Chapter Text
“—because for some reason, Will thought it would be a good idea to take the pegasi out—”
“I thought you were being dramatic about them not liking you! Mr. Nobody wants me around!”
Jason laughs at Nico and Will as they push at each other, giggling. The three of them pick their way through the grass alongside the road, shoulder to shoulder to shoulder. Close enough that Nico can see the soft, proud smile on Jason’s face in HD. Nico once swore he’d trade the world to have that smile directed at him one last time— and here they are.
Nico hopes it doesn’t actually cost them the world. You can never be too sure when the gods are involved.
“Sounds like a riveting first date.” Jason raises his eyebrows at the two other boys, still holding back his full smile as they laugh him off.
“It was fun,” Nico admits, voice small. He has to look back down at his feet, both Jason’s happy expression and Will’s twinkling eyes too much for Nico. He’s definitely blushing. He has been this entire time. As soon as they started their walk out of Lupa’s territory, Jason demanded to hear as many details about their relationship as they were willing to spare, and they’ve been having way too much fun telling him everything they can think of.
They decided to start with the story of their first date. Or, rather, Nico tried to start there— Will keeps interjecting to defend himself over all the things that went wrong. It was a really fun date, though. Even if Nico was too shy to do more than mutter a few words and stare off into the distance. In his defense, Will wasn’t much better. The son of Apollo talked the entire time, desperate not to let it be silent, and asked Nico if he was okay between every sentence.
Oh, how far they’ve come. Now Nico is the one who won’t shut up. They’re still working on the Will constantly making sure everyone around him is okay before caring for himself thing, though. One day at a time. But it’s on the list, and Nico won’t let him forget it! Right next to Will making choices about his life based on what would be the easiest for people around him rather than what he wants.
Speaking of, Nico can’t forget to tell Jason they’re thinking of going to high school. Maybe Jason can help him with his homework.
“Pegasi are surprisingly opinionated,” Jason is saying, when Nico zones back into the conversation.
“How would you know?” Nico challenges, unable to wipe the grin off of his face even as he lifts an eyebrow at his friend. Again, Jason flashes him that little smile. Blue eyes haven’t left Nico’s face for the last hour— Will’s or Jason’s. He’s used to it by now from Will, but Jason has this bright look in his eyes that he can’t quite place. Nico can only describe it as wonder. Maybe it’s a side effect of being alive again.
“Percy used to translate for m—” Jason stops dead in his tracks. Both Nico and Will stop to look back at him, matching looks of confusion on their faces.
“Oh my gods, Percy. He’s going to kill me,” Jason gasps, stuck between laughter and genuine fear. He lands on a wet chuckle, bringing his hands up to rub away the gathering tears.
In a shocking turn of events, it’s Will who looks to Nico for an answer. Comforting people may not be his strong suit, but Jason is definitely one of Nico’s strong suits. Nico walks up to his friend, putting a cold hand on his shoulder.
“He’s definitely going to try to kill you, but he’s going to have to go through me, first. I went through a lot of effort to bring you back,” Nico jokes, trying to keep Jason on the laughter side of his crying.
“Nico!” Will exclaims, but thankfully Jason does laugh.
“I kinda deserve it. I missed him and Annabeth going to New Rome…” With that, all the laughter dies. Jason’s face scrunches in on itself, draining until all the color is gone. “I promised them that I’d— We said we’d—” Jason doesn’t know how to finish. He stops speaking, mouth pressed into a thin line and scar going stark white, eyes turned up to the sky like if he gets the angle right, the tears won’t boil over.
Nico cringes. All the promises Jason and Percy made — all the things they said they’d do together and all the places Jason swore he’d show them when they arrived — left unfinished.
Percy definitely took Jason’s death… differently than Nico did. The pain was equally piercing, the loss equally strong, but there was something about Percy’s sobs when Piper dropped Jason’s necklace into his hands. A dullness in his face and eyes during that trip that wasn’t there before Jason’s death. It was scary.
Nico hopes that, if nothing else, bringing Jason back soothes whatever Percy is going through.
Hey, wait a minute. Nico is doing it! He’s thinking of Percy as a real friend, again. There was no undercurrent of bitterness, no correcting his own thoughts. Only hope that Percy will be okay. For his own sake.
Nico’s not surprised in the slightest that bringing Jason back helped with that.
It’s then that Nico realizes it’s been too long since Jason spoke, the three of them frozen in uncomfortable silence. The problem is, Nico doesn’t know what to say. His first reaction is to apologize, but… it’s not like they’re gone. If anything, Nico is sure Percy is going to be bouncing off the walls to spend every waking moment with Jason now that he’s back.
So, for once in his life, and only for Jason, Nico decides to look on the bright side. Which is gross. That’s supposed to be Jason’s job.
“They’re still in New Rome. And they’ll be there for at least four more years, maybe more if Percy doesn’t pick a major soon,” Nico says, adding the last bit under his breath at Percy’s expense. Can’t get too nice on the guy. It’ll ruin Nico’s image. “You can still do all the things you wanted to do.”
Jason blinks at the advice, eyebrows slowly raising and shoulders losing their tension. It’s understandable — Nico’s not sure when he started sprouting wisdom, either.
“Yeah. That’s true. I keep forgetting that I’m not still… well…” Jason trails off, glancing at Nico apologetically. He rubs at his face like he’s reminding himself that he’s warm and alive.
Nico gets that feeling. He remembers it well from when he was recovering in the infirmary after the war. He expected so deeply to die getting Reyna and the Athena Parthenos to camp that he never stopped to consider what might come after recovering. There wasn’t supposed to be a recovering. He had a hard time remembering to live his life and not lay around all day every day, let it keep passing by. He wasn’t dead… yet. Even if it felt like he was. Or that he should be. Thankfully, Will wasn’t the type to let him get away with holing up in his cabin for more than twelve hours at a time.
“I’d bet all my drachmas Percy is wearing a hole in the floorboards of his apartment as we speak, pacing back and forth waiting to see you,” Will says, walking over to pat Jason on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you back to your boyfriend in no time!” Will laughs, trying to bring some light back to Jason’s face. Hilariously, it works.
“I’ve been alive for less than a day and the bromance jokes are already back. Good to know nothing has changed.” Jason tries to give Will an exasperated look, but his smile is too big. It breaks through— teeth showing and joy returning to his eyes.
They pass around a laugh, and both Will and Nico let go of Jason with a squeeze. Unfortunately, they have to keep moving, but at least now the atmosphere feels lighter. A weight has lifted off of Jason’s shoulders, leaving him smiling even more genuinely than before and eyes twinkling as he takes in the world around them.
The weather is surprisingly pleasant. The sun beats down on them and the air thick with the morning’s rain, but there’s a nice cool breeze in the wind. Enough to keep them from sweating through their (already ruined) clothes immediately.
Will and Jason take up chatting back and forth, carrying the conversation while Nico watches on. He lets himself fall a single pace behind so he can stare at his two favorite people— talking away and laughing loudly at one another. Will’s camp t-shirt and cargo shorts are always a sight for sore eyes, and Jason’s #1 Gay Bar t-shirt seals the deal. Will starts gesturing wildly, discussion taking a passionate turn, and Nico can’t help but smile.
He’s not sure he’s ever been happier.
Which, of course, can only mean one thing: something bad is about to happen.
Now, you can accuse Nico of being a pessimist. Or manifesting bad things (or whatever it is Lou Ellen says he does). You could even insist he inflicts unfortunate events upon himself by seeking them out when things are going too well.
But is it really Nico’s fault when it happens every. Single. Time?
The first thing Nico notices is that the pleasant Autumn wind from earlier has started to pick up. Which isn’t all that strange by itself. It was pouring rain less than a few hours ago— a little bit of wind is no big deal. In fact, Nico is surprised it’s not still raining. Jupiter seemed adamant about drowning the entire state of California in retribution for Jason’s return.
But nothing is that simple or that by itself when you’re a demigod. So, the wind puts him on edge.
Never too cautious, Nico eyes the sides of the road, dropping another pace behind Will and Jason just in case. If it’s nothing, he doesn’t want to ruin Jason and Will’s conversation, but there’s something tickling at the back of his senses.
He gets the distinct feeling that they’re being followed. Watched.
The wind picks up a little more. Strong enough now to ruffle Nico’s hair into his face.
“Everything okay?” Will looks over his shoulder to ask, curls tousled in front of his face in the wind, blocking his blue eyes from Nico’s view. Nico must have fallen a lot further behind than he meant to.
