor long ago. He didn’t know why he’d ended up in Boston, but ever since meeting Blitz and Hearth there, he had a bit of fondness for the place. Except he’d never wandered to this part of town. It was definitely one he would have avoided when he was first out on his own, too many places to stumble into someone or something he shouldn’t.
It didn’t matter much to him now, so he just looked at the homeless man with a raised eyebrow, “You talking to me?”
“Yeah, kid.” the man crawled toward him, unsteady even on his hands and knees. He smelled strongly of alcohol and sweat. “I need ya do to me a favor.”
Nico decided to humor him, how much of a threat could a drunkard be compared to an army of monsters, “and what’s that?”
“See that store over there?,” the man pointed with a lazy hand across the street to a gas station, “I’ve been in there one too many times and they won’t let me back, hurt my feelings, they did. I want you to go in and get me something - something to ease my pain if you know what I mean.”
“You want some aspirin?”
“No,” the man grumbled, “Giggle juice, sauce, booze -”
Nico was picking up on his meaning, he crossed his arms as he asked, “Moonshine?”
“Now ya get it!” The man’s eyes were wide in a way that made Nico suspect alcohol wasn’t the only drug in his system.
“Why should I do that?”
“You look like you’re looking for trouble. Why else would you be walking around these streets at this time of night? I merely aim to provide.” the man said amicably. He probably was trying for the tone of a sly businessman trying to seal a deal but his words slurred together so much that the effect was lost.
Nico considered the man. He should just walk away, he had no power over him and he was asking Nico to do something illegal. Then again, he had a point. He’d been wandering around looking for something to get his mind off things and he did like a challenge. Even as he stood there he could feel excitement creeping in.
“Okay.” he said, “I’ll do it.”
“Many thanks, kid.” the man grinned with an unsettlingly few number of teeth.
The gas station was well-lit. If Nico had had any plan of shadow traveling out of there, he had to forget it. There was no way he’d find shadows deep enough. He nodded to the attendant behind the counter as he walked in trying to appear casual.
He first perused the aisle of candy, grabbing a few as though they were the main reason he was there. Then he made his way to the back, where the shelves of alcohol lined the wall. He didn’t have anything in particular that he was looking for, the drunkard didn’t look like he had a particularly discerning taste.
His eyes swept over the various bottles until he found one that looked like it might be a good one, some kind of rum with a pirate flag on it. Just as he was about to reach for it he paused. How was he going to do this? He had the money, thanks to the Bank of Erebus, but that didn’t eliminate the fact that he was a minor. There would be no way he could claim to be old enough to buy it, even if he was apparently well over 80. According to Sherman and the other campers, he didn’t even look his physical 13 years old.
Fuck it, I’ll just steal it.
With that thought, Nico grabbed the bottle off the shelf and tucked it into his jacket.
He was nearly to the door, trying to act as nonchalant as possible in the way he was avoiding meeting the attendant’s eyes, when he tried to adjust his grip on the bottle. It slipped in his hands and clanged against his belt.
He froze, staring up at the cashier that definitely knew something was up by now.
“Hey, kid! You -”
Nico didn’t hear the rest of this sentence as he bolted for the door, the cashier close behind him. As soon as he was out into the night, he took a hard right and stepped into the nearest shadow.
He emerged, panting, just a block or so away. As he caught his breath, his pants turned to laughter. He’d done it! He’d just successfully stolen alcohol! It wasn’t like when he was on the streets and stealing because he needed it to survive, he’d just done it for the fun of it. And the thrill, the high, it was fun . Any concerns, any thoughts about a certain son of Poseidon that he shouldn’t be having, were blown from his mind. He was still chuckling to himself, as he peered around the corner to head back toward the genius behind this whole thing.
The man was out cold when Nico made it back to him. He rolled his eyes, Figures.
