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Chapter Text

When the Seven found out that Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, was trapped in a jar, they were in varying emotional states. Hazel was the most distraught but a lot of the people on board the Argo II didn't understand why. Surely, if he was a son of Hades, he could get himself out?

Piper sighed, "Hazel, look, I know you're upset but-."

"Upset? Upset? My brother is dying, what don't you understand?!" 

Hazel's eyes were red and angry tears streamed down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess and she was halfway into a battle stance. Sometimes, Percy's heart broke with how closely she could resemble Nico.

Frank clears his throat from beside Hazel, "We need to get him out. It's not right to leave someone to die when we could save him."

"This isn't part of the quest. There's no reason for us to save him, he won't benefit our mission. It's a waste of time, a distraction, so we lose sight of what's important."

The moment the words left Jason's mouth, the ship began to shake. Hazel's eyes glowed golden, unnatural and divine.

"What the fuck did you just say, Grace? You think a fucking quest is more important than my brother's life? Holy Gods, I knew you could be dim but to be such a mindless fucking puppet that you can't tell right from wrong is actually insane! Are you even hearing yourself right now?"

Jason's feet were physically rooted to the floor, crystals creeping up his legs. He kept his eyes trained on Hazel, letting lightning crackle through his veins. He understood loss but he wouldn't let the mission be compromised for a whim of the heart.

"Woah, woah, let's all calm down." Piper said, stepping between them, "Jason, you shouldn't be so blunt, it hurts peoples feelings. Hazel. . . Jason's right. Going after him is a distraction, one we can't afford."

Hazel's expression saddened. She looked hopelessly around the table, "Leo? Annabeth?"

Leo looked up from whatever he was tinkering with, "Listen, I don't mind what we do, just let me know where we're going once you decide what to do. I'm still charting the course for the ship."

Annabeth pulled her head out of her hands, "Hazel, I'm not in a good head space right now, all I can think of is the Athena Parthenos and how I'm going to get out alive. Whatever decision I make at the moment is probably the wrong one."

That was two votes for leaving Nico (Jason and Piper), two votes for save him (Hazel and Frank) and two votes for do whatever (Leo and Annabeth). Meaning Percy would be the tiebreaker. Hazel turned to him with a pleading expression.

Percy sighed, "Nico is a good guy. He's tried to kill me in the past, he's lied to me, hurt me. But he's a tough kid. I'm sure he'll break himself out soon enough. He's always been independent, self-sufficient. I know you're worried, Hazel, and I won't try and tell you not to worry, but he can take care of himself."

There was an audible cracking in the air and Percy thought it might be the sound of Hazel's heart breaking. Sobs shook her shoulders as she shakily wiped her tears away. It was silent as the watched the daughter of Pluto cry. Then she straightened, with red rimmed eyes hard as steel.

"I don't give a fuck. We're not voting on my brothers life. We are going to save him, whether you like it or not. I don't care if you don't want to, I am getting him back and you cannot complete the quest of the seven when you are only six. Leo, change course."

There was something unshakeable about Hazel as she said it, something that said there was no other option. She glared at each of them in turn. Picking up an apple from the table, she held it out.

"If any of you even hint at disliking him or are on anything but your best behaviour. . ."

The apple was overtaken with gold and jagged crystals before Hazel crushed it in her hand, sending sharp shards flying. 

"It will be your head."

Hazel turned on her heel and stalked out the room, every step leaving a crystal footstep behind. Frank chased after her while Leo and Annabeth were too absorbed in research to react. Jason walked out, lightning crackling at his fingertips, with Piper glaring at Hazel's back. Percy slumped in his chair and groaned.

-----------------

Italy was beautiful. Hazel would've loved to explore it, to learn about her brother's first home. Maybe she should start learning Italian. Nico had learnt Louisiana French for her after all. Nico. . .

Hazel loved her brother, with her whole heart and soul. He was everything, the first person to truly care for her, the first person to see her. Nico had always been different, Hazel knew that, but why would so many people not want to help him? 

Piper and Leo had never even met him yet they both didn't care to save him, Jason must've met him at least once but he too protested. Hazel had a horrible feeling that Frank was only sticking with her to keep her happy and Percy and Annabeth. . . they had known Nico the longest yet they seemed to care the least. Annabeth was too focused on the Athena Parthenos and Percy acted as though Nico could free himself.

Hazel wondered what could make people hate her brother so much. There was nothing monstrous about him. Sure, he was a bit strange, but that was just part of being a demigod. Hazel would never admit it but Nico was her role model.

He had his powers under control, Hades trusted him enough to run errands, his knowledge was likely incomprehensible. He was the greatest warrior she'd ever seen and he was her brother. If only he looked at her with that glint in his eye, she'd know everything would be okay.

But he wasn't here.

So Hazel was going to get him back. It truly was that simple to her. It didn't matter if the Earth collapsed in on itself, if Gaia destroyed everything, as long as she had her brother, everything would be okay. 

She had begun to track her brother via his sword, forcing the Seven to follow her. Soon she reached a strange dent in the wall. Pressing her hand to the wall, she realised it was an illusion and quickly pushed past it.

A long hallway with torches on each side lay before her. 

"This is it. I can feel it. We'll go down the hallway, find Nico, and save him."

Hazel didn't give them time to protest, marching on with determination. Not too long after, they spotted a skeleton, shadows coiling between its ribs. They ignored it, skeletons were expected in a place inhabited by monsters. 

However, the further they went, the more skeletons showed up, each with shadows swarming them. They began to grow suspicious. Jason and Percy glanced at each other, nodded, and pulled their weapons out. 

Suddenly, an earthly scream echoed from farther down the hallway.

"Nico." Hazel whispered, hands shaking.

Before they could reach out to stop her, Hazel ran. The Seven followed her. Abruptly, Hazel stopped. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, eyes wide and glossy with tears. She stumbled back, shaking her head.

Annabeth clutched her arm, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Holy shit." Piper gasped as she saw what Hazel did. 

It was similar to a colosseum, rows of seats surrounding an arena. There were two elevated seats with mutilated corpses rotting in them, the seats filled with skeletons. However, that wasn't what had shocked them.

In the middle of the arena was a boy. He paced back and forth, tugging at the chains that bound him from leaving the arena. Heaving breaths and ferocious sobs stuttered from his chest, his hair was matted and coated with blood. He was coated in blood.

His face, his neck, his chest, his arms and hands, all covered in blood. The boy collapsed to his knees and whined, pressing his face into the sand and dirt. Then he yanked the chain once more. Nothing.

The chains were glowing, thrumming with power. That was likely the reason why he was struggling to be set free. The boy bent his head and began to gnaw at his arm, knowing that trying to get the chains off was futile. What made this even more shocking was that it was working.

His teeth had been sharpened into dangerous points and now he was tearing through his own skin. There was something animal about him, something divine. Even exhausted and dirty as he was, he was captivating.

"Nico!" Percy shouted, running towards him.

At the sound of his name, of a voice, of a person, Nico span around to look at them fully. He scrambled back, snarling and baring his teeth as he went. Percy slowed as he neared him.

"Hey, Nico, hey. I'm Percy. Come on, Nico, you know me. We need to get those chains off you, huh?"