“Huh? Oh. Yeah, just… the wind. And—” Nico looks around before continuing. Nothing. “It’s nothing. Got a weird feeling.”
“A weird feeling isn’t nothing when you’re a demigod,” Jason snorts, looking around too. “I didn’t even realize it had gotten windier,” he mutters, like that’s unusual for him. Which, Nico supposes it is, being a son of Jupiter.
“Can you call Jules-Albert from here? Or do we need to walk further?” Will asks, looking to Nico. The wind is making a rats nest of his curls, his back to the wind so it pushes them all up in front of his face. Into weird, tangled, bangs. Nico has to resist the urge to smooth them back. Maybe pat Will on his freckled cheek afterwards…
Focus on the task at hand, Nico!
“Let’s keep moving. Standing still feels like a bad idea.” Nico starts moving forward again, this time with purpose. He steps out onto the road to call Jules-Albert and the wind whips even stronger, probably making a second welcoming home for a rat of Nico’s hair, too. Will and Jason both get the hint— falling in line with Nico’s brisk pace. He whistles, sharp and shrill, his usual call to Jules-Albert, but gets no response. “Not yet. I’ll keep trying.”
They all keep their heads on a swivel, Nico and Will both with a hand on their swords, Jason’s fingers twitching at his sides.
They keep walking, Nico whistling intermittently. Jules-Albert doesn’t answer. Nico was fairly sure they only walked about twenty minutes from the limo to the Wolf House on the way in, and it’s definitely been over half an hour. Nico starts to worry.
Especially because the wind is breaching inexplicable territory.
There’s not a cloud in the sky, and yet Nico feels like the air is resisting him with every step forward. It’s fast enough to completely push his hair out of his face— flattening Jason’s hair against the top of his head and swirling Will’s curls around in tiny tornadoes. Jason has to hold onto his glasses when he turns his head, and all of their shirts buffet in the wind.
“This is not normal wind behavior, right?” Nico asks Jason, squinting up at the sun in the sky.
“Um… I don’t think so!” Jason looks properly concerned now. As Jason turns around, a tiny green frog flies out of nowhere and nearly smacks him in the face. He jerks out of the way just in time. “What the—?”
The three of them watch it get lifted through the air and smack its way across the ground.
“Save him!” Will hollers, as if that were an appropriate battle cry for a frog, and runs after it. Jason and Nico sprint to keep up.
Nico gets there first. Scooping it off the ground, he holds the tiny green frog up in triumph— just for another one to go flying past. What in the Hades?
“Is it raining frogs?” Nico yells over the wind, horrified, as it tumbles down the road. Jason puts his hands out to snatch another one hurtling towards them. Surely there’s not a god of frogs that could be out to get them, right? That’s something Jason would know. Maybe he’s planned a shrine for a god or goddess of frogs before he died and they didn’t like it…? “Is there a god of frogs?” Nico asks, at the same time that Will asks, “Is it okay?”
Though he’s not sure Will’s healing powers will work on frogs, Nico follows instructions and checks him for injuries anyway. He holds his new little buddy up to his face. It blinks, one eye at a time.
It reminds Nico of the trogs. But way cuter. And way less thoughts behind its eyes.
“No, there’s no Greek god of frogs. I’m pretty sure it’s just the wind picking them up,” Jason says. He leans in and looks at his own frog, gently cupping his hands to shield it from getting whisked away again, inspecting it left and right. When he finds nothing, Jason pulls back and closes his eyes. His nose scrunches up into the bridge of his glasses as he concentrates. “Something’s up with the wind. I can’t feel it like I usually can. Maybe it’s—”
“Well, look at what we have here!” A deep voice interrupts Jason from behind them. Jason’s eyes snap open at the same time that Nico whips around to look. He scrambles to put his new frog buddy somewhere safe while he reaches for his sword. Adorably, the easiest spot ends up being in the front pocket of his button-down shirt. Its little head pokes out the top.
When Nico finally gets situated and looks up, across from them stands a teenage boy. He’s as large as Jason, even broader in the shoulders somehow, highlighted by his sleeveless blue football jersey that Nico won’t pretend to recognize. His black hair is greased back into a Superman style with enough pommade to make Nico gag when he pictures the texture of it.
Worst of all, he has this big, cocky smile on his face that Nico absolutely hates. Definitely a monster.
How did they not see him before?
The boy saunters forward, arms outstretched like he’s giving a speech to a crowd of thousands instead of just to Nico, Will, and Jason. And their two frogs. Can’t forget about them!
“If it isn’t Jason Grace! Find a new posse to drag around, did you? I have to say, I liked the other one better. I wasn’t a Leo fan, but at least you had that pretty girl. If I thought they were losers, this is scraping the bottom of the barrel, man.” The boy laughs the same way Disney villains do, where only he finds it funny and no one else moves a muscle. He runs a hand over his hair to make sure it’s still in place— as if it could go anywhere when it’s rock solid from gel.
“Dylan?!” Jason frantically holds his new frog friend to his chest. His face twists into disgust. “Piper has a name, you know,” Jason spits. How he manages to look absolutely terrifying and confident with his hands wrapped over a tiny frog, Nico would love to know so that he can replicate it. Maybe bottle it and sell it. “And what the hell are you doing here, anyways? Looking to get your ass handed to you? Again.”
Dylan’s smile flattens into something sinister, his eyes devoid of anything. It reminds Nico distinctly of Octavian. Never a good sign. Especially because Nico actively tries very hard not to think about Octavian. Or compare anyone to him. Ever.
“What am I doing here?” Dylan’s eyes spark with actual lightning, which is absolutely monster behavior. The problem is Nico has no idea which monster. “One of you is at fault for Typhon’s rebirth being delayed! And I was sent to fix that.” Nico doesn’t need clarification— a wind spirit seems like exactly the kind of monster that would be upset about Typhon’s downfall. They can fill Jason in later. There’s another, more pressing matter that Nico needs an answer to.
“What are you?” Nico asks, taking a step forward and grip tightening on his sword. He only gets halfway through his step, however, because Jason stops him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Dylan is a venti. A wind spirit. And, actually, a venti who I distinctly remember promising not to attack me again!” Jason shoots a pointed look at Dylan. So that’s how they know each other…
And given that Jason died to something not Dylan related, Nico thinks it’s safe to assume Jason won that battle. With powers over the wind and the sky, it was probably a walk in the park. Nico hopes it’ll still be easy even if Jason can’t manipulate Dylan with the wind.
“Well nobody told me you were here,” Dylan snarls, but quickly reigns it back in, standing up straight. “No big deal, though. I won't attack you! They will!”
Nico opens his mouth to ask who they are, but he doesn’t get the chance. Five more figures materialize behind Dylan. More ventis. They’re different from Dylan— more dark, swirling amalgamations of wind with human faces and varying amounts of humanoid bodies, but all of them are contained by a different football jersey that threatens to tear off with how strong the winds of their bodies are. Those must be some high quality shirts.
As the wind picks up, Nico puts a single finger on his frog pal’s head, making sure it’s still there and safe. It is— slimy and safe. Just how frogs are meant to be.
“Yeah! Let’s get ‘em!” One of them chants, mouth not moving but Nico assumes it’s the one that pumps his fist in the air.
“For Typhon!” Another says. They swirl in and out of one another’s paths, creating a column of air that threatens to suck Nico in if he loses his balance.
Great, a bunch of airheaded jocks set on trying to kill them. Nico’s favorite.
It feels a little ironic, actually. First they fought cheerleaders, and now they’re fighting football players. Nico is starting to feel like he’s in a bad Twilight-level high school coming of age movie.
But instead of Vampires and Werewolves, it’s flaming cheerleaders and tornado football players. Alright, that’s stretching it a little. But you get Nico’s point.
Another frog flies past his face (Where are they coming from?! Why are they here?) that Will attempts to catch but watches mournfully as he misses and it keeps skidding away. It rushes past them to gather in the venti’s whirling cores, swirling inside their mass as the wind grows and threatens to blow them all over. Nico’s not sure he’s going to be capable of standing vertically much longer. He doesn’t exactly weigh very much, despite his best efforts.
He digs his heels into the ground and manages to partially bury his boots into the gravel road. Which… gives him an idea, actually. Nico uses his powers to gather up some of the rocky substrate, willing it up and around his feet to keep him rooted. It’s a little too reminiscent of the time he spent as a corn plant, but it’ll work. At least now, if he falls over, he won’t go careening towards the venti. No longer at risk of tripping and stabbing himself, Nico pulls out his sword.
