#because it was obvious that Percy was never gonna break up with Annabeth for Nico

[tender-emotional-music]

If byler isn’t a threat, then why do people claim Will is coming between Mike and El?

*Regina George voice* So you agree? You think there’s actually a chance Mike could end up with Will?

[punkeropercyjackson]

It's a whole thing the Pjo fandom just,dosen't want to Percy to actually be neurodivergent representation.There's the obvious worst part they won't even let him be autistic despite objectively being the most autistic-coded character in the whole franchise but there's also just as glaringly they have never let him defy neurodivergent stereotypes

He's smarter than Annabeth by virtue of being more emotionally mature and making better plans way quicker and unlike her this was in no way an inherentence so he could qualify as a legit ex-child genius but he's constantly getting called stupid for not fitting society's idea of what intellengence is due to sucking at school as a result of his symptoms and he's said he hates it many many MANY times in his narration and only dosen't speak out against it as per irl trauma like his he's been forced into believing he deserves it and given strong ass Impostor Syndrome and the fandom falls for it hook line and sinker cause Annabeth forcing herself into the role of Percy's girlfriend without his consent and even a moment of verbal rejection to her FACE that she spit back at him('I am never going to make things easy for you' is a fucking awful thing to say to an autistic person and that's why you'll never convince me book!Annabeth is autistic like Leahbeth,being a nerdy jerk with ego problems is NOT more autistic than EVERYTHING Percy's got going on right down to his character concept)and proceeding to treat him the same as ever but with corny kissing and promises of a future nuclear family cisheterosexual marriage living in a place that directly goes against Percy's lifelong wish for ANNABETH'S is proof his self-hatred is accurate as if she knows or likes him as a person on any level and vice versa seeing how he talks about her and never returns her romantic effort

There's no 'smart himbos' or 'not dumb but a dumbass',if y'all are such Annabeth stans then expend your vocabulary so you can be even bigger nerds that don't have to be nice to make friends cause that's what privilege is for and you get to speak over 'slow' autistics thanks to that too irl.Percy's also meant to defy 'neurodivergent people are total losers','neurodivergent people think and act like little kids no matter how old they are' and 'neurodivergent people only act rebellious for attention and to look good' by being the coolest character and this was backed up in dialogues and actions by Percy himself without even trying almost ever,he's a Team Parent to younger minorities but especially Nico and Hazel as a way of breaking the cycle of abuse and out of a mix of found eldest sibling and pseudo-parental love for them and to heal his inner child and he's pessimistic and highkey mean and ruthless but is an anarchist with awareness to what corruption is and how to fight it and DOES it unlike Luke's pedo propagandist poser ass and 'rebel' is NOT Percy,Percy is a PUNK,i.e,a minority who was radicalized by their experiences growing up in a system that hates them for being one and takes direct action and does activism and always stays noncomforming instead of selling out

So y'all deny his off the charts swag like it's gonna effect you negatively to appreciate him for it,mock his special interests(blue,the sea and pg media)because they're not trains or neo-liberalism filled fantasy books or whatever the fuck and don't let him have the canon ones you'd obsses over in an allistic character(alt music and childcare)and straight up call him mentally a little kid as mockery with Annabeth as his mommy gf and Jason as whatever the male equivalent is i ain't googling that shit and you can just drop that r slur you're holding back because that would somehow be LESS ableist and you won't even let him hate authority figures despite your 'the only authority he respects is his mom XD' corn as if any of you actually care about Sally,you ship her with fucking POSEIDON over Paul,because yeah,Luke WAS authority as the Titans Army leader and The Gods are literally the highest authority you can get in general,not just within Pjo,Percy dosen't need to look for older men to 'satisfy him'(this is a CHILDREN'S BOOKS SERIES,go APOLOGIZE TO YOUR YOUNGER SIBLINGS)because he has 1.a backbone,2.rizz and 3.a life,the him being upset Nico for not being 'his type' and hassling him over it is literally sexual harrassment by an adult towards a minor and Hazel's more of a part of him AND her own character than any minor white character that TRANSCENDS THEIR SOURCE MATERIAL

Just say it:You want Percy to be a gag instead of rep and you're so set on it rather than having standards in mentally abled people you're ready to start harrassing other people on different ends of the spectrum for saying Percy is afrolatino-an ACTUAL afrolatino,not y'all's lightskin slightly big nose no lips with vague cultural roots you didn't research copout,or saying he's transfem-coded based off actual real life transfemininity,or even just that they hate Percabeth since book!Annabeth is a white pick me bully.'MY friends' insults and hitting eachother is our way of showing affection!!!Have you never had a friend before?!'I have a lot of years long friends and keep making more and one of them's now my trans girlfriend that's adhd and agrees Percabeth is super bad because Annabeth is too mean to Percy and that Percy's a tgirl and her and the rest of them shower me in praise and defend me when people treat me badly and the latter goes for my own little brother like i always did and still do him and i treat my friends the same way they do me and my girlfriend gets extra.Rip to your self-hating selfves but i'm different and so's Percy

[aroaceleovaldez]

Could you please share more thoughts about Nico's disability?

I'm very interested to know your opinions.

OH BOY ABSOLUTELY

This is very long i am sorry u_u but also this is what happens when you ask for my PJO opinions. I’m just gonna kind of go through and break down some of Nico’s canonical disabilities throughout the series. If anyone wants to hear my specific headcanons about his disabilities or elaborate further on anything in here, I can make another post with that since this one is already plenty long enough.

First and foremost, the obvious inherent one - ADHD/dyslexia. I know we don’t see a lot of this for him because for most of all 3 series he’s a minor or secondary character (save for BoO in which he gets a couple POV chapters) besides maybe some hints of it either when he’s younger and there’s a lot of notes about him being very hyperactive or whenever Mythomagic gets brought up, but those are disabilities are core to a lot of Nico’s experiences and how he behaves as a character. I think there’s a lot of interesting character analysis you can do in the first series with looking into how the different characters interact with in particular Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, and in Nico’s case I strongly believe his experiences with RSD sets up a decent amount of his character early on. Also we see some traits of his ADHD manifest in his impulsiveness and hypersensitivity, alongside his general restlessness (particularly his notes about struggling to stay in one place for too long and needing changes of scenery - environmental understimulation!) and minor fidgets that we sometimes see with other characters as well.

Secondly, going back to Mythomagic - Nico being autistic-coded. This is most obvious with his special interests in mythology and specifically Mythomagic, but also manifests in a lot of other ways (some having a lot of overlap with the above). I do specifically say Nico is canonically autistic-coded because we never get explicit confirmation in-series, but it’s heavily implied through both notes about his character and patterns in the first three books where prominent secondary characters are coded as having certain disabilities without explicitly stating what they are (well, minus the first book in which Percy and Annabeth both directly state they have ADHD/dyslexia, though again I return to the weird notes in the first book about “they technically don’t have ADHD/dyslexia, it’s just demigod powers manifesting the exact same way as ADHD/dyslexia” but literally everything else in the series contradicts this and also It’s Stupid so i elect to ignore it). Annabeth is ADHD/dyslexic. Tyson is coded as having down syndrome. Nico is coded as being autistic. That’s the pattern. If it’s handled well is another story but we won’t get into that here. For now, it’s just a pattern that exists, Nico is autistic-coded, let’s discuss that. Besides his special interest(s) (i separate Mythology and Mythomagic as two different special interests of his, though also we later learn he formerly had a special interest relating to pirates), we also see a lot of notes of Nico being sensory-seeking and sensory-adverse (notes about him preferring jackets despite weather, especially jackets and other layers that are notably too large for him, preference for dark clothes, preference for specific patterns [skeletons], etc). He also has several comfort items throughout the series - his ring from Bianca, his jacket(s), etc. Again, he also has hypersensitivity with his strong empathy being a notable aspect of that. He also struggles with poor introspective (internal feelings) and proprioceptive (awareness of body) senses (btw! There are 8 senses, not 5!) - when he’s younger he has difficulty gauging his own energy levels, both younger and later on into his life he has difficulty interpreting social cues and emotions, and he has difficulty gauging his own bodily needs and the condition he’s in (for him specifically, usually in the form of being unaware of how injured or tired he is until he physically cannot function because of it). Again, a lot of this can overlap with ADHD, but I specify it here as part of his autistic-coding because I feel in his case it fits better here.