It was strange to see Percy act like this. He had seemed opposed to the idea of getting Nico out but now he was comforting him? He wasn't making any progress, though, as all Nico did was push himself further away.

Shadows swarmed him and the screams of the dead echoed from the space behind him. If Leo didn't know any better, he'd think they were facing a god. Nico di Angelo was powerful, that much was true.

Jason stepped forward, as if in a trance. The look in his eye was. . .strange. It was like he saw something in Nico that the rest of them didn't. Percy was still reaching his hands out towards Nico, muttering words of comfort to him. 

When Jason reached Percy, he pushed his hands down.

"Hey, what are you doing, Grace-?"

"Don't."

Jason didn't look at Percy as he spoke, only Nico. The boy still had his teeth bared, glaring menacingly at them. His head was tilted, as if listening to the whispers of the dead. Jason sunk to his knees.

"Hey, you're Nico, right?"

Nico didn't say anything, staring blankly at Jason. 

"You don't have to talk. It's alright. I know what its like, talking to people after so long with no one to talk to. It's strange but it gets easier, promise." Jason crawled a little closer, still on his knees.

"I was raised by wolves, see. It's difficult to get rid of that anger."

Jason gently picked up the chain connecting to Nico's cuffs. Nico stiffened, eyes tracking his every move. However, Jason did not falter.

"Lucky you, you've got a bunch of people to help you. Hazel, you're sister, she's here. Percy and Annabeth, from your camp. I'll help you too. I'm Jason, Jason Grace."

Nico's guarded expression faltered. His brows furrowed, frowning. He looked so much smaller without the vicious expression on his face.

"Hazel?"

Nico's voice was scratchy and heavily accented. It cracked as he spoke. There was something about him that made him seem centuries older than he was.

"Yeah, Hazel. She's here."

Jason's face was unbelievably soft as he spoke. The rest of the Seven had made their way down, standing behind Jason. Hazel gently stepped forward.

"Nico?"

That was all the warning they got before Hazel was pushing past Jason and diving at her brother. She wrapped her arms around him and pushed his face into her neck. She whispered to him in French, rocking him back and forth. 

"Hazel, we need to get those chains off him," Jason said.

"Of course, yeah." 

Hazel pulled away enough to grab the chains. They crumbled to dust within her hands. Nico gasped, his head snapping up as shadows pushed into his mouth and eyes. His skin flashed between being see-through and being coated with blood.

Once the darkness settled, Nico looked at Hazel. His hands clutched her face, swiping blood across her cheeks. He scanned her over as if he was checking for injuries.

"I didn't think you would come."

And wasn't that tragic? He thought no one was coming for him and they had been arguing whether or not to save him. Hazel sobbed, brushing tangled hair from Nico's eyes.

"I will always come for you."

Nico flinched when Hazel made to pull him into another hug but when she tried to pull away, he only held her tighter. Percy was looking anywhere but at the two siblings and Annabeth was gently stroking his back. Piper was trying to subtly glare at Nico while Leo looked at the remaining chains in awe, rambling aloud about their creation. Frank was anxiously fiddling with his fingers and Jason stayed exactly where he was.

He watched the two holding each other and a single tear slipped down his face. 

"How long has it been since you brushed your hair?" Hazel teased.

"Shut up, you smell like monster guts." Nico mumbled.

Hazel laughed and Percy flinched, staring at her. Nico used to laugh like that. Every single day, he would laugh without a care in the world. Then Bianca died.

Chapter Text

Nico was strange.

He would hole himself up at the highest point of the ship and not move. The only time he came down was to clutch at Hazel's wrist and feel her pulse. He didn't come down to eat, he didn't come down to sleep. So, yeah, he was strange.

Piper had told them that Nico had a death aura, that he was dangerous, but that had only resulted in her getting slapped by Hazel. Frank wasn't much better. He never outright said anything but any mention of Nico had him paling and rushing to vomit over board. When Jason asked him about it, Frank had said that Nico was absolutely terrifying. Jason thinks the only reason Frank is scared is because Nico is Hazel's big brother.

Leo was also terrified of Nico, however, that didn't stop him from wanting to know the inner workings of his shadow powers. Every time Nico came down, Leo would watch him like he was some sort of exotic animal. It was weird, to say the least, but Nico didn't acknowledge it.

Annabeth had begun snapping at anyone that treated Nico differently (Leo still had a bruise from when she had caught him staring). Although, she too had expressed an interest in Nico's powers. Percy, on the other hand, went out of his way to avoid any Nico-centric conversations. It was very awkward.

Hazel was all smiles around Nico but every night she would curl herself into Frank's arms and cry. She was terrified that he'd never stop flinching, that his eyes would forever be clouded with terror, that he would never be her brother again. Sometimes, she would stare at Nico with tears in her eyes.

Despite Nico rarely speaking, and only to Hazel, Jason went out of his way to talk to Nico. He would sit and tell him about Lupa, about his sister, Thalia. Anything he could think of, Jason would tell him. Sometimes he would just make stuff up about the clouds or try to find constellations.

Nico never responded. The most he would do was look down at Jason with his brows scrunched in confusion. Jason thought Nico was rather cat-like. This was only confirmed when instead of taking the ladder down, Nico simply walked off the roof. 

Everything changed on their quest for Diocletian's sceptre.

----------------------

Cupid was a horrible god. He was invisible and every time Jason tried to catch him out, he dissolved like mist between his fingers. Arrows shot out at them and Jason tried his best to dodge them.

He was standing back to back with Nico and he could hear every harsh exhale of breath, every muttered prayer. At some point, Nico's heavily accented English had transitioned into Italian. Jason's heart ached for the boy.

It was clear Nico had suffered to those deemed 'stronger' than him, gods and monsters alike. To have Cupid cackling madly, while whispering of secrets, must've been horrible for Nico.

"Son of Hades! I have been begging for the gods to send you to me!"

Nico gripped his sword tighter and snarled, sharpened teeth glinting, "What do you want?"

"I want your secrets. Reveal yourself, son of Hades, or your quest shall remain incomplete."

Cupid giggled when Nico made to swing at where the voice was coming from. Jason narrowly ducked another arrow and turned to face Nico.

"Nico! I won't judge you for anything!"

Nico snapped his teeth and his Stygian sword creaked beneath his fingers. His shadow grew darker and longer, writhing in agony. Jason couldn't help but think the shadow represented Nico's inner fear. 

"Why did you leave camp, Nico? Won't you tell the son of Zeus? Tell him. Tell him about Misery, about Tartarus. Tell him about Camp Half-blood, about Bianca. Tell him about the arena, Spaventoso."

"Don't call me that!"

An arrow slammed into Nico's shoulder. Slowly, Cupid had been pushing Jason and Nico away from each other. Nico was cornered, arrows flying at him from very direction.

"But that is what you are, is it not? Spaventoso!"

Nico collapsed to his knees and began clawing at his ears, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Tell us your secrets, Misery was ever so pleased with meeting you. Don't disappoint me, Spaventoso."

Nico screamed. It was guttural and raw, Cupid himself flinched at it. He kept screaming and he didn't stop. Shadows swirled around Cupid, locking around his wrists and ankles.