The second Nico takes his sword out, Will reaches for his. It’s like he was waiting to copy him, still unsure of himself with the sword in his hand. Adorable.
It won't be adorable when that uncertainty gets him killed, though. As soon as they get back to camp, Nico is teaching him how to properly use that thing.
“Don’t do this, Dylan,” Jason warns, voice low in his throat. He lifts his hands, depositing his frog into his hair so it can have something to hold on to. Jason’s hands free, he brings both of his fists up to his chest, as if he’s getting ready to box Dylan out. It looks unnatural, but it’s the only choice he has. “You’re just going to lose again.” He snarls, confident, and Nico is reminded of when he first saw Jason fight. All the lightning and the extravagance— he was a sight to behold. A true child of The Big Three. Nico was shocked when he actually talked to Jason for the first time and the other boy was nothing like the calculated, deadly machine he witnessed.
In reality, Jason’s one of the gentlest people he knows.
It’s a neat trick, though. Monsters prey on weakness. Nico wishes he could put on a poker face like that. He’s good, but he’s not that good. He couldn’t hold his own against Cupid, nearly crumpled under the weight of Lupa’s stare. Jason stared right back at both, teeth bared and chest puffed.
It doesn’t quite land like it usually does, though, with a frog using his hair as a lilypad.
“This isn’t about me. Typhon will rise, and I won’t have your stupid little crew interfering again!” Dylan’s hands clench at his sides, the muscles in his arms straining. Nico can see every one of his veins. Which Nico isn’t into, but he knows someone who is— yep. Nico looks over to Will who is definitely looking directly at Dylan’s arms. Nico pulls his mouth into a flat line, trying not to laugh at his boyfriend’s red face. As if he could sense his eyes on him, Will glances at Nico and realizes he’s being watched. His eyes go wide and his cheeks flush, eyes darting away quickly to look at the suddenly very interesting ground instead.
“Monsters? Really?” Nico whispers to Will.
Will pinches his mouth together so as to not laugh and shoots him the middle finger behind his back. Which is unfair, because he knows Nico is bad at not laughing at inappropriate times. He has to stop petting his frog pal to smack his hand over his mouth.
“Says you. I remember someone being pretty distracted by a certain Empousa in a skirt,” Will whispers back, apparently dead-set on cracking through Nico’s attempts to stay quiet. Bring that up is totally not fair!
He makes a noise of protest through his hand, trying to get Will to shut up with his eyes. His boyfriend has the audacity to laugh at him.
Thankfully, Jason is holding down the fort.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason mocks Dylan as he shuffles to one side, putting them all in a better position— completely oblivious to the fact that his fellow demigods are not thinking about battle strategies right now. Having Will with him in fights is, frankly, very detrimental to Nico’s ability to concentrate.
“We dusted Typhon earlier this week,” Nico leans forward, speaking low for only Jason to hear.
“You what?” Jason yell-whispers back, looking over his shoulder in shock. Nico can’t tell if he’s surprised about Typhon or if couldn’t hear Nico over the wind.
“Alright, I’m tired of talking! Boys, you know what to do! Boss wants them alive,” Dylan announces to his lackeys, and then crosses his arms. There’s a second where nobody moves. Confusion strikes across Dylan’s smug face. “What are you waiting for?” Dylan snaps at the other venti.
“All of them?” “Who do we go for?” “Who killed him?” “It was him!” “No it was the other one!” They hiss amongst themselves and at Dylan, arguing. They scramble around one another, forming and reforming in the wind.
“It doesn’t matter! Get them all!” Dylan yells, clouds crackling with lightning and pointing out at the group of demigods.
“Oh—” “Sorry!” “Right—” There’s a chorus of apologies.
“Or we could talk about it some more!” Will tries to reason with them as they start to rush the three demigods. To no one’s surprise, the venti don’t listen.
Nico checks his frog is secure one last time, and holds his sword up. He steps in front of Jason and Will, still using his powers to keep him connected to the ground. Each time he moves his foot, the asphalt follows him like molasses. Two are coming right at him, and Nico braces for impact— sword leveled straight forward.
He slices clean through the first venti. Or more accurately, it impaled itself on Nico’s sword, because Nico didn’t move at all. It crumbles to dust.
That was easy.
“Stupid!” Dylan shouts from the sidelines.
Two go for Jason, but he crouches low and weaves between them as they dart past. He struggles against the wind, but keeps his center of gravity close enough to the ground that he manages not to topple over. He turns on them after they pass, front hand digging into the road to keep him there with— are those claws?
Nico turns to watch the two venti do a circle and speed back at Jason, but he’s too busy keeping the second venti that came after him in his line of sight to help. Turns out, Jason doesn’t need the help anyways. He launches himself at one of them and they connect mid-air— Jason’s feet leave the ground and stay off the ground as he digs his new claws into where the back of the venti’s neck would be, forcing it to drop lower. Newly sharp teeth bared and blue eyes nearly glowing, Jason bites into its shoulder. The wind howls with pain, the swirling miniature storm of the venti’s body picking up speed to try and throw Jason off. When that doesn’t work, its form falters and tendrils start to skate away, attempting to return to the wind and reform somewhere else. But Jason holds fast, bites deeper. There’s a strangled yelp, a crack of lightning, and then it’s gone— nothing but golden dust left behind.
Two down.
The other venti that ran for Nico isn’t so keen on getting dusted as quickly as its companions, and chooses to be more of a nuisance than a threat. It darts around Nico’s head like a mosquito, whizzing back and forth. Nico swings his sword around aimlessly, trying to catch it somehow.
Nico glances to his left and Will, thankfully, is holding his own against the fifth and final venti. He’s still using his sword all wrong, but the venti doesn’t seem to know any better. It’s trying to fight Will without getting close to him, slinging lightning and bursts of strong winds.
Eventually, with Will not used to playing both offense and defense at the same time, it gets lucky. A precise gust of wind catches Will in the stomach, and he goes flying backwards with a loud grunt.
“Will!” Nico turns to his boyfriend, bobbing and weaving around his pest of a venti, to run towards him. Every time he tries to move forward, though, the venti manages to block him by darting right in his path again.
Nico grits his teeth, trying to see around the gray clouds of his opponent to see how Will is doing. He doesn’t hear anything too bad, but his anxiety tells him the wind could be carrying his voice away.
“Would you quit that?! Hold still!” Nico yells.
For some stupid reason, the monster actually stops. “Why would I do that?” It asks.
“So I can do this!” Nico says, letting his creepiest natural smile slip through, and slashes the venti straight through the chest. Dumbass jocks.
He hears Dylan groan in the distance.
Will seems to realize at the same time that his enemy has the mental capacity of a feather, and merely waits for the venti to dart closer to him. He rolls onto his back and lets the monster start rushing in, one hand up shielding his face from debris caught in its winds.
“I’ve got you now—” The venti never gets to finish gloating. As soon as he’s close enough to Will, he thrusts his sword out. Without enough time to react, the venti runs face first into Will’s sword.
It disappears in a swirl of gold dust.
Four down, one to go.
Nico and Will both look over to Jason. He’s playing a vicious game of tag with the last venti, which keeps darting in close and then running away when it realizes Jason’s got the advantage.
They should go and help, but Nico feels glued in place. And not because his feet are still sucked a few inches into the ground.
It’s because Jason is a sight to behold.
Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter and Champion of Juno, was powerful. A force to be reckoned with. He fought with natural grace, pun intended, and years of training behind each movement. Like Nico said, the boy was a killing machine. A weapon in his own right. The air moved with him, the thunder boomed his praises. He struck opponents down with lightning like he was Jupiter smiting his enemies himself.
Jason Grace, blessed by Lupa, however, is… scary. Where there was once control in his eyes, it’s been replaced by raw hunger. His movements are desperate and lightning fast, no time to think between each action, no regard for his glasses or his clothing or his opponent. He fights with a permanent scowl, his mouth slightly open like he’s either about to start panting or lashing out with his teeth. There’s no posturing holding him back, no rules or Roman training— it’s all Jason. Unfiltered, rage filled, uncontrolled Jason. Like a dog let off of his leash for the first time.
Instead of moving to help, Nico can only think one thing: He would not want to be on the receiving end of this Jason. Jason, Son of Jupiter, he could spar with. He was fairly confident that if it came down to it, they’d be an even fight. This Jason… Nico’s not sure he wants to be in the sparring rink with. He’s terrifying.