Nico tucked the stolen bottle of spirits into the folds of the man's grimy jacket figuring that he’d find the surprise gift when he woke up eventually. Or not, Nico didn’t really care, he was too busy floating on adrenaline. As he turned to continue down the street, he unwrapped a candy bar from his pocket, relishing in his own spoils of his successful heist. Idly, he wondered if there were more drunkards that wanted a visit from Moonshine Santa Claus.
***
Once, he relented and went back up to Camp Half-Blood. He wasn’t sure why, maybe to prove to himself he’d made the right decision, maybe in the hopes of getting a glimpse of Percy. He told himself that if he ran into anyone he would confidently tell them he wasn’t staying, he did not belong there, and had better places to be.
He didn’t get the chance, though, because he didn’t leave the forest.
He’d arrived after sunset, the chill of late September setting in between the trees. He pulled his jacket around him closer as he made his way to the faint glow he could see coming from camp.
They were all there, Cecil and Maclom, Drew and Jake, Will and Connor, all sitting around the campfire chatting among themselves. Slightly removed from the rest of them, huddled together on a log were Percy and Annabeth. Nico hadn’t even thought Annabeth was in town, let alone at camp, but here she was cuddling with the boy he -
Stop it, he told himself, You don’t like him like that.
Nico paused on the outskirts of the forest unsure of what to do. Sure, he could just walk over to the campfire and sit down but what kind of weirdo did that? And he told himself that he wasn’t coming back to stay, he was just… stopping by.
He snorted. Yeah, that sounded more pathetic than a wounded telekhine. No one would buy it. The creepy son of Hades, just coming to stop by and say hello? Yeah, right.
He hung back in the shadows of the trees watching for a few minutes. Cecil pulled out a deck of cards. Will encouraged one of his siblings to start strumming a few chords on a guitar. They all seemed so… happy. So at ease in each other’s company. How could they do that?
Nico was brought out of his contemplation by a squeal of laughter. Annabeth was clinging to Percy as he tickled her, “Seaweed Brain!!”
The others looked around with vague surprise but quickly dismissed them. The couple giggled together, stealing a few kisses once everyone had turned back to the fire. Nico’s breath hitched and a ball of jealousy started turning over in his stomach. Why’d they have to be like that? Flaunting their happiness around everyone else?
No, Nico had definitely made the right decision not to stay at camp. He couldn’t imagine regularly seeing that and having to pretend it didn’t bother him. Why didn’t anyone else say anything?
It bothers you because you like him.
No. He couldn’t. He wasn’t supposed to. His brain needed to stop telling him things like that.
Nico stormed back into the forest, convinced this little trip had been a horrible idea. Why did he let himself come here? It was pointless, what had he been trying to prove? He was angry, at the situation, at himself. He needed to take his frustration out on something.
He heard a rustle in the trees and the thudding of heavy feet. Turning to the sound he could just make out a vague shape of something not-human. He smiled to himself as he drew his sword. Just what he needed.
Even in his short stay at camp, Nico had heard Chiron reminding the campers that there were monsters in this forest and that they should refrain from wandering through them alone and being easy prey. Well, it was this monster’s unlucky day because Nico was alone but he doubted he’d be the one considered prey.
***
Dinners at Erebus continued as they had before the battle against Kronos, even if Persephone was still on the surface for another month and not physically there to insist on it. They were just about as awkward as they had been before, except now there was something unsaid in the way Hades accepted his company. He pretended to care less as to whether or not his son joined him for meals, but there were things that made Nico think he was trying to make an effort… to bond or something.
“So...” Nico said, picking off a pepperoni and popping it in his mouth, “What’s with the pizza?”
Hades made a dismissive grunt as he grabbed his own slice, “Persephone hates the stuff, I only get to have it when she’s gone.”
“Oh. Cool.”
Father and son sat in silence for a few minutes. Nico couldn’t help glancing over at Hades every few seconds, waiting for something. Casually sitting around a pizza with his father was so weird, were they supposed to chat or something?
Eventually, Hades spoke up, “I assume Cereberus is well.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that where you were before dinner?”
“How did you -?”