"I'm not a toy!"

Cupid choked. The shadows began crawling up his legs, freezing him in place. The screams of a thousand dead warriors echoed around them. Nico was shaking.

"I am not a toy!"

Nico's voice was warped, millions of angry spirits joining him in his pain. The shadows reached Cupid's face and the God screamed as they delved into his eyes and mouth. Jason dropped his sword in shock.

"I am not a toy!"

The shadows disappeared from Cupid. There was nothing left but an oddly human heart dripping with ichor. The ichor darkened and rotted away into black but that didn't matter.

Nico was still trembling on the floor, hands covering his ears. Shadows coiled around him and he seemed to be actively trying to make himself disappear. His Stygian sword was lying metre's away from him.

Jason sunk to his knees in a cruel imitation of their first meeting. 

"Nico?"

"Shut up! I'm not a toy! I-I'm not!"

"I know. You're not a toy, you're just Nico."

Nico still hadn't looked at him. Jason was now kneeling directly in front of him. He looked so young, so small. Why did the Parcae torture him so?

Jason's hands gently tugged at Nico's wrists until they fell away from his ears. His fingers were coated in blood from how hard he had pressed them into his head. Finally, Nico looked up at him. 

Tears streamed down his cheeks and there was blood down his face. His eyes were wide and so, so innocent it hurt. His lips were bleeding from where he'd sunk his teeth into them. His sharpened teeth.

With care Jason didn't think he possessed, he pulled Nico towards him. He wrapped himself around the boys trembling form and held him. He was shaking so much.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Hugging you."

"Why?"

"Because."

There was silence for a moment. Jason stroked Nico's hair and listened to his breath even out. 

"You don't have to tell me about it." Jason whispered. "But I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

"If you ask questions, I'll probably answer them."

He said it so quietly that Jason had to strain to hear it. Jason needed to handle this properly. If he did this wrong, he might never have the opportunity to be Nico's friend.

"Why did he call you that?"

Nico stayed quiet. Jason was scared that he'd asked the wrong question but Nico only pulled away. They sat next to each other, staring forward.

"It means fearful in Italian. It was my name in the arena."

Jason's heart broke. A name in his mother tongue. A name connected to his struggles through the arena. Nico must've been terrified when he first got there and when he left, they were scared of him. Fear would forever be a part of him.

"Do you want to be friends?"

"What?"

This shocked Nico enough to make him spin around to face him. He looked so confused. Jason didn't understand why. Nico had something about him that made you want to be his friend.

"Friends. Me. You. Yes?"

"Why?"

"Because."

-------------------------

It was obvious something had happened between Nico and Jason when they arrived back on the Argo II. Nico had begun giving Jason a similar treatment to Hazel in the way that he would loop his hand around their wrist to feel their pulse. Jason would constantly be talking to Nico.

Nico never responded, at least, in the presence of the other demigods. 

Piper had cornered Jason at the dining table with the others, without Nico, "What happened?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"What happened between you and Nico?"

Jason shrugged, "Nothing."

Hazel glared at him, "You know what will happen if you hurt him."

"I know. Luckily, I'm trying to protect him, not hurt him."

----------------------

That dinner, something they'd never seen happened. Jason and Nico were sitting next to each other, as normal. Hazel was trying to push more food onto Nico's plate, as normal. Jason was talking to Nico, as normal.

Halfway through the night, Jason felt a weight on his arm. He carefully turned his head and saw that Nico was leaning against him. Asleep.

His hair was a mess and he was pouting in his sleep, his ice cold hands made Jason shiver. But he was asleep. They had never seen Nico fall asleep in front of them, they'd begun to think that he simply didn't sleep. Yet, here he was.

The Seven didn't question the bond between Jason and Nico anymore. It was just Jason and Nico. Friends.

Chapter Text

When Nico agreed to shadow travel the Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood, he didn't realise that meant facing Lycaon. 

Lycaon stood in front of him, Reyna and Hedge screaming for him to get back while they ran to the Athena Parthenos. Lycaon smiled and blood dribbled from his mouth. He was a rather ugly thing.

"Son of Hades, come to meet his death at the hands of Lycaon!"

Lycaon's canines were too large for his mouth so he spoke with a lisp. This made him significantly less frightening. Nico tilted his head.

"You're funny, Lycaon."

"Funny? Funny?"

Before Lycaon could step forward and tear his face off, Nico summoned Nyctimus. The son Lycaon had cooked for the gods to eat. Nyctimus was angry, to say the least.

"Son?"

Lycaon's voice broke. There were tears shining in his eyes. Nico didn't care. He wanted him dead.

Nyctimus turned to Nico, "What is it that you wish of me, Lord?"

"Kill him."

Lycaon didn't even have time to open his mouth before Nyctimus was upon him. Nyctimus tore his father apart with his bare hands, leaving nothing but bones. Lycaon pleaded for his son to stop but Nyctimus couldn't. Nico had ordered him to do something.

"Stop."

Nyctimus pulled away and disappeared into the ground. Nico stepped forward and picked up Lycaon's skull. It was perfect. 

When he was in the arena, he was told to take a part of his fallen enemy to show his triumph over them. It always reassured him that they were dead, that they wouldn't come back. Despite monster's being able to regenerate, anything killed by Nico never came back. Perhaps it was due to him being a son of Hades.

Some of the other competitors would take locks of their hair and add it to their braid, some would take their weapon. But not Nico. Nico would take their bones. 

He would peel back their skin and gently rip out their bones. He now had a full set of armour crafted from the bones of his enemies. What more humiliating than protecting that which you wished to kill?

Nico ran back to Reyna and Hedge, grabbing onto the Athena Parthenos and letting the shadows consume him. They were strange companions. Hedge was a rather aggressive, shouty satyr but, once he saw the way Nico flinched, he quietened around the son of Hades. Reyna was aggressive too but in a more back-stabbing way. Nico was scared of her but she was more scared of him.

-------------------

When Hedge first met Nico di Angelo, he wanted to spar with him. However, once he saw the way Nico flinched away from him, he recognised that perhaps Nico had fought enough. Now, all he wants is for the boy to put down his sword and rest.

Unfortunately, that was not likely to happen any time soon. Fortunately, Hedge doesn't give a shit.

The moment Nico's eyes started drooping, Hedge made him stop shadow travelling them and began to set up camp for the night. Nico was leaning heavily on the Athena Parthenos, exhaustion rolling off him in waves, yet his eyes never left Hedge or Reyna. It made Hedge feel bad, knowing that Nico thought they would still kill him. 

Hedge had finally cleared the area enough for the earth to be a comfortable place to sleep and Reyna was rummaging through her bag for food. Abruptly, Nico straightened from his slouching position. Hedge and Reyna pulled out their weapons. They'd learned to trust Nico's instincts.

A pilum flew at them from the forest. With a speed only attainable by a god, Nico's hand shot out and caught it, centimetres from Reyna's heart. Hedge whistled at the kids reflexes. Sure, this is a life and death situation but skill is skill.

A rather ugly looking, foul smelling demigod stumbled from the trees. 

"Nico di Angelo. Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. I wonder if you remember me."

Reyna opened her mouth, "Bry-."