Jason yells, guttural and deep, as he finally gets a firm grip on the venti. He pulls, bare handed, and rips the wind spirit in two.
Seems like Lupa was right. He does know what to do without his sword.
Jason pants, hands on his knees and covered in monster dust, and turns his intense eyes on Dylan. The corner of his mouth lifts, rage seeping out of the edges. Are you next? He seems to ask.
Dylan crackles with anger. Looks like he’s done putting up his human facade— dark clouds billow out from his back and envelope his body. The sky gets darker, even though the sun is still out— as if someone put a black and white filter over Nico’s eyes.
“Whatever. You’ll regret this when Typhon fully rises and comes for you all. It would have been a mercy to bring you to him now.” And instead of fighting Jason, Dylan stays true to his word. His clouds thin and eventually scatter, leaving the blue skies and sunshine behind.
“Great. Just what I wanted to hear right after being brought back. Sounds like the start to another prophecy.” Jason runs a heavy hand down his face, smearing dirt and a little bit of blood there, groaning and breathing heavily. He keeps opening his mouth slightly and then snapping his jaw shut— Nico wonders if he’s tempted to stick his tongue out to cool down. On one hand, Nico hopes he does because it would be hilarious. On the other hand, Nico hopes he does NOT because Nico is positive he won’t be able to keep his laughter to himself.
“Actually… we already got a prophecy,” Will says, taking a seat in the middle of the road. He checks himself for grievous injuries, and then gestures Nico over to check him, too.
Jason’s face drops. “You’re joking, right?”
Nico and Will exchange a look. A silent battle over which one of them is going to fill him in.
“You’re not joking. Great, cool, perfect,” Jason mumbles. He pushes his palms into his eyes and takes a big deep breath, letting it all out in a rush.
He’s interrupted by a ribbit. Jason’s eyes cross as he tries to look up.
“Oh, I almost forgot about you,” Jason mumbles. He reaches up to his head and plucks the frog out of his hair. How the Hades did it hold on for dear life through that entire fight? Can frogs get PTSD? If they can, Nico is positive that frog has it. Twins!
Jason sets it down carefully in the grass, watching to make sure it hops off.
Once Will is done giving Nico his check-up, deeming him free of injury, he reaches for Jason next. Nico looks down at his own frog, who also seems to be doing just fine. But… he doesn’t want to see it go.
“Can I keep him?” Nico blurts out, staring down at its little green face and wide eyes.
Will, who Nico can’t see because Jason is bent over in front of him, is healing Jason’s bloody nose by aggressively holding his face and fussing over him. He stops what he’s doing to look over at Nico.
“I mean… if you want to. Animals like frogs require a lot of care, though. And it’s better to get ones that were already bred in captivity and can’t be released to the wild anyways,” Will says back, a little too quick for Nico to follow.
Jason, cheeks still squished between Will’s hands and straining his back to lean down, speaks up. “You sure know a lot about frog care,” he laughs. “Also, do you have to grab my face so hard?”
“Oh, sorry!” Will laughs, letting go as the glowing dies down and Jason’s nose goes back to fully functional. “And Kayla was into weird animals for a while— she tried keeping a snake in the Apollo cabin one Summer… That did not go well.” Nico shudders. Considering Apollo’s history with Python, he can’t imagine it would go anything other than catastrophic.
“You could get one that’s meant to be a pet when you get back to New York!” Jason offers, feeling his newly healed nose to make sure everything is in place.
“Yeah… I could.” Nico looks down at his little friend, takes in his big shiny eyes one last time, and then helps him out of his pocket and onto the ground. It stares up at him, blinking with the left eye and then the right, ribbits out what Nico assumes is a thank you, and goes hopping off to join his friend.
“I think you would like having a pet. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner,” Will says as they all watch the frog go on its merry way. “As soon as we get back I’ll ask Kayla for advice.”
“One condition,” Will adds.
“What?” Nico asks, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend.
“No snakes.” Will performs an exaggerated shudder that Nico can’t help but giggle at.
“Got it. No snakes.”
Jason holds a hand out to Will to help him up, which he gladly takes. Back on his feet, Will dusts himself off.
“Okay, tell me about this prophecy while we keep walking. Every monster and their mother probably knows where we are by now,” Jason says once they’re all situated. He points down the road, and the three of them start their journey back up.
On the road again.
Nico repeats their prophecy to Jason.
“Thrice found hero, four eyes blind,
By Juno's chosen, Olympus divides;
Guardian of Rome, love hard won,
The grace of gods, champion of none.”
“We have most of it settled already,” Will speaks up, rubbing tenderly at the skid marks still at his elbows. They fade slowly, a gentle glow emitting from Will’s hands. Always saving himself for last with his healing powers. Another thing they need to talk about. Later. “Thrice found hero was you, and we won over Lupa. She said it herself, you’re your own champion now. The only thing we’re still waiting on, I think, is the second line. By Juno’s chosen, Olympus divides.”
“But… I’m not Juno’s chosen anymore,” Jason says, adjusting his glasses when they fall off kilter from the furrow in his brow. Those glasses have been through a lot.
“No. You’re not. I am.” Will gestures to Jason’s sword at his side.
Jason’s mouth forms a neat little ‘o’, light eyebrows lifting in surprise. “So that’s what you meant by the stuff that happened with Juno.”
“She didn’t give him much of a choice,” Nico grumbles, picking mud off his thoroughly ruined new jeans. After the rain and the mud and the sun, they’re probably unsalvageable. He wouldn’t wish this on anyone’s washing machine. “She showed up in my dream, told me she approved of me coming to get you, and then when we had a fight with Typhon, Will picked up your sword and… received her blessing. Now he looks different.” Nico looks over at his boyfriend as he says it. Will gives him a big crooked smile that Nico knows means “and you like it”. Nico rolls his eyes, but can’t help the smile that flutters across his face in return.
“I didn’t get much of a choice either,” Jason laughs, a little bitter. “Is it bad that even though I don’t want the blessing back, I’m a little salty that she used the same sword and everything? I feel really unspecial all of the sudden.” Jason jokes, giving Will a once over as he keeps laughing. Whatever he sees there makes him nod with approval. “It does look good though.”
Will puffs his chest out, his smile going wide and toothy. “Thank you!”
Nico rolls his eyes again.
“Anyways,” Nico laughs. “In the fight with Typhon we found out there are two versions of Typhon. And the one that’s back is, we think, Hera’s son, technically. A gift from Kronos for Hera to use to overthrow Zeus in revenge for his infidelity. Or something like that. I was a little busy looking at Will to listen to Calypso’s story.”
“Gotcha,” Jason says, laughing. “I don’t think I’ve heard that one.”
“He was trying to stop us because apparently if Nico and I make it to Olympus with you, Hera won’t have a reason to be upset with Zeus anymore. And just like last time, she’ll warn Zeus and he’ll be prepared to fight Typhon.” Will fills in the rest that Nico forgot.
As he finishes catching Jason up to speed, Nico tries his whistle out again for Jules-Albert. It works this time. He feels Jules-Albert ping him back from the other side. Thank the gods. (Really, just Hades. Nico redirects his mental prayer to be more specific.) He gives his companions a thumbs up and both boys’ shoulders sag with relief as they stop walking. They all plop down to sit on the side of the road and wait. No need to wear themselves out any further with their ride on the way.
“So… we need to go to Olympus? Aren’t we concerned about the whole Olympus divides thing if we go there?” Jason asks them, fidgeting with the now-too-tight edges of his t-shirt and trying to pull it all the way down. But while they’re sitting, it refuses to do anything but ride up uncomfortably. They should’ve found him an XL. Nico wasn’t thinking about non-mortal Jason.
“From the sound of it, Olympus is already divided. Everyone’s angry that Zeus didn’t let anyone come to your aid when you prayed. And they’re still pretty upset about the whole Apollo being cast out thing.” Will traces a line in the dirt by his feet. “I don’t see how we could make it any worse. If we don’t go, Typhon will try to overthrow Zeus and start a war. If we do go, we might start a war between the gods. Not great options.”
Jason nods. “Three wars in one lifetime has to be some sort of demigod record, right?” His laugh is nervous, but there’s a real twinkle in his blue eyes.