Third for canon disabilities - his powers, which is very interesting in that, obviously, it’s not a real-world disability BUT it acts as a window into his general health and ability, which we don’t get as much explicit indication about. When we’re first shown Nico’s powers, he accidentally creates a CHASM in the dining pavilion, seals it, and then runs off like it’s nothing (and is able to outpace Percy [though Percy did fall] enough that he found the labyrinth and got away before Percy was able to track him down. That part is somewhat loose evidence though because while Nico is short and not trained as a demigod, it is winter [which means Percy is somewhat affected due to his own powers alongside indication that Nico may not be as severely impacted by cold as others due to having powers that influence temperature] AND Nico was at a military school for several months while Percy had been in regular mortal school and not training at camp, and again had fallen at the beginning of Nico running off also having just been fighting skeletons and gotten back from an exhausting quest). Main important part of that is he seemingly created a chasm with little to no effort, if not wholly accidentally, and then was able to run off without being tired. We later see him control an entire crowd of ghosts for an extended period of time and only need a short recovery period afterwards, create a giant slab of black marble while actively running away, shadow-travel (with notes of him having accidentally shadow-traveled to other countries), and raise the dead with no formal training and very limited consequences all while having lived in the labyrinth/woods for months and explicitly being described to not be in great health due to Minos’ manipulation. (Speaking of, Nico also has a subtly noted eating disorder.) In the finale battle of BoTL it takes essentially two difficult battles for Nico to become exhausted. In TLO we see Nico able to shadow-travel a decent amount and control a ton of skeleton guards before he becomes exhausted, and then later he shows up to war again controlling a ton of skeletons and his powers in absolute full-swing with no issues.

It’s only after Tartarus we see Nico’s abilities begin to grow weaker (which makes sense! Nico was in Tartarus for a while and then stuck in the jar, which even further decreased his health and put him under a lot of strain). From Percy and Annabeth’s POVs of Tartarus, we learn that the entire environment is almost completely inhospitable, including but not limited to noxious air and almost no food/water besides the Phlegethon, which essentially just magically keeps things alive so that they can continue to experience eternal torment. We also know that Nico witnessed Tartarus differently than Percy and Annabeth due to Percy’s description of the slight glimpse we see of how Tartarus truly looks, not to mention Nico was alone (besides not having someone else with him, there’s actually no indication Nico received help from Damasen or Bob/Iapetus, since we’re told in HoH that Bob/Iapetus entered Tartarus specifically to assist Percy and Annabeth and seemingly had no way to escape - all we know about his time in Tartarus is that Nico at some point met Achlys, from which we learned that Nico was in such great sorrow that Achlys was impressed) which means Nico was under even more mental stress than Percy and Annabeth were, for presumably a longer period of time, immediately followed by being captured and held prisoner. (Also there’s that one time he’s tortured by Cupid which certainly doesn’t help anything.) After this, even as he begins to regain his health (and starts working on addressing his eating disorder), every time he uses his powers we’re shown how much more it takes out of him and how his abilities have decreased, even if he has something to assist him (such as Diocletian's Scepter). In BoO when he dispels the skeleton army and banishes Bryce Lawrence’s soul, doing so almost literally kills him. He can’t shadow-travel to the same degree he used to, and not even remotely the same distance before he literally physically collapses (or begins physically fade/disappear into shadows). In TOA we see that Nico becomes exhausted significantly faster than he ever used to (both in general and power-wise), even though his health has improved greatly since the events of HoO. It’s heavily implied that this is a more permanent state of his health - he’ll never fully regain the level of abilities he once had, despite the standard for demigods being that they become significantly more powerful over time - and most likely also he will not ever be able to return to the physical condition he was once at.

You can also include his memory loss as well in this discussion since unlike Percy and Jason, Nico’s memory wasn’t just hidden by a deity but wiped by the River Lethe, and while he’s somewhat recovered some of his memories since then we know explicitly that he will never fully regain the memories he lost. Regaining information about his past that he lost was an important arc for him between BoTL and TLO (alongside into the beginning of TLO as well).

I do like how Nico’s disabilities in general are framed throughout the series - he’s not belittled for his disabilities and his disabilities aren’t made the butt of a joke. His special interests are useful on multiple occasions. Him passing out is generally treated with appropriate severity and concern. He keeps his agency and independence while also receiving appropriate help and support to meet his needs. But I wish the fandom granted him a bit more of that agency rather than so often painting him as completely helpless and putting his loved ones basically in charge of his life.

[buoyantsaturn]

I’m all eyes (1/1)

summary: So, obviously, if Nico was wearing Jason’s sweatshirt, then they must be dating, right?

word count: 1,871

read on ao3

Will didn’t think he was the jealous type. Jealousy required some amount of anger, right? But he wasn’t angry - maybe just disappointed. And really, he didn’t even have all of the facts, so he shouldn’t let himself get worked up over it anyway. 

It’s just that, well. It sucked to always look over at the Big Three table to see Nico in that giant purple SPQR sweatshirt. Or, it didn’t suck - it was a good look, and purple was definitely Nico’s color, as much as Will would prefer to see him in camp orange. The part that sucked was that Jason was always sitting beside him, and that sweatshirt definitely looked like it was Jason’s size. 

So, obviously, if Nico was wearing Jason’s sweatshirt, then they must be dating, right? And on the one hand, it was exciting, because that meant Nico was into guys, which meant that Will might have a chance with him (and bonus points because he, too, was tall, blond, and blue-eyed). On the other hand, Nico was taken, and Will wasn’t a homewrecker (or whatever the fifteen year old version of a homewrecker was).

Anyway, Will had a lot of mixed feelings about seeing Nico in that sweatshirt. And he kept having those mixed feelings when he started to see more and more of Nico around camp. He would come by the archery range while Will was practicing with his shotgun (on his own target that he’d made specifically for shooting practice). He had started going to campfires (where he would pull the sweatshirt over his knees and turn himself into an adorable purple blob). He’d even started coming by the infirmary every few days so that Will could make sure he was keeping his fading in check (so, to be fair, Will had asked him to stop by occasionally, but that was for purely medical reasons).

On one particularly hot day in September, Nico entered the infirmary sans sweatshirt, and Will’s heart jumped in his chest. Sure, he’d seen Nico without that sweatshirt on a few times before, but he’d reacted the same way then, too. He tried to act normal, checking Nico’s solidity and making sure that his arms and legs still cast shadows, but the second Piper stepped into the infirmary, Will’s mind went blank.

She was wearing a giant purple SPQR sweatshirt, the one that looked just like Jason’s that Nico always wore. And hadn’t Jason and Piper been dating before they set off on the Argo II? 

“Is that Jason’s sweatshirt?” Will’s mouth asked before his brain could stop it.

Piper paused and glanced down, like she’d forgotten what she was wearing. “Oh, uh, yeah. Nyssa’s got the AC blasting in the bunker, so I snagged this from Jason’s cabin on the way here.”

“Oh.” Did that mean they were still dating? Or maybe they just had a really amicable breakup? Or...Nico, Jason, and Piper were all in some sort of polyamorous relationship? Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course, but the three of them together certainly made for an odd bunch. “Sorry, did you need help?” 

She shook her head. “Nah, just came to see what was holding Nico up. He’s been helping us try to track down Leo.” 

“Really?” Will asked, glancing at Nico in surprise. “That’s...nice of you.” 

Nico shrugged. “I’m just gonna make sure he stays dead this time.” 

Will grinned. “Ah. That’s more like it.” 

“So, am I good to go?” Nico asked. “I’d like to track Leo down before Thanatos does.” 

Will rolled his eyes fondly. “Yeah, go ahead. But as a bit of medical advice, murder might not be best for your mental health.” 

Nico scrunched up his nose. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.” 

“Sure, Death Boy,” Will said, brushing off his reply. It was probably a joke anyway. Right? “Get out of here already. I’ll see you later.” 

As Nico started toward the door, Piper threw an arm around him, which Nico immediately tried to shove off, albeit unsuccessfully. Once he was sure they were gone, and once Kayla returned from her snack break, Will snuck out the back entrance.

He went to the cave under Half Blood Hill, announcing himself as he pushed the curtain aside and walked in. He found Rachel the way he usually did, one bare foot holding a paintbrush as she worked on her current project. “Hey,” she greeted, not lifting her eyes from the canvas.