"Don't," Nico interrupted, "He is not worthy of a name. Nor of acknowledgment."

Creepmeister -Hedge doesn't know his name, okay?- snarled and made to step towards Nico. Nico merely tilted his head and Creepmeister's own shadow wrapped around his legs. Nico can be quite terrifying, in Hedge's opinion.

"What is it that you want?"

"For death and misery to rain hellfire upon you!" 

Creepmeister was kind of mean.

Nico raised a brow, "Been there, done that, try harder."

"I will kill you all!"

Nico turned to look directly at Reyna and Hedge, "What should we do with him?"

Before either of them could speak, Creepmeister shrieked, "Daughter of Bellona, how I will enjoy ripping the flesh from your bones, kissing your skin from the inside ou-!"

Creepmeister abruptly choked on his own words. His own shadow was strangling him, making his eyes bulge rather like a frog's. Nico glared at Creepmeister and even Hedge didn't want to be on the receiving end of that stare. 

"Did I allow you to speak?"

Creepmeister fell to his knees, clutching at his throat. He began crawling forward, wheezing. Reyna stepped back in disgust, staring wide-eyed at Creepmeister.

"Do you wish to kill him or shall I?" Nico asked, pointedly looking at Reyna.

"I don't want him to have the comfort of my blade."

Nico grinned and Creepmeister stared fearfully at him. Nico's teeth had been sharpened -all of them- and looked as though they could tear through flesh. Creepmeister had every reason to be afraid. 

Nico outstretched his hand and Creepmeister's shadow ripped itself away from its owners body and scuttled to Nico's palm. Creepmeister writhed, screaming in agony. The shadow coiled around Nico's hand and arm, as if it were a snake. 

"No! You can't kill me!"

"Why?"

"Because, you're meant to be good, they'll hate you if you killed me!"

Creepmeister smirked grimly as though he had discovered all of Nico's secrets. Nico only laughed. 

"You think anyone can stop me?"

Creepmeister braced himself on the earth's floor, the pain of having his shadow ripped away dissipating. He heaved a breath and swayed on his hands and feet, He was practically begging for a kick to the face.

"I! I can stop you!"

"Who are you?"

Creepmeister began to sink into the earth, the ground swallowing him. He made to rip himself away but then Nico's hand closed around his shadow. He screamed and his body shifted, ever-changing. He could be anyone now. His flesh rotted and his skin peeled away. From his veins, poison poured freely, sickeningly green. 

"What are you?"

Creepmeister's eye rolled out of its socket, his teeth fell out and his nose gushed blood. His limbs bent at awkward angles, snapping and cracking with his every move. He was shaking from the pain.

"Nothing."

Creepmeister dissolved into the earth and his shadow screeched as it evaporated in the air. 

Nico turned away from the body and sat next to a tree, leaning back against it. Reyna, silently, sat down. She didn't even try to eat the food she'd found. Hedge sat down too. They were a rather strange partnership but they understood each other in some way.

Not too long after they'd sat down, Nico fell asleep. He shivered and curled closer into himself, brows furrowing. Hedge shuffled forward slowly, not wanting to spook him if he awoke. Carefully, Hedge curled his own body around Nico. He held the boy close and listened to the sound of his breathing. Hedge could never forget that this unstoppable force of nature was in fact a boy, a child.

He slept rather fitfully that night.

---------------------------

There was something about Nico di Angelo that put Reyna on edge. He possessed unnatural power and yet he hadn't killed them. In fact, he was the one chance they had at saving the Roman and Greek camps. He was actively helping. It was weird.

Another thing, his eyes. Every time he looked at her, she felt as though he knew all her deepest darkest desires and secrets. Reyna didn't like letting people knowing her because that always meant pain but Nico made her feel seen. She didn't like it.

Reyna sat on the Athena Parthenos' head, watching the sunset. Below her, she could hear Hedge snoring. She felt a shift in the shadows and knew that Nico would soon be joining her. He sat beside her on Athena's head. She wasn't surprised he had followed her. To be higher up than him gave her an advantage in attack and Nico always prepared for attacks.

"Why are you helping us?"

"Because. Why are you?"

That shocked her. Why was she working with these Greeks? If they didn't bring the Athena Parthenos back then the Romans, her people, would triumph over the Greeks. So why?

"Because no one deserves a death such as the one my people will bring to yours."

Nico looked at her. He hummed and his impossibly large eyes stared deep into her soul once more.

"I was raised on Circe's Island."

Nico blinked. When did she decide she was going to tell him her tragic past?

"It was paradise. Every day was dresses and drinks, so much happiness. But. . .my time before Circe's Island was not the best. My father had went mad due to my mother's words. He beat me and my sister and he hoarded weapons. Hylla would always try and make me a smile, make me walk around outside and feel the sun on my face.

"I loved it in that house. I never would've left if not for my father. One day, he hurt Hylla so bad that she passed out. I didn't think she was breathing and my world stopped. Hylla was everything good in the world and if she was dead, then what was the point in me living? I decided that I would go out with my sisters murderer. I fought my father.

"I took one of the saber's from the wall and he laughed at me. Like it was funny to see me with a weapon in my hand, when in reality it was what I was born to do. I don't remember it but when I came back to myself, I was standing above my father's mutilated corpse, covered in his blood. I revived Hylla and we ran. Because that's all we could do.

"Even my time at Circe's Island was cut short. Pirates kidnapped us. I don't remember much of that either but I know that their hands were always sweaty and their faces were always red. I know they liked the way me and Hylla looked and I know that they used us for their own pleasure. I know that one day I grew angry. I know that I slaughtered half the crew before coming back to myself.

"They dropped us off as soon as possible after that. Then my sister joined the Amazons and I began training under Lupa. Then I met Jason. I became Praetor. Everything was going well. Then it didn't."

Reyna didn't know when she started crying. Tears carved rivers into her cheeks and her braid whipped around her face in the wind. Her shoulders heaved with the weight of her past and she prayed that Hylla was doing better than she was.

She felt Nico's cold hand clasp hers. She looked up. He was staring at her intently.

"Now tell me the good."

And she did. She told him about the beauty and strength of her sister, about the melted marshmallows they had every Sunday, about the smell of the ocean and the trees around her home. She told him about dancing deep into the night, about bracelets that clinked with every step, about perfect hair, about holding her sister close, about star-gazing. She told him about everything.

By the end, her voice croaked and if she spoke any longer, she'd lose it. She was still crying and made to hastily wipe away her tears before clutching back onto Nico's hands. In that moment, he was her anchor.

"I only got put into the arena because I was stupid. I went to Tartarus to find the doors of death and two giants captured me. They put me in a jar first. It was so small and I couldn't breathe and they didn't feed me. I only had a handful of pomegranate seeds from Persephone. One seed would put me into a trance for a day. I don't know how long I was in that jar but I know that by the time they let me out, I'd run out of seeds.

"When they put me in the arena, I didn't want to fight. Somewhere along the way, I snapped. I went feral. I sharpened my teeth myself after they dropped me in without a weapon. They taught me to take from my opponents to show my triumph and I built my own armour from the bones of my fallen enemies. I will never be the same because of that arena.