“You should know by now I keep tabs on everything going on in my realm.” Hades gave the smallest of smiles in Nico’s direction, “That includes you.”
“You-? um, yeah. Cerberus is good. She seems to like having someone who finally plays with her.” Nico nibbled on the end of a piece of crust, “Thanks for letting Bob do that.”
“It was simply a necessary chore that needed doing.” Hades waved off the gratitude.
“Right.”
More silence. Nico finished another piece of pizza as he tried to decide if he should like, ask his father about his day - Hey, dad, think of any great punishments today?
“Your pants have holes in them.” Hades stated out of the blue. “Do you need new ones?”
“My - my pants?” Nico looked them over, “Uh, no. They come this way. It’s like - a style.”
“You pay for pre-worn pants?” Hades scrunched his eyebrows in disbelief. “- really, when I gave you that card I didn’t expect you’d go use it on things like that. I thought you’d buy practical things. Clothes that fit, more weapons, a hair brush… Not pants with holes and that racket you call music. I can hear it through the walls so I know you never turn it off.”
“I like having music playing in my room.” Nico said defensively, “It makes it more lively.”
“Lively?” The corner of Hades' mouth quirked, “Does it lift your spirits?”
“Was that a pun?”
“No, I’m dead serious.”
Nico groaned.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, that’s a grave mistake.”
“Kill me now.”
“What? He thinks it’s humerus.” Hades pointed to a nearby skeleton, now clearly holding in laughter, “I’ve been down here a long time, Nico, I’ve got plenty of these.”
Nico fell face-first onto the table, “I was wrong. I’m already dead. This is my own personal hell.” He sat there, forehead glued to the tablecloth as the god of the Underworld chuckled at his own jokes.
Nico was thankfully saved from another round of puns when a spirit in a crisp uniform came into the dining room. “Sorry to bother you, my lord,” He bowed to Hades and then turned and gave Nico a polite nod. “But there is a matter you need to see to.”
Hades didn’t move to get up, “What is it?”
“There’s been… some confusion.” The spirit toyed with the hem of their jacket. Nico didn’t recognize this particular member of Hades’ staff. He wondered if he was some underling that the others had tricked into bringing Hades bad news. Anything warranting interrupting Hades’ meal couldn’t be good. “The souls on Charon’s boat, newly arrived dead, well, they… they just went back.”
Hades scowled, “What do you mean - went back?”
“They went back to living.” The spirit gulped, the movement very clear in their semi-transparent throat, “Charon doesn’t know what happened, and he’s taken extra precautions to ensure it won’t happen again but it - it was like they just walked back through the doors.”
“The doors?” Nico asked.
“Forgive me, prince. I mean the Doors of Death.” the spirit clarified. Nico knew that phrase, he’d heard it just a few months ago. “It’s the connection between this world and -”
“Enough.” Hades cut him off, “What about Thanatos, where is he?”
“That’s just it - um, we can’t find him.”
The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees, and the space around Hades seemed to lose color. He spoke slowly, “What do you mean - can’t find him?”
“Well at first we thought he might just be getting some R+R” The spirit looked clearly uncomfortable to be the one delivering this news. “He and the fire walker do disappear together sometimes. But we can’t seem to track him down. He’s just vanished”
“You’re saying the guardian of the Doors of Death has gone missing?”
The spirit nodded.
“And souls are starting to pass freely into the land of the living?”
Another anxious nod.
Hades let out a low groan and got up from the table. “And you’re just standing here? Go on! We can’t let this throw everything into chaos.”
Nico stood and made to leave with his father, but Hades put out a hand to stop him.
“What? If there’s something up with Thanatos, I want to help!” Nico was being honest - he wanted to help, but there was also an intense curiosity about these doors. His father saw right through him.
“No, if there is something wrong with the doors, you should stay away from them.“
Hades swiftly followed the spirit out of the room to begin whatever mitigating measure they had to take.
Nico scowled after him. Hadn’t he proved he was capable by now?