“Hey,” Will replied moments before flopping down face-first onto a pile of overstuffed pillows. He was pretty sure it was the space that Rachel pretended was her bed whenever she stayed the night at camp so that Chiron wouldn’t realize that she snuck into the Apollo cabin every night to sleep on one of the spare bunks. He’d gotten close with Rachel since the end of the Titan war, seeing as he was usually the one to catch her when she collapsed after giving a prophecy. It had helped them bond. Now Rachel felt like something of a sister, except Will’s only experience with siblings were his godly siblings, who always just felt like close friends. So, anyway, Rachel was somewhere between Will’s newest vaguely-related sister and a close friend. Which meant that they had a good enough relationship that they could sit in silence without it being awkward, which was how the next few minutes passed.

Then, Will lifted his face off of a pillow and glanced to the side, spotting a familiar shade of purple. He picked it up - an oversized SPQR sweatshirt. “Whose is this?” 

“Huh?” Rachel barely glanced away for a second before turning back to her easel. “Oh. That’s Nico’s. He must’ve left it here last night.” 

Will’s head snapped up. “Nico was here? Wait, you hang out with Nico?” 

Rachel shrugged. She leaned forward and pulled the brush out from between her toes, apparently deciding that Will had become too much of a distraction for the time being. “Yeah, we go way back. We both helped Percy and Annabeth with the Labyrinth, remember? And then after that he would check in on me sometimes to, like, make sure nobody came after me. It was kinda creepy at first, you know, because he just sort of appears out of nowhere sometimes? But as soon as I started feeding him, he opened his mouth and never really shut up, so the creepiness kinda faded.” 

Will smoothed a hand across the fabric. It was soft, and big enough that it would fit him easily. And Rachel said it was Nico’s, not Jason’s - not that it could be, since he’d just seen Piper wearing Jason’s about ten minutes ago. And if Rachel and Nico were friends, then she would know-- “So Nico’s not dating Jason?” 

Rachel blinked, clearly taken aback by the question, and then laughed. “No, definitely not.”

Will’s brain was moving too fast for him to process anything. “He-- I--” He scrambled to his feet and gathered the sweatshirt in his hands. “I gotta go!” 

“Uh, bye?” Rachel called after him as Will took off out of the cave. Piper had said that she was with Nyssa at Bunker Nine, so Will took off toward the woods. He was grateful for his long legs that carried him across camp so quickly, leaping over fallen branches and thankfully not tripping up on any roots. He found himself outside Bunker Nine in no time, and it wasn’t long before his eyes landed on Nico. He sprinted up to the other boy, hunching over for half a second to catch his breath before he said, “Can I talk to you?” 

Nico nodded, his eyes wide in obvious surprise at having Will suddenly appear in front of him. (Served him right for doing the same to everyone else for the last few years.) Will led him out of the bunker and away from listening ears, and then handed over the sweatshirt.

“Oh,” Nico said, sounding almost disappointed. “Um. Thanks.” 

“Rachel told me it was yours, so I...brought it,” Will told him. “I always thought-- I mean, I assumed-- You and Jason are just so close, and I figured--” 

“I don’t like Jason,” Nico said quickly, defensively, and his cheeks began to color. “Not… Not like that, I mean. He just got this for me because he was sick of me stealing his all the time.” 

“No, right, of course,” Will replied as his heart sank. “I mean-- Oh gods, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume you liked guys-- I never should’ve--” 

“I do,” Nico cut in, and Will’s mouth snapped shut. “I, um. I’m...gay.” 

“Oh. Oh! Cool! I mean, I am too! Or, uh, I’m bi, but, uh. I like guys, too.”

If Will’s arms weren’t frozen at his side, he probably would’ve smacked himself for babbling like a total idiot. But maybe it was worth it to see the way Nico’s cheeks continued to grow red.

“Cool,” Nico said softly, dropping his gaze to his shoes before rapidly looking around at anything that wasn’t Will. “Would you, um. Would you maybe be interested in sitting with me at the campfire tonight?” 

Will was pretty sure his soul had left his body, but he still managed to ask, “Like, as a date?” 

Nico scuffed the toe of his shoe against the dirt. “If… If you want.” 

“Yeah!” Will said quickly, and then, “That would be, um. Cool.” 

“Cool,” Nico repeated. He started fidgeting with the sweatshirt in his hands before he suddenly held it out to Will. “You should take this. It’ll probably be cold tonight, so…” 

Will barely managed to stop himself from saying, it’s okay, I have my own. Instead, he forced his hands out to take the sweatshirt back. “Cool.” Did he know any other word in the English language besides cool? “I’ll, um. See you tonight then.” 

Nico smiled, and Will’s heart soared. “Yeah. See you tonight.” 

When Will arrived at the campfire later, happily yet nervously showing off the SPQR laurels on his chest, he made his way straight to Nico, relieved to see that the other boy had shown up in just a t-shirt. 

“Hey,” Will said, smiling brightly as he sat down in the open space beside Nico. “You know, it might get cold this far from the fire. Maybe you should borrow this.” Will held out his own neatly folded orange camp hoodie, one with a large 7 on the back and a red cross on one sleeve - a sweatshirt that was unmistakably Will’s. 

Nico smiled down at the sweatshirt, and then up at Will like this was exactly what he’d been hoping for. “Okay,” he said as he took the sweatshirt and pulled it on over his head. 

“It might be a little big on you,” Will warned, but Nico only smiled brighter when his head popped out of the neck hole. 

“That’s okay,” Nico replied. Just the very tips of his fingers stuck out the ends of the sleeves, and Will got the sudden urge to hold Nico’s hand. Maybe he would try later, when Nico didn’t have all of his focus directed at Will. “That’s how I like it.” 

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[solangelover]

3 Days + 1: Day 1

Solangelo Spring Ball 2020 - Collab w/ @nicostolemybones

Read on AO3 or FF.Net

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

A/N: For @solangeloweek ’s Spring Ball event, I worked with @nicostolemybones​ to write a 3 days infirmary fic (plus an extra bonus day). I’ve wanted to write a 3 days fic since the beginning, so it was great to finally get it done in my first collab! The days will be linked above, including linking over to my friend’s posts. Happy reading!

As Nico jogged up to Will, who was waiting on the steps of the Big House, Will blurted out, “What was that about?” He glanced over Nico’s shoulder at the power couple of camp. Percy and Annabeth seemed wrapped up in their world, as per usual. Though, no one could really fault them anymore. They’d literally been through hell together. Probably no one was happier that the war was over than those two.

“Just saying bye,” Nico rushed out, now standing directly in front of the healer with a light blush covering his cheeks. “He and Annabeth may be leaving soon.”

“Leaving camp?” Will tapped his chin in thought. “I guess that makes sense. Gods know they deserve a freaking break.”

Nico nearly scoffed, “Yeah, if another war happens in our lifetime…” He trailed off, shaking his head. Like he really needed another reminder that, as a child of the Big Three, he would forever be a prime candidate for major prophecies. After all the burial rites he performed recently, he was getting tired of the death that followed him around like a led ball chained to his ankle. He was feeling exhausted just thinking about another war.

“Nico,” Will’s fingers snapped right in front of Nico’s eyes, jerking him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?” he responded, straightening up his stance. Once aware of his body, he realized that he was practically sinking to the floor. Will had a hand wrapped around his forearm to steady him. The hand felt warm on Nico’s cold skin.

Will’s blue eyes bore into Nico’s brown ones, concern evident as he scanned demigod’s face. “You zoned out on me,” he frowned. “Come on, I told you you should’ve come here sooner. Let’s get inside.”

With that, Will shifted his grip down to Nico’s wrist and tugged him along into the infirmary. Nico could do nothing but follow, heat flooding into his cheeks both at the contact and the fact that Will seemed so concerned about Nico. After all, they didn’t know each other that well. Up until that day on the hill, he and Will hadn’t really had a conversation before. Of course, that was Nico’s fault for never being around. Or friendly. Or really giving anyone a reason to be his friend. But still, he was confused as to why Will seemed to care just as much as his close friends did.