“That’s exactly what Chiron said,” Nico says, returning the look to his friend. Nico kind of gets it now when Annabeth said she missed going on quests when they took that very legal tour of Piper’s high school. Having a reason to hang out and talk and solve problems together feels… Nice. It’s almost like Nico could convince himself they’re back at camp, sitting in the dining pavilion planning for a game of capture the flag.
He catches himself mourning that this will be over eventually. They’ll have to drop Jason off somewhere to live his life, and Will and Nico will return to Camp Half-Blood.
But why is he worrying about it now when they’re nowhere near the end?
“Not to keep harping on the prophecy, but we also don’t have the phrases four eyes blind and the grace of gods completely figured out,” Will points out. “So who knows what’s in store for us.”
And on that note, the all black limousine pulls up in front of the group of boys and Jules-Albert rolls the window down to wave them in.
“Well. One step at a time, I guess. Time to go home,” Jason’s voice is wistful, but it’s forced.
The way he climbs into the car, slow and uneasy, reminds Nico there’s a reason Jason decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood and not go back to Camp Jupiter. And then go to school with Piper instead of going back. And there was a reason for that. Nico doesn’t know what that reason is, but For Jason’s sake, he hopes it isn’t anything too upsetting. Hopefully they won't be there very long.
»↠ ≈☆≈ ↞«
Jules-Albert lets them out on the side of a very busy highway, and it’s then that Nico realizes he’s never taken the normal route into Camp Jupiter. Why would he when he was so used to shadow traveling everywhere?
If you could teleport everywhere without consequences, wouldn’t you?
Turns out, it wasn’t without consequences. But that was for later Nico to find out. And not a problem for barely-teenage Nico.
“I’m assuming there’s an entrance somewhere?” Nico asks, looking out at the split highway packed with cars. It cuts into the base of a cliff, cars coming out of the left hand side and going in on the right.
As soon as he asks, he notices the Roman legionnaires standing in between where the lanes split and enter the cliff. Guarding an inconspicuous looking maintenance door with a few bushes dotting the sides. Or, it would be inconspicuous, if not for the teenagers wearing armor and bright purple SPQR t-shirts standing directly in front of it.
“Nevermind,” Nico laughs. “Found it.”
“Yeah… not exactly hidden.” Jason chuckles. “The hard part is getting across the traffic. We usually wait until later at night when there’s less cars around to enter.”
“How are your powers feeling? Could you fly us over there?” Nico looks to Jason. He said something earlier about not being able to feel the wind, and he definitely didn’t have his powers when he was mortal. There’s a not-small chance he doesn’t have any of his abilities as a son of Jupiter anymore. Which is not something Nico wants to think about.
“I’m not sure? Doesn’t hurt to try,” Jason says, and then closes his eyes. His brow furrows, a bead of sweat tracks down his forehead. Nico’s pretty sure he stops breathing, at one point.
Nothing happens. Jason opens his eyes with a frustrated huff.
“Nothing. I knew something was up when we were fighting the venti. I couldn’t even sense the wind, let alone control it.” Jason looks down at his hands like they’re foreign to him. “No more flying powers, I guess.”
He’s clearly trying to hide how upsetting that is, but Nico sees it in his eyes. The life seems to get sucked out of them, turning them stormy gray, all of the breath leaving his chest. His wide frame deflates like a large balloon. Nico brings a thin hand up to Jason’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” is all Nico has to offer. He knows how much being able to fly meant to Jason. He loves sitting on rooftops, soaking in the night sky. Loves the open air and the wind and the sun. Nico gets it. If someone took away his ability to sense beneath the Earth, he’d be distraught. How would it feel to stand on the Earth and not feel the miles of ground and rock beneath him? The history, the bones, the soil? Would it constantly feel like being on a bridge, floating and empty?
His words seem to be enough for Jason, who smiles wobbly at Nico, staring at the hand on his shoulder.
“Thanks. It’s… it’s okay. I’ll take it over being dead, that’s for sure.” He meets Nico’s eyes, smile steadying out with reassurance, pulling at his scar.
“Plan B, then,” Will says, looking at the fast moving cars. Nico and Jason both wait, expecting Will to follow that up with an actual plan.
“I… don’t have any ideas.” Will admits after a long pause, and they all laugh. Nico likes questing with Jason and Will. Despite everything, this is still a million times more fun than the Argo II was, and a whole lot less scary than his time with Reyna. And when it’s just him and Will, like in Tartarus, it’s nice but things can get a little strenuous. Two-person quests are difficult to manage, physically and emotionally. Having Jason here is a nice buffer.
“Well. We could stand here and wait for traffic to clear.” Jason says, but he shifts from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. Nico doesn’t love it either.
“I could shadow-travel us.” Looking left and right, there aren’t very many shadows around. The sun is directly above their heads at this time of day, and while there are trees lining the side of the road where they are, there aren’t any in the center. Their only options would either be the guard’s shadows or along the cliff somewhere and scale down. Neither are great choices.
“We’re sure there’s no other option?” Will squints at Nico.
“I’m just throwing it out there! No one’s made any better suggestions yet, so,” Nico says, sticking his tongue out at his boyfriend. “Plus, it’s right there! I promise I have enough energy to get the three of us a whole twenty feet away.”
Will, exasperated, turns to Jason for backup.
Backup does not arrive.
“Listen, if Nico says he has enough energy, I trust that. He knows his limits. I’m not going to turn down the easy option if Nico’s up for it.” Jason holds his hands up in surrender.
Will sighs. “Alright, fine. Let's get it over with.” He holds his hand out, eyes scrunched shut and face already turning green.
“I’m starting to think you hate when I shadow travel because it makes you sick, and not because it makes me sick,” Nico laughs.
“Don’t make me change my mind!” Will shakes his hand with impatience, and Nico grabs it. He holds the other out to Jason, who easily slides his large hand into Nico’s. Nico and Jason share a look, silently laughing at Will’s expense, and then Nico looks back over to the center of the highway.
The two guards stand there, unmoving. One a tall menacing figure, the other small and stocky. They both have helms on, so Nico can’t tell if he knows them or not, completely covered. Still, he likes his odds of dodging a spear to the chest better than misjudging the shadow travel on the cliffside and falling into moving traffic.
“Brace yourselves. I’m going to aim for the guard’s shadows, so we might startle them. Don’t get stabbed.” And with that, Nico sinks them into the shade from the trees overhead.
It’s less than a second to pop back out on the other side, and they do, in fact, startle the guards.
Just not in the way Nico was expecting.
Their forms waver the second the trio appears behind them— disappearing in a sparkling flash. The bushes next to the maintenance door disappear with them.
And out from the faux bushes stumble Hazel and Frank.
“Nico! Jason!” Hazel squeals, jumping up into Jason’s arms and almost toppling the both of them into the oncoming cars. Frank reaches around and steadies them both.
“Don’t kill him again!” Frank jokes, but there’s real panic in his voice. His laugh is extremely wet and already full of snot when he crushes Jason in a hug of his own, not waiting for Hazel to be done. He smushes his girlfriend’s curly hair against his broad chest, completely engulfing them both.
“Hey, guys,” Jason chokes out, overwhelmed by the onslaught and eyes watering. “Sorry about… that.”
“Sorry?! Sorry doesn’t cut it, mister!” Hazel pulls back, pushing Frank with her, and Nico isn’t surprised to see she’s fully crying, tears running little rivers down her dark cheeks. “You— You!” Whatever words she wanted get stuck in her throat, and Hazel can’t bring herself to more than simply lean back into Jason, all the anger rushing out as she slumps against Jason in a more normal hug. “We missed you.”
Jason looks down at the top of her head like he can’t quite believe she’s real, but he wraps his arms around her anyways, hugging her back properly.
“I’d say I missed you too, but I don’t remember very much about being dead,” Jason chuckles. “I’m not sure I had any thoughts at all.” When he says it, he glances up at Nico. And Nico gets the message. He was thinking about one thing: waiting for Nico.
“I had to— we—” Frank shakes his head in disbelief, also unable to talk through his tears.
“We should go inside,” Will suggests, gently, motioning to the maintenance tunnel. Not a bad idea. They’re definitely causing a ruckus, and quite a few cars are slowing down to look at them as they drive by.
Nico wonders what the mortals see.
“Right, right,” Hazel dries her tears on her Camp Jupiter t-shirt. “Everyone in.” Her big lower lip wobbles as she turns the handle to the maintenance tunnel, but there’s a big smile plastered on her face. Excitement radiates from Hazel. Unlike Frank, who has gone pale as a ghost. And Nico would know.