"But what fucks me up is that it's all so vivid. I was dipped in the Lethe as a kid so my memory isn't the best. It's slowly coming back to me now but I still forget. One of my clearest memories is Achlys, misery herself, telling me that I'm perfect. Another is my father saying he wished I had died instead of my sister.

"I grew up in Italy. My mama was an opera singer and we would go to all of her shows. She was beautiful. Everyone loved her and the amount of suitors she got could line the streets thrice over. My sister looked just like her. The only way you could tell them apart was by Bianca's stupid green hat. She never went anywhere without it and cried whenever we had to wash it.

"I remember nights in Venice, of pushing each other into the canal and singing as we went home. I remember Bianca hiding her Bible under her mattress when she didn't want to go to church. I remember the food and the stars and the joy. It was good there. My friends, Antonio and Cherubina, would always go play in the canal with me. We managed to get free sweets from the nonna's.

"I know it was bad in Italy. Musolini was in power, there was war, we weren't good people. But. . . all my good memories are from there."

Reyna sat atop Athena's head and cried with Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, as they watched the sunset. She couldn't help but think that she trusted him, that he was her friend now. They had a connection now and Reyna didn't plan on letting him go anytime soon. 

Chapter Text

Nico decided that he really didn't like Gaia's timing. He'd just delivered the Athena Parthenos and now he needs to fight? Gods, let him have a nap first.

He shadowtravels and stumbles out of a tree - definitely on purpose. He can see some Romans frantically organising their weapons and formation. Then, as he was scanning his surroundings, he sees something golden. And then-is that?

Will was not planning on helping with the birth of a satyr cloud nymph hybrid and then running into battle but apparently that was happening. Cecil had thrown mud at him to camoflauge him and he felt invisible. No one could see him. 

He was crouching in some bushes with Cecil and Lou Ellen. Right in front of them were six Romans preparing for battle. Just as Will opened his mouth to suggest a plan, a rush of cold overtook him. Right next to him was Nico di Angelo.

Will gasped and fell backwards. 

Nico only looked at him curiously. His hair was tied back in a messy bun with strands escaping to whip around his face. His eyes were dark and Will wanted to drown in them. He was covered in blood and likely monster guts and Will thought he was beautiful.

Will glanced back and saw that Lou Ellen and Cecil were staring at Nico with a similar expression. Sucks for them, Will called dibs first. Somewhere in the background, Will vaguely realises that the Romans have walked away by now. 

"You're dumb."

"What?!"

The first thing Nico says to him is an insult, Despite that, Will's heart skips a beat. His accent is thick and his voice is soothing. Will doesn't like audiobooks that much but if they were voiced by Nico, he would listen to every book in existence. 

"You covered your face but not your hair. Its practically a beacon for monsters. I'm surprised you weren't killed yet."

"Wh- says you! You look like a harsh wind would blow you over! What do you eat, dust particles? I bet I could fit my thumb and pointer finger around your waist, you skeletal shadow."

"You still need to cover up your hair."

"I survived this long, I'll be fine."

Nico raised a brow, "When you die, I'll laugh at you."

"And when I don't, I'll laugh at you!"

Nico went quiet for a while before looking him up and down, "Your head healer, right?"

Will nodded, "Yeah, are you hurt?"

"Did you help Mellie through the birth?"

"Yeah! It was gross and I will forever worship women from now on but I never want to do that again. It went a little wonky when the baby got stuck but it was fixed in no time. My hands are still shaking, feel."

And then Will grabbed Nico's hands.

He.

Grabbed.

Nico's.

Hands.

What the fuck? He's definitely lost his chance. Who yaps about pregnancy and then holds his crushes hand without their consent? Will Solace, that's who! He would be thankful if a monster came and cut his hands off then and there. Maybe his head too.

Saying that, Nico's hands were nice to hold. They were cold and small, a perfect opposite to Will's warm, big hands. Opposites attract and Rachel said he and Nico were soulmates (he didn't pay her to say that, thank you very much (he only promised not to question it when she comes in with a paintbrush sticking out of her skull again)).

Before Will could open his mouth to say something stupid again, there was a growl. Standing where the Romans had once been was a monster. It sniffed at the air before leaning back on its haunches and grinning wickedly. It was ugly and in desperate need of a hairbrush but Will supposes that it has rather different priorities than he does.

"What are you doing here? I never thought their favourite toy would escape!"

The monster hissed and cackled. They all froze. Who was this monster talking to? Surely not one of them? . . . Right?

"Come out, Spaventoso!"

Darkness began oozing out of Nico. He pulled back his lip and snarled, revealing really fucking sharp teeth. Holy shit. He looked more animal than man, hunched over on himself and glaring at the monster. 

"I will kill the unbeatable Spaventoso! Me!"

With that, Nico darted out and began attacking the monster. Will couldn't even describe it. The monster screeched and squealed but Nico didn't stop. Will, Cecil and Lou Ellen stared at Nico in pure awe and shock. When he came back, blood dripped from his mouth and he was panting heavily. 

"You got any weapons?"

Cecil holds up his daggers, "I've got these!"

Lou Ellen blinks at Nico before answering, "I have pig balls."

"I don't have anything," Will says sheepishly. 

Nico draws out his Stygian sword and the screams of the dead whisper in Will's ears. He holds out the sword to him, with the blade digging into his own flesh so Will isn't hurt. How thoughtful of him. OH fuck, wait, was Nico giving him his sword?!

"I want it back after the battle."

Will blushes and nods, "U-um, yeah, of course, I mean, thanks!"

Holy fucking gods, may Zeus strike him down now. Why was Will. Why? He can't even speak around his crush how is he meant to be head healer. Someone stab him in the back so the last thing he sees is Nico di Angelo's gorgeous face. 

It was probably really stupid to give his most used and most terrifying weapon to Will Solace, Head of the Apollo Cabin, notorious for his inability to use weapons, but Nico doesn’t give a fuck. He doesn’t need a weapon anyway. His presence alone sends monsters running. 

Speaking of sending monsters running, he should probably start doing that now. 

Nico let the shadows wrap around him like a second skin, transporting himself to the middle of the battlefield. When the shadows pulled away enough for his face to be visible, he let his armour melt from the shadows onto his flesh. 

There was an unholy screech before a monster began screaming, "Spaventoso! He's here! Spaventoso has come!"

It was as if those words had frozen the monsters. A split second of silence before chaos broke out once more. Monsters scrambled back in fear, yelping. Some even had the nerve to try praying to Gaia. How stupid. 

Gaia could not save them.

Nico took a steadying breath before throwing himself into battle. He may not have any conventional weapons but he had his fists and his teeth and that's all that mattered. All he needed. 

In his wake was a trail of bloodied monsters, crying and bloodied. How pitiful. Since the arena, Nico hasn't truly faced a challenge. He is undefeated. War is a simple game, a training exercise. He'd killed monsters, he'd killed a god. Nico doesn't know what he is now but he knows its a long way away from what he used to be. 

From the corner of his eye, he sees Hazel. Her eyes are golden with power and the fear you see in prey. Jagged crystals rush up from the ground to impale monsters where they stand. But, in her fear, she forgot to watch her back. Luckily, she has Nico to do that for her. 

