Ours is the Victory - Doevademe (OriginalDaemon) - Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms (2024)

Chapter 1: Ara Victoriae: Introduction

Chapter Text

“Internuntius Victoriae!” TheTwelfth Legion's cohorts called as four invisible Aurae moved the lectica towards a tower that had been built that very day to have a vantage point to observe the War Games.

Nico looked downwards from the lectica and waved the laurel wreath in his hand, making them cheer. No one seemed to notice how half-heartedly he did it.

He gave his thanks to the Aurae before the wind spirits used their powers to make his chair rise in the air and land softly at the top of the tower.

He stood up and bowed his head in greeting to the Praetors, Jason Grace and Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, before taking his place at the Augur’s right.

“Try to look more upbeat,” the Augur said in a low, threatening voice as he subtly pinched his arm. “The Legion looks up to you for inspiration. Don’t let them down.”

Nico beat back a sigh as he plastered on a fake smile and raised his wreath for all to see. It seemed to be enough for the Augur, who nodded and looked towards Reyna so she could explain the rules of the War Game.

Nico tuned everything out from that point onward, knowing the Romans would be far too distracted by the game itself to look in his direction.

Looking at the War Games just depressed him. Someone of his standing could never be part of it. No one would dare to try and hurt him, and people would consider it unfair if he was part of any team.

He hadn’t asked for this, yet here he was.

“Who do you think will win?” Jason Grace asked, bringing him back to the real world.

That meant Reyna was refereeing tonight. This time he didn’t hide his sigh. At least the other Praetor didn’t try to talk to him unless it was important. Jason was just too much of a boy scout to understand he preferred not to be bothered. He believed that what happened a year ago made them comrades or something like that.

“The First or Second Cohort, probably,” Nico said, finally looking down and seeing Deathball was the game of the night. “The Fifth would have a chance, were you leading it today, Praetor.”

This was a small-scale game, of course, the Praetors, as well as the Augur, had chosen not to participate.

Jason gave an embarrassed smile at the compliment.

“Don’t count the Fifth out just yet, though,” Jason said looking at the dwindling forces of his original platoon. “I trained with them, and I got here.”

“That says more about you than them,” Nico answered. The Augur hid a smirk as he looked down. “I’ll keep that in mind, though.”

And with that, he pretended to be engrossed in the battlefield, ending the conversation for good.

In the end, the Third Cohort took the win by hiding behind the Fourth and Fifth and letting the First and Second wear each other down before attacking.

To their credit, the Fifth did remarkably well after losing nearly half of their own in the first few minutes, but they were no match for the First’s organization or the Third’s cunning.

Well, such was Victory.

As Reyna announced the MVP of the game, Nico took a deep breath before putting on a beatific smile the Augur had had him practice for hours on end.

“Congratulations,” he said in a stage whisper as he put the wreath on the chosen’s head before turning to the crowd. “Ave Sarah, Daughter of Ceres!” He shouted.

“Ave!” The Legion shouted back.

After that, his role was basically done. He began walking back to the lectica, giving greetings and wishes of victory to any that wanted to approach him. After all, Sarah had done so the last War Game, and now she had a nice laurel wreath to show for it.

In fact, when you looked at the winners ever since he had arrived at Camp Jupiter, more often than not, the MVP had shared a few words with Nico and asked him to wish them luck, so it was more than just superstition.

The Legion didn’t even know the half of it.

The Aurae lifted his palanquin as soon as he sat, taking him towards temple hill, towards Victoria’s Altar.

He was keenly aware of the Augur following close behind.

“What was that?” Octavian asked. The affable mask of the Augur finally slipping off once they were alone in the Altar. The usual sneer was in place, as he looked at Nico in pure disgust. “You’re supposed to inspire the Legion, not daydream the War Games away!”

Nico looked down, knowing that any response would just make Octavian punish him.

“But of course, what else can I expect of a graecus?” He continued, scoffing. “If Lord Apollo hadn’t promised me greatness I would have left you in that nasty hotel.”

“Maybe you should have,” Nico said, unable to keep quiet any longer. “You despise me, and the feeling is not exactly unrequited. I can’t be worth all that trouble.”

“You are not,” Octavian said. Nico noticed then he was in a good mood. Any other day he would have pulled out the whip he hid in his robes and hit him for being mouthy. “Your ability, however… I can’t allow it to fall into any of my enemies’ laps.”

“Then keep me hidden. Say I ran away or that I died and put the blame on one of them.”

“Do you take me for a fool? Of course I already thought of that!” Octavian screeched. “Believe me, I would love to pin your apparent death on Grace, but you’re more useful to me like this.”

He didn’t know why he even bothered giving him ideas. Maybe because he was so bored with the routine. Maybe because, even if he hated him, Octavian was the only person not to put him on a pedestal.

“My blessing doesn’t work like that,” he said. “I can’t give you any political victories.”

“Nico, Nico, Nico.” Octavian shook his head. “How come you can be so intelligent, yet so stupid at the same time?”

Nico didn’t answer. That was the kind of relationship he and Octavian had. There were no masks, no pretending. Behind closed doors, Octavian saw him as an equal. One he despised, but also one he needed.

“Tell me, how can you make yourself attractive for election?”

Nico thought for a few seconds. Octavian wanted Praetorship, and eventually, when he left service, become Emperor. To be voted into either of those positions, he needed to lead successful quests, become beloved by the Legion and the people of New Rome, and be patient until the people currently in office retired or died.

“You can’t,” he said simply.

Becoming a beloved hero was impossible forOctavian.

Octavian was a coward who preferred the safety of Camp Jupiter to a quest unless he could bring over the Legion to hide behind. He could be charming and had a silver tongue, but constant exposure to him led to the mask slipping off, showing the pathetic, power-hungry snake underneath. He was also impatient, preferring to “arrange” retirements rather than waiting for them to happen.

“Exactly!” Octavian beamed, looking almost proud. “Be too kind and people consider you weak, too humble and they know you’re lying. You can use subterfuge, but that leads to hatred and a short time in power. There’s simply no way other than luck and the right personality.”

Not exactly what Nico meant, but he wasn’t going to argue with him.

His back already had enough scars.

“Making someone else attractive to the masses, however? That’s laughably simple,” Octavian smiled as he looked at him. “Especially if it’s someone who brought victory after victory to the Legion with his mere presence. Someone who even gave our current Praetor Jason Grace the blessings needed to triumph over Mount Othrys last year.”

“You want me to back you in the next elections.”

“With every War Game, people become more convinced of your power, and in a few months, just before the Feast of Fortuna, our little Praetor will find himself on the wrong end of a spear during a Siege game. Why, so close to the Feast, the elections will have to be lighting fast. The backing of the Internuntius Victoriae might just be crucial to choose the next Praetor.”

Octavian’s grin had turned manic. Nico shivered.

“Jason is the Legion’s best warrior,” he felt the need to point out. “He won’t just stay still while you attack him.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that,” Octavian patted him before rubbing his hand on his robes, as if he were dirty. “Accidents happen every day after all. Just last month, poor Dakota had to stay in bed one week after a bout of friendly fire. Anything can happen in the War Games.”

He gave a chuckle as he turned around and left the Altar, leaving Nico unnerved.

Just behind the Altar was a simple room with a bed and a drawer. Nico took off his robes and got into bed, even if he was unable to go to sleep just yet.

The next day would mark his third anniversary at Camp Jupiter. A banquet was being prepared in his honor, while hundreds of people, both from camp and from New Rome, would come by and ask for blessings from him.

He wanted to puke just thinking about it.

Nico was tired of the protocol. He was tired of it all. It was saying something that the highlight of his day was Octavian talking down to him.

Yet he had nowhere else to go. Octavian had made it clear that he was not to be trained. He was too important to risk being harmed. That it meant he couldn’t survive outside the camp’s protection wasn't just a bonus. Octavian had everything planned to make Nico defenseless and reliant.

There was always hoping for divine intervention, but for that, he would need to know who to pray to. He didn’t know anything about his godly parent except for the fact that it was a male god, and even if he did, he doubted he could ask for his protection. If he still existed, he’d be as Roman as the people he wanted to be away from.

The different texts the Romans had assured him the Greeks had been eradicated long ago, if he hadn’t been in that hotel, he would probably be dead alongside them. Sometimes he would have preferred it were that way, but the thought of death didn’t really cross his mind. If he had survived his brethren, Fate must have some role in store for him. Something inside him told him he had to remain alive.

He had analyzed every single course of action. There was no escape for him. He had to resign himself to be revered; a source of inspiration to the Legionnaires and a symbol of good luck to the masses.He had to resign himself to the fact that at the end of the day, Temple Hill, Camp Jupiter, and all of New Rome was to be his prison forever.

Victoria didn’t have children, and he had vague memories of a very human mother, yet he had been tied to her since he was aware.

Names had power, so the demigods say. His mother had named him Nico to honor the Goddess Victory and hope for a successful life.

He didn’t know if she had knowingly turned him into the goddess’s ward, but it mattered little to him. His name had given him a curse disguised as a blessing.

To sway the hands of Fate and bring forth Victory, he was Victoria’s Envoy, the internuntius Victoriae, the Legion’s ace in the hole, as the Augur called him.

Something that set him apart from demigods, from legacies, even from his own sister.

Not for the first time, he wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t followed that blond boy out of the Lotus Hotel all those years ago, what would have happened if he had stayed with his sister.

Maybe he’d have a different life, he would have a family, he would remember more than just his first name.

He wouldn’t be so alone.

Shaking his head, he tried to find a comfortable position to sleep.

Tomorrow was a “big day”. He would need all his strength if he wanted to keep up his mask nearly all the time.

Thinking about 'what ifs' was worthless.

This was his life, and nothing short of a miracle could ever change it.

Chapter 2: Ara Victoriae: Bonds

Chapter Text

Nico cheered as he finished first in the racing simulator. By his side, he could hear the disappointed groans from the other car-shaped cabins.

He loved this place. Every other hour there was a new game to try, new foodstuffs in the buffet, new prizes to win. He had barely been in the hotel for a little over a week, so the novelty could wear off soon, but right now, he was living the dream.

“Out of the way, pipsqueak!” An older boy said as he pushed him out of the cabin. Nico fell roughly on the floor, and the other kids started laughing at him.

Nico’s face turned red from embarrassment. He felt tears at the corners of his eyes and ran away, taking the elevator and closing the door.

He sniffled a little while thinking which button to press. Bianca said she would be in the Buffet, as she was hungry from playing her silly dancing game. Nico really didn’t want her to see him like this. She would sigh and tell him he had to stop being so sensitive.

Not wanting to see his sister’s disappointed face, he pressed the button that would take him to the lobby. The Hotel staff barely noticed anyone on the lobby unless they were leaving or entering. He could calm down there, and then go to Bianca and tell her he was hungry, too.

When the door opened, however, he noticed a blond boy a little older than him shouting shrilly at a bellhop trying to give him a keycard.

“I need no such thing, you charlatan!” The boy stomped his foot. For some reason Nico felt like he needed to see this boy, or rather, the golden laurel wreath he had in his hand “I’m just here for…”

The boy stopped and dropped his gaze towards the wreath. It started to vibrate and pointed towards him. The boy looked at Nico and grimaced, but put on a smile so quickly Nico was sure he must have imagined it.

“Hey!” He said, coming towards him. Nico blinked. It was the first time he remembered someone actually wanting to approach him. “Sorry about that. These guys don’t understand I’m already staying at another hotel.”

“You should apologize to them, not me,” Nico felt like pointing out. The boy’s smile twitched, but he nodded.

“Of course,” the boy offered his hand. “My name is Octavian, by the way, like the Roman emperor.” His eyes shined when he said that.

“I’m Nico,” he shook his hand.

“Nico,” he repeated, still smiling. “This might be too sudden, but would you like to come over to my hotel? I’m new here, and I’d like to have someone to talk to during my vacation.”

Nico thought about it. Bianca didn’t expect him for another hour or so, and, despite this hotel being the best place ever, he still had to really find a friend he could talk to.

Besides, when would he get a chance to hang out with an older, not ugly boy interested in him again? It might not happen in a lifetime!

The hotel staff looked at them nervously, but one look at the wreath on Octavian's hand seemed to keep them at bay.

“Okay, but I can’t stay too long, my sister will worry,” he said. Octavian’s smile turned into a full-on grin.

“You have my word.”

“Internuntius Victoriae!” They greeted.

“Please pray for me,” they pleaded.

“Thank you, internuntius Victoriae!” They thanked.

They greeted, they pleaded, they thanked. It was a never-ending cycle. This ‘celebration’ was nothing but a farce, an excuse to make their selfish desires a reality. He hadn’t felt even slightly thanked or celebrated. But dozens of legionnaires, as well as citizens of New Rome, had come by to ask things out of him, offering nothing in return.

He wondered, idly, if someone one day said Nico died, any of these people would actually know who that was. Did any of them know anything about him besides his title and his apparent knack for choosing the next MVP in the War Games?

As if to answer his question, a new face appeared by the Altar.

“Praetor,” he greeted. Technically, the Praetors and the Augur outranked him. He was a symbol of the gods’ power, but they were living examples of the might of the Romans with every day they fought.

“Nico,” Reyna greeted back. Nico’s shoulders sagged. When the Praetor called him by name, it meant she was in an ‘informal’ mood. “How are you doing?”

“Everyone and their mother have come here for blessings, literally,” he said. Reyna nodded, and he thought he saw a flicker of a smirk on her face. “A lot of the parents residing in New Rome came here to ask for their children’s success and victory at Camp.” He sat on the Altar, letting his legs dangle in the air. Anybody else would be scandalized at the lack of decorum, but Reyna was different.

“They are worried about their standing and their children,” Reyna said, as if she had been expecting Nico's torment. “What about the Legion, any strange or impossible requests from them?”

“The older ones have more of a hang of what I can do,” Nico said, evasive. Reyna stared at him some more. “But the probatio still don’t understand I’m not a wishing well.”

“Tell me.”

“I have been asked by seven people for material stuff, three asked for a quest, and at least eleven asked for love-related blessings.”

“I’ll give them a talk before the banquet,” Reyna said. “We Romans need to know our roots if we are to rise and succeed.”

“Before I show up?”

“If you wish.” She turned back and began walking away.

“Reyna!” He called, making her look back. “May Victory be with you on your future battles.”

Reyna looked a little taken aback but nodded, giving him something akin to a smile.

“I appreciate that.”

According to myths, Bellona and Victoria were close, as the Goddess Victory mainly favored triumphs in battle.

Reyna didn’t quite see him as a person, but as an extension of his patron, a way to indirectly be close to her mother. Still, he didn’t feel elevated to an unreachable symbol cluttered in praise and protocol around her.

And for Nico, that was enough.

The banquet was a very subdued affair. The tables were decorated gold and white, while the food and cutlery was only slightly fancy.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Octavian silently fuming about the celebration not being as grandiose as he had wanted. The senate hadn’t approved the budget for it, as it wasn’t a traditional Roman feast.

Nico would have to thank each of the people who had said no to the Augur personally later.

There was also certain soberness after what he assumed to be a very stern speech by Reyna over the importance of the Altar of Victoria and how it wasn’t to ask for “victory over your parents to get a new game console” or other ridiculous things.

In fact, many of the people with probatio tablets were playing with their food, refusing to look at him.

“I’m sorry to say it, but this banquet is terrible,” Jason said in a low voice. He was sitting on his right, but the voice carried over to Octavian, who tried (and failed) to suppress the urge to grit his teeth.

“I rarely get the chance to eat with everyone,” Nico said, trying to act as diplomatically as possible. “I wouldn’t know how it normally is.”

“Well, believe me, things are much more animated and less… dull,” he eyed Reyna, who just sipped from her goblet silently.

He looked at his plate. Despite supposedly being a special occasion, Octavian still forbid him to have anything that wasn’t fruit and cured meat. He had a reputation of a pure being, close to the gods, he couldn’t eat as everyone else did.

Something must have shown on his face, as Jason nudged him under the table showing him a piece of chicken.

His eyes widened. He looked left and right. The Centurions remained oblivious, as did the Legionnaires. Reyna had obviously noticed, but was still saying nothing, while Octavian was busy grumbling under his breath, occasionally looking at him.

He decided to kill two birds with one stone.

“Augur,” he said. Octavian turned to look at him with a frown. “Shouldn’t you do a reading? Tell the Legion of the Victories ahead.”

That seemed to do the trick. Octavian slipped on the mask of the Augur as he stood and produced a Beanie Baby, calling for the Legion’s attention. The man loved attention, and he loved his theatrics. Once the reading started, he put his whole focus on disemboweling the poor toy and stopped paying attention to Nico.

He took the chance and put the piece of chicken in his mouth quickly, savoring it. It was a little cold, but the flavor was unlike anything he had tasted since the Lotus Hotel.

“Thank you, Praetor,” he whispered. The Augur was just predicting how the Legion would defeat an ancient evil that year.

“It’s okay.” he smiled. For once, Nico didn’t find it completely irritating. “And I’ve told you to Just call me Jason.”

“That would break protocol, Praetor,” Nico said. He couldn’t be seen being close to the Augur’s worst political enemy, not unless he wanted the news to reach Octavian.

Still, he gave an apologetic smile to Jason, who just huffed.

It wasn’t the first time he gave him that response, after all.

At Jason’s right, Reyna snorted, but otherwise showed no other emotion.

The Augur finished his reading of stuffed doll’s guts with a flair, promising great victories for the Legion this coming year, thanks to his divine patron.

When he sat to his left again, he seemed more animated.

Nico felt some tension leave his body, as the Augur turned to chat about something or other with Michael Kahale, one of the Centurions from his Cohort.

It seemed he wouldn’t be getting a visit from Octavian tonight.

“You came… to apologize?” Nico repeated, almost stumbling. Normally, he only received people in the Altar during Feasts or before quests, but apparently one of the probatio had taken Reyna’s scolding to heart. The boy in question was kneeling down and avoiding his gaze.

“Um… yeah,” he said, almost cowering. If Nico were allowed to show emotion, he would laugh, as the boy was almost certainly older than he was. “I realize I shouldn’t have asked you for a quest. It was wrong of me to do so.”

Nico considered the boy in front of him. He was a little taller than him, but also somewhat overweight, with Asian features. He wondered how long he had stayed in the wolf house, and how long he had been on the Legion. The answer to both those questions was "Probably not very long".

Nico decided he was perfect.

“Then why did you do it?”

“I’m unclaimed,” he said. “I thought a quest would make my fatheracknowledge me.”

“What’s your name?” Nico asked, trying to sound as kind as he could.

“Frank, sir.” He began playing with his hands nervously. “Frank Zhang.”

Nico helped Frank up and sighed.

“Okay, first of all, don’t call me sir, ever.” Nico took back his hand. “Call me Nico if no one’s around, or Internuntius Victoriae in the presence of the Augur.”

Frank’s eyes widened. Nico asked himself if what he was doing wouldn’t come back to bite him in the behind later.

Probably not. There was no way the boy before him would ever rise to a position powerful enough for Octavian to notice him.

Frank nodded, taking him out of his musings.

“Second… there’s nothing to forgive,” Nico went behind the altar and took out some bread, giving half to Frank. “I have certainly heard worse reasons to ask unreasonable things.”

“Um…” he seemed at a loss of words. In the end, he just took a bite of bread to have an excuse not to talk.

“I… don’t know who my godly parent is either,” he admitted. “I can definitely understand where you’re coming from, so no hard feelings.”

“Wait, isn’t your mother Victoria? I mean, I assumed since…” he made vague gestures towards the Altar.

“There are no records of children of Victoria in Legion history,” Nico said, taking a piece of bread and observing it. “It’s almost as ridiculous as a child of Minerva.” He put the bread on his mouth, pleasantly surprised to find it fluffy rather than hard as a rock.

Octavian must have been in areally good mood that morning.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Frank pointed out.

“I also had a very much mortal mother,” he said in a tone that made clear he didn’t want to talk anymore about it.

After about ten seconds of silence, Nico wondered if he should just send Frank home and call the whole thing off.

“My mom was a soldier,” Frank said instead. Nico looked at him curiously. “She was a hero… my hero.”

Nico spent the next hour talking to Frank Zhang, listening to his story of how he had come to serve in the Twelfth Legion. Nico in turn told him of his duties around Camp, of how he was technically not part of the Legion, and how his life more or less belonged to the Augur.

By the end of it, the Canadian boy looked far more relaxed around him.

“It’s almost lunch time,” Nico commented. He was sitting on the altar, just like he did when Reyna was around. “If I were you I’d hurry back to Camp. Your Centurion will be wondering where you are.”

“Oh, right!” Frank looked panicked once more. “Gwen will have my head on a pike!”

He stood up and began running, only to stop after just 20 feet.

“Thanks for the talk, Nico… and, you know, for forgiving me.”

“It was no problem, now go.” He dismissed him. Frank went back to running, leaving Temple Hill behind.

It was not quite friendship. Maybe the start of one, if he was being optimist.

That mattered little, however.

What was important was that Frank Zhang would see him as more human than anyone else at Camp. Someone who would come back to see him. Someone below Octavian’s notice.

Someone he could use to ruin his plans without it being traced back to him.

It was a stupid, unlikely plan, thought on the fly. The chance to actually use Frank Zhang may never arrive, but Nico would still go through with it, to have at least a little opportunity to get revenge on Octavian.

That was all he could do.

It was as if a fog had lifted from his mind the moment he stepped out of the hotel’s lobby.

Nico felt disoriented, wondering what had been so great about being cooped up with so many kids who didn’t even care about him.

The amount of neon lights hurt his eyes (had Las Vegas always been this bright?), and he looked at Octavian's hand, which was still holding his, to try and get used to it.

The boy began tugging harder as he led him towards the street and into a small car.

He shoved Nico inside and closed the door before going into the front seat.

“Take us to camp already!” He barked.

An elfin girl with pink skin materialized on the previously empty driver seat. She gave a small frown and huffed, but started the car and began driving.

“What… where are you taking me?” He tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Childsafety lock,” Octavian explained, bored. “It can only be opened from outside.”

“Where are we going?” He asked, getting more and more desperate.

Octavian seemed to not care, looking at the car’s clock.

“Only 16 hours,” he said. “Not bad, I expected a full day, at least.”

Nico tried to reach for the front seat and at least hit the driver away, but his hands went right through her.

He tried the same with Octavian, only for him to catch his wrists and stared him down.

“Listen here, graecus,” he growled. There was no trace of the kind boy he had met in the lobby. “I just saved you from an eternity of feeding a bunch of spirits with your life force, so you better be thankful.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Truth of the matter, kid, you were no better than cattle. Fattened, and then drained, over and over again. Who wants to live forever if it’s like that?”

“My sister! We have to go back for her!” He didn’t quite understand what Octavian was saying, but it sounded dangerous to keep Bianca there.

“Sadly, I can’t risk going back, and I already got my prize anyway.”

Octavian tossed the laurel wreath on his lap. Nico became transfixed in its form, its smell… its power.

‘Nike,’ his mind supplied, alongside images of warriors and athletes winning battles and contests. He hadn’t even realized it due to the lights outside, but both he and the wreath had started glowing.

“Now, we have a few hours before we reach our destination,” Octavian said. His body was twisted so he could look at him directly from the front, as he put two fingers on his chin to force his eyes away from the crown and towards his face. However, Nico was not paying attention, his mind still reeling from the flash of information the wreath was giving him.

“We have a few hours before reaching our destination,” Octavian repeated slowly, smirking as he pressed his fingers roughly against his cheeks, making him wince. “I’ll tell you what I expect of you once we arrive, but first…”

He took the wreathfrom his lap and started playing with it. Nico’s eyes followed the movement, almost as if hypnotized.

“Tell me all you know about your abilities… and about a certain goddess I’m sure you’re well acquainted with.”

Chapter 3: Ara Victoriae: Consequences

Chapter Text

Nico’s chance came around sooner than expected.

As the Feast of Fortuna drew ever closer, the Legion, as was tradition, was preparing for a War Game in three days’ time. With it so close, Octavian finally deigned to tell him his plan to ascend to Praetor… and in doing so, offering him a chance to sabotage him.

He had expected to demerit his tenure as Praetor and stop him from becoming emperor at best, as there was no doubt in his mind someone as ambitious and two-faced as the Augur could get either position.

But to deny him the chance to even be Praetor for a year if not more? It was so tempting he had to remind himself of the punishment he could receive if the news of his involvement ever reached Octavian.

“So I have to bless Kahale too?” He asked, his mind working overtime with the new information.

“He’ll come publically tomorrow,” Octavian said dismissively. “Just another show of power to the masses.”

“Of course, he’ll be getting all the attention, especially with a public blessing,” Nico said. He had been around Octavian long enough to guess his thought process. “Just what you need to go about unnoticed while you attack Praetor Grace where he can’t see you.”

“Sharp as always, Nico.” Octavian laughed. “Reyna already decided the First and Second will defend the tower. All Michael has to do is focus on the Cohort furthest from Jason Grace’s precious Fifth. He won’t notice until my spatha is already lodged in his chest.”

“Why does it have to be you?” Nico asked, despite himself. He wanted nothing more than for Octavian’s plans to be as full of holes as possible, but he would be suspicious if Nico didn’t at least point them out. “Doesn’t that increase the risk of you being seen?”

“If you want things done right, you have to do them yourself,” Octavian scoffed. “Who would I send? The Fifth Cohort is too enamored with their Praetor, and any other candidate would inform Reyna or blackmail me once I’m in power.”

Nico said nothing, letting him believe he had stumped him. He knew Michael would suspect Octavian’s reasons, but at the end of the day, the son of Venus owed too much to the Augur to rat him out.

“That’s not all, of course,” he continued, looking at him with a manic glint of his eye. “I want to see how life fades from his eyes myself. His dumb face as he realizes he’s not as invincible and perfect as he believes will be the cherry on top.”

Octavian’s grin made Nico think of a snake about to dislodge its mouth to swallow a rat. He felt nauseous as Octavian left, almost skipping towards the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

He didn’t really understand why Octavian shared his plans with him. Maybe he really thought of him as an equal, at least when it came to intellect, or maybe he just needed an excuse to hear himself talk.

Either way, it was the first time Nico had been truly scared of Octavian succeeding. That man could never become more powerful than he already was.

And the beginnings of a plan had already started wandering his mind.

Frank visited often. The boy was too soft, somehow unsullied by the harshness of being born into a world of gods and monsters.

He was having a hard time fitting in with the Legion, so he turned to Nico often just to talk about his day and find some of the companionship the Fifth Cohort hadn’t been able to provide.

Nico had found his venting to be shallow and annoying, but had endured it until then for the sake of a plan he had not thought of.

Now it was different.

“Are you sure no one in the Fifth knows you?” Nico asked him. “What about the Praetor? He still acts as your leader during the War Games, does he not?”

“Some of them,” Frank said, shrugging slightly. “He is the only one who knows my name, at least. I swear I’ve been called ‘Hank’ at least a hundred times since I came here last month.”

Nico hummed, pretending to care for the boy’s hazing as Frank went on and on about pranks his fellow legionnaires pulled on him.

“Patience,” he thought to himself, letting the demigod in front of him unwind. He needed him, so he had to play nice.

It took almost ten minutes for Frank to calm down. He looked almost embarrassed to have gone on such a long tangent.

“Frank, do you ever wonder why I don’t bless you?”

“You told me it’s because Octavian won’t ever forgive you blessing a Probatio,” Frank answered. Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was just so unassuming, so easy to mold.

Then again, Octavian might have thought the same of him, at first.

“Victory is earned, not given,” Nico said. “If you want to prove yourself to the Legion, to your father, you need to earn Victory, not have it fall into your lap.”

Frank seemed impressed by his reasoning, but most importantly, he was accepting of the new information, and trying to reconcile it with the image of the Augur Nico had painted him.

“Wow, so I guess Octavian really has the best intentions when forbidding blessings.”

“He took the bait,” Nico thought, hiding a smile.

“I’m afraid not.” He paused for effect. “The Augur’s limitations just happen to align with Victoria’s precepts in that regard.”

Frank was innocent, but not stupid. Just as he had figured out Octavian’s true nature from their conversations, he had now realized the extent of his control over Nico.

It was a risky move. He could only make Frank be willing to do anything to help him get away from Octavian’s grasp once. After that, he’d probably be too afraid to try anything against him again.

“He… forces you to…?”

“My blessings are only to further his political career,” Nico confirmed. “Michael Kahale came by earlier today on his orders. All part of his plan to gain power.”

“Why don’t you refuse?” Frank asked. “Tell the Praetors, stop him.”

“Unless there’s a replacement ready, that just means he’ll stay Augur, with no chance of promoting.” Nico grimaced. “The Augur has access to me all the time. I’m at his mercy. I give Victory to who he wants, or else.”

“That’s awful!”

“If there was a Pontifex Maximus, the story would be different, but…” Nico bit his lip. Frank looked ready to despair. Just what he needed. “There’s something we can do, though.”

“We?”

“I need your help,” Nico said. Frank gulped, before his face took on a determined look. “Do you think you can tell Jason Grace to meet me here tonight?”

“Uh… sure, I mean, I’m not exactly the guy’s best friend but…”

“Just tell him I need to see him, and that the Augur can’t find out.”

Frank looked unsure, but he nodded. He stood up and gave a salute, before marching out of the Altar.

As soon as he was out of sight, the miserable expression disappeared from his face.

He had to admit, when he acted brave, Frank Zhang made for an almost decent legionnaire.

“Now let’s just hope he doesn’t screw this up.”

Just as Octavian had an Augur mask, Nico wore the Internuntius mask constantly. The helpless little boy who needed others to fight his battles in exchange for blessings.

Most didn’t realize wearing this mask was the way Nico fought. It was the only way of fighting Octavian had taught him, if only by example.

Now it was time to test it against his teacher. And he’d make sure Victory would be his.

Every minute after night fell was agonizing to Nico. Every other second he worried over whether Frank had bailed or not. He looked in Camp Jupiter’s direction constantly, feeling antsy when no one seemed to approach.

“At this point, I’ll even take Octavian coming to mock my attempt and punish me,” he thought.

Anything to stop the uncertainty.

“Nico?”

The boy jumped and turned around as fast as he could. Jason Grace had sneaked up on him, wearing a hoodie that hid his blond hair.

“Do you want to kill me?!” he shouted, before remembering who he was talking to and breathing deeply. “I’m glad you could make it, Praetor.”

“Frank told me it was important.” Jason shrugged as he looked around. “And that Octavian couldn’t find out.”

“He’s a reliable guy,” Nico said, more to himself than to Jason. “I just don’t think he’s meant for the Legion.”

Jason nodded. Nico shook his head and looked around. No other blonde in the vicinity, thank the gods.

“Praetor, I’m sure you know who the Augur really is,” Nico started. Jason nodded.

“A two-faced rat,” he said, sounding disgusted. “Let me guess, he finally has something against me to force me to retire.”

“In a manner of speaking,” Nico gave a small, nervous laugh. He looked around again. “He plans on a rather… permanent, form of retirement.”

He had expected Jason to be surprised, outraged even, but the Praetor just shrugged.

“Yeah, that sounds like him,” Jason said. “He’s going to do it during tomorrow’s War Games, isn’t he?”

Of course, Jason Grace was Praetor for a reason. He was intelligent and a good strategist, which made his nonchalance even more puzzling.

“I… don’t think you understand the gravity of what I’m telling you.” Or the risk Nico was taking by telling him. “Octavian plans to kill you and make it look like an accident.”

“Do you think he’ll be able to? He’s lost the element of surprise.” Jason smiled. “Thanks for telling me, you probably saved my life.”

“No, I doomed you,” Nico said between gritted teeth. “You think Octavian trusted me without making sure I could do nothing about it?”

“What do you—?”

“I blessed him!” Nico snapped. Jason’s eyes widened. “Even if you’re expecting him, Victoria’s blessing will make sure he’ll win the ensuing fight, even if it’s against you.”

“Then why did you call me? To tell me not to take part?” Jason crossed his arms. “It’s for the Feast of Fortuna, I have to be there.”

Nico gulped. This was it. The only way he had thought of to save Jason and stop Octavian.

It only required him to reveal his biggest secret to someone else.

“I… I have a confession to make, Praetor,” he said, shakily. Jason arched his eyebrow. “I can give a stronger blessing… strong enough to make Octavian’s blessing not count.”

“So you want to give me that blessing.” Jason again smiled. “I knew you liked me, Nico.”

Despite himself, Nico rolled his eyes. Jason could be so childish.

“Yes, I will give you that blessing, but…” he swallowed around nothing. For some reason, he found himself afraid of what Jason would think of him once he found out. “You have to swear never to reveal what I say… or what it really means.”

Jason looked confused, but after looking carefully at his face, he nodded.

“I swear on my honor as Praetor of New Rome,” he said, hand over his chest. “After what we went through on Mount Othrys, do you think I’ll want to hurt you?”

“That’s because you don’t know who I am.”

Outwardly, he nodded, and made him kneel. Nico took some Olive oil he had hidden from his last meal (actually a small packet that came with a Caesar salad) and wet his fingers before marking Jason’s face.

“Jason Grace, may you fight with valor and strength, if you do…” he wavered. Jason opened his eyes and looked at him curiously. Nico averted his eyes. “…If you do, be certain Nike will reward you with Victory.”

A soft light enveloped Jason Grace, who for the first time, was looking at him as if he was a complete stranger.

He received no other visits except for the usual group of Aurae that brought him food. When the time for the War Games came the next night, only they were there to take him to the Fields of Mars.

He moved uncomfortably in his palanquin. Jason, for once, was ignoring him, while the usual cheers from the Legion came.

As the Praetors and Augur would take part in this game, it left the recently retired Centurion, Gwen, to be the referee.

Nico would be alone in the stands. Usually, it meant he could doze off without worrying about being seen by Octavian but, for rather obvious reasons, he couldn’t relax as soon as the spotlight was off him.

He climbed the stands and saluted as Gwen explained the basics of the Siege game. He kept a rapt attention on Jason Grace, who seemed bothered by something.

The night before, he had left after he had blessed him, without uttering a word. Nico had no doubt the Praetor would keep his promise and not tell anyone about his Greek roots, but that was only half a victory.

He still needed to convince Octavian that his plan failed because of circ*mstance, rather than his interference.

As the game raged on, he felt a little proud of Frank managing to break enemy lines under Jason’s command. The boy was quite proficient with a bow, and he (wisely) was keeping away from Michael Kahale, who, true to Octavian’s orders, was busy fending off the Third Cohort.

It was like looking at two magnets repelling metal on opposite sides. No one who fought Kahale or Jason managed to do more than stop them slightly before being flung away. People’s attention was mostly on the son of Venus and his public blessing, while most were willing to excuse the son of Jupiter as mere experience and rank.

His actual plan was working, give Jason so much attention Octavian wouldn’t have a chance to attack. He couldn’t blame him if he thought the Son of Jupiter was just the center of attention as usual despite his machinations.

As the game finished (The defending team won, as the Fifth was way too reliant on Jason and, surprisingly, Frank’s arrows), Nico allowed himself to relax.

It was done. Octavian has lost his—

A sudden yelp made him look in Jason’s direction. There, at his feet, was Octavian, his spatha on the ground and Jason’s Ivlivs pointed at his throat.

Octavian looked at Jason with a mix of surprise and hate, before turning his gaze towards him.

Nico felt his blood turn ice-cold.

“Oh no.”

Demoted.

Octavian would remain the Augur, as his gift of prophecy was something no other child or legacy of Apollo could really do, much less to the extent the young man did, but he would no longer be a Centurion, and he would probably lose his seat in the Senate after the voting the next day.

Nico had won. He had won far beyond his wildest dreams, but he felt no pleasure at all at his victory.

The barbed whip hit against his back again, making him cry out.

“You thought I wouldn’t notice?” Octavian shouted, his voice high-pitched. “You piece of sh*t! You’re nothing! You… Graecus!” With every insult, he cracked his whip again, until Nico was nothing but a whimpering mess.

His toga was already in tatters, stained with his blood.

Octavian was breathing heavily. He raised his arm again, making Nico wince in preparation.

“You want to know something, Nico?” Octavian hissed. He began rolling up the whip. “You only delayed the inevitable.”

He walked up to him. Nico shivered in fear.

“Apollo has promised me greatness,” he said in a sickly sweet voice, the same one he used when he took him out of the Hotel all those years ago. “And I will achieve that greatness. All you did was make sure I stay in this position longer… with you!”

A kick to the ribs. Nico felt the air leave his lungs, but he also felt relief. The kick was usually the last thing he did before going back to either the barracks or the temple, leaving behind some Unicorn Draught with which he could heal himself.

As if on cue, Octavian produced a small flask from his robes, and looked at it for what felt like an eternity.

“I want you to think about what I just said,” he said in a soft voice, moving the flask in circles. “Being against me will just prolong your suffering, Nico.”

Nico said nothing. He knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything other than wheeze.

“But I have been too nice… you haven’t really learned, did you? It’s time for that lesson to stick!” He smashed the flask against the floor, dropping the healing substance all over the floor. “Spend the night bloody and in pain! Maybe then you will understand what happens when you cross me!”

“Octavian!” A girl said, running up to the altar. A messenger, judging from her attire. The fact that she had called him by name rather than title seemed to made Octavian even angrier.

“What is it?” He snapped while he turned, making sure to cover him with his robes. Nico didn’t know if the girl had seen him or not, bit decided to remain quiet to prevent further punishment.

“The barracks are on fire! We are under attack!” The girl shouted. “Reyna said… she said the attack was with Greek fire!”

Octavian didn’t speak for a few seconds, becoming incredibly still.

“Tell the praetors I’ll be there shortly,” Octavian said. “Despite our differences, I’m still a proud citizen of New Rome.”

He heard some shuffling before an eerie silence. Octavian moved, the robe no longer covering him.

And he began to laugh.

The laugh had a maniacal tint to it. Octavian seemed giddy as the green fire became more and more visible on the horizon.

“I knew they weren’t gone!” He said, mostly to himself. “Thank you Apollo! Not everything is lost!”

He turned to look at Nico.

“You may thank your breed for fixing your mistake,” he said, grinning. “After all, there’s no better way to gain power than a war!”

He ran towards the barracks, leaving him on the floor.

Nico tried crawling towards the spilled draught, trying to get at least a little bit to apply on his back. He must have looked so pathetic and helpless.

Knowing there was no use, he curled into a ball and sobbed.

His plan was to exhaust himself until he passed out, but he heard footsteps on the altar.

He stilled. Was Octavian back already? Was this all a trick to torture him further? Was it Frank, sneaking out to check on him?

“Hey,” a voice he had never heard before called as he was turned. He hissed in pain. “You alright?”

Nico must have looked incredulous, because the voice just gave an awkward chuckle.

“Yeah, stupid question. Here,” a hand in front of his mouth, offering him something. Nico tried to move away, certain it was trap. “It’s okay, it’s just some ambrosia.”

Nico wracked his brain, trying to place the voice to be certain that he wasn’t being poisoned. Octavian could blame his death on the invaders, then.

But the voice seemed sincere, empathetic in a way Octavian and many of his close circle weren’t. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth and chewed, surprised to find it tasted like some sort of seafood he remembered tasting long ago.

His body ached less, and his head turned to look at the owner of the voice.

A young man, about Jason’s age, with pretty sea-green eyes and an athletic build. He was giving Nico a small smile.

“Hey,” he said again.

Nico stood up, wincing. It still hurt a little.

“Hey…”

“So… kinda random question: have you seen a statue of Nike around here?”

“Uh, no. Sorry.”

What was this boy talking about? Furthermore, why had he said Nike and not Victoria? What was going on?

“Rats,” the boy muttered. He seemed to be debating with himself for a bit before hearing even more footsteps. “That sounds like far more than just two people,” he said, suddenly nervous.

“Huh?”

“Listen, do you know a way out of here?” he asked quickly. “I… I’ll take you along, if you want.”

Nico thought about it. Helping this boy escape in exchange for freedom. It was too good to be true.

Was Octavian testing him? He didn’t even have a escape route!

“Yes, you do,” a voice, very different to his own, said. He looked towards the boy, but he seemed to be far more preoccupied with the approaching party.

Gulping, Nico took the boy’s hand.

“Will you really? Take me with you,” he said. The boy, desperate, just nodded. “Ok, I… I trust you.”

Without really understanding what he was doing, he pulled the boy under the altar’s shadow and closed his eyes.

It felt as if he was falling off a cliff, quickly speeding towards the ground only to deaccelerate at the end and land softly on land.

Distantly, he heard police sirens and shouting.

“W-where are we?” his travelling companion asked. "How did we get here?"

“We're in Los Angeles,” he said. How did he know that? How was he so sure? “…I think.”

“What?!” The boy began pacing. “Oh this was so not the plan! You… you have to take us back!”

Chapter 4: Ara Victoriae: Rescue

Chapter Text

Percy didn’t know exactly when his life had taken so many turns that nothing could really surprise him anymore.

Maybe it had been after the sixth monster appeared out of nowhere to disrupt his mortal life, ending with him expelled or on the run.

Maybe it had been when he didn’t actually die defeating Kronos, despite The Great Prophecy being what he could only call willingly disingenuous about it.

Or maybe it was his uncles asking for his head one second and ordering him to help them the next.

Right now, though, he mostly blamed Hades.

After all, it had been his great idea to send a Fury after him when he was twelve, on false charges he might add. It had also been Hades who, as “compensation” for breaking into the Underworld twice, made him seek out Daedalus to let his soul finally be judged.

Now, it was Hades who had appeared in Camp after nearly a year since his reconciliation with the Oracle issuing a special quest and prophecy in the middle of breakfast, and had singled him out to lead it.

“I have heard the prayers of my subjects,” he had said after Chiron had asked him why he was visiting. “And I have decided to issue a quest… Return the symbol of Nike from the Ara Victoriae!”

Now, Percy had seen Chiron in many different situations. He had seen him as a kindly old teacher, as a centaur burdened by the years and the deaths of demigods, as a miserable man who had lost his job to a ghost, but this was the first time Percy had seen him blanch, almost ready to vomit.

“I also demand that the quest be led by him.” He pointed at Percy, almost dismissively. If Percy hadn’t been scared about being blown to smithereens, he would have probably protested beyond the undignified ‘WHAT’ he managed to shout.

Chiron said nothing as he led Hades to the Big House to discuss the quest’s details.

“Perry Jameson, come here in an hour with any two of your choosing,” Mr. D said, distracted. “If you’re lucky, we may not need to actually send you.”

Percy blinked at that. It was the first time the wine god seemed to care about a demigod that wasn’t his kid. In a way, it made him even more uneasy.

He looked at Annabeth, sitting at her table. She just nodded, leaving her siblings and sitting with him.

“So, any ideas of who’s going to be our third?”

See, that’s why he loved this girl. She was on the same wavelength as him. They both had gone through so much together that they could read each other perfectly.

“I’d suggest Grover but…” he made a ‘you know’ motion with his hand. Annabeth nodded. It had always been the three of them, and having him be one of the Lords of the Wild just meant he didn’t have time to go on quests anymore. “So I’m out of ideas, you?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking and… I’ve narrowed it down to three demigods,” Annabeth said. “First there’s a Son of Hecate that… what?”

“Hades roped me into this like… three minutes ago, and you already have candidates?”

“I’ve been thinking about prospects ever since Grover became so busy,” Annabeth deflected, her cheeks slightly rosy. “We don’t know what kind of quest this is, so I discarded the specialists and went for the jacks-of-all-trades.”

“Okay,” Percy said. The reasoning was just so Annabeth he felt like smiling for no reason. “So, you were saying?”

Beaming back at him, Annabeth launched into a description of the possible demigods for this quest.

And that was how he, his girlfriend, and a new Hephaestus camper had been led to the Big House, as both Chiron and, surprisingly, Mr. D tried to talk Hades out of issuing his quest.

“It’s just too risky,” Chiron said, raising his hands in a pacifying manner. “Meeting with the… holders of the symbol would be catastrophic all around.”

“I’m still taking pills from the Civil War’s headache,” Mr. D mentioned, for once looking a little worried rather than apathetic. “Maybe we should consult Father—”

“The symbol is mine almost as much as it is Nike’s,” Hades growled. “Maybe even more. Thunderhead doesn’t need to know everything around here.”

Percy coughed loudly, getting the adults’ attention. Hades smirked and turned to Chiron.

“Well? Go get your Oracle already.” Hades shooed them. “I have some details to iron out with my nephew.”

Mr. D grumbled, but followed Chiron outside as they went looking for Rachel.

“Now, Jackson, I’m sure you know your way around a quest by now,” he said, not quite glaring at them. Percy hated that he could pick up when the Lord of the Underworld scowls were not entirely filled with hatred. “But just to make sure: No harm will come to the symbol, no matter what.”

“You don’t have to worry, Lord Hades,” Annabeth said, maybe sensing Percy was about to put his foot in his mouth. “I’ll see to it myself.”

“Cute,” Hades said, face completely flat. He turned to Percy again. “The Fates told me, the symbol will be badly damaged by June 24. I don’t care if the Prophecy says otherwise; you will retrieve the symbol by that date.”

“I… I’ll do my best,” Percy managed to say. It was the first time he had seen Hades that affected over something. It was actually scarier than the god’s usual demeanor.

“That’s not enough!” He said. His toga wailed as the souls that made it burned away and were replaced by new ones. “This is not your everyday treasure, it’s my—!”

Whatever Hades was going to say was interrupted By Chiron and Mr. D, bringing Rachel with them.

“So,” Leo Valdez said casually as he worked on the van that Chiron lent them to get to California. “Care to tell the mythologically illiterate what Nike’s symbol or an Ala Victoria is?”

Percy shrugged and looked at Annabeth. His girlfriend sighed.

“The Ara Victoriae, or Altar of Victoria, was a place where Romans prayed to Nike for victory in their battles,” she said. “It was destroyed and remade multiple times during the Christianization of Rome.”

“’Kay, and that matters to us because…” Leo drawled, opening the gas tank and pouring some drops of… something, inside.

“While linked to Roman history, what most people think of when mentioning the altar is a golden statue of Nike it had as a centerpiece,” Annabeth pulled out a rather thick tome with the words ‘Classical History’ written in ancient Greek on it and opened it. “A Greek statue of Nike captured during the Pyrrhic Wars led by General Octavian, later known as Augustus, first Emperor of the Roman Empire.”

“Fascinating,” Leo’s voice was thick with sarcasm as he continued rewiring every loose cable in the van. “So we go in, rob a statue, and go out without being seen, right?”

“Basically, yeah,” Percy said, distracted. His mind was still reeling from the Prophecy and the revelations that came from it.

A broken oath reveals a lie
Leading you to the Setting Sun
The Angel’s power you must swear by
For the Shadow Master’s chains to come undone

The words still danced around his head, still surprised that half of it had already come true even before leaving Camp.

Romans.

Roman gods, Roman demigods, maybe even Roman monsters! How was it even possible to keep to pantheons that shared that many gods apart for over a century?

In a way, Percy had been aware that there were Roman gods ever since meeting Janus, but he had thought they were only minor gods who didn’t have a Greek counterpart. The idea that his father had a completely different persona, maybe even with children of his own was just mind-boggling.

“Then just say that,” Leo said, bringing him back to reality. “I can do without the history lesson.”

Annabeth huffed, looking at their quest partner as if he had just insulted her mother (he kind of did, if Percy wanted to be philosophical about it) and finally looking apprehensive about preselecting him. Percy couldn’t blame either of them.

The news had them a bit on edge. Annabeth was coping by sticking her nose in a book, Leo by modding a van and being mouthy (he guessed, Beckendorf used to stay weeks in the Bunker when he was anxious), and Percy…

Well, Percy was waiting until he could slice at something… preferably a clawed something.

“Done,” Leo declared, closing the hood. “This baby will take us to California in just over 15 hours. Takes the shortest route, won’t run out of gas, and has just a bit of dusted winged shoes to help us literally fly over traffic! What a beauty, isn’t it?”

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other. They weren’t really fans of Hermes’s winged shoes ever since Grover had gotten close and personal with Tartarus while wearing a pair when they were twelve. Annabeth sighed, but nodded all the same.

“That works,” she said and opened the back door. She stared at Percy with a ‘you chose him, you sit with him’ kind of look. “We should still make stops for bathroom breaks and food.”

Leo waved his hand dismissively.

“Right, right,” he said. Once they were all seated, Leo pressed a button on a remote and the engine roared to life. “So, I guess now is as good a time as any to mention the design flaws.”

“Design flaws?” Percy asked, dread already beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. Both he and Annabeth adjusted their seatbelts.

Leo had the decency to look sheepish.

“I don’t really have a license, so I programmed the car to get to Cali and then follow the closest cluster of godly energy… it could be wildly inaccurate,” he chuckled nervously. “I can switch to manual if necessary, though! Mom has been teaching me the basics since I could walk.”

“That’s… not so bad.” Annabeth relaxed in her seat. “I guess it’ll be trial and error, then.”

“Yeah, not so bad,” Leo muttered. He pressed a button and the car hovered and started picking up speed. Leo took a deep breath before quickly saying “I also used really volatile substances to maximize mileage, so if we blow up, blame the Greek fire components in the tank!”

Before Percy or Annabeth could say anything, they were flung backwards by the car’s acceleration.

They did not blow up.

However, despite being Camp Half-Blood property, the car they were riding was as mortal as they came. A plastic gas tank could not hold the explosive ingredients for long, as they discovered on the day before the deadline, when the car broke down near a maintenance service tunnel north of San Francisco.

“I knew I smelled something burning,” Annabeth said, frustrated. Percy couldn’t blame her. They had been hopping from magical place to magical place all over California the past week, including Iris's hippie shop and a rather awkward visit to DOA Recording Studios. “How long will it take to repair?”

“Well, there’s good news and bad news,” Leo said cautiously from under the car. Percy wouldn’t be surprised if the impish boy didn’t already hate and fear Annabeth. “The bad news, the car is totaled; it would be cheaper to buy a new car than replace all the melted and burnt parts.”

“The good news is that you have a cool cousin with a limo who can give us a ride back to San Francisco so I won’t have to call my father?” She asked, halfway between hopeful and sarcastic.

“Hah, good one. And here I thought you had no sense of humor.” Leo cleaned his hands on his jeans and pulled out a small black box beeping. “The good news are that I managed to salvage the godly energy tracker, and right now, it’s reacting like crazy.”

He offered Percy the device. He took it and pointed it towards the maintenance entrance. The beeping got even more frantic.

“Whatever it’s sensing, it’s in there.” He gave it to Leo, who just pulled a wire to shut it. “Annabeth, your turn.”

“If this is the entrance and not the lair of the god of sewers or something, expect at least a sentry,” she said as she looked at a map in her book. “If they guard their camp like they did their cities during the early days of the Empire, we might be able to sneak around during shifts. However, we need intel on where the Altar is, then we need a distraction.”

“I still have enough components for a few pouches of Greek fire,” Leo mentioned pointing to the small bags tied to his tool belt. “We just need to start a fire somewhere far away from the Altar.”

“Try to make it look like it isn’t Greek fire, please. We’re going for stealth.” Leo gave thumbs up and she nodded. She turned to Percy and showed him a few pictures of people in togas and roman armor. “Take a good look: this is a Pontifex, this is an augur, and these are praetors and centurions, they are the most likely to go towards the Altar. Follow them and try to see where they have the statue.”

“What are you going to do?” Percy asked.

“I’ll help Leo; keep the heat off from him.”

“Aw, thanks, babe, but I handle heat pretty well,” he lit up his hand on fire and smiled. “I know, amazing, probably won’t even need the Greek fire.”

Annabeth punched him in the gut, not even turning away from Percy.

“We need to find a point to meet up. Well-hidden and near the entrance, any questions?”

“Yeah,” Leo wheezed as he clutched his mid-section. “If… if this turns out to be another godly shop, can you please be the one to buy the gross energy bars as compensation? I can’t take the sawdust taste anymore.”

Annabeth seemed to be debating whether to hit him again, but Percy just stared at her, making her drop it.

“I hope we’re right this time,” Percy said as he looked at the ominous tunnel. “I don’t want to see what Hades will do if we miss his deadline.”

Luck, for once, was on their side.

They arrived in time for some sort of game the camp had, similar to capture the flag. Thanks to Annabeth’s book, they picked up on who were the head honchos leading the small armies around. The blond guy knocking down everyone that came his way seemed to be the Praetor, so Percy would have to pay special attention to him.

“Who do you think that is?” Percy whispered as he pointed at the boy seated at the tribune, looking intently at the game.

“Maybe he’s one of the heirs to the Emperor,” Annabeth said. “He might be here to watch the games in the Emperor’s stead.”

Percy hummed as they were joined by Leo.

“Bad news, guys,” he said, sliding into the bush they were hiding in. “The barracks are the only place that will cause enough of a commotion to distract everyone without burning anything that might piss a god off.”

“Great.”

“Eh, not so much.” Leo pointed towards his tool belt. The pouches were now tightly sealed, ready to explode. “They seem pretty fire-proof. The only thing strong enough to set them on fire are these.”

Their conversation was interrupted by what seemed like a collective gasp. From the whispers, he managed to catch that the augur had tried to kill the praetor.

He saw as the praetor restrained a blond boy and brought him to the center of the campers. A girl who seemed to be a praetor as well demanded an explanation.

They listened intently as the augur tried to defend himself, only to be shut down and apparently demoted from political charges.

“Have I ever told you how glad I am that Camp Half-Blood doesn’t keep Ancient Greece politics?” He quipped to Annabeth, who shushed him.

“This is it,” she whispered. “If I’m getting this right, the augur still has duties to the gods. He’ll probably visit their temples for council. You follow him; we’ll stir up trouble in the barracks in 30 minutes. We’ll rendezvous near the entrance as soon as possible.”

Percy nodded. Annabeth and Leo began running towards the camp, trying to find a place to hide before the campers went back to sleep.

Percy followed the augur, who walked behind the palanquin carrying the supposed Roman prince.

They led him towards a small hill filled with temples and altars to different gods. Percy cursed under his breath. It would take forever to check every single one until he found one dedicated to Nike.

Deciding quickly, he made to follow the augur to an empty altar, hoping that he said something in his prayer leading him to the correct place.

Saying he was appalled by the augur’s treatment of the prince, who looked less and less like a prince by the minute, was an understatement. The blond kept hitting the poor boy, who did nothing to defend himself.

It took everything he had to not go and beat the augur up for mistreating someone weaker than him.

Especially after he shouted the word ‘Graecus’. Now, he didn’t know enough Latin to be sure, but it did sound similar enough to “Greek” to raise the alarms.

Percy sighed in relief when a messenger appeared to inform the augur of Leo and Annabeth’s distraction. As soon as he was gone, he had gone in without thinking twice and helped the boy up, giving him some ambrosia for his wounds. He turned around, finally allowing Percy to get a closer look at him.

The boy was petit and very thin, with almost feminine features and big, dark brown eyes. Percy couldn’t help but think that, if he hadn’t been crying and ate more, the boy in front of him could only be described as beautiful.

“Hey.” He smiled, painfully aware he was repeating himself, but wanting to calm down the boy in front of him. He managed to stand up, wincing a little, but with something akin to relief.

“Hey…”

Percy had a little difficulty recalling what happened after that. Guards inspecting the temples, asking the boy for an escape route, being taken under the empty altar and then transported nearly halfway across the state in a couple seconds, panicking over leaving his friends behind enemy lines without a way to tell them not to wait for him.

The boy having a full-blown panic attack.

“O-oh gods,” he kept repeating. “You aren’t… you’re with… I-I swear I don’t know what I did! D-don’t tell the Augur, please! I… I think I can bring us back!”

Percy was suddenly aware that his impromptu travelling companion was hyperventilating.He also realized just how what he said could be taken out of context and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders, who just flinched.

“It’s… It’s okay,” he managed to say. “Breathe… one, two, one, two…”

He continued until the boy calmed down a little, though he still looked at him as if he was a monster in disguise.

“What’s your name?” he asked. The boy seemed confused for a second.

“Nico,” he said, voice still trembling. “I’m Nico.”

“Hi, Nico. I’m Percy, and I’m not taking you back there,” he said in the most serious tone he could manage. “But I need to get back. My friends and I are Greek demigods, and if they’re found out… I need to be there.”

Nico nodded slowly.

“I… I’m not sure how I did… that,” he said, looking around. “But I wasn’t lying; I think I can bring us back to Camp Jupiter.”

“Is that what it’s called? Sounds like Space Camp,” he said, hoping a joke would ease the tension. Nico’s shoulders dropped slightly.

“I just need a dark place,” Nico continued. “The less light, the better.”

Without another word, he took him by the hand and led him towards an alleyway, away from the streetlights and the cars.

For some reason, Percy felt slightly scandalized at the action.

“Well, it’s very unusual for dinner to come on its own,” someone said as soon as they entered the alley. “But who are we to complain?”

Two big guys started skulking nearer, holding what looked like oversized baseball bats.

Laistrygonians. Percy cursed and uncapped Riptide, as Nico hid behind him wordlessly.

“Careful, they look feisty,” the other said, licking his lips. He barely had time to react as the other giant swung his club at him, blocking it with his sword. He felt his teeth clatter at the impact. “But what good meal isn’t?”

It was two against one, and Percy was protecting someone with little to no self-defense capabilities. He couldn’t dodge out of the way without exposing Nico, so he was left slashing and blocking, barely managing to give some superficial cuts to the giants’ arms and legs. After they realized his predicament, one of the giants went to block the exit, while the other kept whacking him.

“Percy,” Nico said. “w-what’s your full name?”

“W-what,” Percy said, feeling somewhat lightheaded. “What does it matter?”

“Just answer.” Nico’s tone conveyed nothing but urgency. The giant swung again. Percy managed to drop to the floor, taking Nico down with him.

“Per… Perseus Jackson,” Percy said as he rolled himself and Nico over before standing up again. “But I don’t—”

“Then, Perseus Jackson,” Nico said, his voice taking a commanding tone. “Defeat your enemy, for Victory is with you.”

It was as if a switch turned on inside his brain. Before the giant before him could swing again, Percy did a feint, pretending to go for the Laistrygonian’s stomach before swinging upwards and severing his club hand.

The giants barely had time to react as Percy jumped and beheaded his opponent before moving on to the next and stabbing him in an unarmored spot by his gut.

It was as if his body was on autopilot. With the other giant dead, Percy could maneuver more without worrying about Nico, who was still with his back against the wall. Percy’s attack was relentless, not giving the brute a moment of respite, before his sword found the armor joint between his mid-section and legs, slicing the monster and leaving him for dead.

Percy was breathing heavily. He turned to look at Nico, who didn’t look surprised at the outcome.

“W-what… what did you do?”

“The only thing I can do.” Nico shrugged, not looking at him. “I brought forth Victory.”

“How can you do that?”

“It comes naturally to me,” Nico said, turning towards the shadows. Gone was the scared little boy from before. In his place, was a far more secure teenager that looked every bit like the prince Annabeth mistook him for. “Because the goddess of Victory is my patron, I’m Nike’s envoy, and a prisoner to the Roman Augur.”

And because nothing could really surprise Percy anymore, the only thought roaming through his mind was ‘Of course he is.’

Chapter 5: Ara Victoriae: Escape

Chapter Text

“Well, this is getting awkward,” Percy said, squirming. Nico felt the Greek boy’s hand getting clammy in his. Whether it was from uneasiness or LA’s natural humidity, he couldn’t tell.

“Oh, don’t worry, I had my cootie shot earlier this month.” Nico’s voice was thick with sarcasm. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the feeling he had back at the altar.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Percy mumbled. “It’s just… I’m not used to staying still for so long.”

“Well, you’ll have to take this in stride then… quietly.” Nico felt the sudden urge to growl at his kind of savior. “I need to concentrate, and apparently this thing I do isn’t an exact science.”

He expected Percy to retort, but for once, the boy was quiet. Nico thanked the gods and tried to get back that feeling of being one with the shadows he had felt back at the Altar.

“If this works like I think it does, I should focus on a shadowed place in camp Jupiter.”

Theoretically, all shadows and darkness were expressions of Erebus on the world of the living. Which meant they were all connected at the source… even the shadows in a dingy alley in Los Angeles were connected to the darkness of the Caldecott Tunnel at the entrance of Camp Jupiter.

Last time, his only thought had been to be away from camp, so he had appeared at a random location, but maybe, if he could direct his thought towards a specific shadow…

It suddenly felt as if someone was reeling in a fishing line that had embedded itself in his gut without him noticing. The air became dry and cold around him as he began rushing forward, his center of gravity changing immediately.

Someone turned him around.

“Nico?” Percy said in a low voice from somewhere above him. He blinked, his eyes focusing once again as he noticed the Greek demigod had caught him when he was about to fall. “You okay, buddy?”

He blinked again, trying to take notice of his surroundings. Behind Percy, the tall, heavy doors of the Praetorian Gate laid wide open. He could hear shouts and marching in the background.

“This… this isn’t the tunnel,” he managed to say. Percy chuckled as he tried to help him stand. As soon as his hands were off him, however, he felt his knees tremble and his legs fail. Percy had his arms around him again before his face became intimate friends with the ground. “I feel like I’ve run the marathon… about six times.”

“Crap.” Percy looked around before maneuvering him into his back. “Just hold on, okay? And no more of that weird teleporting trick for today.”

Too tired to argue or even comment, Nico just linked his arms around Percy’s neck and rested his head on his right shoulder, trying as hard as he could to remain conscious.

Percy felt he should be less surprised at how little Nico weighted. While not malnourished, the boy was way too skinny for his own good. Still, he had expected him to be at the very least heavier than the shopping bags his mom saddled him with back before Paul came to her life and took over supermarket duty.

“So, where to?” he asked as he walked by the outer wall, trying to evade the guards marching along the area.

Nico weakly pointed to his left.

“The tunnel is that way.” His sounded sleepy, but certain. His finger moved slightly to the right “The fields of Mars are over there, and Temple Hill is behind us to our right…”

He gave a yawn that reminded Percy of a cat. Percy shook his head and tried to find an opening to get to the tunnel.

After ten minutes of platoons passing by, he figured out the pattern and managed to sneak past their patrolling, skulking towards the bridge near the tunnel, under which Leo and Annabeth were supposedly waiting.

“Halt!” He heard a female voice yell. Percy froze in place behind a bush, a half-asleep Nico trying to find a comfortable spot in his shoulder, rustling the leaves without noticing.

“Ma’am,” another voice, this one male, responded. “We have found no trace of the ones responsible for the fire… aside from this dust.”

A pause. The woman must have been looking at the evidence.

“I was right, then.” She sounded disappointed. “Any clues about the whereabouts of the Internuntius Victoriae, then?”

“None, ma’am.” Another pause, this one slightly longer. Percy was hyperaware of Nico beginning to mumble as he fell into a deeper sleep. “Your orders?”

“Send reinforcements to join Jason at the Caldecott Tunnel. If we’re lucky, we might catch them before they leave.”

“‘Them,’ ma’am?”

“I’m afraid Octavian was right. It was the Greeks who did this.” Steps sounded, thankfully moving away from the bush. Nico started to nuzzle his neck in his sleep, breathing into his ear. He bit his lips to prevent himself from yelping. “After you’re done, send a notice for a senate meeting tomorrow. We need—”

Whatever they needed, the two of them were now too far away for Percy to hear. Sighing in relief, he stood up and ran towards the bridge, prepared to take Annabeth and Leo and make a run for it.

The tunnel only had one guard right now, but they had little time.

His friends were, thankfully, at the rendezvous point. They saw him approach from far away, and began moving briskly towards the tunnel.

“Do you have any idea how worried we were?” Annabeth said, not turning to look at him from the front of their makeshift line. “You took way too long. Did you find the symbol?”

“Uh… I think so?”

“What do you mean you think so?” Leo said. He was looking around, trying to see whether any Roman campers were nearby. “Winged lady, laurel wreath, looks like she will sue if you don’t declare her dog the show’s best, not many gods have that look.”

“I mean, I think I have the symbol, but…” Percy realized neither of them were looking at him, convinced the lump in his back was the statue and not a living, breathing human being. “Forget it, I’ll explain later, but we need to leave now. I heard the praetor; she’s sending reinforcements to the tunnel.”

“Great,” Annabeth muttered, moving faster. Leo and Percy sped up to keep her pace. “Any ideas how many guards are there right now?”

“Just the one.” Percy said. He saw Annabeth move her head, probably in a nod, before they reached the tunnel. “All I know is that it’s a guy named Jason.”

“He’s a Praetor,” Nico mumbled at his back. Annabeth and Leo froze, finally paying attention to what, or rather whom he was carrying. “I don’t know if he’s still blessed, but he’s dangerous either way.”

“Percy, did you kidnap the Emperor’s heir apparent?” Annabeth’s voice was cold as ice. Leo, wisely, decided to move behind her.

“…No?” It wasn’t a lie. Nico was not the Emperor’s heir, nor was he being kidnapped.

‘Whisked away’ or ‘emancipated’ might have been more accurate.

“Percy…”

“I didn’t!”

“He did not,” Nico confirmed, yawning. “It’s a long story, I can’t really walk right now, and the Legion is about to block your only escape route. I’d run away now and demand explanations later.”

Annabeth looked like she wanted to argue, but just glared and turned away, running towards the tunnel once more.

“I so smell a couch in your future.” Leo snickered as he moved past him. Percy had half a mind to choke him.

“Evade Jason at all costs,” Nico said. He seemed slightly more awake now. “Even without a blessing, he’s one of the most powerful demigods I have ever met.”

“Okay.” Percy frowned, slightly bothered by his lack of faith. “Though it’s a little rude to assume, you know? You don’t know how strong we are.”

Nico said nothing. Percy just gave a deep breath before entering the tunnel.

Camp Jupiter was a small, secluded place protected by natural barriers such as mountains and the Little Tiber, which made monster incursions downright suicide for the monsters. Not only was it well defended, it also housed the small city of New Rome, and with it, the god Terminus, who protected Rome’s boundary from its enemies.

Taking all of that into account, it was the only safe place for a demigod who couldn’t defend himself. A place where that demigod could be protected from outside threats, leaving only the monsters inside to torment him.

Octavian had instilled a fear of leaving in him after a month at camp. It had been easy, all things considered. All he had to do was let him escape once and pursue him at a leisurely pace, herding him right to the middle of a group of monsters eager for an easy meal and leaving him alone until he begged to be taken back.

Now, it was the first time he was leaving Camp without the Legion to protect him. Sure, he technically wasn’t leaving alone, but three demigods hardly compared to a force of a hundred disciplined soldiers.

It was exhilarating.

“So,” the girl of the group whispered, looking ahead to try and find Jason before he found them. “We’re kidnapping someone we know nothing about, we failed our mission, and we have already thrown the whole ‘inconspicuous’ thing down the drain.”

“You’re going somewhere, I’m sure.” The other boy touched Annabeth’s shoulder as he dimmed the flame on his fingers (neat trick). “Probably tearing Kelp Head over there a new one… but right now we kiinda need to stay hidden.”

“That is not where I’m going.” The girl turned and looked at him. “I think we deserve to know who he is, at least.”

Nico blinked, before nodding. He would be the same. Hades, if anything, he should be the one demanding to know who they are. His experiences with mysterious strangers offering to take him away from everything he knew was not the best.

“Okay, I’ll tell you, but first, I’d like to know, are you really Greek demigods?”

He had to know. He had to make sure he truly wasn’t as alone as he thought he was.

“We are,” Percy answered, smiling slightly. “I’m a son of Poseidon, Annabeth over there is a daughter of Athena, and Leo is a son of Hephaestus.”

Annabeth looked about ready to throttle Percy, but Nico just nodded at them.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, because his mother didn’t raise an oaf, even if he didn’t really remember her. “My name is—”

“NICO!” Someone shouted. Steps echoed through the tunnel, making it difficult to discern whether they came from behind them or not.

He got his answer as Jason Grace stopped a few steps from them. He looked at the three demigods before his eyes landed on him. Nico idly wondered how things might look to Jason; three unknown demigods, carrying around an exhausted, obviously injured Nico, his robes in tatters.

Jason flipped his coin, drawing Ivlivs in spear form and pointing it at them.

“Whoa, buddy!” Leo raised his arms trying to calm him down. “No need to get violent.”

“Let. Him. Go.” He gritted his teeth, lance pointed exclusively at Percy. Annabeth stood between them, drawing a bronze knife. “I’ll let you through, no questions asked, but only if you let him go.”

“Do the math, dude,” Leo said, pulling out a hammer from his tool belt. “There’s three of us, and one of you.”

“I have faced worse odds.” Jason seemed content to keep the stalemate. “I just need to hold you until reinforcements come. Now, return the Internuntius Victoriae at once, or face the consequences.”

“No,” Percy said. He let Nico down gently and had Leo hold him steady as he transformed his pen back into a sword. “He’s coming with us.”

“After what you did to him?” Jason looked incredulous as he pointed at his wounds. “You’re lucky I’m willing to let you go unharmed! Just… leave. He belongs with us Romans.”

“I do not,” Nico said, tired of being spoken of as if he was an object. Jason looked at him. “It wasn’t them who hurt me, Praetor. The fault lies solely on the Romans.”

“Nico, you—”

“You more than anyone, know who I really am.” Nico stared at him. Jason faltered. Good. He deserved it after shunning him for his heritage. “I am Greek, Praetor, and I’m leaving with them.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annabeth and Leo whispering to each other. Percy remained quiet, observing him.

“And what do I tell the Legion, that our Envoy just left us?” Jason voice dripped with sarcasm. “There are Greek legacies here, who your godly parent is does not matter. Whoever did this to you, they’ll be punished.”

Nico heard the steps coming. Jason’s reinforcements were near. Annabeth tried to sneak up on Jason with her knife. Nico raised his hand, stopping her.

“Tell them that you didn’t see me leave. Buy us time.” He took in Jason’s bewildered expression for a moment. He knew what to do. “Please, Jason.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Jason said, but his tone wavered. It was the first time since his promotion he had used his name.

“The Praetor can’t let the Envoy get away,” Nico confirmed. “But Jason can let a friend escape to find his place.”

He could pick out voices now. The legion was getting closer.

“Please, if you ever were truthful about wanting to be my friend just… let me leave.”

Jason bit his lip for a second. He looked quickly between Nico, the Greeks and the tunnel. He sighed, turning his weapon back into a coin, stepping aside.

“The Legion will be here any second,” was all he said as he moved further into the tunnel.

They didn’t have to be told twice. Percy picked him up again and ran, his friends not far behind him. He turned back one last time, finding Jason staring at him.

Despite not saying anything, his eyes seemed to convey a message only for Nico.

“I had hoped you’d find your place with us.”

They stopped by a car that faintly smelled of burnt plastic by the other end of the tunnel. Leo opened the trunk and pulled out a couple of bags.

“This one’s yours,” he said, offering one to Annabeth. The tone he said it implied some kind of underlying meaning Nico didn’t understand.

After what felt like an eternity, Annabeth rolled her eyes and snatched the bag, fishing out a cellphone.

“Just… make sure no monsters attack while I call my dad, okay?”

“Sure thing, Egghead.” Leo hid under the car, probably escaping any sort of retaliation from Annabeth. “Percy, you be the lookout, I’ll see if I can salvage anything down here.”

Percy nodded and set him down on the car seat. Nico felt like he was about to collapse from tiredness, but Percy just sat beside him and gave him an uneasy smile.

“So… Greek, huh?” He said, starting the interrogation. “I mean, I assumed when that man called you ‘Graecus,’ but…”

“Yes… or at least, I assume I’m Greek.” He brought his hands to his lap, playing with them. “All I know is that my blessing comes from Nike, not Victoria. My powers are stronger when I call on her Greek form.”

“And what are those powers?” Annabeth asked, putting her phone back in her back. “Dad will meet us about a mile from here. We should get going before they send scouts to this end of the tunnel.”

“Jason will keep them from doing it for a while, but you’re right,” Nico said. Percy made to carry him again, but he moved away and stood up. “I’m okay now. I can at least walk a mile.”

“Which frees you up to carry these,” Leo said, holding a few tubes and devices in Percy’s direction that Nico didn’t really understand. “We can sell these in San Fran to get some change for transport.”

“Yeah, because a group of teenagers selling loose auto parts is not suspicious at all.” Annabeth rolled her eyes before focusing again on Nico. “Anyways, about your blessing…?”

“It’s a little complicated to explain,” Nico said, waiting until his three companions were ready and following them. “I was the center of the Ara Victoriae because of Nike’s blessing. It makes it so I can bless people to make them victorious.”

“Like, winning a game? Beating someone in a fight? Winning the lottery?”

“The first two.” Nico yawned. He waved off Percy, who looked concerned. “I can influence who wins confrontations of any kind, but there are some rules and restrictions.

“First of all, My blessing only works if the Victory depends on you. Things like elections or lotteries rely on voters or luck, so I can’t sway those either way.” Leo looked disappointed. Nico smirked at that. “For that same reason, it doesn’t work on love, there’s a third party with their own feelings and say in whether or not they’re won over. Moreover, that’s Cupid and Aphrodite’s thing, not Nike’s.”

“That’s to be expected, I guess.” Annabeth hummed as she stroked her chin. “Still, the applications of such a blessing are amazing, let alone the implications.”

“There’s one last thing, The blessing is not absolute. It can be bypassed if your opponent is far above your level in skill, experience or strength.” Nico shrugged. “I can only make it so the confrontation is you at your best against your opponent at whatever level they’re in. Victory is earned, not given as a gift.”

“It still means an advantage over whoever you’re up against.” Annabeth noted. “Does it work against anyone?”

“Last year, I blessed Jason, and he beat the Titan Krios when the Legion stormed Mount Othrys. He destroyed Saturn’s throne, and ended up becoming Praetor for it.”

“Huh, Hermes said Othrys collapsed on its own when we defeated Kronos,” Percy said. “I guess he did that just so we stayed apart.”

"Were you a camper? What is life like for a Roman?" Annabeth asked.

For the next half-hour or so, Nico answered questions about Camp Jupiter, all the while getting loose comments on what the Greek Camp was like. Each answer drained him a little bit more, as he felt the weight of whatever he did to move to LA and back taking its toll on his energy levels.

The honking of a car drew their attention. Annabeth ran up to the window and waved. Without a word, Percy, Leo and him got in the back seat, while Annabeth talked with her father, telling him a heavily edited version of their incursion into Camp Jupiter.

“A Military styled camp that works and has the same hierarchy as that of the Roman Empire, and so close to home… that’s just fascinating,” he said, before going on a lecture about Roman war tactics and defenses.

“Should I tell him there’s also a Roman city where demigods can retire?” He muttered to Percy, whose eyes widened.

“They retire?” He said in wonder, looking at Annabeth for a second before shaking his head. “Better not to. He’s already nerdgasming enough as it is.”

“Nerdgasming?”

“I’ll explain later.”

Nico nodded, already on the verge of unconsciousness.

“You know, I just realized something,” Nico murmured, his eyes already closing.

“What is it?” Percy said, smiling at him.

“I’m pretty sure we ruined the Feast of Fortuna.”

Ara Victoriae: End

Chapter 6: Journey to the East: Depending on the Unkindness of Strangers

Chapter Text

“You ready?” Annabeth Chase asked him, leaning on the doorframe. She was tapping her foot in an impatient manner, though Nico knew it wasn’t directed at him. At least, not entirely.

“Yeah.” Nico zipped his new duffel bag closed, filled with some clothes and new basic hygiene items he hadn’t been able to carry from New Rome for obvious reasons. “Thank you for these, by the way.”

“They are from Goodwill, so probably not the materials you’re used to,” she said unapologetically. Nico guessed she saw him as a pampered kid who was trying to rebel or some such. “Some of them might not fit, either.”

“As long as it isn’t a toga, I’m happy.” Nico walked past her and gave a polite greeting to Annabeth’s stepmother, who was carrying some documents to the studio.

Nico was not stupid. He knew Annabeth Chase did not like or trust him. In fact, she had heard her whisper arguing with her boyfriend about him faking being the symbol of the altar of Victoria as a ploy to get out of Roman camp.

On top of that, they had to accommodate three demigods at her house, which only made the monster threat to her family bigger when Nico had fallen asleep for nearly eighteen hours after their escape.

He tried not to let it get to him, after all, he was very much derided and ignored before becoming Victoria’s Envoy, so it was a bit like going back to before, and if Annabeth represented all those older kids in the hotel then…

“Hey Nico!” Percy greeted from the kitchen counter, his smiling face completely messed up by breadcrumbs and jelly. “Packed up already?”

Then Percy Jackson reminded him of Bianca. Always ready to defend him and stand by him.

“Just finished.” Nico pointed to the bag, before grabbing a napkin and wiping Percy’s face. “Do you always eat like a pig?”

Percy blinked.

“Uh… no… I uh, may have put too much blueberry jelly this time,” Percy mumbled as he let Nico clean him.

Annabeth cleared her throat behind them, making Percy jump. He hurriedly took the napkin away from Nico, finishing cleaning up by himself.

Honestly, they were all such children.

“Is Leo back yet?” He asked Annabeth. He already was on her bad side; the last thing he needed was to give her more reasons to cement her opinion of him.

Like making her believe he was trying to drive a wedge in her relationship.

“Dad called, they are on their way back,” she said as she grabbed one of the toasts from the plate and put smoked salmon spread on it. “He said, and I quote, ‘Leo may have found true love,’ so expect some gaudy, easy to mod car.”

Percy frowned slightly, but said nothing. Ever since he woke up, Annabeth had been using words like ‘gaudy’ and ‘garish’ to describe anything from the duffel bag her stepmother gave him to the fried chicken dinner they had had the night before, as if they would make him run back to the Romans. From Percy’s looks, he could guess Annabeth did not normally talk like that.

“I don’t know enough about cars to know what counts as gaudy or not,” he said carefully. “I just care about it being big enough to fit the four of us and take us to your camp.”

Annabeth just pressed her lips in a thin line and nodded, going into her room.

Nico sighed, grabbing a toast of his own and pointedly ignoring Percy apologizing for his girlfriend’s attitude.

The worst part was that this was still miles better than what he could expect back in New Rome.

The Subaru SVX was a hidden gem of the 90s. Undersold due to an economic hard time in its home country, this car was derided for trying too many new things that weren’t mainstream at the time, and fell into obscurity after it flopped in sales.