With a creak, the door swings open and they funnel in. The warmly-lit tunnel extends far enough that Nico can’t see the end. The air in here is cold— stale and damp in a way that makes Nico feel safe. Hazel takes the front, ushering them forward. Frank hangs back, hand clasped knuckle-white tight against Jason’s shoulder to lead him in. His tears haven’t stopped.
The door thunks closed behind them, heavy.
Frank's hand shakes against Jason’s shoulder.
They walk for a few paces, Frank stumbling after Jason as Hazel talks, refusing to take her eyes off of her newly-resurrected friend.
“Sorry about the ambush! We tried to use our praetor authority to be stationed outside the gate to wait for you three, but we were told no because it was too dangerous.” She rolls her eyes, looking very out of place with the big grin still on her face and the tears in her eyes. “So I used the Mist to trick today’s guards into leaving their post and to hide us away in case anyone from the legion came to check outside.” Her words echo off the walls. Hazel walks backwards and talks, golden hair bouncing with each step. Again, never taking her metallic eyes off of Jason.
Frank, however, is getting paler by the second.
His steps slow, forcing Jason to slow down too with the grip he has on the other boy’s shoulder.
Frank brings his free hand up with a tremor to his cropped black hair, gripping at his head. His knees give out on him a little, and he has to stop walking. The rest of their little crew stops with him, each taking a step towards him in concern.
“I just… need a second,” Frank whispers into the still air.
“Yeah, of course,” Jason says back, soft as a breeze, and follows Frank down when the other boy sinks to the ground. Frank's hand never leaves his shoulder.
Silence surrounds them as Frank sits, chest heaving. The smile slides off of Hazel’s face.
“Last time we were in here, your body was in a coffin.” Frank's fingers dig into Jason’s shoulder. Nico’s not sure if Jason winces from the pain or Frank’s statement. Face flushed red with holding back tears, Frank tucks his face into the crook of his elbow and hiccups once. Twice.
And then the sobs break free.
“Shit— I’m so sorry,” Jason whispers, watching with wide eyes as his friend cries. “I’m— I’m really—” There’s no use. Frank’s crying echoes in the tunnel. Jason gathers his old friend as fully in his arms as he can, kneeling to lean his head on top of Frank’s.
Nico feels like he’s intruding.
Will’s hand slips into his, and he takes a deep breath. Fresh sadness fills his chest, but Will’s warm skin against his calms the shakes he caught from Frank. He watches with watery eyes as his sister floats over to the two boys huddled on the ground and drapes herself over top of them, hugging them both. Her tears are quieter— almost silent as they run down the round planes of her cheeks from her pained smile and drop into Jason’s hair.
“It’s hard to believe you’re really here. I feel like I’m dreaming,” Hazel presses the words into the crown of Jason’s head. “I keep expecting to wake up and you’re still gone.”
“Honestly? Me too,” Jason mutters back. “I’m sure you would have held the fort down without me, though.” He tries to make the sentence funny, but his chuckle catches in his throat and doesn’t really leave. Frank and Hazel humor him though, each forcing a little laugh out. It hurts Nico to see them all like this — but it’s temporary. A good type of sadness. Jason is back. They’re processing.
Which makes Nico think of Percy. If this is Frank’s reaction—
“Alright, okay—” Frank’s hiccups die down and he lifts his head from the cocoon he made himself. He clasps his hand against Jason’s bicep. Wordlessly, Jason helps the other boy stand and steady himself back on his feet. “I’ll be fine. Hazel needs to get you to New Rome, and I need to get new guards stationed outside.” Frank’s words sound like a mantra— a reminder that there are things he has to do, duties to serve. There will be time to be emotional later.
A Roman through and through.
Small hands come up to swipe away his tears and then reach out and take them, Hazel pulling Frank in close. She holds him for a moment. And when she lets go, he straightens up and pulls his shoulders back— perfect posture. As if nothing ever happened, except for the tell-tale blotchy red of his cheeks.
“I’ll come to Percy’s when I’m done. Good luck.” Frank kisses his girlfriend’s temple, and then turns to Jason. They hold eye contact, but eventually Frank casts his dark eyes down to the ground, unable to look any longer.
Jason moves to step forward, one hand out— to hug him, to comfort him, to speak, Nico isn’t sure, but they never find out. Frank sinks into himself, until he’s no longer there. And in his place is a large Siamese cat. Cat Frank doesn’t spare another glance up before he turns tail and scampers away.
Hurt stamps itself across Jason’s face.
Gingerly, Hazel takes his outstretched right arm into both of her hands.
“Give him time. It’s been almost a year since you’ve been gone, Jason. I think we’re all just a little… startled,” Hazel says, rubbing Jason’s arm. She looks like a painting in the dark, yellowing light of the cave— all golden hues and deep browns with that sad expression.
Jason nods, but doesn’t stop looking in the direction Frank ran away to.
“Nico, do you think you could shadow travel us to Percy’s place if I help you?” Hazel turns her attention to her brother. Nico and Will drift closer, hand in hand.
“Do we have to shadow travel?” Will asks. “Why can’t we walk there, like normal people?” This time, Will is definitely whining for his own sake. He’s still a little pale and clammy from their short jump earlier. He keeps most of the whining out of his voice, though. The mood doesn’t feel right to actually complain.
“I can’t risk having anyone see Jason before we’ve decided what we’re doing. Once stuff with the gods has settled and we have a plan laid out, Jason can parade around Camp Jupiter all he wants.” Hazel's words leave no room for argument. There’s a reason she’s leading Camp Jupiter, afterall. Nico has told his fair share of campers not to mistake her kindness for lack of authority.
“Makes sense. I’m sure suddenly showing back up after my own funeral would cause a stir,” Jason mumbles, still staring off into the cave.
“You know… Percy did that once. But at his own funeral,” Will muses out loud, and that gets Jason’s attention. It gets everyone’s attention as they turn to stare at Will.
“Of course he did,” Jason breathes out, breaking the silence.
“Yeah, I don’t know why I was shocked, either,” Hazel admits, and they share a little laugh before returning to the matter at hand. “The safest place right now is going to be in New Rome, and you just so happen to have some friends there who would love to have you crash on their couch for a few days.” Hazel’s eyes twinkle and she catches Nico’s gaze. Nico would give real life money to have been there for that conversation. Percy was probably begging the two praetors on his hands and knees to be the Jason Safety Plan.
“I can get us there if you help me. You’ll have to steer us, since I’ve never been to their apartment, and I’ll probably need a granola bar and a nap afterwards but— I feel up for it.” Nico holds his free hand out to take Hazel’s. She grabs Jason, and Will and Jason complete the circle.
“Ready?” Nico asks his sister. He thinks of the last time they did this. All of the seven staring at him expectantly. Everyone counting on him despite the exhaustion deep in his bones. He wouldn’t have made it if Hazel didn’t lend him her strength. Now, he knows, if he were to say he couldn’t, Hazel would find a way to march them through the center of camp, no questions asked. And if he’s wrong, and he overexerts himself, Will is going to be right there waiting for him on the other side. Healing hands and gatorade at the ready.
It’s a comforting thought to know that for once in his life, Nico is safe. He has people looking after him who can actually help if he needs it.
“Ready.” Hazel nods, eyes closed in anticipation. And off they go.
The four of them come tumbling out of a shadow in a dark apartment complex hallway, decidedly not in Percy Jackson’s apartment-style university dorm.
“This is us!” Hazel announces, standing in front of the door labeled 303. There are four doors in this tiny hallway, a staircase on one side and elevator on the other. Nico’s never been in dormitory housing. He was expecting something more… studious? Less like a normal apartment complex, maybe? Though, in hindsight, that’s probably dumb. It’s just housing. It’s not like they do their classes in their apartment.
The only sign that they’re even on New Rome’s campus are the hundreds of fliers taped along the wall opposite to the apartment doors, each for a different club or event— many already passed. Nico’s eyes catch on a Mythomagic Tournament flier milliseconds before he has to close his eyes to stave off the dizziness.
“Why didn’t you direct us inside the apartment?” Nico asks, yawning through the words. Yeah, he’s going to need that granola bar and nap soon. Will sidles up next to him to hold him upright, pushing a little bit of healing power into Nico’s body that goes a long way. At least he doesn’t feel like he has vertigo anymore.
“Because that’s rude, Nico! It’s courteous to knock!” Hazel argues back.