As they marched through the infirmary, Nico glanced at the few campers still recovering from the battle. Other than some nasty scrapes or broken bones, no one seemed on the verge of death, which Nico was happy about. He shook his head as his thoughts wandered toward the way it felt during battle, with death surrounding him on all sides. That’s not what he should think about in a place of healing.

Nico was also concerned that his dark thoughts were making his aura of death stronger than normal, or maybe it seemed that way when juxtaposed with the sense of life and light that emanated from the Apollo healers. Some of the conscious campers eyed Nico with suspicion or fear, like he was the grim reaper coming to take them away. Even a few of the healers seemed wary, though they all looked away quickly. When Nico looked back toward Will, he noticed the blonde had the trace of a glare in his expression. He wondered what that was about.

The boys ventured deeper into the infirmary than Nico had ever gone, not that he visited often anyway. He cleared his throat to get Will’s attention. “Uhm, I don’t know if I should be here.”

Will huffed, “Nico di Angelo, I already told you, three days. You need to be checked out—I mean, medically speaking,” Nico had no idea why Will needed to clarify that, “—and you are not getting out of it.”

“No, I meant, like, I shouldn’t be here. Like, physically in this specific place.”

They stopped in front of a curtain at the back of the infirmary, far from everyone else. Nico wasn’t sure if this made him more comfortable or nervous.

“Why do you say that?”

“Well,” Nico said sheepishly. Wasn’t it obvious? “People come here to get healed. And I don’t do that.”

Will rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah, neither do the Ares kids, yet we still let them come in, even when the injuries are their own doing.” His eyes softened when he gazed at Nico. “You’re not the harbinger of death, we both know that. Your father is god of the underworld, and riches or whatever. If anything, you and your father care for the dead like we healers care for our patients.”

Nico snorted at that, which made Will smile brightly. “Not quite, Solace, but sure, I guess.” His countenance became nervous once again as he glanced back toward where the other campers were. “I don’t want to make people uncomfortable, though.”

Will was still smiling when he pushed the curtains aside, bringing Nico’s attention back to him. “Well, they’ll have to get used to it. You’re my patient now and no one is stopping me from doing my job.”

Right, caring was Will’s job. He doesn’t care specifically about me, Nico reminded himself. He couldn’t get ahead of himself, couldn’t risk hoping for something that wasn’t really there. Nico sat on the white bed at Will’s ushering, his shoulders sinking in exhaustion he hadn’t even realized was there. The son of Apollo left momentarily, saying something about medical supplies that Nico barely understood.

While he sat there, Nico could feel his eyelids growing heavy. He leaned his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands, pressing his palms into his eyes. He was so tired. Nico was always tired, especially given what he went through over the past couple months, but it was like, now that the war was over, his body didn’t have any adrenaline to keep him upright. Part of him was nervous about falling asleep in a semi-public place, but the other part knew he could sleep on the cold, hard floor if he had to.

As he rubbed at his eyes, trying to push the exhaustion away, he started to feel an ache in his neck and shoulders. It’s not like he was surprised, but he realized that the familiar pain had faded into the background as everything else had called his attention. Instead of trying to stretch it out, he just continued to sit, hunching up his shoulders a little.

Will cleared his throat when he re-entered the room, causing Nico to rub his eyes one last time before straightening up. When he looked at Will, he noticed he had a cart full of supplies in tow. His mind became more alert when he realized that all of those medical things were to be used on him.

“That’s,” he croaked, like he hadn’t spoken in a while. He coughed and restarted, “That’s a lot of stuff there.”

Will blushed a little as he sat on the chair near Nico’s bed. “Well, I’m not really sure what kind of injuries you have or treatments you’ll need, so I kind of just… brought everything.”

Nico chuckled, leaning back on his hands as Will grabbed his clipboard.

“Okay, let’s get started.” Will clicked his pen. “How do you feel?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Solace? That’s how you start?”

“It’s a standard question! If you know what needs healing, then we might as well start there.”

“Whatever,” Nico rolled his eyes again. “I’m fine.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Really? You’re fine? A second ago, you looked like you were ready to pass out right there.”

Nico flushed a little at the observation. “I’m just tired.”

Will hummed as he looked Nico over, making him fidget under the scrutiny. “So it’s gonna be like that, huh?” He placed his clipboard to the side, then said, “I’ll give you my assessment, then you tell me if I’m right.”

Before Nico could ask how he’d do that, Will’s hand darted out and snatched up Nico’s own. Nico instinctively leaned away and tried to pull his hand back, but Will held fast as he closed his eyes in concentration. Nico gulped as he watched the healer’s expression become pinched with concern. Will mumbled under his breath for the next ten seconds before his eyes flew open with a gasp. Nico took the opportunity to yank his hand back, cradling it to his chest like he’d been burned.

“What—”

“Nico di Angelo,” Will cut him off in his stern doctor voice, and Nico’s jaw snapped shut. “So, you’re going to sit here and tell me that irritated and badly healed wounds, torn muscles, extreme exhaustion, and power drain make you a perfectly fine demigod?”

Nico blinked at the slew of information. He wasn’t sure exactly what Will was talking about, but he had a few ideas. Unsure of how to respond, Nico just shrugged at the irate healer before him.

Will pinched his nose before dropping back into his seat and picking up his clipboard once more. He scribbled furiously while Nico looked on. “How did you do that?” Nico asked.

Will glanced up through his bangs before going back to his notes. “Son of Apollo thing. I can get a general health assessment through touch. It varies between demigods, but I’ve gotten pretty good at quick checks because of the wars.”

Nico frowned as Will kept writing. He hated that they all had to say “wars” now, like one wasn’t enough.

“Okay,” Will sat up straight and glared at Nico. “I’ll ask again, di Angelo, and you better not lie. How are you feeling?”

Nico frowned. “I really am tired, I don’t know what else to tell you.”

“Hm,” Will thought, leaning back in his chair. “More specific questions then. Does your body hurt at all? Strained muscles? Headache? Fresh wounds? Bruises? Anything causing you pain?”

The son of Hades tilted his head in thought. He knew things vaguely ached, but what exactly, he wasn’t sure—too used to the feeling, probably. “Um, I guess my shoulders kind of hurt. And my head, probably from being tired.”

Will jotted a few things down before setting the clipboard aside. “Okay, let’s deal with some of that first, though I know there’s a lot more going on.” He shot Nico a glare over his shoulder as he stood up and moved toward the supply cart. He handed Nico a square of ambrosia, who gratefully accepted and began taking small bites of it.

“Just for some of the general pain. You’ll need actual rest for the fatigue once we’re done.” He moved to crouch down next to Nico. “Can I take a look at your shoulders? I’m going to just roll up your sleeve for now to assess the damage.”

Nico nodded, only flinching slightly when Will’s fingers brushed his bicep. Will smiled at him as he pushed up the right-side sleeve. Once it was up, however, his eyes widened and he gasped. Nico tried to get a glimpse of what Will was looking at, but it was a little too close for him to see. But, knowing what the injury was from, he’s not surprised that it’s still bad. “Monster attack,” was all he said.

“Oh gods, Nico, I can’t believe you said you were fine. Doesn’t this hurt?” He touched his fingers lightly to the angry red skin on Nico’s shoulder, all puffed up around what was clearly a nasty gash. Nico shivered at the touch and stared straight ahead.

“It hurts a little, but it’s been a while, so I’m probably just used to it.” He heard Will let out a disbelieving huff, staring a little longer before quickly going back to the cart.

He pulled out an ice pack, saying, “We’ll use this to keep the swelling down for now. The ambrosia should be enough for you to rest easily and we can treat it tomorrow. I’ll check your other shoulder too, just in case.” Nico nodded as Will moved to his other side, taking the ice pack and holding it in place. This time, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when the sleeved was rolled up and no wounds were present.

Will stood and wrote down a few more things on his clipboard. “Okay, Death Boy, we’ll do more treatment things tomorrow, I think today, we can focus on rest. You look like you’re ready to pass out.”

Nico narrowed his eyes at the son of Apollo, swallowing the rest of his ambrosia before saying, “Really? Death Boy?”

Will smirked, and it was a look Nico hadn’t seen yet on Will and okay that’s something. “I have a few other names in mind. We’ll test them out and see what sticks.” He turned toward the cart and began packing it up. “Be right back,” he threw over his shoulder while pushing the cart out of the curtained-off area.