If Nico knew any of this, it was because Leo wouldn’t shut up about the damn thing as he showed off every feature to the three of them. Behind him, Dr. Chase just smiled indulgingly, probably because the night before, he had subjected them to a similar lecture about a German World War 1 plane model.

“And that idiot at the car sale let me get it for just $2500,” Leo continued, caressing the hood. “Mom will freak out when I tell her I got one of these beauties.”

“Wait, how much did you sell the car parts for?” Annabeth asked, now looking at her father suspiciously.

“Y-you don’t understand, it was a steal! I needed it. We needed it! I—” Leo cowered as the daughter of Athena turned her gaze on him. “I promised your dad I would help him build an exact replica of the Fokker Dr-1 if he paid the extra five hundred.”

“Not right now, of course,” Dr. Chase said quickly. “After all, I still need a few materials, but once I do, can you imagine what Hephaestus engineering can do to truly bring that model back to life? I—”

“Dad,” Annabeth said, rubbing her temples with her right hand. “What you do with your money is your business… and Lana’s, I think.”

Dr. Chase paled at the mention of his wife.

“Plus, we kind of already had a lecture on the good old baron’s plane yesterday so…” Percy said as he went past him and into the backseat. “Not shotgun!”

Annabeth rolled her eyes before giving her father a quick hug, promising to call him once they made it to camp and sitting with Percy in the back.

Leo shrugged before smiling at him.

“Looks like it’s just us singles at the front,” he said, in what Nico had quickly classified as his ‘trying to make you like me’ tone. “Two guys looking for adventure and babes, featuring the boring couple in the back.”

“Let’s start with Greek camp and see where it goes from there,” Nico said, smirking. “Thanks for everything, Dr. Chase,” he said quickly as he entered the car.

“Just be careful, okay?” He called.

Leo started the carand put on sunglasses as Annabeth promised her father. He grinned at Dr. Chase.

“Relax, I’ll follow every regulation so perfectly, cops won’t ever stop me to realize I only have a learner’s permit.”

Apparently, Leo was fond of unnerving people before leaving, because he just saluted with his hand and drove off into San Francisco’s busy streets.

It tookabout an hour to get out from the city and into the highway. Behind them, Percy and Annabeth had already fallen asleep, while Nico played with the radio stations to try to remain awake himself.

“So,” Leo said, relaxing his grip on the wheel. “You still haven’t told us anything about yourself, man.”

“You still haven’t told me where the Greek camp is,” Nico said back, defensive. “I only know it’s East of here. I don’t even know the name.”

“We’re in the directory.” Leo chuckled as he changed line to overtake a car. “If you end up betraying us, you won’t rat us out.”

He didn’t sound sorry about phrasing it that way. That was something he had noticed about Leo. No tact, and quite unapologetic about it. His honesty was actually a bit refreshing compared to Percy’s eagerness to please and Annabeth’s barely there attempt to hide her opinions on him.

“Yeah well, trust is a two-way street,” Nico said. “I won’t go around sharing stuff about me to people who see me as a traitor.”

“Hey now, nobody thinks you’re a traitor.” Leo’s eyes widened. “I mean, maybe the Romans do now that you left, but we… we’re just unsure, that’s all.”

Nico narrowed his eyes, trying to guess what game Leo was playing at. Was he trying to interrogate him since he was the most easy-going? Was he offering to give away his camp’s location eventually in exchange for a sign of trust?

Whatever his strategy, Nico would only unravel it in one way.

“I barely remember who I was before Camp Jupiter,” he said lowly. “I know that doesn’t really make me more trustworthy, but it’s the truth.”

“You’ve been there all your life, then?”

“I was only there three years.” Nico lifted his legs into the seat, hugging them. “But who I was before that is mostly a blank.”

“Mostly?”

“I remember my mother’s face, as well as a sister.” Behind him, he could hear Annabeth’s breathing had changed its rhythm. “I remember that I have Nike’s blessing, but aside from that, nothing.”

“Sounds really though.” Leo smiled sympathetically at him. “So you just woke up one day in New Rome and—”

“New York, actually,” he said. It wasn’t a lie, he vaguely remembered a lawyer taking him and Bianca from a subterranean stairway near Central Park (or was it in Central park?) before they were taken to Vegas. “I wandered around before the Augur found me.”

“New York? Then you were really close to—” Annabeth yawned loudly and hit Leo’s chair, making him huff. “Olympus,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, I know where Olympus is,” Nico said carefully. “The Legion doesn’t go there, though, too far east.”

Very close to Greek Camp, too.

If this alliance went somewhere after this was all over, he would have to teach Annabeth a thing or two about subtlety.

They decided to make a stop by an off-brand sandwich place outside of Reno. Nico stood quietly as the other three pooled their resources to see what they could afford.

“So that’s enough for… a meatball sub and a Pepsi.” Annabeth grimaced. “What are the chances that this place is a monster façade we can bust for food?”

“Unless this place is run by zombies uninterested in demigods,” Percy said, pointing at the dead-eyed teenager at the register. “None.”

They all sighed.

“Didn’t you guys have some funds or rations for this quest?” Nico asked. After all, making sure demigods didn’t die of hunger during quests seemed so obvious it was mandatory in the Legion.

“We had, but that car was such a priority,” Annabeth said sarcastically. Leo glared at her.

“Don’t bring Helena into this.”

“You named… never mind,” Annabeth said. “Unless you can make Helena give us something to eat, we’ll have to rely on charity from here to Camp.”

Nico watched them argue for a couple of minutes, trying to find some solution. His eyes wandered to a couple of kids playing in a nearby park.

“Um, I may have an idea,” he said in a shy tone. Immediately, Percy turned to him and gave him the usual smile that he was sure was part of why Annabeth hated him.

“Well, we’re hungry and pretty much open to anything.”

Annabeth and Leo looked at him. He looked down, trying to accentuate a sense of sheepishness.

“Good, because it depends on how far you stretch the concept of fair play.”

‘Like taking candy from a baby,’ an idiom meaning something is incredibly easy. Of course, a baby can't defend itself, much less its valuables, when faced with an adult.

“Oh, come on!” The burly teen grumbled as he reached for his pocket and pulled a five-dollar bill. “Okay, next one takes all.”

In the same vein, swindling suburbia kids who thought highly of themselves for playing basketball was ridiculously easy when you can bless someone who seemed scrawny but actually had a good few years working with heavy machinery, like Leo Valdez.

Nico almost felt bad for basically cheating them out of their money, but in the end, the growling of his stomach won out.

“Dude, face it, you got your ass handed to you,” one of his friends tried to stop him, only to be glared at.

“So, what do you say? I still have a twenty.”

Leo looked back at them. Annabeth shrugged, while Percy just gave him thumbs up. Nico rolled his eyes, but nodded.

The blessing still hadn’t worn off.

Leo grinned and passed the ball to the guy.

Fifty dollars later (deducting four sandwiches and sodas) they were back on the road, looking for a quiet place to set camp.

“Man that was awesome,” Leo said. “It was like, I knew how to translate all those stupid equations to make good shots into real life, you know?”

“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Percy was looking for a place they could sleep on. “Too bad you didn’t get enough for a motel.”

“He was just sixteen,” Annabeth said. “It was actually quite surprising to find someone with so much pocket change.”

“And so gullible, too.” Leo snickered. “Now I know why the Stolls do this sort of things all the time! When this is over, I’m thinking of taking you to Vegas. What do you say, Neeks?”

Nico stiffened at the mention of Vegas. He thought back to Octavian for a moment, trying to think about how he would take advantage of this situation.

“Neeks?” He asked, unimpressed. Leo shrugged. “That won’t work. Nike’s blessing works on skill, not random numbers.”

“Won’t know until you try.”

“Victory is not Luck,” Nico said dryly, frowning. “I know what I can and can’t do.”

“Well, sorry,” Leo said, now grimacing. “I was just joking around.”

They continued in silence for a few minutes until Annabeth spotted an empty lot. Wordlessly, Nico got out to help unload the tents before the others even had a chance to unbuckle their belts.

He barely got to the back of the car efore he heard a door open and close.

“Hey, Nico.” Percy approached him, looking nervous. “Don’t take what Leo says too seriously, he’s just—”

“It’s not just Leo,” Nico said, resting his hands on Helena’s trunk. Leo and Annabeth were still on the car, probably listening in. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that this is crazy.” Nico gritted his teeth. He was surprised to find his frustration was not completely made-up. “I ran away to find a better place, to find a home, yet I just keep finding people who hate me, want to use me, or both!”

“I don’t hate you or want to use you, Nico.” Percy said as gently as he could.

“You’re the reason I accepted this crazy offer, Percy.” Nico ran a hand through his hair as he tried to concentrate. “But the truth of the matter is… that don’t like being here, but I can’t leave. I’m as much a prisoner here as I was in New Rome.”

Darkness connects all. In a moonless night, such as this one… the shadows are weaker, not as defined… but more prevalent.

Percy placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“I don’t know how to fight,” he continued, leaning into Percy, but keeping his hand on the car, trying to pull on its shadow as well as his and Percy’s. “I don’t even know if I’ll find a place in the Greek Camp. I just wanted… to not be with the Augur anymore.”

The fact that he wasn’t lying kept startling him, but he shook his head, hoping to go back to that night’s mind state.

Just keep thinking of the shadows. They are near that place, because they are everywhere…

“Hey, you just met us,” Percy argued. “Of course we’re all going to clash and disagree, but once we get to know each other better…”

“You don’t know what will happen after!” Nico exploded. Percy made an attempt to take his hand off of him. Nico panicked and grabbed it. “You might end up hating me too, just like your girlfriend!”

The car door opened, probably Annabeth taking her queue to come out and apologize or make the situation worse.

Realizing he had little time, Nico decided to just go ahead and begin pulling them into the shadows.

“I wish I could just leave!” He shouted. The nowincreasingly familiar feeling of free falling took over again as he felt more and more light-headed.

Before passing out, he faintly noticed the neon signing in the distance.

He had done it.

They were on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Probably no more than a couple of miles away from the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

The place where he had left Bianca.

Chapter 7: JttE: Lady Luck Giggles Upon Us

Chapter Text

Unlike with the previous Creeportation, as he had started calling them, he had been somewhat prepared and caught Nico just before he collapsed. The boy in question seemed to be sleeping peacefully, no hint of his previous distress.

“What in Hades was that?” Annabeth said, slamming Helena’s door closed. “We just… just…”

“Got pulled into another dimension for like a second!” Leo said, excited. “And we landed in Vegas! This kid’s amazing!”

“I have never seen a child of Nike do that!” Annabeth started pacing. “Actually, scratch that, I’ve never seen anyone do that. Just what is he?”

“He’s a demigod, like us,” Percy said, glaring. “We all do weird things, you can’t blame what people do when they’re stressed or scared.”

Annabeth stared at him for a second before narrowing her eyes.

“You knew he could do this, and you didn’t tell us,” she accused him. Percy’s silence seemed to be a good enough response for her. “Why?”

“It seemed… private,” Percy said sheepishly. “Besides, that would only make you more suspicious of him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nico’s right, you have something against him.” Percy frowned. “I don’t know why, but you do, and I didn’t want to make it worse.”

“By not telling me, you already made it worse, Seaweed Brain!” Annabeth was almost shouting now. “Before I didn’t know if I could trust him in a fight, now I can’t even trust him to not teleport behind me and stab me in the back!”

“You really think—”

“Hey,” Leo said loudly enough to speak over both of them, putting his arms around their shoulders. “I really don’t want to ruin this beautiful bonding moment, but we’re kind of in the middle of the street, just a couple miles or so from the best casinos, and I have a plan to get some more funds for our trip home.”

Percy and Annabeth glared at each other for what felt like an hour. She was the first to look away, huffing and opening the front car door, entering and slamming it closed again. Leo groaned.

“Helena is not made for that kind of abuse!” Leo complained. “You take care of Sleeping Beauty over there; try to get him awake before we stop at the first casino.”

Wordlessly, Percy helped Nico into the backseat, using the seatbelts to secure him as he rested his head in his lap.

He wasn’t completely sure he wanted to understand Annabeth, or her reasons for hating Nico.

A couple dozen people cheered as Percy defeated yet another burly man about twice his age and three times his size at arm wrestling.

Behind him, Nico struggled to stay awake while leaning on Leo, while Annabeth was sitting at the opposite end of the room, a disapproving frown on her face.

“And the champion remains undefeated!” the emcee shouted as people looked at him suspiciously, trying to figure out if he was cheating somehow. “Anyone else wants to try?”

The crowd went quiet. Leo made to raise his arm, but Nico just went and pushed it down.

“Well, if no one wants to try, I guess the thousand dollars cash prize is going to dear old Percy here…” the emcee continued goading the audience for a minute or so, before smiling. “Then our champion deserves a round of applause!”

The crowd did so, some much louder than the rest, making the audience seem much bigger than it actually was.

A girl wearing the casino uniform led Percy and his friends down to the lobby towards guest services.

“Okay, I’ll just need an I.D. to confirm your age, and your keycard as proof you’re staying with us.” The girl said, smiling.

“My what?” Percy said, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Leo frown.

“The competition is meant only for guests staying at the hotel,” the girl’s smile faltered a little. “It was in the flyer.”

He hear a low slapping sound as Leo hit his forehead.

“Uh… I’m sorry, I—”

“He left his keycard in the room,” A woman said. She was wearing a long white co*cktail dress and had a diamond tiara on top of her jet black hair. She smiled at Percy as she handed a card with his full name on it. “He’s very lucky I picked it up.”

The girl perked up immediately upon seeing the newcomer.

“Oh, Miss T, you know this young man?” she said as she checked the card and started counting hundred-dollar bills.

“Perseus is a… distant cousin of mine,” Miss T laughed, sending Percy right into fight or flight mode. Only gods and monsters used his full name. Annabeth and Leo seemed to catch on too, both reaching for their weapons, while Nico still seemed barely aware of the world around him. “It’s his second time in Vegas, just now he can actually bet.”

“Oh, then welcome to the real Vegas, Perseus.” She handed him the money. Percy took it gingerly with his left hand, his right still gripping Riptide in his ball pen form. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

“I won’t, thank you.” He gave the concierge a tight smile and turned around, trying to get out as fast as he could.

However, before he could take even a single step, Miss T had already taken a hold of Nico. She clicked her tongue with disapproval. Percy tensed even further.

“Poor Nico is dead tired,” she cooed, also grabbing Annabeth’s hand. “Come on, you guys; let’s tuck him in before going back to the slot machines.”

Without any choice, Percy and Leo followed Miss T into an elevator, which closed behind them after she pressed the button for the top floor.

“Who are you?” Annabeth asked trying to get her hand away from the woman.

“Why I’m Miss T, of course,” the woman said with a small giggle. “And Las Vegas is kind of my domain.”

Nico looked at her for a few seconds before looking down.

“Sorry we ruined your day,” Nico said respectfully. “You must be pretty mad at us.” Leo looked at him in confusion, but Miss T only laughed again.

“Not right now, but if I were feeling a little more Roman, I would have probably made one of those Big Burly Guys break Perseus’ right arm… ‘By chance,’ of course.”

She giggled again, as if her choice of words were the funniest thing ever.

“Um, Nico, do you know her?” Percy asked, trying to ignore Annabeth’s pointed ‘I told you so’ look.

“I never met her before,” Nico said, yawning. “But I’ve seen her nearly every day on Temple Hill.”

“You have quite the need for dramatics, don’t you?” Miss T squeezed his shoulder a little, making him wince. “Just come out and say it, boy.”

Nico bit his lip, but nodded.

“You’re looking at Lady Luck herself: Fortuna, or rather, Tyche.”

The elevator dinged open. Miss T stepped out, still dragging Nico and Annabeth along, maneuvering them to swipe a card on the door directly in front of her, leading them into a huge penthouse suite.

“Perfect timing,” she sing-sang. “What a stroke of luck.” She laughed at her own joke.

“Um, Lady Tyche? My arm…” Annabeth said. The goddess looked confused for a moment before realizing what she meant and let her go.

“Sorry, Annabeth, forgot you were there,” she laughed and helped Nico into a King-size bed. “Now young man, I’m sure you know that Nike and I have a deal about messing in each other’s domains.”

“I wasn’t aware,” Nico said. If he was lying, Percy couldn’t tell.

“Yeah, she doesn’t like when her little competitions are 'spoiled' by strokes of luck, so why should I allow her into the realm of chance?”

“We broke that deal when we used Nico’s blessing to win bets, didn’t we?” Annabeth guessed. Tyche nodded.

“Bets have an element of chance by their very nature,” she confirmed. “Raw skill can overcome it, of course, but when that skill is enhanced by the divine…”

“Then Nike is messing with your stuff,” Leo finished for her. “And I guess we're in deep trouble with you”

“Oh, it's not that bad,” Tyche took her purse and pulled out some very convincing fake I.D.s “Bring balance to me, and I’ll overlook the transgression.”

“What?”

“She means you need to bet the money,” Nico explained. Leo looked horrified. “Win or lose, once you have betted a thousand dollars on games of chance, she’ll consider the books balanced.”

“One thousand fifty dollars,” Tyche corrected. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten the money you swindled Sebastian out of in that basketball game.”

“Oh, come on!” Leo shouted, Annabeth pushing him slightly to try to remind him with whom he was speaking.

“Now, it’s just fair,” Tyche said, snapping her fingers and turning her dress red. “And you might come out of this with even more money than you entered. Everybody wins!”

“Or we might end in the red…”

“That’s the thrill of it, isn’t it?” She made a move with her hand and produced a small vial from thin air. “This will give you some energy Nico, drink it and stay here. I don’t want you tempting these guys to cheat Luck again!”

Tyche then ushered them out of the room and into the elevator, pressing the button to the Casino floor.

“I’ll join you in a second, I need something from my other purse.” She waved as the door closed, finally leaving them alone.

“So… what do we do?” Leo asked once the doors closed.

“Like it or not, she has Nico, so we need to do as she says,” Annabeth said. “The first casino we step in is the one where the Goddess of Luck happens to be… really, what are the odds?”

“I think, that’s the point,” Percy sighed. “She is the odds.”

Tyche returned to the room not even a minute after she had led the others out. She looked at Nico closely, her smile still in place.

“Well, drink up,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “You need your energy back if you are to go to the Lotus Eaters and back before they come to pick you up.”

“You knew?” Nico asked. “Then all that talk about you and Nike being at odds—”

“Still very true,” Tyche sighed, giving him a keycard. “I’d overlook this one easily, since it leaves her looking bad, but then you wouldn’t have your chance to sneak out.”

“If you don’t like her, why are you helping me?”

“I may not like your patron much,” Tyche said. “But your father is just marvelous. And he did ask me to look after you all those years ago when you first were brought to Vegas.”

“My father? Who is—?”

“Now, now, don’t count yourself that lucky.” Tyche laughed. “That answer is for you to find elsewhere. Right here, right now, there’s a more pressing matter for you, is there not?”

Nico nodded.

“Then good luck, Nico!”

She turned so bright Nico had to close his eyes. When he opened, the goddess was gone. In her place, there was a presenting card that seemed to glow on its own.

Miss T
Pit Manager
Lady Luck Casino

Not wanting to ignore luck that literally came from the goddess of fortune. He took the card and left the room, calling for the elevator.

He had a sister to find.

Finding the Lotus was not as difficult as he had feared. While most people just stared blankly when he had asked for directions, he only had to walk along Las Vegas Strip for about 15 minutes before the hotel he had spent untold decades on seemingly appeared right across the street when he turned around.

Decidedly, he marched towards the entrance, where a man dressed in a stereotypical bellhop uniform gave a bow.

“Welcome back!” he said, giving him a very convincing smile. “The Hotel staff was quite worried about you.”

“Yeah, lost my way… and my keycard.” he said, giving a shrug. “Is my sister still in?”

“Let’s go to the front desk, I’m sure you qualify for a platinum card,” the spent human said brightly, walking a few steps ahead of him. Nico decided to humor him.

The girl at the Front Desk gave a vacant smile and offered a silver keycard at him. Nico felt something akin to pity.

Octavian had made him read about the Lotus Eaters back in Camp Jupiter so he could be ‘properly grateful’ for his rescue. They were shadows of people who allowed themselves to fall for shallow pleasures and let Apathy feed off them. Once they were spent, they were put to work, luring new souls down the same path.

Nico didn’t know if there was a god of Apathy, or even if such a deity required followers and cult like the Lotus Eaters, but the truth was that these people had existed and preyed on heroes and mortals alike since classical times. Of course, the narcotic plants they used on Odysseus’s crew just wouldn’t do the job in the modern world. The Lotus Eaters had to adapt, and what better place to live off empty excesses than the gambling capital of America?

“I want to look at your computer for a sec,” he said firmly. The girl kept smiling and offering him the card.

“Everything is in order, you certainly qualify for the upgrade,” she said in a fake cheery voice.

Annoyed, Nico pulled out the card Tyche gave him. As he expected, the slight divine power it radiated awoke something in the young woman, just like Nike’s wreath did a few years ago on the employees pestering Octavian.

“I know it is, but I want to see the guest list.” Not expecting an answer Nico went behind the desk and pushed the girl aside, who seemed torn between stopping him and using the slight independence he had gained from seeing the card to go away.

The fact that he didn’t know if she would escape or just go to play games and eat at the buffet troubled Nico more than it should have.

“These people are beyond saving,” he rationalized. “Bianca is not.”

For a place ruled by materialism and apathy, the database was very well organized, having a long list of names from all the way back to when the Lotus Eaters were just a small population on a faraway island.

Nico didn’t know when he and Bianca had arrived at the hotel. He was about to try and reach the vacant girl before his eyes caught small annotations along the bottom of the document.

“This is so tidy,” he commented, mostly to himself.

“It was a real mess before Excel,” the girl said, blinking slowly. “Before, we used parchment… so much clutter.”

Nico bit his lip, knowing that getting distracted would just make it easier to fall back with the Lotus Eaters. He realized he would never find what he was looking for in the endless registry list, so he decided to go for the checkouts.

As he expected, the list reduced greatly, having only a few dozen names, starting, of course, with Odysseus. He went straight to the end, knowing that it was unlikely anyone left after him.

He was surprised to find the names Annabeth Chase and Perseus Jackson among the checkouts, but he tried his best to ignore his wandering mind until he left the hotel.

After them, there was a Grover Underwood followed by what he assumed what his full name, Nico di Angelo.

There was only one more name after his.

That of Bianca di Angelo.

The door opened barely a minute after he had closed it. In came Miss T and his travelling companions, the latter looking very tired.

“So… did it go well?” Nico asked. “It must have, it’s way past breakfast already.” He glanced at the digital clock, the numbers 11:54 blinking in red.

“You’re not hungry, are you?” Percy asked, concern written across his face. Nico felt oddly touched. “Lady Tyche said she sent you room service, but—”

“I got it,” Nico lied. “Did you guys eat too?”

“We did,” Annabeth confirmed. “As for our winnings…”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” Leo said, plopping face first into the bed and screaming.

“We have $2500, which is pretty good,” Percy said as he patted Leo. “More than double what we had, but we managed to make $10,000 once.”

Leo’s muffled screaming became louder.

“He lost it all, didn’t he?”

“Lady Luck was literally smiling at me!” Leo said, lifting his head and glaring at everyone. “What was I supposed to do, not throw all my money at the least likely number?”

“I saw it coming… it was pretty funny,” Tyche laughed.

“You… do know that Tyche is the goddess of both good and bad luck, right?”

“I do now!”

The others laughed, even Annabeth let out a small smile. Nico laughed along to mask his worry.

His sister was gone. He didn’t know who, or what, had taken her. His only clue was the front desk girl telling him a lawyer had taken her out after he had waved Tyche’s presentation card about 50 times on her face.

The Greek camp was his last chance. He knew an untrained demigod like Bianca wouldn’t survive for long on her own, so he could only hope that lawyer had been the real deal and delivered her there.

Nico looked at the smiling faces of his travelling companions. He didn’t know their plans, their ambitions or their goals, but he would have to at least trust them to take him to safety, and he had to make them trust him in turn.

His life, and possibly Bianca’s, depended on it.

Chapter 8: JttE: The Wolf who Cried Boy

Chapter Text

They left Lady Luck Casino after lunch at the buffet. Helena had a full tank, and had been shined and tuned overnight, all expenses covered by Tyche for being “exceptionally good entertainers.”

In other words, she was grateful they had given her praise by entering her domain.

“Have a good trip, guys!” She said as they loaded the trunk with a case filled with junk food and drinks, just in case, as well as a few cheaply made Vegas tees in case of emergency. “Oh, and Nico?”

“Yeah?” He asked. The others stopped what they were doing, making it obvious they were listening in.

Amateurs.

“Here you go, a good luck charm for being such a source of entertainment for me,” She gave him a purple flower encased in a transparent plastic box. “Oh, and if you see your patron on your journey, tell her I’ll pluck out her wings and make her eat them Buffalo style if she grants another gift like yours.” She smiled brightly. It was the first time Nico could say he had been intimidated by such an honest and carefree expression.

“Noted,” he said, practically running to the car. The others followed suit, barely having the foresight to close the trunk.

Tyche waved them goodbye as Helena sped through the Las Vegas Strip and into the nearest exit to the highway.

They stopped at every rest station just for an excuse to move around. In each stop, Leo went to any hardware store available and bought some trinket or another, as well as a GPS and a battery.

“I’m going to fit Helena with a self-navigating system,” Leo told Nico when he asked. “Using satellite tech is too risky for demigods, so I’ll just use the GPS’s stored map and fit a few proximity cameras”

“Uh…”

“He’s making a self-driving car,” Annabeth translated for him. “Since he’s the only one allowed to drive it…”

“She’s delicate, okay?” Leo said defensively. “You already slammed her door once, and Rachel told me what Percy did to his step-dad’s car.”

“Technically, that was a Pegasus,” The son of Poseidon pointed out. “I couldn’t know it would land on it.”

“Yeah, I guess it was all the Pegasus’s owner’s fault,” Leo said sarcastically. Percy chuckled awkwardly. “Point for Leo, you’re not driving my baby!”

Nico looked at all them and sighed, sitting in the back. He had hoped on getting some sleep after having to stay nearly three hours awake in the copilot’s seat with nothing but talk show radio and his travelling companions’ banter to keep him alert, but was surprised when the one to seat beside him was Annabeth instead of Percy.

The daughter of Athena had been the coldest to him so far. He hadn’t expected her to willingly be any nearer than she had to. The other two wordlessly went to the front of the car and started the engine. Nico cursed internally, realizing this probably had been planned since Vegas.

“So, Nico,” she said.

Nico took a deep long breath, preparing himself for the interrogation.

“What is it?”

“That was an… interesting ability you showed back in Reno.” She gave him a small, non-threatening smile. Nico refrained from rolling his eyes at how bad she was at being inconspicuous. “How did you do it?”

“I’m not sure,” Nico said as he shrugged. “I just know I can travel from one place to another, as long as it’s dark enough. Maybe it’s a demigod thing.”

“Well, it is rather unusual,” Annabeth continued. “Unheard of, even. That kind of stuff is not Nike’s thing.”

“Then it must come from my godly parent,” Nico said, shrugging. Seeing Annabeth’s confusion, Nico tried to appear as understanding as possible. “Nike is my patron, and I had a human mother, my godly parent is male.”

“Are you sure?” Leo asked, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. “Because a few Apollo kids have two dads so…”

“Tyche said she knew him.” He stressed the pronoun. “She just didn’t want to tell me.”

“Yeah, gods can be fickle like that,” Percy said. “Well, don’t worry. It’s only a matter of time before you’re claimed. The gods promised to do so after we defeated Kronos.”

“Funny, I know a lot of unclaimed demigods back in Camp Jupiter,” Nico muttered. Percy glanced at him worriedly. “That deal might only extend to their Greek personas.”

The other three just looked between them. Nico felt as if he was being pitied.

They got to Richfield, Utah, about an hour after sundown. Seeing the usually energetic Leo about to fall asleep on the wheel, the three of them decided to stop at one of the many motels that peppered the city.

“A lot of hotels and the like for such a small city,” Percy said, lightly slapping Leo periodically to keep him awake.

“It’s right in the middle of LA and Denver, so it’s a popular stop for tourists,” Nico said absentmindedly. Percy and Annabeth looked at him. “What? It was in a brochure at the last stop.”

“Nothing, it’s just… I’m usually the one that explains things like that,” Annabeth said with a shrug.

“Also, not many demigods like reading much,” Percy said, turning around in his seat. “Dyslexia and all.”

“I enjoy reading enough to try despite it.” Nico looked away as he tried to find an okay motel. “Granted, most books I have read in my life are in Latin or Greek anyways, so…” he shrugged.

It was quiet for the next couple of minutes until Leo found a cheap motel that didn’t look about to collapse or be overrun by co*ckroaches.

Royal Arcadia Inn was about as inconspicuous as they came. A three-story building with about ten or so doors on each floor, and a separate, smaller building where the front desk and dining room were. By the street, a huge sign boasted, “Breakfast included.”

Leo managed to park perfectly despite being half-asleep and decided to wait for the three of them to check in.

The man in front of them was burly and rugged, with a long black beard with silver strands and his hair tied in a ponytail and blood-shot aqua eyes. If Nico were to guess, he’d say the man was middle aged, and probably obsessed with fitness, considering the size of his arms.

“Welcome to Royal Arcadia, how long will you be staying?” The man said. His voice was low and rumbling, but with a hint of a smile.

“Just tonight, we’re four,” Annabeth said, looking around, on edge. The guy at the front desk (Linus, his nametag said) just nodded and fished a set of keys from below the desk.

“Room 308,” he grunted before looking at the back. “Gene! Go fetch some bread for tomorrow’s breakfast! We have guests!” He roared.

An older teen with the same black hair and similar physique appeared from the back door, groaning.

“You don’t have to shout, bro, I’m less the ten feet away,” Gene said as he gave them a small wave and ran out the building.

“Good kid,” Linus told them. “Dad left a while ago, so it’s just us brothers taking care of each other.”

Not knowing how to respond, Annabeth just gave a sympathetic nod. Percy and Nico followed along.

“Anyways, breakfast is whenever you kids wake up, we’re pretty flexible around here,” He grinned. Nico noticed his teeth were pearly white, contrasting his olive skin tone even more. “Check out is at 12, though. Do it later and I’ll charge you an extra night.”

Percy gave a nod as he took the keys from the counter and left a few bills to cover the night. Giving quick thanks, the three took a knocked out Leo away from Helena and nudged him up to the third floor.

The room, like the rest of the motel, was very standard. Two double beds and a small TV, with a bathroom at the back. Leo went straight for the bed closest to the door while Annabeth went to the bathroom to change, leaving Percy and Nico to take Leo’s shoes off.

“You think this bed can fit all three of us?” Percy asked. Nico looked at him bemusedly.

“I thought you and Annabeth would share,” he said, even more confused as Percy turned bright red.

“Well, you see, Annabeth and I… we’re not… I think… we haven’t…” Percy stammered for a solid minute, glancing at the bathroom door all the while.

“I get it,” Nico lied. Probably something about how long they had been together or something he had no interest in. “You can share with Leo, I’ll go to the car and take one of the sleeping bags.”

“Wait, I can—”

“Percy,” he said firmly. The son of Poseidon shut up immediately in a way that reminded Nico of a trained circus animal. “You guys have done so much for me, and will probably do a lot more in the future. Just, let me sleep on the floor this one time. We can take turns later.”

Percy didn’t speak, just gave a nod.

Nico went out to retrieve the sleeping back.

Getting others to trust him was hard. Octavian made it look so easy, though he always said it was something you were born with.

“If it wasn’t for your blessing, you’d have the charisma of a dead worm,” he used to say.

Shaking his head, Nico headed back to the room, sleeping bag in hand.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Gene returning to the front desk building. He had a grocery store bag and about three or four other men with him.

“Wake up!” Nico heard someone whisper-shout. He opened his eyes just in time to feel Annabeth shaking him. “The others are gone.”

Nico moved sluggishly as he looked up from his sleeping bag to the bed beside him. Indeed, Percy and Leo were not there.

He stood up and shook his head, trying to be as awake as possible.

“Okay,” he said as he opened the door. “The only ones here besides us are creepy Linus and his brother, so it’s not like we need any theories of what happened.”

Annabeth nodded.

“A monster trap, because when is it not?” She asked no one in particular. “When can our lives be easy?”

Nico looked at the sign touting the motel name. From what he knew, monsters were as obvious as a sack of rocks to the face, and their ego made them leave clues of their true nature everywhere.

“Arcadia… breakfast…” His eyes widened and he took Annabeth’s hand, rushing through the stairs. “How good are you with multiple enemies?”

As a response, Annabeth just took out her weapon. A celestial bronze knife about seven inches long.

“I can’t fight, so we’ll need to rely on you and on my blessing until we find dork and dorker.” Nico sighed. “I just hope we don’t fight as many as I fear.”

“What are you talking about?” Annabeth hissed as they approached the front building. “What are we up against?”

Nico wanted to ignore her and just bless her, but he realized that he could use this to gain some terrain with the stubborn daughter of Athena, who could use the information for a better battle plan.

“There’s this region in Greece called Arcadia,” he said in a hush. He could hear multiple voices coming from the back of the building, where the kitchens probably were. “Its founder, according to legend, was Lycaon, the first Lycanthrope.”

Percy woke up after a few minutes of not managing to find a comfortable position. At first, he thought it was because of Leo turning and crushing his arms, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself tied to a skewer and gagged.

“I’m telling you, breakfast sausages,” a voice said somewhere at his back. “They go especially well with the hot sauce.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Genetor,” a grumbling voice he recognized as Linus said. “We’re not serving our guests chopped innards again.”

“It’s a staple of American continental breakfast!” A third voice said. “Bacon is just skin, it has no substance!”

“Phineus is wrong, but when is he not?” someone else said. “If father were here, he’d just make bacon and process the rest into patties, more variety.”

“Well father’s not here!”

Percy struggled to crane his head towards the voices. Many men, far more than he could count, were gathered on a rather spacious kitchen forming a semicircle. In front of them, Leo was hanging on a butcher’s hook, naked except for his underwear, with many dotted lines marked on his body.

Leo himself was struggling to move away as the men pointed at different parts of his body.

Percy cursed against the gag. Of course they were monsters, why else would someone advertise a $30 a night motel (breakfast included) and have it completely empty? Mortals knew instinctually to stay away from monster venues. Demigods were the only morons to fall for it.

The sound of his wriggling must have alerted them, as about 5 or so of the men went to check on him.

“Poor thing,” One of them said. “If only your friend had a bit more meat to him, we would have only needed one…”

“Excuse me?” He heard a voice from outside the room alongside the ‘ding’ of a bell. “I was wondering if you had seen my friends.”

Nico!

“Coming!” Linus shouted. “Well, we did say breakfast would be as soon as they woke up…” He smirked and picked a machete, tossing it to a bigger guy. “Make bacon, jerky or whatever, but do it quickly.”

The guy in question approached Leo, a smile on his face, before Leo swiged and kicked him in the face.

“Hey!” He shouted, holding his nose. “You were supposed to tie his feet, Mantineus!”

“I did!” The guy defended himself. “I—”

He was interrupted by an inhuman, blood-chilling howl. The door opened to Linus, bluer and hairier than ever before. He gave a couple steps towards the other men, before falling on all fours.

The hair kept growling out of control, now covering his arms, chest and hands, which were getting sleeker and smaller by the second.

What collapsed in front of the crowd was a wolf, dressed in Linus’s wife-beater and jeans and struggling to breathe.

“I-I’m sorry!” Nico entered the room, looking distressed. In his gloved hand was a bent plastic fork. “It was an accident, I swear!”

“What did you do to him?” Phineus said, snarling, his teeth had turned jagged, and his eyes yellow.

Nico seemed not to notice.

“I— I didn’t do anything!” He said, still looking anxious. “I just told him that if he saw my friends, to tell them Nico… Nyctemos is looking for them!”

The name seemed to strike a chord, as most of the men stopped moving to look at him with wide eyes.

“He threw himself over me and stabbed himself and then… well, now I’m here,” Nico continued explaining, appearing unaware to his audience glares.

“So, old Thunder britches brings us this parody of our brother to torment us?” One of them said, his face getting covered in fur. “He was not cursed, but the rest of us have to deal with unending hunger.”

“Ungrateful,” another said.

“Disrespectful.”

Before long, the kitchen was filled with wolfmen, crouching and ready to pounce Nico.

He tried shouting through the gag, hoping the noise would alert Nico, but the boy stayed oblivious.

“I will enjoy feasting on you,” one of the wolves said. “It will send Olympus a clear message, not to mess with Lycaon’s brood! Now prepare for—”

The wolfman collapsed mid-sentence. On his back was a very familiar celestial bronze knife.

Nico took advantage of the distraction, moving towards the closest wolf and jamming his plastic fork into its mouth and then jumping back. The wolf proceeded to attack him but started coughing and fell down before even touching him.

Whatever Nico had done, it was contagious. Slashes started appearing on all the wolves, all of whom fell down, asphyxiating, until only three remained.

“You know, you really need to be better hosts,” he told them. “All these years and you still haven’t learned your lesson.”

The three wolves attacked at once. Nico gave a step backward and a purple, torn down flower petals appeared out of nowhere, being blown right into the monsters’ gaping maws.

The creatures howled and fell down, twitching, but seemingly uninterested in continuing the attack.

Annabeth took out her Yankees cap, and put her hand in the air.

After a moment’s hesitation, Nico gave a slight smirk and gave her a high five. Percy just continued to stare at them and the dying wolves around the kitchen.

“What the hell just happened here?”

“Lycaon was turned into a Lycanthrope, or werewolf, by Zeus for killing his son Nyctemos and serving him as dinner to him,” Nico explained back in the room. With the wolves dead, they decided to stay there the last few hours until morning to rest. "He had 40 sons, so he didn’t see it as a huge loss, and Nyctemos’s brothers helped him, as it meant they got to be further up in line to the throne of Arcadia."

“Because of that, the sons shared the curse of the father,” Annabeth finished. She was looking intently at her knife. “However, Nyctemos was revived, and he became Lycaon’s successor as king.”

“Okay,” Leo said slowly, scrubbing at his skin to get rid of the butcher lines in his body. “That explains one thing, but how did you two manage to kill 39 wolves like that?”

“Strategy,” Nico said, smirking.

“A blessing,” Annabeth continued.

“And just a bit of Luck,” they both finished at the same time.

Percy felt like his head was spinning. He wondered if he wasn’t still sleeping, seeing Annabeth and Nico so in sync, when just 12 hours ago Annabeth was ready to ditch him by the side of the road.

If either noticed his confusion, they didn’t show it, instead showed the plastic container Tyche had given him, now empty.

“When we were looking for a weapon for me, we found this,” he explained. “The flower Tyche gave me was Wolfsbane, said to be toxic for werewolves.”

“To be fair, the plant is toxic for everyone,” Annabeth said. “Werewolves just experience the effects quicker than most. We just went to the supply closet for some gloves, mashed the plant into my knife and a plastic fork from the dining room, and the rest is history.”

“Well, um, thanks for the save,” Percy said, still dazzled. “I… think I’m going to sleep now.”

“Me too,” Leo said. “I have a lot to think about. Almost being turned into sausages really put things in perspective for me.” He shuddered.

“Are you going vegetarian?” Annabeth joked.

“Hell no!” Leo said. “It was traumatic, but not that traumatic!”

Nico chuckled. Unlike other times Leo had made jokes, this laugh struck Percy as genuine instead of polite.

He found himself smiling at the boy’s happiness.

When they were rested enough, Nico found himself once again in the back of the car with Annabeth. Unlike last time, the daughter of Athena was not looking at him, but she still looked pensive.

“Say Nico,” she said once they were out of Richfield. Nico held back a sigh and just gave a nod. He had thought he was outside of the interrogation zone. “Do you like occult books?”

“What?”

“What do you like to do?” She asked. “Why do you like reading? Any other interests?”

“Where is all this coming from?” He asked back, slightly flustered at all the questions.

“You said you didn’t know your godly parent, right?” she said. Nico nodded slowly. “Well, most demigods have passions or hobbies relating to their godly parent.”

“Oh yeah, I love swimming, and horses,” Percy said from the front. “And you already know how Leo is with cars and engineering.”

“Nike kids are super competitive, Apollo kids enjoy archery and the arts,” Annabeth listed. “So tell me, what do you like?”

It dawned on Nico that this was Annabeth trying to help him. Part of him felt touched that she was actually trying. The rest of him felt pleased over winning her over.

Going back to the question, Nico mulled it over for a few seconds.

“Memorizing stuff, maybe?” Nico said. “I knew about Lycaon from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, back in Rome I read nearly all the historical records… I just like trivia, I guess.”

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other before looking at him. Wordlessly, Annabeth got really close to his face before sighing in apparent relief.

“Not grey eyes,” she murmured.

“It’s not a universal rule, you know?” Leo said. “Take my best friend, Piper. Her mother’s Aphrodite, but she really couldn’t care less about beauty or people’s love lives.”

“Isn’t she the girl that can charm people to do anything with her voice?” Percy asked.

“Well, yeah, but you take that away, and you really can’t tell who her mother is,” he said. “My point is, don’t think too hard about it, you find out when you find out.”

Nico smiled at them. A warm feeling on his stomach.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Nico felt as if a weight he had been carrying since leaving the Lotus with Octavian had gotten lighter. “Still, thanks for trying.”

Annabeth and Percy smiled at him, before turning to talk about what kind of restaurants they might find on their next stop.

For the first time, Nico felt like joining their conversation.

Chapter 9: JttE: The Theater Attendant and the Viper

Chapter Text

Grand Junction, the most populous city in Mesa County, Colorado. Nicknamed the River city because of how two rivers intersected on its location. Like Richfield, it was mainly a pit stop for people travelling across the U.S., although it did offer quite a few camping and nature trek options for tourists.

It was also the place where Helena decided it had enough of four teens making her mileage go through the roof and committed suicide.

“C’mon babe, you can’t do this to me!” Leo cried as he kept his head inside the car’s hood.

“Can you fix it?” Nico asked him as Annabeth paced.

“Of course he can!” Percy said, for both his sake and his girlfriend’s. “He already builds cars in his spare time.”

“That’s what we get for buying overpriced junk!” Annabeth was far less kind, kicking a tire.

“Hey! She just overheated, okay? I just need to replace a few parts and she’ll be golden.” Leo got out of the hood and crossed his arms, offended. “Just take me to a hardware store and I’ll… uh, guys? Is it me, or is that huge dog holding an original Subaru SVX motor fan?”

Nico followed Leo’s gaze. Indeed, right in the middle of the walkway was a huge dog with bright yellow fur, something clearly mechanical in its mouth. As he focused a little on the animal, though, the mist dispelled, making Nico realize the yellow tones were far brighter and more unnatural than possible, and that its paws and coat were more akin to a wolf’s than a dog’s.

“That’s not a dog,” Annabeth said slowly. “And I don’t know enough about cars to confirm what it has in its mouth.”

Percy uncapped his sword-pen. The wolf stayed put.

“Do you think one of the werewolves survived?”

“Unlikely,” Nico said, observing the animal’s blue eyes closely. The way it stared… it was eerily familiar. He felt a shiver run down his spine. “I think it’s a daimon.”

“A what now?” Leo mumbled, his eyes locked on the item in the animal’s mouth. “More importantly, is it friendly?”

“A daimon is a spirit guide of sorts; they tend to be associated with a god or other semi-divine being.” Annabeth rattled off.

“They are benevolent, as long as the god it serves isn’t pissed at you.” Nico gave a few experimental steps towards the wolf. The creature nodded, encouraging him.

“Great, Annabeth in stereo,” Leo snarked. The other three ignored him.

“It wants us to follow him,” Percy realized. All looked at each other before nodding, and walked towards the wolf.

The daimon stood up, almost as if saying ‘finally!’ and walked alongside the street.

The golden wolf led them towards a theater, before disappearing in front of the ticket cabin. They looked at each other before Percy sighed and walked towards the window.

“Uh, hi, we were wondering if you had a… you?” Percy said, looking at the blond dressed in a fancy theater attendant outfit.

“Why yes, I do have a me, but sadly I’m not on sale,” the man said, showing a toothy smile. “Why if it isn’t Percy Jackson, do you remember your old friend Fred?”

“I just- I don’t…” Percy struggled to find the words. “Weren’t you a hobo?”

“I’m in a better place now,” Fred explained, shrugging. “Besides, a theater fits me much better than the back of a train cart, does it not?”

Annabeth, meanwhile, looked at him for about ten seconds before her eyes widened. Percy moved as quickly as he could.

“You’re Apo—”

“Now, Annabeth, Fred here is undercover,” Percy said, his hand over her mouth. “The Higher Ups can’t know he’s here.”

Annabeth glared at him for interrupting her, but nodded.

He looked at his companions. Leo still seemed confused, but Nico was frozen in place, eyes wide, his face had an expression he could only call a mix of recognition and fear.

Percy frowned and tried to touch him, but Nico jumped back immediately.

“Ah, what a reunion,” Fred said happily. “In fact, I feel a Haiku coming:

“Too long have I searched
And I finally found you
I’m really great”

The four of them stayed silent for what felt like unnaturally long. Percy sighed and decided to bite the bullet.

“Deep.”

“Isn’t it?” Fred grinned before pulling out tickets and giving them to Percy. “Come in, we can talk freely inside.”

With their car busted and not wanting to offend an Olympian, The quartet made their way through the entrance, following Fred into the empty theater.

Nico was trying his hardest not to hyperventilate.

In front of him was none other than the progenitor of Octavian’s madness. The god who had promised him ‘greatness’ and led him to capture, torture and abuse him when he was but eleven.

Apollo ignored him as he closed the door backstage behind him. Nico half expected him to turn around with the same cruel expression he had seen Octavian adopt so many times before, only to be greeted with the same smile from outside.

“Well then, it seems you have put us gods in quite the pickle!” He said lightly, as if he was commenting on the weather.

“Lord Apollo,” Annabeth said, frowning. “What do you mean? Is something happening to the gods?”

“Oh, Apollo!” Leo snapped his fingers. “I knew his face was familiar.”

“I ought to be more than just ‘familiar’ to any demigod worth their salt, I think,” he huffed. “But yes, Annabeth, what you did back in California has put the gods, and by extension you, in huge peril.”

“What do you mean?” Percy asked, frowning.

“Ah-ah.” He wagged his finger at Percy. “That’s classified information; you have to be this godly to get access to it.” Apollo pointed at himself. Percy rolled his eyes.

Nico kept on looking at his face slowly, waiting for the snake within to show up. When Apollo turned his gaze at him, he stood a little taller, goosebumps all over his body. The god looked… apologetic?

Whatever it was, it lasted only a moment, as he was back to sunny smiles when he turned back to the other three.

“I’ll tell you what, there’s more to my stay in this place than socializing with you,” Apollo said, producing a small picture of a girl about two years old and looking at it. “There’s a monster prophesized to eat my latest pride and joy unless stopped. Kill it and I’ll tell you about what lurks in the future for your camp.”

Annabeth and Percy glanced at each other, their eyes already filled with defeat.

“Fine, just tell us where to find this monster.”

The photo turned into a map with a red X marked; above it was a time stamp.

“Do it at this hour exactly,” he said. “You won't find it any sooner, and later you'll just scare it off for a time and it’ll be untraceable when it next appears.”

Percy took the map.

“Untraceable?”

“After that point, it will flee and it and my daughter’s fate will be locked,” Apollo explained. “Nothing will stop her death.”

Percy, Leo and Annabeth nodded.

“Do this and I’ll even repair your vehicle for you,” Apollo continued. “On one condition.”

“What is it?” Percy asked warily.

“I need to talk to Nico.” Apollo said brightly. “In private.”

Every fiber of his body screamed to run away. The others looked at him, wordlessly asking for permission. Percy seemed to know something was wrong, as he seemed ready to take him out of the room as soon as he said it.

They all would, really. It was strange, having companions ready to fight tooth and nail for him after just a week together.

He felt the overwhelming need to reciprocate that loyalty.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, giving Percy a reassuring smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Annabeth look as if she had eaten something sour.

“We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Percy said as he left the room.

He turned towards Apollo, ready once again to see his demeanor change once they were alone.

“He looked terrified,” Percy said for what had to be the fourth time in the last few minutes. “Maybe I should go in and—”

“We wait,” Annabeth said. “Just this once, do as the god who will help us says, Percy.”

“Tell that to Hera,” Percy muttered. Annabeth sighed. She did deserve that, she supposed, but in her defense, she had been 14 and just been exposed to the very worst the goddess of marriage could be.

Cows still hated her on sight, and she wasn’t stupid enough to approach a peaco*ck.

It made her decision to not be a vegetarian an easy one, though.

But now she wondered if insulting the patron of marriage, fidelity and family was the reason she was losing Percy.

“He has helped you a lot before, trust him with Nico.”

If anyone saw her boyfriend’s expression, they might have believed she just told him to swallow ash.

She wasn’t stupid, she had seen how Percy acted around Nico since they found him in the Roman Camp. He was overly mindful and protective of him in a way he never had been with anyone. At first, she was willing to write it off as Percy looking for a brotherly bond, something to replace Tyson now that his schedule was filled working in a forge at Poseidon’s realm and as a guard on Olympus.

Her hypothesis had gone to the trash before they even left her father’s house.

Percy was enamored with Nico. She wasn’t even sure if he had noticed, but it had made the trip… difficult, for all of them. Shewas aware she couldn’t hate Nico for no reason, but the other option was to be mad at Percy, and at this point, she was afraid to strain their relationship even more. As a result, she had antagonized Nico over every slight, over being snobbish (he wasn't), untrustworthy (not enough proof) and secretive (they were also keeping things from him). Yet all of that had only made Percy take his side instead of hers.

She loved Percy, that much she was sure of, and he was literally loyal to a fault. He wouldn't betray her over a crush he might net even be fully aware of. The only thing she could do was try to mend and strengthen their relationship. A relationship that she hadn’t known had been broken and weakened to begin with.

All because of Nico, through no fault of his own.

She kind of hated that after Richfield, she couldn’t find it in herself to hate him anymore.

The door opened, showing a still skittish but much calmer Nico. She watched as Percy hovered all over him, asking if he was okay.

“Apollo asked me to bless his daughter,” he said. “Apparently the monster and her are destined to meet no matter what. So, you’ll delay it by forcing it to reform, and I’ll bless her so she can kill it when it comes back in the future.”

Annabeth frowned. Such simple instructions didn’t require Apollo and Nico to be alone.

She knew Nico hid something about himself, but figured it was personal stuff he wasn’t ready to share. It was still her excuse for her early rudeness, even if that was more rooted in jealousy than suspicion.

Now a god had gotten involved in the secrecy, which meant it had unpredictable ramifications. It was something that could put camp, her friends, and Percy in danger.

Shamefully, Annabeth found herself hoping her newest theory was true.

Nico thought nothing could surprise him anymore.

Seeing a god apologize proved him wrong.

It had been rather subdued. Obviously, the god didn’t want to appear vulnerable to a mortal, so the apology was very offhanded, but it was sill honest.

“Flattery, every god’s weakness,” Apollo had said, chuckling. “We exist because of people’s belief, so it makes quite the good bait for us.”

Apollo hadn’t changed Octavian’s destiny, just made him aware of it. He was destined to do something big that would make him remembered, but what that thing was depended entirely on what Octavian did with his life.

The result: a control freak obsessed with power and renown.

Nico sighed as they reached the park where the monster was to make an appearance. A few feet away, there was a little girl playing in a sandbox with a bright red bucket. It hadn't taken them long to identify her as Apollo's daughter.

“It’s almost time,” Annabeth said, checking her watch. “Where is this monster anyway?”

“And why this time in particular?” Leo asked. “what will make it ‘untraceable’ after today?”

Something prickled at the back of Nico’s head, like an itch from the inside of his brain.

Turning around, he noticed the large shadow of a tree.

“Over there,” he said, almost on instinct.

The others turned around just in time to see a strip of the shadows become thicker before brightening and turning emerald before taking on an infinity of shades of green.

A snake, about three feet long appeared out of nowhere and began slithering around. Nico noticed a horn growing from the front of its head, looking like a nose.

“Did that thing… just appear out of nowhere?” Annabeth said glancing at Nico.

“Yeah, I think it’s similar to what I did back in Reno,” Nico confirmed. “I guess now we know how it can become untraceable.”

He wracked his brain over any and all mythological snakes, trying to identify the mysterious monster.

The snake’s scales began blinking rapidly, changing colors until they all turned the same hue as the tree’s shade and curling around itself.

“That might help too,” Percy pointed out. Nico felt something click in his brain.

“A sep,” he said trying to not lose sight of the snake.

“Gesundheit,” Leo said.

“No, it’s a sepedon, or sep,” Nico explained. “A chameleon-like snake which is insanely fast. Its venom can rot anything.”

“Okay, so we just approach it and—”

Whatever Percy was about to say was interrupted when the snake moved its head lightning fast. Its gaze focused on a sandbox where the toddler was laughing.

As if lured by a siren’s song, the snake uncurled and started sidewinding slowly towards the box, its scales changing color to match the grass around it.

“Change of plans, we go now.” Percy and Annabeth ran towards the sandbox.

The snake noticed them and opened its jaw, revealing four long fangs.

Demigod reflexes kicked in as Annabeth raised her knife to her face just in time to block the venomous spit from the sep, but also corroding her knife, making it partially melt. Percy turned to check on her girlfriend, the opening the snake needed to disappear in the grass.

“Where did it…?”

Nico felt the itch again.

“The tree’s shadow,” he said. “It’s trying to get away!”

Percy nodded and ran towards the tree.

“Leo,” Annabeth called. “Make the girl laugh!”

“What?”

“Its destiny is to kill her; it’s attracted to her sounds!”

Leo nodded and ran to the girl. Nico noticed belatedly that there was no one watching her. Where was her mother?

His attention went back to Percy as he shouted. His shirt was in tatters, corroded by the sep’s venom.

He took it off quickly to avoid his skin being burned. The snake tried to use that opening to get away again, but Annabeth was prepared, having picked up a branch and trying to hit it.

The snake kept dodging the strikes, getting ever closer to the tree’s shade, before a small, song-like laughter was heard from the sandbox.

He turned to looked at Leo blowing raspberries on the girl’s stomach, making her laugh. The sep stopped in its tracks and looked back, its tongue slipping out of its mouth in interest. That split second was all Percy needed to pull out Riptide and behead the snake, which quickly turned to dust.

Percy and Annabeth were breathing hard. The snake’s nimbleness had given them quite the workout. Nico couldn’t help but notice that, without the slightly baggy shirt, Percy was really well-defined.

Shaking his head, he walked towards the sandbox. When she noticed him, the toddler stopped laughing and her eyes widened.

“You scared of mean old Nico?” Leo asked, smirking. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly! Mainly because he might keel over from a strong wind, but still!”

Nico glared at him and knelt besides the small girl. Her eyes were following his every movement.

“You’re safe for now,” he said softly. He had some olive oil packets from their last visit at a Walmart. He opened one and wet his fingers. “That thing will be back, though.”

“That’s reassuring,” Leo rolled his eyes. “Also, I’m not sure she understands you.”

Nico ignored him and touched her forehead with the oil. The girl looked about to cry.

“I pray to Nike that, from now on, you’ll find the strength to be victorious in every encounter with that creature.” He said solemnly.

The oil shined slightly, and the girl seemed mesmerized by the glow in front of her that she forgot to be scared of Nico.

“See, Teddy? Right where I left… her.” A girl, about their age, was looking at them suspiciously. Beside her was a boy, frowning at them. “What are you doing with Amanda?”

“Uh…” Leo gaped, trying to come up with an excuse.

“We were about to call the police,” Annabeth said, appearing behind them with the still shirtless Percy in tow. “How else would you react to an unattended baby?”

The girl looked around nervously before smiling at Percy.

“I was just looking for my brother,” she said, never letting the smile drop. If Nico looked hard enough he swore he could see steam coming out Annabeth’s ears. “He’s training for the marathon with our school, and I wanted to check on him.”

Behind her, her brother rolled his eyes.

“Flirt with Mike Terrence, more like,” he muttered, low enough that only she, Nico and Leo could hear.

“So, we don’t need to do anything that can cost me my job, do we, cutie?” She continued, winking at Percy.

Maybe it was the changing times (though he didn’t know how long he had been stuck in the Lotus), the fact that Percy was shirtless, or the fact that, despite his best efforts, girls just weren’t attractive, but he thought the lack of subtlety made the girl look ridiculous rather than appealing.

Percy, confusingly enough, glanced at him before taking a step back. If anything, it only made Annabeth madder.

“Yeah, that would be… a shame,” Percy said, touching his arm self-consciously. The girl giggled. “So, we didn’t see anything, we just stopped to play with a cute kid and her nice babysitter.”

“Thank you so much!” The girl said, going for a hug. Annabeth sidestepped so she was in front of Percy.

“You’re welcome. And with that, we’re leaving.” Annabeth grabbed Percy’s arm and started dragging him along. She glanced at Nico and Leo. “Right now.”

“Bye little fella,” Leo said, standing up. “Don’t let mean old snakes bite you.”

Nico managed an awkward wave at the toddler, her babysitter losing interest without Percy to stare at. The girl’s brother just gave him a curt nod, and he took that as his cue to leave.

The sun was about to set when they returned to the car. The daimon from before had a wrench in its mouth, looking at Leo expectantly.

Fred was behind it, looking way too pleased with himself.

“Well, I must say I impress myself,” he said. “Look at me, doing Hephaestus’s work all by myself.”

“Your daughter is safe,” Nico said, voice still a little on edge. Leo couldn’t say he understood what Nico’s deal was, but he wasn’t about to complain for a free car repair.

“Yes, that’s why I have granted you a boon.” Fred signaled the inside of the car. Leo peeked inside.

“No. Way. Dude!” Leo screamed as he retrieved the navigation chip and other components. “This… this is all I need for the self-driving upgrade, how did you—?”

“I have a knack for prophecy.” He winked. “I asked your father for this stuff before I came here.”

Leo almost dropped the components to the floor. These things were from his dad. He had barely seen him once or twice, but knowing he cared and knew enough to prepare these for him made him feel absolutely giddy.

“Okay, what about the other reward?” Annabeth asked. “What is that thing that will put Camp in danger?” Leo half-noticed her glancing at Nico but decided not to comment. He had an A.I. to program for Helena. Human drama would slow him down.

“Oh yeah,” Fred scratched his head. “Right now, the Roman senate is discussing what to do now that they know Greek demigods are still around and took their godly envoy. The Augur is convincing more and more people that war is the only choice.”

Annabeth and Percy glanced at each other.

“This is why we let you guys believe the other side was no more.” Fred sighed. “The 100-Year War, the War of the Roses, the Civil war… all of them the result of Greek and Roman bickering.”

“And another conflict is about to unleash because of me,” Nico said, looking down. Percy put a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him.

“Oh, but that’s not the worst of it,” Fred continued. “You see, both sides of the war worship the same gods, or rather different aspects of the same gods. We want to help our children on both sides, and that makes us… unstable, to say the least.”

“As in…?”

“Think multiple personalities trying to kill each other.” He chuckled nervously. “And killer headaches. As soon as war is declared, gods will be sitting ducks until it’s over. We’ll be vulnerable.”

The four of them exchanged glances.

“But that’s all I can offer for now. You have the information; you decide what to do with it.”

Leo closed his eyes just in time to stop himself from becoming a pile of ash. When he opened, Apollo was gone, and he was relieved to see his companions had the same sense of self-preservation.

“Octavian will convince everyone eventually,” Nico said, alarmed. “We might not have much time.”

“We need to warn camp.” Annabeth said, pulling out a drachma.

“We have to hurry back.” Percy continued.

That meant they needed to drive near constantly. It would be easier if Leo could let the car do her own thing and keep them on the move while he rested.

“I’ll get working on Helena’s mods.”

They all stared at him.

Leo stared back for the longest time, before realizing he had once again forgotten to use words.

Chapter 10: JttE: Hunting Up the Wrong Tree

Chapter Text

It took Leo a day and a half of near continuous work to finish Helena’s upgrade, after which he promptly fell asleep in the back of the car, his head resting in Nico’s lap.

In the front, Percy was pretending to drive, while the radio now had the words ‘LEAVING DENVER LEO’ on its digital display. Beside him, Annabeth was dozing off.

“You know, it’s kind of freaky to see the wheel turning on its own,” Percy commented in a hushed voice, probably desperate for something to fill in the silence.

“I’m actually more freaked over the fact that Leo programmed the car to hit on him,” Nico whispered back as the radio now lit up with the words ‘LEO YOU’RE THE BEST.’

Percy snorted, trying to keep his laughter down.

After another few minutes of silence Percy sighed and turned to look at him.

“Do you think… that we’ll have to fight another war?”

Nico stayed silent for a few seconds, considering how Percy might react to his answers.

“I don’t think the Praetors want a war,” he said carefully. “But I also know the Augur has a lot of people that owe him favors… Jason and Reyna will try to prevent it, but there’s a chance they’ll be outvoted.”

“Were you close to them?” He asked. Nico thought about it.

“I was closer to them than I was to many,” he answered. “The Augur… Octavian didn’t allow anyone to be too close, but they outranked him, so they talked to me more than your usual legionnaire.”

“Why?”

“A Praetor's rank is—”

“No, I mean, why did he keep you isolated?” Percy asked. “I don’t see any advantage to that.”

“Because you don’t know Octavian.” Nico looked around out of habit. Whenever he talked about Octavian, one of his lackeys was always there to report back at camp. “He is a paranoid control freak. Anyone who came close to me was planning to use my political position or my blessing against him.”

“Did they?”

“… I don’t know,” Nico answered honestly. “Every person that came to the Ara Victoriae wanted a blessing; they never cared enough to see the boy handing them out. It was like I wasn’t even there.”

He still remembered his first blessing, a Mercury legacy called Charlotte. Octavian had brought her as a non-believer to prove his power to the masses. After she was crowned MVP in the war games, she sought him out every other week for a few months before she understood only Octavian could grant her access to him. However, every time they met, she still gave him the same disinterested look from before unless he was giving a blessing.

“After a while, I realized Octavian was right, in a way,” Nico said softly. “Everyone wants something out of you. People want to be friends with your power, your godly patron or your standing, never with who you are… it’s not that farfetched to think one of those people could be Octavian’s enemies; he’s smarmy enough to have a lot of them.”

Nico couldn’t fight, having something people wanted was his only means of defense. Octavian couldn’t kill or permanently maim him because he was useful as a symbol. Reyna would take his side as long as she valued the connection between her mother and his patron. Frank needed someone who wouldn’t judge him for not being the perfect soldier.

Percy and his friends needed to complete their quest.

People were selfish by nature, and any semblance of comradery or kindness always held a hidden purpose. Even so called ‘selfless’ good deeds were made with the intent of personal gratification. In a world so dark and twisted, Nico could only survive by using people as they used him.

“That’s a very sad way of looking at things,” Percy said, bringing him back to reality. “People sometimes do stuff because they like other people.”

“Yeah, but we call that family,” Nico retorted. Family was wonderfully irrational like that. They loved each other unconditionally, risked their lives for each other, worried about the other even when it didn’t make sense.

Bianca would do all that for him without hesitating, and he would do the same for her.

“Is Jason family?” Percy asked. Nico looked at him, bemused. “There was nothing he could gain by letting you go back at the tunnel, he did it because you’re his friend.”

Nico wanted to argue, but he found he couldn’t. So much had happened he hadn’t considered any of Jason’s motives, but he couldn’t find any other than make Octavian look bad (and really, the guy needed no help there after the assassination attempt).

“I also didn’t know you were Nike’s symbol at first,” Percy continued. “I offered you to take you with us because I thought you needed help.”

“That’s not—”

Nico’s words were cut by a huge monster jumping in the middle of the street, making Helena hit the breaks and launching them towards the front of the car.

Percy would like to think he took an impromptu monster attack with grace and swiftness, but the truth was that the car swinging him like a rattle had led to him basically tumbling out of danger.

To his credit, Annabeth and Leo were not much better, still groggy from sleep, while Nico just rolled out and immediately went for cover.

“Chimera!” He shouted. The monstrous lion-goat-snake roared and spit fire in his direction, just in time for him to roll out of the way.

Its eyes went straight to Percy, and all three heads made menacing sounds (or bleated).

“Hey, buddy, remember me?” He said nervously as Leo and Annabeth took out their weapons. “We met back when you were with your mom!”

Percy took the surge of fire that nearly took his eyebrows as a yes.

The distraction was not enough. As soon as Leo tried to approach with his sword, the snake tail hissed, spitting venom just inches away from him. Annabeth had no better luck, as the goat head seemed very interested in following her around and using the claws when she got near.

“Oh, right, you have three heads,” Percy commented as he still danced around the fire. “And they seem independent too, Lucky.”

Before any of them could think of a plan, a rain of arrows came out of nowhere, raining on the Chimera. The creature roared and spit fire and venom into the night, but it seemed to be no more than a nuisance.

“Ready the nets!” A familiar voice shouted. “It won’t escape this time.”

A celestial bronze net appeared as soon as the girl finished talking, trapping the Chimera, who began to breathe fire continuously, trying to melt off the fibers.

“Leo!” Nico said, coming out of his hiding place. “Got any lead things with you?”

“Huh? Well…” he patted his pockets and toolbelt before pulling out a dark ball barely bigger than a grape. “I melted this a while back to get rid of it, but…”

“It works.” Without another word, Nico took the ball, an arrow that hadn’t hid its mark and broke the head before shouting, “Hey, I don’t know who’s uglier, you or your mother!”

The Chimera stopped its fire breathing to roar. Nico used the respite to throw the items down its throat and move away before the fire resumed.

A few seconds later the Chimera began to choke, thrashing in the net violently, getting steadily weaker by the minute while the rain of arrows continued relentlessly.

“That’s how Bellerophon defeated it,” Annabeth explained. “The lead melted inside its throat, poisoning and burning it from the inside.”

The Chimera stilled. Its eyes turned glassy as it slowly desintegrated.

“Awful way to go,” Leo winced. “I took that lead from the sink pipes back home. Mom said it was good practice for me.”

“You took our prey,” the girl who had aided them said. They turned to look at her. “But I’ll let it pass because it’s you.”

“Thalia!” Annabeth said, going for a hug. Percy wondered if Annabeth found it strange to grow taller than the girl who used to take care of her. “It’s been ages!”

“Sorry, but the hunt doesn’t exactly get holidays.” She chuckled. “Good to see you in one piece, Kelp Head.”

“Same to you, Pinecone Face.” Percy grinned, behind her the other Hunters of Artemis began gathering. “Where’s Artemis?”

Thalia looked uncomfortable.

“She said it was safer for us if she retired for a while,” she said. “She seemed a little out of it the last time we saw her.”

Annabeth looked at him, worried. Could the Romans have decided to attack already?

He looked at Nico to see what he thought, but the boy was not even looking at them.

His eyes were trained on Artemis’s Second Lieutenant, Bianca di Angelo.

She had barely changed from the Bianca he remembered. The olive skin, her light brown eyes, the silly hat she wore everywhere in the hotel…

And yet, there she was, treating him like a stranger. In fact, no one in her group except for their leader talked to them sans Annabeth. He guessed it was part of the vow they made to their patron, but it didn’t make him any happier.

“You okay?” Annabeth asked as she sat beside him near the fire. In the background he could still hear Leo muttering to himself as he revised any nook and cranny in the car.

“Not my worst night,” he said, taking a sip of Dr. Pepper. “Just… reevaluating my beliefs.”

“I won’t ask,” she assured him. “I’ll just say you’re underselling people, yourself included.”

“You heard my conversation with Percy.” He sighed. There was no heat in the accusation, but he was surprised he had relaxed enough around them to not notice Annabeth had been awake before the Chimera attacked.

“You’re right, people are selfish,” Annabeth said. “But sometimes they’re selfish by helping others, because they are so precious to them, that seeing them happy makes you happy.”

“Is this going somewhere?” Nico asked, exhausted.

“You helped Percy when you first teleported him, you helped me with the werewolves, you helped Apollo with her daughter,” she listed off. “You might have benefitted too, but I think you’re intelligent enough to know there were other options that served no one other than yourself.”

Nico thought about it. Yes, he could have teleported back to camp while Percy was fighting back in Los Angeles, or just give a poorly worded blessing to the daughter of Apollo. Hades, he could have used Annabeth as bait while he spread the Wolfsbane instead of risking his life.

“You went for the option that helped others,” Annabeth continued. “And I think that’s because you’re a good person, and you think we are, too.”

Did he? He was just a defenseless demigod in a world full of monsters. He needed Annabeth and the others to survive. Only family didn’t use you, only family had your best interests at heart.

Yet here was Annabeth, trying to cheer him up despite not knowing why he was morose, while his own sister just stood by the edge of camp, mounting guard.

“Just some food for thought.” She stood up. “You might find life is easier with a brighter outlook on it.”

With that, she went to help Percy set up the tents. Nico stared at them, for once not wondering if there was an ulterior motive.

They were good people, he decided. He didn’t know the first thing about interacting with those. Yet the Fates had shoved him with them. In fact, he had been so focused on reuniting with the Bianca in his mind he had forgotten what his actual sister was like.

Deciding to find out, he crossed the campsite towards the small group of trees where his sister was standing.

“Yeah?” She said as she saw him approach, guarded. Nico stared at her some more, before shrugging.

“Bathroom.”

He went past her and a little deeper into the woods.

The ball was in her court now. How they interacted depended entirely on her.

“Where is Nico going?” Percy asked as he helped set up the last tent. They had both decided to let Leo work on the car and Nico with his thoughts, leaving them to the immediately useful tasks.

“Maybe he needs to pee?” Annabeth said, trying to appear unconcerned. “Although he seems very interested in Bianca.”

“Ouch,” Leo said all the way from inside the car hood. “You think he knows about the whole ‘no boys’ rule?”

“He has to,” Percy said. “He knows everything about mythology.”

Annabeth couldn’t help feeling irritated at how Percy managed to sound annoyed yet absolutely adoring when he said that.

“Well, you can’t help who you fall for.” Annabeth said with as much bite as she could. Percy frowned.

“Boy, don’t I know it!” Leo shouted. “He will probably need comforting once he comes back.”

“I can do that,” Percy said, looking pensive.

Annabeth glared at the son of Hephaestus, who was still waist-deep inside the car.

“It’s better if we don’t pry.” She let out a huff and cleaned her hands on her jeans. The tents were all set. “We can be there for him, but he’s a very private person, I doubt he’ll tell us anything.”

“I guess so.”

It was strange for Annabeth. She hadn’t been too sympathetic to Rachel back when she and Percy were interested in each other, yet something about Nico made her want to protect him.

He had this kind of unhappy aura about him that made her feel like the world was unfair for not giving him something to be glad about. So, it was her job to provide that.

Unless it was Percy.

Never Percy.

“How old are you?”

No greeting, no affection. Just a question. Nico wanted o scream.

“About 15,” he said. “You?”

“Complicated question,” Bianca sighed. “We’re technically in our eighties, I stopped aging at 13, but had I not joined Artemis I’d be 16.”

There was an underlying smugness about still being older than he was that was just so Bianca he resisted the urge to smile.

“So, you left the Lotus roughly a year after I was taken.”

Bianca’s eyes narrowed, but after a few seconds she just sighed.

“It’s not like I left of my own volition either,” she said, crossing her arms. “There was a prophecy, and father wanted me to be the one it was about.”

Oh, so she was mad about him leaving without her. Well, then…

“It must have been hard for you,” he said, trying to keep sarcasm to a minimum. “Me? I found out Nike blessed me and was exploited and beaten for nearly three years for it.”

He expected her to worry, get angry on his behalf. Anything but the cool indifference he had been getting.

Bianca frowned.

“And is that supposed to be my fault?” She gritted her teeth. “You left, Nico! Do you know how worried I was when that lawyer said you were already out? And then I found out you could be fifty for all I knew thanks to leaving before me!”

“So you give up on me!” Nico shouted, not caring if someone heard. “How long were you looking before joining the hunters and swearing off any contact with your lost brother? A month? Two?”

“Try nearly a year, you jackass!”

The outburst made him pause.

Bianca never swore. Or rather, the Bianca he remembered never swore. The girl in front of him was still his older sister, but she was also a complete stranger in some ways.

Nico looked at his feet.

“You know, all these years were only bearable because I wanted to get back to you,” Nico whispered. “Things would go back to normal, we would find out about our parents, find a place to call home.”

Bianca was shorter than him now. He only now realized it because of her hand in his chin not having to move much to make him look her in the eye. Her expression had softened, but still was far away from the slightly exasperated smile he remembered.

“Nico,” she said, just like when he came to her crying about older boys pushing him around. “You’ll always be my little brother. I’ll always love you.

“But all those things you want? I found them on my own. The hunt is my home, this is my new normal. I’m a different person… and so are you.”

He knew. In a way, he had always known that things couldn’t go back to how they were before Octavian, but he had hoped that Bianca, untouched by time and this cruel world, would bring back some shred of normalcy to his life.

“It hurt,” Nico said. “You pretending not to know me, when I missed you so much.”

He knew he was crying, but he didn’t care. He was allowed to cry in front of his big sister.

“I know.” She hugged him. He had to bend so he could rest his chin on her shoulders. “I missed you too.”

But she had mixed feelings about the brother she had written off as lost coming back. She had been glad, angry and worried, and her time with Artemis had taught her to hide her emotions, which she did.

They really were brother and sister.

“So now what?” Nico said. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Whatever you want, Nico.” His sister laughed. He could tell she was crying too. “I found my path, you do the same. Go to Camp Half-Blood, make friends. You won’t be alone there, I promise.”

Camp Half-Blood. It didn’t seem like Percy and the others needed to go through all the trouble of hiding that name.

“Will you visit?” Bianca looked at him funny. “What?”

“Nothing,” she smiled. “I can’t promise I’ll go often. Lady Artemis says where we go and when. But whenever we’re close to Long Island I’ll try to drop by, okay?”

“Okay…” He let go of her and started to walk back to the campsite. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

“There’s still a lot you don’t know, right?” She asked. “About mom, dad… our past…”

“Yeah, I really only remember you, the Lotus, and a New York hotel.” Nico sighed. “It’s okay, I’ll find out someday.”

“Would you like to find out now?”

It took nearly an hour for Nico to come back. Percy observed him closely. He seemed calm, maybe even a little happy, but his eyes were slightly puffy, as if he had been crying.

“Hey,” he said, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. “You okay?”

“Better than I’ve been in a while,” Nico said. He passed them some dark meat. “Here, from the hunters.”

Annabeth took a piece and bit into it, giving an appreciative hum. Percy and Leo followed soon after.

“It’s deer,” he said as he sat beside them. “Caught this morning.”

“Is that legal in this state?” Leo asked.

“Yeah, because the mystical, unaging wandering girls aged ten to sixteen who can control the Mist are a prime target for the Colorado police force.” Annabeth rolled her eyes. “It’s probably one of the mythical types of deer anyway. Not exactly a native species.”

They kept eating in silence. After they were done, Leo offered them some co*ke he had kept in the trunk.

“So, there’s good news and bad news,” he started. Percy, Annabeth and Nico all groaned. “The bad news is, I can’t fix Helena here, we need to go to the nearest town for parts.”

“I’m afraid to ask but,” Percy said. “What is the good news?”

“The good news is, that we have a way to tow our car, with us inside, right here.” He pointed at Nico.

“What?”

“Yeah, you just need to use that weird teleporting trick and get us as close to New York as possible. We save on time and I get my baby fixed. Everybody wins!”

Nico looked uncomfortable.

“I… I don’t know,” Nico said, looking to each of them. “This thing I do is not an exact science, and it always leaves me really tired.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Percy said. “We’ll find another way.”

“But if you could try…” Annabeth said, earning her an incredulous look from Percy. “Haven’t you noticed? If Artemis left her hunters while they were tailing the Chimera, it could be because she’s having trouble… keeping herself together, so to speak.”

“We might have less time than we thought…”

“We still can’t force Nico to—”

“I’ll do it,” Nico said. “I can’t promise I’ll get you guys to New York, but I’ll try to take you as far as I can.”

Percy was ready to argue, but Nico just stared at him. It was necessary, and they both knew it. After about a minute, he relented and sighed.

“Great! That’s decided, then.” Leo gulped down the last of his drink and went to his tent. “We’ll leave before dawn, that dark enough for you, Neeks?”

“As long as it’s an hour or two before, yeah.”

Leo grimaced.

“Okay, sleep well, recharge as much as you can,” Leo said. “Once we’re at a town, I can work on repairing Helena while you contact camp and warn them.”

“Can’t you contact them now?”

“Not bright enough for a rainbow,” Annabeth said. Nico looked confused, but she simply mouthed a ‘later’ to him. “It’s as good a plan as any.”

Percy just looked at all of them, wondering since when Leo made the plans.

Unsurprisingly, very few hunters were up at 4 in the morning to see them off, but the girl on watch did wake Thalia and Bianca for their goodbyes (how she knew Bianca would like to say goodbye was beyond Nico).

“Have a safe trip!” She said, acting like she was talking to everybody and not just Nico. After all, he had asked to keep their being siblings a secret. “Tell Hestia I said hi, Percy.”

“Will do,” he said. Percy looked at her and then at him with a pondering expression. Nico was certain he suspected something.

“When the Romans are—”

“We can’t help,” Thalia said, grimacing. “I’m sorry, Annabeth, but we have some Roman girls in our ranks, and Artemis is technically on both sides. We have to stay neutral.”

Apparently, Thalia had known about the Romans for a while, but was sworn to secrecy. While they never visited New Rome, the Roman girls talked. There were no secrets in the hunt.

They all got in the car, Nico pulled out both hands and touched the outside of the door.

“So, how does it work?” Bianca asked, interested.

Of course, Hades was her father as well, she wanted to know if she could do it as well as the whole ‘raising zombies and talking to ghosts’ thing.

He would have to give those a try in the future.

“All shadows are connected through Erebus,” he said. “It’s like… mixing this car’s shadow with a shadow in say, Chicago, or China. The car will follow its shadow there.”

“Huh, so that’s how it works,” Annabeth said. “It’s never happened before, but could Erebus be your father?”

“Er… no, I don’t think so.”