He rushes forward and just as the beast raises a hand to swipe at her, he digs his teeth into his throat. He tears and yanks and, suddenly, its head is no longer attached to its body. Hazel spins around, gasping, hands raised. 

"You're still alive!"

Nico shrugs, side-stepping a monsters attack as he does, "Guess so."

Hazel's eyes harden, her hands clenching into fists, "Stay safe."

Nico pauses in his attack to look at her. The wind whips her hair wildly, her jaw is set, teeth grinding together so hard he can hear it. Her eyes are fiercely glinting golden and she stood like a warrior. She looked like a past Nico thought he'd forgotten. 

"Don't die before me."

Hazel nods once before running back into battle with a rageful scream. Nico turns from her and immediately sees Frank, or what he hopes to be Frank. In reality, its a large bear currently tearing soldiers apart.

Nico points at him and the shadows coil about him making him seem a creature from Tartarus itself. The soldiers scream before collapsing onto each other in fear. Frank glances over to Nico. He lets his teeth flash in the sunlight before turning to rip the soldiers in half. 

Somewhere along the way, Nico and Frank had come to the agreement that if they died, Hazel would be sad. This had, strangely, forged a bond between them. They understood that they needed to protect each other and Hazel. They might not have liked each other at first but it was for Hazel's sake. Gods know she's suffered enough.

Nico darts between monsters, wrenching their defences apart and watching them crumble. In front of him was Piper McLean. She held a dagger in her hand, collapsing monsters with a mere look. Aphrodite's blood was strong within her. 

Without warning, the dagger is ripped from her hand, a monster looming above her. It roars in her face, spit and blood flying out at her. He can hear her breath speed up, see her eyes dart wildly around for her dagger.

They lock eyes. 

Her tear-streaked face hardens at the sight of him. She has only now lost Leo, a close friend, and now she believes she will die because Nico is too heartless to help her. What she fails to realise is that Nico has a heart. Black and rotting and wrong, but a heart.

The shadows push him out directly behind the beast. Without hesitation, he thrusts his hand between its ribs and squeezes its heart in his palm. As the monster begins to turn, he tears its heart from its chest with a single swipe. 

It sways, once, twice, before collapsing on its side. 

Piper is gasping, eyes darting between him and the monster. Perhaps she's wondering who the true monster is. He leans down, holding her dagger out to her. The blade digs into his palm before Piper snatches it from him. She wipes her face but all it does is spread more blood and mud and tears. 

She sniffs, "You're good, di Angelo, I'm sorry I didn't see it before."

He blinks. He wasn't expecting that. A threat or a proclamation of his inhumane actions, yes, but an apology? Nico would first become a son of Poseidon before having someone apologise to him. 

"That's alright, you saw it when you needed to."

Piper accepts his outstretched hand and pulls herself up. He resists the urge to rip his hand away. He could feel her pulse and he hated it. 

Gods, how evil could he be? The thought of someone being alive and near him terrified him. He was more comfortable talking to a corpse than a living thing. However, that is a problem for future Nico to hate himself over. 

"Jason went that way, if you're wondering."

Piper points vaguely to the right and Nico nods before sprinting over. When he finally sees him, Jason is dressed in his fancy Roman armour. They were more ceremonial robes than anything.

Nico felt sorry for him. All this time spent being crafted into the perfect leader but all it had done was traumatise the boy. Jason was shouting orders but when he met Nico's eye, his hand dropped. Nico let his head tilt to the side, a small smirk playing at his lips. 

Then, in a movement so fast only Jason could've seen it, Nico snapped his sharpened teeth. Jason grinned before doing the same. As Nico let a wicked laugh tear from his throat, Jason tilted his head to the sky and howled. 

Jason lunged at a monster and with all the grace of a wolf, he began sprinting on all-fucking-fours. Nico knew he wasn't as perfect as they made him out to be. Jason's lip was pulled back in a snarl that could rival Lupa's and he kept running, finding strength in the feeling of his hands pounding the floor. 

Lightning crackled around him before exploding outwards in a violent wave, wiping out any monster in his vicinity. Nico laughed once more before throwing himself into battle beside the feral Jason Grace. They fought back-to-back, teeth bared and snarling. 

Jason looked at Nico from his knees and smiled, the scar on his lip stretching, "Go! I've got this!"

Nico lazily saluted Jason before slipping into the shadows, "Later, Wolfy."

He swore he could hear Jason's barking laughter through the shadows. He stepped out of the shadows only to see Annabeth fighting while heavily injured. He didn't expect anything less. Just then, a soldier made to sneak up on her.

"Annabeth!"

She whipped around at the sound of name and slammed her blade to the hilt into the soldiers stomach. She yanks the blade out and lets the soldier collapse before looking at Nico. She holds her head a little higher as she speaks. 

"You better not die out here or I'll kill you."

Nico scoffed, "That's very contradictory."

They stared at each other for a while before smiling and turning away. He wasn't all that comfortable with Annabeth but he didn't need to be to know she'd get the job done.

A little later, while Nico was in the midst of battle, he looked up to see Perseus Jackson himself staring at him. He's standing impossibly far from Nico, they shouldn't be able to hear each other or see each other so clearly but they do. Time seems to stand still as Percy lets his eyes rove over Nico's blood-soaked body. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." 

Percy's words echo so much louder than they should and he's sure that the whole battlefield can hear them. There are tears in Percy's eyes and his hands are fisted as he speaks. Almost as if he means it.

"I'm sorry you thought you had to."

Nico can only imagine what he looks like, covered in the blood of his enemies, wearing their bones, with shadows coiling around him like snakes. But whatever Percy sees makes him take a step back and look down. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Nico is vaguely aware of a cracking that sounds an awful lot like a heart.

Chapter Text

The battle was rough but not yet over. Gaia had lost and her monsters retreated, the gods returned to their chosen forms, but there was so much death that it didn't feel like a victory. 

Nico walked slowly back to camp, stumbling every now and again. The weight of death and pain and utter despair pulled him down. The calls of dead demigods screamed and begged for him to join them in the cold, cold ground. 

He thinks he might've. Might've laid down and pressed his ear to the earth, listening to its heartbeat. Might've let it drag him under. Might've let the breath be stolen from his lungs, his power sinking to the depths of Tartarus where it can never be found again. Never be wielded in such a horrid manner.

However, he had things to do. And, despite all the death, there was a golden light wrapped around the bodies of the fallen and their teary-eyed comrades. Hope. 

So much hope it sickened him, clawing at him. He could feel it, thick like honey in his throat. It made him itch, made him want to bite. 

He finally reached camp and as he walked past the bustling infirmary, he keeled over, eyes wide, gasping. He clutched at the wall, nails tearing as he dug them into the brick and wood. So much death but, worst of all, so much hope. 

Nico became abruptly aware of someone watching him. Despite the struggle and the pain, he lifted his head to look straight at them. An Apollo girl, with red hair dyed green at the ends. There was a bow strapped to her back and her hands fiddled with an arrow. 

She stared at him, brow furrowed and mouth set in a frown. Her head was tilted to the side like she was analysing him. Gods, she even began reaching her hands out as if to comfort a hurting animal before stopping herself. 

"Ghost King."

Nico snorts, "An old title. I'm afraid I won't be able to bring anyone back from the dead for you. Do not fear, I will be on my way soon enough."