Alone again, Nico continued to hold the ice pack in place, feeling marginally better as the ambrosia began to kick in. He didn’t exactly forget about the injury from Lycaon, but he will admit that it didn’t cross his mind to get it looked at at the infirmary. Reyna and Coach Hedge had done enough for him to be in fighting condition, so he figured it would heal on its own.

Nico pulled his legs up onto the bed and leaned back, suddenly realizing how tense he had been this whole time. As he rolled out his neck, he felt exhaustion tug at his mind. But he couldn’t sleep yet, he didn’t know if Will was done! His body, however, had other plans as he felt himself sink into the cot and his eyes slipped shut.

He heard the curtain rustle, followed by a soft chuckle. Will slid the ice pack from Nico’s loose grip and shifted his arm down to his side. The touch was light, but still present. Nico made some kind of sound in an attempt to say… well, something, he didn’t know what. But Will shushed him, smoothing a hand over his hair.

“It’s alright. You can sleep now. Get some rest, Nico.” Then, Will began to lightly run his fingers through Nico’s hair, probably a natural comforting gesture. To Nico, it felt like warmth was radiating out from where Will’s fingertips brushed against his scalp. He felt his whole body relax, down to the tips of his toes. The ever-present ache in his bones subsided a little, and Nico felt a peace he hadn’t felt in a while.

He fell asleep to soft hums and small comforts.

[takaraphoenix]

percy jackson for the ask game

Thanks for playing! ^^

Top 5 favourite characters: Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Clarisse la Rue, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Silena Beauregard

Other characters you like: Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Thalia Grace, Leo Valdez, Charles Beckendorf, Tyson

Least favourite characters: Hera, uuuhm I mean Drew I guess and Nancy?? I don’t know, I’ve gone through so many cycles with PJO, I’ve come around on most characters

Otps: again, let’s make that a Top Five? Nico/Percy, Jason/Percy, Octavian/Percy, Triton/Percy, Will/Pery

Notps: Percy/Annabeth, Leo/Calypso, Grover/Percy, Tyson/Percy, book Luke/Percy

Favourite friendships: Canon? Grover & Percy, Clarisse & Percy, Nico & Reyna

Favourite family: I meeean technically they are ALL family since all of the gods are siblings/cousins! ;D Okay, okay. Paul, Sally, Percy and Tyson! A very obvious pick

Favourite episodes: doesn’t have a TV show adaptation yet? xD

Favourite season/book/movie: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Favourite quotes: not really a quote-kinda-gal

Best musical moment: haven’t gotten to see the musical yet!

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: I mean obviously when black on white it was confirmed that Nico was in love with Percy? Like? You can imagine, yes? :D

When it really disappointed you: …so often *whispers softly, voice breaking* but to sum it up basically from The Mark of Athena through to the end. The above mentioned confession was honestly like the only highlight out of those three books...

Saddest moment: WHEN THEY KILLED OFF BECKENDORF AND THEN KILLED OFF SELINA. I CRIED THE WHOLE FUCKING DAY

Most well done character death: Luke’s death was shit, Ethan’s death was frustrating because it was a cheap cop out of an actual redemption arc I really hate the “chose the wrong side and now immediately dies in a Heroic Sacrifice”-trope (which plays into why Luke’s death was shit), Bianca’s death was ridiculous - the fact that out of ALL of the Huntresses they picked the one who had been a huntress for 0.2 DAYS was just pathetic and literally projectd “this 12 year old child with zero combat training is totally gonna die” all along and it pisses me off so much, while Silena and Beckendorf made me cry they were also frustrating because they were avoidable had people used their brains, Octavian’s death genuinely made me furious because it was played for cheap laughs... I guess Bob and Damansen by default then...?

Favourite guest star: uuuuuuuh I got nothing

Favourite cast member: Leven Rambin as Clarisse la Rue?? Holy shit blessed casting thank you

Character you wish was still alive: ...one? I only get one? *distressed Phoe-noises* Silena? Charles? Ethan? Urgh. How dare you make me pick only one...

One thing you hope really happens: ...I know there are people out there still reading the new books and I wouldn’t wish this for them because they clearly still enjoy it, but good gods do I wish Riordan would just finally stop and give Percy a rest. Like, not even stop writing - he could write new things. but stop dragging Percy Jackson personally into everything, be that visiting the Norse because hey it’s his gf’s cousin, or getting dragged into Apollo’s weird shit, seriously just... move on, please

Most shocking twist: quite truthfully that Ares was the traitorous god in The Lightning Thief and not Hades. I am so used to Hades being painted as The Bad Guy and the Evil Mastermind bullshit that it was genuinely so refreshing that no actually he’s just wronged because he wants his property back too and he’s not actually the bad guy??

When did you start watching/reading?: 2010, I guess, right after I saw the movie for the first time

Best animal/creature: BLACKJACK BLACKJACK BLACKJACK. No wait Mrs. O’Leary is also there! :O Both? Both!

Favourite location: THE UNDERWORLD

Trope you wish they would stop using: Everyone Needs To Be Paired Up! Seriously, obsessive shipping in canon is cringey but if you have a literal ship with seven crewmates and it turns out to be three couples and the seventh is first in a Love Triangle with one of the couples and THEN gets his own girlfriend, that’s... that’s genuinely pathetic, like I would raise a judgemental eyebrow at a fanfiction that ships everyone off this perfectly paired up, but a published actual work that is not the author’s very first publication? That’s embarrassing, man

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: portrayal of Greek gods and myths

Funniest moments: snarky Percy sassing gods :D

Couple you would like to see: This implies a non-canon couple I’d like to see become canon and just honestly, genuinely, none, good gods there is already too much romance as it is, dial it back

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: honestly, the second movie took the two only fancasts that were dear to me and actually cast them. Anthony Head as Chiron and Nathan Fillion as Hermes. That was such perfect casting and were my only casting wishes, so like... I got nothing

Favourite outfit: Clarisse’s movie outfit?? It’s? So? Good??

Favourite item: I mean, Riptide is really practical?

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: A very dear friend of mine gave me the movie poster for the second movie and it is hanging on my ceiling :D But other than that, sadly enough this franchise is not exactly heavy on merch - which is ridiculous to me... the opportunities. Please make this into a cartoon and start producing ALL of the figures and toys. All of them. Seriously, the toy opportunity on this franchise is so huge??

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: uuuuuuh honestly no god really fits me so I don’t know

Most boring plotline: Annabeth’s third book side-quest really bore me

Most laughably bad moment: When they had a prophecy about an “angel’s breath” and Annabeth Chase, daughter of ATHENA, stood right there, not figuring it out - but Piper did. That... That did Annabeth such a freaking disservice, seriously the disrespect from Riordan there. Why did you even make her a daughter of wisdom if you aren’t going to use her to be clever? That actively made me bang my head against the nearest wall because it was such an obvious part of the riddle like seeeriously

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: I loved learning more about Annabeth, Luke and Thalia’s past together

Most layered character: I mean Percy, but that’s also due to getting five books exclusively from his POV

Most one dimensional character: lol like the dozen or so characters who only exist as First Name Only? And yeah, I get it, you can’t flesh them all out more. But Jason Grace had a whole-ass life before he came to CHB and we got name-drops of his closest friends in The Lost Hero, but most of them remained a name only and Jason not only didn’t get to team up with them later on, to try and convince them to join his cause, he also never actively thought about them. I don’t know, but if I’d spend months away from all my friends, I would definitely spend some of my POV thinking about them...

Scariest moment: thiiis was not a scary series

Grossest moment: When Riordan tried to sell domestic violence as cute, aka Annabeth judo-flipping her boyfriend in punishment for getting abducted by a goddess :D”““ what the fuq

Best looking male: if we go by actors, I guess Chris Rodriguez? xD

Best looking female: oooh definitely Clarisse when we go with the movie faces *^*

Who you’re crushing on (if any): mmmh yeah no

Favourite cast moment: I do not know any xD”

Favourite transportation: shadow-travel! It’s so cool

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): them entering the underworld was pretty damn cool??

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: NICO’S AGE. CONSISTENCY. Stop posting things that contradict each other like just stop tweeting canons out if you don’t have a fixed list of what is canon. ALSO SALLY’S MOTHER IS NAMED LAURA, SHE WAS NAMED LAURA FOR YEARS BEFORE YOU FORGOT THAT YOU NAMED THAT CHARACTER LAURA AND NOW SALLY NAMED HER CANON DAUGHTER FUCKING ESTELLE AFTER HER MOTHER’S NEW NAME. Good gods. How do professional authors not have lists to crosscheck about vital information of their own characters, like their birthdates and their parents’ names.