“Maybe a male aspect of Hecate,” she said. Nico saw Bianca holding off a giggle. “Her Roman name is Trivia.”

“Let’s just travel now and worry about that later,” Nico said, thinking about any shadow to the East of their location, preferably the tall, pronounced shadow of a skyscraper.

The shadows eagerly raised to his summons and engulfed the car.

The feeling of being pulled to a new location came and went. However, as soon as they arrived, he felt very alert despite the fatigue.

They were not in a city. Wherever they were it was damp and dark, the only source of light a skylight far above.

“Where—”

A torch lit with purple fire, showing a huge empty hall. Helena parked in the middle of it.

“Well, it seems liars and deceivers have entered my den.”

Chapter 11: JttE: Truth Shaming Half-Bloodkind

Chapter Text

“Um, guys?” Leo said, looking around. “I have a feeling we’re not near camp.”

“Oh, one of the deceivers is a funny one,” the voice echoed, giving a hearty laugh. “I hate funny ones. Just one of many mortal ways of lying.”

“Who are you?” Percy said, taking out his sword and coming out of the car. “Show yourself!”

“And one of the liars is a brave one, good.” The voice seemed to relish. “I wonder what we’ll be getting out of the other two.”

Annabeth and Nico looked at each other, no doubt wondering what was the difference between one and the other.

Leo came out of the car, looking around the empty space and taking in the dampness.

“I can’t connect to the shadows,” Nico whispered. Annabeth nodded and got out too, probably trying to distract the voice.

“We’re sorry for intruding,” she said loudly. “Just tell us what you want, and we’ll be on our way.”

“A schemer and a diplomat,” the voice now dripped with contempt. “Your lies do nothing but destabilize me more.”

“You’re a goddess,” Nico said. He looked down; an expression Leo had come to associate with the boy wracking his brain for the right fact to give. “Veritas? Aletheia?”

The ground shook, making them all fall.

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Neither!”

“Both!”

Each time the voice echoed back, it gave a new answer, making the tremors even more violent.

"What do we do?" Percy asked, trying and failing to get his balance back.

"She's divided, like Apollo said!" Annabeth shouted back. "We need to find a way to make both sides agree!"

Nico looked panicked at each of them, before shouting.

“I think Leo’s thing with his car is super creepy!”

The shaking stopped. Leo just stared at Nico.

“Depending on the situation he acts like it’s his daughter, girlfriend, or hobby,” Nico said, looking around. “It’s really weird.”

“Well, screw you too!” He huffed. Obviously, he didn’t get it. Helena was the first car that was actually his and not a loan from his mom. He was allowed to be over the moon for it. “What if I said you spouting random facts is irritating?”

“Is it, really?” Nico asked, not bothered at all. Leo wanted to strangle him.

“Sometimes,” Annabeth admitted. Now Percy was the one who looked offended. “It can be really helpful, but other times…”

“It’s useless,” Leo finished. Nico smiled at them. Seriously, was it opposite day or something?

“Are you feeling any better?” Nico shouted. Leo was about to tell him off, but a chuckle reminded him they were not alone.

“The truth does feel like a salve,” The goddess said. “Easing the pain of my division.”

“Let’s make a deal, then,” Nico said. “We each tell truths until you feel more like yourself, and you allow us to leave.”

A long silence followed Nico’s proposal. Leo was about to comment when a circle of light about 20 feet wide appeared before them.

“Not any old truth shall set you free,” The goddess said. “Step into the circle and face your deceit. After all of you have uncovered your truth, I’ll allow the shadows in my domain to heed you once more.”

They all looked at each other, unsure of who would go first. Almost instantly though, all of them were looking at Leo.

“What? Why me?”

“You seem like a simple, straightforward kind of guy.” Percy shrugged.

“Whatever your truth, it’s unlikely to be Earth-shattering,” Annabeth added. Nico only nodded.

“Ugh, fine,” Leo muttered, angrily. “But you guys owe me, big time!”

Without looking back, Leo stepped into the circle.

Nico didn’t know what he expected to see when Leo reached the center of the circle, but a dark liquid falling right in front of the son of Hephaestus was not high on the list.

“Was that supposed to hit me?” Leo asked, offended.

The water started moving, turning gelatinous and smoky as it rose and took a more humanoid form. Leo’s eyes widened.

“Meet your lie, deceiver,” The goddess said. “An ugly thing that will kill you, unless you uncover it with the truth.”

The figure created a watery knife out of its right arm and lunged. Leo rolled away at the last second.

“Um, I’m aware Helena is not really alive?” The watery creature just tried to stab him while he was lying on the ground. He rolled again. “Because the internet can be a monster magnet for demigods, I have an old-school p*rn stash!”

The humanoid kept attacking. It was clumsy and somewhat slow, however, so Leo could continue dodging until he ran out of stamina.

“I don’t share my best tools with my siblings! I forged my last report card! I tried to smoke once and threw up!”

“Could you give us a hint here?” Annabeth shouted, looking worriedly as Leo kept shouting every truth he could think of. “Leo won’t survive much longer like this.”

“The lie itself is the hint,” she said, sounding incredulous. “It represents the falsehood you’re keeping, and the truth that will stop it.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’d lie about knowing an assassin girl that came from jelly!”

“Your lie is a subtle one,” the goddess explained. “You don’t obscure the truth, you pretend it’s not there… and sometimes, the ones people try to deceive the most are themselves.”

“Wait, did you say ‘girl’?” Nico asked.

“Uh, yeah, can’t you see the hot lady with legs for days?” Leo dodged again.

“I only see a smoky human thing,” Nico said. He looked at the other two, who nodded in confirmation. “Maybe that’s your hint! Who does she remind you of? What do you think about that person?”

“I don’t know! She looks like everyone!” Leo was panting, the constant running and dodging starting to tire him. “She has Piper’s face, mom’s eyes and…”

Leo trailed off, looking at something that caught his attention.

“What? What is it?” Annabeth said.

“It’s Helena!”

“What?”

“What I imagine Helena would look like if she could turn human,” Leo explained. Nico decided not to comment on the fact that Leo had imagined the car as a person. “Looking at her now, she does look like a lot of women in my life…”

The jelly monster stopped its attack, seemingly interested in Leo’s revelation. He blinked twice and coughed, uncomfortable.

“I’m afraid of human relationships, so I hide myself in machinery?” Leo asked the lie dubiously. It retracted its jelly knife, but otherwise stayed in place. “Humans are complicated and not easily fixed, but machines work logically and can be improved upon. I’m terrified of ruining my relationships with people, so I act all jokey to make them like me, but it’s always shallow unless the other person forces a deeper bond with me.”

The creature dissolved. Leo stared at the place where it had been for nearly a minute before walking back to them.

“I’d appreciate it if you guys…” he said, gesticulating awkwardly.

“We didn’t hear any—”

“Lies.”

“We won’t repeat what we heard,” Nico said for all of them. Somehow, he felt like Leo was more like him than he expected. “Not what happened, or what will happen next.”

Percy and Annabeth nodded.

“Okay.” Leo sighed, seemingly relieved. He plastered on his usual smile. “Well, that was a workout in more ways than one! Who’s next?”

Annabeth Chase was a proud woman. It was her fatal flaw, actually, but this time, it worked in her favor. Her hubris meant she knew herself perfectly, which would mean she could avoid Leo’s little show thanks to being aware of all her lies and secrets.

If her lie took Percy’s form, it was something about their relationship. Her father or Luke, about her childhood. Chiron, about camp. She was prepared for everything.

The liquid dropped in front of her, turning and rising as it acquired a fleshy tone.

“So that’s how Leo saw it,” she thought, now understanding how unnerved he had looked.

The figure finally turned humanoid, showing none other than Nico, looking at her with a curious, but inoffensive expression.

Annabeth’s mind started running. What could the lie taking Nico’s form mean? Something about her being jealous? Percy’s growing feelings for Nico? Neither of those were really secrets, and it wasn’t like she lied about them. She just didn’t mention them.

‘Nico’ got closer to her, that same innocent expression in place.

Annabeth observed him longer, trying to figure out what it meant.

“Dodge!” She heard Percy shout. She immediately jumped sideways, falling on her ass and narrowly avoiding… something stabbing her in the back.

She looked at ‘Nico,’ but his hands were still safely in his pockets, expression unchanging.

What was not, however, was the snake tail now flailing angrily before retracting back into the lie.

When had he grown that?

‘Nico’ offered her a hand to help her up. She observed it. What was she lying about?

“Head in the game, Chase!” Leo’s voice rang out. Again, instinct won out and she rolled away from Nico’s other hand, which had turned into a wolf claw.

“Lady Truth?” Nico, the real one, asked. “Could you give us a little help, please?”

The voice sighed loudly. Annabeth felt the ask for a hint to be even more shameful than having to be warned about the lie's attacks.

“But she is aware of her truth,” the goddess said, perplexed. “Her lie is just something she desperately wants to believe herself.”

Something she wanted to believe…

‘Nico’ got to her level and offered her a smile. This time, she saw the sepedon appearing out of his body to bite her. ‘Nico’s’ smile turned cruel.

Oh.

“Nico doesn’t want to hurt us,” she said. The snake melted. “He is suspicious, but I know he means us no harm. I keep telling everyone he might be because… I want him to be untrustworthy, so I’ll feel better about myself.”

It was true, but she knew she could be even more specific. She wanted Nico to be a traitor because that way, Percy might stop liking him. But she couldn’t say that. It wasn’t her secret to tell and saying it out loud might clue Percy about his own feelings and create a rift. She just hoped it was enough for the monster.

Seeing the fake Nico melt came as a huge relief. She stepped out of the circle and gave an uneasy smile to the real Nico.

“I’m sorry, really,” she said. Nico shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it. If I were in your place, I might have done the same,” Nico said. Something in his tone made Annabeth think he knew there was something more to it but decided not to pry. “I think it’s my turn, then.”

She already knew Nico was a kind person.

“But would you have done it for the same reasons I did?” was her only thought as she glanced at Percy, who put a hand on Nico’s chest and entered the circle first.

Percy went in, not knowing what to expect. Annabeth and Leo had already shown that the lies they had to admit to were not easy ones, so he prepared for the worst.

Maybe it would be Smelly Gabe, or his mom, or even Nico. He just needed to think about what he lied about and fess up.

The goop came from the ceiling again, taking the form of Annabeth. Percy frowned.

What had been his lie to, about or concerning his girlfriend?

The lie’s nails grew long and sharp right before she lunged at him. Percy dodged and took out his sword, only for it to remain in pen form.

Right, only the truth could banish this thing.

“I don’t get it,” Percy said out loud. “I mean, I’m sure I have lied about oversleeping or forgetting a date once or twice, but I’m sure those things aren’t it.”

“Maybe we can make it more obvious, then,” The goddess said.

Fake Annabeth expanded, covering the magic circle in a bubble with him inside.

“Percy!” Annabeth’s voice was still clear from the outside. “What are you seeing?”

“Eh, it’s you,” he said. While the bubble was somewhat transparent, it distorted the outside view so much he couldn’t see his girlfriend’s expression. “Except now you’re giant and I’m surrounded.”

“Did she ever ask if she looked fat?” Leo shouted. He heard a slapping sound echo. “Okay, bad time for a joke!”

Percy looked around. Fake Annabeth stared at him from the top of the bubble. She blinked and dissolved, separating into two heads. The process repeated over and over, each new head staring creepily at him and filling the empty space in the bubble.

The space began to fill with Annabeth heads, all of them staring at him and multiplying.

Percy began to fill lightheaded as the temperature rose and the air became scarce, the heads began touching him, smothering him, squishing him.

He was vaguely aware of the real Annabeth shouting his name over and over.

“Stop,” he said, weakly. “Can’t… breathe…” the words came out on their own. Percy felt delirious.

Immediately, the heads receded, letting the air back in before the bubble popped. The fake Annabeth was there again, looking at him curiously.

Percy blinked twice in confusion before realization hit.

“No, no, no,” he repeated like mad. “That… that can’t be it, can it?” He asked desperately.

The lie just continued staring for a second before starting to expand again, slower this time, as if threatening him. He glanced at the real Annabeth before sighing.

“I have doubts about my relationship with my girlfriend,” he said. He didn’t dare to look back at Annabeth. “Don’t get me wrong, this last year has been great! But sometimes I’m… unsure if I want this to be forever, or if I’m rushing into things, and sometimes I just feel… suffocated by the relationship.”

The lie melted away. It was then that he finally noticed where the liquid went. A few feet beyond the circle there was a small hole filled with water. He saw the remains of the lie drop there, beginning to take on another form.

He returned to the others, finally daring to look at Annabeth.

‘Crushed’ did not even begin to describe her expression.

Nico braced himself for the worst internally. He knew he was a liar. It was either that or a corpse when you were under Octavian’s thumb.

After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the center of the circle, waiting as the liquid poured almost endlessly from the ceiling.

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Leo commented behind him. He didn’t speak, looking intently to see what form it took.

The lie raised from the floor, taking on his own form.

Nico took a step back, ready for any attack.

Instead, the other him grew and mutated, Bianca’s head popping out of his neck.

The figure continued growing, showing him faces of many people he knew. Octavian, Jason, Frank, Reyna, even Percy appeared all over the giant.

“What—”

“Interesting,” The goddess said. “All of you is a lie. You hide and forge everything about you… There’s no way to choose one.”

Nico watched, slack jawed and the monstrous giant started to wobble towards him. He knew he wouldn’t survive even a single hit, and that with its size he had nowhere to run.

Well, if all of him was a lie…

“I pretended to be friends with a Roman boy to get back at Octavian,” He said experimentally. Indeed, Frank’s head melted, but the giant remained. “I have been trained to lie ever since I arrived at Camp Jupiter, only Octavian knows this.”

Jason’s head went away.

“Uh, is it not working?” Leo asked, confused. Nico didn’t look back. “Are you trying what I did at the start?”

“I’ve done nothing but lie these past three years,” Nico explained. “My lie is that even now, I pretend I’m telling the truth. Transporting us to Vegas was intentional.”

“I believe Reyna only talked to me because my patron is close to her mother.”

“I thought Annabeth was a threat up until we fought the werewolves.”

“It’s difficult to understand Percy and his friends because they don’t think like Octavian.”

“Even then, I think I’m starting to like being around them.”

One by one the grotesque mutations started to disappear. While barely noticeable at first, with every confession he made, its size also decreased. Nico continued calling every lie he could remember. Some didn’t have any effect, but most ended up erasing a head or making the giant smaller.

Finally, he was left with a six foot seven Nico with Bianca and Octavian growing out of his neck like a human Cerberus.

Nico sighed, knowing what the next truth would be.

“Bianca di Angelo is my full sister,” he said. “We share both a mother and a father, though I didn’t know Hades was my father until I met her in Colorado.”

“Bianca’s brother!” Percy said, he looked back to see him looking satisfied. “She did mention you once. You left the Lotus before her.”

Nico gave an uncomfortable smile back. When he turned Bianca was gone.

“I did. I was afraid, and have difficulty trusting others after Octavian.”

The figure was finally regular sized, but instead of Nico, it was Octavian. However, there was something different about the Augur. He was giving a charming smile; he was also shorter, more approachable and with eyes brighter than he ever had. A younger Octavian that never existed.

A lie that was just for himself.

“I always told myself I followed Octavian out of the hotel because he had a magical laurel wreath to sway me,” he said. “But the real reason was… that I found him attractive. He was the first handsome boy to be nice to me.”

Octavian melted away, the water falling down a hole outside the circle.

A second later an explosion came out of the hole. The liquid appearing and taking shape once more.

This time, it took the shape of a woman with long, wild black hair and crystal blue eyes. She smiled at them.

“The truth has set us all free,” the woman said. “Welcome, demigods, to Aletheia’s humble domain.”

Leo could be forgiven for staring.

In fact, everyone could be forgiven for staring.

“Um, Lady Aletheia, are you aware you’re naked?” Percy, brave soul he was, spoke for all of them.

True, the long hair reached her knees and tastefully covered the naughty bits, but it was still not that hard to see everything.

“There are no lies to me. This is who I am,” the goddess said. “Plus, humidity makes clothes grow moldy.”

“How humid can it be?” Leo asked. With Aletheia’s gaze on him, he felt like averting his own.

“We’re inside a well in the middle of nowhere,” Nico said. Leo looked at him, confused. “As society relies on people hiding the truth to be polite, Aletheia left civilization and lives in a well in the wild, where truth still reigns.”

“Middle of nowhere is a bit harsh,” Aletheia said, suppressing a laugh. “This is just Nebraska.”

“Itdoes havea lot of underground water reserves,” Annabeth pointed out, nodding.

“Doesn’t make ‘middle of nowhere’ a less apt description,” Leo couldn’t help but think.

“So, I did transport us East,” Nico commented, looking pleased. “I just took the wrong shadow.”

“The deepest shadows are underground, son of Hades. Do remember that the next time you Shadow Travel.” Aletheia raised her arms, making her breasts even more noticeable. He looked away again, feeling his face heat up. “But I’ll help you this time. These past few centuries in the dark have left me with some connection to the shadows.”

“We need to reach New York,” Annabeth said. “Can you help us?”

“Indeed, I can.” Aletheia gestured them towards the car, still unable to turn on by the skylight Leo now realized was the entrance of the well. “Young Nico will do the traveling part, I’ll just nudge you in the right direction.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth said.

They all repeated the same and walked towards the car, getting in quietly.

You could cut the tension with a knife. Nico and Percy were on the back, while Annabeth sat on the driver’s seat with Leo beside her. All of them were avoiding looking at the other three.

If this is what happened with the truth, then he actually agreed that it had no place in society.

Aletheia walked towards Helena and guided Nico’s hands until they were touching the door handle outside.

“Now, you’re at your limit after your last jump,” Aletheia said gently. “Only awake due to adrenaline. As soon as the you land in New York, you’ll probably pass out immediately. Make sure your companions protect you.”

Nico nodded.

Aletheia closed her eyes, Nico following suit. Her shadow elongated and seemingly went under Nico’s hands.

Soon, they were swallowed by Helena’s own shadow, and he felt the increasingly familiar rush of going through Erebus towards their destination.

Chapter 12: JttE: Partial Eclipse of the Heart

Chapter Text

Just as Aletheia had warned, Nico passed out as soon as they materialized again by Chinatown. Looking at the sky, He’d say it was around six in the morning or so. He also found himself completely free to think, almost as if he was alone.

Instead of being comforted, Leo found the silence deafening.

“Gods, I’m not even from this place and even I feel nostalgic,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. Percy and Annabeth stayed quiet. “Hey, is there a place near we can go to for breakfast?”

Still no answer. Leo sighed.

“Fine, if that’s how we’re playing…” he pushed a button, opening all the doors at once. Percy and Annabeth, who had been leaning on them, almost fell off the car.

“What’s your problem?” Percy asked angrily.

“Okay, I know I’m not exactly ‘leader’ material, but we’re this close to camp, and if I have to take the wheel to stop this trip from being even longer then so be it!” He said in his best authoritative voice. The other two looked at him with wide eyes. “Now, here’s what we’ll do. We’ll push Helena towards that empty parking meter space.”

Percy and Annabeth wordlessly got out and followed Leo’s orders, pushing Helena until she was parked. Leo nodded in satisfaction.

“Good, next, I’ll be taking the subway to the nearest car shop to get the pieces I need to repair Helena. You stay, guard Nico and make sure the meter doesn’t run out of money,” he listed off. “I’ll be back in an hour with breakfast. And please, try to fix… whatever is going on here, because as you, sadly, already know, I suck at fixing people!”

Leo grunted and stormed out, not letting the other two demigods get a word in.

He had been holding up pretty well until Aletheia, but he was exhausted, cranky, and missed his siblings and friends at camp. He was there to expedite the quest, and by the gods, that’s what he would do, even if the golden couple ended up hating him.

They all were having second thoughts about each other anyways.

The only one who had the perfect out was Nico, sleeping soundly in the back of the car.

Lucky bastard.

Percy opened his mouth. Annabeth waited patiently, but no sound came out. He closed it and looked away, lost in his thoughts.

The situation was not ideal, to say the least. Just half an hour ago, she had thought her only relationship problem was a boy that was currently sleeping like a log due to exhaustion. Now, she found out her boyfriend felt smothered by her.

Sure, maybe after they got together she had moved to New York and transferred to his school (Olympus needed rebuilding, it wasn’t entirely because of him), they had taken every quest they had had in the past five years together (except for one where she was captured by Atlas), and they spent all their free time with each other, but she had thought both of them wanted to be together.

She had thought they wanted the same things…

She had thought…

That was the problem, wasn’t it? She was assuming how Percy felt based on her own feelings. Percy never complained, he just smiled and hugged her, laughed with her, took her on dates. Why would she ever think things were not fine?

“How long…?” She managed to speak, although her voice got weaker immediately. She closed her eyes and gave a deep breath. “How long have you been… uncomfortable with us?”

If it was a new thing, it was yet another problem that would have been worsened by Percy’s unconscious crush on Nico.

“I’m not!” Percy said quickly, eyes growing wide. “I’ve never been uncomfortable, just… doubtful, I guess.”

“But for how long?” She asked.

Percy looked at the ground, ashamed.

“It’s not a constant thing,” Percy murmured. If it weren’t for the early hour, it would have been drowned in the usual New York noise. “But I guess the first time was… about a month in.”

“So soon?” Annabeth asked, horrified. Her relationship had been crumbling for so long and she hadn’t noticed?

“It was a school day, and I was tired and wanted to go home,” Percy explained. Annabeth felt guilt that she couldn’t remember Percy ever being tired after school. Their routine was— “But you insisted we go to the library to get homework done early.”

“It lets us have a free and relaxed weekend,” she said. Her eyes widened when she realized it was her usual answer to Percy wanting to slack off… or rather, when he felt tired and just wanted to rest.

“Yes, I know that, and you’re right,” he said, giving a sigh. “So, we went to the library, as always, but I was just thinking, ‘is this what I want? To be dragged around even when I’m not up for it?’”

“I had no idea you felt that way.”

“It’s just sometimes,” Percy insisted. “Annabeth, I love how determined you are. I love that you’re always right. I love how impulsive and bright and wonderful you are. I love you! It’s just…” Percy struggled to find the words.

“That I’m always around,” Annabeth said softly. “You’re overwhelmed, and we’ve been joined by the hip ever since we got together.”

Percy relaxed and nodded, seemingly relieved she understood.

“This is way too messy,” he said, giving a half-hearted laugh.

“Yeah,” Annabeth said pensively. “The question is, what do we do now?”

“Huh?”

“We have found the source of our problem, but not the solution,” she explained. “Should we see less of each other? Have timetables to give ourselves more space? What do you think it’s best?”

“I… I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I don’t think it’s a problem. All couples must feel doubts sometimes, right?”

Not me. She wanted to say. Ever since she had chosen Percy over Luke, she had been certain it was the right choice. Her doubt had been killed before they even started dating.

Maybe she was the exception. Maybe everyone felt doubt occasionally. The difference was that said doubt didn’t come with a crush on a third party that could destroy the relationship.

But if she pushed, it would be giving Percy even more doubts…

“Oh, Annabeth Chase. What will you choose?” A new voice said. Both Annabeth and Percy jumped, Percy readying his sword, while she pulled out a hunting knife Thalia had given her. Her usual knife still lay melted from the sep’s venom in the trunk, but she hoped to get it repaired at camp.

Their eavesdropper was a man she was all too familiar with. A Roman god who had tried to force her into a choice she wasn’t ready to make. Both of his faces were smiling sardonically.

“Janus,” she said, coldly.

“Quite the choice you have in front of you,” The right face said, joyful. “Will you pursue the end?”

“Or let it come to you on its own?” The left finished.

“She doesn’t have to—”

“Careful, demigod,” both voices said at once, leering. “Hera is not around to save you this time.”

“I guess you of all people can get over the divide,” Annabeth said, trying to stall as she thought of a plan. “You’re already of two minds.”

“Maybe I do,” Right said.

“Maybe I don’t.” Left sighed.

“Either way it doesn’t affect me,” both said at the same time.

“Huh?” Percy asked, confused.

“The divide affects the gods with Greek and Roman forms,” Janus explained. “I have no Greek persona. I’m all Janus.”

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other.

“If only us minor Roman gods were like that.” he sighed. “Sadly, there are major gods who remain, and they have plans, plans that involve dear old me.”

He snapped his fingers, making a portal appear out of nowhere in front of them.

“You have a choice to make, Annabeth Chase,” Right said in an imperious voice that reminded the daughter of Athena that he was, in fact, a god. “See if that choice will save,”

“Or doom your relationship,” Left finished.

“Don’t we get a say in this?” Percy asked, frowning at the god.

“Of course you do. There’s always a choice,” Right sounded giddy. “You can pass through the portal and find out what will happen,”

“Or you can not, and face the wrath of the god who ordered us to give you the choice,” Left sounded more subdued, but still pleased.

Percy looked at her and gave her a curt nod, letting her know he would support her no matter what she chose.

And just by that action, that faith Percy placed in her, she knew what to do.

“We’ll go,” she said.

If Percy trusted her, she also had to trust him and that their relationship could survive whatever god had set this up.

Percy wordlessly went into the car and lifted Nico on his back. Even in his sleep, the Son of Hades clasped his hands around her boyfriend’s neck, as if they belonged there.

Percy caught her staring.

“Aletheia warned us he’d be helpless,” He said, shrugging lightly to not disturb him. “We need to keep him safe.” And with that explanation he jumped into the portal.

Annabeth bit her lip and went after him.

“That, too, was a choice,” she heard Janus say behind her.

Percy arrived in one of New York’s parks, Nico still clinging safely to his back. Which park, he wasn’t sure, except that it wasn’t Central Park. Maybe lower Manhattan, judging by the buildings.

Annabeth jumped right behind him, also looking at their surroundings.

“So…” Percy said awkwardly. He felt Nico mumble in his sleep. He smiled at him. “Are we supposed to find someone, fight something or…” he let the sentence hang. Annabeth stayed quiet for a long time, looking between him and Nico.

“Let’s see where we are first, then focus on what we’re expected to do,” she said.

Percy nodded back.

“You’re the boss.”

Annabeth grimaced, but they started to walk towards the edge of the park.

It took them nearly fifteen seconds to notice the buildings not getting any closer, even though they did leave the trees behind, entering a lush green field.

“We’re… trapped,” Annabeth realized. Her eyes widened and she started sprinting towards the edge. It only took him a couple seconds for Percy to follow her.

The grass got taller as they moved, first reaching their ankles, then their knees. When they stopped to take their breath, it was already up to Percy’s thighs, making advancing even more tiring.

“Annabeth… I—” Percy tried to say between breaths.

“I… know!” She responded, a bit harshly. She gave a final deep breath and looked around. It was as if all the park was overgrown, the edge still showing the buildings at the same distances as always. “If we keep this up, we will eventually be swallowed up by these plants.”

Percy pulled Riptide out and gave it a few swings, cutting the grass around them experimentally. He half-expected it to grow back but was relieved when it didn’t.

“We won’t lose each other like this,” he grinned. Annabeth only frowned.

“That doesn’t help us to actually escape, though,” she said. Her eyes narrowed, deep in thought. “Stay here.”

“What?”

“Don’t move, I’ll take a few steps.”

“I don’t think that’s a good— and there she goes,” he looked at Nico, defeated.

“I’m closer to the buildings!” She exclaimed. Percy looked back. Indeed, while distance was a bit wonky in this hellish land, Annabeth seemed to be a yard or so closer to the edge of the park. He went to join her, but the buildings didn’t come any closer. “They moved away,” she whispered, not sounding all that surprised. “Now it’s your turn, take a few steps ahead of me.”

Reluctantly, Percy did so. The buildings got closer to him. He turned back and nodded to his girlfriend, who joined him, only for the edge to seemingly move into the horizon.

“So it only works if we’re not together,” he said, pensive. His eyes widened and he looked at Annabeth, finding the exact same expression on her. “I—I didn’t mean—”

“I know that, you Seaweed Brain,” she said quickly. “But you’re right. It’s a metaphor.”

“So, how do we get out of here?” He asked. If Annabeth had figured it out, it meant she knew how to beat it.

Annabeth bit her lip.

“We can’t,” she said. “Not as we are, at least.”

“I think you lost me,” he said seriously.

Annabeth looked seriously conflicted, before glancing at him with a grimace.

“If I asked, could you leave Nico here?” She said seriously. Percy felt as if he had been slapped.

“What, why?”

“If it’s the three of us, we’ll continue to move nowhere,” she explained. “But maybe if we leave Nico behind, we can get out of here.”

“And what about Nico?” Percy asked, not believing what he was hearing. “We throw him away just to save ourselves?”

“Whatever god is doing this doesn’t want to harm us,” she said. “Nico will be fine, we’ll get him back after we make it out of here.”

Percy shook his head.

“I… I can’t. You know I can’t,” Percy pleaded. Annabeth at least had the decency to look guilty. “You leave, Nico and I will find another way out.”

“But that’s the point!” Annabeth shouted. “We have to be together, it’s the proof!”

“The proof of what?!” Percy shouted back, exasperated at Annabeth’s vague statements.

“Proof that we’re not falling apart!”

Percy opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried again, but only managed to blink in bewilderment. Annabeth gave a sigh.

“This field is our relationship,” she explained. “It’s going nowhere, no matter how hard we try to pretend it is.”

“That’s not—”

“We’ve been together a year, and we still only kiss when our lives are in danger,” she said. “I always thought it was okay, we’re just not that kind of couple but… what kind of couple are we Percy?”

“I… I don’t know,” he admitted. “Being with you is simple, it’s comfortable. I love going on dates with you, hearing you talk about architecture, going on quests together.”

“But are you in love with me?” She asked.

“I… I think I am… or I could be,” Percy looked around. “We’ve just been together a year, I’m not even 17 yet. I just know that I like you a lot.”

“What about Nico?” Annabeth said sadly. “If I asked you—”

“If I asked you to stop talking to Thalia, or Grover, or Juniper, would you?” Percy asked back. He didn’t know why he was so defensive. “That’s not what couples do, and it’s not Nico’s fault that we’re having this problem. You said it yourself, we barely kissed even before he came along.”

Annabeth’s shoulders sagged in defeat.

“You really don’t get it,” she said. Her voice was tiny. Percy felt like he was about to cry. “It’s not about Nico, it’s about what he represents. Is he more important to you than our relationship?”

Percy thought about it. He knew what kind of answer Annabeth wanted, but he also knew what answer was the right one.

“His safety is,” he said honestly. “Even if it wasn’t Nico, if it was some random kid, would you leave them to die if it meant we could keep being together?”

Annabeth didn’t answer for a long time. Percy didn’t dare admit that he was afraid of that silence.

“I’d consider it, but if I did it, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself afterwards,” she admitted. Percy felt himself breathe again. “But then, what are we supposed to do, break up?”

Percy drew Riptide and cut the grass around them once more. Annabeth looked at him bemusedly.

“I think that depends on us,” he said. “Only the Fates know what will happen, but we can still try, even if it seems we’re not moving. We can find a way forward.”

Annabeth looked conflicted. She glanced around.

“I—”

“Bravo! Bravo!” a bell-like voice said. They both turned. A few feet away, there was a gazebo that hadn’t been there before. “Well done, Percy! That was truly awe-inspiring!”

In the middle of the gazebo, there was a small table with some coffee and cookies.

Sitting at it, was none other than Aphrodite herself.

Annabeth could only watch in shock as a disgruntled Janus, dressed as a butler, poured some coffee from a pot into two empty cups. Annabeth took pleasure in the fact that both faces looked ready to die.

“Well,” the goddess of love said expectantly. “Are you going to join me?”

Annabeth looked at Percy, who just glanced at Nico’s sleeping form. She sighed and walked towards the gazebo, noticing that it wasn’t a permanent fixture of the park, but a portable one that could be set up anywhere the owner wanted.

Percy let Nico down carefully on the empty seat at her right and took the next seat.

Logically, she knew it was so either of them could pick up the son of Hades in case anything went wrong. Emotionally, she couldn’t help but think it was the perfect end to this little sham of a trial. Nico, once again a barrier between them, once again through no fault of his own.

“You don’t seem crazy,” Percy blurted out. His eyes widened as he realized what he said. “What I meant was, you look uh… put together?”

Aphrodite laughed.

“Of course I do,” she said. “Love is ever-changing, but its true nature remains the same, even among cultures.”

“What do you mean?” Annabeth asked.

“Roman, Greek, it doesn’t matter. Love is passionate and sought after all the same. My domain doesn’t change, so why should I?” She took a sip of her coffee. “But you’re not here to learn about these boring things, are you?”

“Our relationship,” Annabeth said, nodding. “And how it’s ending.”

Percy frowned, while Aphrodite giggled.

“Oh, I love teenagers! Such drama queens,” she said. “No dear, you just didn’t understand the lesson.”

Now Annabeth felt offended. To tell a daughter of wisdom she didn’t get knowledge was a blasphemy.

“What lesson?”

“That reality is complicated, right?” Percy said next to her. “Even the best relationships have problems, you can’t just hope things to always be fine because you’re in love.”

“Look at you, you could pass for my own child,” Aphrodite praised. Percy made the expression she knew he used to resist rolling his eyes. “You’re right, Percy. All relationships have their trials, yours happen to be one of doubt.”

Percy looked down, probably feeling guilty about it.

“And that’s the thing,” she continued. “Love is filled with problems, issues and trials. ‘Happily ever after’ does not exist. It’s what makes real love stories interesting!”

“So, we’re not over?” Annabeth asked, hopeful. Aphrodite examined her, and then her gaze turned to Nico.

“That depends on you two,” she said. “Are you willing to keep fighting? Get over this issue and be ready for the next? And the one after that?”

“I—”

“Of course we are!” Percy said. He looked at Annabeth. “We are, aren’t we?”

Annabeth thought it over. She had always thought of romance as a side project. Something to have, yes, but she had never given it much thought beyond getting a boyfriend who would always stand by her, always protect her, and support her as she achieved her actually important dreams.

Before, that person was Luke, as she grew up, that person morphed into Percy.

“Annabeth?” Percy called.

And she loved Percy. She really did, but was she willing to sacrifice energy fighting every problem they had? Was she mature enough to commit to such a relationship?

Now she understood Percy’s doubt. It was not a lack of love, but actually understanding what it meant to see a future with each other.

And she could try. Going forward with Percy, fighting whatever may come their way, even if it was a chore.

“Annabeth?” She heard Percy call again.

But that was the issue, wasn’t it? It was a chore, something else to do to achieve her dreams. Fixing their problems was not something she would embark on with the passion she attacked an unknown architectonical concept or devoured an applied math book. It was something she had to do if she wanted to keep Percy.

He deserved better than that.

“I don’t think I can,” she said in a low voice. Belatedly, she realized she was crying. “It wouldn’t be fair… to either of us.”

Percy eyes were wide, expression disbelieving.

Aphrodite sighed.

“And so ends this chapter of your lives,” she said forlornly. Janus snickered behind her, she snapped her fingers and made him vanish. “To be honest, I really liked you guys.”

Percy stayed quiet, processing what Annabeth just said.

“Look on the bright side, though! New romances, new opportunities will open for the both of you!” She said happily as she put some coffee in a glittery pink thermos. “Don’t look at it as an ending, see it as a beginning!”

“I’m sorry…” Annabeth whispered. Percy just closed his eyes for a second as Aphrodite pushed the thermos into his hand.

“My special blend,” she confided. She spoke sympathetically, as if this whole confrontation hadn’t been her fault. “It will wake Nico right up. Take it as a boon for your beautiful love story.”

She snapped her fingers again, making them blink and appear back to where their car was parked.

“I’ll be holding my breath, waiting for the next chapters in your stories.” She waved and turned. Annabeth closed her eyes as the goddess disappeared.

When she opened them, Percy was in the car, sitting up Nico so he could drink the coffee.

“Percy, we need to talk about—”

“Not right now.”

“But Percy—!”

“Just…! I need some space, okay?”

Nico groaned loudly to let his companions know he was awake. The bickering ceased and he opened his eyes. Percy’s face was about two inches in front of him, looking worried.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” he said so softly that Nico almost believed he had imagined the shouting match earlier.

“Like I had both the best and worst nap in history at the same time,” he said, voice raspy. “How long was I out?”

“About an hour,” Annabeth said. She seemed more emotional than Percy, on the brink of tears. “A god gave us something to wake you up.”

“Leo?”

“Getting some car parts.”

“And breakfast!” the son of Hephaestus said loudly as he approached them with a McDonald’s paper bag. “I also got one of those cheap prisms from a street vendor.” He tossed said thing to Annabeth. “We’ll call Camp and report after we eat.”

Nico accepted the bag, but his gaze was trained on his companions.

Leo was giving orders, and neither Percy nor Annabeth were complaining about it. In fact, they seemed to be more focused on avoiding each other, sitting as far apart as the car allowed it.

He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened before he woke up.

Chapter 13: JttE: Demigods don't wanna have Fun

Chapter Text

Breakfast in the car was surprisingly more awkward than Leo had envisioned. Which, considering he had prepared for ‘nobody talking’ levels of uncomfortable, was saying something.

Percy and Annabeth could not even look at each other, which meant they were constantly looking at their McDonald’s breakfast or at Nico and him. Nico seemed just as uncomfortable, just taking bites of the breakfast burrito Leo had given up, as he hadn’t expected him to be up yet.

Luckily, he had also ordered some pancakes. He was just resourceful like that.

“How long until the car’s ready to go?” Percy asked, breaking the ungodly silence.

“I think I’ll have it ready before twelve,” Leo said. “You guys are free to do whatever until then.”

He looked at Annabeth meaningfully. If she hadn’t managed to fix things with her boyfriend yet, then he was giving her another chance.

“Well, it’s been what? 40, 50 years since you last saw Manhattan?” Percy asked, looking at Nico.

“I… I don’t really know,” he said, looking at them for help. Annabeth just kept looking at the empty McMuffin wrap.

“So, maybe you’d like a tour,” Percy continued, trapping him in a one-armed hug. Leo saw Nico squirm. “Lots of things changed, you need a local to show you around.”

Before Nico could answer, Percy was already opening the door on Nico’s side and pushing him out, talking about where to go and what to do in the city.

Leo looked at Annabeth.

“Aren’t you going with them?”

“There’s no point,” she said, folding the wrapping paper. “Percy… I think he needs time to process what happened.”

Huh, that’s funny. He might have been completely illiterate when it came to people, but he was certain that Percy had been the one to screw up, not Annabeth. The fact that he was the one that needed space was surprising.

“I know better than to ask,” Leo said, shrugging. “I’ll be working on the car. I may not be good at this, but if you need someone to rant at, I’m right here.”

He took the plastic bag holding all the things he needed to fix Helena and opened the door.

He only had time to open the hood before Annabeth followed.

“We were talking after you left…”

Nico was not used to this.

The talking, the showing around, the smiles. It made his stomach do somersaults and his cheeks heat up.

He wasn’t sure if it was the genuine friendliness, the fact that it was Percy, or that he knew Percy was just trying to not think of whatever problem he had with Annabeth.

“Are you alright?” Percy asked, smile as dazzling as he could make it. “You’ve been kind of quiet.”

“Y-yeah, just… the heat,” he said lamely. He used to be so much more convincing when lying. What was happening to him?

“Nico…” the tone of voice reminded him of a nagging mother. He couldn’t help but sigh.

“You already know,” he said, barely loud enough to be heard amongst the crowd that was beginning to form in the busy New York streets. “You guys know I lied, that I took you to Vegas on purpose, that I used you for my own goals.”

“Yeah, we do.” Percy just shrugged. Nico wondered if he had hit his head when he passed out.

“Then why are you still being kind?” Nico felt like shouting while he only had the energy to whisper. “I’m a liar, a cheat and a manipulator, why are you acting like it’s no big deal?”

“I don’t know how much you remember from a couple hours ago, but we all were hiding things,” Percy said. “I don’t think I, or really any of us, have room to judge you.”

“But you were honest with me,” Nico said, desperate to have Percy… hate him? Chastise him? “The only true thing I ever told you was about my blessing.”

“Ah, but the things you didn’t tell us were all true.” Percy grinned. Nico just stared at him in confusion. “You always acted like you cared. You were as kind to us as we were to you.”

“All an act to get you to trust me.”

“That was not what you said to Aletheia,” Percy said, still wearing the same patient smile. “Face it, Nico, you’re a better person than you give yourself credit for.”

Nico bit his lip as Percy took him by the arm and continued dragging him along the city.

A better person…

If he truly was better, then…

“So how long are we going to dance around the fact that you’re running away from what happened with Annabeth?”

Percy stopped right on his tracks.

A good person was honest. A good person cared for his friends’ wellbeing.

After about fifteen seconds, Percy just sighed and started tugging again.

“There’s a café up ahead,” he said. “We can talk there.”

And, if Nico was to be honest, then he had to admit that he had come to see his travelling companions as friends long ago.

“And all this happened while I got spare parts and McDonald’s?” Leo asked, eyes wide. He had stopped working on the car and was tapping rapidly by the headlights. Annabeth couldn’t help but wonder if it had any meaning.

“Yeah, I got called out as a bad girlfriend after I thought my relationship was being sabotaged.” She took a sip of the soda Leo had taken out of the trunk earlier. It wasn’t cold at all, but she had bigger problems right now. “Either way, the gods are acting as usual.”

“So, I guess the million dollar question is, what do you expect to happen?” Leo took a wrench from his tool belt and began securing one of the parts he had replaced.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you basically said you weren’t up to fix your relationship, but you guys didn’t exactly break up,” he explained, his attention still on the car. “Do you want him to be the one to do it? Do you want him to come back and say it doesn’t matter? Or do you want to say you’re sorry and try to fix things?”

Annabeth thought about it.

“What I want is impossible,” she said. “I want a drama-free relationship, a source of support that never gives me trouble, and I want Percy to be it.”

“Word of advice,” Leo said, giving a few weak tugs to the part. “Everything needs fixing every once in a while. If you want to keep something, you have to commit to fixing it. That’s why mom still repairs old Renaults to this day.”

“I know that, and I’m not against trying, I just…” Annabeth struggled to find the right words. “I just thought we were meant to be.”

Leo looked unimpressed and pointed at the car’s motor.

“Look at Helena,” Leo said. “I’ve had to change like, twelve different parts between her motor, radiator and filter. It’s taken a lot of work to keep her functional this whole trip.”

“Yes, I get the metaphor, but—”

“No, you don’t.” Leo crossed his arms. “It’s obvious Helena was overpriced and had a lot of faulty parts, but I wanted her. I chose her. That makes it meant to be, not because she was the perfect car, but because she was the car I liked, and so I made it work.”

Annabeth mulled over the words for a few seconds, understanding Leo’s point.

“So, what you’re saying is that Percy and I are ‘meant to be’ as long as we both want it?”

“Duh,” Leo said grinning. “That brings us back to the start, what do you want?”

“I don’t know what I want,” Percy said as he took another spoonful of ice cream. “I want to live in a world where my girlfriend wants to fight for us.”

“And I want to live in a world where my sister and I didn’t get separated at the Lotus,” Nico retorted, unimpressed. “But life deals unfair hands, and we have to work with them.”

“I don’t want to break up with her…”

“Then don’t.” Nico bit into his coffee ice cream. Percy winced. “Fix your relationship, talk it out, be ready to work for the two of you to keep it afloat from now on.”

“I don’t want to do that either,” Percy admitted. “I just wish there was an easy answer to this.”

“Sometimes, the easiest answer is to take a step back and think things through,” Nico said. “Stop thinking about a perfect world where Annabeth is not Annabeth and Percy is not Percy. This happened because of who you two were, and you need to deal with it eventually.”

“You know, the real you is far meaner than I expected,” he said, trying not to chuckle. It was strange, despite the things they were talking about, he felt far more at ease than he had since he started dating Annabeth.

“Octavian once called me ‘too acidic to inspire the Legion’. He beat the nice, submissive envoy into me,” Nico noted. “It’s… liberating to not apply that filter to every little thing I say.”

“So I see.” Percy smiled. “I kind of like the real Nico. Prickly, but still kind.”

The son of Hades flushed and hid behind his ice cream. Percy’s grin turned wicked.

“We’re not talking about that!”

“Real Nico is also easily embarrassed!” Percy laughed. Nico’s ears turned red.

“I will find out how to use my powers to curse you and it will hurt you,” he hissed. Percy just continued laughing.

Nico glared at him. It would have been very effective if not for the fact that he was still flushed from the neck up. Like that, the dirty look just looked too cute.

Cute.

Percy thought Nico was cute.

The laughter died rather suddenly at his realization.

Nico looked at him, bemused.

“Something wrong?”

“Uh… n-no.” He busied himself with his ice cream, trying to focus on rationalizing what was going on in his head.

Percy was in love with Annabeth. He was saddened that she and Aphrodite had all but called their relationship over. He was just overreacting to Nico.

So what if he thought the son of Hades was cute? Kittens were cute, that one pancake mascot was cute, that tooth-rotting Christmas special he watched with his mom last year was cute. It didn’t mean anything.

Nico sighing brought him back to reality.

“Look, I’ve never been in a relationship, so I probably can’t give you the answer you seek,” he said in a sympathetic tone. “But I think it will be what makes you happy, and what makes Annabeth happy.”

Percy pressed his lips. Had he and Annabeth been happy when they were together? They were in love, of that he had no doubt, but happy?

Were they happier when they were just friends?

Nico put his hand on top of his, giving him a small smile. He felt his heartbeat get so strong he was sure Nico could feel it through his skin.

What was going on with him?

“You know Annabeth best,” Nico continued. “Expect her to know you just as well. I’m sure you’ll find the right answer.”

It wasn’t that he hadn't found an answer.

It was that the answer was staring at him, and it terrified him.

It was around eleven thirty when Percy came back. Leo didn’t know why he had expected Nico to appear in a tacky ‘I heart NY’ t-shirt, but he found himself disappointed when the only change was a small shopping bag from a department store.

“…And I’m telling you, I’m not wearing your camp uniform,” Nico was saying. “Orange doesn’t look good on anyone!”

“Ouch, that’s hurtful, you know?”

Now that he was aware of Percy’s crush, the signs were obvious. The way he barely paid attention to anything else, how he smiled, how he looked like an utter idiot. He glanced at Annabeth, who looked defeated, but still put on a brave face and took a few steps towards them.

“Hey, so where did he take you?” She said, focusing on Nico. Leo guessed it was a stalling tactic.

“Just a stroll around the streets.” Nico shrugged and presented his bag. “And a trip to Macy’s.”

“Huh, I expected more.” Annabeth glanced dubiously at Percy, who just looked uncomfortably around.

“Well, We’re far away from Central Park, and I tire easily, so…” Leo noticed that Nico was gesticulating as he spoke. It was unusual, but strangely, it also felt like a less artificial version of Nico. “I also wanted to come back early to apologize.”

“What for?” Annabeth looked confused.

“For lying to you,” he said. “Manipulating you, not trusting you… you know, all that.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Leo said, going for a smile. “You didn’t know us, and we didn’t know you.”

“It doesn’t excuse me using you well after I realized you’d have helped me anyways if I asked,” he insisted. “So, um, yeah, I’m sorry.”

He noticed Percy looking at Nico proudly, as did Annabeth, who just sighed.

“Apology accepted,” was all she said.

They had about a second of silence when Nico elbowed Percy and gestured with his head at them. Percy massaged his neck for a second, before glancing at his girlfriend for the first time since he arrived.

“Um, hey,” he said awkwardly. “Can we talk? In private?”

Annabeth just nodded and walked with him to the other side of the street, where the cars and passersby blocked their view.

“Do you know what this is about?” Leo asked, trying to find out how much the son of Hades knew.

“Kind of,” he answered, trying to look at them through the obstacles. “I don’t know all the details, just that Percy decided something.”

Leo just hummed to show his attention. He was in the same boat. At the end of their conversation, he only knew Annabeth had chosen the best course of action which was, in her words, ‘to do what we need to do.’ That didn’t bode particularly well, but maybe Percy had reached another conclusion.

“What about Helena?” Nico asked back. “Is she ready?”

“Good as new,” Leo said proudly. “Or well, as good as she can get. She’s a constant work in progress.”

“Good,” Nico said. “This could be an awkward ride, are you ready for it?”

“Nope.”

He laughed; Nico just gave him a smirk. It was nice, finding companionship in a fellow outcast. That was what he liked about Camp Half-Blood, in a way. They didn’t quite fit with mortals or gods, but they had each other.

“Oh, and speaking of Camp, you better be ready for—”

“Shh, they’re back.”

Leo followed Nico’s gaze. Percy and Annabeth were walking together, they had uneasy smiles on their faces. Leo’s heart sank when he realized they were actually a few feet apart.

“Um… is everything okay?” He dared to ask. He just knew he would be blamed if the golden couple broke up in the one quest they had had with him.

“No,” Annabeth’s smile was a little melancholic. Leo winced sympathetically. “But we will be, given time.”

“We’ve been friends for too long to let something like this separate us,” Percy added. “We just… need time to get over all this.”

“Well, I hope a couple hours cooped in a car is a good starting point,” Leo said, doing what he did best with awkward or dramatic moments: try to kill them. “Next stop: Camp Half-Blood!”

They reached Long Island just in time for lunch, according to Percy. Nico suggested stopping by a rest stop to eat, but the others were just too anxious to get to Camp and decided to eat there.

After parking their car, they began climbing a hill, where a Greek-styled entrance proudly announced they were entering ‘Camp Half-Blood.’

“Subtle,” was all he could comment. He saw Annabeth roll her eyes.

“It’s covered by the Mist,” she explained. “Mortals just see rocks, or a wooden gate with a ‘sorry we’re closed’ sign if they’re here for strawberries.”

“Yeah, I don’t think the Legion is going to see either of those,” he reminded them. “You better report to your Camp Director soon.”

“Well, you’re coming with us,” Percy reminded him, pushing him to the door. Immediately, the forests disappeared, replaced by the vast fields of the Greek Camp. "We'll tell him together."

He had expected to see a small Athens-like, neighborhood-sized city, with spires and temples and statues. Something like what Camp Jupiter offered.

To say he was disappointed by the strawberry fields, typical summer camp cabins (even if they were… creatively decorated) and small structures that seemed to be basic training facilities would be an understatement.

“You guys… live here?” He asked, dubious.

“Some of us,” Leo said. “They stay all year, either because of bad parenting or orphaning, but for most of us, it’s exactly what it seems like, a summer camp.”

“A summer camp that teaches combat skills so we can survive in the outside world.” Percy added, sounding defensive. “I know it’s not like Camp Jupiter, but—”

“That’s actually the one thing I’m glad about,” Nico said, smirking. “You guys seem far more updated than the Romans in that regard. They can be so… isolationist.”

“Really?” Annabeth asked interested.

“Yeah, all of them have been living in New Rome for decades. The only new people are Roman demigods… who train since they’re young in the wolf house, so it’s not like they bring any new ideas that often.”

Annabeth hummed, probably thinking about how that could be used in a battle.

“So, your Camp Director?”

“Oh, right,” Percy said, picking up the pace. “You’re going to love Chiron.”

“The centaur?” Nico asked, letting some surprise and, dare he say, excitement at the news. “Like, the immortal, trainer of heroes centaur?”

“Yeah, don’t get him and the Underworld ferryman mixed up,” Leo joked. “Neither likes that.”

“Noted.”

“He’s just messing with you,” Percy said. “He’s really cool, you’ll see.”

They reached the big building closest to the entrance, where a man in a wheelchair was talking to a young girl with curly hair wearing that gods-awful orange shirt. He turned around to see them, and gave a warm, if uneasy smile.

“Welcome back,” he said in a kind voice that reminded Nico of a grandfather. “I guess your quest didn’t go as expected.”

“It didn’t,” Annabeth confirmed.

“I guessed as much when Mr. D just disappeared in the middle of our game of pinochle a couple of days ago.” The man sighed and turned to look at him. “And who might this young lad be?”

“He’s kind of the reason the quest went as it did,” Leo said. “Not his fault, but he’s definitely the reason.”

“Chiron, meet Nico, former symbol of the Ara Victoriae.” Annabeth presented him. Nico felt his eyes widen. “Nico, Chiron.”

“You… don’t look as I expected,” was all he managed to say. He sounded halfway between starstruck and disappointed, which really, was becoming kind of a theme with Camp Half-Blood. “I-I mean, pleased to meet you, sir. I’m Nico di Angelo, son of Hades blessed by Nike.”

The girl Chiron had been talking to now looked at Nico with wide eyes. Nico barely noticed, focused instead on Chiron standing up from his wheelchair, somehow unfolding his bottom half until it revealed his horse body.

“Likewise, Nico. I believe this is more what you expected?” Chiron said. Nico only nodded, making the centaur chuckle. “Come inside, I think we have much to discuss.”

“We do,” he agreed.

“Um,” the girl said, looking uncomfortable.

“Oh, right!” Leo said, going to the girl and putting an arm around her, pushing her forward. “This is what I wanted to tell you, Nico!” He said excitedly.

The girl squirmed a little under his gaze. Chiron, Percy and Annabeth all looked mortified, like they had forgotten the girl was there or what she had to do with this.

“Nico di Angelo, meet your new sister,” Leo said with his usual fanfare. “The daughter of Hades, Hazel Levesque!”

Journey to the East: End

Chapter 14: Nico's Guide to Camp on Siblings and Cabins

Chapter Text

“So, we’re at the doors of another war,” Chiron said, looking resigned. “Had I known that the symbol of the Altar was a demigod, I would have argued with Lord Hades for a different plan.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Nico said. “My life at Camp Jupiter wasn’t exactly ideal.”

He, Percy, Annabeth and Leo were seated around a ping pong table inside the Big House, discussing their quest and what to do now that the Romans were en route to attack.

“We should start sending scouts, fortify our defenses, train more,” Annabeth proposed, her gaze calculating. “We need to lay traps and ambushes and prepare if we are to win.”

“We should discuss this with the other head counselors,” Percy said. “Clarisse will have a lot to say if we don’t invite her to a war conference.”

“I’m also not a counselor,” Leo pointed out. “That’d be Jake.”

“Stop,” Nico said, making the others look at him. “You’re playing right into Octavian’s hands.”

“What do you mean?” Annabeth asked, her unnerving stare now focused on him.

“Octavian has a prophecy about him,” he said. “He constantly talked about how Apollo himself had foretold him being instrumental in a war. All he does, is so that he can achieve the destiny he believes is his.”

“He wants this war to happen, that’s not news,” Leo grumbled. “Well, let him start it. We’ll end it and show him where he can shove that destiny of his.”

“He wants you to fight back,” Nico insisted. “You are a summer camp; Octavian will be backed by the city of New Rome. If you fight back it will only prove to the Romans that you are a menace that needs to be exterminated.”

“So what? Do we play nice and hope our Roman overlords spare us?” Leo said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“No, I think Annabeth has the right idea, just the wrong focus,” Nico looked at her. “I’m not saying this because I want revenge, the only way to stop Octavian is to rob him of his so-called destiny… we need to stop this war before it starts.”

“You want us to look like a force big enough that the Romans will at least consider diplomacy,” Annabeth guessed. “I never took you for an idealist.”

“I’m not, but I know the Praetors enough to know they want this war as much as we do.” Nico closed his eyes, picturing Jason and Reyna in his mind. “They need to placate the senate, so they’ll march East, but they’ll also have the final say once they are on the battlefield.”

“So, we have until they find out where Camp Half-Blood is to prepare,” Percy surmised. “Until then, we should train, prepare and hope it is all for nothing.”

Nico looked at Annabeth, silently asking for her approval. She was this camp’s strategist, if she thought the plan was sound, they were golden.

After a few seconds, she nodded.

“I hate depending on the enemy,” she admitted. “But any plan that can reduce casualties is at least worth trying in my book.”

“I’ll call the other counselors to discuss this further,” Chiron said, finally letting himself be noticed again. “You should get settled in, Nico. I’m sure Hazel will be glad to show you around.”

Nico blinked.

Oh right, the half-sister he found out he had less than an hour ago.

As if the threat of war wasn’t enough on his nerves.

If anyone ever said that all summer camps are similar enough to not feel lost going from one to the other, Nico would like to meet them and personally punch them in the face.

Camp Half-Blood was nothing like Camp Jupiter. The sleeping arrangements in Half-Blood made no sense (Sure, let’s have two cabins that are never used! Oh, and one of the cabins people do use is overpopulated! And whenever a god has only one child, they have a cabin for themselves! Surely these problems aren’t related in any way!), despite most classes and activities centering on combat and survival, it lacked the structure of the more militaristic Jupiter, and newcomers came with less than the bare minimum of skill aside from demigod instinct.

It was amazing in the most chaotic way possible… And just as distressing.

Because Nico was in a weird place when it came to Demigod stuff. He knew most things from Acheron to Zeus, but barely knew how to not stab himself with a sword. Camp Half-Blood would be a huge help in fixing the latter, but the former made the history and literature classes pointless.

He also had to share a room for the first time in three years.

“Um, you can choose any bed you like,” Hazel said, an awkward smile in place. She glanced briefly at the only bed that looked lived in, probably worried Nico would choose that one.

Cabin 13 was rather unique, even among all the sleeping quarters that made up Camp Half-Blood.

While at first it seemed to be just like any other cabin, just black (real original, whoever designed it), it was actually made of onyx and amethyst, with green fire burning on the torches at the entry. The inside was also littered with gems embedded on the walls, as well as a depiction of what he guessed was Elysium.

“This one is fine,” he said, pointing to the bed furthest from Hazel’s. His half-sister nodded.

“You’re lucky,” she said. “Cabin 13 was built after the war with Kronos, so it has its own private shower room… the other Olympian cabins share.”

He nodded, noticing she had said “shower room” and not “bathroom,” which meant they still had to share toilets.

The silence prolonged, turning uncomfortable. It was understandable. Nico had nothing he could say to Hazel, and the girl seemed lost in her own thoughts, maybe thinking of something to talk about after she had already explained the camp’s activities and routine.

On a conceptual level, he understood that the two of them were in similar situations, having a new sibling suddenly when they had already gotten used to the idea of being alone. They needed time to find something they could use to connect and get the ball rolling.

It didn’t make the situation any less awkward, though.

A knock on the door broke Nico out of his musings, both he and Hazel went to answer it, and both stopped a few feet from the door when they realized the other was going to open it.

“Uh, you go,” Nico said, stepping back. “It’s probably for you anyways, me being new and all.”

Hazel stared at him for a second before giving a soft giggle.

“You’re really nice, you know?” She said before continuing her path to the door. Just a week prior, Nico would have found such a comment bizarre, but after what he had lived with Percy and the others, he had learned to just accept that Greek demigods were terrible judges of character.

“Hey, Hazel. Is Nico here?”

Speaking of…

“Hi, Percy,” Nico said, approaching Hazel. “Isn’t curfew in like, ten minutes?”

“We just came from the Big House,” Percy pointed at his back. Quite a few demigods were walking towards their cabins, looking exhausted. “It took a while to convince the Ares cabin not to go Leeroy Jenkins on the Romans.”

“Who is Leeroy?” Hazel asked. Nico nodded, equally curious.

“It’s a… never mind. The point is they’re at least willing to try your idea.” Percy shrugged. “How are you settling in?”

“It’s… different,” Nico said. “Not what I’m used to, but considering what life was like in New Rome, I’m more than okay with treading new ground.”

“That’s good.” Percy stayed quiet for a few more seconds. Nico and Hazel looked at each other.

“Percy, is there anything else you wanted to tell us?” Hazel asked, giving him a kind smile.

“Yes, I mean, no, I mean… ugh.” Percy put his hand in his face in frustration. “I wanted to ask you guys to train with me after breakfast tomorrow. You know, feel out Nico’s skill and a chance for you two to get closer.”

Nico felt like pointing out that he and Hazel could ‘bond’ without Percy around, but decided against it. Someone to break the tension he and his half-sister had would be nothing but positive.

“I’m okay with it as long as Nico is,” Hazel said.

Nico just nodded.

“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow then!” Percy said, grinning. “I better head back before the cleaning harpies start their patrol.”

He waved and turned, and just like that he was gone, leaving Nico alone with Hazel again.

“That was weird,” she commented as she settled down on her bed.

“Really? Seemed pretty much like regular Percy to me.”

“Oh, no, I mean, Percy and I aren’t that close,” she said. “He was the one that brought me to camp but… well, we don’t have that much in common. He must really like you.”

Nico shrugged in response. The idea was not unpleasant. He said good night to Hazel and settled on his bed.

Who knew what tomorrow would be like.

“Son of a—!”

“Careful, Nico, you insult a god and they might smite you.” Percy grinned. “Or you insult my mother and I will.”

Nico grumbled indistinctively and got up again, his practice sword in hand.

They had been training, so to speak, for about an hour and a half. Percy had disarmed and knocked Nico back around a dozen times, if not more. Nico had lost count. Whenever he tried attacking, Percy parried. When he tried defending, Percy feinted. It was an exercise in frustration, making Percy seem untouchable and Nico like a fool.

He tried a simple feint like what Percy did, but the son of Poseidon saw it coming and gave a step back before lunging forward, leaving him again on the arena floor.

“You know, I expected this to be more of an ‘entry level’ kind of course,” Nico said. “Not a ‘let’s see how many times Nico can fall on his ass’ deal.”

“Yeah, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re showing off,” Hazel commented, huffing. She and Nico were teaming up against Percy. Not that it helped much, Nico was more a liability than an asset against the son of Poseidon.

“I’m just showing you guys some advanced techniques,” Percy defended himself. “Just so the basics seem simpler when we get to them.”

“Yeah, well, I think sword fighting is not for me.” Nico stood and tossed the sword aside and walked towards the cabins. He felt his face hot due to exhaustion, embarrassment and anger. “I’ll take a shower and see you later.”

“Wait!” Percy called. “You can’t give up! Learning to fight is like, half the reason people come to camp.”

“It doesn’t have to be a sword, though,” Hazel said, more subdued. Percy whipped his head in her direction, eyes unbelieving. “I’m pretty good at fighting on horseback, for example. Clarisse, of the Ares cabin, is great with a spear.”

“Animals hate me,” Nico said, trying to calm himself for his sister’s sake. “But you might be on to something, maybe I’m not cut out for this type of combat.”

“Come on, it was just one fight!” Percy said, eyes pleading. “We can start with some more basic stuff now. I’ll play nice!”

Hazel and Nico looked at each other and shared a smirk. He doubted anybody who looked at them could miss the real meaning behind it.

‘Payback.’

“You know, Percy sucks with a bow,” Hazel continued, ignoring Percy. “And I’ve heard he once got trapped in a net he tossed himself.”

“I was twelve when that happened!”

“Really?” Nico asked, savoring Percy’s look of utter mortification.

“Yeah, he found out he was good with a sword, and then never looked back,” Hazel walked up to him and led him away from the arena, not even glancing at Percy. “We just need to find something that clicks with you.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, sneaking a glance at Percy. The teen had a dumbfounded look on his face. “Just promise me you won’t let me get a big head when I find it.”

“Yeah, guys like those are the worst.”

Nico snickered. Even if he sucked at every other type of combat, he still had his skills learned from Octavian, his own way of fighting.

After an hour and a half of humiliations, he could safely say he and Hazel had scored one against the mighty Percy Jackson.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Nico tried so many weapons he found himself lost. Spears, nets, tridents, alchemic compounds. He tried them all. But the worst of all had, without a doubt, been the bow.

Not for the weapon itself. He was average with it, but rather the blond haired, blue eyed boys with charming smiles that made up most of the student body and the instructors. All of them children of Apollo.

It wasn’t that they weren’t perfectly nice people, but the sight of them made him want to throw up and lay dead. Thankfully Hazel had noticed, and they left not fifteen minutes later, after one of the campers had tried to touch Nico to guide his posture.

“Bad experiences?” She asked.

“You could say that.”

“I understand.” His sister smiled and gave his hand a small squeeze. “I used to get these flashbacks all the time. I only got better because of Leo.”

“Really?” Nico said, interested. “I didn’t take Leo for a therapist.”

“No, it’s because he’s… it’s complicated.” Hazel sighed. “But I’m not… I… let’s just say I’m both my age and far older than I look.”

Nico blinked. Could it be that…?

“Have you ever been to Las Vegas?”

“Huh? Uh, no, but I’m familiar with New Orleans and Alaska, why?”

“Never mind.” Nico sighed.

“No, really, you can tell me.”

“Well, that description reminded me of the Lotus Hotel. Me and my sister… my full sister, Bianca, were trapped there for a while.”

“Did you just say…”

“Hazel!” A girl shouted. “Word around camp is that you got a new brother.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, Nico, this is Lou Ellen, Lou, Nico.” She pointed at each as she talked.

“Pleasure,” Lou said. “Now, will you explain to me why you didn’t bring him to our magic lecture after breakfast?”

“We were going around trying weapons,” Hazel explained.

“Big deal, anyone can swing a sword around.” Lou rolled her eyes. “Children of the Underworld have a gift, we don’t squander it by… pursuing lesser goals.”

“What does she mean?” Nico asked, halfway between amused and offended on behalf of everyone else.

“Lou is a daughter of Hecate, they can do magic by controlling the Mist,” Hazel said. “And, well, I can do that as well, so she thinks every demigod with an Underworld parent can do it.”

“You know what? Screw the schedule, I’m going to teach you some basics before I explode.”

“That’s not—”

“Nico!” Someone called. Nico turned around, only to see a very annoying son of Poseidon approaching.

“—a bad idea, actually,” he finished. Hazel covered her mouth to hide her smile. “Lead the way.”

“Well, come on.” Lou Ellen’s gaze was knowing as she glanced between him, Hazel and the still approaching Percy. “You’re going to love Cabin Twenty!”

“So, what did you think?” Hazel asked after he sat down for dinner. He had already offered some of his food to his father and to Nike, thanking the former for issuing the quest to rescue him and the latter as an obligation for his blessing.

“I don’t think anything really ‘clicked’,” he said truthfully. He had been proficient in most weapon types, even the bow before his panic got the best of him, but he didn’t feel like he was meant for any particular weapon. He also showed some talent in manipulating the Mist, as Lou Ellen hoped, but anything more complicated than making people ignore an object and the illusion broke. “I guess I just need to pick one and stick with it until I get better.”

“Hey,” Percy said awkwardly, his plate filled with meat and blueberries. “Can we talk?”

Nico was about to remind him about the camp’s rules on sitting, but Hazel just kicked him under the table. While he still was getting to know her, he guessed her expression meant “he has suffered enough” or “if you don’t he’ll bother us for all of eternity”. Either worked, really.

“Sure,” Nico said.

“I just wanted to say sorry,” Percy admitted. “I just… I wanted you to think I was cool, you know? So you’d want to continue training with me.”

“Wow, this stew is wonderful!” Hazel said in a high-pitched, unconvincing voice. “I think I’ll go get seconds right away!”

She stood up and left, allowing Percy to sit in front of him.

“That’s ridiculous,” Nico said.

“Hazel is not the best liar around,” Percy agreed.

“Not her, you,” Nico explained. “Percy, you saved me from a life under Octavian’s thumb, you helped me feel like I belonged somewhere, you helped me meet up with my sister. I already thought you were the coolest guy around.”

“Really?” Percy started to grin like an idiot. Nico rolled his eyes.

“Of course I did, but after today’s stunt…”

“I know, and I’m really sorry,” Percy repeated. “I don’t know what came over me… It’s just… I wanted us to still hang out, but cabins 3 and 13 don’t have many activities together and teaching you sword fighting seemed like the best way to do it.”

“Then talk like a normal person.” Nico didn’t miss the irony of his statement but decided not to comment on it. “Just tell me you want to hang out, or we can convince Hazel to tweak the cabin’s schedule.”

“I feel so stupid.” Percy’s head hit the table as he groaned. Nico took pity on him.

“You are, but you’re also learning,” he said. Hazel came back, her plate suspiciously lacking stew.

“Pomegranate?” She offered half of the red fruit. Nico arched an eyebrow. “What? Call me stereotypical, but it’s still delicious.”

“Okay.” Nico took it and set aside. “Say, Hazel, I was wondering, is it alright if we sit with Percy at the bonfire?”

Percy looked up, giving him a small smile. Hazel nodded.

“Sure, but he has to sit with us and the Hephaestus cabin, I promised Leo.”

“Sounds good,” Percy said. “Have all the off-key singers in one place, I’m sure Will and his siblings will be thrilled.”

Nico laughed, hoping he could get away with just miming the lyrics.

They reached Cabin 13 just before curfew. Nico looked at his surroundings, wondering if the place would eventually feel like a home.

Hazel came out of the shower room, wearing a sleeping robe that wouldn’t be out of place in I Love Lucy.

Nico observed her for a few seconds before grabbing his duffel bag and putting it on the bed right across Hazel’s.

“You don’t mind if I change?” He asked, wincing when he noticed how bashful it sounded. Hazel just smiled and nodded.

Nico felt something at seeing that smile. He was somewhat startled to realize it was fondness.

“Say,” Hazel started. “You said you were Bianca’s full brother, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah.” Nico fidgeted a little, still reticent about sharing stuff about himself. “We had the same mother, and obviously we share a father… why, do you know her?”

“Know her? She took me out of the Underworld!” Hazel exclaimed. “I was… well, I’ve been dead before. Bianca, Percy and Thalia were the ones to convince Hades to give me a second chance.”

Nico didn’t know what to say, so he just grunted to let her know he was listening.

“She was looking for you,” she murmured. “I felt so… envious. Years of just… being in Asphodel and no one ever cared, while someone was out there looking for you, even though we were both children of the same god. I was just the next best thing.”

“Oh…”

“Not that I still feel that way!” Hazel quickly added. “You’re really nice, and you listen to me and you’ve been more of a sibling to me today than Bianca has been in a year!”

“I—”

“What I meant to say is…” Hazel fanned herself with her hand, trying to calm herself down. Once her breathing evened, she looked at Nico again. “That I know what it feels like to be in a new place, with new people, and it’s okay if you’re overwhelmed or anything… I want to be there for you like I wish someone had been for me.”

Nico stared at her, not knowing if what he wanted to say was what he should say.

“Bianca was my whole world when I was younger,” he said. “When I found her again, she had joined the Hunt. I… resented her. I always wanted to find her, to reunite with her, and she left me behind and never looked back.

“I pretended it was fine for her sake, because she’s my sister, but it still stings. So I wasn’t exactly eager to have another sister when I got here.” Nico paused for a moment. He was avoiding Hazel’s gaze. “But you are… a wonderful sister. I’m glad I’m sharing this cabin with you over Bianca.”

He finally dared to look. Hazel’s cheeks were slightly darkened, but her smile had turned into a grin.

“I feel the same way,” she said. After a pause she seemed to think of something. “So, if you’re Bianca’s brother, does that mean you’re also from the 30s?”

Nico nodded.

“1932, more or less.”

“That’s great!” At Nico's confusion, Hazel pointed at herself. “I'm from 28! So I’m the oldest out of us! …Chronologically, at least.”

Nico chuckled.

“Still, we’re from the same era… give or take a couple years.”

They spent the next hour talking about nothing. About toys from their childhood, about technology they didn’t quite understand, about Bianca living her life away from them, until sleep finally claimed Hazel.

It was strange, having a sister again, but not the one he expected to have.

However, Nico decided he liked it.

And he might actually like Camp Half-Blood, too.

Chapter 15: Nico's Guide to Camp on Conflicts and Weapons

Chapter Text

“Nico!” Annabeth called as she ran towards the lawsuit-in-waiting that was the lava wall. “How are you settling in?” She asked, smiling.

“Well, it’s certainly been… a week,” Nico said awkwardly. “Mostly doing random physical training to try to find a good weapon. Where have you been?”

“War councils,” she explained, sighing. “Organizing the Hephaestus kids into making traps and taming a robot dragon – don’t ask. Then the Ares cabin making up training drills for the older campers. My own cabin having strategy meetings during and after lunch. It’s endless.”

“Plan A is still to try diplomacy first, right?” Nico asked, trying to hide his worry. “It seems like you guys are going all in into it ending in battle.”

“We’re demigods, Nico.” Annabeth looked at him with something he could only call affectionate bemusem*nt. “We don’t go looking for fights, they come on their own. And when they do—”

“You make sure you can win them,” he finished, apprehensive. “You guys are only paying lip service to my proposal… you’re not preparing for any sort of negotiation.”

“Don’t tell Percy that,” Annabeth said. “He wants to believe in a peaceful outcome as much as you. We’re just being realistic.”

“A couple of weeks ago, ‘realistic’ meant living the rest of my life as a political tool who got regularly beaten up when he stepped out of line,” Nico retorted, regretting it instantly when Annabeth flinched. “I just… want to believe things can go right.”

Annabeth touched his shoulder and smiled sympathetically.

“I understand,” she said carefully. “But probability is against us, sadly… and in case this all goes wrong, you’ll need to pick a side.”

“A side?” Nico asked, flabbergasted. “You want me to either go against the people who I’ve known and fought with for three years, or against the people who saved me?”

Annabeth’s grimace was enough of an answer for him.

“There’s a class on war strategy tomorrow at the Amphitheater,” she said. “You should come.”

The sudden change in topic almost gave him whiplash.

“I…” Nico tried to form a coherent sentence. “I know enough about war strategy. I’ve read all the books on it; I was with the Romans when they stormed Mount Othrys.”

“I know,” Annabeth said. “I want you to teach the class.”

“Why?”

“Older campers give classes to younger, less experienced campers all the time.” She gave a sad smile. “Tomorrow, the Athena cabin will be in attendance.”

Nico frowned, still unsure of what his friend was getting at.

“You can give a standard class on some war hundreds of years ago. If you don’t show up, one of my siblings will teach the class… or you could teach us Roman strategy to give us a fighting chance.”

Nico felt as if the air was punched out of his lungs.

“What do you want to know?” He managed to say.

“Everything,” Annabeth said. “How they fight, how many they are, how they structure their attacks, their weak points and how to exploit them.”

With each thing she listed, Nico felt himself growing paler. Annabeth must have noticed, as she gave a small sigh and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to pressure you, but I’ve been thinking about what you said about their discipline and organization,” she said softly. “You can avoid choosing a side, but that’ll be the same as leaving us to die or take heavy losses. It is your choice.”

Nico spent the next hour or so mulling over what Annabeth said.

This wasn’t why he had signed up to Camp Half-Blood. He just wanted to be free of Octavian, of the burden of being the Internuntius Victoriae.

And yes, maybe he still despised the Augur with all his being along with the culture that put him on a pedestal and beat him over and over, but that didn’t mean he wanted any Romans to die. In fact, the more he recalled Romans other than Octavian, the more he realized he didn’t want them to die.

Not strict but good-natured Reyna, soft but brave Frank, nor strong and kind Jason.

Not even Michael Kahale, Octavian’s own lackey, deserved to die in a war that benefited no one.

“Watch it!” someone said. Nico barely had half a second for his demigod reflexes to act up as he jumped backwards, a bronze trident lodged into the spot he had been standing on.

An older girl appeared in front of him. She was built like a tank, with big muscles and tall like a basketball player, with short, military-style pale brown hair. She yanked the trident out of the ground and gave him a derogatory glance.

“You’re lucky I wasn’t using Maimer,” she grunted as she tossed the weapon to her back. “Ms. Egghead said I needed to ‘diversify’ or some other crap.”

She seemed to be talking to herself more than Nico, but her glare was still focused solely on him.

“Nico!” He heard Percy calling. The son of Poseidon gave the girl a wary glance before approaching. “Hey Clarisse, is the council over?”

“Taking a break,” she said. “Annabeth said she wanted to explore other options before we keep going. And it gives the Hephaestus cabin time for their little side-project.”

She then glared at Percy.

“You’d know all of this if you were actually part of the meetings, Kelp Head.”

“Don’t blame me.” Percy raised his arms defensively. “Annabeth said she didn't want me there… you know, I figured she needed time, with the break-up and all…”

Clarisse looked shocked at the news, which made Percy’s eyes comically large as he realized he had spoken too much.

Nico, however, was stuck on what Annabeth had said earlier. Percy was apparently all for his plan of diplomacy, which meant he would be a liaison in a war meeting. That was both reassuring and worrying. Percy had his back and trusted him, but he could do nothing to stop the Greeks from their counter-offense.

Meanwhile, Annabeth had put the meeting on hold to try and get intel on the Romans from him. If he were anyone else, he would have felt used, but he and Annabeth were similar. They both knew that people were moved by their desires, and right now, the daughter of Athena had just pitted his desires for peace and freedom against each other.

A masterful move.

“And this is Nico di Angelo,” Percy said, taking him out of his own thoughts. “Nico, Clarisse la Rue, head of the Ares cabin.”

“I’ve heard enough about you,” she said. The statement didn’t seem positive or negative, so Nico decided not to comment. “Holly and Laurel can’t stand you.”

Nico furrowed his brow before realizing who she was referring to. The twins from cabin 17, and apparently also its counselors. That meant they were privy to the information about Nike’s patronage, and had blabbed to their cabin.

“It wasn’t my fault their mother blessed me,” he said distastefully. “And their siblings keep trying to ‘prove’ I don’t deserve it by beating me in any competition they can think of.”

“Oh, and they’ll do that.” Clarisse gave him a feral grin. “Over and over until you either smash them or die.”

Percy looked at him, biting his lip in worry. Nico rolled his eyes. He appreciated the gesture, really, but he didn’t want to be coddled.

“To even fight back I need to pick a weapon.” Nico looked back at the arena. “Once I do, I’ll end them.”

Clarisse looked pensive for a moment, before grinning.

“You know, I think I might like you, kid.” She laughed and turned towards the training grounds. “Come on, Princess! I need a sparring partner.”

“Nico won’t last against you,” Percy tried to argue. Clarisse rolled her eyes.

“I was talking to you,” she said in complete deadpan. Percy had decency to look offended. “Pay attention, kid! I need to practice with all sorts of weapons. See if one matches what you think is your style.”

The tally was pretty even, all things considered.

Clarisse had beaten Percy with the trident (They irony was not lost), the spear and the battle axe, but had lost with both the long and short swords, as well as the battle hammer. That Percy mostly used his own sword meant Nico was also getting to see how to fare against a swordfighter with all these weapons.

By lunch time, both combatants were exhausted, breathing heavily and with red faces, but neither was willing to step down.