“That rule doesn’t apply to Nico. Everyone knows Nico goes wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and we let him,” Jason laughs, and Nico’s face flushes. Definitely because he doesn’t feel good and not because that’s really sweet. Jason pushes his way up past Hazel, hovering in front of the door.
He doesn’t make any further movements.
“Nervous?” Will asks Jason, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waste under the guise of helping him stay standing. In reality, he’s kind of leaning on Nico a bit, and he almost sends them crashing to the floor. He apologizes to Nico under his breath with a laugh.
“Kind of, yeah. Like we said earlier, I wouldn’t put past Percy or Annabeth to kill me for dying.” Jason’s hand hovers over the door, poised to knock. He shifts back and forth, chews at the scar on his lip. Stalling.
“Percy's definitely going to kick your butt,” Nico confirms, words slurring a little.
“Great. You’re so encouraging, Nico,” Jason gripes back, shaking his head. It must work, though, because finally, he knocks on the door.
The door swings open unbelievably fast. As if they were waiting directly on the other side.
And there’s Annabeth, smiling wide. She looks cozy, in her New Rome sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. And behind her, Percy is standing in jeans and a t-shirt, wide-eyed in the hallway. It looks like he was already crying before they even got there— ocean eyes stung red and nose irritated from blowing it.
Silence. For a brief moment, everyone holds their breath.
“JASON!” The stillness snaps. Percy breaks out into a sprint and Jason pushes past Annabeth to meet him halfways. She flattens herself against the wall to avoid being mauled. Percy tackles Jason with another yell, hard, and the whole floor shakes as the two boys hit the ground. Percy laughs hysterically, pushing himself up onto his elbows to grab Jason’s chin and turn him this way and that — double checking that he’s real.
“Percy!” Jason doesn’t even bother to hide his tears this time. They slip free, tracking down into the smile threatening to take over his face and into the scar at his temple.
“Good to see you, too, Jason,” Annabeth jokes from the door, smiling bigger than Nico has ever seen. She shuffles to the side to let everyone else in, and they all scoot into the small, generic looking living room. Except for all the blue, of course. Blue pillows, blue blankets, and a little shark plushie perched on the arm of their gray couch that Nico recognizes from their trip to Walmart.
“Sorry! Sorry!” Jason tries to tilt his head up to look at Annabeth and apologize for skipping her, but Percy won’t let him. He holds Jason’s face tight, a manic look in his eyes.
“I. Am going. To kill you, Grace!” Percy announces, incredulous. Every word gets punctuated with Percy shaking Jason’s face. “After I kiss you. And then beat the shit out of you. And then lock you in my fucking pantry so you can’t get yourself killed again—”
Jason laughs, loud and real, and it’s music to Nico’s ears.
“I get it! I get it!” Jason fits his hands over Percy’s on the sides of his face. The big grin on his face softens. “For the record, I really am sorry. I tried to get around it. I really did. I tried to Iris Message you every day for, like, three weeks.” There’s a pause, where Jason seems to gather himself, taking a deep breath. “I even tried to call your mom.” Jason’s voice cracks. Pain wells up in his bright blue eyes, nose and eyes scrunching up to try and hold the emotions in.
Percy’s expression shatters. All the color drains from his face.
“Three weeks? You called my mom?” Percy whispers. He pushes himself up over Jason with his arms, bodies still smushed together. Nico has never seen Percy so… rattled. His breathing is shallow, his pupils dilated into little pinpricks. He desperately searches Jason’s face for any traces of a joke or a lie, but finds nothing.
“Yeah, man. I wouldn’t have gone alone unless I didn’t have any other choice. But by the time Apollo showed up, it was too late.” The tears overflow, running past his temples and onto the linoleum floor.
Percy drops his head into the center of Jason’s chest. There’s nothing, at first. No sniffles, no hiccups, but then Nico notices Percy’s hands are shaking. The up and down of his back with his breathing is coming too fast. He digs his hands into the floorboards too hard, nails scraping against it.
Nico starts to move forward, to intervene before this panic attack gets further than the start, but Annabeth beats him to it of course. She kneels down by the two boys, gently putting a hand on Percy’s shoulder. He flinches away from the touch, burrowing further into Jason, whose eyes have blown wide. Jason tries to pull back, not sure what he did wrong but, again, Percy doesn’t let him move. He holds Jason tighter, the first noise leaving his throat. It’s deep and sad and nothing like his sobs from earlier— broken.
“You need to take a deep breath, Percy,” Annabeth instructs, firm but warm. He shakes his head. His hands move from the floor to Jason’s arms, squeezing so tight all the blood leaves his fingers.
“Hey—” Jason tries, just as softly. “What’s wrong? I’m back. It’s okay—”
“It’s not okay,” Percy says, barely lifting his head to be heard and voice so raw it sounds like someone ran it over a cheese grater before Percy tried to speak. “I should’ve gone with him. Apollo asked me to go with him and I—” Percy’s words fall off as he pushes his face back into Jason’s collarbone, tremors wracking his body.
Nico’s heart drops into his stomach. He didn’t know Lester tried to recruit Percy. He feels guilty for not going with them and Apollo didn’t even ask them to. Nico still woke up in a cold sweat every night for the first week feeling like he could have prevented Jason’s death entirely if only he’d been there. No wonder Percy feels responsible.
Annabeth tries again, laying her hand down slower this time. Percy accepts the touch, not moving away as she trails it down his side soothingly to rest it at the small of his back.
“No, you shouldn’t have. We already talked about this. You and Jason could have died. You weren’t supposed to be there, it wasn’t your quest. And Jason is back. You can stop beating yourself up about it, now.” Annabeth’s words are measured. She’s clearly said the same thing a million times before.
“Annabeth is right,” Nico pipes up, voice cracking with emotion. It doesn’t help that his head is still spinning from not eating anything after the shadow travel. More important things going on. “But I thought about it, too.” He adds on at the end. Because sometimes half the battle is not feeling so alone about it— not feeling crazy for wishing you had just been there.
It doesn't seem to help. Percy whimpers into Jason’s chest, grips his arms tighter. Jason grits his teeth with the pain of Percy’s nails digging into his flesh— blinking down owlishly at his best friend, a puddle of salty tears slowly forming under where Percy’s mop of black hair hides his face. The rise and fall of his back speeds up with each breath.
“Percy, you’re going to work yourself into a panic attack. Slow down. Take a deep breath.”
“No,” Percy chokes out, barely audible where his face is pushed against the fabric of Jason’s shirt. He tries to breathe in through his nose, but the disgusting noise that follows means his sinuses are completely blocked from his crying.
“Percy,” Annabeth says, more stern this time.
“Alright. Come here—” Jason mutters, as if Percy isn’t already here. Jason starts to push, turning them slowly, forcing them both onto their side. Jason gently takes his glasses off, setting them on the floor. And there, on the cold fake wood of Percy Jackson’s apartment, Jason pulls Percy in against him and tangles their legs together. He gathers Percy up, arms curling around his back and up to cradle the back of his head, tucks Percy’s arms against his chest and protectively shields him from the world.
“Breathe with me,” Jason instructs, emotions thick in his throat, but he doesn’t wait for an answer. A long, shuddering breath leaves Jason, and Percy copies. And then another. And another. Slowly in and out, laying on the floor. In and out. In and out.
The rest of them stand there and watch, Will rubbing a comforting hand up and down Nico’s back, Hazel covering her tears with a hand, Annabeth scooting back to give the boys some space.
Their breathing slows, the tears finally stop.
Eventually, Percy lifts his head once again— barely visible to everyone but Jason, who looks down at his friend.
“Thanks,” Percy barely manages to get out, moving his arms to wrap around Jason’s middle.
“Don’t mention it,” Jason cracks a wet smile, like that’s a little joke just for them.
Nico has to wipe tears from his own cheeks that he didn’t realize had gathered there.
Finally, Percy pulls his head back. He looks like a mess— black hair sticking in every direction, eyes completely bloodshot, lips dry and snot running out of his nose. He’s left a big wet stain on Jason’s t-shirt (which no one seems to have noticed what it says, yet. They’re a little busy.)
Everyone in the room seems to see something at the same time— the two camp necklaces tied around Percy’s neck, hanging down into Jason’s view. One is obviously Percy’s, and the other—
“Is that my camp necklace?” Jason asks, expression vulnerable as he reaches up. He takes the singular bead into his hand. Percy cracks a watery smile.
“Piper gave it to me. I guess you can have it back now, huh?” Percy ducks his head with an awkward little laugh. It’s been a long time since Nico has seen Percy embarrassed. Annabeth comes to his rescue.