"I-I can't tell what hurts."

Nico quirks a brow, urging her to continue. 

"You're in pain. I may not be the best healer but I can usually tell what's hurting people. But I don't know what's hurting you."

How lucky of her. To not be able to feel death and hope as he did, to not have it strangle her. She was so utterly human despite her status as a demigod and that might've hurt more than anything. 

"I don't understand why this would cause you distress."

"Because you're hurt."

"And?"

Something softened in the girl's eyes and he hated it. He wanted to bare his teeth, to spit at her and show her how monstrous he was. The softness made him want to search for weakness and press at it until she hated him too. 

"You're Nico, right?"

Nico's eyes narrowed, "How do you know my name?"

He had been expecting the title of Ghost King. Every demigod called him that. He was sure that every Greek had forgotten his true name by now. Yet, here she was, speaking it with such care that he wanted to tear his name from her throat. 

"I've heard a lot about you. About what you've done."

Nico sighed and closed his eyes. So she was one of those. There were a few demigods, monsters, gods, who liked to keep tabs on his life and whenever they crossed paths proclaim that they would kill him for what he had done. 

"Thank you."

Nico's eyes flew open, "What?"

"Thank you. We wouldn't have been able to win without you. Gods, camp would've been burned to the ground years ago."

"You've got the wrong guy."

"No, I don't. You're Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, protector of demigods."

He'd never heard that title before. Fuck, if someone had started another cult about him, Nico will kill them. Cults were always annoying to deal with. 

"Please, don't tell me you're part of a cult."

The girl blinked, "Wha- no! I just wanted to thank you. If you need any help with your injuries then. . . the infirmary is always open to you."

With that, she walked off, leaving Nico under the weight of death and hope alone. 

Later, there's a campfire. Its strange because Romans and Greeks sit together, tables dragged out from the Big House. No care for parentage or blood, they sat together and feasted, battle-weary but smiling. Reyna sat at the front with Hedge and Dionysus. 

She slammed her blade into the wood of the table, effectively silencing everyone. She stood and gazed out at their awaiting faces. Almost as if she was looking for someone. Nico hoped she found them. 

"I want to say thank you. To all of you. For putting aside your differences and realising we are stronger together. This feast marks an age of unity, an alliance between Greeks and Romans. I understand this battle was difficult, especially for our Greek friends. I know of the amount of battles you've had to face in these last couple of years alone. I have heard of countless incredible feats.

"However, with each tale I hear, I become increasingly aware of something. Despite our promises of peace and equality, there are still those we look down upon for their parents. For us Romans, we were taught to hate Minerva, her children wiped from our history books. And for you Greeks. . . it is Hades' children you despise. I hope to change that. 

"There is a child of Pluto by the name of Hazel Levesque and she is part of your sacred Seven. This only goes to show that the children of Hades should be celebrated. And, as much as Hazel is loved by Romans, there is a friend of mine that has suffered for his status as a child of Hades. Despite the countless battles he has won, the trauma he has suffered, he refuses to buckle under the pressure. 

"Again and again, without fail, he shows up to help wherever he can. Even if it could kill him, he helps. People have assumed he is heartless to be a child of the underworld but I am here to say you are wrong. He has the biggest heart I have ever known and all he does is for love. Without him, I would not have accepted this alliance. Without him, we would've lost this battle. 

"I believe it is time to recognise his sacrifices. To my companion and protector, Nico di Angelo!"

Reyna finished her speech to thunderous applause. Nico stared at her wide eyed, jaw dropped in shock. Reyna then stared straight at him, seeing through the shadows to look him in the eye. She smiles before reaching a hand into the shadows and tugging. 

Despite being at least two tables away from her, he feels her hand wrap around his wrist and pull. He falls out of the shadows beside her and before he has time to stumble, he's dragged into an embrace. 

His head fit into the space between her neck and shoulder, her braid tickling his face. She smelt like blood and fire, like a river, like the earth itself. He could feel her pulse, hear her heart beating, and strangely he liked it. 

He was glad she didn't comment on how tightly he held onto her. When they sat down it was to screams and applause and whispers. Nico didn't mind, whispers had followed him since he became a son of Hades. 

They weren't on a platform of any kind but they were still visible to everyone and it made Nico itch. Reyna shuffled closer to him on the bench until she could rest her head on his shoulder. He stiffened under her gentle touch. 

"If you're uncomfortable-"

Nico wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Stay. Please."

She relaxed further into him. Gently, he undid her braid, running his fingers through her hair. With care he didn't know he still had, he brushed and braided her hair. By now, people had returned to their food and chatter.

"You hug like Bianca."

This time. its Reyna that stiffens. Reyna heard those words and her heart clenched. Without warning, she lunged at Nico to hug him. She had done it with such fierceness that they both toppled over. 

Nico vaguely registers someone calling out, "Uh, are they okay?"

It didn't matter. All that mattered was the warmth of Reyna over him, the softness of her skin as she held him impossibly tight. He doesn't know how long they stayed like that. It could've been seconds, it could've been years.

Reyna rolled off him and laid next to him, shuffling closer. Their feet were resting on the bench and Nico was vaguely aware that everyone could still see them. Reyna clutches his hand tight and Nico wraps his hand around her wrist. They knock their heads together and stare up at the stars. 

They begin chatting idly in Italian,  his mother tongue flowing easily from his mouth. Its a comfort he rarely can afford, wrapping around him like his mother's hugs. Reyna and Nico spend the night laughing together without a care in the world. 

Chiron looked at the two laughing demigods and smiled. He prayed that they would not face the same fate as all those before them. That their tragedy was over and they could be happy. 

A few tables away, Will sighed while leaning into his propped up hand. He stared at Nico as he laughed and idly twirled his hair. Will had never really seen Nico laugh. Never even seen him smile. And, oh, what a sight. 

"He's so pretty."

Kayla rolled her eyes and smacked Will upside the head, "We get it, you have a massive crush, now can you please finish your food?"

Will groaned, "Kayla, you just don't get it!"

"You know, I did manage to talk to him for a bit."

Will whipped around to stare at her, "You did? Tell me everything!"

"Gods, Will, calm down! I saw him outside the infirmary and went up to him to thank him for all he's done. He was in a lot of pain but I couldn't tell from what, it was weird."

Austin leaned over to steal a chip from Kayla's plate, "You know what you should do, Will? Serenade him. Sing your heart out! Maybe it would even heal him from whatever weird injury he has."

Gracie tilted into Will's lap before straining her neck over the sea of people, "Which one's Nico?"

"See the boy on the floor over there? That's him." Kayla pointed vaguely with her fork. 

Gracie's eyes widened, "He is pretty!"

"I told you!" Will said. 

Jamie leaned forward as if telling a secret, "I hear he can summon skeletons! Do you think he can teach me?"

Liliana scoffed and pushed him back into his seat, "Don't be stupid, he's too cool to teach you anything."

Will sighed. Surrounded by his family and happiness, all he could think of was how Nico would fit into their dynamic. He prayed that they would talk again soon. He also hoped that Nico had completely forgotten about the whole grabbing his hands out of nowhere thing. 