“The tie-breaker. What next?” Percy challenged, trying to look like he wouldn’t fall down with a particularly strong breeze (he failed). “Come on, give me your worst.”

“My worst, eh?” She pointed at some gauntlets. “Pure close combat, then. Try to evade and parry my tackles, your delicateness.”

“You’re going to eat those words!”

Despite the snarling and huffing, neither made a move towards the weapon rack, probably knowing how likely it was for one of them to fall on the way.

Suppressing a heavy sigh, Nico decided to intervene.

“You guys are only eating some ambrosia,” Nico said with as much authority as he could muster. “Either know your limits or die training and leave camp two fighters short when a war is upon us.”

Clarisse and Percy glared at each other and at him before huffing in unison. Nico held their gazes with an unimpressed stare.

“Di Immortales,” Clarisse swore, before chuckling. “Fine, you win, but I think I need help getting to the infirmary.”

“Y-yeah, me too,” Percy admitted. “I can barely move.”

“I’ll call someone to help,” Nico said.

“You do it,” Clarisse ordered. Nico stared at her in shock.

“I don’t know if you can still see with all that blood in your face,” Nico said slowly. “But I’m not exactly the image of upper body strength.”

“We just need a human walking stick,” Clarisse insisted. “You won’t need that much strength.”

“My muscles might rip,” Nico tried. Clarisse huffed again.

“Don’t be such a baby! Take it as a training for your weapon!” Clarisse put her arm around his shoulders. Before he could protest Percy did the same. Nico felt like he was about to collapse from their combined weight. If only there was something he could do…

Oh, he totally could.

“May Nike give us all Victory in this endeavor,” he said in a quick prayer. Despite their wounds and exhaustion, both demigods shifted their weight, using mostly their own strength to stay uptight. “Better?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Clarisse grunted, nudging Nico to begin their walk. “Oh, and Di Angelo?”

“Yeah?” He said, starting to guide them towards the infirmary. It hurt a little when they placed more weight on him, but it was bearable.

“Tell anyone about this, and sore muscles will be the least of your troubles.” She gave a quick laugh, followed by Percy, who did the same.

Nico didn’t feel like laughing along.

“Man, you really do like Nico, don’t you?” Percy teased. “Either that or you’re going soft.”

“Do you want your ass kicked that badly, Jackson?!”

Accompanying Percy and Clarisse to the infirmary was a mistake.

Nico resisted the urge to jump away and pace when Will Solace, the Apollo counselor in charge of the infirmary, passed by him to grab some ambrosia from the supply cabinet.

They weren’t even that similar. Generations of mixing with mortals and other legacies had dulled the Apollo traits in the Augur, yet he couldn’t look at the head of the infirmary without seeing Octavian’s cruel smirk over the chiseled face, blond hair and blue eyes.

“Next time try bashing your heads against a wall repeatedly,” he said, giving a small square of godly food to each patient. “You know, just to make things a little less violent.”

Percy grinned embarrassedly, but Clarisse just gave a defiant glare. They both took the ambrosia and chewed on it. Nico observed, fascinated, as the cuts and bruises became smaller or outright disappeared.

“Okay,” Will continued, satisfied. “I’m going to treat the remaining cuts. Please take it easy for a couple of days.”

He looked back to try to get some support from Nico, but he just locked up, like a deer in the headlights. Will sighed, but didn’t ask questions, thankfully.

The three came out of the infirmary a few minutes later. Percy looked worried, but Nico was ready to ignore him if necessary.

“So, any weapon interested you, pipsqueak?” Clarisse asked, smirking.

“I think… I’d like to not be that close to my opponent,” Nico said thoughtfully.

“So, a bow? You still need crazy arm strength for those.”

His thoughts went back to his archery class, filled with blonde hair and blue eyes. He shuddered involuntarily.

“Nico doesn’t like bows,” Percy said for him. He put his arm around his shoulders as if it belonged there. Nico was surprised he found himself agreeing with that notion. “Bad experiences.”

Clarisse raised an eyebrow, but after a while ended up shrugging.

“Ballistae? Nets?” She suggested. “You are a scrawny little thing. Any weapon you choose will require you to buff up… unless you have talent with magic.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of long-range melee, actually.” Nico gave a shy smile. “They seemed to work well against swords.”

“Heh, want to wipe the floor with Kelp Head, eh?” Nico didn’t answer, but sneaked a glance at Percy, who was pouting. “You're lucky, that's my turf. There are spears, tridents, polearms… take a trip to the armory later, you might find something your style, I might give you some tips.”

Nico nodded. He felt Percy start to nudge him towards the mess hall.

“Well, as great as you finding a weapon is, I’m starving,” he declared. “Come on, I’m sure Hazel is worried sick you haven’t shown up.”

Nico didn’t quite understand why Percy seemed mad. Had he expected him to choose a sword? If so, why was he drawing him closer with his arm instead of pushing him away?

Clarisse laughed and went ahead of them. Nico couldn’t help but think she knew something he didn’t.

“Are you okay?” Hazel asked him during lunch, his plate full of things that, while healthy, would have given Octavian an aneurysm. “You’ve barely eaten anything.”

Honestly, he wasn’t even that hungry, just wanted to spit on the Augur even if he wasn’t around anymore.

He glanced at his sister’s plate, ready to throw the question back at her, but he noticed it was almost empty already.

“Yeah…” Nico said. “Annabeth asked me to give a military strategy class,” he commented, trying to pass it off as something casual.

“Are you having trouble picking a topic?” She scooted closer to him, as if being closer would let her read his thoughts.

“Something like that,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry about it,” Percy commented. He would have asked when he had appeared, but at this point him showing up at their table was becoming a regular occurrence. “Pick whatever you know, it’s no big deal.”

“Percy once gave a class on how to fight hydras,” Hazel said. “It wasn’t very informative, but at least it entertained.”

“Excuse you, I actually have experience with hydras.” Percy crossed his arms. “What better way to teach than by example?”

“I’m sure not every hydra out there is linked to a fast food joint, though…”

“Irrelevant!”

Nico chuckled. Both Percy and Hazel smiled, relieved. Nico realized they were doing this to distract him. For his sake. It made him feel very light.

“Oh, and I think Nico found his weapon today,” Percy commented, now much more animated about it than back at the infirmary. “He’s going for a spear.”

“Really? That’s great!” Hazel gave him a smile so radiant Nico felt dizzy.

“Well, I’m not completely sure a spear is my thing, but it’s the closest to something I’d like to train in.” Nico sighed. “I just wish there was a way to know what would fit me.”

The ground shook as he finished talking. Everyone in the mess hall looked around. A small crack appeared by their table. From it, a black, resplendent ore surged, its cubic form reminding Nico of the usual way people depicted pyrite.

Percy, eyes wide, glanced at Hazel.

“Did you…?”

“I… I don’t think so,” Hazel exclaimed, bewildered. “I don’t even know what that is!”

Nico made to touch it, but Percy took him by the wrist and prevented it.

“Stop!” He said needlessly. “It could be cursed.”

Nico glanced at Hazel. She had told him about her curse, but also that she had not had any unwanted jewels popping out of the ground ever since she had helped Percy fight Chronos’s army.

“It could be,” she admitted. “Just… let me remove it, for everyone’s safety.”

She stood up. Nico noticed the rest of the mess hall was back to talking to each other. He guessed this had been a regular thing with his sister, and most just assumed it hadn’t gone away completely.

Hazel approached the black ore and knelt, only to stand up straight immediately after she touched it.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed, moving her hand up and down. “It… it shocked me!”

“That’s not right,” Percy said. “Your rocks should be unable to hurt you.”

“Maybe it’s not hers,” Nico finally talked. “I think… father sent that for me.”

He remembered that voice he had heard the night he met Percy. Deep, rough, so unlike his own, and yet so kind and confident in him.

He had discarded it as an inner voice urging him to use his power before, but now, it had spoken again. Only two words, echoing inside his mind when Hazel touched the ore.

You first.

Hazel looked disappointed, maybe even mildly upset, but took a step back to allow him to try. Percy still held his arm, frowning worriedly.

“I’ll be okay,” Nico assured. Percy didn’t budge for a few seconds, but eventually let him go. “Thanks.”

Nico touched the ore before either Percy or Hazel could change their minds.

Images of rivers of fire, trash and ice filled his mind followed by a castle with a jewel garden. An image of Hazel, followed by the S.P.Q.R. sign in New Rome, and finally, of two blades, black as ink, the same shade as the ore.

About half of it broke away from the ground, falling by the table. Hazel looked curiously.

“The other half is for you,” Nico murmured. “Father can’t communicate with you like he can with me. He seems to be saying you… confuse him?”

His sister’s eyes widened as she seemed to understand his underlying message.

So, she knew. The question then became, what was a child of Pluto doing in the Greek Camp?

He would have to talk with Hazel privately later.

“So, what is it?” Percy asked, curiously.

“Stygian Iron,” Nico said. “It grows only on Erebus. Children of the Underworld favored by Hades use weapons made of this.”

Hazel took the other half of the Iron carefully. It didn’t shock her. She smiled.

“I’ll have to talk to Leo,” she said, pleased. “My sword is overdue for an upgrade.”

“Me too,” Nico said. “I think I have an idea of what to do with my half.” After all, the blade he had seen was not a spear point… but it didn’t belong on a sword either.

“We’ll go to Bunker 9 after lunch,” Hazel decided.

Percy grinned.

“Well, seems like you won’t have to choose,” he said. Nico looked at him, confused. “From the armory, I mean. An unbalanced weapon can make you seem much worse than you actually are.”

Nico stared at him, his mind running a hundred miles a minute.

He didn’t have to choose something that didn’t suit him… He just needed to forge something balanced… something that worked for him.

On an impulse, he hugged Percy and kissed his cheek.

“You’re a gods damned genius, Perseus Jackson,” Nico exclaimed. Percy just sat there, eyes widened, mouth open as Nico shoved about half the food on his plate into his mouth. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go to that Bunker right away!”

Hazel blinked, but nodded, giving Percy an apologetic, but also teasing smile as she fanned herself. Nico took her by the arm and started pulling on her. Honestly, if Nico had time to think about what just happened, he would also be mortified over what he did to Percy.

However, there was no time for embarrassment. It was time for scheming.

And his weapon was just the first step on his already forming plan.

Nico wasn’t used to the weight on his back, but he felt he needed it to give the right image.

“Leo, just tell me, can you do it or not?”

“I’m offended you even ask! It’s just… very untraditional, I guess?”

“Says the guy petting a giant, sentient bronze dragon.”

“Touché. I’ll have it ready by tomorrow morning.”

Untraditional… yes, his new weapon was not one you would imagine a Greek fighter or a Hellenic warrior using. It didn’t belong in the hands of a gladiator or a Roman legionnaire. It was invented far later than any of those organizations.

He entered the Amphitheater, managing to spot Annabeth sitting in the back row. Though she was far away, she seemed relieved that he showed up.

In the center of the Amphitheater, there was a classic blackboard and chalk. He took the chalk and put a single white dot at the top center of the blackboard, below that one, a circle.

Two more dots below that one, and 5 more circles below those. He turned around. Everyone was watching him, confused.

“Hi,” he said, using every single lesson in speaking up Octavian had drilled into him. “My name is Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, and I’ll be telling you about New Rome and the Twelfth Legion.”

Annabeth smiled encouragingly. Nico resisted the urge to wince.

“Camp Jupiter is the las vestige of the Roman Empire,” he started. “It is governed by an emperor, a veteran demigod or legacy that has served under the Legion and impressed both the previous emperor and the Senate, also comprised of demigods and legacies.” As he talked, he wrote ‘Emperor’ by the dot on top and ‘Senate’ on the circle below.

“Excuse me.” Nico turned around again. A boy with grey eyes was raising his hand. “What’s a legacy?”

“They are the children, or descendants, of demigods. They keep some godly essence and serve in the Legion with regular demigods.” Nico went back to the board. “Now, the Legion itself is comprised of two Praetors and five cohorts, with the First Cohort being the most prestigious…”

For a whole hour, he talked and answered questions about how the legionnaires were chosen for a Cohort, what life in New Rome was like, stories about the Legion, including how they had lost their Eagle and what it meant to them, about Reyna and Jason and how they trained and played by organizing war games.

He saw as Annabeth slowly lost her smile, replacing it with a calculating gaze.

As soon as he had dismissed the class, Annabeth approached him, face torn between exasperation and disappointment.

“You didn’t talk about Roman strategy,” she said, going straight to the point.

“I talked about the Legion’s hierarchy,” he said carefully, going for the metaphorically true route.

“You talked Roman propaganda,” she said, frowning. “It was all about how they lived, what they believe in, their failures, their achievements… it was—”

“Humanizing them?” Nico asked. Annabeth nodded. “They are human, Annabeth. If you are set on this war, you’ll need to see them as such.”

“So, you’ve chosen.” Annabeth said. She didn’t seem angry anymore, just resigned.

“I have.” Nico unclasped his new weapon. With a wide, knife-like pronged blade, black as a nightmare mounted atop a lithe, Celestial Bronze staff. He still hadn’t chosen a name for it, but that was the least of his worries right now. “The Greeks are being attacked, so I’ll fight for them.”

Annabeth looked confused now.

“Then why—”

“However,” Nico interrupted her. “I think both the Greeks and Romans’ true enemies are the monsters who pursue us and threaten mankind, not our fellow demigods. I’ll help you defend camp and deter the Romans, but only to force them to listen to us.”

After all, he had both a Greek and a Roman sister. Communication had to be possible.

“You don’t need their strategies, just enough information to make them stop,” Nico said and smiled. “They are human, Annabeth. They think and they fear for their lives… which means they’ll listen to reason.”

Annabeth stayed quiet for such a long time Nico started feeling antsy. Finally, she gave a big long sigh.

“You’ll be going against ages of conflicts,” Annabeth said, eyeing him carefully. “Romans and Greeks have been fighting since the Trojan War, long before there were Romans.”

“I had a lot of trouble choosing a weapon,” he said instead, looking at his partisan. “Every classic choice was something that made me uncomfortable in some way, so I chose to look a bit forward in time. I thought about what I wanted, about who I was, both as a son of Hades and as Nike’s Champion.”

The partisan was a weapon that was created long after the Greeks and the Romans decided to hide among the mortals. It was a weapon born after their antagonism, just like every demigod alive. These conflicts that kept the hatred alive were based on bad blood, and Nico would make sure to make them see how ridiculous they truly were.

“As a son of Hades, I don’t want unnecessary death, and as Nike’s champion, I’m tired of only facilitating others’ victories, so that’s what I’ll do” he finished. “Stop trying to give Victory to some side in an old rivalry… and bring forth my own Victory.”

Annabeth just rolled her eyes, but she gave him a more genuine smile.

“Tyche was right,” she said. “You really are obsessed with being dramatic.”

Nico could only respond with his own embarrassed smile.

“Fine, we’ll try it your way,” she decided. “Come to the war councils, we’d appreciate your input.”

“I will. Thank you Annabeth.” For listening, for accepting his ideas, for saving him. He had a lot to thank Annabeth for.

Annabeth stared at him some more, before giving a sad smile.

“Yeah, I think I would have lost no matter what,” she said.

“I’ll make it work, just trust me,” Nico said. He would make the impossible: make a daughter of Athena glad to be wrong by averting a war.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about the Roman thing.” At Nico’s visible confusion, Annabeth just shrugged. “I think you’ll find out soon enough.”

She looked behind him. He turned to see Percy, probably waiting on him to go to the arena and try his partisan.

Chapter 16: Side Story: The Best Memories

Chapter Text

Ever since she was little, Hazel Levesque had the habit of just keeping the best of the people she knew.

This didn’t mean she had an unending faith in humanity or that she was naïve enough to believe every person was good. She just wanted to believe that people were capable of being good, and that acts of malice didn’t erase the good that they had done.

The kids who bullied her over her mother’s job, her lack of a father or her skin color had never been nice to her. In their cases ‘the best’ of them was still an awful image.

The reason she held this belief was her earliest memory. The one memory that she held onto when she thought about her mother.

She was a toddler, around three or four, when she saw her mother sitting at the table while looking at a book. However, what drew her attention was neither of those things, but the assortment of pretty, twinkling stones set on the table.

“Pretty,” she had said out loud.

Marie Levesque was a greedy, conniving woman. She didn’t believe in anything except that which made her more money. She was good at acting the part of a fortune teller, though, so Hazel had spent her life in a house filled to the brim with playing cards, crystal balls and other superstitious trinkets.

But there were times when she was gentle and loving, with the prettiest laugh Hazel had ever heard, with eyes so kind you would never know this was the same woman who would swindle you for fake love potions and claims of bad luck from voodoo spirits.

“Do you like them, dear?” She said good-naturedly as she patted her leg. Hazel smiled and climbed hurriedly into her mother’s lap. “These all are valuable gems. I’ll be using them in my work from now on.”

“What do they do?” She asked, eyeing them one by one.

“Not much, really.” Marie laughed as she began running her fingers through her daughter’s curls. “But fools believe they do stuff from them.”

“Like what?”

Marie looked pensively as she leafed through the book until she found a page with the picture of one of the stones on the table.

“Well, this one’s here is a topaz.” She pointed at the dark orange one. “It makes you stay young.”

“But I want to grow up!” Hazel complained. Her mother chuckled.

“Then be a good girl and eat your veggies, so you can grow strong and help out mommy,” she said affectionately. Hazel nodded. Marie went to the next page and sighed. Hazel looked curiously at the white, clear rock in the image.

“What is that one, mommy?”

“This is a diamond,” she said in a soft voice. “Actually valuable, what I wouldn’t give for one of these…”

The rest of the night, Marie explained every crystal and stone she had to Hazel, who absorbed all the knowledge despite knowing her mother was only practicing to better talk up clients. When bedtime came, she begged her mother for the amethyst in the table, because that one helped you fall asleep. Marie just smiled and obliged.

She wanted to help her mother, she wanted to make her happy.

The next day, when they were playing in the park, Hazel promised to find her mother’s favorite gem. Marie had smiled indulgently and humored her, up until the point Hazel had put her hand on some patch of earth and made a diamond come out.

Hazel saw as her mother’s eyes widened and she snatched the diamond from the ground, looking at it, and at Hazel, like she looked at clients with particularly fancy and clean dresses.

That was when the nicest memory of her mother ended. The best of her mother. That day, the cursed jewel seller and fortune teller Queen Marie was born.

Business boomed for a while. Queen Marie asked her daughter every day for a diamond, a ruby, or other jewels. Hazel always did as her mother told her. After a time, jewels, gold, and other ores started appearing even when she didn’t want it to happen, to her mother’s delight. The jewels and charms were sold cheap despite their obvious worth, which only increased the demand.

They were so well-off, Marie had managed to get her into the best school in New Orleans. Or at least, the best school her lineage allowed, St. Agnes Academy for Colored Children and Indians.

Things were looking great for them. Even if the sight of her mother’s kind, loving smiles were replaced almost overnight with demands for gold, silver and diamonds that never seemed quite enough, Hazel was content with making her mother happy.

It lasted until the complaints started coming in.

The first one was small. A woman had broken her hand as soon as she put on the sapphire bracelet she had bought that day. Marie had shrugged it off, but the next day a man had appeared blaming them for his daughter’s fiancé’s death after they had exchanged diamond rings.

It was like a never-ending stream. Every day, two or three people would come, demanding to know why disgrace followed anyone who bought one of her jewels, asking for their money back or even threatening them. Marie tried to write them all off as coincidences, but her reputation as a witch who cursed the charms and trinkets she sold spread, nonetheless.

In private, Hazel heard her blame the father she never knew, saying he had cursed Hazel to put Marie in her place.

According to her, it was revenge for her asking for what she should have anyways.

Things weren’t much better at school. In hindsight, she realized a lot of the harassment came from having an unmarried mother, a witch who was said to bring disgrace, or just parents telling their children not to get near her, but all she saw was a bunch of kids being cruel towards her for no reason, and the kids were relentless, keeping at it years after she had enrolled.

After a particularly nasty verbal beatdown from Rufus, one of her main torturers, she had run away crying, hiding out by the stairs leading to the academy’s entrance.

She had expected to be left alone for a while and then get chewed out by her teacher. Most of the staff believed the tales about her mother, though, so she was confident she wouldn’t be called in.

“A pretty girl shouldn’t be crying like that,” a voice said. Hazel looked up to see a boy her age giving her a goofy smile. “Unless you’re crying from laughing. If you are, continue!”

Despite herself, Hazel giggled a little. The smiling boy’s grin changed slightly, reaching his warm brown eyes.

“Just like papa always says,” he said, satisfied. “The prettiest girls have the prettiest laughs.”

Now Hazel felt her cheeks heat up. Instinctually, she fanned her face with her hand. The motion seemed to amuse the boy.

“I’m Sammy, by the way. Sammy Valdez!”

“I’m Hazel.” She stood up and held out her hand. She was slightly surprised at how short he was. “Nice to meet you, Sammy.”

He expected Sammy to shake her hand, but he instead took it and kissed it. Hazel squeaked in surprise.

“The pleasure is all mine.”

She was barely ten years of age, yet she was certain Fate had gotten her together with “the one.”

She didn’t know who to curse. Who, if anyone, was responsible for what she was going through.

Maybe her mother. Greedy without any limits, separating her from everything she knew, from her only friend, to escape the gods in Alaska, calling her a poisoned child.

Or she could blame her father. If Pluto hadn’t come back that day to New Orleans, her mother might have stayed there instead of hauling them over to the end of the world. She could go back even further and blame him from heeding her mother’s summons in the first place. Why bring a daughter to the world if she was only meant to suffer?

At that moment, though, most of her resentment belonged to the creature that took over her mother and made her build a monument out of gemstones and gold.

As the days passed, the work got harder, making more and more valuable ores from the earth appear, and she started planning to escape, and maybe, just maybe, take her mother with her. Find a way to get rid of Gaea’s voice, make it stop consuming her mind.

After some time, she realized it was pointless. Pluto wouldn’t save either of them, and no amount of love would free her mother from Gaea or her from helping birth whatever creature was growing from within the ore spire she had been forced to build.

Her only, option, the only way to free herself, to free her mother, was to destroy the spire, even if she was to perish. With both the spire and her gone, Gaea would have no reason to keep controlling her mother.

The night she decided to end it all, however, her mother woke up within the cave. Even after all that happened, she never was certain if Marie broke free or Gaea just decided her work was done the same day of her rebellion. Either way, seeing her mother crying, begging for her forgiveness, made her want to hug her and never let go.

She had lived in fear of her own mother for years, after the curse made her turn on her and blame her for everything. Yet, she couldn’t hate her. For all her faults, her mother had been there for her always, and even at her worst, Hazel couldn’t shake off the image of the kind mother who sat with her, telling her stories and what her latest fortune telling show would be.

“What can we do to stop it?” She had asked, desperate. Marie shook her head.

“It’s too late,” she said. “Only one thing remains to make it emerge.”

“Let’s run away,” Hazel suggested. “If she’s done with us, we can just leave. Go back to New Orleans—”

“She’s still here.” Marie looked around the cave. “She’s waiting for… that thing to hatch. But I can at least save you!”

Hazel turned her head, hoping to see the spirit of Gaea lurking around.

Her mother just brought her gaze back to her by grabbing her face. She seemed certain she was about to die, and so told her everything. About how she met Pluto, about her wish once she was born, about how Gaea was finished with Hazel, and had brought her here tonight to force Marie to willingly give her life to revive her son.

And soon my eldest will be born anew, Gaea’s disembodied voice echoed through the cave. He will raise his armies, and bring down Olympus, while they uselessly squabble over this war of mortals.

Hearing her voice when it wasn’t being channeled through her mother was eye-opening. It was rumbling slow… sleepy, as if she was just a couple of lullabies away from falling asleep again. She remembered being four, feeling sleepy but wanting to sleep with the cheap knock-off charm her mother had made by painting a glass shard purple.

“An amethyst helps you sleep,” she had said earlier that day. “It will give you long, pleasant dreams.”

Hazel concentrated, finding all the gemstone she could on the earth. It wasn’t close to her, but it heeded her call.

“Hazel, go!” Her mother cried. “She’ll let you go if I do this.”

“But I won’t let you,” she said firmly as she closed her eyes. Maybe giving powers and meanings to gemstones and crystals was nothing but hokum, as her mother said, but, so did gods, giants and her curse.

If she believed hard enough, she could impress the meaning onto the rock. Turn the hokum into truth.

The first amethyst spike emerged from the side of the cave, stabbing the ore spire and making the whole place shook.

No! Gaea said. Her voice, still somnolent, was filled with concern, maybe even fear, You foolish girl! You will destroy this place for nothing! Your mother will still die, and you will go with her!

That gave Hazel a pause. She looked at her mother. Despite the greying hair and thin, bony frame, for the first time in years she was seeing the kind mama who would laugh and smile at her so often.

“I was so stupid,” she said in awe. Her eyes shining with pride. “You were always my greatest treasure, Hazel. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.”

Hazel felt like crying. She embraced her mother again. The second amethyst spike emerged, followed by a third, a fourth and a fifth.

Hazel lost count of how many spikes came after, only taking notice of the spire, crumbling to the ground. The amethyst started to glow, as if her belief had made some sort of spell activate. She heard Gaea’s cries of rage grow weaker, sleepier, as the amethyst enveloped the cave and made it come crashing down, but Hazel didn’t care.

She only wanted to remain in her mother’s arms, until the very end.

It had worked.

The judges of the Underworld had been kind enough to let her know she had tapped onto the magic she had inherited from her mother, and that Gaea was sound asleep, tightly sealed in the Amethyst she had conjured, maybe for centuries.

They had offered her Elysium, an afterlife where she would want for nothing, and could even eventually choose to be reborn. All it would cost was sending her mother to the Fields of Punishment.

Hazel had objected, she hadn’t chosen to sacrifice herself to let her mother suffer. She had begged them to be lenient.

The only way to lessen her sentence was for Hazel, as the actual architect of the ore spire, to share her blame.

People thought the Fields of Punishment were the worst part of the Afterlife, but Hazel knew it wasn’t true.

The true punishment had been hers, in Asphodel. Unlike every other soul, who lost all sense of self, she still remembered who she was, and watched everyone move around directionless. She’d take pain or glory over the certain nothingness, but it had been her choice, so her mother would be saved.

The only reason she was out of the Fields of Asphodel, in front of who she was 90% certain was her father (he looked so different, wearing a chiton instead of a suit) was that she had helped Bianca and her friends locate a Titan and their wayward sister Melinoe.

For bringing back father’s sword (which he apparently hadn’t commissioned like Proserpina told her sister), Bianca was begging to give her another chance at life as a boon.

The god looked pensive for a moment and then decided to usher them out to talk to Hazel.

They stayed quiet for a long, full minute.

“…Father?” She asked, dubious.

“I am, yet I am not,” the god sighed, his face grave. “I am Hades, lord of the Underworld and everything under the earth. Pluto is but a facet of what I am, but I am both, and neither of them.”

“I… I don’t… understand.”

“You are Roman, Hazel,” Hades said gently. “My Roman daughter, being saved by Greeks, while my Greek child… well, the Fates certainly have a twisted sense of humor.”

Hazel just stared. She didn’t know if it was the decades of dull, maddening nothingness, but she felt like she didn't understand anything her father was talking about.

“Your sister has asked to bring you back from the death,” he said. “If I do so, you must pretend to be Greek. You’ll always feel misplaced, in a similar, yet wrong world. If Greeks and Romans became aware of each other, it would mean war and chaos.

“Aside from that,” Hades continued. “reviving you will have… consequences. You must find that which links your past to your present, and only then will you be truly back in the world of the living.

“Knowing all that, will you still choose to live again?”

Hazel blinked. He was giving her a choice. Her father was warning her that living again would not be easy and was allowing her to choose her own destiny.

She mulled over the question for a second. The only reason she would have to stay was her mother, and she was as lost as the rest of the souls on Asphodel. There was nothing binding her to the Afterlife.

“I want to go back,” she said, with a voice stronger than any other time after her death. “I want a chance to actually live my life.”

Hades smiled. It was a genuine gesture, but also had a hint of loneliness and nostalgia.

“My only wish is that my children never reunite with their father,” he said. “Or at least, not that soon. Take care of yourself, Hazel.”

A light enveloped her. For the first time in nearly 80 years, Hazel felt what warmth was again, and also what pain was.

“I’ll stay,” she told Bianca once they were on Camp Half-Blood, safely back on the land of the living. “I want to live, to fall in love, to grow up. Artemis can’t offer me that.”

Bianca grimaced, but nodded.

“I just… I feel like I keep losing all my siblings,” she said, smiling sadly. “Grow up for us Hades kids, okay Haze?”

Hazel smiled. Bianca had told him about her brother, about how she had been hoping to find him in the Underworld while she looked for their father’s sword.

Instead, she had found Hazel. She was the consolation prize, the star with the words ‘you tried’ on it. She should be angry at her sister, and yet, to Hazel, Bianca was still all the family she had.

“Will you come visit?” She asked. Bianca shrugged.

“I’ll try,” she said noncommittally. Hazel resisted the urge to frown. “Artemis leads the hunt, and Thalia does when she’s absent. I can’t promise anything.”

“I see…”

“But I’ll do everything I can to visit when we’re next close to Long Island,” she promised. “We’re sisters, we’ll always be connected.”

They hugged. The words felt a bit empty to Hazel, but it would have to do.

Bianca was her only tether to the current world for now.

Camp Half-Blood came with unique challenges to a Roman girl, Hazel found out.

While Greeks picked up the written language immediately, Hazel had to work at understanding what every letter meant, even if speaking both Greek and Latin came easily to her.

Sacrificing food to her father also felt wrong. Not because of resentment, but because giving Hades tribute was like trying to draw with your left hand. She could do it, but her mind kept trying to correct her and focus her prayers to Pluto.

Then there were the flashbacks.

They started soon after Bianca left. Moments when she would black out and relive her first life. She was sure they happened because her soul knew she was supposed to be dead, and the contradiction of being alive made her go back to the time when she was undoubtedly living.

The flashbacks wouldn’t have been such a problem if they hadn’t also in the middle of a war against the Titans.

She had met with children of Hecate, hoping to get her head on right again, but Lou Ellen and her siblings were far more interested in teaching her magic once they heard about what she did in Alaska. Their token tries never helped anyway, and if anything, just made the flashbacks more vivid and longer lasting.

She still had fought in the battle of Manhattan, where against all likelihood, she had emerged a survivor, even helping Bianca convince their father to join the battle and help defend Olympus.

The rest of that summer had been eventful in a more peaceful manner, with demigods coming and signing up for camp, cabins being built left and right, and people cheering at the Hero of the Hour, Percy Jackson, getting together with the head of the Athena cabin.

It was in that whirlwind of activity that she met Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite. They got on well enough, and her Charm Speak ability helped coax her back from the past whenever she had a flashback, to the point that people now called on her whenever she lost herself.

She was not a year-rounder, but still spent a lot more time at camp than the usual camper due to her father’s job as a movie star.

“Why are you screaming?” Sammy asked, laughing loudly. He had just jumped from behind a tree and startled her. “I’m not that ugly, am I?”

“You’re the worst!” Hazel laughed, holding a hand to her chest to keep it from pounding so fast.

Sammy looked at her oddly, in a way she didn’t remember him doing.

“It’s time to wake up, Hazel.”

Hazel blinked and sighed as New Orleans melted away, allowing herself to go back to camp. While the flashbacks were scary most of the time, she had come to cherish the ones with Sammy on them. It was a way to keep him alive, even if only in her memories.

She looked at Piper, ready to thank her, when the words died in her mouth.

“Piper?” She said, looking at the daughter of Aphrodite’s left. “I think you didn’t bring me completely back.”

Piper looked at her oddly, following her gaze.

Sammy stood beside Piper, staring befuddled.

“Oh, this is Leo,” Piper said. “He was with me when Mitchell called me, he’s a son of Hephaestus, and we used to go to school together.”

“Correction, we used to go to prison together,” Leo said, grinning. Hazel shuddered. Even the voice was the same. “Nice to meet ya, Hazel.”

“You must find that which links your past to your present,” Her father’s voice resonated in her head.

“Y-yeah, same,” she managed to say.

She wasn’t sure if Leo was the link, but Hazel lost nothing by trying to find out.

“That’s why father couldn’t reach you,” Nico said. “The conflict doesn’t let his Roman persona manifest in the Greek camp.”

Hazel hugged her knees, staring shyly at her brother.

“Is that all you have to say?” She couldn’t help but ask.

She had heard bits and pieces of what he had gone through with the Romans. Now, after the Stygian Iron emerged that afternoon, he also knew about her being Roman, which led them to the present, with them on their cabin, talking about Hazel’s life, death, and rebirth.

She knew that Nico wanted to avoid a war, so it would be reasonable to assume he had no hatred for Romans. The same way, you would assume that Hazel giving up Elysium for her mother meant she forgave her for blaming her for her own greed and the consequences it brought them both, but that was… a questionable conclusion.

She still loved Marie, still missed her, but also knew to just keep the best of her in her memories, because otherwise she was afraid that she would be unable to keep on loving her. Forgiving her? Even with this philosophy it was hard.

Nico stood from his bed and went over to hers. Hazel didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, she still found having a brother to be an alien concept, but considering how similar their stories were, she didn’t think she could have a better sibling to keep her company.

“You are amazing, Hazel,” Nico said. “You… you took down a Primordial, you sacrificed your afterlife for your mom, you even overcame the issues with coming back from the dead!”

Hazel felt herself blush from embarrassment. In her mind, it hadn’t been a big deal. She had just been herself, just gotten tired of being pushed around.

“But does this change anything?” She still asked, changing the topic. “That I’m Roman?”

“Yes,” Nico said seriously. Hazel looked down, crestfallen. “You’re the proof I needed.”

Hazel blinked, confused.

“Proof of what?”

“Proof that we’re not different, that we can fight together,” Nico said. “Proof that this war can be averted.”

“You can’t tell anyone!” She exclaimed. “People would treat me differently. I’m already not very liked for who our father is. Please just… until this is all resolved…” she struggled to find the words.

Nico looked at her for a second and sighed.

“You realize you’re taking my best weapon against the War Council, right?” Despite his words, Nico smiled. “No matter, I’ll figure something out before I pick out my Partisan tomorrow.”

Hazel looked down.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Nico said gently, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “You’re not an asset to prove my point, you’re my sister. I’d never do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

Hazel smiled. Nico went back to his bed, ready to call it a night.

She decided, right then, that this moment would be the one to look back on when she thought of Nico, her beloved brother.

Chapter 17: Nico's Guide to Camp on Dreams and Traumas

Chapter Text

“I told you I’m fine,” Nico said as he covered yet another cut in his arm with some of the gauze he had asked Hazel the day before. “I’ll take some ambrosia tonight.”

Percy looked at him unimpressed before poking at his side. Nico winced and bit his tongue to prevent himself from screaming.

“That one’s from yesterday,” Percy said as he turned his sword back into a pen. “If this continues, you’ll keep getting worse, both at fighting, and health-wise, you need to—”

“Don’t. Say. It.” Nico gritted his teeth as he stood straight. They had only been training for fifteen minutes or so. It was not enough. “This is nothing compared to Octavian.”

“That’s the threshold?” Percy asked, incredulous. “So until you’re literally cut to ribbons you’ll refuse to—”

“Even then,” Nico said, glaring. He softened up instantly, though, knowing Percy wouldn’t stop being stubborn unless he pleaded. “Just… Don’t make me go, Percy.”

Percy made the mistake of looking at his face. The last couple of days, he had practiced his pout as much as he could. He didn’t know why, but Percy had always ceded when he did that.

The son of Poseidon’s face turned a slight shade of red and looked away, fake coughing into his fist.

“Fine,” he said. Nico resisted the urge to smirk. “But I refuse to keep helping you train.”

“But I—”

Percy gave him a slightly rougher poke on his ribs using the broad side of his sword. Nico fell to his knees and moaned in pain, his partisan the only thing stopping him from collapsing outright.

Percy’s eyes grew wide and he gulped. He looked around and kneeled beside him.

“Gods, you’re even worse off than I thought!” He said. His face seemed to have heated up even more. “You really think you can get better with your partisan when you can barely stand?”

“I have to,” Nico murmured. “I have to do everything I can to stop this war. I need to be stronger, faster, smarter. I need to nudge the Athena cabin into not planning against Romans as they would with monsters. I need to keep the Ares cabin from using lethal force, I need—”

“You need a rest,” Percy interrupted him. “You need to get those cuts and bruises looked at, and you need to stop acting like you have no one looking out for you!”

“Aren’t you a little too reckless to be a mother hen?” Nico asked.

“No, you’re not distracting me with sarcasm this time.” Percy knelt and picked Nico up bridal style. Nico didn’t know what was more humiliating, the fact that everyone could see them, or that Percy had lifted him so effortlessly. His face felt so hot he didn’t doubt it resembled a tomato. “You’re going to the infirmary and that’s final!”

“I can’t, Percy,” Nico said, hiding his face on Percy’s chest, embarrassed to feel intoxicated by the aroma his more logical brain knew was only a mix of detergent, soap, and Percy’s slightly salty natural odor. “You know why I can’t.”

“I know.” Percy sighed. “And if there was any healer in here that wasn’t an Apollo kid, I’d take you to them right away, but you can’t keep doing this. You’re only hurting yourself.”

“I’m used to injuries.”

“You’re also hurting us,” Percy insisted. Nico felt himself cringe. “We worry about you. Hazel, me… even Annabeth is asking me to make you take a rest, and she doesn’t know about the bruises!”

Nico bit his lip. Back in Camp Jupiter, Octavian’s beatings would be once or twice every couple of weeks. He was always given enough unicorn draught to make the bruises and wounds disappear, but he would be sore for a few days afterwards either way. Back then, as his lifestyle consisted of nothing but loitering in a temple and attending events as a bystander, he had plenty of time to heal.

Camp Half-Blood was different. Every day he woke up to training drills, then a bite of ambrosia, then meetings with the war council and overseeing the construction of defenses and tactical weapons, then sleep. Rinse and repeat. His body didn’t have time to heal what the ambrosia only patched superficially.

Camp Half-Blood was also different in that he couldn’t pretend everything was okay and have only the uncaring Octavian know the truth. Here, he had a sister that fretted over him, a friend that noticed too much with just glancing and him with her calculating gaze, and Percy, who paid so much attention to him Nico didn’t know what else to do but feel flustered.

He cared about these people, and they cared about him. Seeing him hurt saddened them, which in turn made him feel bad. An endless cycle of pain that was both the reason why human relationships were awful and wonderful at the same time.

“That’s a low blow and you know it,” Nico muttered into Percy’s shirt. He felt more than saw Percy grinning. “Fine. But just this one time.”

“That’s all I’m asking, Nico.”

It was worse than expected.

Even having a girl check him up meant nothing. He still locked up, backed away from their hands and felt nauseous in their presence.

He didn’t see a kind girl or boy whenever the Apollo kids were near. He only saw the Augur, smiling cruelly, preparing for yet another beatdown.

Percy had to hold him down and cover his eyes with some cloth, talking to him while the healers did their jobs by singing him back to health.

Had he turned soft after a few weeks of not seeing Octavian? If that was how he reacted to people with superficial similarities, how bad would it be if he ever crossed paths with the real deal?

He always had been afraid of Octavian, but not to this extent. He was like a shaking kitten, waiting to die without putting up a fight.

He had become a pathetic wretch.

“Take it easy, okay?” a girl’s voice said as Percy guided him away from the infirmary, finally taking the blindfold off. He didn’t turn, but still nodded.

“Thank you… and sorry for my outburst.”

“Don’t worry,” the girl said, laughing. The sound reminded him of a harp. “You should see Jake Mason when needles are involved. You’d never guess such a buff dude can reach those high notes.”

He closed his eyes and turned his head, giving an uneasy smile. She was trying to soothe him, but didn’t understand what was wrong with him, believing it to be just a generalized fear of doctors.

He didn’t want to tell any child of Apollo. It wasn’t their fault he was messed up in the head.

He tugged Percy’s arm. He got the message and gave their goodbyes to the girl.

Once they were far away enough, he let go of Percy’s arm who sighed, looking guiltily at him.

“You’re getting worse,” he said. Nico couldn’t say anything. It was true, after all. “We need to fix this.”

“How, Percy?” Nico asked, too tired from his visit to the infirmary to get sarcastic. “Anyone even remotely helpful will also make me run for the hills. I’m doomed to always be haunted by Octavian.”

Percy bit his lip. Nico leaned against him.

“No matter what I do, he’s always around,” Nico continued. “If not with the children of Apollo, then in my nightmares. I never truly escaped him, did I?”

“In your… That’s it!” Percy moved, almost making Nico fall on his face. “There’s definitely a good, non-Apollo solution for you.”

Before Nico could ask, Percy took his hand and started tugging him towards the cabins.

Cabin fifteen exuded an aura of wrongness. It wasn’t in the construction itself (the cabin itself was just a simple one made with mud walls and rush roofing), but the fact that sounds seemed to dull around it, with a weird, lethargic melody coming from inside. Nico pinched himself as he felt his eyelids droop and a wave of exhaustion filling his body.

“Hypnos?” He asked, feeling that he would fall asleep quicker if he didn’t talk. Percy nodded. “Why are we here?”

“The Hypnos campers are always sleeping, but they can manipulate dreams,” Percy explained. “Since your problem is more mind-based, I thought… I don’t know, that maybe you and Clovis could work through it in your dreams.” Percy shrugged helplessly.

“Clovis?”

“That’d be me,” A voice said beside him.

Nico jumped, but even that reaction felt understated and slow to his groggy mind. Somehow, the boy named Clovis had managed to walk up to them without him noticing. He was unlike any demigod he had met. He had this gentle, almost dopey face to him, which fit perfectly with his potbelly and thick, short arms and neck. The only demigod Nico had met like him would be Frank, and even he looked like he could dope-slap Clovis to submission.

“The Hypnos cabin counselor, I presume,” Nico said, bowing his head in greeting. Clovis nodded, but it almost seemed like he was about to fall asleep standing. “Haven’t seen you on the war councils.”

“Must have missed me,” The boy said. His blinks were long and deliberate, seemingly fighting an unending urge to go back to sleep. “The pong table is a good napping spot.”

In fact, Nico did remember seeing a camper sleeping during meetings, but with nearly 25 counselors to talk to he hadn’t paid attention to the one who wasn’t any trouble.

“You’re really alert today,” Percy mentioned. Nico blinked in surprise. Nico was about to fall asleep watching this kid, and he was considered unusually alert today?

“This Hades kid is interesting.” Clovis shrugged. “I’m curious.”

“Right, well, he needs help, and I think you’re the guy that can do it.”

Clovis moved his head, gesturing Percy to elaborate.

He looked at Nico to ask for permission, but Nico just gave him a nod. They had already come all this way, and he trusted Percy.

The son of Poseidon nodded back before launching into an abridged version of Nico’s imprisonment under Octavian and his reaction to children of Apollo. Once or twice, he had to snap his fingers at Clovis to keep him awake, but it seemed like he got it.

“Come along then.” Clovis guided them past the cabin door with red poppies hanging on the sill and into a bed. Nico noticed a branch hanging above a heart, dripping a milky liquid. His instincts immediately told him it was drenched in water from the Lethe. “Close your eyes, I’ll take a look.”

Nico hesitated. This all felt so wrong. He glanced at Percy who smiled reassuringly. With a sigh he did as instructed.

He expected Clovis’s voice to lull him to sleep, but nothing happened. After a minute or so of silence, he opened his eyes experimentally.

He was no longer on the Hypnos cabin. Instead, he found himself at the base of a huge spiral staircase in a void, with pale green doors that lead nowhere placed every few steps.

“Very organized.” Nico jumped and looked around, Clovis was looking around the doors. “Expected, since you’re a son of Hades.”

“What?”

“There’s a reason death is also called ‘the big sleep’, you know?” He said. “The states are similar. Most Hades kids can dream-walk to some extent.”

“You’re far more… talkative here.”

“We’re in my turf now… well, we’re on yours if we’re being pedantic.” Clovis gave an easygoing smile before approaching the first door and opening it. Nico followed behind, wanting to protest as if Clovis was violating some sort of privacy. The other side showed a Clovis doppelganger gesturing to a bed. “Short term memory. We’re on the surface thoughts.”

“What?”

“Trauma and deep-seated thoughts are deeper in,” he continued explaining. “We need to go up these stairs until we find the root of the problem.”

“That makes no sense,” Nico said. “Why would we need to go up to go deeper?”

“Dream Logic.” Was all Clovis said. He closed his eyes before a floating chair appeared out of nowhere. He climbed on. “Well, let’s get going.”

He pushed a button on the arm rest. The chair started blaring music that sounded 60s and ascended the stairs on its own. Nico stared.

“Was all this—” he gestured towards the chair. “necessary?”

“Even in dreams, I try to avoid tiring myself.” Clovis shrugged.

The doors thankfully were marked with a small, golden plaque that seemed to spell nonsense until Nico focused on it. A side effect of having an organized mind, according to Clovis. There was a Hazel door, a Bianca door, even a Percy door. Before them, there had been one on hamburgers, hotels and, curiously enough, boy scouts.

“Memories, thoughts and feelings on the subject matter.” Clovis mentioned off-handedly. “Further into the room there’s the deeper stuff. We’re looking for one with the root of your problem and entering that one.”

“Easy enough,” Nico said. “Just look for the door that has ‘Octavian’ on it.”

“What about this one?” Clovis pointed to a grey door. Nico concentrated. The faded golden plaque said ‘mom’.

Instinctively, Nico went to open it, only to find it stuck.

“Waters from the Lethe,” Clovis said. “I’ll unlock it for you, but it will require me to go back to unsleep.”

Nico’s mind went to many places. To remind Clovis to focus on fixing him, that his memories would come back on their own eventually, that ‘unsleep’ wasn’t a word, but before he could voice any of them, the boy was gone.

Seconds later, the door turned a pale green like the others. From the corner of his eye, he saw another couple of doors turning colors further up, but he was fixated on this one.

“Maria di Angelo,” he muttered to himself. Her name and how she died were the only things Bianca had told him. The only thing he remembered. What was his mother like? How had she gotten involved with his father? Was it her idea to make Nike his patron?

Had she loved him?

Gulping, he decided Octavian could wait a few minutes. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Tesoro,” a rich, strong voice reached him. Nico’s eyes widened. “Did you scrape your knee again?”

How? How could he ever forget his mother’s voice? The image from the door was slightly blurry, but her mother’s wavy black hair and vibrant brown eyes were easily recognizable.

“I was crying,” Nico realized. Of course. These were his memories, he would be seeing them from his perspective.

“It doesn’t hurt!” memory-Nico insisted. From the pitch, Nico guessed he must have been around 6. “Bia said it was nothing.”

“Well, your sister doesn’t know everything,” his mother replied, smiling kindly. “Let’s take a look just to be sure, okay?”

The image faded to another memory, this one of Nico playing tag with Bianca while their mother sat on a bench. Bianca pushed him too hard and he tripped, but instead of crying he noticed a dandelion. Memory-him took it and ran, presenting it to his mother. Maria laughed and took it, blowing it to let the seeds fly everywhere, much to his delight.

One after another, memories of his mother smiling, caring for him, or playing with him filled his field of vision. However, there was one more thing that had led him to opening this door. He looked around to make sure Clovis wasn’t around and stepped inside.

Nico focused on Nike, to see if his mother had ever mentioned her or her patronage to him. He expected to see his mother from her lap, telling him about it, but instead he found himself on a well-lit hallway.

The hotel we stayed at before Zeus killed mom, his mind supplied. It was strange how, with the effects of the Lethe gone, he could recall things from before the hotel just from sight.

His body moved on its own, following the path he had taken on the past.

“—care of him, bambina,” his mother was saying. Nico stopped walking and dropped to his knees. He approached the door that lead to their penthouse. Inside, his mother seemed to be reprimanding Bianca for not going with him to run an errand.

“He doesn’t need my help,” Bianca said. She didn’t look much younger than she did now. “He has protection, unlike me.”

Nico was surprised to hear the bitterness in his sister’s voice. Was his blessing from Nike a sore spot for his sister?

“I didn’t act fast enough with you,” Maria said, looking pained. Nico felt the need to interrupt and shout at Bianca for making their mom feel bad. “But don’t blame your brother, blame me for being unable to protect you.”

“Mamma…” Bianca seemed at a loss of words. Instead of apologizing, she hugged Maria. That was so like Bianca. Her pride didn’t allow her to actually say she was wrong out loud.

“You’re so much like your father,” Maria said, hugging her daughter back. “Even so, your brother’s blessing only goes so far. He needs someone by his side. You need to take care of each other.”

“I don’t… I love Nico, mamma,” Bianca’s voice came out muffled by their mother’s dress. “But I don’t want to be around him all the time.”

Nico felt a pang of pain, maybe a feeling of betrayal. It was stupid and nonsensical, but he guessed his current feelings were mixing with the emotions he had during the memory.

“Of course,” Maria agreed. “And you don’t have to. You can live your own life, but he’s still your brother. I’m just asking you to look out for each other… and stop sending him on wild goose chases when you want some time alone.”

“Yes, mamma.”

Nico knew this was a private moment between his mother and Bianca then. Standing up as quietly as he could, he retreated. Bianca could wait a few more minutes for the ceramic ramekin from the hotel kitchen.

He had another door in mind, anyway.

Nico had felt the urge to blink.

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer within the memory. Instead he was in front of a different door, the plaque reading ‘Internuntius Victoriae’.

Not Octavian, not Augur, but his old title.

If he had learned something from this dream-walking experience, was that his dreams responded to his desires. If he was in front of this door, the reason he reacted so violently to children of Apollo must had been beyond it.

He opened it to find the empty temple of Victoria back in Temple Hill. The Altar was exactly as he remembered, and he could even see the door to his room a bit further in, but unlike the other doors he had opened, nothing happened here. The image remained unmoving.

“Well, there’s only one thing left to do,” he said out loud. He wished he didn’t have to do this alone, but Clovis had yet to return, and the difference between Real time and dream time seemed distorted, somehow.

It also didn’t feel right to have Clovis, who at the end of the day was a stranger, be a witness to something so personal. If he were to be honest with himself, he’d have preferred to have Hazel or Percy around, but he would have to make do.

Giving a final, deep breath, he stepped into his memory of the Altar.

Everything was as he remembered. His mind had reconstructed the Ara Victoriae to the most minute detail. Everything was the same, the altar, the pillars, the small crack in one of the tiles on the floor… everything.

Nico didn’t know how to feel about that. A part of him felt nostalgic. For three years, this temple had been his whole world, it had been the closest he had to a home, thanks in no small part to Jason, Reyna, and even Frank.

On the other hand, this was where he stopped being human, where he became a symbol, where he was propped up and beaten down.

It was the place Nico associated with him.

He touched the cold marble of the altar absentmindedly, wondering why his dream had taken him here.

“Well, well, look who’s back,” A voice he knew all too well said behind him. He jumped, only to see Octavian smirking as only he knew how. “I’m not surprised, this is your place, after all.”

“It’s not,” Nico said, taking a step back. Octavian looked amused. “You abducted me. I’m not even Roman, this place—”

“—is where you truly belong,” Octavian finished for him. “Or have you forgotten? You were always out of place. This Altar, and me with it, is the only place you have ever had a purpose.”

“I’m not…”

“All this stint about stopping wars and training is just an excuse.” The Augur moved a few steps closer. Nico tried stepping back, only to find the altar blocking his way. “You want to be useful again, you want to escape reality.”

“And what is that reality?” Nico challenged. “That I deserve to be under your thumb?”

“That you’re the same as me.”

Nico felt the air escape his lungs. Octavian took the final steps and caressed his face, looking almost fond of him. He moved closer until his lips were touching his ear.

“You’re a monster, Nico,” Octavian whispered. “Manipulative, cunning, self-serving, and that’s not even getting into to your other… aberrations.”

The Augur’s hand moved to his neck. It grabbed him without applying force. He was at his mercy.

“No matter where you run, or how much you try to deny it.” Nico could feel Octavian’s smirk against his ear. “You belong here. With your peer, your equal. With me.”

“Stop,” Nico said, his voice thin as air became scarce. Octavian had started applying pressure. “Stop!”

“The sad truth, Nico, is that you deserve me… and you need to remind yourself of that.”

Nico’s eyes widened. The way he locked up with the Apollo campers… it wasn’t a fear of Octavian, it was a fear of being reminded how much he had been shaped by him… made in his image.

“Please,” he thought, desperate. “Someone, anyone, save me!”

“Get. Away. From him,” Someone said.

Octavian took a step back and looked at Nico. He rolled his eyes and turned around, his arms up in surrender.

Right there, pointing his Celestial Bronze sword at the Augur, was Percy Jackson.

Nico watched as Percy used his sword at Octavian’s throat to maneuver him to put himself between him and Nico.

“Are you okay?” Percy asked him, his eyes still trained on Octavian.

“Yes,” Nico said. “Let’s get out of here, I got what I came here for.”

Octavian laughed.

“Even now, you manipulate others into fighting your battles,” he said, wiping away an imaginary tear. “So much for escaping me.”

“You’re not even the real Octavian,” Percy said, his sword still pointing at him. “Nico is already far away from him.”

“Yet here I am.” Octavian moved faster than Nico had ever seen him grabbing Percy by the throat and lifting him up. “I’m still here. I exist within Nico, and will never fade away.”

“Percy!”

“Face it, Nico,” Octavian said. “Even now, I control you, I control everything you are. Your every movement, your every action, you make it by basing yourself off me.”

Nico closed his eyes, trying to wish Octavian away the same way he had called on his mother’s memory, but when he opened his eyes, the Augur was still there, choking Percy, who was barely conscious.

“This is a dream… a nightmare,” Nico thought desperately. “Percy will just wake up if he loses too much oxygen.”

It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt seeing him struggling around the fake Octavian’s fist. And to make matters worse, he still wasn’t sure how to wake up.

Without thinking, Nico ran towards Octavian, his partisan materializing in his hand. The Augur’s eyes widened, and he let go of Percy, who was left coughing on the temple’s floor.

“Would Octavian do this?” Nico asked, pressing the blade at his throat. The Augur still looked confused, unsure what to do. “Well?”

“He… he wouldn’t,” Octavian admitted. “He would use diplomacy, try to weasel a way out, anything that didn’t risk him.”

Nico blinked. Yes, it was what Octavian would have done… what Nico himself would have done had Percy not been in danger.

“What are we doing?” Octavian asked, his voice superimposed with Nico’s own voice.

It was then that Nico had the biggest epiphany of his life. He was not attacking Octavian, or even his memory.

“We’re trying to deny the obvious,” Nico said. “I’m trying to pretend that this isn’t part of me. I’m pretending that what Octavian did can be excised just because I’m no longer near him.”

“And it can’t,” Octavian-Nico finished for him. “What he did will always be with us. Its mark will always be in us.”

Nico looked at his partisan and smiled, taking it away from the Octavian that looked more and more like Nico with every passing moment.

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t pick up new tricks.” He offered his hand. The other Nico took it, vanishing instantly. “I’ll always be the Internuntius Victoriae, but I can also choose to be so much more.”

“That was amazing!” Percy said. Nico turned back and gave him a shy smile. “I knew you could do it, Nico.”

“Thanks… because I sure didn’t.”

“You did,” Percy’s voice was filled with conviction. “You just didn’t know you did.”

And just like that, without any warning Percy lifted him in his arms and kissed him.

Nico’s eyes widened. He pulled away immediately, only to find his expression of realization and horror reflected on the Son of Poseidon… or rather…

“You’re not Percy,” he said, terrified.

Because if this was not Percy, his actions could only mean—

Nico woke with a lunge.

He looked around. The Hypnos cabin was just as he had left it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clovis corking a vial and placing it in a drawer.

“Woah there,” Percy said. Nico’s gaze followed his voice, only to be horrified when he saw Percy was holding his hand. “It’s okay, Nico.”

“When… how long…?”

“You slept for around ten minutes,” Percy said, completely misunderstanding his question. “Clovis woke up and gave you something to drink, and you woke up like twenty seconds later.”

“Time is wonky in dreams,” Clovis said. “Did everything go alright?”

“Yes!” Nico said a bit too quickly. He took his hand away from Percy and stood up. “But I’m exhausted, a-and I’m think I’m needed at the Big House, and with Hazel!”

“Nico?” Percy asked, concerned.

“There’s a Lot of things to do, and I have been sleeping!” Nico said, trying to fight back his panic. “I’ll see you later, Percy!”

Without any further explanation, Nico ran away from the Hypnos cabin, his mind way too occupied to even listen to Percy or notice Clovis taking his place on the bed.

This had to be a mistake. No, it was a sick joke. Some sort of prank from the gods.

Nico di Angelo could not have feelings for Percy Jackson!

Chapter 18: Nico's Guide to Camp on Feelings and Quests

Chapter Text

Nico walked through the spiral staircase that was his Dreamscape. For the past few nights, he had been opening doors with names he didn’t recognize, with the intent of recovering each and every memory sealed away by the Lethe.

This one, however, he had already found before, but had come back to multiple times. It was a door like any other, inconspicuous by all accounts. The plaque just read “Gio”.

He sighed and entered.

The boy was tall for his age, with a tanned olive skin that was so common during Veneto’s summer. His hazel eyes were full of warmth as he laughed and moved his hand towards him, tousling his hair a bit too roughly.

Giovanni Rossi was Bianca’s classmate. He was always by Nico’s sister’s side. In hindsight, it was quite possible that he had a crush on her, but Nico had been 7 and very unaware back then.

“Gio, look!” Memory Nico said in Italian. He was carrying shellfish. “I helped Mr. Costa with his boat, and he gave me some!”

“That’s great, Nico.” Gio smiled, to his child self’s delight. Current Nico, however, saw the subtleties, the forced politeness, the barely concealed urge to roll his eyes. He committed it to memory. It was even more obvious when Bianca appeared beside him, making Gio perk up for real. “And what about you, Bia?”

“I made sure he didn’t fall into the canal after he tossed the net,” Bianca said, smirking. Nico felt his past self’s cheeks heat up. How dare she embarrass him in front of Gio?

Gio chuckled, making Nico feel even more embarrassed.

“I’ll give these to mamma!” He announced, scurrying off before Bianca said anything else.

He had barely taken a turn when he heard Gio speak.

“I don’t know how you do it.” Nico stopped in his tracks hugging the wall and getting as close as he could without being seen. “He’s so… annoying.”

Nico almost dropped his shellfish. Gio… found him annoying?

“He’s my little brother!” Bianca answered, sounding mad. “Only I can say that!”

“Sorry, Sorry,” Gio said, trying to calm her. “He’s just very clingy around us. I don’t think I have ever seen him with friends his own age.”

It wasn’t Nico’s fault. Kids his age were morons. They always said he soured the mood. He much preferred to be with Bianca and Gio. Older kids were the best.

Or at least, that’s what he thought before hearing Gio complain about him.

“I think it’s sweet,” Bianca said. “He has a little crush.”

Nico’s eyes widened. Bianca shouldn’t be saying that! What would Gio think?

He peeked from behind the wall, anxious to see what Gio would say, his heart racing.

Gio’s expression was one of pure disgust. He pushed Bianca away and spat on the ground.

“Gross!” He said. “Don’t even joke about that!”

Bianca looked confused. Nico felt like he was about to cry.

“What’s wrong about that?”

“It’s just wrong! Unnatural!” Gio shouted. “You shouldn’t talk like that about your own brother!”

Nico ran home, not wanting to stay a second longer. His mother asked why he was crying, but he didn’t answer.

He blinked and found himself back at the Dreamscape.

Bianca started avoiding Gio after that day. She didn’t explain why, and Nico didn’t ask. He had given her his dessert for about a week.

He needed to see this memory over and over until it stuck.

Feelings like his were aberrant, they weren’t common. If he felt something like that for a boy again, it was almost certain that he would react like Giovanni Rossi did.

That was a lesson he needed to remind himself over and over. He couldn’t feel anything for Percy Jackson. He wouldn’t allow himself to.

Or else he risked losing a precious friendship.

“Nico…” Hazel’s voice called from the real world. He sighed and allowed himself to be pulled back into the Hades cabin, into another day of denial.

“It depends on the budget,” Nico said as he resisted the urge to sigh. “The Legion has a war elephant, but other artillery is made and dismantled all the time.”

“How fast?” Annabeth asked.

“A few hours for small stuff like catapults and battering rams,” he answered, thinking back to the war games. “Complex stuff takes longer and requires the Emperor approving the Praetors’ ideas.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” This time it was Jake Mason who asked. “Better weapons end wars faster.”

“New Rome is not made out of money,” Nico explained. “Most of their assets come from foundations and the stock market, which are mostly inverted into city projects. The Legion is well-funded, but war is an extra cost.”

“And you have said the Augur is the main instigator, not the Praetors,” Katie Gardner added thoughtfully. “No Praetor ideas, no Emperor approval, so bigger siege weapons are out, too.”

Nico nodded, looking at her gratefully. Each time he talked about any sort of weapon the Romans may have, he had to explain why it would or wouldn’t be used. It was exhausting.

“So, this war elephant—”

“Intelligent enough to remain loyal to the Legion,” Nico cut Clarisse off. She huffed. For the past couple of weeks, she had been obsessed with finding a spoil of war to claim for her cabin.

“Fair enough,” Annabeth said. “Next, how will we stall their front lines while keeping casualties to a minimum?”

Everyone began talking over each other as they offered ideas or insisted to go all out.

Nico did all he could to not groan.

This war council was going to be a long one.

He allowed his eyes to wander over to Percy, who was looking around without paying any attention. Nico didn’t know why he had started to show up at the meetings, but it was nice to have a voice on his side, whenever he paid attention.

He also was constantly sneaking glances at Nico for some reason.

As soon as their eyes met, Percy gave him a roguish grin. Nico fought the heat creeping on his cheeks as he averted his eyes.

“It was nothing. The room is filled with teenagers shouting, the temperature rising is normal,” he thought, struggling to make himself believe it.

He felt another pair of eyes on him. Scanning the room, he met the kaleidoscope gaze of the Aphrodite counselor, Piper. Her stare was unnerving, as if she was analyzing his every move and reaction.

“You know,” Laurel Victor’s voice overpowered the others, because being the loudest, like everything else, was a contest to her. “This whole offensive started because we took one of their religious figures.”

Everybody quieted down.

“Yeah! If we really are thinking of negotiating peace, we should be prepared for them wanting di Angelo back,” Holly, Laurel’s twin sister, added. Nico narrowed his eyes. “Just send him over the barrier when they appear and have them go back the way they came.”

“It’s the fastest, least bloody way,” Laurel said with finality, smiling smugly. “The best idea should be implemented.”

“You’re crazy!” Percy shouted. “Nico doesn’t want to go back there!”

“Strategy is not a contest,” Annabeth said, sounding more rational than Percy, though she was glaring at the Nike counselors. “Ideas are put out and debated. You don’t get to choose that yours is ‘the best’ and then put it as the only way forward.”

“We also don’t force people to do things against their will,” Piper quipped. “Now either sit down and listen or leave.”

There was something about Piper’s voice, sweet but compelling that made the whole room sit down straight. Even Clovis had begrudgingly woken up to pay attention. Leo had mentioned her being able to do this, which was ironic considering what her words were.

“Fascinating power,” he thought, storing it to the back of his mind.

Still, the Victor twins’ words hung to the room, as well as in his thoughts.

“Should I give myself up to the Romans?” Nico asked, his eyes fixed on the shield-bracelet Leo was forging.

“What makes you say that?” Hazel asked. She had quite readily ceded the cabin counselor title to him. It wasn’t like she was attending the meetings beforehand (“why go decide how to kill my own kind?” had been her words), so she spent most of her time in Bunker 9 with Leo or at the Pegasi stables.

“The only reason this war started is because I ran away with the Greeks,” he explained. “If I were to go back, peace would be possible again.”

“Don’t let Laurel and Holly get to your head,” Piper Mclean commented. He knew she and Leo were friends, so he hadn’t been surprised to see her visit Bunker 9 once the meeting was over. The strange thing was how fast he had forgotten she was there. Despite being a daughter of Aphrodite, the girl seemed to prefer not being the center of attention. “They’re just jealous their mother paid attention to another demigod.”

“Laurel and Holly?” Hazel asked, frowning. “Piper’s right. You shouldn’t listen to a thing they say.”

Leo continued tinkering with the bracelet as he spoke. “Yeah, dude. They are crazy! Chiron made them co-counselors so they’d be busy competing with each other instead of bothering everyone else.”

“A broken clock is right twice a day,” Nico insisted. He ignored Leo trying to bring up digital clocks to his metaphor. “This conflict exists because the Greeks took the symbol of the Ara Victoriae. Even if they agree to diplomacy, they’re going to want me back. If we refuse, the war will happen despite our efforts.”

“No offense, Nico, but I didn’t risk my life with a pack of werewolves, the Chimera, and the most awful protein bar ever devised by man or god for nothing.” Leo huffed and took the bright red bracelet into a water basin. A cloud of steam floated above. “You’re one of us now, and we protect our own.”

“Not to mention, it’s a little presumptuous to place all the blame on yourself,” Hazel pointed out. “The schism between Romans and Greeks started with the Trojan war, even down to the gods taking sides and being even crueler than normal.”

“Oh, son of a bitch!” Piper exclaimed suddenly, startling them all. “It’s Helen!” Leo looked around, confused.

“What? Where?”

“Right here.” She pointed at Nico, who just blinked. “Think about it; the Trojans took Helen from Sparta because my mom decided Paris was her true love, where she belonged.”

“The Greeks retaliated by raising an army to siege Troy,” Nico continued, understanding where Piper was going. “The Greeks wanted Helen back, along with a hefty economical compensation. Troy refused, and the resulting war ended with their fall.”

“The few survivors went on to found what would eventually become Rome,” Hazel finished. “This is almost the same exact situation, only with the sides reversed.”

“Well, that doesn’t bode well for us,” Leo said, tapping rapidly on his workbench. “For now, let’s not accept any mysterious gifts that could carry soldiers, okay?”

“Helen was wrong, though,” Nico said in a low voice. “She placed her desires above her people, even the Trojan she supposedly loved. She should have given herself up.”

“Paris wouldn’t have allowed her,” Piper said. “He was willing to fight the world for her happiness… yet another thing that’s similar to our situation.” She gave a coy wink.

Nico’s eyes narrowed. Did she…? Had she hinted at…?

He shook his head. Ridiculous. She was a daughter of Aphrodite, imagining romantic entanglements where there were none.

“I’ll see what to do with this information,” Nico said carefully. “I’ll meet Annabeth right away to ask for her input.”

Piper frowned, but Nico did his best to ignore her as he walked briskly away from Bunker 9. She was dangerous. Nico would be safer keeping his distance from now on.

“Nico!” Percy greeted as he ran up to him. “It’s been a while since we last sparred and—”

“I can’t right now, Percy,” Nico cut him off. “I’m off to the Amphitheater. Just found out some stuff Annabeth will want to hear.”

“Oh… I see…”

Nico winced. It was not the first time since his dream therapy with Clovis that he had blown him off, but it was simply too risky. Still, he couldn’t stand seeing him so crestfallen.

“We’ll hang out soon,” he said. “I promise.”

Percy perked up slightly at that, and Nico smiled despite himself.

Yes, he would be spending time with Percy again.

He just needed to get rid of his stupid feelings first.

Annabeth massaged her temples.

“Of course,” she said, almost growling. “We should stop being demigods and start calling ourselves myth reenactors.”

“It won’t be the same,” Nico tried to calm her down. “The Greeks wanted the Trojan war, and I can assure you most Romans don’t want this one. Octavian is manipulating everyone to get power.”

“We aren’t giving you up,” Annabeth said seriously. “If Laurel and Holly are right and they don’t back down, it will be war regardless of their feelings.”

“You can’t decide what I’ll do.”

“I have weapons against you that you don't know about.” Annabeth had a smug grin in place. “I also have Percy on my side.”

“Didn’t you guys break up?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, but he’s on my side when it comes to saving you from yourself,” she pointed out. “I’ll also drag Hazel into this if I have to.”

“Low blow.”

“By this point you should expect it.” Annabeth ruffled his hair. It wasn’t as annoying as he pretended it was. “We care about you, and we know you don’t want to go back.”

“At least, not while Octavian is Augur,” Nico agreed. “We still need a way to diplomatically end this. With our plan, we can stall them enough for a parlay, but we still need something to give them in exchange for letting me stay.”

“Well, there must be something they want that we could get. Some lost item or something…”

Nico bit his lip as he struggled to remember before his eyes widened.

“The Eagle!”

“What?”

“The symbol of the Twefth Legion was a golden eagle with divine powers to represent them,” Nico explained excitedly. “Many of those symbols were lost forever during the sacking of Rome, but the Twelfth still had theirs, the Fulminata… until a few decades ago, when a Praetor lost the current Legion’s eagle in the far North.”

“Our bargaining chip.” Annabeth looked down, knuckles against her lips, lost in thought. “We will need to issue a quest.”

“Why are you going on the quest?” Percy asked angrily as he followed him out of the Big House. Nico knew from experience he wouldn’t be able to shake him off.

“We don’t know when the Romans will be arriving,” Nico explained. He kept walking at a brisk pace. Anything to keep him from locking eyes with Percy. “My Shadow Travel is the fastest way to get us to Alaska.”

“It’s reckless and dangerous.” Percy started running until he cut Nico off. “I’m not saying you’re not good, but you barely have a few days of training. You’re not ready.”

“I’m not going alone, Percy,” Nico said. He was starting to get pissed at the Son of Poseidon. “Clarisse and her boyfriend will be there to help defend me.”

“Don’t you think you’re needed more here?” Percy seemed oddly insistent about it. “You said it yourself, the only reason we’re trying for diplomacy is because you stop the other campers’ most violent tactics.”

“That’s why I’m taking Clarisse.” Nico sidestepped Percy. He would get to his cabin to pack one way or another. “No Ares counselor to say we should kill them all in bloody combat.”

“Still—”

“And,” he continued, interrupting Percy. “Why you’re staying.”

Now that seemed to stump Percy. Nico smirked.

“You thought I was leaving all my hard work for Annabeth to undo?” The rhetorical question had Percy blinking like a very cute, confused puppy. “I need someone here to veto the spikes, the ambushes, the flying chariots making it rain lava—”

“What was Travis smoking when he came up with that one?” Percy shook his head. “I still think what you’re doing is too reckless.”

“So said the pot to the kettle,” he muttered. Percy ignored him.

“At least promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise,” he said, smile softening. “Make sure people don’t deviate from the plan. I put my trust in you.”

Percy grinned.

“I won’t let you down.” Percy looked away, looking slightly embarrassed. “You know, I didn’t want to say it, but I did wonder why you didn’t ask me to go on this quest with you…”

Hearing him talk, it occurred to Nico that Percy had felt hurt when he had decided to take Clarisse instead of him.

Maybe he even had gotten jealous…

He bit his tongue to go back to reality. He really had to stop reading too deeply into whatever Percy did.

“I’ll go pack,” he said instead. “Clarisse is leading the quest, so she’ll be asking Rachel for the prophecy. One less thing to worry about.”

He waved good-bye and hurried to Cabin 13, only to find the Aphrodite counselor waiting on the steps.

“Uh, Hazel is—”

“I came to see you, actually.” Piper McLean had a disarming smile on her face. “can we talk?”

“I have to pack and—”

“I’ll help you out,” she insisted. Nico bit his lip before opening the door and letting his sister’s friend in.

Nico looked worriedly around. He knew Piper was hidden in plain sight somewhere around, so there was no way he could escape from this.

“Look, I know this is none of my business,” Piper had said as soon as the door closed behind him. “But Hazel is worried about you.”

He should have known his sister would notice something was wrong when he stopped going to sparring sessions. To make matter worse, she had asked Piper, who was way too sharp for her, his or anyone’s good, to talk to him about it.

Even now, he still wasn’t sure how she had managed to convince him. He wanted to blame her Charmspeak, but he wasn’t certain it was the right answer.

“I have it under control," he had insisted once she had managed to get his secret out of him. “I’ll get over it.”

From a purely conceptual level, he knew he was no longer in the 1940s. It was no longer an accepted fact of life to be lynched after looking at another man and finding him attractive. It was not that such things didn’t happen anymore, but the times were different, people like him were better off now.

From a psychological perspective, Giovanni Rossi recoiling in disgust was what should happen. It was what made sense. Bianca and his mother were the ones outside the norm (and really, being either sired by or in a relationship with a god from the sexually liberated Greek Pantheon may be the reason why). It wasn’t really crazy to expect that from anyone who found out about him, even if logic said things had changed.

On top of that, there was his rather questionable taste in what he found attractive, gender aside.

Past experiences with liking people romantically were… not great for Nico. Giovanni had been a lost cause, and the least said about his first impression of Octavian, the better. It was difficult to not expect rejection because he fell for people that simply weren’t nice.

Percy Jackson was the outlier for him. He was a hero. Someone whose words of kindness were as genuine as his blinding smile.

“You will never get over Percy that way.” Piper had looked very unimpressed after he had tried to appease her fears by telling her his plan. “If he’s as good a person as you say he is, you’ll never stop pining. This is not a boy who will hit you until you faint or spout hom*ophobic bull at you. You can’t just look at someone you crush on one day and go ‘yep, guess I’m over it now’.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Tell him. Only by putting it out there, by getting an answer, even if it’s being rejected, you can start to move on,” Piper had said with a glint in her eye, as if she knew something Nico didn’t.

“Nico!” Percy said as he approached him with a smile. “Done packing?”

His first instinct was to say he hadn’t and run away, but that would only make the problem worse. As Piper had said, in his quest to avoid being hurt, he still got hurt, and to make matters worse he hurt Percy.

“All done,” he said. He put on his best smile, though it came out a bit strained. “In record time, too.”

“Lucky, I’d have spent all day and only end up with an extra shirt and underwear.”

“Yeah.” Nico looked at his feet. Percy was a good person. He was heroic, and kind, and understanding, and everything too good for him. “Say, since I’m free for the rest of the day… would you like to hang out?”

Percy’s smile became a full-on grin. “Sure, I have a spot by the lake. I don’t think I ever took you there.”

“Sounds fun,” he said weakly as he followed behind Percy.

It was because Percy was too good that he was even considering Piper’s plan.

He had to believe that their friendship would survive his feelings.

Percy sat on the small pier overlooking the lake and looked back at him expectantly.

Nico swallowed and joined him.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Percy asked.

How to go about this issue. How this place seemed specifically designed to feel romantic. How, now that he was cautiously allowing himself to feel… stuff for Percy he could barely look at him now.

“The quest,” he said instead. “Rachel said she couldn’t give out a prophecy. That’s worrying.”

“What? Why?” Percy looked alarmed. Nico didn’t know why. It wasn’t like prophecies were particularly helpful even in the best of times.

“Rachel seems to think it’s because of the schism happening to the gods.” Nico hugged his knees. “Clarisse says the gods are too busy to look at us.”

“What do you think?”

“I… I think the Fates know something we don’t. Something concerning this whole Eagle quest.” He sneaked a look at Percy. His whole attention was on him. “Maybe something will come up and stop this quest. You can’t make a prophecy out of something that won’t happen.”

“Are you still going, then?”

“Yes,” Nico said as he looked at some Naiads playing by the lake. “It’s my only idea. I have to try it.”

“You know, I really like that about you.”

Nico almost fell into the lake. He turned to look at Percy who was now avoiding his gaze. He wouldn’t swear it, but his face looked a little redder than usual.

“Huh?” He said, while desperately trying to connect his brain to his speech again.

“Yeah,” Percy said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re really focused on your goals. Determined, I think is the word. And you don’t want others to hurt, even if no one would blame you for wanting that. You’re… you know, amazing and stuff.”

“W-well…”

“Ignore me.” Percy laughed, embarrassed. “Just, you know, saying whatever comes to my head.”

Nico nodded. Of course, Percy’s ADHD was a bit more pronounced than the average demigod’s. It didn’t necessarily mean anything. Still, he had given him a perfect opening. He had to take it.

“It’s okay. Friends should be able to say anything to each other, right?”

“Y-yeah! Friends…”

“In that case… Percy, I think—”

“Nico!” Hazel’s voice cut him off. Nico swallowed down his annoyance once he turned around and saw his sister’s panicked face. Once she reached them, she started talking between heavy breaths. “The Big House… Scouts… Purple.”

“Calm down,” Percy said gently, rubbing circles on her back. Hazel took a few deep breaths and sighed softly, though she was still frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“The scouting team was doing the usual rounds when they found someone by the border,” she explained. “He had the purple shirt from the Roman camp.”

Nico’s face soured. They were out of time. “Did they capture him?”

“That’s the strange thing,” Hazel said. “The guy surrendered. He’s at the Big House right now, asking to meet with you.”

Percy looked at him with worry. “Nico, you don’t have to—”

“I’ll go,” Nico said. “This is what we were waiting for. Let’s hear Camp Jupiter’s demands.”

He didn’t know what he expected.

Maybe to see some Probatio, like Frank, in chains, calling him Internuntius Victoriae and demanding his return. Octavian would have weaved a tale of him being taken against his will, so the Roman camper would ask if he had been hurt, and try to negotiate with the Greeks, all the while ignoring him and not realizing this was something Nico had chosen.

He hadn’t expected to see Jason Grace drinking a soda with Chiron and Annabeth.

“Nico,” he greeted warmly. “It’s been a while.”

The Praetor had changed ever so slightly, his hair was longer, and his purple camp shirt looked muddy and torn. His eyes were weary and tired. Jason had always been squinting a bit back at Camp Jupiter, but now it looked like he could barely stay awake.

“It has, Praetor,” Nico said, slipping into his old Internuntius mask.

“Just Jason, actually,” he said, embarrassed. “You can finally drop the formality now, though.”

“Mr. Grace was just telling us about his demotion,” Chiron interjected. Nico blinked, bemused.

“Exile, more like,” he said. “The tunnel is the only exit from camp. I had to be punished when the invaders left. Octavian saw to it.”

“You mean…”

“Reduced back to a common soldier,” he confirmed. “Thankfully, Octavian’s own blunders mean he’s not Praetor either.”

Percy bristled behind him, but for once, Nico was too busy to pay attention to him.