Best promo: I don’t watch promos

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: Honestly before I watched the movie already, when I read on wikipedia that a son of Hades was not just A Good Guy in this bookseries but also a main character :D

IN DEPTH FANDOM QUESTIONS

[everykindofnerd13]

“Okay so next, there’s,” Bianca was cut off by the newcomer.

“Wait!” He exclaimed grabbing her arm before they could leave the Hades cabin.

“What?” She asked.

“There are two floors right?” Bianca nodded.

“Uh, so can you show me the upstairs?” He asked her.

“No.” She answered simply and turned around.

“Ah! Why not?” He asked and she glared at him.

“You showed me the upstairs and all the other ones!” He complained. She sighed and shook her head.

“Artemis give me strength...” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Nico’s room is upstairs.” She explained, hoping the curious kid would drop it.

“So this kid gets a room all to himself!?” He asked, as if it affected him.

“Yes he does, he lives alone in the cabin practically year round, the only other children of Hades being myself and Hazel. I am a Lady of the Hunt and therefore spend most of my time with them. Hazel is a daughter of Pluto technically and stays either in New Rome or at Camp Jupiter most the time. Plus Nico designed the cabin himself, and if there aren’t going to be people there year-round with him, why should he have to share a space with no one?” The kid’s eyes widened and he nodded quickly. Bianca nodded back and they started off toward the arena.

“Well, she handled that better than expected...” Percy muttered from his place in Nico’s lap where they were looking through the tinted windows down to where Bianca was talking to the kid. In reality, Percy and Nico weren’t yet out to the camp. Well, Nico was out as gay, and it was rather obvious that Percy was at least queer to everyone so there wasn’t anything really bad that could happen, but no one knew the two were dating but Nico’s sisters, their significant others, and the duo’s closest friends. That list consisted of Bianca, Hazel, Tyson, Thalia, Frank, Leo, Ella, Lou Ellen, Will, Cecil, Ethan, Alabaster, Jason, Reyna, Annabeth, Piper, Grover, Rachel, and lastly, and surprisingly Clarisse. But over the more recent years, Percy had grown incredibly close to the daughter of Ares, and both were very protective of eachother nowadays. Though their frankly aggressive and borderline toxic bickering never faltered.

“Yeah, she knows the feeling of having a terrible secret though...” Nico explained and Percy glared playfully.

“A terrible secret? Gods, Di Angelo, if I’d known you hated me I wouldn’t have entered a relationship with you.” He joked and Nico pouted and pushed Percy back onto his bed so that he could lay on top of the older demigod.

“Shut up Gattino, we both know I cherish our relationship immensely.” Percy smiled and began carding his fingers through Nico’s hair to soothe him. He knew it was true. Nico had been crushing on Percy for almost 5 years by the time they figured stuff out and got together. Nico treated Percy practically as if he were a god himself, which to be fair, he was. But so was Nico.

“Of course little vampire. I’m completely aware, it’s a wonder you haven’t instructed Annabeth to construct a temple for my worship.” He joked and Nico hummed on his chest.

“Maybe that would be a good idea, si?” Nico asked and Percy made a confused noise in the back of his throat.

“A temple, on my family’s property in Italia. Just for you. And just for me.” Nico said, causing Percy to laugh.

“Neeks, I love you, but you are a broke child and Annabeth does absolutely nothing for free.” Percy pointed out and Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Principe Marino, you are dating a fellow god, of not only Heroic deaths, but also,” Nico kissed Percy’s jaw, “Fortuna di Famiglia.” Nico pointed out and Percy had to laugh at himself. Right, of course, being a son of Hades, Nico was now the god of Heroic deaths and family fortune. Meaning, because of god magic, the money left to him by his grandmama would never run out.

“Well, Neeks, if you’re so rich and prosperous, maybe we should also construct a temple for my worshipment of you.” Percy suggested as he pulled Nico up to kiss his nose.

“Mmm, no, you’re the only one worthy of worship. You’re all tall and muscular and... hot!” Nico explained then sat up, straddling his boyfriend’s waist and lookin down at him.

“Oh?” Percy asked and Nico nodded pointedly.

“First off, you’re skin. It’s gorgeous, golden, sun kissed, beautiful. It’s clear and you’re pretty. Then your hair, which I love, is all fluffy and black and soft and messy, and you always look like you’ve just rolled out of bed.” Nico explained and Percy was blushing now. Nico ignored him and continued, “And you’re eyes, god! Percy your eyes!” Nico let out a downright dirty groan, “Perseus Jackson, you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. They’re literally the color of sea foam, and they just remind me of the beach near my home in Venice.” Nico explained. Percy’s eyes softened and his heart swelled at the happy but mournful smile that spread across Nico’s features.

“Plus, not to mention, you’re built like a Greek god.” Nico joked and reached under Percy’s shirt to grope his boyfriend’s abs. Percy flushed and shoved Nico away to fall back on the bed.

“Well, Ghost King, you’re not much different, you’ve filled out since I first met you,” Nico laughed.

“I hit puberty Blu Bello,” he pointed out, which caused Percy to laugh.

“Well, you’re a hottie now Nico. You completely skipped the awkward phase and went from cute little kid to hot teenager in 6 months. You’ve got beautiful cheekbones that are quite honestly my weakness and you’re skin is so soft, and pretty and pale, and your hair is long enough for me to play with the ends when we kiss and you’re lips are super soft because they’ve never been used by anyone but me which is a great feeling. And you’re short. Which makes me feel good about myself considering we’re surrounded by Giants at this stupid camp.” Nico laughed and shoved Percy again.

“ Rude!” He shouted then pulled Percy down to his level and kissed him, the kiss slowly becoming more heated as time passed. After a while the boys were heavily making out, only to be rudely interrupted by Will Solace.

“Ew!” He shouted and shielded his eyes while Nico reluctantly and resentfully pulled away from his boyfriend to glare over at his bestfriend.

“Can I help you Solace? I’m kinda busy,” he complained. Will huffed and glared back at him while Percy flushed dark red.

“I’m here to swipe your water-bound boyfriend because there are some younger Hephaestus kids who want to go swimming but Beckendorf, Leo, and Jake are all busy and we know that none of the others are gonna leave the forges.” Nico groaned annoyed and fell forward onto Percy’s chest, wrapping his arms and legs around his boyfriend possessively. Percy laughed at his boyfriends antics and sat up, only for Nico to whine helplessly then flip Solace off.

“F**k you Solace, watch the fire brats yourself this is my boyfriend time.” Nico whined, still koala attaching himself to Percy who was sitting up with Nico in his lap, not even attempting to push the gremlin off.

“Whatever Di Angelo, I don’t like getting wet and you know it,” Will countered, earning himself a glare from Nico.

“Fine, if you manage, watch what I do next time I know you and Jake are enjoying your rare time alone together. I’ll march right up and start talking about how incredible Percy is, and you will only be able to focus on Percy while trying to make out with your boyfriend? How’s that gonna feel asshole?” Will sighed in defeat and sent Nico his patented mom look, expecting it to work like normal, but Nico stood his ground defiantly, which Will supposed was fair. Percy really enjoyed watching the kids so he had classes basically all day, this was his two hours without classes, aka when he spent time with Nico. Will shook his head defeated and left Nico’s cabin.

“Neeks,” Percy started to argue only for Nico to turn his glare on him.

“No, absolutely not, this is the only time of day that I get to have you all to myself because all of your friends are also busy and I’m not and you aren’t, I don’t wanna go down to beach and sit a respectable amount of room apart so that you can make sure no over eager kids who can’t wait until one of your life guard hours drown.” Percy sighed in defeat and pulled Nico back down on top of him to continue to kiss him heatedly, instantly brightening the ghost king’s mood. Nico hummed into the kiss and held onto his boyfriend like he was Nico’s lifeline.

After a few minutes, the boys were forced to break, again, when there was a knock at the door. Nico groaned in annoyance but Percy nudged him away to go answer the door. Nico huffed as he pulled away and looked in the mirror to fix his hair and clothes back. The knock came again but louder and Nico groaned again, but quietly and went to answer the door. Outside there was standing a decidedly uninvited demigod that Nico didn’t recognize.