Cecil seemed to magically appear next to him, "I wonder how weird he thinks our Will is."

Liliana raised a brow, "Will, what did you do to make him think you're weird?"

"Wha-I didn't do anythi-!"

Lou Ellen cut him off as she walked past, "He rambled about Chuck's birth and then grabbed Nico's hands to show how bad he was shaking."

All his siblings mouths dropped open in shock. 

"You fucking idiot."

Chapter Text

When a group of children began to very obviously follow Nico around camp, he ignored it. However, days later. Nico is getting worried. Why are they still following him? Is he about to be murdered by a group of mini demigods?

He decided to bring his concerns to Reyna. Silently sliding into the seat beside her, he nudged her with his elbow. Glancing up from her dogs, she quirked a brow in question. In response, he nodded to the right, where the children were peeking out from behind a tree. 

"Do you think they're trying to kill me?"

Reyna blinks. Then bursts out laughing. 

Its so loud and unexpected that people turn to stare at her while she clutches her stomach and outright wheezes. Laughing at his very important and valid concern. How dare she.

"Reyna! This is serious!"

Reyna wiped her eyes, "Oh, Nico, you idiot. They practically worship you and you think they're going to kill you?"

"I could be a sacrifice!"

Reyna rolled her eyes, "You would be a shit sacrifice."

"Wh- No, I wouldn't!"

"Are you upset at not being a good sacrifice?" 

Nico crosses his arms and grumbles threats under his breath. Reyna leans her head on her hand and looks at Nico with a glint in her eye. He doesn't like it.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing, nothing. You're just so. . . weird."

"Wow, Reyna, that's so nice of you."

"Fuck off, you know what I mean."

"No, you know what, I'm going to go find Chuck."

"Nico, don't leave!"

"No, no, its clear I'm not appreciated here. I'll be off now. I might accidentally slip up and tell Hedge that you haven't finished your paperwork. I might even tell an Apollo kid that you haven't checked into the infirmary. Who knows?"

Reyna's eyes widened, "Nico. You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would."

And with that, he melts into the shadows to find Hedge and, most importantly, Chuck.

----------------------------

Apparently, Nico doesn't have any friends. See, all he wanted to do was sit with Hazel at lunch. A rather simple request. Now, Perseus Jackson was telling him that humans had went to the moon. Come on, Nico isn't that dumb!

"I'm not that stupid, Jackson. Try harder."

Frank cleared his throat, politely, "Er, Nico? Percy's telling the truth."

Hazel spat out her drink, "Huh?! I thought Percy was just trying to prank Nico! You're telling me he's not lying?"

Percy threw his hands up in disbelief, "Why would I lie about that?"

"I still don't believe it." Nico frowned.

"It's true." 

Nico turned to stare in shock at Annabeth. Annabeth, who was the smartest person in any room. Annabeth, who was telling him that human's really had gone to the moon. There was a long beat of silence. Nico blinked. Once, twice. Then he jumped out of his seat and turned towards his cabin. 

"I'm turning back to Catholicism!"

Percy burst out laughing, "Nico, what?!"

"Where are my rosary beads?!"

Annabeth sighed and shook her head, "Wait until we have to tell him about the Internet."

"Someone get me a Bible!"

"Nico, you're a Greek demigod!"

"Our Father-"

Reyna groaned, "I can't believe I'm friends with him."

"Who art in Heaven-"

"You know you don't have to be friends with him, right?" Piper asked.

"Hallowed be thy name-"

"No, fuck off, he's not getting rid of me."

"Thy kingdom come-"

"Nico, shut the fuck up!"

----------------------

Nico would like to reiterate his friendlessness for the record. He would also like it to be known that his sister hates him. Hazel is likely cursing him at this very minute. Nico would greatly appreciate if the ground opened up to swallow him whole now. 

"You can swing dance?!"

Why was this his life? He knows he's done some bad things but come on!

"Come on, di Angelo, give us a show!"

"Fuck off, Grace!"

Hazel smiled innocently, "He's really good at it too."

"You've seen him?"

"We partnered a couple times." Hazel shrugged.

Reyna snickered, "What d'ya say to a night on the town, angel?"

"Oh, no, we are not doing this. And don't call me angel."

Percy threw his arm around Nico's shoulders and dragged him closer, "Why not, angel? Are there perhaps some romantic memories that name comes with?"

Nico's silence was enough to answer his question. Nico would very much like to bite Percy. Preferably enough that he dies of blood loss. But then he'd haunt him for eternity. Fuck, Nico just can't win.

--------------------

Nico was in Hazel's bed tonight. Her head was pressed into his neck, his pulse beating directly into her ear. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and her fingers drew patterns into his skin. He kissed the top of her head before breathing out deeply. 

"You know, the whole time I was down there, you were the only thing that kept me going."

She stiffened in his hold. 

"Every time the monsters hit a little too hard, every time the dead called a little too strong, every time the pain got a little too bad, I thought of you. You're so young. And despite everything you've lived through, everything you've seen, you're still just a kid. Gods, you don't even know half of what your powers can become. 

"A couple times, I actually did die."

A muffled sob escaped Hazel's lips. 

"Thanatos wasn't back yet, or at least I assume he wasn't. And I know it was only meant to bring monsters back but it brought me back too. It made me think. . . maybe I'm a monster too. And you know what? I didn't even care. I didn't care if I was a monster, as long as it meant I had a chance of getting back to you. Of seeing you just one more time.

"I didn't think anyone would come for me. I was okay with it. What I wasn't okay with was not getting to see you one more time before dying. That's how I managed to stay alive. For you. I wanted to see you again, to tell you what your power can do, tell you that I'm proud of you, that I love you.

"Most of all, I didn't want to become your Bianca.

"I didn't want you to turn into me."

Hazel clutched onto him so tightly that his ribs ached, "Shut up."

"Hazel-"

"No, stop it, shut up! I don't want to hear anymore!"

"Ok."

She sniffed, "Don't say it like that. Like being like you is a bad thing."

"Hazel."

"No! Because you're not bad, you're good! You're so ridiculously good that it hurts, it hurts! You're kind and you always look out for people, even if you know you won't get anything out of it. You get hurt for the goodness of others and I hate it but I know you won't stop because that's who you are! You have the respect of Hades himself, no one even knew that was possible until you did it!

"You've become allies with humans and gods and demigods alike but you only see them as friends! And the control over your power- it's unheard of! Children of Hades aren't meant to go far, they're not meant to be good. But you fight every single stereotype there is about us! You've suffered so much and maybe if I'd gotten there faster, if I'd realised sooner-

"-maybe I could've saved you!

"And it's my fault that you spent so long in there! I don't tell you enough how amazing you are and it's made you think you're unlovable but I promise, I promise, I love you! I would die a thousand times over if I only got to meet you in every lifetime because. . . because-

"Because you're my big brother!"

Hazel began sobbing, her words lost in her tears. But it didn't matter much. Nico's eyes were clouded over with tears and his lip trembled as he held her closer. That night, the two children of Hades fell asleep in each other's arms with still-drying tears on their cheeks.

Everything would be alright. Because they had each other. And nothing would separate them ever again. Not the gods, not the camps, not prophecies, not monsters.

Nothing.