“Who is Praetor now?”

“Frank Zhang, Son of Mars.” Nico stared at Jason for what felt like an hour. Jason chuckled. “Surprised me, too, but there aren’t that many objections when your godly dad actually manifests at camp, sends you to Alaska, and you come back with the lost Fulminata and the physique of a bodybuilder.”

“The Legion has its symbol back?” Annabeth asked. Jason nodded. “We were planning to get it to negotiate with them.”

“It’s a good plan, but you got beaten to the punch, I’m afraid.” Jason ignored Annabeth’s glare. He turned to look at Nico. “Octavian convinced everyone you were kidnapped by the Greeks. He manipulated Frank into raising the armies for a war to get you back home. I deserted while they were making preparations to march.”

“Just what I expected of the rat,” Nico said. “Let me guess, he also told Frank that for the war to be justified, they needed a religious leader, and asked him to nominate him as Pontifex.”

Jason blinked in surprise.

“How did you know?”

“I know Octavian like the back of my hand.” He sighed. “With Frank dancing to his tune, he can overturn Reyna at every step, just as we lost the only bargaining chip we had, too. I have no choice but to surrender.”

“Nico you can’t!” Percy said. “Going back is not an option!”

“It’s the only way, Percy!” Nico shouted. “I don’t want you guys to get hurt because of me!”

“It wouldn’t be your fault, but Octavian’s” Annabeth pointed out. “And just hearing about the guy makes me want to deny him anything he wants.”

“I don’t just bring bad news.” Jason stood up. It was only then that he saw how tense Chiron and Annabeth actually were. Annabeth’s hand immediately went to her knife, and behind him he felt Percy uncap Riptide. “The Legion doesn’t actually know where you are yet, I only found out by searching any summer camps on the East Coast with that logo.” He pointed at Percy’s orange camp shirt. Annabeth seemed about to smack her forehead in frustration.

“Well, that’s one good thing, at least.”

“That’s not all,” Jason continued. “I knew you guys wouldn’t trust me unless I brought something good.”

“You were caught with no belongings aside from that coin of yours,” Annabeth pointed out. Jason grinned mischievously.

“What if I told you I thought of a way to stop this war before it begins, by offering the Legion to replace Nico with another symbol.”

Nico’s eyes glinted. Now Jason was speaking his language.

“What are you thinking of?”

“You and I are about to offer New Rome a brand-new Ara Pacis.”

Nico's Guide to Camp: End

Chapter 19: The Symbol of Peace: There's a Duel over Nico's Honor

Chapter Text

Percy felt like everything was going by too fast.

“Does New Rome not have an Ara Pacis already?” Annabeth asked.

Jason nodded.

“It does, but ours has no power,” Jason explained. “Power resides with people’s beliefs, and there’s a restored, well preserved Altar of Peace back in Italy. It needs a symbol of its patron, like Nico was for the Altar of Victory.”

“You’re suggesting we find Pax… or Eirene, I guess, and ask her for a symbol of her power.” Nico guessed.

“Preferably an inanimate one that won’t feel trapped in a temple,” Jason said, grinning. Nico rolled his eyes.

Percy couldn’t help but fume silently as both Nico and Annabeth debated with Jason how to make this quest work, and whether it was possible to complete it before the Romans found them.

It wasn’t fair. It had taken him weeks of hard work to get Nico to open up, but some blond Superman knockoff came in and makes Nico go from cold and formal to sarcastic in a few minutes? There truly was no justice in this world.

That or, considering that just recently he had met Luck and Truth, it was fighting with herself like those other concepts.

“There’s something else,” Jason said, bringing him back to the real world. “Octavian made it so Frank pardoned Bryce Lawrence.”

The name obviously meant something, as Nico’s back straightened as he glared.

“The snake is calling his kind,” he muttered with a snarl. He seemed to remember where he was and looked at Percy and Annabeth. “Bryce Lawrence is a Legacy of Orcus, Roman god of punishment. He was exiled for killing his centurion.”

“It was before Frank joined the Legion, so his not knowing is understandable, but that’s only the start of it.” Jason sighed and looked down. “Bryce came back with monsters; Dracaena, two of the Gorgons, Laistrygonians… all willing to help us take down the Greek Camp. The Legion has gone from a force of 400 to nearly a thousand.”

Annabeth let out a quiet gasp. Percy couldn’t blame her. That was about half of the enemies from the Battle of Manhattan. Back then, only Bianca and Hazel upping their numbers with skeleton warriors had kept them alive, and because of the Hunters neutrality, they didn’t have half of that dynamic duo.

Nico bit his lip, deep in thought.

“Is that all?” he asked. Jason nodded. “The plans have changed. Annabeth, finish the spike and Greek Fire traps you thought I didn’t notice.”

Percy turned to look at Annabeth, eyes wide, but she didn’t seem surprised.

“I knew you noticed.” She shrugged. “I just thought you let it slide as a contingency.”

Nico smirked. Percy groaned.

Was their friendship based on playing 5D chess with each other constantly?

“If they have monsters on their side, they’ll be on the front lines. Killing them is our priority.”

“And what about you?” Annabeth asked, looking at Jason. “Are you willing to fight your own, or do we need to tie you down and keep you prisoner?”

“Demigods and Legacies protect mortals from monsters,” he said. “I’ll kill monsters, but don’t expect me to fight the Legion.”

“And he won’t have to,” Nico said before Annabeth could speak. “The quest for the Ara Pacis was his idea, he’s coming with me.”

“Nico, maybe you don’t know this, but the standard number of quest-goers is three,” Percy felt the need to speak up. Not because he didn’t want Jason and Nico cozying up, of course not. “Bad things happen if you go above that.”

“Clarisse is needed here now, and I doubt her boyfriend wants to stay away from her,” Nico replied.

Annabeth seemed to have guessed his thought process before Percy could.

“You mean—”

“This is my quest now,” Nico confirmed. “Mine and Jason’s.”

Jason found himself being taken to the Greek Camp’s armory by Annabeth Chase. The daughter of Athena (she could have Greek children!) was showing him to some shields and armor.

“I suggest something light,” she said, her tone slightly cool. Jason couldn’t blame her lack of trust. “Cabin 9, the Hephaestus children, have been working on collapsible shields and armor that hides beneath clothes.”

“Stealth over defensive might,” he commented. He meant it as a neutral, matter of fact statement, but Annabeth just glared.

“We have actually adapted with the times.” The unlike you, Roman scum was felt, rather than heard. “Small teams can achieve things faster and more efficiently than any battalion. We don’t go around wearing breastplates and being the center of attention.”

“Hey, we send small, inconspicuous teams on quests, too!” Jason felt the need to defend himself. “We just… give them full suits of armor as part of their travel backpack.”

“Yeah, well, we subsist on favors from gods and whatever strawberry sales we make,” she said defiantly. “We don’t have a city backing us, and we still manage just as well as you do.”

Competitive. Jason shrugged, conceding her point to avoid more discussions. He wondered for the umpteenth time if he hadn’t gone crazy when he decided to desert and find Nico to warn him about Octavian.

“You also have an actual Oracle,” he said instead. “Lucky, we get by on stuffed toy guts and burnt scraps from the Sibylline Books.”

Just before leaving him to Annabeth, Nico had taken off with his green-eyed friend to get a prophecy for their quest. Apparently, it was traditional for only the person leading the quest to hear the prophecy, so Jason had decided to prepare in the armory.

Annabeth observed him for a moment before relaxing slightly. Jason noticed her gray eyes went from looking like stormy clouds to a quiet smokiness that looked almost as ethereal as it was calculating.

“Why do you want to help Nico?” Annabeth asked. Jason’s shoulders sagged. She was finally getting to the point. “Why go against your own for him?”

“Nico and I… we are similar,” Jason said, reminiscing about the scared little boy Octavian had dragged into camp three years prior. “He had no past, only the vaguest memories of a family, and was put in a role he didn’t want, without any choice in the matter.”

“Did you not want to be Praetor?” Annabeth’s eyebrows rose, perplexed.

“It’s not about wanting, it’s about what’s expected of me,” he answered. “I’m a son of Jupiter and Juno is my patron. I was an appeasem*nt from my father to my step-mother.”

Annabeth bit her lip. Jason turned and started to strap in the armored undershirt.

“With that kind of standing, I had to be Praetor. If it was about what I wanted, I would have never set foot on the Wolf House when I was a toddler, I would have grown up with my sister,” he continued talking, feeling for some reason he owed her a full explanation, for some reason. “But we all have roles we must assume.”

The daughter of Athena put a hand on his shoulder. She looked sympathetic, but still somewhat cold.

“You want Nico to have what you couldn’t,” she surmised. Jason didn’t answer. “He wants us to work together, Romans and Greeks, or at least not kill each other, and because he’s my friend I’ll try, but if you even think about harming him…”

“You’ll wish you were dead,” a new voice said behind them. Both jumped away, only then realizing they had been standing inches apart, to find the green-eyed demigod glaring at him.

If Annabeth’s glare was a stormy cloud, then his was the storm itself.

“Percy, where’s Nico?” Annabeth asked, glancing between the two. Jason didn’t know why, but something about this guy really ticked him off.

“He didn’t let me in when he visited Rachel, and when he got back, he hurried to meet with Clovis,” he said, never breaking eye contact with Jason. “He has gotten better with that partisan of his, but he’s not really a fighter… not yet at least.”

“It’s not the first time we fight together,” Jason said, thinking back to the raid on Mount Othrys. “I’ll protect him.”

“Funny, from what Nico told me, it was his blessing that saved you last year.” Percy’s mouth pulled back, almost like Lupa’s snarl. It made him mimic the expression. This was the camp’s leader, and his training was begging him to challenge his dominance.

“I’m better now that I was back then,” his words sounded more like a growl, even to him. “I can protect him.”

“Yeah?” Percy grinned, almost feral. The way he presented himself, his hair his face, his glare, it all screamed ‘trouble-maker’. Jason wanted nothing more than to put him in his place.

Thankfully, it seemed like the feeling was mutual.

“Prove it.”

Nico found himself in his dreamscape, waiting for Clovis to appear.

The prophecy had been clear. If he hoped to succeed, he needed further control over the realm of dreams, and sadly, taking a child of Hypnos along for their quest would be adding yet more dead weight to protect.

He could defend himself in a pinch now, but he was still not good enough. His talents, for now, were elsewhere.

“Dreams are boundless,” Clovis said behind him. Nico jumped and looked back. “Most demigods are capable of astral projecting in their sleep, but few are born with the ability to Dream Walk.”

“And you think I have that ability?” Nico asked. He had just asked Clovis for help, and he had just showed him to a bed and fallen asleep.

“I know you do,” Clovis answered. “My father told me so.”

Nico frowned. There went one of his theories.

Confronted in sleep by endless nightmare

It was obvious Hypnos wouldn’t forewarn his son if he wanted to trap Nico in a nightmare.

“Did he say anything else?” Nico asked curiously.

“He didn’t ‘say’ anything so much as he showed me.” Clovis shrugged. “Dad is more of a ‘graphic dream’ than a ‘talking dream’ sort of guy.”

That brought unintended images that Nico didn’t want to think about. He knew how Hypnos had demigods with mortals, after all.

“Okay, so what do I need to know?”

“It’s easier to learn by doing,” Clovis said as he turned into a horse with ram horns. “See, I’m a duocorn.”

“Uh, don’t you mean a bicorn?”

“Nah, you’re thinking about David Bowie.” Clovis showed his teeth in what Nico guessed was a horsey grin. “I once dreamed he held a concert just for me, which was weird, because he was singing country music—”

“Clovis,” Nico interrupted him. “The Dream Walking?”

“Oh, right,” he said, not sounding the least bit embarrassed. “The reason you’re always here is because your mind expects to be here, but dreams are as crazy as you want them to be.”

Nico frowned and tried it out. The spiral staircase behind him collapsed, being replaced by a river with a venetian gondola, complete with a gondolier. Nico made said gondolier disappear when he realized he looked a bit too much like Percy.

“Great! Now, mix it up with the demigod ability to project your conscience in dreams and boom, Dream Walking.”

“If that’s the case any demigod could do it,” Nico pointed out, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“They could, but directing your own dreams is something only a few can do,” Clovis neighed. He coughed and returned to his original form. “Children of Hypnos do it naturally, but other demigods can find it impossible. You actually mastered the harder part first.”

“So, with this I can go into other people’s dreams?”

“And control where your consciousness goes while you sleep,” Clovis explained. “However, be aware that Dream Walking is not proper resting, so be careful or you might be a little loopy even after a full night’s sleep.”

Nico nodded. He did remember some dreams where his mind went to different places, like Mount Othrys or the Underworld. He just needed to recapture that feeling and go somewhere intentionally.

“Is that why you guys are always sleepy?” Nico said, the thought just occurring to him. “Because you’re constantly Dream Walking?”

Clovis gave a sheepish smile, but before he could answer Nico properly, the son of Hades felt his body being jostled awake.

He opened his eyes to see Hazel, her hair wet and her face deep with worry.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Clovis muttering angrily and turning to go back to sleep.

“It’s Percy and that Roman guy,” she said urgently. “They’re supposedly sparring but…” she looked outside. Nico followed her glance.

The usually magically sunny Camp Half-Blood was experiencing what Nico could only describe as a hurricane induced electric storm.

All the other campers had already run for cover. Only Annabeth, who was beginning to question if she really was as smart as people thought, had stayed to try to break up the fight before the earthquakes and twisters started popping up.

It had started harmlessly enough. Just swords clashing against shields and armor, parries and jumps. The had attracted quite the crowd. After all, it wasn’t every day that two children of the Big Three, both gifted at swordplay, fought each other.

Everything went wrong when Percy seemingly cornered Jason against the sitting area and lunged victoriously, only for Jason to literally fly up, evading the hit. After that, Percy had called the water from the lake and tried pulling him down, but Jason flew higher and higher, only to descend like a hawk to stab Percy back.

The fighting continued escalating, one of them (Annabeth wasn’t sure who) had called the storm, and the lightning came soon after. The daughter of Athena had shouted at the other campers to seek cover, and Hazel to call for Nico.

It was a long shot, but the son of Hades was the only one who could stop them if she failed. After all, this was just a stupid dick-measuring contest, and Nico was the piece of meat they were fighting over.

“Boys…” she muttered before shouting. “Percy! Jason! Stop this right now!”

Either the storm drowned her voice, or they just ignored her. Percy, sat on top of his personal maelstrom, launched a wave to the right and moved to the left with Riptide, hoping to catch Jason by surprise. The son of Jupiter saw it coming and went back, easily parrying the slash.

The wave, sadly, took some of the seats with it, destroying them.

“What’s going on?!” A voice shouted to be heard over the heavy rain. Annabeth had never been happier to see Nico.

“They are dueling over you!” She shouted back. Nico’s eyes widened in surprise before rolling in annoyance. Annabeth could relate.

“Idiots…” he said. Annabeth felt like hugging him. Someone who understood! If Percy ever managed to date Nico, she would give the poor, unprepared child of the Underworld a guide with pointers to deal with him.

“You two!” Nico tried shouting. Like with Annabeth, he went ignored. “Listen to me!”

Lightning fell a few inches away from Nico, making him jump back. A few seconds later, a rogue wave hit them both, drenching them even further.

Annabeth coughed out the water before turning to check on Nico. The poor boy looked like a wet cat, hair covering his face and his too-big-for-him clothes hanging to his body. He calmly slicked his hair back, making Annabeth take a step back.

Nico’s glare was exactly like his father’s. It felt like her soul could get reaped at any given moment. It was then that she realized that maybe bringing another child of the Big Three to break up the fight might have been a bad idea.

“I. Said. LISTEN!” Nico’s yell seemed to break open the earth right where Percy’s maelstrom was, making it dissolve and him fall. Jason dived with his sword to take advantage of that, when a literal tower of bones rose from the fissure and met him halfway, making him face-plant.

Their concentration broken, the sky started clearing up. The tower sunk slowly, leaving both demigods on ground level. Nico wobbled a little, but still approached them as regally as he could, glare still in place.

“You both, time out,” he said calmly. “If we weren’t on a time limit, I’d force you to clean all this mess before leaving.”

“We’re not children,” Jason complained, rubbing his jaw.

“You sure act the part,” Nico said, daring him to talk back. Annabeth couldn’t help but think Nico would be a scary parent. He turned to Percy, who looked ashamed. “I hope you can give me a better excuse than just your parentage.”

“I just… I wanted to make sure you would be safe with him,” Percy said, blushing. “This is a dangerous quest, and you’d only have him to rely on.”

“You just have it out for me!” Jason fought back. “I know your type; you think that no one can do things right unless they do it your way. You undermine authority, rules, procedure—”

“I’m not an underling in that stuffy army of yours—”

“Your ways put lives at risk!”

“And your ways are threatening our ways with war!”

“You think I chose—”

“ENOUGH!” Nico shouted. “This is not about Roman or Greek ways. This is about two top dogs trying to one-up one another! Keep this up, and I’ll make sure neither of you comes with me on this quest!”

His words seemed to take the fight out of Percy, who now looked confused.

“What?”

Nico blushed slightly and looked away. Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

Well, this was a new development.

“Chiron said it’s safer if we’re three, didn’t he?” Nico said. “As I said, the plans have changed, and I think it would be… better, for our quest, if I brought you two along with me.”

Percy grinned, while Jason’s face turned incredulous.

“You can count on me, Nico!”

“He’s a liability!”

“It makes sense,” Annabeth said. “Both Greek and Roman, doing this quest together. That’s what makes this meaningful, that’s how we prove we can be at peace.”

“And that means learning to work together,” Nico looked at them pointedly. “You think you can do that?”

“Sure,” Percy said, ready to agree to anything Nico proposed now that he was going with him. Annabeth resisted the urge to scream in frustration.

“…Fine,” Jason muttered unhappily.

“Right,” Nico said, satisfied. “Then Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, we have a quest ahead of us!”

Percy offered his hand to Jason as a peace offering, who took it reluctantly. From the small winces it was obvious they were trying to apply as much force as possible.

However, Annabeth’s mind was whirling. ‘Grace,’ Nico had said. A Son of Jupiter, who was also Zeus, with the last name ‘Grace,’ who had an older sister he wished he could have gone with…

It couldn’t be…

Could it?

Chapter 20: The Symbol of Peace: The Quest Begins and Nico gets a Minion

Chapter Text

“So, what’s our first move?” Jason asked after they had all changed into dry clothes.

It was weird to see the former Praetor wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt, but it wasn’t as bizarre as Nico had thought it would be. He took it as a sign that cooperation was possible.

“You’ll be going to Atlanta,” Annabeth said as she came out of the Athena cabin, her hair wrapped in a towel. “We have no idea where Eirene actually is, so we’ll be using the prophecy to guide us.”

Both Percy and Jason turned to look at Nico, who shrugged as he said, “the prophecy mentions that Nike is scheming something. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it’s the only part we could make sense of.”

“Atlanta is the closest city where the Olympic games took place,” Annabeth explained. “If Nike has anything to do with this, she might guide her champion, Nico, towards Eirene.”

“Why would she be in Atlanta, though?” Jason asked. “There are a lot of cities that have hosted the games… she could even be in Olympia, right?”

“Gods are everywhere they have influence on.” Percy had the satisfied smile of a student that knew the answer for once. “I once met Dionysus at a birthday party on a dingy bar. We just need to pull Nike’s consciousness towards an Olympic arena close to us.”

Nico looked away towards the south. Truthfully, he had never expected to ever meet Nike. The goddess had always been an abstract thing to him. He owed her his powers over Victory, but also had put him on Octavian’s sights. ‘Conflicted’ didn’t even begin to cover how he felt about his Patron.

“If that’s the case, why not cut out the middleman?” Jason’s question brought him back from his thoughts. “Just go to a peaceful place and pull Pax’s consciousness.”

“It wouldn’t work,” Nico said. With a sigh he recited the prophecy for them.

“Child of Death with too much on his tray
Barely understands peace goes two ways
To untangle the united is to untangle the hours
The right trinity must lend its powers
Confronted in sleep by endless nightmare
For the patron’s schemes you are after
Just a gift will not stop war
The right voice is what you’re looking for”

“Apparently Eirene is one of the gods affected by the split,” Annabeth said. The two had been brainstorming while Percy and Jason had been changing. “Whatever this quest is about, it seems to lead to helping her with that and getting the symbol as payment.”

“But the symbol might not be enough,” Percy pointed out. “Which means this whole thing might be for nothing.”

“It won’t be enough, but it’s a start,” Jason said thoughtfully. “Okay, so when are we leaving?”

“Nightfall,” Nico said. “It’ll be easier on me after dark.”

“Easier on you?”

“You’ll see,” Percy said with a smug smile, probably over the fact that he knew something Jason didn’t. Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Stupid, competitive boys of the Big Three. He hoped he never became anything like that.

“Well, since we have the time… Jason?” Annabeth tapped his shoulder lightly. “Do you mind coming to Cabin 1 with me? There’s something I want to show you.”

Jason looked dumbfounded but nodded all the same.

Percy looked at them go with an undecipherable expression.

“You think something is going on there?” he asked. Nico shrugged.

“Would it bother you if it was?”

“I don’t know, to be honest…” Percy stayed still for a while longer before turning to Nico once more. “Anyway, what were you going to say?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Nico had thought they had said everything already.

“Before Jason appeared, it looked like it was something important.”

Nico’s eyes widened.

“Crap.”

There were many words to describe the Zeus Cabin at Camp Half-Blood.

He’s sure his father would prefer ‘regal’ or ‘majestic’.

But for Jason, being stared down by the severe visage of his father wielding the Master Bolt could only be described as uncomfortable and intimidating.

“How can anyone sleep in here?” He asked. It was as demented as sleeping on the floor of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

Annabeth followed his gaze and nodded sympathetically.

“Beats me, there have been no Children of Zeus here for like… 70 years or so,” she explained as she looked through some drawers. “At least until one of my best friends came back from the dead a few years ago.”

“Does that happen often on the Greek side?”

“Not often, no.” There was a bitterness in her tone that made it clear Jason should stop asking about it. Annabeth seemed to finally find what she was looking for, taking a photo from one of the drawers. “Here, do you recognize anyone?”

Jason squinted a bit, trying to make out the faces in the picture. The small blond girl was obviously Annabeth, her grey eyes easily recognizable. The tall blond with a scar was a complete unknown, however, and the black-haired girl…

“How do you know her?” Jason demanded, taking the picture away from the girl with a quick movement. The black hair, the dark blue eyes, the fond, yet reserved expression… it had to be her. “Is… Is she—”

“That’s the friend I told you about,” Annabeth said slowly, looking at him. “Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus.”

“Thalia…” he whispered in amazement. The only face that he remembered from before the Wolf House. His caretaker, his playmate. His big sister. “How did you know?”

“When Nico said your last name, I assumed,” Annabeth said offhandedly. “Thalia never told me she had a brother.”

“We were separated when I was very young.” Jason passed his finger over his sister’s face, as if he could imprint her image on it. “She must have forgotten about me.”

“Or she thought you were dead,” she supplied, trying to cheer him up. “She’s one of the Hunters of Artemis now. They don’t age, so she’ll always be just a few days shy of 16.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because Nico, as much as I hate him for it, was right and I was not.” Annabeth gave a sigh that was too dramatic to be real. “You are Roman, your sister is Greek. You obviously care for her, and for Nico.”

“Which means he’s right and peace is possible,” he surmised. Annabeth nodded.

“And I’m telling you, so you’ll be prepared if you ever run into the Hunters,” she said. “The life you wish you had might be impossible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reconnect with your sister.”

Jason was left speechless. What Annabeth had given him was priceless. Even if things would never be the same, he now had the knowledge to meet his sister again.

Knowledge. How fitting for a daughter of Minerva.

“Can I keep this?” He asked, voice brittle. He had to thank her, but right now words felt like too little.

Annabeth smiled.

“It’s yours,” she said. “I have a similar one, but that one was Thalia’s… she left a lot of her stuff in this cabin. Want to see what else she has lying around?”

It felt wrong. Invasive, to pry into Thalia’s things. However, if he accepted, he could see what she was like now, how she had changed.

He found himself nodding before he even realized what he was doing.

“Nico?” Percy asked, though he might as well be speaking to a tree (though he might have gotten an actual response from a dryad).

This was not what he had planned!

He had wanted to tell Percy, go on a quest to Alaska with Clarisse to let Percy mull it over, and then get his reaction when he came back. No ugly surprises, no stuff said in the heat of the moment that neither of them could take back, and most importantly, no awkwardness.

Which wouldn’t work if they were travelling together.

He came back to reality when Percy lightly pinched his cheek and moved it around.

“Hey!” He said, slapping his hand away. Percy grinned, relieved.

“Sorry, but your mind went MIA for like, three minutes.”

“Yeah…” Nico blinked slowly, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. “I was just thinking… about how much things have changed in just a few hours.”

“Well, yeah, now your Roman bestie is here.” There was something in Percy’s tone that Nico could only call aggressiveness, though he didn’t understand why. Jason had let them go back in New Rome. He had no reason to lie or betray them this late into the game.

“Back at the lake I was going to give you instructions in case Annabeth went on the warpath,” Nico said. He shrugged, trying to make the lie more natural. “That obviously doesn’t apply anymore.”

“Oh,” Percy said. “I see.”

“I was also… going to ask you for a more complete tour.”

“What do you mean?”

“We only saw a little bit of lower Manhattan last time, I would love it if you could… you know, show me more of New York, after this quest.”

Nico was probably blushing like crazy. He never thought he could be so forward, but at the very least he still had plausible deniability on his side. If worse came to worst, he could disguise it as an outing between friends.

Percy blinked twice before an embarrassed smile crept up on his face.

“Sure! I mean, if you want to, I’ll be happy to show you around,” he said, his face looking slightly pink.

“Well, with that out of the way, I’m feeling kind of hungry,” Nico said, hoping Percy would not dwell too much in what his proposal meant. “Between all that happened we all skipped lunch.”

Percy’s smile turned into a full-on grin.

“Well, camp doesn’t exactly have a late lunch option.” He put his arm around Nico’s shoulders. The son of Hades felt about ready to hyperventilate. “But I know a few Hermes kids that don’t mind smuggling some food around here.”

Annabeth Chase was a bad influence.

That was all that passed through Jason Grace’s mind as he went through the punk jackets and goth makeup left behind inside Cabin 1.

“Hey, Sparky! Over here!” The daughter of Athena called him as she showed him her haul: a few compacts and vinyl discs with different bands. “I hit the jackpot!”

“Since when am I ‘Sparky’?” He asked, halfway between offended and amused.

“Don’t whine, everybody gets one.” She shoved the disc in his direction. “Lots of rock, punk, a little bit of metal and—”

“A sugary pop idol single?” he asked, barely containing his chuckle. “Everything I thought I knew from the last 30 minutes is a lie.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“People are complex, Sparky, get over it.”

“Yeah, and I’m starting to get a pretty good idea on who my sister is now… Strat.”

“Huh?” Annabeth looked perplexed at him.

“You know? Like strategist?” He winced as he said it out loud. “Yeah, you know what? Forget it, it was lame.”

“The lamest.” Annabeth laughed. “But it’s unique at least. I kind of like it… ironically, of course.”

“Of course…”

A knock on the door thankfully saved him from further awkwardness. The door opened to reveal Nico and Percy Jackson, the latter holding a large pizza box.

“Since I’m guessing we’re not the only ones who haven’t eaten, I decided to make this a small Pizza Party!” He put the box on a bed, finally looking around the cabin. “Were you practicing tornados or something?”

“Her fault,” he said quickly, pointing at Annabeth, who was halfway on her way to pointing at him. She glared at no one in particular. “She talked me into doing it to know my sister.”

“Yeah, she’s good at that,” Percy said with a clear fondness in his voice. They all gathered around the New York style pizza and followed Percy’s lead, each taking a slice. “Wait, sister… you mean Thalia?”

He nodded, unable to talk with his mouth full.

“This… is not pizza,” Nico said, unimpressed. Percy gasped in horror. “What?”

“Those are fighting words, di Angelo!” Percy exclaimed, turning to look at his slice. “This is the best pizza in the world!”

“You sure know how to offend a New Yorker, Nico,” Annabeth said, a smirk on her face. “Now tell him Bodegas are just pretentious corner stores.”

“Et tu, Annabeth?” Percy asked. Jason couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. “Look, even the Roman is in on it now.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he said between chuckles. “It just… this feels so… different from what I’m used to. It’s nice.”

“Well, we’re pretty chill around here,” Percy said, shrugging. “We’re not a military, we’re just training to survive monsters once we are in the real world.”

"The real world…" It was so alien, to think of a demigod living a normal life among mortals, yet also so enticing. To have that choice, that freedom.

As a Praetor and a child of Jupiter, his path had been set even before he was offered to Juno. He would retire from the Legion and join the Senate, while taking courses in politics in New Rome's college. With luck, once the current Emperor decided to retire o died, he would have appointed him as heir, and the Senate would agree it was the best choice. In a way, it made it easier to not have to choose what he wanted to do after he retired as Praetor, but on the other, he found it too restrictive. Greeks could be anything they wanted, while in New Rome that freedom was only for the people with zero expectations from the Senate…

“You okay?” Annabeth asked, looking him over. Jason gave a thoughtful nod.

“Yeah, just… stunned I guess,” he managed to say. “It’s all so… different.”

“Different is not bad, though,” Percy commented, giving Nico a meaningful look. “Don’t you agree, Nico?”

Jason looked at Nico, who was chewing slowly. Right, like Jason, Nico had craved that freedom, it was one of the reasons he had wanted to be friends with the Envoy of Victoria to begin with. Now Nico was finally experiencing what Jason wanted, and he seemed so different, so relaxed. He actually felt envious.

“Yeah, it’s not bad,” he said. Jason only had a second to wonder if he was also thinking about the Greek camp’s freedom when he added, “but it’s still not a pizza.”

As the sun began disappearing over the horizon, Percy, Nico and Jason walked with their backpacks made and approached the elongated shadow of Thalia’s tree.

“Wait!” Annabeth called, running after them. Percy gave her an inquisitive look, but she just shook her head and shoved a few Drachma into his hands. “Call often, the Romans could arrive any day.”

“Got it,” Percy said, putting the coins inside one of Nico’s backpack pockets. “You take care, and call us if anything happens.”

“It’s like you don’t know me, Seaweed Brain.” She rolled her eyes, and smiled. Percy Felt Nico and Jason’s eyes on him. Annabeth seemed to sense it too, as she quickly said. “Now go, try to keep Nike from making you fight.”

“We will, thanks,” Nico said before Percy had a chance to ask her what she meant. He took his and Jason’s hands. "We must be going now, take care, Annabeth." He smiled and immediately made them melt into shadows.

The usual rush of speed that almost left him breathless came and went, when his eyes adjusted it was to see a Ferris Wheel, a park with a walkway filled with flags, and buildings all around.

“What the hell was that?” Jason asked, shocked, he looked around frantically. “Where are we?”

“I… think we are in Atlanta.” Nico looked around and pulled out a map, probably provided by either Chiron or Annabeth. “Yes… that must be the Aquarium, which means we are… in the Centennial Olympic Park! I made it! On the first try!”

He jumped in excitement and hugged Percy, whose poor heart began racing a few hundred miles per minute. He made to return the hug, but Jason’s freak-out had other plans.

“But how are we in Atlanta?” He shrieked, looking at his hands, as if he expected some part of him to be missing from the trip. “We were in Long Island a few seconds ago!”

As if a spell was broken, Nico let go immediately, his face red from embarrassment. Percy felt a sudden but overpowering need to punch Jason.

He had to settle for a slap to get him to calm down.

“That’s Nico’s ability as a son of Hades, Shadow Travel,” he said with pride. Whether it was because he knew something about Nico Jason didn’t or because he was proud of Nico, even he couldn’t tell. “Now calm yourself, Superman.”

“Superman? Really?” Jason asked. Percy could only shrug.

“I mean, you can fly, and you even look like you came out of a comic book,” he pointed in his general direction. If Jason didn’t realize he looked like the typical All-American boy, he was blind. “A blonde Superman, to be precise.”

“I guess nicknames are a Greek thing,” he muttered as he breathed deeply. “So, how do we call Victoria?”

Nico looked around, squinting his eyes, before looking at his map.

“Here,” he said, pointing at an intersection. “It has the cauldron where the Olympic flame was lit. It’ll be the place with the most residual power.”

Jason and Percy nodded and walked side by side, a few steps behind Nico.

“Any other surprise I need to know?” He asked, far more politely than Percy would in his place.

“He gets tired if he uses it often,” Percy commented. “Oh, and his weapon is made of an ore that can reap your soul and send you directly to the Underworld, but other than that you’re caught up.”

Jason let out something akin to a squeak and nodded. Percy chuckled as he followed behind Nico.

Nico stopped once he realized it would take quite a while to actually get to the cauldron.

Just as they were debating whether they should walk the whole way there, a fancy black car stopped in front of them, cutting them off as they were about to cross the road.

“Hey! What’s the big idea, you—”

Before Percy could use whatever swear word he had thought of, a tall, bald, and positively dead man opened the door and gave a slight bow.

“Bonsoir, Monsieur,” he said in a breathy whisper. Nico could tell the man was not used to speaking anymore.

Behind him, he felt Percy and Jason taking out their weapons. He raised a hand to stop them.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know much French,” he apologized, enunciating slowly. Maybe the zombie had felt a son of Hades nearby and wanted his help. “Do you need something?”

The zombie shook his head and opened the rear door. His body language obviously saying, ‘get inside.’

“Jules-Albert.” he pointed at himself. “Gift… Father…”

Nico nodded and took a step forward, only to be pulled back by Percy.

“Woah there, Nico,” he said. “Did nobody tell you about Stranger Danger?”

“Yeah, especially when the stranger is an undead,” Jason added. Nico rolled his eyes.

“I could send him away anytime I wanted,” he said, despite not knowing for sure if that was true. Thankfully, Jules-Albert nodded to his words. “I’m a Son of Hades, and if this leads to trouble, I’ll be the one to take us out of it.”

His friends looked at each other for a few long seconds, before nodding at him.

“This still seems like a bad idea,” Jason said.

“The worst idea,” Percy added. “But we trust you.”

“You know, I kind of preferred it when you were at each other’s throats,” he muttered. He then turned to Jules-Albert and said, “To the Olympic Cauldron Tower, please.”

The zombie put on his cap and bowed slightly. Satisfied, Nico went inside, scooting over so Jason and Percy could follow him.

Inside, there was a sealed envelope with the words ‘FOR EMERGENCIES’ printed, and a small brochure in ancient Greek reading ‘Your Undead Chauffer and You!’ Nico picked it up.

A few months ago, he might have not trusted such a stroke of luck, but after a well-timed rescue ordered by Hades, discovering he was his father, and having a weapon made from an ore his dad delivered by literally sprouting it from the earth, he was more willing to trust stuff from the Underworld.

The other two finally stepped in, after which Jules-Albert closed the door and got on the driver seat.

“Hey, there’s a bag of McDonald’s in here!” Percy noted, happily rummaging the bag to inspect its contents.

The next five or so minutes were spent arguing over who got what and, sadly, setting it apart when they arrived at their destination sooner than expected.

To Percy, the Olympic Cauldron Tower was not that amazing.

Sure, the cauldron itself was imposing, especially with it atop a metal tower, but at the end of the day it was just a torch that looked like the one the Statue of Liberty had placed right by the highway.

“She’s here,” Nico confirmed. “Not paying attention at all, but I feel her power.”

“Well, we better get as close as possible,” Jason said, closing the door behind him and allowing the zombie chauffer to keep moving and prevent any traffic.

They all looked at each other, it was dark enough that most people wouldn’t realize three teenagers were scaling the tower. Once they got close enough, Percy looked up, trying to eyeball its height.

“Not that tall… once we get to the stairs, we can use those if we lay low,” he commented. “It’ll be just like climbing the lava wall!”

“You guys have a lava wall?” Jason asked, sounding impressed. Percy nodded. “Neat. Let me climb it one day.”

Okay, maybe, just maybe, Jason was a nice guy that was hard to dislike once you got to know him.

“Sure, man,” Percy answered. “We’ll make it a race.”

“You can make it a race now,” Nico said, already four feet up the tower. “You know, keep your bromance blossoming.”

“Aw, are you jealous, Nico?” Percy teased, loving how Nico’s face, already red from exertion, darkened with embarrassment. “You know you’re still my number one.”

“I’ll sic the zombie on you,” he threatened, glaring. Percy just grinned back as he grabbed the metallic structure and started climbing.

Yes, he was using teasing as an excuse to flirt, but it was so worth it. It also allowed him to gauge Nico’s interest in him. He knew Nico was into guys thanks to Aletheia, but still didn’t know if he found Percy himself attractive or not.

Once he found out… well, he hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. Obviously, he’d back out if Nico wasn’t interested, but if he was then… things got too confusing. Despite knowing he found men attractive he had never wanted to pursue one before. Was it the same as with a girl? Did he ask him out? Be subtle about it? Did he wait Nico to approach him first?

On top of all that, he wasn’t even sure if he was ready for a new relationship yet. Annabeth was supposed to be forever, and now that she wasn’t, Percy wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

“For gods’ sake, Jackson, duck!” Nico hissed bringing him back to reality. Both Jason and Nico were looking at him expectantly, crouched by the stairs. Percy blushed in embarrassment and followed their lead.

The rest of the climb was uncomfortable, but uneventful. Once they reached the cauldron, Nico touched it almost reverentially.

“Lady Nike, I beseech you,” he said. They all waited with bated breath for about a minute, but nothing seemed to happen. “Um, Lady Nike?”

“She might be too dispersed… or too Roman” Jason said. “Lady Victoria? Are you here?”

“My Lady, it’s me, Nico di Angelo,” he tried again, leaving her name out. “I hold your blessing!”

Nico dropped his hand and sighed, frustrated.

“There’s no point!” he fumed, pacing. “I can’t feel anything other than indifference!”

“Nico!” Jason warned, but it was too late, Nico had given a kick to the cauldron, which resounded with a loud ‘Clang’.

Nico stopped immediately, looking intimidated.

“She’s angry,” he whispered. “She’s taking notice this place.”

“Oh gods…” Jason said, swinging his head like crazy as he checked the surroundings. “We need to talk to her, not be smited to pieces!”

“W-wait.” Nico sighed in relief. “It’s receding… she’s going back to apathetic.”

“That’s not good either!” Percy argued. “We need her to manifest. If anger is what it takes, then that’ll be our tactic.”

“Are you insane?!” Jason asked, eyes wide. Percy just grinned.

Making gods mad was his specialty, after all.

“Hey, Nike!” He yelled. He hoped no one heard him down on the highway. “Your shoes suck!”

“Percy, she’s not really—” Nico tried. Percy ignored him.

“Your ‘blessing’ just made my friend miserable!” He pointed at Nico, who squeaked and started shaking his head furiously. “What good is Victory if she’s also a mean-spirited coward?”

“Dude…” Jason said, moving his hand in the universal ‘cut it out’ gesture.

“Which reminds me, Lady Luck gave me a message for you,” Percy continued, tone mocking. “She said next time you do another one of your stunts, she’ll pluck your wings and—”

“And what?” A new, female, voice resounded behind him. Percy gulped and turned.

Standing before him, with a crazed look in her eye, was who he supposed was the goddess of Victory, mounted on a golden flying chariot and looking very, very pissed.

Chapter 21: The Symbol of Peace: A Crazed Goddess Demands a Duel

Chapter Text

“Disrespectful godling!” Nike shouted. “Vermin, more like!”

Percy gulped loudly.

“My Lady!” Nico shouted, catching her attention. “We came all this way for an audience. I’m sorry if we—”

“Hades’ brat?” She interrupted, condescending. “What do I have to do with—” Her eyes squeezed shut in apparent pain. “Yes, the boy… That woman’s…”

“Lady Victoria?” Jason tried. The goddess gave out an earth-shattering scream that made them all collapse on the floor.

“Word to the wise,” Percy said, wincing. “When a god has gone cuckoo from Roman-Greek division, don’t remind them there’s technically two of them.”

“Two? Ha!” The goddess was still clutching her head in pain. However, a sort of after-image of Lady Victory was also looking at them smugly. “I’m the real one, I just need to deal with the weaker me.”

“And I’ll emerge victorious!” Her voice was doubled as both after-images merged again. “Ugh, you did this! I was happy just being inactive, ride this out, but now…”

“Now My Lady needs to find common ground with herself,” Nico said. “Find a way to center herself again.”

“No… that won’t do,” she said, eyes demented. “One has to win! There must be a way to show which side is superior… Yes.”

Nike snapped her fingers, bringing forth a light so bright Percy had to blink.

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was that Olympic Cauldron was lit, and so far up that he worried he might have fallen down the tower.

However, there was no highway around him, instead, there was a huge stadium before him, the stands were empty, but dividing every few seats there was a golden statue of Nike observing the arena. His clothes had also changed, resembling the type of armor he used when playing Capture the Flag.

In front of him was Jason, dressed like a Roman Centurion from a movie.

“You each represent a faction!” A voice boomed from above. Percy and Jason both looked up to the giant screen. There, on what Percy guessed was a sort of VIP box, was the goddess of victory alongside a very uncomfortable Nico who was wearing nothing but a toga. He tried very hard to not notice how soft and nice Nico’s legs looked. “The winning side will determine who deserves me more, the Romans, or the Greeks!”

She produced a laurel wreath out of thin air. The camera zoomed on it.

It shined with a light of its own. Percy swallowed. For some reason, he wanted that wreath more than anything.

“And how do we win it?” Jason said, he sounded about as anxious about it as Percy felt. “Javelin? A race?”

“Not bad ideas,” She said before smirking. “But nothing beats a good old-fashioned gladiatorial combat.”

Riptide appeared in his hand, already in sword form, the same as Jason’s coin-sword.

“The first to kill the other wins. Let the games begin!”

Nico stared in shock at his patron, who looked enraptured at Jason and Percy. His friends meanwhile looked like they were actually considering the goddess’s mad proposal.

“What did you do to them?” He demanded, not caring one bit if he would be smited. “Percy and Jason don’t like each other, but to the point of killing…”

The goddess gave him a slightly manic smile as she waved the laurel wreath on Nico’s face.

“The taste of Victory is almost intoxicating,” she confided. “Most mortals will do anything for it.”

“Is this your plan? Did you want this war to happen to satisfy your need of victory?” Nico’s mind went back to the prophecy, wondering if Nike was to be his enemy.

“Are you daft, boy?” She asked incredulously. “I didn’t want to be split within myself. I'm just searching for Victory. BEGIN ALREADY!” She shouted down the window. Nico followed her sight. Jason and Percy still had their swords out, but thankfully, they were not pointing them at each other.

“We will not!” Jason said loudly. The sound managed to carry all the way to the room they were in. No doubt one of Nike’s tricks. “I may not like Jackson, but he’s not the enemy here.”

“Yeah, the bad guy is the crazy woman who took Nico and is forcing us to fight,” Percy agreed. “And our victory is bringing her down!”

“You won’t fight each other, then? Very well,” Nike said in a cold voice. “If you want to fight me, so be it. This contest will become one of endurance!”

The goddess snapped her fingers, making sections of the arena rise into walls, forming a labyrinth. From the seats, the golden statues began moving, producing fencing swords, javelins and other sporting equipment as they walked into the newly created structure.

“Are those the Nikei?” Nico asked.

“Knowledgeable, aren’t we?” Nike laughed. She then turned towards the arena and bellowed: “Travel through the labyrinth, fight together, apart, it doesn’t matter. One of you will die first, and then I’ll have my victor!”

It was in that moment that Nico realized his patron’s real motive. She wasn’t trying to start a war or even see a blood sport. She just wanted something to ease the divide within her. It was just that in her competition obsessed mind, one of her sides should rise above the other.

The fact that his patron was so willing to throw away the lives of his friends for that goal terrified him. Mortals were worth so little to the gods…

He’ll need to find the tools to fight them, including his patron, just in case.

And he needed to start before Percy or Jason fell in battle.

Sometimes, you only win a game by not playing. Nike had robbed Jason of that option.

As he traversed through the labyrinth to find Percy Jackson, he couldn’t help but think about what he was doing for the umpteenth time.

He was Roman. Proudly so, even. He was loyal to the Legion and his friends there.

However, right now his loyalties were divided. The person he considered his closest friend (even if the feeling wasn’t mutual) was a Greek. His only remaining family was Greek. But were they worth betraying his comrades in arms, his friends, his own gods? He didn’t want Camp Half-Blood to be wiped out, but he felt no loyalty to them. If it had to be done, he would turn on them and fight for the Romans.

At least, he hoped he would be able to.

It was also no secret that he wasn’t Percy Jackson’s biggest fan. The guy was diametrically opposite to everything he was taught a leader should be. He was loud, hot-headed and his strategies relied on blind luck or heat of the moment thinking rather than any forethought or studies.

Jason was almost ashamed to admit that he envied him the most out of any Greek demigod. How he could be a Leader to his people yet be so free in his decisions and able to show every bit of his personality without holding back. The way people both looked up to him but could also joke with him, or even hug or hit him amicably. But most of all, how he had obviously stolen his place as Nico’s closest friend.

He was doing this because it would avert the war, because that way, he could help Nico without betraying the Romans.

If things went well and peace was stablished, he could even reforge his friendship with Nico, after Jason had foolishly shattered it when he refused to accept Nico’s Greek roots.

The living statues were unending, waiting to ambush him on every corner. He kept swinging Iulius at them, however, while they fell, two other statues would appear and repair their fallen comrade while pointing at him with their improvised weapons.

“We can’t win!” He shouted, hoping his quest mate could hear him.

An arm appeared out of nowhere and dragged him through an alleyway. Another hand covered his mouth.

He tried swinging his sword at the enemy, only for the hands to disappear and dodge the hit.

“Quiet!” Percy Jackson hissed as he pointed at the screen. Nike looked perplexed. “This is below the VIP box. Not exactly a blind point, but it’ll take her a while to find us,” he whispered.

“Clever,” Jason said through gritted teeth. He hated that he hadn’t thought of that. “Do you have any plan?”

“To defeat Victory?” He asked sarcastically. Jason just glared back, making Percy sigh. “You were right, we can’t win.”

Jason looked around hoping for an answer to present itself. His eyes landed on the screen. Nike was standing, hoping to find them and send her golden minions, but another detail caught his attention.

“We don’t have to win,” he realized. “Look at Nico.”

Percy blushed.

“I’m… trying not to.” It was then that Jason noticed how scantily clad Nico was. Huh, he hadn’t thought the Greeks were that prudish.

“Not that, you kelp for brains,” Jason said. “That expression means he’s planning something.”

Percy looked more closely. He nodded back at Jason, despite no apparent realization on his face. He took some pleasure in the fact that maybe he knew Nico better than him.

“We just stall until he finds a way to get us out.”

They both nodded.

“Bet I can take down more than you!” He said once he was out of the not so blind point. Nike’s face turned from exasperated to pleased they were seemingly playing along at last.

Jason breathed deeply and followed behind Percy.

“You have to outlast me first!”

Was it acting, the power of the wreath still affecting them or a genuine rivalry? Jason didn't know, but he was ready to keep up with or even surpass, Percy Jackson

It was sort of fun, Percy would admit, to banter with Jason while defeating living statues of Nike.

Jason was a nice guy, a complete goody-two-shoes, which made it difficult to hate him, especially when they complemented each other’s fighting styles so well. They still weren’t defeating more Nike statues than they appeared, but they were holding up okay.

A statue with a javelin managed to slip past his defense, leaving a small cut on his shirt and a scratch on his left side. He heard Nico’s soft gasp from the speakers connected to the giant screen and he had to resist the urge to turn around to appease him.

“Sloppy!” Jason shouted as he finally managed to cut open a path. They both nodded at each other and ran away, hoping to thin their numbers a bit.

“It wasn’t me who was bonked with a hockey club,” Percy shot back. “Isn’t that more modern Winter Olympics, anyway?” He shouted at the screen.

“Every sport is under my dominion,” Nike said, her face showing her disgust at their continued survival. “But I can have my Nikei just shoot arrows at you until one dies of blood loss, if you have such a desire for the classics.”

“No!” Nico said beside her, panicked. “You can’t!”

“You can always alter the result, boy,” Nike said. “Just choose one to bless and they’ll probably survive the barrage… or at least live longer.”

“Actually, the hockey clubs are fine!” Jason said rapidly. “You can even add golf clubs, or any club you want!”

“Yeah, dude, and if you want a long-range option, there’s basketballs,” Percy added. “Volleyballs, baseball balls, hell add a beach ball for comedy’s sake!”

The goddess lifted her arm until it was level with her eyes.

“I tire of this collaboration of yours,” she said. “I want this done quickly, and Victory must come from a true competition, anyway.” She dropped her arm in one swift movement. The sound of at least a dozen bows shooting arrows was heard.

Everything seemed to slow down. Percy closed his eyes and felt himself fall; he gritted his teeth so as not to shout.

Surprisingly, nothing hurt. Percy wondered if the arrows had hit an instant death spot.

“Jason!” Nico cried. Percy winced.

So that was who Nico would pick in the heat of the moment. He expected to feel rage, but all he felt was a sad resignation. It made sense the son of Jupiter was more important to Nico than him, but it still hurt.

He felt a heavy weight above him.

“Move over, idiot!” Jason shouted at him.

Percy opened his eyes, expecting to be at Charon’s waiting room with the son of Jupiter, only to see an annoyed Jason and a rain of arrows flying past them.

Percy moved his legs and let Jason crouch into place. He sat up and noticed they were in a small ditch that hadn’t been there when he closed his eyes, and above them were at least ten skeleton warriors taking the arrows for them.

“His first instinct was to protect you with his powers,” Jason said bitterly.

Percy winced, feeling empathetic towards the Roman.

“He called for you,” he said back in a similar tone. “He saw me freeze like an idiot and protected me, but he trusted you to go for cover.”

Neither of them seemed to believe the other, so they laid low as the barrage continued.

“You dare interfere?” Nike asked, her crazed eyes literally lit with anger. “A Victory achieved through cheating is no Victory at all!”

Nico’s mind was running a thousand miles a minute. He had thought of at least six ideas to get Percy and Jason out, but all of them ended like this, with his patron smiting him. However, something she had said had stuck in his head.

If helping Jason and Percy was out, then…

“You didn’t give me a chance to bless anyone,” he said carefully. Nike observed curiously. “Let me make my play before you just kill them.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw the Nikei stopping, all while Jason and Percy observed him from his improvised trench.

“Very well,” the goddess said, lifting her arm again. “Do your blessing, child, and we’ll begin anew.”

Nico nodded and cleared his throat to buy some time. He wasn’t even sure his plan would work, but it was the only thing he had to work with.

“By the power my patron granted me, may you be granted the strength to emerge Victorious over your Roman counterpart.” He avoided looking at his friends down at the arena. Seeing Jason’s expression in case he began assuming things wouldn’t help him. The goddess smiled and made to drop her arm again. “This is my blessing to you, Nike.”

Nike’s (or was it Victoria’s?) eyes widened as she grabbed her head and let out a scream that made the ground shake violently. Instinctively, Nico closed his eyes and covered his ears. For a moment he felt as if his head was going to explode.

A hand grabbed his chin gently and raised his head. Nico opened his eyes slowly.

Before him was a completely different goddess from before. Regal, proud and even more powerful, with her face reflecting a lucidity that was missing on her before. A soft golden glow seemed to come from her and shine on him. It felt like it was nudging him to succeed at whatever he wanted.

“I grant you your Victory, Nico di Angelo.” Her voice was still booming and proud but had taken on a gentler tone than before.

“Lady Nike?” He said experimentally. The goddess just nodded, the night air making him realize they were back at the cauldron tower, with Jason and Percy behind him, passed out. “Will they be okay?”

“They should wake up soon,” she said dismissively. “Be grateful I got my judgment back on time, or you would all be dead.”

Biting his tongue, Nico nodded nervously.

“It is not often I accept defeat, child,” Nike said. “But I guess it was to be expected, considering your mother’s own achievements.”

“My mother won against you?”

“Oh yes, she did it similarly to you, bending the rules but never breaking them.” she waved her hand around. “I guess you resemble her far more than you do your father.”

Nico’s chest felt warm at the thought of him being similar to his mother. It was a connection to her, something that, no matter if he ever forgot her again, could not be erased.

“Why did she challenge you? How did she find you?”

Nike blinked, seemingly surprised that this was what he was asking, but nodded, nonetheless.

“Maria di Angelo came across some stories from famous children of Hades,” she explained. “My guess is that she wanted some sort of reference for raising your sister. However, what she found were the sad fates that befell each and every one of them.

“Hades was upfront with her: his children were cursed. The ruler of the dead bringing about mortal life is so paradoxical that most of his kin die early and painfully, as if eager to join his realm.

“Hades said that giving your sister a patron would probably spare her of her fate. It had never been tried before, but it might be enough to make her belong to this world. As she prepared to look for one however, she found out she was pregnant once again.”

“Was… was she angry?” Nico asked with bated breath. Having to deal with one child destined to die young was one thing, but two…

“She just got more passionate about finding a solution!” Nike chuckled fondly. “She searched high and low, but only found a handful of gods and all of them refused. They had demigod children, and no need for champions, and your sister’s fate was already spoken for.”

“Artemis,” he guessed. Nike shrugged.

“Excellent archer, competitions between those twins and the Erotes are legendary,” she said. Nico coughed, trying to remind her to get back on track. “Anyways, Maria’s travels took her to my ancestral home, Olympia, where she challenged me to a series of games to get a favor from me. I won the first two games, obviously.” She preened with pride. Nico resisted the urge to yell at her to be back on team. “Alas, she chose games she was bad at to lower my guard, and the last three, games of wit, she managed to trick me into losing.”

“And she asked for me to be blessed,” Nico surmised.

“I was… not happy to have lost three consecutive times.” Nico winced, imagining the goddess’ ire aimed at his mother. “but she persuaded me by promising to name you in my honor. And here you are, alive after all these years: The tipper of the scale, the one who chooses Victory… my champion.”

Nico heard a small groan behind him. He turned back and saw Jason rubbing his head. A few seconds later, Percy joined him, massaging his temples.

“What happened?” Percy asked groggily. Nico just gave a small smile. They were alright.

“Jason, Percy, I’d like you to meet my patron,” he said. “The newly restored Lady Nike.”

“’Restored’ is an overstatement, I’m afraid,” Nike said. “You just gave me a boost over my ‘Roman counterpart’, if I am to use your own words.”

Percy stared at the goddess closely, his head still throbbing from her scream. Usually, he found minor gods to be easier to understand, more human, than the Olympians, but Nike seemed to be an exception. Her posture and face exuded power, and she seemed as single-minded as before, just with more self-control.

As far as gods went, she was as dangerous as Hera.

“Then it was only a temporary measure,” Jason said, looking pensive. “We’ll make it quick, then. What are you planning?”

“To win,” Nike said simply, her face showing a slight disdain towards Jason. “I want my side to win, so that I may beat the other me… and my guess is she feels the same.”

Percy’s face must have been the same as Jason: utterly confused. That motivation was so normal it couldn’t be what the prophecy was about. Had the prophecy been wrong? Or was it coming true with their actions?

Nico, however, looked like he had expected it.

“We’re on a quest to end this conflict,” Nico explained. “When I recieved a prophecy, it said you were scheming something.”

“It did?” Nike asked, genuinely surprised. “Well, let’s hear it.”

Sighing Nico did so, reciting it from beginning to end.

Nike laughed as soon as she finished.

“Are you so self-centered you thought yourself the only demigod with a patron, boy?” She said between her laughs. “You’re not even the only champion chosen by a god in your party.”

Percy looked around, wondering if he had yet another unknown connection to another god, but Nico’s gaze was squarely on Jason Grace.

“Are you saying Juno is behind all of this?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I can only answer for myself.” She opened her wings and rose before turning to Nico again. “While I ignore who the patron in your prophecy is, I can tell you wat you’re looking for; the goddess of Harmony, she’ll be able to bring Eirene balance with her other self.”

“Where is she?” Percy dared speak. The goddess regarded him with a slightly warmer disposition than she did Jason.

“She’s fond of mirrors during times of strife,” she said. “She gets quite messy, but it’s… different than with other gods. Nico’s little trick won’t work on her, and even if it did, the goddess would probably kill you all during the period of confusion, just as I tried to.”

“Don’t try it again, got it,” Nico said.

“If you want a more accurate location, you'll need someone with the gift of Prophecy. I advise you to go to the library at Mobile.”

Percy wondered if the goddess was mispronouncing and meant there was some sort of prophecy library app for cellphones, which would both rock and suck, since demigods couldn’t use those. Before he could say anything, though, Nico just said he’d ask his chauffer to take them there. At Nike’s assent, Percy assumed it was a physical place.

He would blame his ADHD and the educational system for that almost-gaffe.

“And with that, I must become inactive again before I lose control of myself once more.” She slowly started to dissipate into thin air, rather than leave in a flash of light like other gods. “May Victory—”

“One last thing!” Nico interrupted her. The goddess seemed half gone, but still paid attention to him. “The Laurel wreath Octavian had that day, did you give it to him?”

“That wreath was a prize I gave to a god during a solstice competition,” she said, though she sounded half-asleep. “I make them every four years, even the gods still in Greece and from the Underworld attend.”

“…Who won that wreath, then?”

“Zeus decided the gods would would wear masks that year…” she yawned. “his was some sort of bird, but I can’t recall…”

Nike disappeared, leaving them alone beside the cauldron.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, seeing Nico in one of his usual ‘million-thoughts-a-minute’ poses.

“Nike was not the scheming patron, which means someone else is behind all of this.”

“The winner of the wreath?” Jason asked. Nico nodded.

“It was my abduction from the Lotus and eventual escape from the Romans that caused the conflict and the godly split, which only leaves one possibility.” Nico turned to them, his face full of rage. “This scheming god is Octavian’s patron.”

Chapter 22: The Symbol of Peace: A Detour to Ask for Directions

Chapter Text

“…And that’s why we’re on a fancy car to some city in Alabama I’ve never heard of,” Percy summed up for her, his face slightly blurry from some artificial rainbow maker they had found in the glove box. “So, what’s up over there?”

Annabeth massaged her temples. Were it not for the need to set up traps for monsters and see how many weapons they could forge for the newer campers, she would have shouted at Percy for waking her up at 6 a.m. on a summer day.

As it was, though, they were on a deadline, and she had barely slept a wink last night.

“No sight of the Roman army or monster scouts on our side,” she said. “You’ve only been gone for half a day, but everyone is getting a little antsy.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep well either, and this car is like, magically cozy or something. It became big enough to have us sleep comfortably on the back while our zombie driver keeps going on the front.” A grunt was heard from outside her field of vision. “Chauffer, I said chauffer.”

Annabeth couldn’t help herself, she chuckled, but she soon frowned again at Percy’s pseudo report.

“The augur’s patron… he must be one that’s not affected by the split, or at least not as dramatically as other gods, but also has a lot to gain from this war,” She surmised. “Sadly, the clues are not many. A lot of gods have birds as sacred animals. I’ll look it up, but I’m still too busy with all of this.”

“Thanks, Wise Girl, you’re the best!”

Another grunt was heard.

“Too loud…” Jason’s sleepy voice reached. “Who are you talking— Is that Annabeth’s floating head?!”

“Jason, my boy, welcome to the world of IMs,” Percy said with exaggerated pomp, stepping aside to let Jason’s squinting, half-asleep face into the image.

“That’s… really cool,” he said. He tried to reach and touch the image, but Percy took his hand and shook his head. “How?”

“Iris, goddess of the rainbow, allows us to use these to communicate… for a fee,” she added. Technically, as she was living up the hippie life, the job had fell on her assistant, but her explanation served as an abridged version.

“So cool,” he repeated. “I mean, messenger eagles are cool too, and free, but… I can see you on a rainbow portal, how cool is that?”

“Not as cool as letting me sleep for at least another hour,” Nico’s voice made itself known in the background. “Hey, next lesson on Iris Messaging, if you want to cut the call, you just—”

The image dissolved as Nico had undoubtedly used his hand to dispel the communication. She sighed to herself.

Messenger eagles, huh?

“It’s too early in the morning for this,” Malcom groaned as he put his pillow over his head while she rummaged her things, looking for her laptop.

“Sorry, just thought of something,” she said distractedly, clacking away at her keyboard.

She ignored the groans of her siblings and dodged the one pillow thrown at her.

Dedalus had worked on some pheromone-based weapons to disrupt the enemy’s carrier pigeons, and with them, their source of information. If she could just find the blueprints and adapt them…

“Bingo,” she said. All she had to do now was change the size, use another type of pheromone, and turn the blueprints into a reality.

It seemed like she would have to visit the Demeter and Hephaestus tables during breakfast…

“That was rude, Nico,” Percy huffed. Nico just gave him a glare that would have chilled him to the bone had he not wrapped himself back into his blanket like an adorable angry burrito. Percy frowned.

Cute. Everything Nico did was cute, or brave, or badass, or amazing. It was starting to worry Percy how fast he was falling for the song of Hades. Even his flaws (and there were quite a few) made him feel far more fondness than annoyance.

“Well, we’re awake now,” Jason said, misreading his frown and trying to defuse a situation that didn’t exist. “Let’s just make the most of it and discuss what we’ll do once we arrive.”

“We don’t know where in the library is the information on the Goddess of Harmony,” Percy said tiredly. He had barely slept, thinking Camp could just disappear at any moment while he was away. “We can’t plan for every single thing that might happen.”

A nap was so much more enticing than discussing strategy.

“Dear old Praetor Grace,” Nico said from his seat. “Always looking for a plan.”

“I’m not…” Jason stopped himself. They stared at each other, making Percy feel like a third wheel. After a few seconds, Jason averted his eyes. “I’m not Praetor anymore.”

“Then I suggest you stop acting like it.” He wiggled a bit and pressed his head against the cushion. “I lead this quest, so take the opportunity and relax.”

“…”

“People are at their best… when they allow the mask to slip.” And with that, Nico went back to sleep. Percy envied how quickly Nico could do it.

“He’s so mean,” Percy said in a low voice. Jason turned to frown at him, but something on his face must have shocked him instead. “He just says what he thinks, and the worst part is, most of the time he’s right.”

“’Blunt’, is the word,” Jason replied absently. “I guess he’s overcompensating for those years he had to be what Octavian wanted him to be.”

Yeah, Percy could see that. Nico didn’t care whose toes he stepped on when talking. After their encounter with Aletheia, he had just become a ‘rawer’ version of himself. He still lied, a lot (even if Percy acted like he didn’t notice), but he also was far more open, truer to himself, and a lot nicer.

“You might know what Nico went through better than I do,” Percy admitted, making Jason look quite pleased. “But I know more about the real self he hid away because of your Augur.”

“An impasse, then,” Jason said, his mouth in a thin line.

Percy blinked, wondering if Jason’s flowery language was part of his personality, or a learned trait like Nico’s lying. If so, was it him trying to better fill the role of Praetor, or was it what the Romans imposed on their leaders?

Because it painted a rather grim picture of what living as a Roman was like.

“That’s not what I meant,” Percy said instead. It was not a contest (at least not officially), he was just stating some facts. “We both hold pieces of the puzzle, so let’s work together to better help him.”

Jason looked pensive for a moment, before nodding.

“Back at camp, and with Nike, we let ourselves go,” he continued. “We got so competitive we became a burden on Nico instead of his support.”

“And that can’t happen again,” Jason completed his thought. “If we want to succeed, we need to work as a team, and let Nico lead.”

“Exactly.” Percy smiled. He held out his hand. “So, truce?”

Jason took his hand and shook it, giving him a reserved smile back.

“Truce.”

Percy heard Nico snort lowly from his blanket burrito.

They arrived to Mobile an hour later, but they didn’t really get moving until nine, after all of them had properly rested.

Sadly, unlike last night, no food had appeared inside the car, which led him to believe Jules-Albert had bought it himself before picking them up.

“We need breakfast,” he decided. “I packed some cereal bars before leaving, let me look for them.”

“We could do that, yes,” Percy said in a tone he didn’t like. “Or, and I’m just throwing ideas here, we could use this!”

On his hand was the emergency envelope from the night before. The seal had been broken, and a credit card could be seen from it.

“You opened my things?” he said, enraged. Percy only cackled. “What if it had been a weapon, or a magical bomb? Is your curiosity more important than other people’s privacy? Than your life?!”

Percy smiled at him and shook his head.

“Nico, I would never try to pry into your things without your permission,” he said, looking at him so intensely Nico felt himself blush and almost forgot his anger.

Almost.

“Then who took that from my backpack, Jason?” He turned to the Roman, who looked sheepishly at the ground, biting his lip in anguish. “Okay, maybe he did.”

“I’m sorry,” he said miserably, before turning to glare at Percy, who just smiled and shrugged. “I just thought it could be dangerous.”

“Yeah, don’t get mad at him,” Percy said. “He was just worried. And on the bright side, now we know you have a Black Credit Card, so… IHOP?”

“No, the envelope said it was for emergencies only,” Percy’s face fell, and his eyes turned shiny and pleading. Nico bit back the impulse to give Percy anything he asked for. “But I guess that if we only order cheap stuff…”

He failed.

“YES!” Percy shouted. “Zombie man, to the nearest IHOP!”

Jules-Albert grunted annoyedly before looking at Nico, who gave a defeated nod and mouthed a ‘please’.

Would he be doing all this buffoonery if he didn’t have a crush on Percy?

He wanted to believe he would. Those eyes were dangerous.

Percy was a lot like his father’s domain. The deeper you went, the likelier it was to become lost and surrounded by danger.

“It’s them again,” Percy muttered, looking up.

Jason sighed.

Harpies had been following them since they entered the pancake diner Percy so desperately wanted. For now, all they did was circle around them, just like carrion awaiting their next meal to drop dead, but when they reached the library, they started getting closer.

“There’s probably a nest around here,” Nico commented. “They’re only smelling us, though.”

“Yeah, they don’t see that well when it’s bright out,” Percy agreed, though his frown hadn’t gone away. “Still, we should stay close, no one knows when they’ll swoop down.”

“What a dashing hero,” Nico said, voice heavy with sarcasm.

As they continued with their back and forth, Jason felt like he was intruding on Nico’s new life. It wasn’t the first time either. Sometimes, he and Percy would lose themselves in their own world, making him feel superfluous and left out.

“They won’t come down,” he said, tired of being ignored. They both looked at him curiously. “Harpies are Jupiter’s servants; they punish the living just like the Furies punish the dead.”

“The harpies at camp eat anyone who’s up after curfew,” Percy retorted, but he seemed unsure.

“And who do you think orders them to do that? You know, punish rulebreakers?” He rolled his eyes and went forward. “If there’s a nest here, it’s because they are tormenting someone on his orders.”

“Or protecting,” Nico pointed out. “They might still attack after all.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked, perplexed.

“They got closer when we approached the library,” he explained. “The place Nike said holds the answer to the Goddess’s location.”

Percy’s eyes widened.

“Which means that whatever’s in here—”

“Is important or worthy of protection to father,” Jason finished. He eyed the half-bird women warily.

“Well, right now, we’re just some demigods entering a library,” Nico said carefully. “We don’t even need to take anything out. Just get some information and leave.”

With that Nico entered the white building with Greek-inspired columns decorating the walls. Percy and Jason followed.

Inside there were two floors, each stacked with dozens of stands filled to the brim with books. Jason grimaced at the thought of rummaging through them all.

“Jason, can you check the second floor? Percy and I will look around here first and then join you.”

“O-oh, okay,” Jason said. He tried to sound nonchalant as he walked towards the stairs beyond the reading tables. Did Nico still distrust him? What could he do to remedy it? “See you.”

“It won’t take long,” Nico assured. “We’re two after all.”

Yeah… Only those two…

As long as they knew, anyways.

As soon as they disappeared behind one the stands, he used his powers to float about an inch from the ground and stealthily went into the stand to their right. Hopefully the Mist would hide such a small use of his abilities.

He had to find out if he could do something to mend his relationship with Nico.

“—want to talk about, anyways?” Percy’s hushed voice carried through the books.

“What makes you think I want to talk about anything?” Nico’s voice responded, a little muffled.

“Well, you sent Jason away, so I thought you—”

“I know what you did,” Nico said seriously. Percy must have looked as puzzled as Jason felt, as the son of Hades soon elaborated. “You teased me about the card so I wouldn’t get angry at Jason.”

Percy chuckled uncomfortably.

“What, too obvious?”

“You’re good, Jackson, really good,” Nico said. It almost sounded… flirtatious? Jason would give anything to be able to see their expressions. “But I’m better.”

“Oh, really?” Percy matched his tone. Seriously, what was really going on between those two? “So, if you knew, why would you let me get away with it this morning?”

“Thank you,” Nico said instead. Jason could imagine Percy’s bewilderment. “My friendship with Jason has been… strained, lately. If I had lost my temper at him, I’m not sure either of us would have been able to fix it.”

Jason had heard enough. He moved as fast as he could without making any loud sounds. Once he was on the second floor he made sure to go to the library’s furthest corner.

Nico also wanted to rebuild their friendship! Percy was just acting as a buffer, not as an obstacle for him getting closer to Nico again. The relief he felt was so strong he almost started giggling like a mad man.

A rustle took him out of his thoughts.

To his right, buried in piles upon piles of books, was a small girl with blood red hair looking at him intently.

“So, what are we supposed to be looking for?” Percy asked as he quickly scanned another row of books.

“Something unusual, something only a demigod might notice,” Nico muttered as his eyes roamed through so many titles he didn’t read that his head started to hurt. “You know, a silhouette, something to do with Harmony, or maybe with Greek or Roman mythology.”

“Whatever it is, it must be hidden by the Mist, right?”

“I can disperse it… kinda,” Nico said sheepishly. “Lou Ellen taught me, small range, only for a few seconds, but we can do it section by section…”

“And if something shifts, we’ll have our magical item,” Percy completed, understanding his plan immediately. “You’re a genius.”

“Not really,” Nico said. “I’m just, you know, used to people plotting.” He winced at his choice of words.

“You sell yourself short,” Percy insisted, appreciative. “You’re really clever, and you pick up stuff like Mist manipulation and fighting quicker than many demigods.”

“Well, anyone would if all they could do was watch others for years and imagine what it would be like to take part of games and quests…” Nico felt himself blush. He was still not used to being complimented at all.

Percy drew him into a hug.

“Look, I know you had it rough before,” Percy said softly. “But I promise, it’ll never be that way again.”

“I… um, thanks, Percy,” Nico responded, bewildered. “That means a lot to me.”

Just as he was debating whether or not to hug him back, they heard someone clearing their throat louder than necessary.

Percy let go immediately, face pink with embarrassment, maybe because people could get the wrong… or the right idea. Nico wasn’t sure what the reason was, or how either of them would make him feel.

“Jay!” Percy said nervously, putting his arm over his shoulders. “What’s up?”

“Jay…?” Jason asked, however he shook his head and shrugged off Percy. Taking both their hands and leading them back to the entrance. “Doesn’t matter. Do you guys remember how the Greeks thought the Symbol of the Ara Victoriae was an object and not a person?”

“Considering it’s me you’re talking about? Yes.” Nico rolled his eyes.

“Well… Now we just made the same mistake,” Jason pointed at the table, where a redhead had a pile of books all open. “Meet Ella, the one we were looking for.”

Nico was about to ask Jason to elaborate, before he noticed that what he had taken for a red poncho the same color as the girl’s hair were actually feathers covering her body, and he was certain that if he were to look at her feet, he would find a pair of claws instead of footwear.

“A harpy,” Percy said. The creature startled, trying to stand but Jason rushed over and started petting her hair.

“Hey, it’s okay, Ella, they’re my friends, they won’t hurt you,” he said in a soothing voice and glared at Percy, whispering. “She’s skittish!”

“You promised Ella she would be safe,” the harpy said, half-accusing, half-reassuring herself. “That your friends had food for Ella.”

“They do,” He glanced at Nico’s bag, making him sigh.

Jason could have just said he didn’t like the cereal bars he had brought. But no, he had to offer them to a monster. He grumbled to himself as he pulled out one of the bars and offered it to the Harpy.

Ella smelled it cautiously before taking it and chewing on it. She hummed noncommittally as she ate it all, making Nico even angrier.

“Ella prefers meat,” she said she turned the envelop to look at the ingredients. “Nuts, salt, soy lecithin. Not great, cheese is worse.”

“Why you…” Nico breathed deeply. “Why do you think she is the one we’re looking for.”

“Look,” he said. “Ella, why do you like reading so much?”

“’Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.’ To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee.” She said, then licking the envelope the cereal bar was in. “Can Ella have more?”

Blinking, Nico passed her another cereal bar.

“Now, can you tell me something about um… Percy over there?” Jason prodded.

Ella turned to look at him, before her gaze became lost and started to recite.

“‘A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds.’ Sixteen. You’re sixteen…” Ella said, unfocused, before shrugging and going back to her cereal bar.

Percy’s eyes widened.

“That’s… the Great Prophecy!” he exclaimed. “How does she know that?”

“The Sibylline Books,” Nico whispered. “Ella, have you memorized every book you’ve ever read?”

“Books, pamphlets, envelope ingredients,” she said. “Things Ella read a long time ago are foggy, but sometimes Ella remembers.”

“Eh, I’m a bit lost here,” Percy reminded them.

“The Sibylline Books are lost books of Prophecy,” Nico explained. “It was filled with prophecies both Roman and Greek, the Legion only has a few burnt remains. One of them happens to be the Great Prophecy you talk about.”

“And Ella here has read them,” Jason said, proud of his discovery. “So, Ella, do you happen to know where we might find the Goddess of Harmony?”

After closing her eyes and frowning for a while Ella nodded.

“All right!” Percy said. “Where is she?”

“Ella can’t tell,” she said. “Sisters will hit Ella if Ella shares prophecies that haven’t happened.”

“So that’s why Zeus had the other harpies here,” Nico said, mostly to himself. “What if we set you free, would you be able to tell us?”

Ella nodded again, excitedly.

“Ella could do anything away from the library, she could say any prophecy that comes to mind, she could even eat more than just her sisters’ leftovers.”

“How do you plan to free her, Nico? The place is surrounded with harpies!” Jason asked, curious. “They’ll follow us wherever we take her”

Percy just smirked at Nico.

“I know that face,” he said. “What’s your plan?”

Nico smiled back.

“We don’t have to take Ella with us… just away from Zeus’s dominion.”

Percy returned to the library with a shopping bag filled with everything Nico asked, finding him and Jason still reassuring Ella the Harpy, who was moving around with nervous energy.

“Here you go,” he said in a low voice. It was past midday; some people were already there. Most of them students, probably doing some summer homework. “And here’s the jerky you wanted Ella.”

“Meat!” She said happily, almost scratching his hand with her talons as she ripped the plastic to get at the jerky. “So good!”

Jason and Nico got to work, putting the black beanie, green skirt, and brown jacket over Ella as she just continued sighing in happiness over the jerky.

“I don’t get why she needs a makeover when the other harpies can just smell her,” Percy commented.

“She’s been on this place for years, her smell is all around the library,” Jason said as he applied some perfume on Ella. “All we need to do is get on the car before they find out she’s not inside.”

“Then we go to the coast, I ask my father for her safe passage to camp, yadda, yadda, yadda, yeah I get it,” Percy said. That last part had been his contribution to the plan, recycling an old, but reliable idea from a past quest. “What I don’t get is why are we disguising her instead of letting the Mist do its job.”

“They might be a little blind when the Sun’s out, but even they’ll notice the bright red bird girl if we’re not careful.” Nico adjusted the beanie, trying to get as much hair as she could inside it. When he was satisfied, he took her hand and started guiding her towards the entrance.

“Ella’s too warm!” The harpy complained, squirming. “’What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.’ Travels with Charley: In search of America.”

“It’s only until we get into the car,” Nico promised. “You can take it off after.”

“The car also has really good AC,” Percy pointed out, trying to entice her. Nico rolled his eyes, but still smiled a bit.

“Just bear with it for five minutes.”

And with that, they came out into the sweltering Alabama sun in summer.

“Be natural,” Jason warned, looking at him specifically. “You’re walking all stiff.”

Percy tried his best to act like the flock of harpies weren’t coming closer to inspect them.

“Too hot, too hot, too hot…” Ella kept repeating as she obviously struggled walking with a skirt and with her feathers compressed under the jacket.

“Just a bit closer,” Nico tried to comfort her, pointing at the car waiting in front of them. “We get there, and you can take—”

“TOO HOT!” Ella shouted as she used her talons to rip the skirt to shreds. The Harpies above them screeched and nosedived at them, ready to attack.

“Change of plans, run!” Percy shouted, taking Ella’s other hand, and pulling her towards the car at max speed. Nico, quick on the uptake, followed his lead.

Jason, not having to deal with the redheaded harpy, reached the car faster and opened the door. Percy and Nico shoved Ella inside and got in.

“Jules-Albert, to the nearest beach, now!” Nico ordered quickly as Ella ripped her new jacket apart with her wings.

The zombie nodded and started the car, taking the first exit into the highway.

“They’re following us!” Jason said.

Percy looked back. The harpies were closing in on them. In fact, they were so close Percy could distinguish their hag-like faces from the rest of their feathered bodies.

“You have Carte Blanche Jules-Albert!” Nico shouted, panicked. “Get us to the beach as quick as you possibly can!”

Percy was sure he saw the zombie chauffeur smile as he adjusted his cap and stepped on the gas, getting to speeds Percy was sure he hadn’t seen since his ride with the Grey Sisters.

“How is he so fast?” Percy asked. He glanced behind them to see the harpies became smaller as the distance as Jules-Albert started zigzagging to get ahead of the other cars in the highway. “And how many laws are we breaking?”

“In that order?” Nico asked back, nervously. “He was a French racetrack champion in life, and, uh, probably all the transit ones?”

“And how did you know that?!” Jason was holding on to his seatbelt for dear life, bumping Ella every time the car changed direction, making her jump in alarm.

“It was in the brochure!”

“‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times it was—’, ‘‘Dreams mean work’ he—’.” Ella recited, as she kept changing quote every time Jason bumped into her.

Even when they reached a traffic jam, the Zombie just managed to maneuver around it, but the halt in speed just made the dots that were the harpies get slightly bigger.

“They’re catching up!” Percy warned.