“Piper gave us a lot of your stuff, actually. You can definitely have it all back,” she laughs a much more real laugh. And it is funny. Nico thinks about Jason’s Camp Half-Blood shirt sitting in his dresser back at his cabin, tucked neatly under his pajamas.
He was kind of looking forward to using that as a sleep shirt. Dang.
“Not all of it. I’m keeping the Camp Jupiter shirt Piper gave me,” Percy says, but unlike Annabeth, he doesn’t sound like he’s being silly.
“That’s fine,” Jason smiles, watery, still holding onto the singular bead. “I don’t need it anyways.”
“Hate it here that much, do you?” Hazel jokes, directing her smile down at Percy and Jason.
Finally, that gets Jason to actually laugh again. He lets go of his necklace around Percy’s neck and tilts his head back to look at her.
“Hate is a strong word…” Jason jokes back, chuckling to himself.
There’s a deep sigh from Percy, laying his head back against Jason’s chest, this time in content rather than trying to hide.
“I’m so glad you’re back. I almost joined you down there,” Percy says, the words small and automatic as if they were a thought no one was meant to hear.
Nico’s brain screeches to a halt. Not a single person breathes out.
Does he mean— What—?
“What do you mean you almost joined me— Percy?!” Jason pulls back from his friend, horror clear in his wide eyes and open mouth. Percy pulls away, cheeks flushing a deep red and shame obvious on his face that tells Nico everything he needs to know.
Nico files it away to talk to Percy about later. If anyone can understand, it’s him. And if they’re doing this thing where they try to have a better relationship, Nico can definitely start there. If only to make sure Percy's okay.
“Not— well— it wasn’t on purpose!” Percy tries to defend himself.
A knock at the door interrupts them.
“I’ll get it,” Hazel squeaks, visibly uncomfortable, and hurries to the door. The rest of them watch Hazel go, but Nico keeps his eyes on Percy and Jason.
“We’re talking about that later,” Jason whispers to his friend, squeezing him impossibly tighter.
“...Yeah. I know,” Percy sighs, and lets himself sink comfortably back into their hug.
Good. At least someone is going to make him talk about it. Nico will check back on that.
“Hey, how’s it going in here?” Frank ducks through the apartment door, thankfully human again.
“We haven’t talked about anything yet. Percy’s hogging all of Jason’s attention,” Annabeth chuckles, but the look she gives her boyfriend is sad and a little bit broken. They’ve been through so much. Nico always asks when he’s going to get a break for once— he should ask the same thing for Percy and Annabeth. When are they going to get a break?
“I’m not apologizing. And Jason’s not getting up any time soon. You can all talk to him from here.” Percy glares at his girlfriend, who laughs.
“What?! You have a couch! Can we at least move there?” Jason looks down at Percy, trying to be upset but he just can’t keep it up when Percy blinks his puppy eyes back up at him.
“If you wanted couch privileges, you should've thought about that before you went and got yourself killed,” Percy grumbles, and plops his head right back into Jason’s chest. Trapping him once again.
“Right, of course,” Jason laughs, but tips his head back against the floor, accepting his fate.
Frank comes to stop above the two of them, looking down fondly. “Sorry about earlier, I—”
Jason holds a hand up. “It’s cool, man. You don’t have to explain.”
Frank lets out a big sigh of relief, nodding his thanks.
“I hate to ruin the moment, but is there a plan? And also if anyone has any food, I’m still feeling woozy from all the shadow traveling…” Nico asks, hands wringing together. Nico feels like he did the hard part: actually bringing Jason back. So his friends kind of owe him by coming up with the next steps. Annabeth, the angel, has a granola bar in his hands before he even finishes his sentence. He doesn’t waste any time tearing it open.
Percy cracks an eye open up to look at Nico, but doesn’t answer his question. “You’re next, by the way.”
“What?! What did I do!” Nico’s face goes red, mouth full of granola. Next for what, exactly? Does he mean for a hug, like Jason? Nico is not sure if being stuck under Percy for a ten minute long hug is somewhere he wants to be. For many reasons.
“Your hug is next! As a thank-you, for bringing Jason back,” Percy laughs, but his eyes are sincere. He rubs snot off of his nose with the short-sleeve of his t-shirt. Gross. Nico swallows hard.
“Keep your hug, Jackson. I’ll take thank-yous in the form of Happy Meals and extra custody time with Mrs. O’ Leary,” Nico says, rolling his eyes. He’s sure the look falls flat with just how blushy he is right now, still picturing the hug before he even gets it. When, exactly, did those start sounding not so terrible? Nico blames Jason. And Will. But mostly Jason.
“You can have all three! As soon as I’m done cuddling Jay.” Percy presses his cheek against Jason’s. It seems like reality has finally set in that he’s back, and the emotions have finished rattling around in Percy’s chest, back to their weird selves again.
“This is why the younger campers thought we were dating, Percy.” Jason shoves Percy’s face away, smiling wide and not trying very hard at all to get Percy out of his space.
“Oh no, the campers think I’m dating the tall, really attractive, muscular—” “Shut up!” Jason shoves at him for real this time, and the two end up wrestling around on the ground and cackling— ruining their cuddle session.
If a stupid little smile creeps across Nico’s face, that’s nobody’s business. He never thought he’d see the sight of the two of them playing and rolling around like that ever again. It’s just nice to have Jason back, okay?
Looking around, it seems like Nico isn’t alone. They’re all looking at the two boys like something in the universe has healed. And it has. This is right. This is what life was meant to be like. It wasn’t Jason’s time to die yet. He was meant to be right here, in Percy and Annabeth’s apartment, roughhousing with his friends and laughing.
“I can’t tell if this is funnier or worse now that we know Percy is bi…” Will leans in to whisper into Nico’s ear, who, for the second time that day, has to smack a hand over his mouth to hold back laughter.
“If you could stop being homoerotic for two seconds, we do have to make a plan.” Annabeth sticks her leg out to hold the two of them still with her fuzzy-sock.
Percy boos her, but they hold still. Jason settles on his back, Percy’s head pillowed on his chest, right above his heartbeat, legs stretched at a 90 degree angle.
Hazel giggles, but pulls herself together enough to speak. “The plan is to get them all to Olympus somehow. From what we’ve heard from Camp Half-Blood, things are bad over there. It hasn’t stopped raining in New York since Will and Nico left, apparently.”
“I hate Olympus,” Percy mutters to himself, and Annabeth nods her head in agreement.
“And the problem with that is Nico can’t just shadow travel them up there. We’ll have to get you guys up through the Empire State Building. Which means we’re going to either have to sneak in, or convince the front desk to let us into the elevator.”
Will nods, like this makes perfect sense to him. Nico only remembers one thing about Olympus: how small he felt. Even with his father there, he felt out of place. A tiny kid, at the end of a war he didn’t quite understand, sitting at the foot of Hades’ throne. The extravagance, the stare of the gods— Nico shudders at the thought of having to do that again. And that time the gods were on his side.
“Okay… so we’re just marching up Olympus and hoping we can… what? Convince them not to go to war by bringing the main point of their arguments right to them?” Nico gestures at Jason, who doesn’t look happy to be the topic of discussion again.
“Well, when you put it like that,” Jason mutters. He looks down at Percy, who looks up at him with wide eyes.
Okay, Nico cannot take Jason seriously when he’s cuddling Percy. He looks at Hazel and Annabeth instead.
“It’s a shot in the dark, I know, but so is everything else we do. I don’t have any other ideas,” Hazel says.
There’s another knock at the door. This time, they all turn with raised eyebrows.
“Are we… expecting anyone else?” Annabeth whispers. All the demigods shake their heads.
She creeps up to the door and looks through the eyehole. Whatever it is she sees she gasps, and yanks the door open.
“Hey—!” Annabeth tries, but doesn’t get another word out before their guest is hurrying inside.
It’s Piper. She forces her way in, shouldering past Annabeth and not even realizing that there are six other demigods in the room. She looks over her shoulder at Annabeth as she speaks, so fast Nico barely catches what she’s saying.
“Oh, thank gods you answered. I had this crazy prophetic nightmare and booked the first flight here that I could and getting into this camp is such a hassle—” Piper’s foot catches on something on the ground. She almost trips, but steadies herself. She looks down at what got in her way— swirling eyes fixate on the floor, seeing, but not comprehending.
Nobody moves an inch.
“JASON?!”