“Can I help you?” He asked annoyed and the kid looked slightly intimidated. Typically Nico was reasonably nice to the kids at camp, but when they came knocking at his cabin door while he was obviously trying to be alone it was rather annoying.

“Uh, I was looking for Percy...” the kid muttered and Nico looked at him suspiciously.

“What do you want from him?” He asked quite rudely.

“Um, we wanted to go swimming and we kinda need him in order to do so.” Nico only glared at the probably 12 year old kid and huffed.

“Percy’s on his break right now, we’re in the middle of a board game, wait for another hour and we’ll be done and he’ll be back on his life guard duty.” Nico stated and the kid only swallowed and nodded. Nico returned to a grinning Percy who was waiting for Nico to return. The smaller demigod crawled into his boyfriends lap and began kissing his neck.

“Y’know, you should really be nicer to the younger campers,” Percy reasoned and Nico grunted in annoyance.

“They should really respect that you have to take breaks.” He countered and held onto Percy’s waist possessively as he kissed down to Percy’s collar bone.

“Hate to break it to you Ghost King, but I’m kinda a big deal around here.” Nico huffed in annoyance and leaned back to glare at his boyfriend.

“I am three seconds away from shadow traveling us to my room in the underworld,” Nico declared, causing Percy to snort and lean in to steal a chaste kiss. Which Nico quickly returned, and once again, the making out began.

And, once again, it was interrupted. It had gone on a little longer and to be fair it was more lazy, sleepy kisses, not full on handsy making out, but still, Nico was comfortable and enjoying Percy time.

“Nico Di Angelo I swear I’m gonna set you on fire if you treat my campers like that ever again!” Leo marched up Nico’s stairs loudly and angrily. He was met by a sight he probably could have lived without. Nico Di Angelo curled up on Percy’s chest, peppering kisses over his face.

“Leo Valdez if you enter my cabin and interrupt my Percy time like that ever again I will raise the cesarean army on you, what do you want?” Nico was becoming genuinely angry and at this point, raising the cesarean army didn’t sound like too bad an idea.

“I heard you grilled one of my campers,” Leo said, crossing his arms.

“You’re all fire-proof, it doesn’t matter if I grill any of you, but you’re right, he came here, only minutes after Will requesting to steal my Percy during my Percy time, and during Percy’s well deserved break so give your campers something to do other than swim for another 30 minutes while I enjoy cuddling with my boyfriend,” Nico was glaring daggers into Leo’s eyes who huffed in annoyance but left the cabin hastily.

“You’re so cute when you’re angry,” Percy purred as he pet Nico’s hair.

“You’re so cute when you’re not overworked,” Nico countered turning back to Percy.

“Mm, that’s fair,” he agreed and placed a soft kiss on Nico’s lips.

“I know it is Gattino,” Nico stated fondly and leaned into Percy’s chest to get comfortable. He continue pressing kisses all over Percy’s neck, only for a knock to sound at the door, which Percy nearly laughed at. Nico growled and tightened his hold on Percy, then proceeded to shadow travel them to his room in the underworld. Percy laughed as they hit the silky sheets.

“Nico, we can’t just stay here,” Percy reasoned and Nico shook his head.

“We can, and we will until further notice, you’re resting, I’m kissing, and we’re both trying to enjoy ourselves but people keep interrupting, so this is me, preventing that.” He then summoned Ms. O’ Leary and stationed her at his door to chase any of his family members who may try to invade his room away.

“I love you...” Percy muttered softly and kissed Nico, which Nico smiled at.

“I love you too.” With that he collapsed onto Percy’s chest and continued pressing kisses to Percy’s neck, while letting himself and Percy slowly fall into a slumber.

This time they were awoken by Melinoe, one of Nico’s half sisters.

“Nicolai!” She shouted, causing him to jump out of his sleep.

“It is 11 pm you stupid boys, you two have missed dinner and the bonfire and the Harpies are out.” Nico sighed in defeat and looked down at his sleepy boyfriend, he realised he didn’t really feel guilty, Percy needed sleep, and if taking him to the underworld had brought it, so be it.

“Fine fine, we’ll go, sorry Meli!” Nico exclaimed and grabbed Percy. He quickly shadow travelled them to Nico’s cabin and they both burst out laughing before Percy gasped.

“Did she say 11!?” He asked terrified.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry Perce...” Nico mumbled, feeling awful for accidentally pulling Percy from all his responsibilities.

“Well, Neeks, it’s not your fault we fell asleep or that we kept getting interrupted, I don’t blame you, I just wish we would have remembered.” Percy muttered as he pulled Nico up to cuddle him.

“Mm, still sorry, I’ll leave you alone tomorrow,” Nico explained and curled up to Percy.

“You most certainly will not, we’re eating lunch together and you’ll be waiting in your cabin as always tomorrow when I have my break, and we’re gonna cuddle and kiss and enjoy our time, and I’m not gonna drop you to go watch kids swim at the lake. Then I’m gonna go back to my job and then we’re gonna sit down and eat dinner together then watch Disney movies together and then you’ll shadow travel me back to my cabin we’ll go to sleep and repeat the cycle,” Percy was very demanding with his list of the routine the two boys had been retaining for the past few months.

“Okay, sounds good to me,” Nico agreed, snuggling into his boyfriend’s chest.

“Everyone’s gonna be stressed out tomorrow since we weren’t here before lights out,” Percy pointed out and Nico hummed in agreement.

“You wanna go tell Chiron or Annabeth?” Nico asked and Percy hummed.

“We should probably tell Annie, Chiron’s probably with the herd.” He suggested and wrapped his arms around Nico’s shoulders so they could shadow travel. After a few seconds the demigods were in the Athena cabin next to Annabeth’s bunk.

“Annie?” Percy asked as he knelt down next to her. She stirred slightly, and her brows furrowed before her eyes slowly fluttered open. She immediately sat up and wrapped her arms around Percy’s neck in a desperate hug.

“You’re not allowed to just disappear!” She whisper-shouted as she shoved him away and pointed at Nico.

“And you aren’t either! Will was so stressed!” She was still whisper-shouting and Nico’s ears heated up in embarrassment.

“I- we didn’t mean to, I got angry because we kept on getting interrupted so the fourth time someone came knocking on my cabin door, I just got fed up and brought us to the Underworld, then we fell asleep and Melinoe woke us up at 11 and I’m sorry!” Nico was apologizing a lot. He cared about Annabeth and Grover’s opinions the most, those were Percy’s oldest and best friends, and he didn’t want them to hate him.

“It’s fine Nico, really, I understand wanting alone time, you just had all of us a bit spooked, and when Hazel found out from Leo that you were missing too she got really stressed out so Leo’s at Camp Jupiter with her and Frank and you should go let her know.

“Yeah, okay, Perce you coming with me? I feel like we’ll need to calm Leo’s nerves too.”Percy nodded hastily and took Nico’s hand, quickly leaving a peck on Annabeth’s forehead before Nico shadow travelled them to Camp Jupiter.

They landed in the living room of Jason And Reyna, and Hazel and Frank’s shared home. Percy placed a chaste kiss on Nico’s lips then started pulling him back towards Hazel and Frank’s room.

They let themselves in to find Hazel and Frank snuggling with Leo nestled between them. Nico approached the bed and lightly awoke Hazel.

“Haze?” He asked softly as she began to stir. She slowly rolled over, her eyes half lidded, before they brightened at the sight of Nico.

“Nico!” She jumped up to embrace him, also stirring Leo and Frank. Leo immediately also jumped up to hug Percy tightly. Frank just rose slowly to look at his lovers adoringly. Nico enjoyed pretending to be protective of Hazel, but her boyfriends were both so good there was really no reason to try and be protective. He trusted them.

“Don’t go disappearing like that!” Hazel exclaimed and swatted Nico’s chest.

“I’m sorry! We fell asleep at the palace!” Hazel narrowed her eyes.

“What were you doing in the underworld in the first place?” She asked annoyed. Nico huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Well, if we hadn’t been rudely interrupted by Will, then some random Hephaestus kid, then Leo, then someone else, I wouldn’t have been annoyed enough to even leave camp, but if I’m trying to enjoy my time with Percy, I want to do it without interruption so whatever!” Percy laughed because Nico was already very defensive of the subject.