Nico looked around.

“Do we need the beach for you to do your thing?”

“I’m not sure. I guess as long as it’s connected to the ocean—”

“Jules-Albert, change of plans, keep driving around, meet us here in ten minutes.” The car stopped once more, taking its place in the jam for a few seconds. Nico pulled on them to get off the car and away from the highway. “To the docks, quickly!” He ordered.

“Don’t tug on Ella!” The harpy wailed.

They reached the docks, surrounded by small boats and yachts.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Nico started, his voice letting out a bot of panic. “Jason and I stall the harpies, Ella hides in one of the boats, and Percy calls his dad to transport her to Camp Half-Blood.”

“That’s fine by me, I guess,” Jason said.

“Ella is good at hiding,” she said happily as she flew into a yacht.

“Um, I have two problems with the plan,” Percy said, earning him a glare from Nico. “First, you still barely know how to fight—”

“That’s why you get your butt on the ocean and get a head start before they arrive,” Nico interrupted him.

“And two, I need an offering or something, I can’t ask for a favor and give nothing back.”

Nico looked into his pockets, trying to find something, but Jason just sighed and took out his coin sword.

“Here, take it,” Jason said. “I hope it’s valuable enough.”

“Don’t you need it to fight?” Percy asked, worried.

“You can’t give it up!” Nico said angrily “It’s your only means of defense!”

“Harpies are wind creatures.” To prove his point, he rose from the ground and closed his eyes. The skies darkened and lighting hit one of the harpies in the distance. “I’ll manage.”

Percy nodded and got into the water. Percy could feel it was a river, but it was relatively close to the ocean.

Hey, dad? Someone? If you’re out there, some godly help would be much appreciated.

The waters stayed calm. Not even a naiad or River god showed signs of listening.

Percy frowned. He was sure whatever spirit protected this river would at least react to tell him off for asking favors, but all was silent.

“Here they come!” He heard Jason cry behind him. He resisted turning around. The son of Jupiter would be able to deal with the harpies. He had to trust him to protect Nico.

Come on, I just need someone to take a docile harpy to Camp Half-Blood… I will give a proper sacrifice in exchange.

He waited, he could faintly hear the sounds of battle behind him, but he tried to stay focused on the water.

And What would that be, godling? A voice resounded in his mind. Percy sighed in relief.

Female, a naiad, then.

I’m willing to give you an Imperial Gold sword. It can turn into a coin! Very rare, don’t you think?

Not very interesting. The naiad said, disappointed. It isn’t even useful.

Percy wracked his brain. Naiads usually only cared about pretty men or river cleaning, and he didn’t have resources or the time to provide either.

Percy dipped underwater to curse unintelligibly. If he were Nico, what would he offer…

The answer came to him instantly. Nothing. Nico would look for an alternative that would benefit him, and he knew who was willing to help him for free.

Can you at least call my brother for me? He’s a very nice cyclops named Tyson. He works at Poseidon’s forge, and he even has a spot in Zeus guard. He’s also crazy about depolluting waters.

…Is he cute?

Yes! He had her!

Well, if you’re interested you could just call him here… say Percy asked for him. With the whole Greek-Roman conflict thing, he’s probably free—

A girly, yet inhuman screech hurt his brain as the Naiad went away, probably to ask an oceanid to pass on the message.

He must have waited for a full three minutes before he heard the scariest words possible.

“Nico! Behind you!”

Percy turned around immediately, about to make the water rise to protect him. However, what he saw just left him breathless.

Nico, almost in slow motion, gracefully turned around, his partisan doing an arc around him. Its blade, dark as nightmare, slashed through the harpy that had gotten past Jason, making her screech and turn to dust. Their eyes met for a split second as he returned to his original position, where two more harpies were waiting. Percy felt his face getting hotter.

“What are you doing?” Nico shouted angrily. “You’re supposed to be asking for help!”

“It’s on the way!” Percy said back. Jason was up in the sky, fighting about ten or so harpies. Nico must have been fighting those that managed to sneak past him. “How are you holding up? Do you need help?”

“I’m okay!” He said. The wind picked up, throwing the harpies off balance. Nico took advantage of the moment to stab one of them. “Can you make a water bubble with air inside it?”

“Um, I think I can, why?”

“Encase Ella, she’s been having a really bad time!”

Percy looked down and felt a pang of guilt in his chest. The little harpy was trying to make herself as small as possible, lying down on the floor and covering her body under her wings. Only the top of her head, tucked inside, could be seen.

Percy called the water to gather around Ella, which created a big enough bubble with enough air to let her breathe okay. As soon as that was sealed, he willed the bubble underwater with him.

“Water!” Ella squawked. She flapped her wings wildly for a few seconds before she looked around in confusion. “Ella is not wet?”

“Yeah, I can—”

“You liar!” The naiad appeared in front of them, startling Ella again. She was pretty, Percy guessed, with krill-like freckles all over her cheeks and long hair the same color as the river’s water. “You promised me a hunk into cleaning rivers, and who arrives? A—”

“Brother!” Tyson’s voice reached him as he approached on his giant Hippocampus, Rainbow. “The water lady said you were in trouble!”

“He’s adorable,” Percy said, trying to placate the water spirit.

“He’s a child!” If there was any ground below her, Percy was sure she would have stomped it. “Even younger than you!”

“Brother!” Tyson said happily. Rainbow neighed a hello that made the naiad back away slightly. “What can I help you with?”

Percy looked back. Ella was flapping her wings, simulating flying as she tried the limits of her water bubble.

“Hey, big guy,” he said with a smile. He really had missed Tyson. “Do you think you could take Ella here to Camp Half-Blood? She needs to get to a safer place.”

Tyson and Ella looked at each other curiously. He nodded.

“I can help the pretty bird,” he said eagerly. Ella’s skin turned a similar shade as her plumage. “She’ll be safe with me, Promise.”

“Um, two things,” Percy said. “Could you jump out of the water with Ella before going off? It would take her sisters off our backs.”

“I can do that.”

“Ella, the goddess’s location?”

“Oh, Ella almost forgot!” she said. Her eyes unfocused as she recited:

“South by South and East by East,
On an island connected by a bridge,
There she hides, finding herself,
Concord divided, may as well be deaf”

“Thank you, Ella,” Percy said. “I hope you finally get some freedom.”

Ella gave him a hopeful smile as her bubble got magically attached to Rainbow, chariot style. Tyson gave a salute and went up jumping about six feet above the water before going back down with a splash and riding off.

“Okay, maybe he is a little cute,” The naiad said behind him. Percy had almost forgotten she was there. She gave him a small, waterproof card “Tell him to give me a call in 50 years or so.”

“The Florida Keys,” Annabeth said as she tried the sprayer the Hephaestus kids had made for her. Just water for now, but it was only a matter of time before the Demeter cabin finished their assignment. “Don’t know which one, but they’re all connected to the mainland by a bridge and are southeast from you.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” Percy said. “Too many islands to check, though…”

“It’s too vague to pinpoint one,” Nico pointed out. The three boys were sitting way too close to be comfortable so she could see them all. “We just need to keep alert to anything out of the ordinary.”

“Any news on your front?” Jason asked. “Your scouts haven’t seen anything?”

“Everything’s calm over here,” she said. “Grover asked the satyrs to inform him if they see anything while they scout new campers. He says hi, by the way.”

Percy grinned. Annabeth noticed Nico almost cuddling up to him while Jason was none the wiser.

Had something already happened? Annabeth bit her lip. She had to focus on the task ahead. She was the one who had ended things, after all. All she could do was be happy for both her friends.

“By the way, Nico,” she said. The boy jumped away from Percy as if caught red handed. “How was your first actual combat experience?”

“Easier than expected, but still, I’m exhausted,” he said, looking to his companions, seemingly checking if they had noticed. “How you guys do it every other day is beyond me.”

“Practice and no other option, my friend,” Percy said, putting an arm around his shoulders, oblivious.

So, they were still not together… but it was fast approaching.

“Just be careful,” she asked. “Try to avoid swamps, unknown restaurant chains, and the Party Ponies.”

“Okay?” Jason said, somewhat confused. “I’m sure Percy will fill me up later.”

In response Percy just gave a thumbs up. Annabeth arched her eyebrows. Yet another development she hadn’t expected.

“You do that, I’ll ask Chiron to have a room ready for our guest.” She tossed a paper plane she had been making. The sprayer acted immediately drenching the plane and making it fall on the ground. “I’ll keep watch here.”

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Percy promised.

“Oh, and Ella is not part of the negotiations! I won’t let another creature with that—” Nico managed to say before the call cut off, with Breezy’s voice asking for more Drachma to keep the call going. Annabeth just dissipated the rainbow.

She was happy for Percy, and for Nico as well, but it still stung a bit. Still, she was glad their friendship was mending, and couldn’t wait until she saw him again.

“Annabeth!” A Hecate kid shouted. “We had a breakthrough with the tree!”

She sighed and followed behind. She still had a lot of work to do.

Sentimentality could wait.

Chapter 23: The Symbol of Peace: The World keeps Turning, even when we Rest

Chapter Text

Frank stared at legionnaires as they set up camp for the night. It was still early in the afternoon, but the doubled sentry duties were draining them, all of whom were rooted at their post looking west, were Bryce’s monster camp resided.

The alliance was an uneasy one. There had been at least a daily attack ever since he had agreed to Octavian’s plan to accept the Legacy of Orcus back in the Legion.

“This is all to rescue Nico,” he reminded himself. Frank might end up being the worst Praetor since Michael Varus, who lost the eagle that now rested on his staff.

But it would all be worth it if he could save his friend from the Greeks.

“And if some of them end up dead, all the better!”

“At least twice as many Romans will drop dead before that happens!”

Frank massaged his temple, trying to drown his father’s conversation with himself.

It had started a few days after Octavian and himself had managed to convince the Senate of the innate danger the Greek camp posed. Once they were on the march, his father had decided his brain was the perfect battlefield to duke it out with his Greek self.

Of course, he knew the reason was his own Greek ancestry. His grandmother had been kind enough to share the secrets of his family line when he had stopped by in his quest for the eagle. That he had both lineages meant he could be a bridge between the two camps… or more realistically and annoyingly, a sentient migraine.

He noticed Reyna enter the tent before him. Her eyes cold and dismissive like usual.

Frank sighed. It hadn’t been like this at the start. In fact, right after Jason had been dismissed and he was promoted, Reyna had been very welcoming, helping him get settled and promising to show him the ropes, as he was still too green, only being promoted to Centurion after Mars… his father had issued a quest.

If Frank had to pinpoint a moment where their budding friendship went down the drain, it would have to be…

“Headaches again, Praetor?”

When he had decided to give Octavian power. When Frank had brought up how to rescue Nico, Reyna had just shaken her head and said it would take time to open diplomatic channels. As if Frank could wait to negotiate with his friend’s kidnappers.

The Apollo Legacy had been the one that actually called to action. To march against the Greeks and rescue their Envoy (‘take back’ he had said, as if Nico was an object). Octavian had the prophecies and the plan, he only lacked the political power to make it happen… something Frank’s new praetorship could offer.

“Just the usual, Au— Pontifex,” he corrected himself in time. Having Octavian be pissy the whole day would not be good for anyone. “Have the gods shown you a path?”

“’Heading East’ doesn’t quite cut it anymore,” Reyna spoke. While she was agreeing with him, she still refused to acknowledge his existence. “The troops are tired, they don’t know where we’re marching, and they are distrustful of the… newest additions.”

“I assure you Bryce and I have complete control over those creatures.”

Reyna’s stare could only be interpreted as a ‘that’s what I’m worried about.’

“The gods remain silent, then.” Frank said, looking at his co-Praetor carefully. Her lips curled upwards slightly, making Frank almost sigh out loud in relief. He had quickly learned that his new post was nothing more than a balancing act, keep Reyna placated by snarking Octavian, keep Octavian happy by following his plans.

He was terrible at both, but he did his best.

“Their Greek aspects are blocking me,” Octavian said in pure disdain. “Apollo and Diana fled to Delos, where they align with the Graeci. My predictions have been inaccurate since then.”

“With no prophecy or guidance, it would take months to find this Greek stronghold,” Reyna said, pleased. “Our troops are not motivated, and frankly, it would be a waste of resources to try and comb half the country…”

“We have to rescue the Internuntius,” Frank said. “We haven’t even reached the coast.”

“I’ll write a letter to the emperor and send it tomorrow morning,” she continued, ignoring him. “We are marching back and wait for a Greek missive.”

“That’s treason!” Octavian shouted, voice shrill. “You’re betraying your comrades!”

“I’m loyal to New Rome and to the Legion, and I won’t allow us to wander endlessly over a single person,” her voice remained calm as she stood up and exited the tent. “That was all I came here to say, good night.”

Frank remained quiet as Octavian paced and insulted Reyna, acting as if he wasn’t there.

“Is that it?” He finally asked. “After all it took to convince the Senate, and get marching, we’re giving up?”

“I won’t allow it!” Octavian said. He seemed to ponder for a moment before he noticed something on the foldable table that acted as their desk. He took a quill with a black and red feather that rested on it. “Yours?”

Frank shook his head. He guessed it was Reyna’s, though he hadn’t seen her take out anything before the meeting.

Octavian smirked.

“I still have one last card to play,” he said as he examined the quill. “A Pontifex is the bridge to every god, after all, not just the prophetic ones.”

Frank watched him. Every single part of him told him yet again how he was doing the wrong thing, but he couldn’t stop.

He had to rescue his friend.

Percy was bored out of his mind as he watched the cars around him move at a speed that would make a turtle point and laugh.

They had stopped for lunch in the Miami area, obviously underestimating the heavy traffic of the city, and now they were trapped in a jam he doubted even the Grey Sisters could get out of.

The harpies, thankfully, had decided to follow into the ocean in pursue of Ella rather than bother them any further. Nico had been worried over Tyson after Percy had explained what happened in the river, but he reassured him his brother would stay underwater as much as possible, and he would eventually lose them too.

“Oh, right,” Percy said suddenly, tossing something Jason’s direction. “I didn’t have to use it after all. Ty doesn’t need payment.”

Jason caught his coin-sword immediately, flipping it over and checking its balance once it was transformed.

“Damage the seats with that thing and either Jules-Albert or I will kill you in your sleep,” Nico warned. On the front seat, the zombie chauffeur nodded, glaring at the weapon. Jason gulped and returned it to its smaller shape.

Percy sighed. His brain was working overtime trying to find something interesting. The cars around them were the same as 10 minutes ago, the radio was on some talk show about the merits of some new cult that was getting popular with celebrities. They had passed by the fourth or fifth burger joint in an hour, and over there was…

“It’s been a while since I last went to the movies,” he said off-handedly, staring at a theater. “I kind of miss it.”

“Tell me about it,” Nico said, eyes wistful. “I think the last movie I watched was Bambi, with mamma and Bianca.”

“That long ago?” Percy asked. “Damn, you must be like, super behind on pop culture.”

“It’s not like I had ample chance to watch any in the Lotus, and Octavian didn’t have my entertainment as a priority.”

Percy looked at Nico, contemplative

“Okay. It’s decided. As soon as we save Camp, we’re going to have a movie marathon, you and I,” he said, happy to see Nico smiling softly at him.

“Movies? I don’t see the point,” Jason said, ruining the moment. “Just sitting down and staring at a big screen for over an hour. It’s a waste of time. More than one sounds like torture.”

“Wow, you know what, I’m giving you your tittle of ‘Hard-ass no fun allowed Roman’ back.” Percy muttered.

“You’ve never called me that.”

“I did all the time,” he grinned at Jason’s growing frown. Percy put his index against his forehead. “Right in here.”

Jason made a fist and glared at him. Percy scooted over as far as he could to avoid his punch.

Okay, so maybe his teasing was a bit mean, he realized. To be fair, Jason had been the asshole first.

“Percy don’t bully him,” Nico’s soft voice seemed to defuse the situation before Percy had a chance to. Jason looked at him gratefully, before he noticed the smirk Percy found unbearably hot. “It’s not his fault he has never seen a movie before.”

Jason blushed and looked incredulously at Nico. Percy’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Jason.

“No way, dude!” He exclaimed. “Never? How is that possible? Nico told us your Roman city has movie theaters!”

“We do!” Jason said defensively. “I just… never saw the appeal.”

“You invited me once,” Nico pointed out. Percy tried very hard to keep his newfound mirth from dying at the revelation. “I wasn’t crazy enough to bear Octavian’s punishment if I said yes.” He explained quickly for Percy’s sake.

“What is this? Pick on Jason day?” He said, his blush was so widespread it reached his neck.

“Okay, okay, we’ll drop it,” Percy said. Jason seemed to calm down. Percy looked out the window, noticing the theater was still in sight. “But seriously, why?”

Jason still looked pretty embarrassed, but he seemed to pick up on Percy’s honest curiosity.

“It’s… something you do with friends,” he said. His gaze was on the car’s floor. “I never… felt close enough with anyone to go.”

“Why not?”

“Our Jason has had greatness written for him since he can remember,” Nico said. His voice was thick with sarcasm. “Dropped at the Wolf House as a toddler, with more years to train under Lupa than any other. Serving the Legion as the only son of Jupiter accepted by Juno. He is no mere demigod, who would dare treat him with anything but deference?”

With every word, Jason looked more and more miserable.

Percy observed him for a moment before sighing.

“Jules-Albert, park the car… please,” he said, remembering his manners at the last moment. The zombie grunted but started to pull the car over.

“Percy, what are you doing?” Nico asked. Percy just pushed them out the door and guided them towards the theater.

“We’re watching a movie,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Aren’t we on a time limit?” Jason asked, somewhat dubious. “Your camp can’t afford—”

“A couple of hours is fine, bro!” Percy insisted. “The traffic will be lighter when we get out.”

“Percy…”

“It’s okay, Nico. Nothing's wrong with having some fun once in a while,” he said. “Annabeth will call if anything happens, anyway.”

As he continued towards the theater, he caught Nico giving him one of those rare smiles that made him melt, while Jason just blinked in confusion.

“’Bro’…?”

Annabeth clacked away at her laptop like there was no tomorrow. Leo and the other Hephaestus campers were trying to look over her shoulder as she opened one of the schematics she had just made into a program Dedalus had made to see them in 3D.

“What is that thing?” Jake said, eyes wide.

“Polarity glove,” she said. “Inspired by Percy’s sword, you attach this sticker thing to your weapon and—”

“It flies back to your hand if you drop or toss it,” Leo whistled, impressed. “Nice, but… if more than one person wears it, how do you prevent mix-ups? What if I activate it and take Clarisse’s spear from her hand instead of my hammer?”

“I was hoping you’d help with that,” she admitted. “This kind of thing would help us survive the first, and hopefully only, attack.”

“It would take too long to figure out,” Nyssa said, frowning. “Take it from someone who once tried to create gliding boots, magnetism is bullsh*t.”

Annabeth sighed.

“So, this one’s also a bust,” she said, ready to close the document in resignation.

“Not… necessarily?” A new voice said. She looked up to find Will Solace looking at her. When had he arrived? “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. You told me to be here at five.”

Oh, right, the hymns she needed. After Cabin 9 had said her ideas were either too resource-heavy or too unlikely to be completed in time, she had extended the time trying to find at least one doable invention.

“By all means, go ahead.”

“If it isn’t specific enough, attach it to things that are not specific,” he said. “Gods know I’ve lost my fair share of arrows when practicing. Any projectile works.”

Annabeth immediately began modeling the glove again, making it look like an archery glove.

“More surface area,” Jake muttered. “The magnetic part has to move downwards as well.”

“The sticker will upset the arrow balance,” Leo added. “We need to either forge new ones or make the archers practice with weighted arrows.”

“Add flames!” Harley, the youngest of the Hephaestus campers, said loudly. “Flames look cool!”

“Let’s leave cosmetics until after the design phase.” Annabeth smiled as her new schematic came alive on the screen.

She had never felt this creative.

Don’t get her wrong, she wished for a peaceful solution to this conflict, but war was definitely the true mother of invention.

“Leo, how is Project Festus going?”

“He’s a sweetheart now,” Leo said. “Piper loves him.”

“I meant the upgrades.” Annabeth said. She knew the Dragon was tame now. Piper and the Aphrodite cabin made sure of that.

“Oh, he’s nearly done, just some minor adjustments left.”

“Will?”

“The hymns you asked for are done,” he confirmed. “I have them here if you want to check.”

“No, take them to cabin ten,” she said. “I want every Apollo singer and every Aphrodite Charmspeaker to learn them.”

Will blinked.

"Isn't that overkill?"

"Overkill is having to kill or die because our countermeasures won't reach their target," she said matter-of-factly.

“I guess but… I can’t help but feel like we’re committing a few war crimes with all these plans,” he said, abashed.

“We’re a bunch of minors about to engage in a war for supremacy, if we wanted to evade war crimes, we failed step one,” Annabeth said seriously. She heard Leo snicker behind her. “We’re doing this to prevent as much bloodshed as possible and maximize monster death.”

It was a mess, anyway. By right of conquest, the symbol of Victoria was a Roman relic since the Pyrrhic Wars, and the Greeks had stolen it (him). They were, diplomatically speaking, in the wrong. They were also the ones being invaded, they had every right to defend themselves.

“Still seems like overkill,” Will insisted.

“Better too much than too little,” she responded. She closed her laptop and stood up, feeling her muscles sore from staying in the same position so long. “Let’s leave it for the day, go have dinner or something.”

It was as good a dismissal as any. She walked back towards her cabin to leave the laptop, as her mind wandered.

Diplomatically, they needed to offer up some reparation for taking Nico, if they wanted to keep casualties to a minimum and a peaceful relationship with the Roman demigods.

Annabeth was a pragmatist at heart, she knew it was taking up far more resources and time than just training and fighting, but killing demigods just like them for no reason didn’t sit right with her. They were Jason’s comrades, Nico’s old acquaintances, they were people.

So, she would continue, she would keep on planning and hoping Percy, Nico and Jason found the Symbol of Pax.

For the Camp, for her friends… and why not, for the Romans, too.

Nico observed as Percy bought three tickets for some Superhero movie he knew nothing about. Apparently, it was safe enough for 'movie newbies.'

“I’ve been to movies before,” he pointed out.

“Modern movies, then.” Percy rolled his eyes. “You’ll love it, trust me.” He walked towards the concession stand.

Behind them, Jason looked around quietly. He seemed embarrassed to be there, his eyes lingered on a couple, and he quickly averted his eyes.

“What’s with you?” Nico asked in a low voice, before making sure Percy was out of earshot.

“Nothing,” he said way too quickly. “Just… nervous, a little excited, embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed by what?” Nico couldn’t help but notice the small blush on Jason’s face. It looked wrong. Jason Grace was never ashamed.

“…Couples,” he whispered the word as if he might die if someone else heard him. “They’re everywhere, and I’ve heard enough late barrack talks to know what goes on with them when the lights go out.”

Nico snorted. Jason looked betrayed at his reaction, but he couldn’t help it. The big, strong leader the Romans looked up to was scared of PDA. No wonder Reyna never got far with him.

But Jason’s words did give him an idea.

“Hey, it’s okay, just focus on the movie,” he said, trying to sound as understanding as he could. “This isn’t a mission, just a small detour to unwind. Don’t overthink stuff.”

“You guys ready?” Percy said, coming up with two buckets full of popcorn and three sodas.

“We should be the ones asking that.” Nico rolled his eyes as Jason helped carry some of the snacks. Nico gave a deep breath before grabbing Percy’s recently freed hand and tugging on it. “Shall we?”

Percy blushed and nodded dumbly. Nico did his best to hide his smile.

His crush might be a pipe dream, completely impossible and almost certainly unrequited.

But for the next couple hours, in the dark of the theater, he could pretend it wasn’t so.

“Am I supposed to know who that guy is?” Nico muttered. Percy didn’t know who he was talking about, so he remained quiet.

He couldn’t pay any attention to the movie.

How could he, really, when Nico had decided to snuggle against his arm, because (his words) it was easier to reach the popcorn on his lap.

“Is this a part 2?” Nico asked in a whisper, his breath ghosting over his ear. Percy felt goosebumps all over his back.

He had to be doing this on purpose! Right? If he wasn’t, Percy was sure he was finally crazy. It hadn't been the monsters, the Labyrinth, or an angry Mr. D. No, it had been Nico di Angelo!

“Um… not exactly?” He tried to concentrate on the question. How do you explain a cinematic universe to someone who hasn’t watched any movie since the 40s? “There are movies that take place in the same universe, but the story should be understandable even if this is your first.”

Nico didn’t look like he understood, but nodded all the same. His hand once again hovered over his crotch for one second too long before grabbing some more popcorn.

Percy gulped. He averted his eyes. Further away from Nico, Jason was completely enraptured with the movie, absently taking handfuls of popcorn every once in a while and putting them in his mouth.

Okay, he could focus on Jason having fun. It seemed like a novel experience to the guy, and if the movie couldn’t distract him from Nico, maybe a real person could.

The son of Jupiter’s eyes were almost sparkling as he followed the onscreen sky fight. Honestly, it was almost adorable how he gasped and smiled as the perfect model of an audience reaction.

Nico took his hand and entwined their fingers.

Now it was Percy’s turn to gasp as he looked back. Even in the low lighting, he could see Nico’s frowning face dusted pink as he kept on looking at the screen.

“You’re not paying attention to the movie,” Nico muttered, somewhat grumpily.

“Sorry, I’m just… a little on edge.” A grain of truth couldn’t hurt right. Of course, Nico might be teasing him on purpose, and the implications of that would be good, but if it was all in his head and he did something stupid, he would lose the son of Hades’s friendship.

Nico untangled himself from him, looking down.

“Oh, right,” he said. “Camp could be attacked at any moment, and here we are wasting time because you wanted to do something nice for us.”

“Nico, wait, that’s—”

“Selfish,” he whispered, so low the movie’s music almost drowned him.

Almost.

“I wanted to come,” Percy said. He put an arm around Nico’s shoulders. “It’s okay to unwind a bit, defuse tensions.”

Nico tensed up, making Percy hesitate. Maybe there was a completely platonic reason for Nico’s behavior.

“Still, this feels like having fun while Rome falls… as ironic as that saying is right now.”

“Nico, it’s okay to enjoy things,” Percy said gently. “You don’t have to feel guilty about it.”

Jason shushed them. Nico and Percy blinked before chuckling, earning them a glare from their friend. Once they had quieted down, Nico leaned against him again. Somehow, the fact that his arm was still around Nico's shoulders made the position more intimate.

“It’s okay to enjoy this,” Nico whispered. Percy’s mind raced. Did he mean the movie or…? “Thank you, Percy.”

“Um… anytime Nico.”

Frank sighed, trying hard to keep his dinner down.

Roman rations are disgusting, I don't blame you.

Warriors need their energy. Who cares where it comes from? It only needs to keep you fighting!

“Reyna? Can I come in?” He said outside her tent. A minute passed, then two. Just as he was debating whether or not to enter anyway, His fellow Praetor came out, dressed in her purple pajamas.

“Yes?” She said, her arms crossed and her expression cold.

Frank gulped loudly. He was a Praetor of New Rome, he could do this.

“What was your relationship with the Envoy like?” He asked. Reyna seemed surprised by the question.

“We were well acquainted,” she said carefully. “My mother and his patron are closely tied, so I visited every so often.”

“So did I,” he said. “At first, I just wanted to prove myself worthy of… something, anything, in the Legion, but he… he became my friend.”

“I’m fond of him as well,” she admitted. “But I won’t sacrifice the lives of my troops for one person, no matter who they are.”

I like this one, she admits she would lose. Inside his brain, Ares laughed mockingly.

“I know that,” Frank responded quickly before his other father rose to the bait. “Just as I know you think of me as just Octavian’s little stooge.”

Reyna said nothing, which was all the confirmation Frank needed.

“We may disagree on whether or not our friends are worth the risk,” he continued, he saw Reyna frown at his words. “But believe me when I say the Auspex has his days in his position numbered.”

Reyna laughed. It was a mirthless sound, almost bitter.

“And what is your plan, Praetor Zhang?” She asked. “A court-martial? You gave him power in a silver platter, and you’re either naïve or an imbecile if you believe he isn’t forging connection to stay rooted in power.”

“Like your option is any better,” he scoffed. “Keeping him as Augur just gave him unlimited access to Nico. Did you never wonder why a boy who never had to fight kept having new scars appear every other day?”

Her expression told him she had figured it out. Both sides of his father remained quiet. Neither liked Octavian much. Mars had even called him 'an acceptable loss in the war.'

“It won’t work,” she insisted. “Many Centurions can be swayed with promises of power, the Senate is eating out of his hand thanks to you. You gave him the victory Nico was never able to. The best we can do is minimize the damage he will cause.”

“That’s why we must keep marching East,” he said. “Nico has to be rescued, and once we do… Octavian will lose.”

“Our troops—”

“I’ll convince Octavian and Bryce to use their monsters as the first, and hopefully only, line of attack.” Frank narrowed his eyes. “I’ll be there, if there’s any casualty, it must be me.”

He was the idiot Praetor who was risking the Legion after all.

“And then what will happen? Octavian, our War Hero, will become Praetor.”

“Even if I die, Octavian will lose,” he repeated. “But it all hinges on rescuing Nico.”

His plan was bare bones, but Nico was the smartest person he knew. Even if he died, Nico would depose Octavian, he was sure of it.

He had almost done it once already.

The kid is good, Mars admitted.Too bad he's not one of us.

Frank still didn't know why Mars said that, but he could feel the smugness Ares felt every time it was brought up.

“Have you ever thought that maybe he doesn’t want to be rescued?” Reyna said, bringing him back to their conversation.

“What do you mean?”

“The Greeks had help when taking Nico. Jason wouldn’t have allowed them to escape, I know it.” Her face was severe and collected. “The only person who could have helped them slip away is Nico himself.”

Frank stared, feeling offended. Nico wanted freedom, yes, but he wouldn’t have allowed the Barracks to burn with Greek fire, or revealed Legion secrets to strangers…

He wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.

“Ah, but it is Fate to find you two together, Praetors!” Octavian’s voice resounded among the tents. “The gods have answered my calls and showed me the way forward!”

“And what would that be?” Reyna asked, recovering quicker than Frank. “Turning back, like I said?” Octavian gave her a smug smirk.

“Your letter is useless now; my own missive is already riding with the Legion’s fastest eagle.” The Legacy of Apollo gave a laugh. “Tomorrow we march Northeast, towards New York!”

Frank looked at Reyna. She looked defeated, but caught his eye. She gave a grave nod. Frank could only interpret it as ‘whatever you’re planning, I hope it works.'

Chapter 24: The Symbol of Peace: Visiting the Harmonious Carnival

Chapter Text

“We need to watch the other ones!” Jason exclaimed excitedly.

They were back in the car, finally out of Miami and on the highway connecting the keys. Jason had been gushing so much about the movie that Percy didn’t have the heart to admit he had missed most of it and had watched Nico instead. Not that he needed to, as his Roman friend’s fanboying was basically retelling the whole plot while commenting how ‘cool’ or ‘impressive’ it was.

Percy made the mistake of explaining (again) the concept of a cinematic universe, and Jason’s eyes had shined so much they had turned a literal electric blue.

“It would be nice,” Nico agreed. He shuffled a bit, so he was leaning on Percy again. “I wouldn’t mind seeing another one soon.” He looked at Percy, probably trying to gauge his reaction.

Percy wasn’t sure if it was to make sure he was okay with it or with Nico’s flirting.

(Because it was flirting, wasn’t it?)

“Sure, once the camp is safe and there’s no war looming over our heads,” he said. Anticipating Nico’s reaction, he wrapped his arm around his shoulders before he moved away. “I’m just glad you opened up a little.”

There, the statement was vague enough to include Jason, and Nico could take a more personal meaning from it if he wanted.

Two could play that game, di Angelo.

“Still, I’m sorry for imposing on you,” Nico said, looking away from him. Percy frowned.

“Hey, if I wasn’t okay with it, I would say it.” Percy moved his arm back, dragging Nico closer to him. “So don’t worry so much about it.”

“Uh… are we still talking about the movie?” Jason asked, confused. Percy and Nico glanced at each other.

“Yeah.” “What else?” Both said at the same time.

Jason raised his eyebrow but said nothing else.

A comfortable silence followed. Percy realized he still had his arm around Nico, who had made no movement to get away.

Was he leading Nico on? He still didn’t feel quite ready to be in a relationship yet, and if Nico was indeed interested, something that was becoming increasingly likely, he didn’t know if he could be with him like Nico probably wanted.

“Over there!” Nico said, pointing. Percy had to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. In the distance, by the next isle, there was a light show that seemed to be coming from a rectangular tarp. It looked like a carnival. “It stands out too much. That must be where the goddess of Harmony is!”

Jules-Albert groaned at his master’s voice, probably understanding that he was to drop them off there.

“Why would she be hiding in a carnival?” Jason said, voicing Percy’s thoughts.

“I don’t know,” Nico said, looking at the lights intently. “I guess we’ll have to ask her once we meet her.”

Carnival Harmont stood conspicuously by the highway connecting the Florida Keys. It looked haphazardly thrown together, the tents and stands all bolted to the ground.

Unlike Arcadia Inn, people were flocking to this place despite the late hour. Families and couples abounded, eating unhealthy snacks, and trying on some games that were probably rigged.

Jason looked around, trying to find something out of the ordinary with the people, but they all seemed to be happy mortals enjoying a day of fun.

“Did you guys notice?” Nico said, looking around wearily. Jason frowned. What had Nico seen. “The staff.”

“They are all girls,” Percy noted, shuddering a little. Both Jason and Nico turned to look at him. “Sorry, the last myth related all-female establishment I went to turned me into a guinea pig.”

“Now that’s something I’d like to see,” Jason said, smirking. Percy just gave him a glare.

“You know, when I said I wanted you to relax and loosen up, I didn’t mean by teasing me.”

Jason chuckled. It was refreshing, having people he could joke around with and not feel like they were going along with it because of his position or history.

Jason might end up becoming addicted if he continued.

“I didn’t mean that, exactly,” Nico whispered loudly, trying to make himself both inaudible to everyone but them yet still be heard over the music and carnival sounds. “Look at the cotton candy vendor and the ring toss girl.”

Both he and Percy did so. Jason saw two dark haired girls in their late teens or early twenties smiling and calling out to the passersby. They were similar, probably sisters. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. He was about to say so when he noticed something when turning quickly towards Nico. He turned between the two rapidly, blinking.

“It’s the same person,” he said, eyes wide. “Or maybe… twins?”

“Poor mother then,” Percy said. “I count at least seven more girls with the same face.”

“There’s three unique ones,” Nico said, pointing at the cotton candy girl, then at the girl in front of the Ferris wheel, and at the girl on the ticket stand. While they all looked similar, there were slight differences in their hairstyles and skin tone. “They all share the same basic features, but all the staff is one of those three.”

“What does it mean?” Jason asked, hand in his pocket, feeling his coin. “Are they dangerous?”

“I don’t think so.” Nico got in line to the ticket stand. Percy and Jason followed behind him. “Remember what Lady Nike said? In times of strife, the goddess of Harmony seeks mirrors.”

“So, she’s our goddess?” Percy asked, bewildered.

“Either aspects of her… or her reflections,” Nico confirmed. The man in front of him got his tickets and left. Nico approached and put on a smile like the ones he gave during the war games back at Camp Jupiter, outwardly friendly but ultimately shallow. “Hi, do you take credit?”

“We do not, unfortunately,” The girl said, not dropping her smile a bit, even if her tone was apologetic. “Only cash here!”

Nico turned to look expectantly at them. Jason patted his pockets, same as Percy. Between them they managed to scrap a few notes. Nico took them wordlessly and turned back to the girl.

“How much can this get us?”

“Six tickets, enough for six games or three attractions,” she informed him.

Nico gave her the money.

“We didn’t expect to find a carnival here,” he said conversationally. “It’s a very… harmonious environment.”

Jason’s eyes widened. Why didn’t Nico just hang a sign saying, ‘we’re onto you’ around his neck? It would be slightly less obvious.

The girl seemed not to notice, just smiling wider.

“It is, isn’t it?” she said dreamily. “Carnivals and festivals are just filled with people getting along, all thinking the same things. It’s so… so…”

“Soothing?” Nico guessed. The girl nodded and handed him his tickets. “Say, if these are good for just three attractions, I’d like to go to my favorite. Do you have a House of Mirrors?”

For the first time in the entire conversation, the girl’s smile faltered. She looked towards one of the bigger tents for a split second before turning back to Nico, all peppy again.

“I’m sorry, but that attraction is out of service,” she said. “You can pick a ride like the carousel or, if you want more bang for your buck, try and get some prizes in the stands!”

“I might just do that, thank you.”

Nico bowed his head slightly and motioned for Percy and Jason to follow him. The girl saw them off waving slightly and shouting, “have a harmonious night!”

“That girl was creepy,” Percy said once they had reached an area with no staff. “She never stopped smiling, it was unnerving.”

“Give her a break,” Jason said back, frowning a bit. “Compared to Lady Victoria, she’s downright sensible.”

“Keep quiet. Just because she’s being agreeable doesn’t mean she’s not still a goddess.” Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Children, the both of them. “We’re in her domain right now, stealth is how we’ll do it.”

He looked around to make sure no one was looking at them before getting closer to the tent that the ticket girl had glanced at when he mentioned the house of mirrors. The entrance was closed with a zipper. Nico carefully pulled it open and entered, hoping Percy and Jason weren’t far behind.

The attraction seemed normal, but Nico knew that this carnival was all about being inconspicuous on the surface. The zigzagging hallways with mirrors instead of walls extended as far as the eye could see, with some non-reflecting glass to throw people off.

Except… there seemed to be a bit too much non-reflective glass.

“Percy? Take something off,” he asked. He saw Percy’s eyes widen and his face turn red in the reflection. Noticing how what he said could be misinterpreted, Nico blushed too. “I mean, like a shoe! Or something out of your pocket!”

Nico winced as his loud, panicked voice echoed through the hallways. Nothing seemed to change, making Nico relax. It looked like the goddess was too disperse to notice them.

“Right,” Percy muttered. he knelt and untied his sneakers, taking them off. He still seemed a bit flustered, but Nico did his best to ignore that.

“Now step away from it,” he instructed. As soon as Percy took a step away the shoes appeared in quite a few of the supposedly non-reflective glass walls.

“What the…” Jason said, eyes wide. He took out Iulius, still in coin form, and carefully laid it by Percy’s shoes. The coin appeared on the reflections. “They are mirrors! But then, why don’t we reflect?”

“Well, I doubt someone turned us into vampires,” Percy commented sarcastically. He touched one of the mirrors where only his shoes reflected. “My guess is these are the ones that birthed the carnival staff.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Nico said. “Still, there are things I still don’t get. Why three faces? The goddess of Harmony should be split between her Greek and Roman personas only. Who’s the third one?”

“Maybe we’ll find the answer further in,” Jason said, taking his coin back. Percy dropped down to put his shoes on. “If my guess is correct, the true goddess must be in the center of this maze.”

“Let’s go, then,” Nico said.

As they walked through the maze, Nico’s mind was still racing, trying to figure out why there was a third face in the mix.

They took way too many wrong turns for comfort, one of them, embarrassingly, had Percy bump his nose against one of the mirrors that didn’t reflect people.

“Not. A. Word.” He said, glaring as best as he could with a hand covering his nose.

It took them about 15 minutes to get to the center, where a large circle made of mirrors made a room with a chair in the middle. On the chair sat a woman that looked asleep, eyes closed and head down, despite her upright posture. She was similar to the girls manning the carnival and was wearing a chiton that cascaded down to the floor.

“Who am I?” The woman said, voice devoid of emotion.

Percy looked at Nico and Jason, who seemed as worried as he felt.

“What do we say?” He whispered. Nico frowned a bit.

“She represents harmony, I guess she could take any name and that would stabilize her, at least temporarily.”

Jason nodded and took a step forward. Nico’s eyes widened, trying to follow him.

“You’re Concordia, Goddess of Harmony,” he said with confidence.

The goddess remained seated, unmoving, but one of her reflections stood up and exited the mirror frame.

As soon as she did, her chiton was replaced by the carnival staff uniform. Percy recognized her as the cotton candy girl.

“Thank you!” She smiled. “I need to clean up the carousel.”

And with that, she was gone.

“Well, that didn’t work,” Percy said. At least they now knew what was up with the carnival.

“Who am I?” The goddess asked again.

“Whatever name we say, a new reflection will be born,” Nico said, pensive. “I think the clue is with the third girl.”

“So, let’s find out who she is,” Percy said before looking at the goddess. “Are you Harmonia, maybe?”

The new reflection came out of the mirror. She clapped in celebration.

“You know what? You might be right!” She said excitedly. It was Ferris wheel girl. “I have to greet the guests!”

“Wait,” Percy called. Harmonia stopped, looking curiously at him. “Who’s giving out tickets?”

Harmonia pressed her lips and looked pensive for a few seconds, before shrugging.

“Not my department,” she said easily. “A like-minded individual, though.”

And with that, she was gone before Percy could ask her anything else.

“Who am I?”

“Beats me, apparently!” Percy said out of frustration. Jason remained quiet, while Nico paced around, thinking.

“Who is it?” Nico muttered. “Why are there three? Is there another pantheon involved? If the both of them want harmony, why is she conflicted?”

“Because it’s not just two,” Jason said, making Nico stop. “It’s a similar situation to Magna Mater.”

“Who?” Percy asked.

“Cybele, the Mother Goddess,” Nico said, eyes widening. “And also Rhea, Kronos’s wife. Two Greek goddesses with one Roman counterpart. The conflict must have forced the three together!”

“Well, Magna Mater’s case is more complicated,” Jason explained. “Saturn’s wife is Ops, but she wasn’t his sister, and her domain is different from Rhea’s. I wonder what her case is with this conflict…”

“Thankfully, we’re only dealing with this one,” Percy said. He did not want his brain hurting from trying to pick apart his grandmother’s identity crisis. “So, is our third goddess Greek or Roman?”

“Probably Greek,” Nico said. “Both Harmonia and Concordia became words that mean harmony. Her case must be similar, as with all minor gods of concepts.”

Like Victoria and Victory or Pan meaning everything (as Grover had told him once). He tried to think of a word in ancient Greek that meant the same thing as Harmony.

“A like-minded individual.”

“Carnivals and festivals are just filled with people getting along, all thinking the same things.”

Like-mindedness. There was a Greek word for that. His brain supplied it as he concentrated on it.

“Is your name… hom*onoia?” He asked uncertainly. One of the reflections stood up and walked out of her mirror.

The ticket girl.

“It’s the first time in centuries that someone guesses me!” She said excitedly. “I better help with the candied apples.”

“Before you go,” Nico said, making her stop. “How is your relationship with Harmonia?”

hom*onoia frowned a bit and sighed. It was the most human Percy had ever seen any of the reflections acting.

“We usually get along great! But… we’re different. Even if you have a lot in common with someone you don’t want to be with them all the time… or to be them.”

“Do you resent Concordia, then? For being both you and Harmonia?” Jason asked.

“Of course not!” Her eyes widened. She looked scandalized. “I’m her, too! I could never resent myself! I’m just not Harmonia.”

Percy somewhat understood what the goddess was going through. Perhaps if the Romans had a counterpart just for her, both hom*onoia and Harmonia wouldn’t have felt the divide, like Aphrodite, but as it was, she had it worse than most.

“Thank you for your time,” Nico said politely. hom*onoia smiled and left, leaving the three of them alone with the goddess once more. Nico turned towards them. “Concordia is trying to make her two counterparts into one, but Harmonia and hom*onoia don’t want that. Harmony being in conflict is such a contradiction that she created this place to nurture her domain and make her counterparts work together.”

“And she does something similar every time there’s a conflict between Romans and Greeks, if Nike is right,” Jason continued Nico’s thought. “So obviously it doesn’t work.”

“Who am I?” The goddess asked again, and Percy understood there was no correct answer. Concordia would try to pull the other two together, fail, and create a reflection, while Harmonia and hom*onoia would try to assert their differing identities, fail, and create reflections.

There was no way to reach her.

“You are harmony itself. You are the amalgamation of a single idea, even if you have different names and origins,” Nico tried. The goddess lifted her head and faced Nico. She stayed for a few seconds, before facing down again.

“Who am I?”

“You can’t reach her,” Jason said. He put his hand on Nico’s shoulder. “She’s too lost in her own mind.”

“Well, of course she is,” Percy agreed. “She’s sleeping, she’s only reacting to names.”

“Sleeping…” Nico repeated. He looked around for a second before his eyes widened. “That’s it! I know how to reach her!”

“What’s your plan?” Jason asked, preemptively taking out his coin.

“I’ll dream walk and try to reach her inside her mind,” Nico said.

“Nico, take it from someone who has been inside the mind of a god once,” Percy said, remembering his brief stint in his father’s throne. “Don’t do it. Whenever their mind or domain is breached, they tend to smite first and ask questions later.”

“I know,” Nico said. “But it’s the only plan I have.”

“She could destroy your mind!” Percy insisted. Nico looked at him strangely. “Please, don’t do it.”

“Nico, we can think of something else,” Jason said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“It really does.” Nico looked at his hands. “Confronted in sleep by endless nightmare. This is what the prophecy meant.”

“Nico, you—”

Before Percy could try to argue further, Nico rushed to him and pressed their lips together. Instinctually, Percy put his arms around Nico’s waist, kissing back with as much urgency as Nico.

“Wh-Wha…” was all he managed to say once they separated. He was vaguely aware of Jason staring at them in shock.

Nico smiled bashfully.

“In case anything happens… wanted to do it at least once.”

He slipped away and touched his forehead to the goddess’s before either he or Jason could do anything.

“Nico!”

The boy fell down instantly, like a puppet with his strings cut. Jason was faster than him, catching him before his head hit the ground.

“Now what?” Percy said, looking at Nico in worry.

Before Jason could answer, a bright light came from the goddess, making them both close their eyes.

Nico realized two things as soon as he opened his eyes.

Number one, entering a deity’s psyche made for a terrible first dream walking experience. Every memory, every thought was overwhelming, almost as if just looking at them would swallow him whole in their power.

Second, the mixing of a Roman and two Greek personas made for a chaotic landscape where nothing made sense. Nico would take a couple steps only to go backwards. He would turn left and the scenery around him would move up. The mix of colors and shapes changed every half second, and getting too close to any of the shapes (which Nico soon realized were similar to his mindscape’s doors) would made his body heat up to the point he feared he would disintegrate.

“Where are you?” He said out loud.

As if called by his voice, a path opened before him. It took a few tries, with Nico walking backwards, jumping, and even dropping to the floor, but he eventually reached a small, empty space with a shadow on the floor.

The shadow silhouetted a woman, but as Nico approached it became a distorted mess with five arms, three feet and a face too wide for any humanoid creature. It moved erratically, each limb trying to go its separate way before trying to unite.

“Do you know who I am, child of the underworld?” She asked, hopeful.

Nico bit his lip. Should he repeat what he said when he was awake? He doubted Harmonia and hom*onoia would appreciate him denying their individuality.

“I’m not sure,” Nico said honestly. “Your domain is harmony, but you have many stories that don’t mix correctly, right?”

“Yes,” the shadow said. “I was married, but also a maiden. My birthplace is Thebes, or maybe Olympus. My mother was a minor goddess of Justice, but I was also born to Aphrodite.”

“What about your Roman self?” He asked. “Is there any conflict there?”

“I stepped away,” she said, a softer voice. “I’m both of them, but I can’t… I can’t make them agree! What kind of harmony can I bring others if it won’t come to me?”

Nico reached out to the shadow, stroking what he believed to be the shadow’s hair in an attempt to soothe her.

“I think you did the right thing,” he said softly. “I think you’re all like-minded individuals, and all of you want people to get along. That’s why you set up carnivals and festivals, right?”

“…It’s nice when people agree,” was all she said.

“You can agree with yourself too,” Nico told her. The shadow seemingly inflated, taking on a more corporeal form. She was interested.

“How?”

“You are Concordia, who is both Harmonia and hom*onoia,” he said. “Rather than try to make your Greek counterparts one, let them be separate. The conflict means you share a body, but having the same personality is optional.”

“The other gods are like that. They can’t agree, they fight all the time.”

“But Harmonia and hom*onoia are on good terms,” Nico insisted. “It’ll be like, two people sharing a body, agreeing to work together until the conflict stops. A… harmonious arrangement, if you will.”

The Goddess that formed in front of him was distinctively Concordia, but her hair was done up on one side and covered by a cowl on the other. She looked at him and smiled.

“I think we can make this work,” she said, bowing a little. “Thank you, Son of Hades.”

The mindscape rumbled and melted away. Nico saw his own body passed out in Jason’s arms, but before he could get to it, the mindscape rearranged and exploded, sending his consciousness flying to places unknown.

When Jason opened his eyes, the goddess had stood up. She looked like those theater actors who used make up on only one side, making two different characters depending on which way they faced.

“Did Nico do it?” Percy asked, looking at their friend, probably expecting him to open his eyes any moment.

The goddess knelt and caressed Nico’s face before looking at them.

“Such a clever boy,” she said fondly. “Yes, Perseus Jackson, the son of Hades gave us the harmony that eluded us.”

“Us?” Jason asked. “What happened? What did Nico do?”

“He made us reach… an agreement,” she said, smiling. “Harmonia and hom*onoia will never be one. That’s why we didn’t enjoy being Concordia, but Nico has given us an alternative. Calling us Concordia is fine, but you’re talking to hom*onoia, if you want to be specific.”

“What about Nico? Is he okay?” Percy spoke up. He took Nico from Jason’s arms and gave him a few gentle shakes. “He’s not waking up.”

Concordia looked distraught.

“I’m afraid our mind rearranging itself expulsed his consciousness far away,” she said, touching Nico’s forehead. “He will awake eventually, but right now, he’s wandering between dreams, trying to find his way back.”

Jason wanted to shout at the goddess for being so dismissive after Nico had done so much to help her, but held it back for fear of being smited. As Nico had said, she could be nice, but at the end of the day she was still a deity.

“Is there nothing you can do to help him?” Percy said, his tone far more rude than his words.

“Dreams are tricky. Only chthonic gods can really control them, and most of them still have difficulty with them,” Concordia explained. “Still, I am in your debt, if there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll be glad to help.”

“Keth-what?” Percy asked.

“From the underworld,” Jason said quickly. Nico was alone in this, then. Jason frowned. Still, they had come here for a reason, and Nico would have their heads if they didn’t keep the quest in mind. “Concordia, we came to you looking for a way to stabilize Pax. We were told you could do that.”

Concordia clasped her hands and smiled widely.

“Helping others reach harmony? Why yes, it is within my powers! Oh…” she hummed, looking troubled. “But Pax, she will be hard… the others will pull her back.”

“Others?”

“Pax is part of a set,” she said. “The Horae. If you want to stabilize her, you will need to find her and her sisters, and help them all.”

“To untangle the united is to untangle the hours,” Percy recited. “Isn’t there something you can give us to help them?”

Concordia remained quiet for a while before making a flourish with her hand. A funnel cake appeared on a box.

“Have them eat this,” she said. “Nothing brings people together like sharing a meal.”

Jason took the box and closed the lid.

“Thank you.”

“Thank Nico when he wakes up. May your travels be safe,” she said. They closed their eyes before the godly flash of light could disintegrate them.

The made their way back to the entrance, only to find no trace of their car.

“Where’s Jules-Albert?” Jason asked, looking around. Percy gave a sigh.

“I guess without Nico to call him, he won’t appear.” Percy moved Nico around, so he was on his back instead of being bridal carried. “I’ll call Camp… seems like we’ll be meeting the Party Ponies after all.”

Seeing Percy’s resignation, Jason couldn’t help the feeling of dread creeping up on him.

He just hoped Nico was having a better time in the dream world.

When Nico came to, he immediately realized he was still asleep.

Before him there was a vast nothingness, with humanoid silhouettes coming in and out of view. When Nico tried to get close to one, the figure would start turning more real, and the black would fill with colors and shape, almost but not quite forming a proper landscape.

“These are other people’s dreams,” he said. “And I’m supposed to be thinking this, not talking… a side effect of being separated from my body?”

He shook his head. He needed to get back to his body, he could wander about the dream world at another time.

“Where is my body?”

He walked for a while, but saw nothing. He began noticing some silhouettes were more defined than others. When he approached one, he saw it was Dakota, one of the Fifth Cohort centurions.

“Are they more defined because they are demigods? Or is it because I know them?”

He didn’t approach the centurion, but a thought occurred to him.

He had no immediate way to get back, and Percy and Jason would take care of his body… He could peek into some legionnaire and find out where they were, if only to help Annabeth and the others with their plans.

He kept walking trying to find another defined dreamer, but it was a while before he saw one. He guessed it was the early hour. Most people hadn’t fallen asleep yet. Dakota must have had an early watch shift to be asleep at the time.

He thought of getting back to him, when a second defined silhouette appeared in front of him. He approached excitedly, only to stop in his tracks.

The shadowed features were still hard to make out, but he would recognize the Augur’s face everywhere.

His first instinct was to run away, but his feet remained planted in place.

“He’s the one planning all this… knowing his plan might actually help us.”

Decided, he moved towards Octavian. As he did so, his surroundings turned into a temple at night. It wasn’t the Ara Victoriae, too big, but it wasn’t big enough to be the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus either.

In fact, the more he looked, the less it seemed like a Roman temple at all.

Octavian was in the center, talking to something.

At first it was hard to discern what it was, but soon it became obvious it was a bird.

“He’s talking to his patron,” he whispered, knowing he couldn’t control his voice.

“Yes, I know,” he said. Hearing his voice again was like being punched in the gut. Nico felt queasy just from it. “Those idiots will fund anything if they think it’ll give them an advantage. The Onagers will meet us by Pennsylvania.”

Nico’s eyes widened. Onagers? Had the emperor and the senate truly approved of such expensive war machines?

He got even closer. Nico could finally make out the bird. It wasn’t natural, with its bright red plumage and peaco*ck-like feathers it resembled no mortal birds.

“A phoenix,” he said in the lowest voice possible. “Phoenixes come from Egypt, but they are used as a symbol of Apollo. Did he lie about not being involved with Octavian?”

Octavian turned, making Nico hide behind one of the pillars. The bird moved, and Octavian turned back.

“It’s nothing,” he said dismissively. Another pause “A dream of vermin, probably.”

“I can’t hear it…” he realized. Nico moved closer, trying to focus less on Octavian and more on the bird.

As it turned more nitid, Nico realized the phoenix was unlike what books described them as. While its plumage did remind him of a fire, the tips of its feathers were black like soot, with an ashen gradient in between. It looked as if it hadn’t burned properly on its last rebirth.

The closer he got, the more vivid the phoenix became, and the duller Octavian turned.

“I’m entering the bird’s dream…”

“The monsters will turn on the Legion after the Greeks are dead,” The bird spoke. It had a masculine voice, but there was an immaturity to it that made Nico think of a teenager. “Let it happen. Only those who survive will be worthy of serving you.”

To Octavian’s credit, he had the decency to look shocked at the instruction. He moved his arms around and said something Nico could no longer hear.

“They will follow you,” The bird said. “Demigods, Legacies, even the emperor. What other option they have when faced with a god?”

The Augur looked pleased at the mere mention of the word god.

“So that’s what you’re offering him.”

The phoenix turned around and looked at him straight in the eye. Nico tried to run away, but from the bird’s shadow emerged a beast.

‘Beast’ was the only proper name for it, as it changed every time Nico looked. It had claws one moment, then talons, then hooves. Its face would be lupine, then feline, and then like a marten. The only thing that never changed were the yellow eyes and sharp teeth.

It bit Nico, tearing at his soul. Nico screamed as the creature started pulling on him, taking him away from the dream. As it dragged him away, the pain only intensified, making him whimper.

“Icelos!” A voice said seconds, or maybe hours, later. “Weren’t you supposed to guard his majesty?”

The beast snarled and growled in what Nico thought was a language.

“Icelos, or Phobetor… of the Oneiros, sons of Hypnos… he takes the form of an animal in dreams,” he said, delirious from pain.

“Ah, I see, this one.” He came closer. His face was blurry, but it wasn’t due to pain. It was like dreaming up a person he had never met. Morpheus, Nico realized. “Well, what are you waiting for? Tether him to the cell already! His Majesty will want to talk to him.”

The beast, Phobetor, closed his jaws even tighter. Nico screamed again, and finally lost consciousness.

Chapter 25: The Symbol of Peace: There are Family Reunions in Multiple Levels

Chapter Text

“I’ll see about calling them,” Chiron said at Percy’s image on the rainbow. “They might be a little rowdier than usual, seeing the late hour.”

“Oh, goody…” Percy said, grimacing. “As if the Party Ponies aren’t rowdy enough normally.”

“Just be careful with Nico,” Annabeth butted in. “Tie him up to you if you must, but protect his body at all costs.”

“I know that, Wise Girl.” Percy rolled his eyes at her.

“It’s too important. There are children of Hypnos who suffered a scrape or a cut while dream walking, didn’t recognize their own body and couldn’t wake up,” Annabeth said. “Nico is too vulnerable in that state.”

“We’ll protect him,” Jason said, smushing Percy’s face so he could appear on the image. “Also, we kind of need information on where the Horae are.”

“The Horae are goddesses of the seasons,” Chiron said. “They prefer places where their respective season is strongest.”

“That won’t work, hom*onoia said we need to bring all three together to make Eirene stable.” Percy pushed Jason aside to give himself breathing space. “Maybe we could call them in a place where all seasons are present?”

“It sounds like you need help from wilderness experts,” Annabeth said, smirking. Jason seemed to get it, as he paled and began fidgeting nervously.

“Grover?” Percy asked. “You know he’s way south of the continent looking for untouched wild areas. IMs don’t reach there. I guess if I tried with our bond…”

“Actually, I was thinking of the Hunters of Artemis,” she said. “If anyone knows of sacred nature reserves, it’s them.”

“Um, Annabeth I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re three dudes,” he pointed at Jason, below the image where she supposed Nico was, and at himself. “We’re not going to be well received.”

“You will when two of you happen to be their lieutenants’ brothers,” she pointed out. “The Party Ponies will know where to find them, right?”

“Unfortunately. They enjoy riling them up.” Chiron gave a deep sigh. “Let’s just hope the hunters are in a good mood.”

Annabeth bit her lip.

“Just be careful, and protect Nico.”

“We will.”

She saw Percy’s hand for half a second before the image dissolved. Chiron sighed again.

“I have a few calls to make.”

Annabeth wished she could be of more help to them. Her preparations were almost complete, but she was still needed for logistics and organization beyond that.

If only there was something she could do to help them on the quest.

“Maybe there is,” she said to herself, before going to the Athena cabin.

She had a few goddesses to read about.

Percy and Jason sat awkwardly on a bench near the parking lot of Harmont Carnival (which, now that he looked at the sign closely, the ‘T’ looked suspiciously like a ‘Y’ that had been worn down by age), waiting for the Party Ponies. Nico was sprawled across their laps, sleeping soundly.

“So,” Jason said, looking away from him. “How long have you and Nico… you know…”

Percy stared at him confused for about three seconds before he understood what Jason meant.

“Oh no, we… we’re not together.” Jason gave him an unimpressed stare. “I mean it! I like him and, I guess he likes me back but… it’s complicated.”

“Sounds very straight-forward to me,” he said, shrugging. “He kissed you, you kissed him back…”

“A couple of weeks ago, I thought I would be together forever with my girlfriend,” Percy explained, turning to look at Nico. “We broke up during our quest to save Nico and… it seems like it would be too soon.”

Jason hummed to show he listened. Percy sighed and started playing with Nico’s hair.

“I don’t want to lead him on, but I’m not even sure if that’s what I’m doing,” Percy muttered. “Because I do like him, I just don’t know if I’m ready for another relationship.”

“If you really want to clear things up, you need to talk to him,” Jason said. “Be honest with him. Tell him what you want and feel. Nico’s a smart guy, he’ll understand.”

“If I was 100% honest, it would be awful.” Percy chuckled to himself. “Because I want to be selfish, I want him to wait for me so I can be with him once I get over this.”

“Do it anyway,” he insisted. “The worst he can say is no.”

“No, the worst he can say is ‘you’re really self-centered, I don’t even want to be your friend anymore’.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you were so dramatic,” Jason said. He rolled his eyes. “Nico likes you, you think he’s the kind of person who abandons someone else when they’re not ready?”

Percy said nothing. Maybe, just maybe, he could hope. Nico was kind, smart, and cunning. He hadn’t said anything about his own attraction because he didn’t want to ruin their friendship. Percy had to believe he might be okay with him being honest.

A galloping sound, faint at first, began approaching them.

“They are here,” Percy said. “They are literal party animals, don’t accept food or drink, agree with anything they cheer for and hold on for dear life.”

Jason gulped.

“Anything else?”

Percy thought it over.

“They don’t use saddles. Your butt and thighs will get sore.”

Jason just grimaced. Percy couldn’t help but share the sentiment.

When Nico came to, he realized he still was dreaming, even if his consciousness felt sluggish and tired as if it was a body, there was a certain… otherness to being asleep that no mortal body could replicate.

He took note of his surroundings. The easiest way to describe them was being inside a cube. Four walls, all the same length and height, made of a black, smooth, marble-like material. On the floor was just a chain, bolted down and tied to his ankle.

He also noticed that all these thoughts stayed in his head now, rather than escaping through his mouth. Had something changed when he had been dragged to this cell?

“What is this place?”

“It surprises me you don’t recognize it,” A voice said. Nico looked around, but no one seemed to be around. “On your leg, young master.”

Nico looked down, realizing the sound came from the chain. If Morpheus and Phobetor were working under Octavian’s patron, then it made sense other Oneiroi would as well.

“Phantasos?” He asked dubiously. Another son of Hypnos, it was the Oneiros that presented itself as inanimate objects in dreams. “What do you mean I should recognize it?”

“For being cunning enough to know my name, the young master often misses the obvious,” the chain said, it rattled in a way that Nico supposed was meant to emulate laughing. “You should recognize this place because it’s your father’s realm.”

“I’m in the Underworld? Did…did I die?”

“Hah! If only it were so simple.” The chain rattled again. “Death and Sleep are siblings, and their domains are connected. It’s so easy for a dreamer to enter the underworld that it’s Father’s job to guide them back to their bodies… Too bad for you, he’s a bit occupied with himself.”

“The divide,” he said, more to himself than to Phantasos. “Why are you doing this? What is your goal?”

“That is for his majesty to explain,” Phantasos said. “My job is to bring you up to speed and keep your spirit tied down in this cell.”

“Am I up to speed now, then, or is there anything else I should know?” Nico asked, not meaning for his words to come out as sarcastically as they did. He needed the Oneiros’s information, after all.

“Oh, there’s a couple more things you should know,” Phantasos’s chain body moved around a bit. Nico couldn’t tell what kind of gesture he (it?) was trying to make. “That you are here, that there’s a war on both the god and demigod side, it’s all part of his majesty’s plan. I only ask that you hear him out, and understand our way of seeing things.”

“What kind of god would want all of this? A Primordial? A Titan? What do you win from this?”

“Purpose,” A new voice said. “What every living creature, mortal or divine, seeks.”

A square in the cell opened, letting in a teenager, about seventeen or so. He had black hair with ashen tips, and eyes so black no Iris could be seen. The purple chiton he was wearing showed a nasty scar where the shoulder met the arm, with a hint of an even bigger scar on his chest. The man gave him a small smirk as a chair appeared behind him. He sat like he owned the place.

Phantasos rattled again, this time it was a more subdued, almost reverent sound.

“Every god has a domain, a purpose,” he said. “And dividing the Olympians and other gods will do nothing towards that goal.”

“Ah, demigods, I always forget how ignorant you are of the real ways of the world.” The god chuckled. Nico was surprised, it actually sounded sincere. “Tell me, why do gods have children with mortals?”

“To keep their legends alive. To have champions, mortals who will fight for them,” Nico said. He wasn’t naïve enough to not know that.

“Yes! It’s your sharp mind that made me interested in you in the first place!” The god seemed delighted with his answer. “A lesser mind would have answered that the gods simply fall in love, or that they want to experience parenthood, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!”

Nico thought back to when his father connected with him back at the Altar of Victoria and at Camp Half-Blood. The gentle but firm voice that wanted to save him and gave him the means to have a weapon didn’t seem as utilitarian as this god suggested.

“Are you saying they don’t love their children, or their lovers?” He asked, curious.

“Oh, I’m sure most of them are fond of the mortals they lay with and grow fond of their half-breed spawn,” he said dismissively. “Gods have hearts and emotions, after all, despite pretending to be above it all. No, what I’m saying is that their birthing demigods is not done out of love for them, their human lovers, or even to protect humanity from monsters. They serve a purpose, and that’s why they can continue existing, even today.”

“And you believe you have none,” Nico surmised. The god smiled and nodded.

“Question number two, Nico,” he continued, her cheeriness now held a slight edge. “Why do gods have children with other gods?”

“…Huh?”

“Why do the Oneiroi exist, when Hypnos already controls every aspect of sleep?” On his ankle, Phantasos rattled sadly. “Why was Triton born? Just to be his father’s glorified gofer? Why are there so many Love gods, when Aphrodite should be enough, and having multiple gods of the same domain only divides the praise they need to thrive?”

“I… I don’t know,” Nico admitted.

“We are given titles like ‘Heir’ or ‘Herald’ to our parents, and given the scraps of their realms. Why? What’s the point of being an heir to someone who is immortal? We won’t ever succeed them! Unlike demigods we have no real purpose, yet we exist! How is that fair?!”

Phantasos was trembling on his ankle. Nico couldn’t tell if it was from fear or excitement at seeing his leader speaking so impassioned. He tried to think of which chthonic god would have this kind of bitterness but couldn’t think of any.

“You’re right, it doesn’t sound fair,” he said carefully. “But it sounds like you feel it’s especially unfair to you.”

The god gave a long breath and gave Nico a fragile smile.

“It is, brother,” he said sadly. Nico’s eyebrows shot up. “Imagine being born as the heir to the king of the gods himself. Being praised and beloved, only to be betrayed by the people you trust, being ripped apart, and left to rot, alone and forgotten.”

“You are…”

“Our Father is too kind, offering to revive me, but only my heart would still be Zeus’s son,” he said miserably. “I still don’t know why he and mother decided they wanted me. Maybe Father wanted to emulate the Olympians. He already has his throne room and palace that mirrors them, after all, so he wanted me to fill the role of heir.”

Nico looked closely, now that he was leaning away from the chair, he could see his chest wound more clearly. Like a pearly white cobweb that turned too dense where the heart was.

“Dionysus, they called the being that inherited my heart, while my mind and body were reborn as Hades and Persephone’s son. I was meant to rule, and ended up here, as the god of rebirth… as if that happened often enough to give me a purpose.”

“Zagreus,” Nico said, his voice breathless. Phantasos rattled quickly.

“You dare call his majesty by his name?! How dare you!”

“At ease,” Zagreus said. The chain stilled. “He’s my brother, after all, he has the right.”

“What is it you’re planning? What do you want from me?”

Zagreus taking him would have been only to keep him from the quest and prevent the gods uniting again. But he had explained himself to Nico, let him know his plight, which meant he wanted something from him.

“You figured it out, didn’t you?” Zagreus said, reading his expression. “I want to depose Zeus, and let a new, fairer generation of gods take over, and I want you by my side when it happens.”

Jason struggled to keep the carnival sweets down as he dismounted Kurt the centaur. From now on, he would never freak out at Nico’s Shadow Travel ever again.

He resisted the urge to hug the ground and kiss it, mainly because it would be rude, but also to keep the funnel cake Concordia gave them intact.

Thankfully, The South Florida chapter of the Party Ponies were familiar with Percy, and more than okay with getting them to the Hunters of Artemis (who apparently, were somewhere around Arizona), but when told not to get close enough to be in shooting range, Owen, Kurt, and at least six other centaurs were quite displeased.

“It’s so fun evading their arrows, though!” One of them had said when Percy asked them. “What happened, man? When did you stop being cool?”

“Trust me, I’d be right with you making sure no arrows hit me,” Percy had lied through his teeth. “But Nico can’t come to harm.”

The centaurs had accepted his explanation, but had made Percy promise they would ‘party like tomorrow would never come’ whenever he was on their territory again.

Jason understood Percy’s pleading look as a ‘remind me to never show my face in South Florida again’. Jason had nodded as subtly as he could.

“Thanks again Earl,” Percy said as he carefully untied Nico from the centaur’s back.

“Anytime, Dude!” The brunet centaur moved its horse body and turned around. “We better head back home. Birthday party tomorrow.”

“Sure, party extra hard for me.” How Percy could say that without cringing was a mystery for Jason, but the centaurs all whooped and cheered before galloping into the horizon. “They aren’t bad guys, but they are… a lot.”

Jason nodded carefully. He looked at the ground and noticed some sneaker prints on the dusty soil.

He idly wondered if they belonged to his sister.

“The hunters must be this way,” he said, pointing in the direction the prints led. He started walking, not waiting for Percy.

Should he just go and tell Thalia right away who he was? Annabeth seemed to think that was the best idea, but… maybe it would be best if he acted like he didn’t know her until she realized who he was. It would be scummy, but he didn’t know if he could bear his sister not remembering him.

“Halt!” A voice said. A girl about 10 or 11 had appeared in front of them, her bow drawn. “No men are allowed here.”

“Couldn’t you make an exception for us?” Percy said, waving awkwardly while holding Nico’s sleeping form on his back. “We’re demigods and—”

“No men allowed, no exceptions.” The girl said, eyes narrowing. “Just because our Lady is not here that doesn’t mean you can come here and break her rules.”

“You broke the rules a couple of weeks ago when you let us stay the night, though,” Percy muttered. The girl’s eyes widened and looked at him closely.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said, looking annoyed. “Wait here, I’ll go get Thalia.”

Jason felt a surge of panic at the name. Was he presentable? What should he say? Would she recognize him? What if—

“Tell Bianca too!” He called as she walked away. “Her brother needs help.”

The girl made a none-too-kind gesture with her hand as she walked away.

“Ready for a double sibling reunion?” Percy asked, grinning smugly.

“No,” Jason answered. He felt his knees trembling. “I’m really not.”

Percy was tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for Thalia and Bianca. Nico remained still, with only slow breaths to show he was still alive.

He wondered what Nico was dreaming about, where his consciousness was. He hoped it wasn’t anywhere bad, but he knew how dark and confusing demigod dreams could get.

Beside him, Jason was pacing, having turned into a nervous wreck not even a minute after the huntress had left. He kept muttering nonsense to himself, and Percy had given up on trying to calm him down after touching him made him jump against him and almost made him drop Nico.

“What happened to my brother?” Bianca’s voice reached him first, only to be followed by a running girl appearing from behind a rock and almost tackling him to the ground. “What did you do to him, Percy?”

“Nothing!” He said quickly, allowing Bianca to take Nico from him. Unfortunately, as he was a fifteen-year-old boy while she remained thirteen, the sleeping boy’s weight almost toppled her over. “He’s just sleeping, but it will be some time before he wakes up. Where’s Thalia?”

Jason emitted a very high and undignified ‘meep’ at the mention of his sister’s name. Percy just shrugged when Bianca looked at him for an explanation.

“She’s on her way. When Raven said my bother needed me, I just ran here as fast as I could.”

“Oh, I meant that in a more general way,” he said, giving a nervous laugh. “You see, we found out how to prevent the war, and when we went to South Florida—”

“We go from not seeing each other for like a year to twice in a month,” Thalia said, appearing from the same way Bianca had come. “I’m not complaining, but you have to admit it’s unusual, Kelp Head.”

“We’re living in unusual times?” Percy tried. Thalia looked at him unimpressed. “Yeah, but it’s not like your ‘boys have cooties’ club makes it easy to meet up.”

“Uh… Hi!” Jason finally said. Thalia turned to look at him, Jason waved his hand for a second before awkwardly putting it down.

“What’s up with blondie?” Thalia asked Percy. He just smiled, wondering how to break it to your cousin that your long-lost brother turned up.

“Well, you see— Ow!” Before he could talk further, he was elbowed by Jason

“We… um, that is to say I’m… kind of your brother?”

Thalia took a brief look at his eyes before sighing.

“Of course you are, the old man couldn’t keep it in his pants… again,” Thalia said. “Honestly what even was the point of the pact? So, what’s your name, O brother of mine?”

Jason looked crushed at Thalia’s words, but he just pressed his lips and looked at her directly.

“My name is Jason,” he said. Thalia’s eyes widened. “I don’t expect you to remember me, but—”

Thalia hugged him suddenly. Quite tightly, too, judging by Jason’s grunt.

“Let me look at you,” she said once they separated. She took his face in her hands and observed him closely. “How did I not recognize you? Your hair, your eyes… even that scar from when you tried to eat a stapler!”

“Bro, really?” Percy said, interrupting their moment. Jason and Thalia’s combined glare make him look away. He noticed Bianca had dropped to the ground and was caressing Nico’s hair softly, lost to the world.

“I was like two, I barely remember it,” Jason said, annoyed before turning back to his sister. “So you didn’t forget me?”

“I thought you were dead! When I came back, she said you—”

“As much as I’m happy for you guys,” Bianca interrupted. “The desert gets quite cold at night, and Nico is freezing. Maybe we can continue this at the campsite?”

At the mention of a resting place, Percy felt the fatigue from all he had done that day. The harpies, the carnival, the Party Ponies… even the movie had drained some energy from him. He knelt to pick up Nico again, much to Bianca’s displeasure. He just made a general motion as if to say ‘I can hold him easier.’

“That sounds like a great idea,” he said, showing a tired grin.

“Toppling the Olympians is… not doable,” Nico said. The words ‘insane’ and ‘a stupid idea’ crossed his mind, but his years with Octavian had taught him to never directly insult a captor to his face if he could help it. “The Giants tried and were defeated, more recently, Kronos tried and had his consciousness spread to the winds until it was nothing. Overthrowing Olympus is not possible.”

“It wasn’t possible for them,” Zagreus corrected. “You see, the Fates have some patterns that humans barely notice, but a studious god just might. Uranus was defeated by his son Kronos, and he himself was defeated and imprisoned by his son Zeus. If anyone is to defeat Zeus, it should be the son he chose as heir.”

“But you’re not his son anymore,” Nico said back, trying to conceal his annoyance at his childish logic. “Why would he fall to you?”

“Kronos had his brothers to help him, and Zeus needed his siblings to imprison their father. I, too, shall have my family by my side.” Zagreus leaned back on the chair, pleased. “New gods to emerge and replace the old guard. Triton, the Oneiroi, Phobos and Deimos, and many more have already pledged their loyalty to me.”

“They aren’t your siblings,” Nico said through gritted teeth. “Most of them are cousins, distant ones at that.”

“I have some siblings on my side, too,” he said. “Besides, the conflict between Romans and Greeks works for me on multiple levels. Gods are so confused they become sitting ducks, all while their main source of praise, demigods, rear up to kill each other. They are weak, more than ever.”

“Then why didn’t you try before?” Nico asked, tired of pretending to be respectful. He couldn’t believe he was talking to a god and not a bratty rebellious teenager. “There have been many civil wars and demigod conflicts before, why now?”

“A few of my supporters took a while to convince,” he admitted. “I didn’t have the numbers to stage an attack on Olympus, what with some gods not losing themselves, and I had to make sure that a certain group of gods don’t interfere.”

“Who?”

“They aren’t important in the grand scheme of things.” Zagreus waved his hand in dismissal. “But most of all, because I didn’t have you.”

“Me?” Nico asked, surprised. “What could you possibly need me for?”

“You, brother, are my victory,” Zagreus said, smiling brightly. “The power to tip the scales, to change the tides in our favor, that’s what I’ve been looking for for so long.”

“So, you need me to bless your troops,” Nico said, unimpressed. “How… mundane.”

“Yet it is a purpose all the same.” Zagreus’s voice had a hint of envy in it. “I told that half-baked Augur to rescue you, all so that you would eventually spark the conflict, and help me with my victory.”

“And why would I agree to join you?”

Zagreus’s smile turned a bit sad. Nico didn’t understand how Octavian could be under the thumb of someone who was so easy to read, god or not.

“Maria di Angelo.” The name made Nico freeze. He looked at Zagreus with wide eyes. “Zeus killed her, all because he’s a paranoid fool obsessed with power. And your story is not unique. Zeus and the Olympians have killed, raped, and manipulated mortals and gods alike for millennia for their benefit. Why would you want them to stay in power?”

Nico remained quiet. His first thoughts were of his kind, wonderful mamma, of how even with his memories back he has forgotten many details about her, how he only had her for ten years of his life because of a selfish megalomaniac. It wasn’t fair, so why did Zeus get to act like nothing happened? Nico and Bianca had lost their mother and Zeus got to walk away unscathed.

“My rule will benefit everyone.” Zagreus continued “Better ways of dealing with monsters, expediting reincarnation and punishment in the afterlife, with the possibility of redemption once they have atoned… future demigods living beyond their teen years in a way that doesn’t require them to hide away in a city with barriers.”

His next thought was that Zagreus was better than he gave him credit for.

“I don’t like Zeus remaining in power, but I’m a demigod. You know, the collateral damage to your plan.” Nico raised an eyebrow. “Your plan is to kill all the demigods and legacies to weaken the gods. Your promise of a future only applies to the children of the new gods.”

Zagreus looked genuinely regretful.

“You’re right. They are a necessary sacrifice in this war,” he said. “You, however, will ascend. You’ll become the new god of Victory, and my advisor. I have watched over your conversations with Octavian. That imbecile couldn’t keep up with you. I’ll honor my promise to him, too, but he’ll be a minor god at best, kept away from you.”

Nico’s expression turned incredulous.

“You think this is about me?” Nico exclaimed. “What you’re suggesting is akin to genocide!”

“All the casualties will be granted Elysium, or rebirth as one of the new demigods if they wish,” Zagreus said. “It’s the only way.”

“Then that's a way I want nothing to do with. I won’t ever join you.”

“You will.” Zagreus stood up. “You just need time to think about it.”

“I won’t change my mind!” Nico shouted, frustrated.

“You will if you want to save your little boyfriend.” He turned to look at him. “I’ll save him for you, turn him into a god, but only if you agree.”

“And if I don’t?”

Zagreus opened the cell and walked out.

“You’ll remain here, unwaking. Without you, their attempts to stop the war will fail, and the demigods will die anyway, including Percy Jackson. It won’t be the victory I wish for, but you will have nothing to return to.”

Zagreus’s words made Nico see red. Was this whole persona a façade? Was he as cold and calculating as Octavian or himself?

It didn’t matter. Right now, he only had two words for his godly brother.

“You bastard!”

“It’s me or oblivion, Nico. Your choice.”

The wall closed, leaving Nico trapped.

Chapter 26: The Symbol of Peace: Demigods are, Sadly, Used to Confrontation

Chapter Text

Once they were at the campsite, Percy and Bianca left Nico against a rock by the fire before they went for some rations. Jason guessed Percy offered to go with her despite the glares of the other Hunters to give him some alone time with Thalia.

Sitting with his sister, who was no longer larger than life but a bit shorter than him (and also physically his age instead of years older) was melting his brain a bit. He had so many questions.

“Do you know what happened to mom?” He asked first. His feelings for Beryl Grace were mixed at best. The woman had sold him to Juno to save her own life, but she was still his mother. His last memory of his mother had been her hugging him and apologizing, so she couldn’t be all bad, right?

“Dead.” Thalia’s response was quick and succinct. “Don’t know how it happened. I ran away soon after she gave you away.”

“You never tried to get in contact with her?” Jason couldn’t help it. If it had been him, he would have wanted to know more.

“Why would I? That woman may have birthed me, but the moment she left you for dead, she stopped being my mother.” Thalia sighed bitterly. “Not that she was ever a good mother to start.”

“I don’t really remember her well,” he admitted after a short silence. “When I think of who cared for me as a baby, I only picture you… and Lupa, of course.”

His sister’s face changed from an embarrassed smile to perplexed quickly.

“Lupa? Was she your mother after Hera took you?”

“Not exactly,” he said. “Lupa is a she-wolf. She trains every Legionnaire of Rome before they join.”

“Was she a good caretaker?” She asked carefully. Alarm bells started going off in Jason’s mind. The conversation seemed to be going down a dangerous path, but he couldn’t understand why.

“As good as a talking wolf can be.” He shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “She taught me how to fight and hone my senses, how to use my powers, how to lead—”

“What about playing?” She interrupted him. “Feeding? Clothing? Did she feed you?”

“She did!” He exclaimed quickly. “Her milk is like nectar, only it doesn’t burn up if you have too much! And I did play! Mostly roughhousing with the wolves, but it was play!”

“Did you ever draw a picture or paint with your fingers? How long were you with her?” With every question, she looked more and more desperate.

“I left the Wolf House when I turned 4,” he said, ignoring the first question. “Lupa took me to Camp Jupiter, and I ended up serving in the Fifth Cohort.”

“Four!” Thalia exclaimed, horrified. “You were raised by a wolf for two years, and immediately after she drafted you into the military!”

“But I’m okay!” He tried to reassure her. “Sure, I couldn’t show weakness in the Wolf House, and I had to prove that I was a pup, not food, but… it wasn’t that bad! It was even good most of the time!”

“A wolf pelt seems lovely right about now,” she said, looking at her bow pensively. “I’ll show that bitch who is food.”

“You can’t!” Jason raised his arms, scandalized. “I was a special case! Most trainees are older! Without the wolves, I wouldn’t have survived!”

“Jason, you have to know that what happened to you was messed up.” Thalia pinched the bridge of her nose. “You had no childhood!”

“Did you?” Jason asked back. “Did any of us? Lupa does her best! Romulus and Remus were raised by her too, and they turned out fine.”

“One of them killed the other over which hill to build a city on!” She shouted, her voice shrill. After a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment before looking at him. “I know demigods have it rough. Believe me, I know, but you have to understand, that you deserved better!”

“I—”

“And I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you!” A few tears escaped her eyes, but she wiped them quickly. "I'm sorry I gave up on you! That I trusted Beryl when she said you died instead of looking for you!"

Jason hugged her, feeling some wetness on his face too.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he reassured her. “It was just… my lot in life… no matter what I did, how hard I tried, I always ended up being treated as exceptional.”

“You must have been so lonely…”

He had been lonely. That was the one thing he couldn’t deny.

And just like that, once he made that mental admission, he had an epiphany.

“You’re right, it was messed up,” he said, letting out a laugh. “Gods, I was taught to bottle it all in under threat of devouring!”

He laughed harder, while Thalia just held him tighter.

“I learned to read with war books,” he continued, delirious. “My only art experience is with battle diagrams! My sword is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a toy!”

Thalia said nothing, but she started hiccupping into his shoulder.

“I… I don’t even know who I am outside of a warrior.” the laughter subsided. He started rubbing his sister’s back, trying to comfort her. “But I think… thanks to this quest, I’m starting to.”

Praetor Jason Grace was a warrior desperate not to be. Jason Grace, the exile, was an excitable guy who, while still a tactical genius, enjoyed superhero movies and bantering with his friends. He cared for others, and was not used to others caring for him.

That description of him was shallow, it was silly, but it was a start, and Jason wanted to keep knowing more about himself.

Thalia pulled back to give him an uneasy smile. Her punk makeup was running a bit, but Jason didn’t care.

“I… I’d like to know who my sister is too, if that’s alright with you.”

She nodded, and Jason idly wondered if he could keep discovering things about himself and others if he went back to the Legion.

Percy pretended to not feel the glares of the hunters as he sat down by Bianca and opposite Thalia and Jason.

The Grace siblings were talking in hushed voices, catching up. Sometimes, he would hear Jason gasp or exclaim something (“You were a tree?!” “Our father’s a jerk!” and such), but otherwise, Percy couldn’t hear anything.

Not that he was trying very hard. Both he and Bianca were too busy looking after Nico’s sleeping form while their dinner heated up. In the half hour they had been there, Bianca had taken Nico’s temperature, taken his vitals, and asked Percy about every single detail of the quest.

“You care a lot for him,” he noted. Bianca gave him a glare.

“Did you doubt it?” She snapped, going on the defensive. “He’s my brother! Of course I’ll worry.”

“You had a funny way of showing it,” he let slip before he could catch himself. Oh well, too late now. “The way you ignored him last time you guys met? That was low.”

He expected Bianca to sock him, or at the very least shout at him, but she just sighed and focused back on Nico.

“You don’t understand anything,” she said while still refusing to look at him. “All my life, I have been my brother’s protector. Mamma was always telling me to watch over him, protect him, make sure he’s safe.”

“Did you feel guilty about getting separated?” He asked.

“I missed him, of course, but also… I felt free,” Bianca’s tone was filled with guilt. “All my life, since I can remember, I’ve been a big sister. Always looking back to see if Nico was following along. Joining Artemis was the first time I felt like just Bianca.”

“You resent Nico,” Percy said. It wasn’t a question, and Percy balled his fist, trying to suppress his anger.

“I resent a lot of people,” she said. “It’s a child of Hades fatal flaw. That doesn’t mean I don’t love him.”

A million thoughts raced through Percy’s head. How Nico had lied, cheated and schemed to reunite with Bianca. How, back during the Titan War, Bianca had almost sacrificed Bessie for information on her brother’s whereabouts. How, after she had been named Second Lieutenant, she had given up on him, reasoning that he must have been an old man by then.

He thought about how Bianca didn’t deserve a brother like Nico.

“It may be your fatal flaw, but it’s not Nico’s,” he said. “Nico is caring and will sacrifice everything for the people he loves. Despite this war being the perfect opportunity to get back at the people who hurt him, he wants peace.”

“Sorry I can’t be as special as him,” Bianca said sarcastically. “I’m his older sister, but that’s not all I am or have to be, no matter what anyone says.”

“And I respect that,” Percy said. His eyes were narrowed. It was the first time he ever felt this angry at Bianca. “But you have focused so much on becoming your own person, you left him behind. He didn’t deserve that.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” She snapped. Percy almost jumped back at the sudden raise in her voice. “You think I don’t second-guess myself, berate myself, for not trying harder to find him? But I can’t change what happened, and both Nico and I must live with it!”

When Bianca got agitated, it was obvious who her father was. The air took on a chilly quality, and her stare was so intense it felt as if it could reap your soul on the spot. Percy nodded, looking around, only to find Jason and Thalia sneaking glances at them.

“You’re right.” he sighed. Getting angry on Nico’s behalf would do nothing. “But if you feel that way, I think the best way to make it better is to be both.”

“Both?”

“Be Bianca, the awesome Second Lieutenant of the Hunt, but also be Nico’s sister,” he said, trying to be as understanding as he could. “Nico doesn’t need you to protect him like he did when you were little kids, he has me, Jason, and others at Camp, but he still wants you in his life… and I think you want him in yours, too.”

The whistling noise from the fire told him their rations were ready to eat. Bianca hurried to take it out and serve it into four portions of Rice and beans, with some jerky on the side.

“Percy?” Bianca said after a while of eating in silence. Percy just grunted to show he listened. “I want to be the sister Nico needs now, so I’ll ask you something, and I want you to be honest.”

“Shoot,” he said, smiling slightly.

“What are your feelings for my little brother?”

Percy choked on his jerky.

Time had no meaning in the Underworld prison. It may have been because he was a dreaming soul, or maybe just a side effect of the Underworld itself.

For all Nico knew, he could have been trapped for hours, days, or maybe minutes. He had tried asking Phantasos, but the chain had been quiet ever since Zagreus left.

His ghostly form had no need for food, so even that contact was denied.

If Zagreus planned to have him go insane from isolation until he agreed to his proposal, he had another thing coming.

The wall opening again took him out of his thoughts. A gaunt woman with blood-shot eyes and short black hair came in. She looked at him before giving him a grimace that, from her other body language, attempted to be a sincere smile.

“Greetings, Son of Hades,” the woman said. Her voice was weak and soft, as if she was struggling to breathe. “I come to speak on his majesty’s behalf.”

“Tell Zagreus that no matter who he sends, I won’t join him,” he said. He wanted to turn around, but Phantasos tightened around his ankle, forcing him to face the goddess.

“While you can use that name here, I will ask you to not use his majesty’s name outside of the Underworld,” she pleaded. “At least, until he ascends the throne of Olympus.”

“…Why?” Nico couldn’t help letting curiosity get the best of him.

“Names have power, Demigod,” she said, raising her arms. “Our current lord has forbidden the Chthonic gods to speak his son’s name. His existence must remain a secret of the Underworld, lest Zeus become aware of him.”

So, his father was protecting Zagreus from Zeus’s paranoia, and Zagreus had to go and prove the king of the gods right and probably cause a lot of problems for their father with his coup.

“What about you?” He asked. “What name do I call you?”

“I’m known as Asphyxia, son of Hades,” she introduced herself, giving a slight bow. “Daughter of Nyx and one of the Keres.”

The Keres, Nyx’s thousand daughters, all of whom watched over and reaped the souls of those who died violently. From her name and appeareance, he guessed she watched over choking.

“Zagreus has an army of two thousand strong already, huh?” He said, mostly to himself. The Oneiroi and the Keres. With just those two groups, he could overwhelm Olympus with numbers if he wanted.

“Our powers are limited compared to other gods,” Asphyxia said, catching on to his thought process. “Just one Olympian could destroy a hundred of us with ease. We are not soldiers in the traditional sense. We lack the strength.”

Nico frowned, what else would Zagreus have the whole repertoire of violent deaths and dreams under his service for if not sheer numbers? What did they offer in a war?

“Soldiers fight wars,” he remembered Octavian say once. “But it’s intel that wins them. Know your enemy, Nico, and they are lost.”

“You are his spy network,” Nico deduced. Everybody dreamed, and demigods tended to die violently. Nyx’s myriad of children informed his brother of the Olympian’s movements and thoughts. “What is he offering you? There’s no way there’s enough praise for two thousand gods.”

“The Keres seek no such thing,” she said calmly. “Unlike other gods, who need praise to exist, as long as people die violently, we are. His majesty offered us something far more valuable, something that may sway even you.”

Ah, so that was Zagreus strategy. To have his followers give their reasoning, to try and tempt him to cooperate.

It wasn’t going to work, but Nico would give him points for trying.

“And what would that be?”

“Control,” she said, like it was a magic word. “The Keres move to the whim of others. The gods, murderous mortals. We have no say, no autonomy.”

“Zagreus will let you kill whoever you like?” He asked, scandalized. That painted a wholly different picture of the god of Rebirth than he had from their meeting.

Asphyxia shook her head.

“No, we will get to decide if the soul deserves salvation,” she smiled warmly. “The Twice-Born will give us power over the souls we reap. We will be able to judge those souls, and even turn the worthy into our aides!”

Nico raised an eyebrow. While it indeed seemed like a good deal to the Keres, he still didn’t know why he would join Zagreus over that. He guessed the Oneiroi would no longer be restricted to be a specific dream, but rather have a power similar to their father, just divided among all of them.

Things the thousands of gods wanted but couldn’t have because of more prominent figures.

“I still don’t see how that would sway me,” he said, unimpressed.

“Surely you understand what being powerful but helpless feels like,” she said. “Our lord will offer you freedom, to be your own master.”

“While that sounds just lovely,” Nico said, trying to hide his venom. “I got all the control I wanted after I escaped… I’m no longer the helpless boy trapped in a temple.”

Asphyxia looked at him with envy before sighing.

“Being able to change your situation by yourself. A perk of being mortal, I guess,” she said. She raised her arm and the cell opened again. “Expect another visitor soon. There are ways to make you comply… but for some reason, his majesty believes he can convince you with words.”

When the wall was back up, Nico fell on his back, looking emptily at the ceiling.

“Percy, Jason… I hope you guys are getting closer to Eirene.”

When Percy woke up the next day, the first thing he did gently nudge Nico to see if he woke.

His breathing got a little uneven for a second, but other than that, nothing changed.

Jason was already up. The Roman army training paid off, he guessed. It would be a blessing to be able to wake up at the same hour every day no matter what.

With a sigh, he got up and opened the tent, only to see Bianca looking like she was about to open it herself from the outside.

Percy sputtered and looked away. It had taken Jason reassuring her and Thalia reminding her of the Hunt rules to let Nico sleep on their tent last night. Apparently, his feelings were only a problem because they weren’t clear, and she ‘knew what men were like.’

(With only 13 years when she gave up any closeness to them, Percy very much doubted it.)

“Is he still asleep?” she asked without even greeting him. Percy nodded, still averting his eyes. “I was afraid of that… give me space.”

Percy moved away as Bianca moved past him and kneeled by Nico’s side. She took out a plastic bag and pulled out what looked to be a small ruby.

Without any hesitation, she shoved it into Nico’s mouth.

“Hey!” Percy said, worried that Nico might choke. “What did you do that for?”

“It’s a pomegranate seed from Persephone’s Garden,” she explained. “Children of the Underworld can survive eating one per day.”

Oh, right. Nico would be unable to eat, drink or do much of anything while wandering the dream world. Percy hadn’t even thought that his body might die while waiting for his consciousness to return.

“How many do you have?” He asked curiously. In just a few seconds, those seeds had become the most valuable resource.

“Ten,” she answered. “Let’s hope he comes back before I run out.”

“Everyone!” Thalia’s voice sounded. “Important reunion!”

The Hunters were nothing if not obedient. As Percy and Bianca exited the tent, every girl was already on site, forming a circle around Thalia and Jason, who stood a couple steps behind her, hands behind his back in a perfect military stance.

“It's probably about the reason you came to see us,” Bianca said as she walked ahead to join Thalia.

Percy felt he would be death stared if he dared stand with the Hunters, so he decided to sneak around until he was right beside Jason.

“Nico?” He mouthed, careful not to draw attention to himself.

“Still asleep,” Percy whispered back. Jason nodded gravely.

The last of the Hunters joined the crowd. Thalia moved her head slightly, probably counting them, before nodding to herself.

“Our guests here are looking for a way to bring Our Lady back to us,” she exclaimed. There were whispers all around. Percy and Jason shared a glance. Of course, stabilizing Artemis would happen if they succeeded, but it wasn’t their main goal. “For that to happen, they need to know where the Horae reside. If any of you know, please come forward!”

The whispering intensified for a few seconds before a girl with auburn hair and purple eyes raised her hand.

“I’m not sure where they moved, but back during the seventeenth century, the Hunt saw the Horae within the garden of Versailles,” she said.

“They could be in a park, then,” Bianca said, pensive.

“Magnolia must be confused,” another girl said. “The gods had not yet moved in the early eighteenth century, but the three Horae resided near a clock tower in Austria.”

“Three? The confused one must be you,” a blonde spoke up. “The Horae are four, just like the seasons! We saw them near South Dakota in 81!”

The girls started to argue among themselves, each new speaker disagreeing with the last on where the Horae resided and how many made up the group.

Thalia let it be for a few minutes before whistling loudly, bringing order back.

“What I’m getting from this is that none of you know for certain where they are,” she surmised. She looked back at Percy and Jason, grimacing. “In that case, the Hunt must divide until we—”

“Sorry to interrupt,” A new voice said. The Hunters of Artemis, as well as the two guys, turned to see Annabeth’s face appear on a rainbow. “But we are short on time, so I made my own research.”

“Typical Wise Girl,” Percy said. A few girls glared at him, but Percy was quickly becoming used to it. “What did you find?”

Annabeth gave him a small smile before her face turned serious again.

“All the girls are right,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about the prophecy. One of the lines mentioned a ‘right trinity’. Such a wording would make no sense unless there was at least one wrong trinity too.”

“Multiple groups of goddesses call themselves the Horae,” Bianca said, eyes widening. “We need to find the right one to fix this.”

Percy raised his eyebrows. When Bianca said ‘we’, did she mean she was coming with them?

“We can rule out the one that has four, then,” Jason spoke. “Did any of the Horae say their name? Was any of them related to Peace?”

The girls talked among themselves in hushed whispers for a few seconds, before one raised her hand as if she was in a school.

“Kate?” Thalia said.

“Um, I’m not sure if she was Eirene or not,” she said shyly. “But one of the Horae from Philadelphia was holding an olive branch when they were thanking Lady Artemis for hunting down the Erymanthian boar for them.”

“Oh yeah! That was in the sixties, right?” Another girl said. “I erased most of that decade from my mind, wonder why…”

“Yeah, dude, meeting Eirene in the sixties,” Percy said in his best stoner voice, raising his fingers to make the peace sign. Jason and Bianca looked at him, bemused. “Hippies? Love and Peace? Come on! Even you guys can’t be that culturally illiterate!”

“They really can. Take it from someone who has to partner with her.” She pointed at Bianca, who flipped her off. “And sadly, nothing surprises me about Jason anymore.”

“There’s another thing,” Annabeth said, bringing attention back to her. “When you find Eirene, try to make her settle for her Greek persona.”

“Why? Is Pax really that bad?” Percy asked. Annabeth shook her head.

“She’s not. But she is the representation of Pax Romana.”

Percy blinked and turned to look at Jason. He pursed his lips.

“Pax Romana is the concept of every territory being in peace… because all of them are under the Roman Empire’s just control.” He answered his unasked question.

“Oh,” Percy said. “Yeah, that won’t do.”

Giving in to the Pax Romana meant accepting being a conquered territory of New Rome. While it would ensure peace between Greeks and Romans, it would also be the least desirable outcome outside of complete war.

“We’ll make sure to make her Greek side dominant,” Jason promised. “Thanks ‘Beth.”

Now it was Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth’s turn to look confused. Aside from Percy, no one had ever dared to give Annabeth a nickname, much less one based on her name. She was Annabeth and that was it.

The daughter of Athena was the first to recover, nodding a bit.

“I’ll keep reading to see if I find something else,” she said a little too quickly. “I have to… check in with the scouts!Remember to take care of Nico until he wakes up!”

Percy bit his tongue. Was Annabeth… flustered? He did his best to keep his expression neutral, probably saving himself from some punishment when he got back.

Annabeth waved her hand and the rainbow disappeared.

“It seems Philadelphia is your destination,” Thalia said to them, loud enough for everyone to hear. “And as it will result in Lady Artemis coming back, the Hunt will escort you there!”

The girls started talking loudly over each other once more. The four of them sighed at the sight.

Nico groaned as he tugged harshly on Phantasos. The chain complained once or twice, but didn’t budge or talk to him.

If he could just take off the chain, he could run past the next god that visited, and then—

“It’s futile,” a woman said. Nico looked up. The cell had not opened like before, but there, right in front of him was a goddess with dark robes and pure black eyes. “You’re trapped in his dream, the only way to set yourself free is to convince him.”

“Zagreus’s next advocate, I presume,” he said venomously.

“A part of me is,” she agreed. “When a single path divides into many, I tend to walk them all.”

Nico sighed.

“And how will you convince me to walk down Zagreus’s path, Hecate?”

Chapter 27: The Symbol of Peace: The Underworld Prison has the Worst Reviews

Chapter Text

The goddess of magic remained quiet for a long time, circling around Nico. Her long black robes seemed to get longer with each step, until it appeared as if the cell floor had turned into the night sky itself.

‘She’s manipulating my perception using the Mist,’ he realized. He tried to concentrate, try to break free of the illusion, but the floor didn’t change back. Instead, it now had miniature stars twinkling at him.

“Well, that’s slightly disappointing,” Hecate said, sighing. “You can sense magic working around you, but you can’t manipulate it yourself. You would need too much training.”

Nico blinked. From her tone, it didn’t seem like the goddess was trying to trick him, but rather teach him something.

“What’s your point?” He asked. “One of your ‘paths’?”

Hecate nodded.

“Right now, Phantasos is wholly under my control. If I asked him, he would free you, no questions asked,” she said. Nico’s eyes widened as he looked down. Indeed, the chain seemed to be swaying hypnotically with the stars’ twinkling. “If only you had a fraction of your sister’s control, leaving this place could be within your reach.”

“What is your plan? Do you want to help me, or Zagreus?”

“The Twice-Born has asked me to try and convince you of his path, but I don’t work that way.” She laughed, like what she had said was a rather funny joke. “I just present the paths, I light them, but it is you who decides to take them.”

Ah, so the whole show was just to give him options. To show him that, if he wanted out, there was a way.

“Do you… not care who wins this conflict?”

Hecate looked at him with sympathy.

“I am… at a crossroads myself,” she admitted. “I see good in Zagreus taking over Olympus, but the path is paved with blood.”

“Demigod blood,” Nico couldn’t help but snarl. “I’ve met Lou Ellen, you know. Is her sacrifice one you’re willing to make? Are your children really that worthless to you gods?”

A storm cloud appeared at his feet and thunder rumbled through the room. Phantasos rattled in fear, but otherwise stayed swaying to the illusion.

“You know nothing of gods or their feelings, son of Hades,” Hecate’s face was filled with rage, and Nico was sure he would be turned to dust soon enough. However, just as quickly as it started, the storm stilled, and Hecate sighed. “But I guess that’s not your fault, you’re only mortal, after all.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, trying to make time. If he could figure out how to control Hecate’s illusion, then…

“Have you ever thought about parenthood? About bringing a new life to the world, vast and untamed?” Hecate made a chair appear out of nowhere and sat down. She looked… tired. “Imagine that you do, and you see your child for the first time. Small, defenseless, and unlike you at all.”

Nico tried to look interested while mentally trying to manipulate the Mist around him. Hecate didn’t seem to notice, completely immersed in her speech.

“You wonder if you did something wrong, because the child is fragile… too fragile for this world,” she continued. “You ask the Fates, and they tell you that the child can have a full life, it will just be very short compared to yours.”

Something in the floor changed. It wasn’t anything Nico did, however. The stars moved to form a cradle with a woman near it.

“So, you love the child. It becomes a part of you, and you feel stronger due to their existence,” she said. The woman looked away from the cradle, when she turned back, the stars had rearranged in the form of a child. “But you have duties, you can't stay all the time. You tell yourself it will be quick, you’ll be back soon, but…”

“Soon for you is years later for the demigod,” Nico says, letting go of the Mist. Hecate’s control was too strong for him anyways. “They are already grown.”

“Not only that, but they also resent you for being absent. What felt like a few days for you is most of their life.” Hecate didn’t look like a goddess at that very moment. If anything, she reminded Nico of his own mother. “Still, you don’t care, as long as they live and are happy.”

The sky turned stormy again. The child made of stars grabbed a bow and started shooting at the storm, only to be eaten by it. When the sky cleared, it was as if the child had never existed.

“But they die violently. You are angry. You confront the Fates. They promised a full life for your child.” Hecate’s voice acquired a desperate tone, and Nico didn’t doubt this was a real story of her first demigod child. “The Fates are unmoved. They said the child was able to live a full life, not that they would live it.”

“What was their name?” He asks. Hecate looks at him in surprise. “A person is only truly gone when there’s no one to remember them. In that aspect, mortals are like the gods.”

Hecate gave him a smile.

“Adelphe,” she whispered, mournfully. “She preferred the bow and arrow to my magic, though she still enchanted her shots.”

Nico gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Hecate closed her eyes, and suddenly became a goddess again in both demeanor and the power she exuded.

“After the pain dulls, you have another one,” she said, voice detached. “You promise it will be different this time, you will be there for them… yet they die before their time, too.”

Nico stays quiet, not knowing what to say.

“It happens again and again, and each time a part of you dies.” She opened her eyes and Nico felt her gaze pierce his soul body. “It’s not their death that affects you. It’s that they are all so young. They deserve more than what you, and the world, can give them. You can’t even stop having them, because it would mean fully killing the part of you that loves mortals.”

“And Zagreus offers you different?” Nico had to ask. “He wants to kill them too, you know? Both Lou Ellen and Alabaster!”

“And it pains me it has to be this way!” Hecate exclaimed. The sky disappeared, and Phantasos rattled in confusion. “But my children will die either way! It can be for glory to the Olympians, or it can be so that their siblings can live without fear of dying early.”

And suddenly it made sense why the goddess of Magic was chosen to appeal to Nico. A mother’s plight for a brighter future to her demigod children.

However, knowing it was manipulation didn’t make it any less true.

Zagreus’s world would be fairer, if he managed to achieve all his goals and instate all his changes. Demigods wouldn’t have to be confined to a protected city after years of forced conscription. They wouldn’t have to die meaninglessly in wars that didn’t benefit anyone or take quests just to bring glory to their parents.

Was the price too high if it meant changing things for the better?

His eyes widened at the thought, and he looked at Hecate again. He smiled.

“You’re good,” he said conversationally. Hecate raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Getting rid of the sky on the floor almost made me think you had stopped manipulating the Mist. You almost made me believe in something unthinkable.”

“Is it really unthinkable?” She asked, laughing lightly. “Magic can’t make you see what you don’t want to see, after all.”

“Was any of that drivel true?” He asked.

“All of it, I swear it on the Styx,” Hecate said. “But there’s more to it, of course. As I said before, I’m not fully on Zagreus’s side, I'm just watching him walk his path because I’m interested on the change he proposes.”

“Then that whole thing was what? A test?”

“If you must call it something,” Hecate said. “I wanted to see the depths of your determination. Zagreus planned to sway you during the conflict between Romans and Greeks. Your being here threw a wrench in his scheme.”

Show him the pointlessness of the conflict, then promise him a better way, all while the demigods killed each other.

It may have worked, if he hadn’t known that the whole thing was orchestrated by him. Nico would have accepted and tried to topple Olympus to save the demigods, with only a fewsurviving after everything was said and done.

“I will find a better way,” Nico promised her. “A way to make gods see us for us.”

“Not all gods are like me, Nico di Angelo,” she warned. “Some might see that ideal and take it as an act of rebellion.”

“You said it yourself, we all must die,” Nico said. “If I perish making things better, then my life was well spent.”

“Then you’re no different from Zagreus.” Hecate stood up, though she looked satisfied with the talk. “He’s always saying that change comes only to those willing to die.”

“There’s a difference, though,” Nico said before she could leave. “I’m only risking my life. I won’t waste the lives of others like he’s willing to do.”

Hecate gave him a more genuine smile.

“Oh, Nico, if only you were more talented in magic.”

If only he could escape by his own means, she meant.

Nico sighed and Hecate left, leaving him on his cell, with only the silent Phantasos as company.

There were no more visits for a long time. Nico felt himself get more and more anxious as time passed by with only four solid walls around him and a talking chain that refused to live up to the ‘talking’ part.

“Does Zagreus want to drive me crazy? Is that it?” Nico exploded, tugging as hard on the chain as he could. “Is he waiting for me to call out to him?”

Phantasos remained quiet.

“Fine, then!” Nico tugged again, feeling the Mist around him. If he could just convince the Oneiroi that he was able to get away… “But Hades is my father, and Zagreus my brother, you think I can’t pull you out and escape?”

He tried to make the energy around him swirl, just like Hecate had, and Phantasos groaned and rattled in surprise. For a single second, the base attaching the chain to the floor came a little loose, but it snapped back into place immediately after.

“That was closer than before!” He exclaimed, more for Phantasos than himself. “If I keep at it, I’m sure I’ll be free of you soon.”

“You’ll never get anywhere with such a childish control,” A new voice said.

The door opened and Nico’s eyes widened. Before him was an older version of Bianca. She was dressed in all white with her long black hair done in a braid. He gulped and tried feeling around to see if he was being tricked by the Mist, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

“What’s wrong, brother? You were so loud and boisterous a few seconds ago.” Her face betrayed no emotion, and her tone was so even she sounded genuinely curious.

“You are…”

“Oh, right, you may call me Makaria,” she said. “Goddess of Peaceful Death.”

Nico felt himself relax. Now that he looked closer, he could see the slight differences. Makaria’s face was a lot paler than Bianca’s, and her eyes, while mellow and half-lidded, were a solid black with no white or iris.

“You look a lot like our father,” he commented, because Bianca also got her looks from Hades. “Are you with Zagreus too?”

“I am,” she confirmed. She touched Phantasos, making the chain extend and coil on itself. “I am also your last chance at joining him of your own free will.”

“What?”

Makaria sighed and took his hand, helping him up.

“Zagreus grows ever more anxious. The Romans will reach the Greeks in a few days, and he needs you by his side by then,” she said. Nico shivered. “If I can’t convince you, he’ll bathe you in the Lethe, and have Dolos make you believe you have always followed him.”

“The god of Fraud?” Nico asks, eyes wide. “Just how many gods has he swayed?”

“Come with me,” Makaria said instead of answering. “Maybe once you see how things are, you’ll change your mind.”

Nico said nothing, just followed along, eager to get out of the cell. The chain around his ankle seemed to extend endlessly while still feeling like it was stretched taut.

Makaria guided him through a seemingly infinite number of corridors and stairs, until they reached an almost empty hall guarded by skeletons. Nico curiously peeked inside, watching a throne with a statue of his father in there.

“Look at that,” Makaria said. “He’s not an Olympian, but he’s still a slave to the divide. Lost in his own mind, unable to help or guide the world.”

Nico’s eyes widened at the words. The ‘statue’ changed it’s face slightly, looking slightly more severe, his outfit changing to. It happened for a few seconds before going back.

“When we take over, demigods will be united under the same banner,” she said. “We also plan on having gods be more involved in their demigod children’s lives, though the how is still in progress.”

“What will happen to them?” He asked, almost shyly. “To Father and the Olympians.”

“Zeus and some others will be thrown to Tartarus… poetic, in a way.” Makaria blinked slowly, Nico wasn’t sure if she was relishing on the punishment or trying to recall more. “The rest will be a case-by-case basis, but most of them will be turned into minor gods… Let them taste what they put their divine children through themselves.”

There was an edge to her voice that told Nico how personal it really was for her.

“Then what’s the difference? You’ll topple a tyranny to install a new one.”

“Things will be better,” she insisted walking along. Nico had half a mind to try and go another way, but the chain on his ankle reminded him any attempt would be short-lived. “Once we assume control, we can start making better conditions for gods, demigods, and mortals. The reason the Olympians treat demigods so poorly is their pact to stop being known to mortals stop them for better sources of praise.”

“Is that one of your changes? Doing away with the Mist and revealing the gods to mortals?” Nico couldn’t help but ask. There was so much that could go wrong with that path.

“Unfortunately, that would require too much diplomacy with other… gods,” Makaria said, though she looked like she wanted to say something else. “No, we plan on using the Oneiroi.”

She opened a big door that led to what looked like the inside an 80’s corporate office building, filled with cubicles holding all sorts of abstract shapes.

“The Oneiroi will bring us dreams relating to our domains, and they will work as praise for us,” she explained. One of the figures approached her and whispered something. “Tell Triton to be patient, we need to strike once we thin out the demigod ranks.” The shape became smaller, probably bowing, before going back to its cubicle. Makaria turned back to Nico. “Right now, we use them to give messages through dreams, but once Zagreus rises, they will offer demigods the freedom to not fight for their parents. Their only mission will be monster population control.”

Nico bit his lip, refraining from arguing. Something had just occurred to him from all this talk.

“But what does Zagreus offer you?” He asked.

“The gods that fight by his side—”

“I know from him what he offers them, but what did he offer you, Makaria?” Nico had his suspicions, but the idea in his mind required some confirmation. “I doubt someone like you would betray father unless the reward was worth it.”

Makaria looked at him strangely.

“I am very simple in my desires, brother,” she stated simply. “Like Triton or the Apollonides, I want to succeed my father. Zagreus has offered me to be Queen of the Underworld.”

Makaria's name-dropping made him bite his lip. More gods who were joining this grassroots movement, and that couldn't be good. Nico sighed and looked at her.

“I want to go back to my cell,” he said. Makaria looked disappointed.

“Didn’t manage to convince you, did I?” She asked.

“It’s not that,” he said reassuringly. Despite knowing who she was. Nico still got a feeling similar to being with Bianca. “After I’m back at my cell, can you call for Zagreus?”

“Does that mean you will help?”

“It means I want to see what kind of man he is,” he said carefully. “If he’s to become the king of all creation, I think the people under him should know what he’s like.”

Makaria nodded and clasped his hands.

“It’s a first step,” she said. “Follow Phantasos chain back, I’ll go call Zagreus!”

She left in a hurry. A few seconds later the chain started to tug at him, shortening and guiding him to the cell.

Nico walked calmly back.

Zagreus, just like Octavian before him, had given him an opening.

The metaphorical ball was now in the god’s court, and his answer would determine how things will go.

He barely had time to sit on the floor when Zagreus appeared, followed by a gaunt man with black hair and a smirk.

“Hello, Zagreus,” he greeted calmly, trying to not let his nerves show. “Who is with you today?”

Zagreus smiled pleasantly.

“I know enough about you to be wary of your parley, brother,” he said lightly as he made his throne appear. “Dolos here will tell me if you’re scheming something.”

Nico tried to keep his face emotionless while his mind raced a million miles per minute. Zagreus was far more intelligent than Octavian, and like him, he wouldn’t underestimate Nico just because he was weaker.

“Oh, and what does he gain from following you?” He asked conversationally to try and make time. “I’m sure he doesn’t wish to take over Erebus or Nyx.”

“Making time?” Dolos asked. His voice was a bit more nasal than he imagined, and he never stopped smirking. “This demigod is scheming, your majesty, your grace is wasted on one such as him.”

“Dolos here was born a daimon,” Zagreus answered, ignoring him. “A servant of his parents. He ascended as a god, but without his due tribute. He and his son will get that once I ascend the throne.”

Nico nodded.

“You need me,” he said simply. “Nike is out of commission, so I’ll be the only one able to tip the scales once you march on Olympus. You’re offering gods left and right blessings and power. You even offered godhood to Octavian.”

“Get to the point, Nico,” Zagreus said impatiently. “There’s something you want in exchange, isn’t it?”

Nico bit his lip to keep himself from smiling. Dolos narrowed his eyes.

“Percy Jackson and Jason Grace,” he said. “I want them alive.”

“That can be arranged,” Zagreus responded easily. “If you want multiple consorts, you can have them.”

Nico pursed his lips.

“I have one other request,” he continued. Zagreus nodded, only for Dolos to touch his arm.

“He’s taking you for a fool, my lord,” he said, smirking at Nico. “You shouldn’t trust what he says next.”

“He’s right, I am scheming something,” Nico said shamelessly. “And your answer to my request will tell us how this will go.”

Zagreus looked pensive for a few moments, probably trying to decide whether hearing him out would mean his victory. Nico looked at his nails, trying to appear as uninterested as possible.

“Give your condition,” he said at last. “If I agree, you’ll have to swear on the Styx to aid me. If not, there are other ways to get your cooperation.”

A threat, then. Play nice or be mind wiped. Nico nodded.

“It’s about the other demigods…”

So, here’s the thing about travelling as a group of about thirty minors (or girls that have been ‘minors’ for decades if not centuries), it’s not easy to get transportation.

Percy groaned as Thalia tried the now usual ‘we’re a scout organization and our troop is travelling the U.S.’ shtick for the third time that day. The main problem was that Thalia was also playing the responsible chaperone, since it would look suspicious for Percy (the actual person closest to eighteen) to lead a bunch of girls and just two guys (one of which was unconscious), and to be blunt she was terrible at it.

Her short hair and punk rock style simply did not convey an image of a reliable scoutmaster over eighteen, and many bus drivers had to be tricked with the Mist to let them go without informing the authorities.

The man nodded and pointed inside the building. To her credit, Thalia smiled and gave the man a firm handshake. The transaction finished, she returned to the group.

“He agreed to take us to Philly… tomorrow morning,” she said. The girls that had come with them cheered half-heartedly for their leader and went to their designated camping site.

“Well, at least Pittsburgh is nicer than I expected,” Jason commented. “We better get Percy to a secluded place before Annabeth does her daily call.”

Percy rolled his eyes.

“Try not to look like an excited golden retriever next time,” he said without heat. Jason’s cheek turned a deep red. Honestly, the idea that Jason had a crush on his ex-girlfriend provided endless opportunities for teasing. “You know, maybe I should teach you about a little thing called the bro code.”

“You aren’t teaching him sh*t,” Thalia said, glaring at him. “My little brother is pure and innocent, and he will stay that way unless you want Aegis embedded in your skull.”

“So violent,” he said, earning a chuckle from Jason. “You guys go on ahead, I’ll go buy some snacks for everyone.”

“And a keychain for Nico,” Jason finished, getting some revenge by embarrassing Percy back.

For the past three days he had been getting some souvenir or another from every city they rested at so the son of Hades would know where he had been. The truth was that, with each passing day, he got more and more anxious. What if Nico never awoke? What if Bianca ran out pomegranate seeds and Nico died before he could come back?

It was so nerve-wracking that he needed a distraction, any distraction, to keep his mind busy.

He had even tried to search for Nico in his own dreams. Kronos had once said that his parentage made it easy for him to slip into other people’s dreams even when they blocked him, but he hadn’t found Nico yet.

“That’ll be $83.49,” the cashier said. Percy gave her Nico’s black credit card and took the paper bags quickly.

He reached the camping grounds to see everyone running around.

“What’s going on?” He asked the nearest girl that was agitated, Agatha. She was so busy, she didn’t even glare at him like usual.

“It’s Bianca’s brother,” she said, annoyed. “She’s making us do a million tasks for him.”

“What do you mean?” He tried, but the girl was already gone.

Worried, Percy entered Bianca’s tent.

Jason and Thalia were already there, while Bianca was holding Nico’s head, who was tossing and turning, groaning in his sleep.

“What happened?” He asked, not even bothering to say hello.

“I was just giving him the seed for the day, but he threw it up and started squirming!” Bianca shouted. “Either he’s waking up, or something is seriously wrong wherever his consciousness is.”

Percy took Nico from Bianca’s arms and started rocking him, trying to calm him down.

“Come on, Nico, don’t do this to me!” He pleaded. “I’m going to be seriously pissed if you don’t come back before we can talk about what happened!”

Nico gasped and his eyes opened. He started heaving and looking around, confused until his eyes landed on Bianca.

“Mak… Bianca?” He asked, unsure. His sister just nodded, unable to talk. She hugged him, but Nico still looked around, lost. Percy noticed him glancing repeatedly at his ankle. “Where are we?”

“Pittsburgh,” Percy said, making the son of Hades notice him at last. “We’ll reach Eirene tomorrow.”

“Then we’re very short on time,” he said, distressed.

Before Percy could ask why, Annabeth’s voice directed his attention to the Iris message that appeared behind Bianca.

“Our scouts just sighted the Roman army! They just left New York City and are headed to Long Island!”

“Yes,” Nico said. Annabeth’s eyes widened as she noticed he was awake. “I met Octavian’s patron. The Romans will attack at sundown tomorrow.”

Chapter 28: The Symbol of Peace: Back on the Road, with a few Perks

Chapter Text

Things were pure chaos the next few hours.

Percy’s first idea was to just ditch the hunters and go ahead with Nico, either via Shadow Travelling or by calling the Zombie Chauffeur.

While Thalia and Bianca were against it, Nico agreed they didn’t have time to stay with the Hunt, and they were the ones on the quest.

Jason also wanted to stay with his sister longer, but he was voted down.

“I… can’t Shadow Travel right now,” Nico admitted after it had been decided. “Jules-Albert is also far away, so we’ll have to wait until he arrives. I’ve been asleep for a while, so I’ll keep watch.”

“I’ll stay with you!” Bianca said at once. Nico shook his head. “Look, I know I failed you last time we saw each other but—”

“It’s not that! You need your rest,” he said. “You were watching over me all this time and… the hunters need to march towards Camp Half-Blood tomorrow.”

“We can’t,” Thalia spoke up. “We are to remain neutral during this conflict.”

“Keep it that way, but you need to be there either way,” Nico said. “I… I made a deal while I was dream walking, and for my plan to work, as many people associated with the gods as possible must be in that first encounter.”

“A deal? With whom?” Bianca asked.

“I’ll tell you later, promise.” Nico stood up. He wobbled a little, making his sister catch him. “I’ll be by the campfire if anybody needs me.”

Jason looked at Percy and moved his head meaningfully before standing up. Percy looked at Bianca, who just stood there, unsure while Thalia put a hand on her shoulder.

He sighed and followed Jason outside the tent and towards the campfire.

Nico had taken a branch and was poking the fire noncommittally, looking tired.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked. Nico grunted in response. “What happened to you?”

The son of Hades remained quiet, just looking at the fire and not at them.

“Nico,” Percy said, sitting beside him and putting his arm around his shoulder, making him tense. “We’re a team. We’re doing this quest together. You can trust us.”

It took a few seconds before Nico opened his mouth.

“I… can’t sleep,” he said. “I can’t fall asleep at least until everything is over and done with. Dreams… will probably trap me again.”

“Does Octavian’s patron control dreams?” Jason asked, eyes wide. Nico nodded. “Then none of us is safe sleeping.”

“You’re fine… it’s me they want.” Nico hugged his knees. “Octavian’s patron… I can’t say his name, but he’s my brother. A son of Hades like me. He wants Olympus, and to punish the gods in charge.”

“And he wants you for your blessing,” Percy guessed. Nico nodded again. “How did you get out?”

“I made a deal…”

“To be honest, I don’t trust you,” Nico said, all fake confidence. “I don’t trust any god to treat the demigod souls with the justice they deserve.”

Zagreus looked perplexed, while Dolos just looked at him with pure scorn.

“And how can we earn that trust, Nico?”

“You can’t,” he said simply. “Which is why, in your new world, I don’t want to be your counselor. I want the Underworld.”

“He lies,” Dolos hissed. Nico glared at him. “A fraud, your majesty.”

“Dolos is correct,” he admitted. “There’s nothing I want least than this position, but I’ll take it to make sure demigods are given their dues.”

Zagreus’s lips were pressed into a thin line.

“I’m afraid the Underworld is already spoken for,” he said carefully. “I can offer you a place as one of the judges, but…”

“Father overrules the judges all the time,” he interrupted. “No, if I am to help you, it will be by giving me control over the dead and their rebirth.”

“I could just dump you into the Lethe and make you comply,” Zagreus said, but he sounded almost sad about it. “That would make you forget this fixation of yours.”

“You could, but I would use every second of my consciousness conjuring blessings for father and the Olympians,” Nico said, smiling widely. “Blessings so powerful my mind-wiped self won’t be able to match them.”

Zagreus stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity, while Dolos threw every insult under the sun at Nico.

“Mutually assured destruction,” Zagreus said in wonder.

“I learned from you,” Nico said. “Even if I can’t win, I’ll make sure you lose, brother.”

Zagreus stayed quiet for some time, thinking about his options. Nico tried hard not to smile. He had none.

“Swear your fealty,” Zagreus finally said. “And I’ll see it done.”

“You said the Underworld was already spoken for,” Nico said innocently. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Dolos fume. “Make the announcement, and I’ll do it. That’s the deal.”

Zagreus smiled.

“You are a formidable opponent,” he said. He stood up with Dolos following behind. “Fine. I’ll be back soon.”

Now, all that remained was to wait.

“You tricked a god?” Jason asked, eyes bugging out.

Nico looked embarrassed.

“I was actually expecting you guys to believe I took his side,” he admitted. Percy put his arm around Nico’s shoulders in reassurance.

“Nico, we know you,” he said softly. “You’d never do that.”

Jason raised an eyebrow, but Percy did his best to ignore it.

“Thank you,” Nico said, voice low. “After that, I didn’t have to wait that long…”

The door opened sooner than expected. Makaria looked furious as she stormed into the prison, making Phantasos rattle.

“Leave,” she said. Nico blinked. He was trapped until he swore to help Zagreus, wasn’t he? However, Makaria was not looking at him.

“But my Lady, his majesty said—”

“Do you doubt my power, Phantasos?” She asked coldly. “If I want to keep him here, I need only to will it. I am my father’s daughter.”

There was something in her tone that made Nico shiver. That last sentence was meant for him.

Phantasos rattled a bit and then turned into a toy robot, marching steadily out of the prison, which closed immediately after.

“Do you think me a cruel goddess, brother?” She asked, observing him closely. “Did I give you the impression that I would mistreat your precious demigods, that I would go back on my oaths and promises?”

Nico tried to move, but he was pinned. It was as if Makaria’s stare alone had a weight that kept him trapped.

“Well?” She pressed. The pressure around him became even bigger, as if he was being crushed under a building. “Answer me.”

“You were not… the one being judged,” he managed to say. Makaria’s stare eased a bit, and so did the pressure. “I told you, didn’t I? I wanted to see what kind of man Zagreus was.”

“A man who will give you what you want, who wants what is best for everyone.” she said. “You only need to ask.”

“A man who will sacrifice anything to accomplish his goal,” Nico said back. “Even things that are not his to sacrifice, like the lives of demigods, or your position in the Underworld.”

“Was that a trick, then? You just wanted him to make me angry?”

“I wanted to test him,” he answered. The pressure around him was now more like a particularly large rock. “I wanted you to see that he cares more about his goals than the people they’re meant to benefit.”

“The World needs change, brother,” she said. “It begs for it. Zagreus is just answering its call.”

“Is he the only one who can make it?” Nico asked. “Is his method the only one?”

“I see no one else doing anything to achieve it.”

“Then let me go,” Nico said. “You don’t want the Underworld, not really. You want to be recognized, to better your circ*mstances and of those who have passed.”

Makaria said nothing, but she looked at him curiously.

“But it is not Zagreus who can give you that.” He sat up, the pressure was all gone. “It is us, the demigods, who can change the way you guys are praised… and how our parents see you.”

“So that’s it?” She asked, defeated. “We are beings that outlive you, our power could crush you, but we depend solely on you?”

“It’s the trade-off,” Nico said simply. “We exist because a god wanted a champion, we get to decide that god’s Fate.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Makaria helped him up. She touched his forehead, and he felt his soul get warmer.

“After naming you the new Heir to the Underworld, Zagreus offered to make me his Queen,” she said softly. “The reasoning was wrong, and I refused.”

Nico stayed quiet. He wasn’t sure if Makaria, with her trust and loyalty to Zagreus, would have accepted if the proposal had been sincere.

“Now, go back,” she sentenced. “The two demigod camps will meet at sunset tomorrow. If your kind can really change how things are for us, save them.”

“It will change,” he promised. He felt his dream body dissolving, and started feeling his real limbs, heavy with sleep. “What about you?”

“Zagreus will do nothing,” she said. “He needs the Keres, and they answer to me. Now go back, don’t mention Zagreus to anybody… and be careful of your own dreams.”

Nico’s consciousness faded, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself face-to-face with Bianca.

“You know,” Percy commented suddenly, making Nico look up. “Dionysus once told me that gods needed demigods more than we needed the gods.”

“It’s kind of an open secret at this point,” Nico said, looking at the fire. “Gods are still alive because their stories are passed down and their domains thrive. Demigods create more stories, they pass them down, they love their parents.”

“While your regular mortal may know some stories, most don’t believe in the gods, so they are stuck with us,” Jason said. “When you look at it that way, it makes Juno’s stance on most demigods a bit contradictory.”

“People, mortal or gods, are a living contradiction,” Nico said. “Makaria wants to be recognized, just as most of my brother’s group. They want a purpose, to be important to the natural order like us, and yet…”

“They are willing to toss aside what they were born to do, in order to get it,” Jason finished for him. “If we truly want to weaken Octavian’s patron, we need to fix their grievances. In the old days, that was the Pontifex’s job.”

“I doubt Octavian cares about that,” Nico muttered. “Minor gods won’t give him the power he desires. His plan is to help my brother topple Olympus and become a god himself.”

Percy groaned.

“But what can we do?” He asked. “It’s not like all the minor gods have children of their own so we can build them a cabin… and the space needed for that would be ludicrous.”

“Having empty cabins just to appease some major gods also seems counterproductive with your current system,” Jason said, pensive. “Unless… I got it!”

“What? What is it?” Nico exclaimed, leaning forward.

“Give me a drachma,” Jason told Percy. The son of Poseidon blinked but gave him one of his coins. “I need to run a couple of ideas by Annabeth, be right back!”

“You can do it here, you know?” Nico pointed out, but Percy chuckled. “What?”

Jason glared, his cheeks dusted pink.

“It’s okay, Nico, I can do it alone,” he said, smiling with an evil tint. “Besides, Percy and you have a pending talk.”

Nico tilted his head, confused, but Jason was already walking away.

What could he and Percy probably have to talk about in private?

He glanced at the Son of Poseidon, who had his mouth open and a blush across his face. He unconsciously touched his lips, making Nico copy him as his eyes widened.

Oh, right.

That.

Percy was going to strangle Jason.

Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but one day, when he least expected it, Percy’s hands would be around his neck.

Nico scooted a bit away from him, avoiding his gaze.

He hadn’t even thought about what he was going to say!

“I—”

“I’m sorry,” Nico said quickly. “Before I fell asleep I… I did that without asking or anything… must have made you uncomfortable…”

“No! I mean… I was a little surprised…” Percy laughed softly. “Never thought you’d be so bold.”

Nico blushed a bit. Seeing Nico so nervous about it, it kind of made Percy feel a little calmer, knowing he wasn’t the only one overwhelmed.

“I’m sorry I—”

“Do you like me, Nico?” Percy interrupted before Nico could apologize yet again.

“…Isn’t it obvious?” Nico mumbled, looking at the fire.

“Not really,” Percy said. “You could have just wanted your first kiss before putting your life in danger… or maybe you wanted to be true to yourself, or you noticed I—”

“You overthink a lot, don’t you?” Nico said, amusem*nt clear in his voice. Percy dipped his head. “I did it because I wanted to.”

Percy turned to look at Nico. He was hugging his knees, still refusing to look at him.

“You wanted to?” Percy repeated, trying to understand what his friend meant.

Nico nodded.

“I’m not sure when it started,” he continued, voice so low Percy wouldn’t have heard it if they weren’t sitting next to each other. “But somewhere along the way, I kind of started feeling… things for you. So yes, I kissed you because I wanted to do it, because I like you, Percy.”

From his body language, Percy knew that Nico expected the worst of him, so he scooted closer and put his arm around his shoulders, bringing him as close as possible without outright sitting him on his lap.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Nico,” he said. Nico relaxed against him.

“S-still, you’re not obligated to anything, you know?” he said nervously. “These feelings are mine to deal with, and I’ll deal with them!”

“Hey, I know you kind of fell into a coma right after it happened, but… you do remember I kissed you back, right?” Percy said, teasing Nico a bit.

Nico blinked and finally turned to look at him. Percy noticed his eyes dipping to stare at his lips.

“You did…” Nico said, voice filled with both confusion and wonder. “But… you had a girlfriend…”

“Some people like both guys and gals, you know,” Percy laughed. “If there’s nothing wrong with liking boys, there should be nothing wrong with liking boys and girls, is there?”

Nico smiled and snuggled closer.

“Yeah, none at all,” he confirmed. They stayed quiet for a while, listening to the crackling of the bonfire and the sounds nocturnal bugs. Nico raised his eyes to look at him again. “So… what are we, Percy?”

Percy sighed. Here came the difficult part.

“I… I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I like you a lot, Nico, and now I know you like me back, but… I’m barely out of a relationship, and I… it doesn’t feel right to jump into another one right now.”

Nico looked down again. He seemed deep in thought.

“So, you like me, but you don’t want to be with me?” He asked. His voice was detached, emotionless. Percy started to fear the worst.

“I really, really, really want to be with you!” Percy assured him. “I just need time! But I also get if you’re not okay with that.”

Nico stayed quiet for a while. Percy wanted to bite his nails as he waited, but he also couldn’t help but notice how adorable Nico’s thinking expression was.

“I’ll be honest, this wasn’t what I expected.” Nico said. Percy couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment. Of course Nico wouldn’t wait for him. What was he thinking? “I expected you to reject me, and for our friendship to turn awkward. Waiting a bit for you… it’s something I can do.”

Percy whipped his head back. He could now see Nico smiling uncertainly. His heart skipped a beat.

“I guess I should give you space. We’re still just friends, after all, don’t want to pressure you.” Nico chuckled and tried moving away, only for Percy to hold him tighter. Nico looked at him, bemused. “Percy?”

He couldn’t. He still wasn’t ready. Still, hearing Nico say those things just made him want to…

“Friends can be this close if they want,” he said before his brain could catch up with his mouth. “Maybe I’m not ready for us to be boyfriends, but I wouldn’t be against us being, you know, the type of friends who are comfortable enough with each other to kiss sometimes.”

Nico seemed to short-circuit for a second, before nodding.

“I’d like that… as long as I’m the only friend you do that with,” he said, voice turning teasing at the end.

Percy laughed.

“You definitely will be.”

With nothing else to say, he joined his lips with Nico’s.

Jason smiled to himself as he saw Percy and Nico talking in hushed tones and snickering.

Seems things had worked out after all.

“Hey,” he said, interrupting them. They both turned to look at him. “I Think ‘Beth and I figured out the last line of the Prophecy!”

“…Beth?” Nico asked, tilting his head. Jason coughed.

“Annabeth!” He corrected quickly. Percy, ungrateful bastard that he was, snickered. “At first, she assumed ‘the right voice’ meant something like Charm Speaking, so a lot of her plan has been hinging on using the Aphrodite kids to charm the Legion.”

“But she was wrong,” Nico guessed, making Jason nod. “Is she ditching that strategy, then?”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “As I said, many of her strategies relies on stopping the Legion dead on its tracks while the monsters advance, and then killing them. But Charm Speak… it’s not the right voice, I think the right voice is Octavian's.”

"What? We already established the guy only wants to kills the Greeks, and maybe a lot of Romans too while he's at it!" Percy excalimed, shaking his head. "How can his voice be the one to end the conflict?"

“We negotiate with him before the battle starts,” Nico said, catching on. “Except there will be no negotiating. It would be a setup so we can expose Octavian and his motives in front of the Legion.”

“So ‘the right voice’ actually refers to a way to make the whole Legion listen in to him gloating without him noticing!” Percy finished triumphantly.

“That’s what we figured out,” Jason said, glad to see his friends getting it. “We also talked about Makaria's problem, and I think Annabeth’s skills are just what we need to start fixing this.”

“What is she planning?” Percy asked, interested. Jason shrugged.

“We first need to see if it’s doable.” Jason took out some marshmallows and put them in sticks, offering them to the other two. “Her plan relies on the collaboration of both sides.”

Percy groaned.

“So this is a problem for after this quest is done?” Percy asked, frustrated. “I swear, it’s like no one wants us to rest.”

“But we have to do this, or very soon we demigods will find ourselves in the middle of a conflict between Minor and Major gods,” Jason explained. “If we want to avoid that, we need peace between Romans and Greeks.”

“Which means, we need a Symbol from Eirene.” Nico said grimly as he took the treat and roasted it over the fire. “In a way, it’s comforting, knowing this whole journey is still important.”

As soon as the marshmallows were charred to his liking, a car horn blared, breaking the peaceful sounds of the night.

The Hunters all got out of their tents as the black fancy car Jason had come to know like the back of his hand zoomed by the dirt road near their encampment site.

It stopped a few feet away from their campfire. The door opened and Jules-Albert walked out and opened the back door, all poise and elegance… if you could ignore the fact that his greyish skin and exposed muscle tissue made it apparent he was dead, which the hunters obviously couldn’t do.

About fifty weapons were readied and pointed at the newcomer.

“Jules! You crazy zombie chauffeur!” Percy said loudly, both to greet him and to calm down the hunters. “We missed you!”

Jason wasn’t sure if zombies could blush, but Jules-Albert hid his upper face with his cap and gave what appeared to be an abashed smile.

Nico rolled his eyes and stepped forward.

“Jules-Albert,” he said seriously. “I need you to take us to Philadelphia. How long will you take?”

The zombie seemed to think it over before raising four fingers.

“Heures,” he said in his raspy French. Nico nodded.

“I guess it’s time to go, then,” Percy said. He turned to look at the hunters until he spotted Thalia and Bianca. He ran up to them. “Thanks for everything, see you soon!”

“I’m sure we will,” Thalia said, smirking. “You’re way too hard to kill for this quest.”

“Take care of Nico,” Bianca said. Percy nodded at her seriously.

“With my life.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Nico blushing, but smiling bashfully.

Percy ran past them and entered the car, waving at the other girls all the way and ignoring their glares and astonished stares. Once he was inside, he stuck out his head.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” He asked. “Say goodbye to your sisters and let’s hit the road!”

He disappeared inside.

“He’s so… obnoxious some times!” Jason said. Nico shook his head.

“He wants to give us privacy,” Nico commented before going to Bianca. “But yes, he is very obnoxious.”

The fondness in Nico’s voice cut the meanness of the words, in Jason’s opinion.

Jason was watching them as Percy slept on Nico’s lap. He raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing.

He was waiting for Nico to speak up.

“You should sleep too,” he said finally, voice low enough to not wake Percy. Just act like nothing had changed. It was technically true, after all. “Jules-Albert will wake you once we reach Eirene.”

“You need rest too,” Jason mentioned. Nico sighed and pulled out some squares of Ambrosia from his pocket.

“I’ll eat one if I get too tired,” he said. “We’ll probably be dead by tomorrow afternoon if we fail. Plenty of time to sleep, then.”

“Aren’t you exhausted? You said dream walking is not the same as sleeping, your soul hasn’t rested for days!”

“I’ll be fine,” he tried. Jason just stared at him harder, making him sigh. “I’m the son of Hades, my soul can take a bit more punishment than you think.”

“Nico…”

“Just trust me, okay?” Nico said tiredly. “I can’t fail now.”

“We can’t fail,” Jason corrected him. “You’re not alone in this, Nico. It’s okay to ask for help.”

Nico stayed quiet. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Percy or Jason with his safety or the safety of camps, but at the end of the day, it was his actions that had unleashed this. Zagreus couldn’t have manipulated everything to this extent if he had found another way to escape Octavian. Jason wouldn’t have been demoted if not for him convincing him to let him go.

Percy would probably still be with his girlfriend instead of a mess of feelings.

He didn’t regret the choices he made, but he had to take responsibility for them. He would fix things, no matter what, all while keeping his happiness.

“I know,” he finally said. “I have you guys, and Annabeth, Leo, and Hazel.”

It was because he had all these people that he needed to protect them.

Jason smiled.

“Good,” he said, eyes closing. “We’re stopping at a diner or something, you haven’t eaten real food in days.”

Nico rolled his eyes.

“Yes, mom,” he said sarcastically. But Jason, had already fallen asleep.

Stupid Jason able to sleep on command.

Philadelphia, nicknamed both the City of Brotherly Love and the Athens of America, considered one of the birthplaces of the U.S. thanks to being one of the stages of the American Revolution.

The perfect place for the Three Horae that represented Law, Order, and Peace.

“And the home of the Philly cheesesteak!” Percy finished for Nico when he entered the car again, giving his friends the sandwiches he had bought. “Now eat up! We need to be full of energy before we meet the Horae!”

“…How did you find a place that sold these so early in the morning?” Nico asked, shocked. “It’s like five a.m.”

“I have connections,” Percy said smugly. Nico raised his eyebrow. “Okay, so I asked some dude that looked stoned for munchies at this hour, and he pointed me to a place.”

“Now that’s more believable,” Jason said, biting into his food. His eyes widened. “This is pretty good!”

“Well, there are 24-hour places that sell them, you know?” Percy said, rolling his eyes. “I would have found one eventually.”

“So, where to?” Jason asked, eyeing Nico. The son of Hades pondered for a moment as he chewed.

“Independence Hall,” he decided. “If the Horae are still here, they must be in a place that embodies all of them.”

“Okay,” Percy said. “Jules-Albert, if you could take us there?”

The zombie grunted and the car started moving.

“You are awfully nice to him now,” Jason pointed out.

“I meant it when I said I missed him, but we can call back the Party Ponies to take us there instead,” Percy teased. Jason turned a little green. “That’s what I thought. Appreciate the zombie!”

Nico chuckled. Percy turned back and smiled at him, making him blush.

Gods, how could everything Nico did now be so alluring?

He snaked his arm around his waist and pressed him closer. He was so glad he could do that now.

“I know this isn’t my business,” Jason said, making him turn back. “But Percy, didn’t you say you weren’t ready?”

“I’m not,” he said, wondering how he could explain this to Jason. “But it’s like we’re halfway there?”

“You’re also right that it’s none of your business,” Nico pointed out. “But I appreciate the concern.”

“Yeah, you’re such a mom,” Percy added, his tone as sincere as he could make it.

He wasn’t making fun of Jason, just grateful that he worried over them.

Jason still huffed.

“You two are impossible,” he said, though he was smiling too. The car stopped, and the atmosphere was gone. “It’s time.”

They finished eating and got out. They were on the northern corner of the square. Up ahead, Percy could see Liberty Bell.

“So, how do we call their attention? Insult them like Nike?” Percy asked. Nico shook his head.

“I’d prefer it if that was our last resort,” he said. “But I’m not sure how to call on them.”

“Try saying please.”

The three stopped in their tracks.

Before them, there were three tall women with dark hair and glasses. The one in the center seemed to be wearing an old-fashioned judge attire (white wig and all), the woman to her right next was dressed like a policewoman from two centuries ago, and the one to her left seemed to be dressed like a Founding Father.

But what Percy noticed the most was their hands resting on their rapiers.

“The Horae, I presume,” Nico greeted carefully, bowing.

“You’d be correct,” the judge said. She unsheathed her sword, the others following. “And you are demigods, those who have broken our tenets and started conflict.”

“We didn’t—”

“Again and again, you defy us,” the policewoman said, expression severe. “You create conflicts among yourselves that even affect the mortals. Your actions weaken us!”

“Why does it always end up like this?” Percy moaned as he uncapped Riptide. Jason followed suit with his coin-sword.

“Give up your lives peacefully,” the last one said. “That will be your apology.”

Nico took out his Partisan and raised it defensively just in time.

Eirene, or maybe Pax, had chosen that moment to strike at him.

Chapter 29: The Symbol of Peace: Peace is Surprisingly Violent

Chapter Text

Annabeth sighed as Leo shouted as loud as he could.

No sound came out of him, however.

“Can you hear yourself talk, at least?” She asked, Leo shook his head.

“Um, Annabeth?” Hazel said, making her turn. She was covering her ears. “Why do I hear Leo shouting in my ear?”

“Oh gods, I thought I was the only one!” Piper said as she approached them. “No one else in my cabin can hear him. I thought I had finally lost it!”

Leo blinked before saying something and grinning. Hazel blushed and fanned her face, while Piper looked thoroughly unimpressed.

“Sure, why not,” she said in deadpan. “Then we can see if Hazel can make a ruby spear emerge right where that old car of yours is parked.”

Leo squawked and went to his knees, probably apologizing.

Behind him, Lou Ellen was scribbling on her notebook furiously.

“Were you thinking about them when I casted the spell?” She asked, not looking up. Leo shook his head. “What about you, guys? Does covering your ears drown him out or something?”

“It doesn’t, but they were ringing after that last shout,” Hazel said.

The daughter of Hecate took out a waterskin and offered it to Leo. He drank immediately.

“Geez, that was rough,” he said, and Annabeth could finally hear him. “Why them, though?”

“Unclear target,” Lou Ellen said. “I’m meant to make someone I don’t know be heard by people I don’t know, so I was just vague and made your voice carry to ‘old connections’ nearby.”

“Meaning, the girl he’s known the longest, and the girl who is connected to him through his grandfather.” Annabeth shook her head. “Even if that was useful, the Augur will notice his voice leaving him. Back to the drawing board.”

Lou Ellen groaned in frustration.

“This is the fourth spell I have created from scratch since you woke me up at midnight!” She complained.

“And it might be the last if we don’t find a way to project the Augur’s voice to his troops without him noticing by sundown.”

“I get it, I get it!” She defended herself. “But amplifying a voice usually goes hand in hand with the person wanting to be heard. They notice.”

“That’s it, this is like the hymns!” Piper shouted. Annabeth blinked and looked at her. “The hymns you ordered made for the battle! They were written by the Apollo Cabin, but we are the ones singing them!”

“A collaborative effort…” Annabeth muttered. She turned to Leo. “Can you guys make a hidden mike and amplification system and install it by sundown by the camp’s entrance?”

“Does a cathode have a negative charge?” He asked back. Annabeth nodded.

“Get to it, then,” she said. She then looked at the daughter of Hecate. “Now, I need you, and Hazel and Alabaster.”

“Mist manipulation?” Lou Ellen asked, guessing where she was going.

“The sound system will be hidden in the trees,” she explained. “I just need the Augur to ignore the fact that he’s being broadcast.”

“That’s easy enough,” Hazel said. “If what Nico told us is right, we just have to use his own ego to make him believe he would never be tricked.”

Annabeth smiled.

Athena always had a plan, no matter how dire the situation.

She couldn’t help but imagine Jason’s excited face at her quick thinking, like when she proposed how to calm down the minor gods.

Jason snarled as his sword clashed against Iustitia’s rapier. The goddess hadn’t used the bayonet strapped on her back even once during their whole encounter, and Jason wasn’t going to be the one to ask why.

He looked around, Percy was pulling double duty, fighting Eunomia but also assisting Nico with Pax.

“We don’t want to fight you!” He said as he continued blocking and evading. Iustitia huffed.

“If your intentions are so pure, why make conflict?” Eunomia said, trying to catch Percy by surprise while he turned to help Nico. The son of Poseidon was quick enough to duck. “Why go against the order of the world?”

“Because it was unfair!” Percy shouted. “Nico didn’t deserve that life. We broke the rules to do good for others.”

“The order is upheld by laws, the laws keep the peace,” Iustitia continued. Jason jumped back just in time to avoid a slash towards his face. “Break one, and the other two follow soon.”

“You call that peace?” Nico asked, swinging his partisan to make Pax step away from him. “We didn’t know the other existed, and the moment we did… we entered a war.”

“And whose fault is that?” She said scornfully. “Peace is the absence of conflict, and you demigods have shown time and time again that the only way to stop you from fighting is to keep you apart.”

“Such is the law,” Iustita said.

“To keep the order,” Eunomia finished.

They attacked as one, slashing at the same time their respective target. Jason and Nico saw it coming and blocked.

Percy had been looking at Nico to make sure he was fine, however.

“Percy!” They both shouted at the same time. The teen had been slashed across the chest, and his orange shirt was soaked with blood. He coughed a bit, but weakly raised a thumb.

“I… I’ll live, I think,” he managed to say.

“Disorderly,” was all Eunomia said. Nico glared.

“In the name of Nike, goddess of Victory,” he said loudly. Percy started glowing golden. “Perseus Jackson, win this battle!”

Percy shot towards Eunomia. The blood kept dripping, but his swings were virtually unstoppable, Eunomia was doing everything she could to stop the assault, but the cuts on her face and arms were dripping ichor.

After a particularly nasty slash, Eunomia fell to the ground, and Percy turned to help Nico once again, who grinned at the fallen goddess.

Jason, however, was more afraid of Percy turning paler by the second. He immediately realized what was happening.

“Nico, take the blessing away!” He exclaimed in warning. “Percy’s losing a lot of blood!”

Nico’s eyes widened. He swinged his partisan again to drive his opponent back and raised his arm.

“Let the world know you had your Victory!” He said hurriedly. The golden glow around Percy left, and he fell to the ground.

Eunomia was breathing heavily, and Iustitia and Pax hurried to her while they went to their friend.

“That was… awesome…” Percy said weakly with a chuckle. Nico shook his head.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t realize, I… I didn’t know how strong it– how injured you were!” He exclaimed desperately. “Jules-Albert! Ambrosia!”

The car, still parked on the street, turned off and the driver’s door opened. Their zombie chauffeur came jogging with a square of the food of the gods in his hand. He bowed to give it to Nico as he tipped his hat.

“What kind of monster are you?” Pax asked from their place by Eunomia. For a second, Jason thought they were talking about the zombie, but when he looked up their gazes were squarely on Nico.

“A child of the Underworld,” Iustitia said ominously. “But that ability…”

“A skill able to make a mortal surpass a god, even when injured…”

“Unnatural…”

Nico winced. He looked down at Percy who was slowly recovering some color on his face.

“My name is Nico di Angelo,” he said, standing up. Jason knew that expression. It was his ‘I’m the Internuntius Victoriae, respect me or else,’ expression. “I am a Son of Hades blessed by Nike, and I come to ask a favor of Eirene.”

He wondered then if that expression hadn’t been part of Octavian’s schooling, but something Nico inherited from his father.

“A favor?” The goddess of peace said, incredulous. “You attack us, injure my sister, and then have the gall to ask for a favor?”

Nico hesitated. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, he only knew that if he didn’t manage to get things back on track with the Horae, they wouldn’t get back in time.

“To be fair, my lady,” Percy said as he clutched as his wound. “You attacked us first.”

“What Percy means to say is,” Jason said, teeth gritted, “that we were only defending ourselves. Our intention was never to attack you.”

“Yet that is what you did,” Dike said plainly.

“You expected us to just take your attacks?” Percy asked, offended.

“We’re not talking about today,” Eunomia said. “We mean when your kind threatened our existence with war.”

“But now we’re trying to fix it,” Nico said. “We want things to be peaceful again, even better, because now Romans and Greeks will cooperate! Isn’t that better?”

Eirene held her head as she winced. The other two immediately went to comfort her.

“Peace is… Peace is…” she repeated, probably trying to center herself. “Control… Agreements!”

“Peace is non-aggression, dear,” Eunomia said soothingly. “If people don’t fight, there is peace.”

“I need Eirene to give us a symbol of her power,” Nico continued. “The Romans are attacking us because the Greeks took back the symbol of Victoria, and we need to give them something for their Ara Pacis.”

Eirene groaned as she hid her face in Dike’s chest. The woman dressed as a policeman just rubbed circles on her back.

“If that’s the case, why ask Eirene, and not Pax?”

Nico hesitated. He couldn’t say anything negative about Pax Romana if he wanted the Horae’s help, but how could he—?

“The symbol of Victoria historically belonged to the Greek,” Percy said. He looked much better, but he would probably need to rest up before they were back at camp. “Augustus took it from Pyrrhus and made a Roman altar around it.”

Jason seemed to get where Percy was going with all of this and nodded eagerly.

“If we want things to be balanced, to be fair, just, and lawful, we need the symbol of Peace to come from the Greek Eirene to replace our Ara Victoriae,” he said. “A new Ara Pacis that will bring back peace.”

Nico looked at Percy and smiled. He could kiss him right at that moment for his quick thinking if not for the goddess groaning even louder.

“It’s a nice sentiment,” Dike said in a diplomatic tone. “But as you can see, our sister is in no condition to give any symbols, so— what is that box?”

Jason had stood up, shoving the box with the Harmont Carnival logo in their faces.

“Half sacrifice for your help, half a solution to your problem,” Nico said as Jason opened the box. “This was made by the goddess of Harmony herself, and if you three share it, it will heal the rift between your Greek and Roman selves.”

Dike and Eunomia looked at each other.

“The ‘rift’ as you call it, mostly affects our sister,” Eunomia said sadly. “We do our best to keep her centered but—”

“She gets these headaches and violent spells,” Dike finished. “During these times of discord, we shift between our Roman and Greek selves randomly, but also seamlessly, and whenever we do, Eirene follows us.”

“The change is painful for her, however, and that pain… it makes her act up.”

“So that’s why!” Jason said loudly. The Horae turned to look at him. “Harmonia suggested that, to stabilize Eirene, all of you should eat a piece. Heal the rift together.”

The two observed the funnel cake. It was definitely divine in nature, as it still looked freshly made despite how long it had been.

“Just concentrate on being Greek while eating and pull Eirene with you,” Nico asked. “Help your sister with her pain.”

The two nodded and broke the treat in three.

They each bit into a piece and held the third against Eirene’s mouth.

The three demigods closed their eyes as a hot white light enveloped them.

“Nike has always been an ally of the Horae,” Eirene’s voice made Percy open his eyes. “After a Victory, in comes a respite, that too is a type of Peace.”

“It was still irresponsible of her!” Eunomia protested. “Giving that sort of power to a mortal, even if he’s a demigod, threatens order!”

“And yet, here he is, fighting to restore it,” Eirene said, turning to Nico.

“You’re debating whether to kill me,” Nico stated. Percy’s eyes widened. “I’m honestly surprised. You’re the first deities to do so.”

That made all of them raise an eyebrow.

“Has no other god realized how dangerous you are?” Dike asked, surprised.

“That’s what’s surprising,” Nico said. “The most I’ve gotten has been Tyche asking me to warn my patron to never give a blessing like mine again.”

How Nico could remain calm through this conversation, Percy didn’t know. He looked at Jason, who seemed to reflect his own worry.

“Are you not afraid of death, young demigod?” Eirene asked gently.

Nico gave a polite smile.

“Everything dies, eventually,” Nico said softly. “Even gods, the most we can hope for is that death comes to us peacefully.”

“Spoken like a true son of Hades,” Dike said. “It is indeed a law of the world. Death finds us all.”

“I think we will get along splendidly!” Eunomia gushed. “It’s no wonder, your father’s domain is among the most organized. Law and Order rule there.”

“Death is a sort of peace of its own too, I guess,” Nico said modestly. It was then that Percy realized Nico’s game. He was winning over the Horae now that they were stabilized, making sure not only that they didn’t kill him, but also that they would be willing to help them.

His bo… his friend was a genius.

“So, what was it you wanted to ask of me?” Eirene asked, a bit ashamed. “The pain from before didn’t let me hear you.”

“I was wondering,” Jason said suddenly. “When you become Roman, isn’t it weird that one of you turns into your mother?”

“What?” Nico and Percy said at the same time, turning to look at Jason.

The son of Jupiter blushed.

“You know, Pax’s mother is Iustitia, so I thought… you know what, forget it.”

If Percy had any doubts that the Romans also got ADHD, they disappeared at seeing Jason’s outburst.

Dike laughed.

“Yes, it can be a bit bizarre,” she admitted. “However, my domain is Law, and our mother Themis is Lady Justice herself. She is gracious enough to allow me control during times of strife.”

“Our actual request,” Nico said, giving Jason a brief glare. “Is for a symbol of your power, Lady Eirene, so that we may offer it to the Romans and end this war before it starts.”

Eirene looked at them with some pity before sighing.

“That’s a lovely thought,” Eirene said carefully. “But I’m not sure that would be enough to stop what has already started.”

“We have a plan,” Percy said, exuding a confidence he did not feel. “This war can be stopped, but without your symbol, it would not work.”

Eirene looked deep in thought for a few seconds before walking over to a tree. She pulled out a branch, and Percy saw as the leaves changed and it sprouted small white flowers and green fruit.

“Is that…?” Jason asked not able to complete the sentence.

“An olive branch,” Dike said. “A symbol of Eirene’s power.”

“No matter what tree she harvests, the result is always olive branches,” Eunomia added in a conspiratorial tone. “Mother never let her pick the fruit.”

“My salads are really good, though,” Eirene said loudly. Though her tone was peaceful and light, her face hid a threat to her sister. She turned towards Nico and gave a smile. “Here you go. Thank you for helping to center me again, however brief it might be.”

“If everything goes according to plan, everything will be back to normal tonight,” Nico promised. “Thank you, Lady Eirene, Lady Dike, Lady Eunomia.”

The women smiled at Nico.

“Such a polite boy.”

“Very respectful.”

“A charmer.”

Nico started to blush at the compliments. Percy narrowed his eyes.

“We need to leave soon,” he announced. He put his arm around Nico’s waist and started pulling him towards the car. “Thanks again, Ladies.”

Jason gave a quick bow and an apology for the fight, but Percy was already halfway to the car.

“Percy!” Nico hissed, holding on to the olive branch. “What’s your problem?”

Percy stopped just by the car door. He knew what his problem was, but how could he say it out loud and not sound like a jerk?

“I’m really tired right now,” he started, pulling Nico even closer, “And apparently, I get possessive when I’m tired.”

“Possessive? Why would you… oh.” Nico’s face made a really good impression of a tomato. “That’s… actually a little attractive…” He mumbled.

“I know, and I’m not like this all the time it’s just— wait, what did you say?”

“Nothing!” Nico said, managing to untangle himself and opening the door. “You got about two hours to rest while we get to camp.”

They were surprised to find Jason already sitting inside and looking at them.

“What took you so long?” He asked. He looked at Nico’s still blushing face and shook his head. “You know what, I don’t want to know.”

Frank observed the Legion quietly as they passed a sign informing that they were entering Long Island. The Onagers had slowed down their progress, but Octavian did nothing but praise the weapons and their destructive power.

Reyna seemed more and more uneasy with every step they took, but that seemed to vanish whenever Octavian or any Legionnaire passed by her.

“Isn’t it tiring?” Frank asked suddenly. Reyna raised an eyebrow, defenses up again.

“What? Having to follow a power-hungry lunatic due to a plan you still refuse to tell me?”

“The faking,” he said instead. He couldn’t just tell her his plan was to wait for Nico to have a plan to deal with Octavian. “You are sick of marching on the Greeks, but you still pretend everything is fine.”

“Because I have to… because we have to,” she corrected herself. “Being a leader is not about being the strongest or the most intelligent. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have warriors or strategists. Being a leader is about uniting the people. If you show doubt, weakness, then they will feel it too.”

“But you’re against it…”

“And if I let it show, the Legion will lose morale, and lives will be lost on the battle,” Reyna explained. “Because the battle will happen, and there’s nothing either of us can do to stop it.”

It occurred to Frank that Reyna was teaching him how to be a better Praetor.

Now that was a funny joke. He doubted his tenure would last beyond this campaign.

“It still sucks,” he said. “I’m sure leaders have people they trust, someone who they can be themselves around.”

Reyna looked at him strangely.

“I guess that’s why there’s 2 Praetors,” she said, looking ahead. “It’s easier to share things with an equal than with subordinates. That alleviates the loneliness a bit.”

The hint could not be more obvious.

“Were you open with Jason?” He asked instead. Reyna looked disappointed.

“Jason was different,” she scoffed. It was still weird how, after his banishment, everyone spoke of the former Praetor as if he had died. “He was raised to be a soldier. To serve the Legion and Juno. I doubt he was ever open with anyone. Not even himself.”

It dawned on him how lonely Reyna must have felt, without anyone to call a friend.

Just like him before he met Nico.

“I was raised by my mom and grandmother,” he said meekly. Reyna raised an eyebrow. “Always told me stories about all the great heroes I’m supposedly descended from.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I don’t think I’ll stay Praetor, once the dust settles,” he said simply. “But until that happens, I think both of us could use a friend.”

And Reyna didn’t really smile at him, but the corners of her lips did pull up a bit.

“I have a sister named Hylla,” she told him. “She’s the queen of the Amazons.”

They kept talking about meaningless and safe stuff about themselves. Frank never mentioned the little piece of wood in his pocket, and he noticed Reyna avoided mentioning stuff too, but something like a friendship was struck between them in that short time.

At the very least, it helped pass the time and ignore the pain on his feet from the long walk. Before he noticed, Octavian announced they would rest before attacking the Greek stronghold at sundown.

Chapter 30: The Symbol of Peace: Annabeth Chase's Art of War

Chapter Text

Jules-Albert sped through the highways and expressways, seemingly knowing exactly what route to take that would take the least time. Jason tried to keep his cheesesteak from that morning in his stomach whenever the zombie made a sudden turn.

“The Legion…” Nico muttered, fingers carding through a sleeping Percy’s hair. Jason looked at him curiously.

“What about it?”

“They’re there,” Nico said, leaning his head towards the window.

Jason maneuvered over Percy’s sleeping form and saw it.

There were dozens of tents set up, as well as what he assumed where the onagers Octavian had somehow procured. Just on the outskirts of the camping site, Jason could see the monsters. From the distance it looked like a brown sludge that twitched in weird places, and seemed to want to eat the camp, the only thing stopping it was the golden speck that shined brightly.

They had even brought along the Fulminata. This was not good.

“Are we sure our plan is enough to stop things?” He asked as he nervously glanced at the siege weapons.

Nico shook his head.

“The monsters will fight, regardless of what we do,” he said seriously. “We need to make sure Roman demigods are not part of it.”

“Annabeth has been working on it,” he said. “She has plans upon plans, backups for her backups, things will work.”

“Reyna is the kind of Praetor to lead the charge, that may put her on the line of fire. Frank is also reckless and desperate to prove himself, and there are people like Michael Kahale or Bryce Lawrence, who owe everything they are to Octavian…” Nico sighed and looked down at Percy. “I wish I had the same confidence you do.”

“It’s not really confidence,” Jason admitted. “I’m… still figuring out who I am outside of being a Legionnaire, and I have to rely on others a lot. I trust you guys to not stir me wrong… and I guess that trust also goes for Annabeth.”

Nico looked pensive for a moment before snorting. Jason frowned.

“Sorry, it’s just… I guess it’s a little funny,” Nico said softly. “Back in New Rome, I was the defenseless one, the one that needed others to get by. Our roles reversing isn’t something I ever expected.”

“I guess so,” he responded, smiling despite himself. “I’m not sure if I want this to be over.”

“The imminent threat of war?” Nico asked, eyebrows raising.

“After this quest, I’ll either be tried as a traitor or will go back to the Legion,” he explained. “I don’t want to go back to who I was… back to being Jason the soldier.”

“You don’t have to, not really,” Percy said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. “Are we there yet?”

“Not yet, Percy,” Nico cooed. “Do you want to sleep a bit longer?”

Percy yawned.

“Nah, it’s okay, I don’t want to be groggy when we arrive.” He said simply before turning to Jason. “Nico also thought he needed to be someone else before he met us. He was the Symbol of Nike, the liar, the victim, whatever let him survive.”

“Percy…”

“But that was it, he survived, he wasn’t living,” he continued as he took the son of Hades’s hand and squeezed. “You can return to New Rome, if that’s what you want, but you need to learn to live as yourself even if you take that choice.”

“If only it were that simple,” Jason said wistfully. “I’m Juno’s champion, I set an example for the Legion, I’m a Praetor.”

“Last I heard, you were demoted,” Percy pointed out. “As I see it, you can be loyal to whoever you wish, but there’s something wrong if you have to lie to yourself to remain loyal.”

Jason looked at Nico, who shrugged.

“He gets deep like that sometimes,” he said. “Don’t go falling for him like I did, I’ll fight you.”

“Oh, is the son of Hades the possessive type?” Percy asked, eyes filled with mirth.

“Maybe.”

Jason left the two of them to their flirting, as he thought about his options.

It was true, he wasn’t Praetor anymore. New Rome was still his home, and where his loyalty lied, but he wasn’t bound to it as he was before.

So, the question was, what to do with his life now?

He thought about it until they reached Camp Half-Blood.

It was around noon when scouts warned Annabeth of a car approaching the camp boundary.

She immediately sent the Ares cabin to investigate, only to relax once Clarisse came back, pissed and grumbling as she escorted Percy and the others to them.

“Did you get it?” She asked as soon as they approached. Instead of answering, Nico just held an olive branch. The sight alone made her feel at peace. She smiled. “Good, we’ll start with phase 1 as soon as our scouts see the Legion approaching.”

“How many phases does this plan have, again?” Percy asked as they walked towards the Big House.

“Just five,” she said, shrugging slightly. “The most important part is to deal with the monsters, then, with their forces diminished, they’ll have no choice but to parlay with us.”

“Five?” her ex raised his eyebrows.

“Give or take a phase. It all depends on whether or not they have reserves to call with the eagles.”

“How will you stop demigods from getting in the crossfire?” Nico asked curiously, making Annabeth smirk.

“That’s phase 1,” she said. “I have a few hymns that make monsters more eager to attack, and demigods want to stay back. The Aphrodite kids will be singing them, putting as much of their Charm Speak as possible into it.”

“So that’s what those hidden amplifiers and loudspeakers are for back in the forest,” Nico said, nodding.

“Among other things… are they too obvious?” she asked worriedly. She knew that they would be noticed as soon as phase 1 happened, but she needed them intact to expose the Pontifex to the Legion.

“I was looking for things to guess your strategy, they are actually difficult to notice.” Nico shrugged. “I did notice the sprinklers, though.”

“Those are okay, they are for Phase 3,” she sighed in relief. “Right now, we’re doing the final arrangements for sundown. You guys can rest up while we—”

“I’ll help,” Nico interrupted her. “I can’t fall asleep until this is all over.”

“How long have you been awake now?”

“Around 18 hours,” Jason answered in his stead. Nico glared at him. “Sundown is still 8 hours away, don’t push yourself.”

“If I rest, I might fall asleep,” he insisted. “Give me something to do, no matter how simple.”

“Well, I do need more hands to help with the specialized equipment…” she said uncertainly.

Nico nodded, and Percy put his hand on his shoulder. Annabeth’s eyebrows shot up.

“We’ll do it together,” he said, smiling at Nico, who hid his face and gave a shy smile back.

Had it finally happened? Annabeth wasn’t sure if she felt hurt or relieved.

“Do you need help with anything else?” Jason asked, bringing her back to the present. Percy and Nico were already walking towards the arena.

“Now that you mention it.” She took his hand and started dragging him towards the Big House. “You and I have a date with some blueprints, Mister.”

She didn’t notice the blush spreading on the son of Jupiter’s cheeks.

Nico sighed as he placed the magnetic sticker into an arrow and put it in one of the quivers.

Ten arrows per quiver, seventeen quivers to fill.

The work was completely mindless, but the movement kept him awake, at least. He was starting to feel pretty tired, and had almost nodded off once or twice already, but he couldn’t sleep yet.

Not when the Oneiroi were probably waiting on him to bring him back to the Underworld.

“So,” Percy said casually. “Why do the Hunters of Artemis need to be here?”

He was working on untangling some nets and tying up some Greek Fire grenades. Due to it being slightly more difficult to do, they both decided the groggy Nico shouldn’t be doing the latter.

“The more people involved with the mythological world, the better,” he said. “I need the Hunt as witnesses to what happens as an unaffiliated party. Both to Octavian being exposed, and to the solution to the Minor god revolt.”

“The more witnesses, the more likely it is people won’t walk back on it,” Leo said as he brought another batch of stickers. “This is the last batch. When you run out, you guys are done with the arrows.”

Nico nodded tiredly. Leo looked on sympathetically.

“Want to know a child of Hephaestus secret?” He asked conspiratorially. Nico blinked slowly. “Espresso with a few drops of Nectar. About as effective as chugging 7 energy drinks, and only 20% as lethal! We use it all the time when we pull all-nighters.”

“I’ll get it for you,” Percy offered immediately, but Leo raised his hand to stop him.

“I’ll do it,” he said. “With that last batch, I’m free until the attack. You guys keep working on the equipment.”

He winked at them and then ran off. Nico had the slight suspicion he was being set up, but for what, he wasn’t sure. He and Percy had already talked out about their feelings. There was nothing else to clear up.

Percy stopped working and scratched the back of his neck.

“Nico, remember back when we were in New York?” He asked nervously.

Nico raised an eyebrow.

“When you took me shopping and had a crisis over Annabeth?” He asked back. Percy blushed a bit but nodded all the same. “Yes, it wasn’t that long ago, Percy.”

“Well, I offered you a tour of Manhattan, but we barely saw anything because of… you know…”

Because it had been an excuse to avoid Annabeth. They had only visited a café and Macy’s for the black shirts he used instead of Camp Half-Blood’s usual orange.

“Yeah,” he said tersely. To be honest, thinking about Percy and Annabeth as a couple made him a little jealous now.

He should stay on alert and not let it grow out of control.

“Well, I was wondering if… after we get all this in order, you would like an actual tour.” Percy was avoiding his gaze, but he also wasn’t making any progress on the net. “Just you and me, going around and doing touristy things.”

Something in Nico’s brain clicked.

“You mean like, a date?” He asked. Percy nodded. “I thought you wanted to wait…”

“I do! But… we can still go on dates, right? Get to know each other as romantic partners and all that.” Percy was now making an even bigger mess with the net, fidgeting and making it even more tangled. “It’s okay if you don’t want to! I was just thinking it would be nice and… and you’re a year rounder! It’ll be great to get out of Camp every once in a while and—”

“Percy,” he called, gently but firmly. Percy finally looked at him. “I’d love to.”

He wondered how long Percy would need to make their relationship official. It pretty much was already, and all their friends seemed to know.

But Percy had asked for time, and Nico was more than okay to give it to him. Especially since they were now dating in all but name.

They talked about the things New York had to offer and what they could visit until Leo came back with Nico’s magic Espresso.

Nico’s sister Makaria had been wrong.

Either that or his mysterious brother found out what she told them and alerted his champion accordingly.

At exactly 4:16, around three hours from dusk, The first flaming payloads landed on camp grounds, setting part of the strawberry fields and Thalia’s Pine ablaze.

“The onagers!” Jason exclaimed. Annabeth had already jumped from the table and started barking orders.

“I need Percy controlling the fires, immediately!” She shouted. “Phase 1 can wait, we’re moving straight to Phase 3!”

“With the tree burning, the barrier has weakened!” The Aphrodite counselor informed them. “The monsters will get in!”

“He knew,” Jason realized, eyes wide. “Octavian’s patron told him what to attack.”

“Let… let me think a second…” Annabeth said. “The Fleece will heal the tree, but not fast enough. We need a way to distract the army and deal with the onagers at the same time…”

Jason stood up.

“Send me,” he said. She turned to look at him. “I can conjure a storm. The winds will divert the payloads, and the rain will extinguish the fire.”

“Yeah, no offense, dude, but you’re literally one of them,” the Hephaestus guy that seemed stuck to the Aphrodite counselor's side said. “Not that we don’t trust you, but… yeah, no, we don’t trust you.”

Jason turned to look at Annabeth. She was the de facto camp leader, especially since Chiron had said he could provide help with monsters, but his oaths forbid him from actually harming a half-blood.

“Are you sure you can do this?” She asked, dead serious. “Use your powers against the Romans?”

Jason gave him a small smile.

“I won’t be using it against them,” he said, shrugging. “I’ll be using it to save them.”

Annabeth nodded and handed him a helmet.

“I can contact you with this, and it will keep your identity from your troops,” she said. Jason took it. “You are now Phase 0. Good luck, Sparky.”

Jason put on the helmet and smiled once more at the daughter of Athena before he started floating upwards. Above him, the sky started turning grey like her eyes.

“See you soon, ‘Beth.”

As Jason ascended, he saw glimpses of the Roman army, but he concentrated on the fiery payloads on the onagers.

The rain came first, followed by the lightning. Jason smiled as one of the onagers caught fire.

Percy manipulated the rainwater expertly as he put down the flames on Thalia’s Tree.

Nico was just glad the Legion didn’t have the means to create Greek Fire payloads. That would have been harder to extinguish.

“I should have known!” Nico shouted, trying to be heard over the storm. “Makaria told him!”

With how devoted his half-sister was to Zagreus, to the point that she only let him go to save him from defeat, it was to be expected, but Nico hadn’t thought the assault would be moved up. He had been too distracted with the Horae, with not falling asleep, and with Percy.

“Don’t worry about it, just go to the command post!” Percy said back. “I’ll go to the strawberry fields! There’s still some embers there!”

Nico gave him a quick kiss and nodded. They both turned away from each other as Nico ran to the small tent at the foot of the hill.

Annabeth was already there, shouting orders through a console the Hephaestus kids had made.

“You have to wait until the storm passes!” he heard her shouting. “Clarisse, you are Phase 5! Get back in position! Jake, check the loudspeakers don’t short circuit with the water!”

Piper was there, with the Aphrodite cabin and a couple of satyrs behind her. Some of them were complaining about the rain ruining their make-up, while others had wrapped towels around their heads as if they were coming out of the shower and applying moisturizer.

“How’s everything going?” Nico asked, accepting a towel from an Aphrodite boy (Mitchell, he believed his name was) and trying his best not to look like a wet cat.

“Most are waiting with Ares in that wooded area, Apollo is on standby in case there’s injured, Hecate and Hades are in the Big House, And Hephaestus and Demeter are waiting for their signals,” she listed. “Athena always has a plan.”

“You chanting that doesn’t make it true!” Drew Tanaka screeched. “May I remind you your trump card came about less than ten hours ago?”

“Ignore her, she’s just mad her war eyelashes fell off,” Piper said, making her sister huff.

“What do I do?” Nico said instead. He was a son of the Big Three. Just like Percy and Jason, he could be used.

“You stay with me and help coordinate everyone,” Annabeth answered. She pushed a button and shouted into the microphone. “Jason! How are things?”

“Two onagers left!” the scratchy sound of Jason’s voice responded from the console. There was a flash of lightning, followed shortly by thunder. “Make it one! How’s the fires?”

Annabeth pushed another button.

“Percy? Talk to me.”

“The fires are out!” Percy shouted, making everyone wince when his mic gave feedback.

Nico pushed the first button before Annabeth had the chance.

“Jason, stop the rain slowly,” he ordered. “It needs to end as soon as the last onager is destroyed.”

“Roger that!”

Annabeth put her hand on her left hip and looked at him expectantly.

“I spent 80 years playing games in the Lotus Hotel,” he explained. “I’m faster pushing buttons.”

Instead of answering, Annabeth turned back.

“Prepare those singing voices, people, it’s time the Romans hear from us,” she said. The demigods and satyrs nodded and started marching out, the rain now no more than a light shower. Annabeth looked at him. “You push, I talk. I’ll tell you the whole plan while phase 1 is going.”

Nico nodded. Another flash of lightning signaled the end of the storm. Nico pushed the button with the symbol of Aphrodite underneath. Annabeth smiled.

“Now!”

Frank had never seen a person get so angry they turned purple. Not even his grandmother at her most intimidating.

But now, he watched as Octavian stomped the ground furiously, his face the exact same shade as his Pontifex sash.

“They have children of the Big Three helping?” He asked no one in particular, screaming like a banshee.

Reyna seemed torn between smiling smugly and frowning. Seeing Octavian come undone was fun, yes, but they had just lost their best and most expensive asset. With how quick it had been, they hadn’t even been able to counter with the Fulminata.

More Romans would die now.

“The tree is damaged,” Frank said. “If your visions are accurate, that means the monsters can pass through.”

“Why wouldn’t they be accurate?!”

“Frank means to say that it’s time to attack,” Reyna said slowly, as if Octavian were stupid, which didn’t improve his mood at all.

A melody started softly humming from the Greek camp. Frank got alert and tried to concentrate on it. He discovered it was voices, singing with a sweet flute in the background.

His eyelids felt as if they weighted a ton, and he could barely stay standing.

The demigods don’t want to fight. They should stay behind. Let the monsters attack first. It’s why they brought them, after all… You should forget anyone ever sang in the first place. The next part only concerns the monsters, you don’t need to pay attention.

Frank shook his head. He turned to look at Octavian.

“Send the monsters already… I… I’ll lead the attack.” He didn’t want to, he wanted to stay behind… but that had been the plan from the start. He had always hated the idea of this war, but he had to get Nico back. He turned to Reyna. “Stay behind and keep things in order.”

Don’t let Octavian take control, he tried to convey. He didn’t know how successful he was, but Reyna nodded all the same.

“Bryce, go with the Praetor!” Octavian ordered. Bryce looked as if he had been told to eat dirt.

“I’d rather stay behind…” he mumbled. “It’s why we brought the monsters, after all…”

“Remember our agreement, Lawrence,” the Pontifex hissed. “The only reason you’re here and not wasting away in that alleyway is me! Now obey and Play. Your. Role.”

Bryce sighed but nodded. Frank could sympathize. Attacking was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Creatures!” Bryce called. The monsters moved with anxious energy. “We’re moving forward!”

The monsters roared, screeched and wailed like one abominable entity as they started their march. Frank had to almost force himself to match their pace.

“This is for Nico, for your friend,” he kept chanting in his mind as each step became easier.

“Jason, you can come back already!” Annabeth ordered as the Aphrodite cabin finished the hymn.

“You guys still need a lookout!” Jason said back. “It’ll be easier with me still on the sky!”

Annabeth groaned in frustration. Why were boys of the Big Three so impulsive and against following simple strategies? Not only was Jason Roman and susceptible to the hymn, but if he stayed in the sky, the Legion could use their magical eagle against him! Not to mention phase 2…

“The eagles are flying west!” A Satyr informed through the console. Speaking of which…

Nico seemingly read her mind and connected her to Jason again.

“Jason, either fly really low or really high, we don’t want the eagles going after you.”

“Why would the eagles—” Nico cut the connection and changed to Miranda.

“Launch it! To the west!” She shouted.

She saw the grenade flying up and explode like fireworks, releasing a white smoke. She waited with bated breath as the smoke dissipated.

She sighed in relief when she saw the eagles flying in circles, trying to find the source of the alluring smell.

“Well done,” Nico praised her. The daughter of Athena preened at the compliment. “Malcolm next, right?”

Annabeth nodded. It was time to see if her little brother’s interest in physics paid off.

“Phase 3, Mal,” she said calmly. “Activate the sprinklers.”

“You got it,” her brother said back.

She pushed the button to speak to Jason.

“How is the monster movement?” She asked.

Nyssa had made sure the sprinklers had a proximity sensor, while Malcolm had created a liquid that became sticky as glue and thick as molasses once in contact with air. While it wouldn’t completely stop the monsters, especially not the physically stronger ones, it would slow them down enough for phases 4 and 5.

“They are covered in purple gunk,” Jason reported. “They stopped moving and are struggling to get free.”

Good, everything was going according to plan for once. She turned to Nico to nod at him when Jason started shouting.

“There are two demigods trapped!” He exclaimed. “Roman, I think one of them is… raising an army of zombies?”

“Bryce Lawrence,” Nico said darkly. “I’d say we leave him to his fate, but… that’s what the enemy wants. Any excuse to make this a real war.”

“The zombies are hacking him out! They are also going after the other demigod.”

“Let them,” Annabeth said. “They get out and we start phase 4.”

“No!” Jason shouted. “The zombies cut the other demigod in the stomach! Bryce took… something from his pocket. Wooden, I think.”

“Frank!” Nico said, eyes wide. “That bastard! He’s planning to blame us for the death of their new Praetor!”

“How do you know that?” Annabeth asked, bewildered.

“No time for explanations, but if that piece of wood burns up, Frank Zhang dies!” Nico breathed deeply and walked towards the back of the tent. “I have to save him!”

Annabeth saw as the shadows became thicker and darker around him.

“Don’t you dare, di Angelo!”

“He’s my friend, and I used him,” Nico said, voice filled with shame. “I’m sorry Annabeth, I owe him.”

Nico disappeared before she had a chance to stop him.

She groaned in frustration. Stubborn and impulsive, all of them!

“So, Octavian was right,” Nico heard Bryce’s smarmy voice say as he appeared by some bushes. He fell to his knees and shook his head. He had to stay conscious. “Your life, pathetic as it is, depends on this burnt piece of wood.”

Nico thought for a moment he had already fallen asleep as he saw Frank turn into a gorilla and thrash against his bindings.

“If it makes you feel any better, Praetor, your death will be the rallying cry for the Legion,” Out of his pocket he pulled a match box. Gorilla Frank’s eyes widened in fear as he bared his teeth. “You will pave the path to our victory! Too bad you won’t be around to see it…”

Nico lunged with his partisan. A zombie got in his way, but it disintegrated thanks to the Stygian Iron and he managed to graze Bryce’s left hand, making him drop the match box.

Frank turned back into a human and looked at him, astonished.

“Nico?”

“Get away from my friend, you psychopath!” He yelled. Bryce raised his eyebrows and held up the piece of wood in front of him as zombies kept popping up from the ground. "I decide who is victorious here."

“Huh, I wasn’t expecting the Internuntius Victoriae to appear.” He smirked. “If the war will escalate once our Praetor is dead, imagine the damage it will cause when the Legion finds out the Greeks brutally murdered the one we came to save.”

Nico’s vision turned red. He raised his arm at the zombies, who looked as confused as death spirits could.

“You are dead,” he sentenced in a cold voice. “You do not belong here, so return to the punishment you deserve!”

One by one, the zombies started turning into dust. Nico felt some satisfaction as Bryce’s face filled with fear with every undead lost.

“H-how?” He stammered. “I’m an Orcus Legacy! The dead should only answer to me!”

“The dead answer to their master, no matter who they are,” Nico answered. “Your power is no match for a child of Hades. You chose your sentence, Bryce Lawrence… you’re already dead, too.”

The hand that held the piece of wood turned to dust. Bryce started screaming for help.

Behind him, Frank had passed out, whether it was from the blood loss of his stomach wound or from the fear of his powers, Nico wasn’t sure, and he couldn’t dwell on it. All his focus had to be on stopping Bryce.

However, it also made him more and more tired. He wasn’t sure if he could finish the deed before passing out.

The Legacy of Orcus seemed to notice to, as in a last desperate attempt, he pulled out a dagger to try and stop him.

Nico closed his eyes, not sure if he could send him to the underworld fast enough, when a whistling sound passed by him, followed by a huff.

He opened his eyes to see a silver arrow embedded on Bryce’s remaining hand.

The dagger fell to the ground, and Bryce followed soon after, becoming nothing but dust on the forest floor.

“Sorry I’m late,” his savior said. Nico turned to look at Bianca as she put her bow on her back. “Thalia’s sense of direction is sh*t.”

“I thought the Hunters couldn’t interfere in the conflict,” Nico said, though he was smiling. Bianca smiled back.

“The hunters didn’t interfere,” she said. “I did… or I would have, but as you said yourself, the guy was already dead. I was just hunting a rogue zombie.”

A loophole. He doubted it would hold against a god, but he didn’t think any would care. He crawled over to the pile of dust and took Frank’s piece of wood before going to the unconscious son of Mars. He pulled out a vial and emptied it on the substance, dissolving it.

“Clear out of the forest, you and the Hunt,” he warned. “In a few seconds, a mechanical dragon will drop Celestial Bronze shrapnel bombs to kill as many monsters as possible before the cleanup crew attacks.”

Bianca blinked a few times before shaking her head.

“Another of Annabeth Chase’s brilliant plans, I suppose.” She said, not expecting an answer. “I’m the only one here, the rest of the Hunt is approaching through the north. You get out of here too.”

They both went to the shadow of a tree, Nico dragging Frank’s body with him.

“Talk to you later,” they both said at the same time. Their eyes widened, and they smiled at each other.

Nico felt the shadows take him once more.

Percy was about ready to just leave in search of Nico when he came out of the shadows of the tent that acted as command center with an unconscious teen.

Before anyone had a chance to approach, Nico just said, “Phase 4, now!”

Annabeth nodded and pressed a button on her console.

“Leo, it’s time for Festus to come out and play!”

Whatever Leo said, Percy didn’t hear. He rushed towards Nico, who collapsed on the ground.

“Hey, stay with me,” he urged. “If you sleep, you said—”

“A healer,” he said weakly. “Frank is the Praetor, he can’t die under our care.”

Nico's blinking was slow, and it seemed to take more and more out of him to keep his eyes open.

“Come on, Nico, we need you, you said it yourself.” Percy shook him, trying to keep him awake. “Who else will make Octavian monologue about his evil plan?”

Nico smiled.

“I’ll be waiting… in the Underworld…” Nico closed his eyes and his breathing evened.

On the background, he could hear the bombs and Annabeth calling for Will Solace. Percy laid Nico down gently and went to the console.

“Bring Clovis with you, Will,” he asked.

“Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth said. Percy turned to look at Nico sleeping peacefully.

“I couldn’t follow after him last time,” he said. Last time, he hadn’t known where to look. “Now I know where he is.”

His frie… boyf… His Nico was in the Underworld, facing his brother with delusions of grandeur.

And Percy was going to go after him.

Chapter 31: The Symbol of Peace: Victory through Atypical Means

Chapter Text

Frank awoke to a blond boy singing slightly off key in Greek.

He tried to move away, but he was held down by a burly girl on one side and… Jason Grace on the other?

“Wh-what?” He asked, still slightly lightheaded.

“Sorry, Praetor, but you need to stay still until Will is done with your wound,” Jason said apologetically.

“I hope you’re grateful. I should be kicking monster ass back there, instead I’m here playing nurse to a dumbass who’s supposedly my brother,” the girl grumbled.

“That’s my girl!” His Greek father’s voice echoed in his head.

“Monster numbers are thinned!” someone said over a radio. “But most of them are already out of their bindings. I’ll be going down!”

“Fine,” the girl manning the communications said. “But be careful! That machine might be tame now, but we don’t know if it can tell friend from foe!”

“That’s just mean,” the voice said back. “Festus is a very good boy, thank you very much!”

“Ugh, now I’m missing the Dragon Pit!” His… sister (?) said loudly before turning to the girl at comms. “Egghead, they need more backup!”

“Go, then! The Praetor seems unlikely to react!” She responded, exasperated.

The girl whooped and let him go immediately. Frank watched as she ran out the tent towards the hill.

“What took you so long?!” Someone shouted, making Frank turn his head again. A boy with green eyes was hurrying a portly guy with a dopey expression.

“I wasn’t part of the plan, so I thought I could nap the war away,” he said in a low voice.

“Look, I don’t care, just… can you send me to Nico?” The guy pleaded.

Nico!

Frank struggled to get up, but he was stopped by Jason and about three other blond kids as the singer (Will, he thought Jason called him?) kept reciting.

“I know this is a lot to take in right now,” Jason said, struggling with Frank’s new muscle. “But these people are trying to heal you, so stay put for a while!”

“What happened to Nico? Where is he?” He asked, ignoring Jason and trying to break free.

“Look to your left, genius,” the green-eyed guy said as he pulled on the sleepy guy.

Frank turned his head and saw his friend sleeping peacefully.

“I’ll try and guide you towards him, but we might overshoot… the Underworld is just too big.”

What? The Underworld? The more Frank heard, the less sense it all made.

“Just get me there, I’ll handle the rest!” Green-eyed guy said as he laid down next to Nico. He closed his eyes and Sleepy guy seemed to nod off for half a second.

“And off he goes,” he mumbled.

A square of food was shoved in front of Frank, he turned around to see Jason smiling at him.

“Ambrosia,” he explained. Frank took the square and began munching on it, his strength returning slowly. “Now, how about we talk for a bit?”

Nico barely had a chance to see his mindscape before being flung away by a dream. His consciousness was pulled so fast it might have given his soul whiplash if that was a thing.

When his surroundings became clear again, he realized he was back in the Underworld Palace. Two Oneiroi were holding his arms, and in front of him was Zagreus, sitting on his throne and glaring. Behind him stood Makaria, with a regal pose and a grim expression.

“Your cleverness is astounding, brother,” Zagreus said. The strange thing was how the praise seemed completely sincere. “Even if the conflict escalates, my plan to invade Olympus won’t bear any fruit.”

“It wasn’t just me,” Nico said, trying to struggle a bit. No use, the sleep gods had him completely immobile. “Many demigods worked to make this happen.”

“Indeed, they did,” Zagreus said. He stood up and walked towards him, staring at his face for a moment before dropping the glare. He sighed. “But at the end of the day it was because I was hasty.”

“Huh?”

“Victory was so close that I hurried up everything,” he continued. “I neglected my allies, I underestimated my rivals and ignored things that ended up ruining my plan.”

“Your majesty!” One of the Oneiroi cried.

“My failure is mine alone. I won’t allow you to take the credit.” Zagreus ruffled his hair affectionally. “But I’ll try again. Maybe not today, maybe not this generation, but my destiny is to sit on Olympus and rule, and I’ll stop at nothing to achieve that.”

“Then you have learned nothing!” Nico said, glaring at him. Zagreus still believed he was entitled to others’ lives and rights to sacrifice as he saw fit. He was no better than Zeus, who saw his mother and so many children as necessary sacrifices to keep his power, and the world balanced.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Nico,” the god said. His kind smile held an edge as he waved Makaria over. “I learned to take my time, and to make sure you’re on my side… next time.”

“Zagreus?” Nico stuttered as Makaria’s oppressive aura seemed to weigh on him. “What are you doing?”

“My years in the Underworld taught me many things,” he commented. “Chief among them, a soul is far purer, far more malleable when it's not burdened by a body… my next attempt will have you as my ally, after I take the proper time to convince your soul.”

Nico’s eyes widened, he looked at Makaria pleadingly.

“Don’t!” He cried. “I’ll hate you both forever if you do this!”

“Forever is a long time. Decades, maybe centuries will ease that feeling,” Zagreus said. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry it has come to this, but I see no other option.”

“My domain is Blessed Death,” Makaria said softly. “You’ll feel no pain, I’ll make sure of it.”

Nico felt tears running down his face as his godly siblings kept approaching with the exact same mourning expression.

Percy had seen Hades’s Palace a few times in his life, but it was the first time he had come in completely unbothered.

“Have you heard?” someone whispered making Percy turn towards to figures huddled on a corner. Percy wasn’t sure if they were souls or minor gods but decided to approach. “His majesty got the princeling back.”

Princeling… was that how they were calling Nico? Percy couldn’t help but think it fitted him.

“I heard he plans to kill him,” the other creature whispered back. Percy’s eyes widened. “Keep his soul with him for the next campaign.”

“How will he get that past Lord Hades? He always checks on his mortal children’s souls.”

“Red tape,” a third voice said. Percy turned to see a woman with long black hair looking directly at him. “Nico will die in his sleep, but his soul is already in the Underworld while alive. It will take years to untangle that mess and who’s in charge of ferrying the soul.”

“Lady Hecate!” The two said at the same time. “What are you doing here?”

“Pondering paths and crossroads,” she said simply. “As I see it, Nico di Angelo will be lost, unless someone centers Hades to stop Zagreus and Makaria.”

“Who would do that, my Lady?” one of the beings scoffed. “The souls are unable to wake him, and all the deities still active in the Palace are either neutral like yourself or on his Majesty’s side.”

But Hecate was still looking at Percy, who nodded and took off.

He didn’t need to hear anymore. Nico was in danger.

The way to the throne room was just as he remembered. He went through the opened doors to find Hades sitting there, like a statue, face shifting back and forth into expressions Percy guessed fit each aspect of him the best.

“Uncle!” he shouted. “You need to save Nico!”

Nothing. He remained still.

“You went through all that trouble to issue the quest to save him, and now you’re letting him die?” He said desperately. “I thought you cared for him!”

Hades kept silent.

Percy racked his brain trying to think. Hades obviously cared for Nico enough to risk war with the Romans, but did Pluto? Was the problem that he needed to get both sides to agree?

“Hey, Uncle, I’m in the Underworld again, without your permission!” he said. “And since Nico will be a permanent resident, I may need to keep breaking in to see him, since, you know, I’m dating him!”

Hades’s right hand twitched. His eyebrows furrowed. Percy grinned. He knew just what to say.

“It’ll be amazing, me coming and going, desecrating the Underworld,” he listed as the god’s hand clenched into a fist. “And you know I get chatty when nervous, I hope I don’t let slip anything about Zagreus to—”

Percy barely had time to cover his eyes from the blinding light.

“To me, it seems more like you’re a sore loser!” Nico snarled as he tried to make more distance between himself and Makaria. “You can’t have your Victory, so you need to have your revenge!”

“I fully admit to losing, Nico,” he said, sounding surprised. “But it is just good strategy to secure tools for the next try.”

“Do you even know if my soul will keep my blessing?” He kept on, struggling. The weight on his shoulders was so great it felt like his whole being was dissolving. It didn’t hurt, but it was tiring. “I might just become a useless shade!”

The weight didn’t lift, but it became significantly lighter. Makaria and Zagreus glanced at each other.

“Will he?” Zagreus asked.

“I… souls that go to Elysium or the Isles of the Blessed do keep their abilities from when they were alive but…” Makaria looked unsure. “What we’re doing will keep Nico from Judgment… even having a blessed death might not be enough until he’s judged.”

Zagreus stayed quiet for a while, before sighing.

“Do it anyways,” he finally sentenced. Nico’s eyes widened. “If he doesn’t keep it, we have years to convince one of the judges to a ruling under the table.”

The weight started increasing again.

Nico was about to say something else, anything, when there was an explosion above his head.

The weight disappeared immediately, as both Zagreus and Makaria stared astonished behind him.

The Oneiroi followed their gaze and dropped him immediately, making him hit the ground face first.

“My Lord…” they murmured as they hurried out.

Nico turned. In front of him, looking choleric, stood his father. The man was pale as a corpse and had short dark curly hair and beard. His robe seemed to be made of shadows and shades, and sometimes Nico could see a face screeching in agony.

“Father…” Makaria caved first, kneeling down. Zagreus gritted his teeth but followed soon after.

Hades took a few steps towards them, letting Nico see Percy, who looked like he had seen a ghost (maybe he had, they were terribly common in the Palace, from what he heard).

“I believe I taught you better than to torment your mortal siblings,” Hades said, raising an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t torment, exactly,” Zagreus muttered. With their father here, Zagreus looked more and more like a teenager than a centuries’ old god. “We just…”

Hades waited patiently for Zagreus to finish his thought. When it was obvious nothing was coming out, he turned to Makaria.

“We wanted access to his blessing beyond his lifespan,” she admitted.

Hades sighed.

“We’ll discuss this when my headache doesn’t threaten the fabric of the Underworld, which will take…?” He looked at Nico inquisitively.

“About two or three hours, if we’re lucky,” he answered. He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like his father wanted to smile at him with pride.

“I’ll send for you, then,” the god said stoically before turning to his fully divine children. “As for you two, I guess a punishment is in order, lest we become soft and complacent.”

A hand appeared out of nowhere. Percy still seemed skittish around his father, but he was smiling reassuringly at him.

Nico took it, standing up. Percy surprised him by not letting go and instead entwining their fingers.

“Once you come visit, we will need to talk about a few things,” Hades said, glancing at their hands. “Your questionable taste, among other things.”

“If you say so, father,” he said respectfully.

“Now, if you excuse me, I have precious few minutes to put things in order around here, so leave.”

It was as if the word itself was a magic spell. As soon as the god of the Underworld uttered it, Nico blinked, and found himself back at the tent on Camp Half-Blood.

“So, no city, no stronghold, no military?” Praetor Frank Zhang asked with wide eyes. “We’re attacking… a summer camp?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and motioned towards the cabins in the distance.

“Welcome to Camp Half-Blood,” she said flatly. “We train demigods so they can survive the real world… and we’re completely apolitical about it.”

“And Nico…”

“A Greek demigod who just wanted to be free,” she said. She was underselling her friend, if she was being honest, but from what she had heard, Frank Zhang idolized Nico to an almost unhealthy degree. Bringing him down a bit would do them both and their future friendship good. “This whole campaign? A hissy fit because he refused to stay under your Augur’s thumb.”

“Oh gods…” he said in disbelief. She saw Jason patting him from the corner of her eye. “I need to put a stop to the invasion!”

“We’re on it,” Jason reassured him. “We just need to kill the last few monsters and—”

“The forest is clear!” Clarisse’s voice sounded from the console. “Stragglers are running away now. Bunch of puss*es!”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. And walked towards the console.

“Hold position,” she said. “We can’t really do anything until Nico—”

“Wakes up?”

Annabeth turned so quickly she almost knocked Kayla over.

“Nico!” She exclaimed, only for her cry to echo from Jason, Frank Zhang, and some voices from the console she couldn’t place.

“I’m back too, by the way,” Percy said as he rubbed his head. Annabeth ignored him. He looked at Nico and grabbed his hand. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah…” he said. “Call for Hazel, we need to end this now.”

Annabeth nodded and pushed a button.

“Chiron? Send Hazel and the Hecate kids… the harpy, too,” she said.

“Of course,” her mentor’s voice responded. Annabeth nodded by reflex, even though the centaur couldn’t see her, and pushed the big red button.

Hephaestus, always so dramatic with electronics.

“Attention to the Twelfth Legion of New Rome,” she said, making sure to enunciate clearly. The sound system hidden thorough the forest came alive and started broadcasting her. “The monsters have been eradicated, we have your Praetor hostage.”

A pause to let the statement sink in. Jason covered Frank Zhang’s mouth to prevent him from speaking.

“We don’t want any bloodshed,” she continued. “We request a parley. The meeting will be on top of the hill with the big pine tree that burned during the first attack in 15 minutes. Bring as many troops as you need to feel safe.”

She glanced at Nico, who nodded, giving her the go ahead for the final blow.

“We’ll bring along your praetor… and your Internuntius Victoriae.”

Thalia’s tree had seen better days, though Nico could see the bark mending before his eyes as the Golden Fleece shined on. On the top branches near the fleece, looking very miffed, was a golden dragon, observing them intently.

“And… done,” Leo said as he planted a microphone that had probably the worst flower camouflage ever by the tree. He stood up and gave what looked like a pen to Annabeth. “Click once to turn it on, and again to turn it off.”

“Isn’t it a little obvious?” Frank asked, raising his eyebrow. His hands were bound by zip ties, but it was so loose he could wriggle free if he wanted.

“That’s why we’re here, handsome,” Lou Ellen said as she winked at him, making Frank light up like a Christmas tree. “Oh, nice reaction, I like him.”

“Please stop flirting with the hostage,” Alabaster said as he massaged his brow. “You’re giving the game away.”

“And with that, I’m gone,” Leo announced. “The less people they see, the better, right?”

“Ella wants to go back too,” the harpy chirped as she looked around. “Tyson went to look for hot dogs.”

“Stay by the tree for a little while, please,” Percy pleaded. “Make friends with Peleus, he’s nice.”

Ella pouted, but flew up the tree, nonetheless.

“Disorderly, chaotic, and completely undisciplined,” Frank said, though he looked a little out of it. “…It’s what Mars would say, I think.”

“You get used to it,” Jason said. His face was covered by a helmet. “It’s actually kind of awesome.”

Frank’s eyes bugged out a bit at that, but Jason just shrugged.

“It’s time,” Hazel said, making everyone stand uptight and try to look as professional as eight teenagers and a harpy filled with nervous energy could manage.

The Roman entourage was smaller than theirs. Of the centurions, only Michael Kahale was present, with Reyna, her dogs, and Octavian closely behind.

“We have archers on lookout,” Octavian shouted as soon as he was within earshot. “Try anything and you’ll be full of holes.”

Hazel, Alabaster, and Lou Ellen remained unnaturally still. Nico felt as the mist around him expanded and contracted, reaching the Romans.

They would now see the microphone as a regular flower and wouldn’t hear their voices from the same sound system that called them.

Watching that face again, Nico resisted the urge to cower away or hide behind Percy. Instead, he squared his shoulders and gave a small salute.

“It’s been a while, Nico,” Octavian said, voice like honey. “I was wondering when you’ll be found.”

“Praetor, Centurion,” Nico said instead. He knew how much Octavian hated to be acknowledged last, as protocol dictated. After all, Nico was not supposed to know Octavian was never formally demoted. “Augur.”

Octavian glared with all the hatred he could muster. Nico felt as if old scars on his back were opening up.

“Pontifex now,” the Legacy hissed, face red from anger. “A lot has happened since we last met, Nico.”

“Are you unharmed?” Reyna asked, ignoring Octavian. Nico nodded. “Well then, I guess the meeting proper can begin.”

“I’m Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and counselor of Camp Half-Blood.” She stepped forward and offered her hand. Reyna narrowed her eyes, but took it. “As a sign of good will…”

She nodded towards Frank. Jason unsheathed a knife and cut the zip tie swiftly. “Give them a show,” Nico had told her. Octavian loved theatrics. It would lull him into a false sense of security.

Frank massaged his wrists and moved to stand by Reyna’s side.

He nodded and Annabeth pretended to nervously click on the ‘pen’ on her hand. Hazel and the two Hecate kids frowned a bit as they worked to hide the small sound of feedback the microphone gave.

Percy was next.

“I am—”

“Minerva has no daughters,” Octavian said dismissively. “This meeting just started and I already see nothing but liars and thieves.”

“We’re not thieves!” Percy said loudly. “And Annabeth really is a daughter of Athena!”

“Let’s leave her parenting aside for now,” Frank suggested. “My name is Frank, and this is Reyna. We’re Camp Jupiter’s Praetors, and our Pontifex here is Octavian.”

“This is Percy Jackson. We were chosen as speakers for the Greek side,” Annabeth continued, not rising to Octavian’s insults. “As I already said, we don’t wish to fight. We’re here to negotiate a treaty.”

“What about your little entourage?” Octavian asked. His gaze stilled on Jason for a second. He observed him closely for what felt like an eternity, but eventually moved on to the others. “Hardly dressed for tea and cookies.”

“Just as you have your snipers on us, we needed someone to ferry Nico to safety should something happen,” Annabeth answered easily.

“This conflict started because you kidnapped our Internuntius Victoriae. Return him, and we will have no reason to fight,” Reyna said diplomatically. Nico bit back the urge to smile. Her need to be a leader first and foremost made her predictable.

“It was not a kidnapping,” Percy protested. “The symbol of the Ara Victoriae was originally Greek, you know? We were just taking back what was ours.”

Nico preened internally at being called, in a roundabout way, Percy’s.

“The old statue of Nike is not the same as our envoy,” Frank said, though it sounded a bit wooden. 20 minutes of coaching didn’t do miracles. “Nico is still his own person and a citizen of New Rome.”

“And there is where you’re wrong,” Nico finally spoke up. “Just ask your dear Pontifex what he called me in private.”

“You little—”

“Graecus,” Nico interrupted him, smirking. Just a bit more, and Octavian would break. “I am a Greek demigod, and the Pontifex has known all along.”

But Octavian smirked back, making Nico blink.

“You dare imply that I knew of this betrayal to New Rome?” He asked, sounding aghast. “Why, I’ve read about it before, but the Graeci’s deceit truly knows no bounds!”

He turned towards his companions. Reyna had her eyes wide, while Frank was trying and failing to pretend the revelation was a shock. Michael Kahale remained stoic, but his frown had deepened.

“Praetors! The Greeks have deceived us! This is no longer a war for our envoy, it is to clean our honor!” Octavian turned, smiling cruelly. “We must exterminate the vermin.”

He raised his hand, probably to signal the archers, but Nico acted quicker.

“So that’s poor little Tavy’s stratagem,” Nico said, cooing. The Pontifex froze. “All his life spent resenting others. Just a Legacy, with your only claim to fame being your gift at prophecy.”

“Really, Nico? Such base insults?” Octavian laughed, though his voice was shaking slightly.

He had him.

“You believe you had to claw your way into power, when all your family has acted as Augurs for the Legion… being in the First Cohort is already proof enough of what a cushy life you had,” Nico kept on. “You have maimed, manipulated and tried to murder your way to the top, believing yourself the greatest stateman… yet you’re still second to the Praetors.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Octavian screeched. “Everything I have ever done has been for New Rome! Even the mistake of bringing you in!”

“Oh, come off it,” Jason spoke up, removing his helmet. The Romans turned to look at him. “You did it for yourself! You tried to kill me to rise as Praetor back during the war games. Nothing you’ve done has been for New Rome!”

“Jason Grace…” he said, taking a step back. “So I was right! You let him escape! I should have killed you that night, you traitor!”

“You admitted it!” Percy accused. “It was an escape, not a kidnapping!”

“The Symbol of Victoria is ours by right of conquest!” Octavian exclaimed. Nico could see him thinking a thousand miles per minute, trying to salvage this. “His power can’t fall in our enemies’ hands!”

“We offer compensation for that,” Annabeth said, producing the olive branch. “Jason told us you lack a proper symbol of Pax for your Ara Pacis. This branch has the power of the goddess imbued in it, take it as—”

“I am Pontifex!” Octavian’s smile had turned manic. “I am the voice of the gods! Such a thing will not replace the symbol of Victoria!”

“Why are you so set on conflict?” Nico asked, feigning innocence. “The Ara Pacis is far more important than the Ara Victoriae. What can the Legion gain from going to war?”

“To vanquish our enemies, to achieve what our forefathers could not!” Octavian answered. "We will win, and maybe take a new symbol for ourselves. It's the best way to—"

“To realize your Fate,” Nico completed. “All your life you have envied those with flashier abilities, with higher standings, with more divine blood. Apollo’s promise of greatness is what keeps you going.”

“And that greatness is upon me now!” Octavian shouted. Nico bit back a grin. “My claim to greatness is here. To cull the Greeks, to assert the might of New Rome, to rise above the filth and eventually become a god!”

The Praetors were glaring at him. Michael Kahale’s frown was so deep it threatened to become permanent.

“The Legion is not a vehicle for your goals,” Reyna said coldly. Octavian turned and smirked.

“Everything is a means to an end,” Octavian said. “You, the Legion, Nico… we all use each other because it’s convenient. We all work together for our own purposes, pretending not to see the daggers we point at each other.”

“Maybe you do, but not all of us are like that,” Frank said, his voice stronger than Nico had ever heard it. Maybe there really was a Praetor hiding under all that kindness. “Some of us work to better others, or their conditions, because we share ideals.”

“All lofty words to say we exploit others for what we want,” Octavian mocked. “You won’t stop this war, because it will undermine your leadership. I won’t stop it because it’s the Fate I’ve been looking for. This whole meeting is a farce we made to be palatable to those below us.”

“I think we’ve heard enough,” Nico said loudly. He nodded at Hazel, who gave a deep breath and dropped the illusion. “If the Legion will follow this man, then it is beyond saving.”

“The Legion knows only the Pontifex, who was betrayed by the very person he swore to bring back,” Octavian said. He chuckled. “The right spin on any tale will turn the masses in your favor, Nico. Did you already forget all that I taught you?”

Instead of answering, Nico walked towards the tree and picked up the disguised microphone. Octavian’s eyes grew wide.

“Not at all,” he said into it. Being so close to his mouth, the sound of his voice echoing through the whole forest was easy to discern. “I’ve always known the kind of rat you are.”

“You…”

“This conflict is pointless, driven by Octavian’s desire for glory and power,” Nico announced. “I only wanted to be free of him, but I know my responsibility to New Rome. Please, accept the Symbol of Pax. Strengthen your temples and the gods, major and minor, and find someone that communes with them for your sake, not his own.”

He put down the microphone and laid it on the ground. Annabeth took that as her cue to turn off the microphone. Octavian could not weasel out of this one.

“You were right about two things, Octavian,” Nico said as he walked closer to him. “This meeting was a farce from the start, but you were wrong on why. Peace would always be the result.”

“And why is that?” The legacy asked, teeth gritting.

“Because I know you, but you don’t know me beyond what you taught me.” Nico got even closer. The parts of him molded by Octavian wanted to be close to see him break completely. “The other thing you were right about? This is it. Your Fate, your call to greatness.”

“W-what?” Nico reveled in his ex-captor’s expression of uncertainty and panic.

“You are this generation’s Ixion,” he told him. “A guide on what not to do. You’ll forever be remembered as the guy who’s schemes failed so badly, it ended up in Greeks and Romans mending their centuries-long dispute.”

The panic gave way to anger. Octavian unsheathed his spatha and lunged at him. He felt a pair of hands pull him back before he felt Percy’s chest against his back.

Everybody else drew their weapons and pointed them at the Apollo Legacy.

“No!” He said, moving unsteadily. “It’s not over yet! I’m too important to dispose of! Too useful!”

Percy whistled. Ella came down and looked at the Praetor curiously.

“Once greatness has come, it follows the loss of the despised one.” She recited.

Octavian blinked.

“That’s… my prophecy! How does a monster know it?!”

“She’s the reason you’re not needed anymore,” Jason said. “Ella here has memorized the Sibylline Books, and she’s willing to help transcribe them so both Romans and Greeks can have them.”

With each word, Octavian shook his head more erratically, and then… he started laughing.

It started as a chuckle, then a hearty laugh, until it turned into full-on guffawing.

“You think you won?” He asked, looking at Nico. He took a step towards him, sword still raised high. “That you surpassed me? Nico… you’ll always be below me.”

“Restrain him!” Reyna ordered. Frank and Michael moved, but Octavian turned and pointed his sword at them, making them pause. He laughed again.

“I’ll concede defeat, this time,” he continued. “But the ultimate victory will forever be mine! I’m forever etched here!” He used the spatha to point at Nico’s head. “And after this… nothing you do from now on will erase me.”

He turned his weapon quickly, slashing his own throat. Michael looked flabbergasted at his sponsor as he kept laughing and spewing blood, looking at everyone as if he had managed to snag a last victory.

Everyone rushed towards the Legacy. He thought he heard Annabeth call for the Apollo cabin. Jason and Frank tried to stop the bleeding, as Octavian’s laughter started dying with him.

Percy stayed with him, looking at him with the purest concern.

And Nico… Nico just watched, expressionless, trying to untangle the jumbled feelings the sight of his tormentor’s death arose in him.

The Symbol of Peace: End

Chapter 32: What comes after Victory?

Chapter Text

“A new temple?” Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. Annabeth was showing off her blueprints proudly with Jason by her side. It looked kind of like a flower with a very thick stem and five petals. “That was your brilliant idea?”

“Not just any temple?” Jason said, looking affronted. “This will be one of two new Pantheon naós.”

Reyna hummed in thought. Frank seemed to want the others to forget he was there. Besides them, Thalia was observing quietly, a proud smirk on her face.

“I’m guessing you want us to build the other one in our Temple Hill,” she said as she looked it over. “Why such a complicated design, though?”

“The Pantheon in Rome used to be a site to worship the Olympians,” Annabeth explained. “This design allows us to cast a wider net, so to speak. Each wing will be dedicated to one group of deities, Chthonic, Nature, Water, Mind, and Fertility.”

“With the Olympians in the center hall,” Nico commented. Percy frowned. He looked a bit out of it. “A minor god was the mastermind behind O… the Augur’s plan. A better source of praise would prevent things from escalating like that again.”

“Since we already have our Temples, I think our version will have to be a bit smaller,” Frank said timidly. “You might also need to go back and forth a lot to make sure things are running smoothly.”

“We’re aware,” Jason said. “We need to create better communication channels between Greeks and Romans… which is why I’d like to become an ambassador between both camps.”

“An ambassador?” Reyna’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You aren’t going back to being Praetor?”

“I think Frank will do a fine job, he just needs some guidance,” he said, smiling. “But it was never my calling, just what I was expected to do.”

“Jason is also trusted by the Greeks,” Annabeth supplied. “If there’s going to be an ambassador between the camps, I’d prefer it if it was him and not some Roman we don’t know. No offense.”

Percy would have snorted and teased them, but he was far too worried about Nico. The son of Hades was acting like a revived corpse, barely blinking and looking lost.

“I need to check on a few things by the stables,” he said suddenly. Interrupting Annabeth as she talked about the logistics of her idea and how the symbol of Eirene was theirs to put in that temple or any other. “Nico, can you come along?”

The boy almost jumped at hearing his name.

“Um, I think I already told you, but animals—”

“It’s fine,” he assured him. “Blackjack is okay with Bianca, and I’m sure you’ll be Mrs. O’Leary’s new favorite person.”

Nico looked around, but seemed to realize that he wasn’t adding anything to the conversation. He sighed and nodded.

Percy led him towards the entrance, nodding at Annabeth and Jason, who looked at Nico in worry.

Nico’s body felt on autopilot as Percy guided him to the stables. His black Pegasus seemed to bristle a bit at him, but after a few seconds he nuzzled him curiously.

“See? He’s okay with you!” Percy said. Nico nodded, making him frown. After a while his eyes brightened. “I got it!”

He took his hand and began pulling him outside. Nico just let it happen, and didn’t even blink when Percy whistled so high it might have broken a window.

He was brought back to the real world when a giant black dog tackled Percy to the ground, taking him along as he was still holding his hand.

“T-that’s… a hellhound!” He shouted, eyes wide. The monster dog’s ears moved towards him, and he was quickly sniffed down. “P-Percy…!”

“She’s getting to know you!” Percy explained, laughing excitedly when the hellhound started panting and licking him all over, her tongue so big it covered his whole body each time. “Nico, meet Mrs. O’Leary!”

Nico said nothing, torn between laughing and drowning in dog slobber.

The dog stopped her attack and crouched down, tail moving so fast Nico felt as if he would be swept away by the wind it created.

“Oh, you want to play, girl?” Percy asked. The bark he received in response was like a dinosaur sound. “Well, what are you waiting for? Bring your toy!”

Mrs. O’Leary barked again, the ground shaking with each stomp.

“How come I’ve never seen her before?” Nico managed to ask as he tried to get rid of the slobber. “You never even mentioned her!”

“There were always other things to talk about, and she mostly lives by the forest,” he explained. “She needs a lot of space, and her eating the monsters there is cheaper than kibble.”

“How did you even tame her?” He couldn’t help it. He thought back to his first few days at Camp Half-Blood. If Percy had really wanted to look cooler for him, he should have started with the giant monster dog.

“It’s nice to see you back,” Percy said instead of answering. Nico blinked and looked down. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, but you know you have people around you who care, right?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbled, evading Percy’s stare. “It’s that I’m not even sure what to talk about.”

“What do you mean?” Percy sounded genuinely confused.

“A person I hated just killed himself in front of me.” His voice was very low, but he feared if he spoke up he would end up shouting. “It was a person I wanted to humiliate, to see destroyed, and yes, maybe even dead but… I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel…”

“It’s not about how you’re ‘supposed’ to feel, I think,” Percy said just as softly. Nico finally looked at him. He looked… wistful. “It’s about how you feel.”

“I did hate him,” he said. “And I’m relieved that he’s not around anymore, but I… I also feel guilty. A person committed suicide because of my schemes. A person whom, for the longest time, was the only thing I had that resembled a friend. I… I feel like I want to mourn him, which makes me sick.”

Percy brought him in for a hug, and Nico buried his face in his chest.

“It’s okay to feel that way,” he said soothingly. “Mourn, be glad, despite how contradictory it is. It’s the only way to move forward.”

“Octavian was a monster,” Nico said. Tears were falling from his eyes and making Percy’s shirt damp. “But he was my monster.”

Nico wanted to ask who Percy’s monster was. The way he talked, the way he petted his hair, it all seemed like something he wished he had been told.

But it was not the time. Maybe in the future, when the emptiness he felt was healed. For now, he didn’t mind just crying on Percy’s arms.

The rumbling earth reminded him of the promise Percy made to play with his pet, but when he looked up, instead of a toy, Mrs. O’Leary was jumping around, trying to catch a flying humanoid creature.

“Mrs. Dodds?” Percy asked, eyes wide.

“Perseus Jackson! Control your mutt!” The flying hag screeched as she flew higher to evade the playful jumps and bites. Percy whistled again, making Mrs. O’Leary’s ears perk up as he ignored this ‘Mrs. Dodds’ and ran towards Percy.

“Who’s the best girl?” Percy said as he rubbed Mrs. O’Leary’s chin, making the dog kick the ground rapidly. “You are! The best trained girl around! Yes, you are!”

“You really are incorrigible, deary.” The term was filled with such vitriol and hatred that even Nico felt intimidated. When the woman descended, however, Nico recognized her immediately. He remembered her from before the Lotus. This was Alecto, one of his father’s assistants. “Your father has summoned you to the Underworld.”

Percy stopped petting his dog and stood between them, his hand gripping his ballpoint pen.

“He doesn’t need—”

“My Lord requires you too, Perseus Jackson,” the Fury screeched. “I am to take you both to his palace post-haste.”

“How?” Nico asked. “I’m sure we’re very far from any entrance to the Underworld.”

Alecto grimaced and turned towards Mrs. O’Leary.

“Luckily, you have a creature of the Underworld right here to get you there.”

Hellhounds could Shadow Travel.

In a way, it now made sense how Mrs. O’Leary could get to him to help him out from anywhere. If Percy had known that a year ago, it would have made everything leading to the Battle of Manhattan so much easier.

His dog landed in front of a black door with skeleton decals (or maybe they were real skeletons?) that Percy knew led to Hades’s throne room.

“Wait here,” Alecto ordered as she flew through the small opening on top of the door.

Mrs. O’Leary sat down and panted, exhausted.

“Um, excuse me?” Nico said. Percy raised an eyebrow, but immediately a few spirits turned corporeal, gathering around him. “Could you get the hellhound some food and water?”

The ghost murmured affirmatively and scattered, leaving them alone once again.

“You’re kind of amazing, you know?” Percy said, making Nico blink.

“Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled. “But any child of the Underworld could—”

“I’m not talking about being a son of Hades or anything,” Percy said, smiling. “It’s just… you being you, that’s what makes you amazing.”

Nico’s face became a bit redder. He looked away and started playing with the hem of his shirt.

“I… I don’t know how to respond to that…”

“You don’t have to… I just wanted to say it.” Percy shrugged a bit and then steeled himself, looking Nico in the eye. “Earlier today, I almost lost you.”

“You got to me in the nick of time, just as I knew you would,” Nico said back, though Percy could see he had been a little shaken by the experience too. “I guess that also makes you amazing.”

“We’re demigods, we can die at any time,” he said seriously. “I don’t want to just bide my time for the perfect moment, for things to calm down.”

“Percy?” Nico asked curiously, hopeful.

“Nico, I want to—”

The sound of the door opening interrupted him. Percy would have just cussed at the noise if not for Hades standing there, staring at them expectantly.

“Father,” Nico greeted, kneeling. Percy copied him. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

‘Sane’ wouldn’t be the most flattering way to put it, Percy guessed, but it would have been the term he would have used… which would explain why so many gods wanted his head on a pike.

“You have done the gods a great service today, Nico,” Hades said. If Percy didn’t know any better, he’d say Hades was the closest he had ever seen him to smiling. “Sadly, it is one that they can never know about.”

“What do you mean by that?” Percy asked, feeling like he was the one being insulted. Hades turned to glare at him, but Percy didn’t back down. “He saved your asses from being overthrown, and he doesn’t even get a thank you?”

“It’s not like that, Percy,” Nico said, touching his arm to calm him down. “My father loves his children, all of his children, and revealing Zagreus’s existence, let alone that he was planning an uprising, would put him in danger.”

“Why would it?” He was now honestly confused. “Dad also planned one, and he’s fine.”

“Zagreus used to be Zeus’s son before being reborn as mine,” Hades explained, though he looked like he’d prefer not to explain anything to Percy. “And he’s right that, whether I like it or not, his Fate is to one day ascend to the throne of Olympus.”

“But how come Zeus doesn’t know? How can you hide Zagreus from him?”

“I made use of Orpheus and the little cult he made before dying,” the god grumbled. “Zagreus has so many origins and parents that he’s basically an urban legend by this point, even among gods. Zeus simply doesn’t believe his past heir is anything but the soul in Dionysus.”

“All this to ask us both, who know the truth, to not mention it topside unless we want Zeus and his paranoia sending my brother to Tartarus,” Nico said, nodding. “That’s why you called us both, right?”

“Not completely,” Hades said, looking proud of Nico. “Even if the Underworld’s power doesn’t quite match Olympus’s, your actions still deserve a reward, my son.”

“Father?”

“Ask for anything, and I’ll do my best to make it come true.” He stood up and messed up Nico’s hair affectionately. “It is my way of saying thank you.”

Nico stayed quiet for a whole minute before looking at his father.

“I want you to bring up Zagreus and Makaria’s ideas to gather praise to the other Olympians,” he decided. Hades raised an eyebrow at him. “They thought up of a whole system using the Oneiroi to gather praise from mortal dreams. It could give gods, both major and minor, a real boost, and make them less reliant on demigods going on pointless quests to bring them glory.”

“I won’t reunite with the Olympians until next solstice, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll accept the proposal,” The god of the Underworld said. “Are you sure this is what you want? You could afford to be a bit more selfish, Nico.”

“I’m being selfish, father,” he replied. Percy could notice a bit of cheekiness on his tone. “I actually don’t care for the gods getting praise, I just want my friends to live for more than their parent’s approval, that’s why they will also try to introduce the idea to their parents, so you’re not alone when proposing it.”

And Percy should look around and see if the Underworld was freezing over, because Hades just laughed.

“You have a lot of your mother in you,” he said finally. “She was a clever woman… very well, if that’s truly what you want…”

“There’s something else,” Nico said suddenly. “Introduce Zagreus to the Olympians.”

Hades’s mirth died instantly.

“That would be—”

“Not as Zeus’s son reborn,” Nico added quickly. “But as your own son, named to honor the one Zeus lost so long ago. You already mucked up his origin enough for it to be believable.”

“And it would help him not going stir-crazy and planning a coup, you know?” Percy butted in. Hades looked at him, wholly unimpressed.

“I’ll… think about it,” Hades said. “To be frank, this was just the latest in a long list of schemes to take Olympus, so the idea does have its merits…”

“Where is he now?” Nico asked curiously. Hades looked at him in thought.

“The dungeons, with your sister,” Hades said. “They have a punishment to fulfill.”

“You ground your children in the dungeons?” Percy asked, eyes wide. “I thought you were cooler than that!”

“Just go visit if you’re so worried,” Hades waved them off. “It will take some more time for your hellhound to be at full strength for another jump.”

Nico kneeled again and took Percy’s hand, pulling him out of the throne room before he could put his foot in his mouth.

Nico had expected to see Zagreus in the same cell his dream-self had been trapped in. A sort of ironic punishment. It wouldn’t bring him any joy to see it, but it was the most obvious choice.

What he saw when he arrived at the dungeons wasn’t like that at all.

Zagreus was wearing a light brown simple worker toga as he was on hands and knees, a dirty rag on his hand as he shined the black marble floor.

Further back in, Makaria was wearing the same outfit, her hair up in a messy bun as she washed the walls.

“I do this every other week,” said a gigantic man that Nico could only describe as if the color silver was a person. His hair, beard, and eyes were all pure silver, with only his dark blue coveralls preventing his presence from being completely blinding, though his glow still bounced off the dark walls and floor. “Lord Hades really was soft on— Percy!”

“Uh… Bob!” Percy greeted nervously. “It… It’s been a while!”

“It has,” Bob said back. He was frowning a bit. “You used to visit Bob all the time before I lost my memory.”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” Percy seemed more and more uncomfortable under the giant man’s disapproving gaze.

“It’s been more than a year…” Bob kept on prodding. Nico saw Percy squirm, which made Bob soften his gaze. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s just… huh?”

“If Bob’s friend stopped coming to visit, something must have happened,” he explained. Percy’s expression went from uncomfortable to mortified. “Tell Bob what’s wrong.”

“It’s because of my father,” Nico interrupted, making Bob finally notice him. “He found out about Percy sneaking in and well, it’s too risky for him to come down here unless there’s official business, you know?”

“You are the little lord that got the Prince and Princess in trouble,” Bob said, appraising him.

“Just Nico is fine…” he debated for a few seconds before adding, “If it works for you, I think I’ll come here more often from now on, I’ll try to get you some vacation days, so you can go topside and visit Percy yourself.”

Percy’s eyes widened again, but Bob seemed to literally light up at the prospect.

“That would be wonderful,” he said, smiling. “Lately, I’ve been feeling really nostalgic for the stars…”

“I’ll do my best,” Nico promised. “I need to talk to my siblings, so, I’ll leave you and Percy to catch up.”

“Thank you, friend Nico.” Bob nodded before turning to Percy. “What have you done since last time?”

“Um, well…”

Nico knew Percy would tell him the full story later, because the silver janitor could only be divine in nature, and the whole thing about memory loss just made it all the more suspicious.

He walked into the dungeons and next to Zagreus, who had stopped scrubbing the floor to look at him.

“Have you come to gloat, brother?” He asked, angry.

Nico shook his head.

“I came to tell you a few things,” he said as he kneeled by him and using his hand to wave Makaria over. “I just wanted you to know that three people died because of your scheme, a Greek son of Ares and two Roman legacies, your champion among them.”

“He was not a good champion,” Zagreus said, scoffing. “He was just the only one I could find who would listen…”

Nico felt a slight sense of déjà vu at his brother’s words.

“Octavian was like that,” he conceded. “He would listen to everyone, if only to see how he could profit.”

“Is that why you came here?” Makaria frowned and crossed her arms. “To tell us what became of our failed revolution?”

“No,” Nico said seriously. “I’m here to remind you that we, demigods and legacies, are not only important to keep the Olympians in power. We’re people, with lives, ambitions, and fears. We might come from the gods, but we don’t belong to them. You had no right to decide over our lives.”

“It was the only plan available to us,” Zagreus said. “I’ve been around as a son of Hades for millennia, hidden in the shadows. This plan was the only one I could think of to seize my destiny.”

“What if there was another way?” Nico asked rhetorically. Makaria and Zagreus looked at him. “What if you could be introduced to Olympus as father’s son, and use diplomacy to slowly win over the gods… be a king that doesn’t stoop to Zeus’s level to rule.”

“What did you do, Nico?” Makaria said, as Zagreus was looking at him, speechless.

“Father will tell you about it soon, but I think the next solstice will be the perfect opportunity to present your ideas on praise and to keep minor gods happy,” he said. “You guys are already charismatic enough, keep working at it and win over some powerful allies… there’s always another, more intelligent way.”

If there was anything of value he had learned from his three years in hell with Octavian, it was that.

He stood up.

“I’ll be visiting more often now, so let’s talk more then, okay?” He said, walking towards the stairs, where Percy had seemingly relaxed and was telling Bob about a bridge exploding.

“Oh, you’re done?” He said once he saw him approach. Nico nodded. “Great, sorry to cut this short, but you know, if Nico gets you those vacation days…”

“Yes, I’ll go visit,” Bob confirmed, before turning back. “That tile is still not shiny, Prince!”

Percy and Nico left the janitor, who seemed way too happy at getting to order someone around for a change.

“Say, Nico,” Percy said as they walked to the spot where they left Mrs. O’Leary.

“Hmm?” Nico said, trying to remember the way to not get lost on the labyrinthine halls of the palace.

“Remember that we have an outing planned to New York?” He asked.

“Yeah, it was just this morning that you mentioned it,” he answered. It was incredible to think of all the things that had happened since then.

“Well, I was wondering if… you’d be alright with that being our first date,” he said timidly, making Nico stop. “As a couple, I mean.”

Nico turned to Percy, who was smiling sheepishly. Nico smiled back and pecked him on the lips.

“I would really like that, Percy.”

The smile turned into a full-on grin as he squeezed his hand tighter.

They didn’t let go even after they had found Mrs. O’Leary and gotten back to camp.

A week had come and gone. The campers who had families or school were packing up to leave soon, and Annabeth knew she should be doing the same but…

She glanced at the coin that had appeared that morning by her pillow, like a twisted version of the tooth fairy.

Would this interfere with their plans for the Pantheons? Would her mother be so vengeful that she would sabotage peace unless she got back what she felt she deserved?

“Beth?” Jason asked as he knocked on the cabin’s open door. “You alright?”

“Jason!” She jumped, turning around to see him with Hazel, Piper, and Leo behind him. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Well, it’s about my transfer,” Hazel spoke up. With all that had happened, her reveal of being Roman had almost slipped Annabeth’s mind. “Piper and Leo, well…”

“We’re not letting our girl go to a whole new place on her own,” Piper said, grinning. “Plus, it’s a little closer to dad, and Drew will love being in charge again.”

“Yeah, I already talked to my mom, and she’s okay with me staying a while, as long as I keep up with school.” Leo put his arms around the two girls and grinned. “And since we’re leaving with Jay tomorrow, we were wondering if you wanted us to bring over anything regarding that temple of yours.”

“I… there are a few notes on building materials that Reyna and Frank will need,” she said, rummaging through the mess of paper she called her bed. She found the folder and gave it to them. “It will help the senate budget it.”

Hazel nodded and took the folder, leaving with the other two behind her.

Jason stayed, his frown deepening in worry.

“I’m fine, really,” Annabeth said, trying to laugh. “Just… a lot on my plate before I leave for school.”

“It’s not just that,” Jason said, getting closer to her. “You’re worried about something bigger.”

“It’s okay, I… I’ll figure something,” Annabeth said quietly. She couldn’t share this with just anybody, much less a Roman…

“I know you will,” Jason said gently. “Just… you know you’re not alone, right? I’m on your side, no matter what.”

He smiled at her and turned to left.

“Wait,” she said. “What if I told you, it’s something serious, something that might slow down the temples, that I need to leave once I find out more about it?”

Then again, Jason wasn’t just any Roman. She would trust him with her life.

“Then you’ll have me to back you up, of course,” Jason said, just as serious.

“You will be in New Rome for a few months, though…”

“If I recall correctly, Leo already knows the way, and he won’t have to sneak in this time,” he said teasingly. “Come on, I don’t mind helping you, you know that.”

If Athena wanted this to prove that Greeks and Romans could bury the hatchet, what better proof than her daughter going with a Roman.

Annabeth gave a deep breath and showed him the ancient Greek coin.

“Last night, my mother appeared to me in a dream…”

“That one’s wrong,” Reyna said as she pointed at the third paragraph of his report. “The onagers met with us in Pennsylvania, but they had been traveling from the east, not south, and the monsters transporting them joined our ranks after speaking to Octavian and Bryce, you wrote here they didn’t speak to anyone.”

Frank groaned.

“Well, not anyone currently alive,” he said, crossing his arms. “If I’m so bad at it, why let me write the reports?”

“Because you need to learn this as Praetor,” she said, putting the papers down. “It’s not all glorious battles and glamorous dinners with the senate. Paperwork is where the Legion has lost the most leaders.”

“You think Octavian would have wanted the position if he knew this?” Frank joked.

Reyna cracked a smile.

“He would have cracked in under a week,” she said, leaning back on her chair. “He was always quite adamant on not having to be held accountable for anything.”

“Why did we ever allow him to be Augur, again?” Frank asked. He uncorked a bottle of non-alcoholic cider and poured them on their goblets (that were supposedly only decorative, though no one really believed it).

“Finding an accurate Oracle is a bitch. That harpy is one of the reasons his death was not that big of a deal,” Reyna answered as she took a swig and then frowned. “Gods, I was hoping you had smuggled booze.”

“We’re underage,” Frank said.

“You’re such a goodie-two-shoes,” Reyna said grumpily as she drank some more. “Talk to me again in a month, you’ll be begging me for some wine.”

“Did Jason drink too?” Frank asked, eyebrows shooting up. Reyna shook her head.

“No, but Jason wasn’t human… or he was pretending not to be one,” she said in a whisper, as if they weren’t alone in the office. “I’m glad he quit. I admired him, but he was never much fun to actually be around… he seems happier with it, too.”

“Yeah,” Frank agreed as he sipped at his cider. Then, his eyes widened. “Wait, does that mean you think I’m fun to be around?”

“You’re more fun than Jason or the senate, that’s for sure.” Reyna shrugged. “Even with the kiddie drink choice.”

He realized Reyna was teasing him. He just chuckled a bit.

“You know, when I first arrived, I never expected to rise much… just do my service and retire, you know?” Frank relaxed a bit and looked down. He was gaining back some of the weight his father’s blessing had gotten rid of, and he was secretly glad for it. “I never expected to be Praetor, much less friends with my Praetor partner.”

“Friends, huh?” Reyna looked oddly amused with the word. “Yeah, I guess that’s what we are.”

Frank smiled back. He raised his goblet and looked expectantly at Reyna, who rolled her eyes but copied him and they clanked them together.

“Nico said he would visit after his boyfriend starts school again,” he commented. “His sister is also coming for a transfer.”

“You’re getting to something, I’m sure.”

“Well, we just marched all across the country and back,” he said, simpering. “Nobody will fault us if the Legion takes a few days of leave that just happen to align with Nico’s visit, right?”

“Oh, the senate will hate that,” Reyna said, her smile turning into a feral grin. “I’m in.”

Frank laughed. They continued talking about nothing and ribbing each other until the bottle of cider was empty.

“Okay, that was a nice break,” she said, putting the goblet back on its place. “Now back to work! This report is important if we want to know where Octavian got his war funds.”

Instead of groaning again, Frank just gave a little sigh and stood straighter on his chair.

“That it also butters the senate for that leave is just a bonus,” he muttered as he took a blank piece of paper and started transcribing the first two paragraphs again.

Reyna chuckled from her seat.

“Bianca called yesterday,” Nico said as he looked at the busy sidewalks of Times Square as he ate his Big Mac. “She wanted to wish Hazel luck. We got caught up.”

“Won’t Artemis get mad that she’s fraternizing with boys?” Percy asked curiously. He took a sip of his Mc Flurry and gave a satisfied sigh. “You know, I’m not complaining, but when you said we should stop for lunch, I expected something a bit fancier than the McDonald’s at Times Square.”

“Are you calling me a cheap date, Perseus Jackson?” Nico asked, a teasing smile on his face.

“N-no, of course not, just hanging out like this… it’s nice,” Percy said thoughtfully as he observed the people passing by in droves.

Summer would end soon.

“And to answer your question, Artemis allows it because she’s allegedly calling to hear more about the Oneiroi plan,” Nico explained. “I hear Thalia is using the same excuse to talk to Jason, but hers is about making sure Artemis has her proper place in the new temples.”

“We’ll be getting busy soon, eh?” Percy asked as he scooted closer to Nico. The son of Hades got the hint and leaned his head on his shoulder. “No time for dates and hanging out.”

“We can find time,” Nico assured him. “I plan on getting caught up with my education one way or another.”

“On top of everything in your plate?” Percy laughed and put his free arm around Nico. “Then how are we going to see each other?”

“It is a lot,” Nico agreed. “I might need a study buddy to help me out.”

Percy didn't need any more hints. He grinned

“Ambitious, I like it,” he said as he nuzzled his boyfriend’s hair. Nico squirmed a bit, still not used to open displays of affection.

“You dated Annabeth, it doesn’t surprise me,” Nico said cheekily.

“Hey now, mentioning my ex kind of goes against date etiquette,” Percy replied back.

Nico said nothing, just closed his eyes and tried to move his body even closer to Percy's. The son of Poseidon enjoyed the body heat his boyfriend gave off.

“You know I never thought life would turn out like this,” he admitted after a while. “When I was a child, the idea of freely being with who I wanted to be was unthinkable, and after Octavian… well, I thought I would never get to be happy again.”

“Nico…”

“But I am. Happy, I mean, and it’s thanks to you and all the friends I made,” Nico said softly as he swirled his last fry in the paper cup filled with ketchup. “I… I love you, Percy.”

Percy hadn’t expected that to come out in the middle of the busiest McDonald’s in the world. He almost dropped his milkshake at the confession. Nico seemed scared, vulnerable. It reminded him of the hurt teen he had found that night on the Ara Victoriae.

“I love you too, Nico,” he said honestly. For others, it may have been too soon, but Percy was tired of waiting around for the timing to be right. Big declarations and important moments didn’t have to be forced by the end of the world or some god messing with them. It could just be two people feeling ready to take the next step together.

Victory came to those that took chances and all that.

Nico relaxed and ate his last fry.

“I want to go to the MET next,” he decided as he stood up and offered his hand to Percy while the other picked up the trash.

“We won’t be able to see it all before it closes,” Percy warned, but took his hand nonetheless.

Nico just smiled and kissed him. Percy closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Nico’s everything overwhelming his senses, not caring if all of Times Square saw.

“I’ll take that challenge,” he said once they separated. “After all, Victory is always on my side.”

Ours is the Victory: End