“So that’s why Beckendorf couldn’t get to you guys!” Leo exclaimed and Nico rolled his eyes.

“Yes Leo, THATS why Beckendorf couldn’t get to me, because I was trying to enjoy my cherished time with Percy the same way you guys try to enjoy your time with eachother,” Leo looked down guiltily. Hazel was able to summon a Hell Hound whenever she wanted, so she could come see Leo whenever she wanted, on top of that, they were all out to the camp as Poly and in a relationship. But Percy and Nico were only out to their closest friends so it wasn’t like Nico could just go up to Percy and kiss him between their shifts or duties, they had to plan time to be together.

“Sorry...” Leo muttered and Nico huffed.

“Don’t apologize, guilt doesn’t look good on you, and I don’t really particularly mind because that was the least stressful I’ve woken up before, so hush,” Nico was being very persistent about no one feeling bad and then he was reminded that Will was one of his bestfriends, a total mother hen, and was probably worried sick. Nico groaned and fell back onto the couch in the trio’s room.

“Neeks?” Percy asked as he watched his boyfriend collapse.

“Will’s probably at Camp Halfblood having a fucking panic attack because I disappeared!” He sighed, then looked lovingly at Percy, then glanced at the others and slowly stood.

“What’s up Nico?” Hazel asked as he came and sat down again.

“You guys are all so good! Gods! Why can’t you just hate me for being annoying! For avoiding you! For grilling you! Why can’t you just resent me! If everyone hated me, peopling would be some much less stressful!” Percy laughed and scooped Nico up off the bed and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

“Neeks, that’s what friends are all about, being worried when you aren’t where you’re supposed to be, because we love you,” Percy nuzzled Nico’s hair and the shorter demigod only huffed.

“You two are disgustingly cute,” Leo pointed out from where he was laying against Frank with the larger man’s arms around his waist. Nico rolled his eyes and glared at the son of Hephaestus.

“Oh yeah, any chance I get,” Percy confirmed easily, which made Hazel laugh then look at her brother.

“You can go,” she said, then grabbed Nico’s hand, “check in with Will, make sure the poor boy isn’t having a panic attack, then I cannot let you do anything further, you must go to sleep, no matter how good you’ve gotten at shadow traveling, doing so at great distances is not good for your health, and you will immediately shadow travel back to your own cabin, with Percy, and sleep.” Hazel was very serious about Nico’s health, maybe not as much as Will, but still serious.

“Okay, I’ve got it, love you Haze,” He hugged his sister, let Percy hug Leo, then waved them all goodbye and they were off. After a bit, they landed in Will’s cabin and once they were both stable, Nico gave up and just leaned into Percy, Hazel was right, shadow traveling between realms and across countries was really draining. Percy rubbed his back comfortingly and turned to Will’s bed, only to find it empty. He sighed and looked at Nico, who staring seriously at the bed. He sighed as well, and hugged Percy around the middle to travel the couple of meters to the Hephaestus Cabin, where no doubt Will would be.

Which of course, they were right, Will was sleeping with Jake in the Hephaestus kid’s bed, curled up to his boyfriend happily. Nico laughed at his friend but still leaned into Percy, feeling absolutely drained to the max.

“Will?” Nico whispered softly, slowly stirring Will from his sleep.

“Nico!” Will whisper shouted as he pulled the son of Hades away from his boyfriend and into a hug.

“Why do you look so tired? Have you two been fighting monsters?” Will sat up fully and pushed Nico down next to him.

“No Will!” Nico shoved Will’s worrying hands away and leaned toward Percy.

“Nico’s been shadow traveling a lot...” Percy explained and Will’s eyes narrowed.

“Really Coco?” He asked and Nico glared angrily at the stupid nickname.

“Will, really, I’m fine, I’m just tired,” he sighed loudly and made grabby hands at Percy. As much as being small sucked, having a tall boyfriend meant that he could be easily lifted up.

“Nico got a bit annoyed after four interruptions and shadow travelled us to his room in the underworld,” Percy was rubbing Nico’s back lovingly, “then we came back and I panicked and he brought us to Annie, only for her to recommend we went to see Hazel, and we did and Nico realised you’d be worried sick so we came back then you weren’t in your cabin and now we’re here.” Percy kissed the top of Nico’s head and the son of Hades sighed dreamily, leaning into his boyfriends touch like it was a life line. Will let his gaze soften at his bestfriends happiness. Nico deserves what he wanted, and Percy had been what he wanted for years.

“Well, I, as the head doctor, prescribe a good nights rest, and a full day of Percy cuddles. I’ll make up an excuse for you two, and I’ll let the others know, just stay in tomorrow, cuddle up, watch some movies, love you Neeks,” Will kisses Nico’s forehead and pushed him all the way into Percy who laughed.

“How about we get Mrs. O’Leary?” He asked and Nico nodded wildly quickly summoning the Hell Hound then giving Will a kiss on the cheek good bye and rushing out of there as fast as he could. Mrs. O’Leary brought them to Nico’s cabin Percy easily carried Nico to the half-Hades’ bed. They collapsed into it and Percy curled around Nico while Mrs. O’Leary climbed up and curled around the both of them.

——————————————————————————

Nico awoke feeling completely recharged at around noon the next day, Percy was gone, but Mrs. O’Leary was still curled around Nico, and he sighed in bliss.

“Percy?” He called, and was answered by his cabin door opening. He sat up against Mrs. O’Leary subconciously leaning into her and also covering her.

“Coco?” He heard Will call and Nico let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. In walked Will with a tray of what looked like blue cookies and a glass of pomegranate juice. Of course, his favorite juice and something personally made by Percy.

“Hey Will-I-Am,” Nico greeted, then yawned, “where’s my Sea Prince?” He asked after a few seconds and Will laughed while he set down the tray on Nico’s bedside table.

“He’s at his mom’s house, says he’s got a surprise for you there, but he should be back soon, don’t worry,” Will explained as he handed Nico the plate of cookies and the glass. Then he picked up the rag and dunked it in what looked like cold water then set it to the side. Nico looked at him wearily as he ate his cookies. Will tended to be a little overbearing luv caring at times, like acting as if exhaustion was a fever.

“Will!” Nico whined as Will pulled a thermometer out of his pocket.

“Nicolai!” Will swatted at Nico’s hands and stuffed the thermometer in his mouth.

“You will sit here and accept my mother henning because you hopped twice between realms and twice across the country and you will now accept my making sure you’re okay because exhaustion can result in fevers and sickness.” Nico sighed and laid back, letting Will dab his forehead with the wet cloth then when the thermometer beeped he pulled it out of Nico’s mouth and set it to the side.

“You’re temperature is normal,” he stated then under his breath, “for a child of Hades,” then back to normal volume, “and you may continue as I planned with a day of cuddles and relaxation. I said that you two got into a mess with Melinoe and Makaria, so you had to go to the underworld and now you’re both allowed to rest for the day,” Nico smiled at his friend as Will leaned in to press a kiss to Nico’s forehead.

“Thanks Will,” Nico said regrettably.

“Aw, any time Neeks, I love you, you’re my best friend, it’s what you deserve,” then Will stood and left while Nico fell back into his Hell Hound and turned to bury his face in her fur. He let her warmth consume him and brighten his mood even further as he slowly finished his cookies and pomegranate juice.

“Nico?” Percy called and Mrs. O’Leary lifted her head in excitement, jostling Nico.

“I’m here Percy!” Nico called back and as Percy emerged from the stairs Nico saw a broad smile on his lips.

“Okay, sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up, I have you something,” Percy held up a bag that Nico recognized from that time Annabeth and Katie had forced them to take one of the Arts and Crafts classes and they made bags with eachother. They actually enjoyed seeing and had made a few more bags together since, but this one was the first they’d made together. It was a view of the ocean against an extremely starry sky.

Nico was pulled from his thought by the smell of distinctive Italian food. His mother’s. Tears sprang to his eyes as he looked lovingly at Percy.

“Nico!?” Percy called concerned as he rushed to the bed faster, dropping the bag on the night stand and landed on the bed pulling Nico into a tight hug.

“You are the most amazing incredible awful human being I’ve ever met,” He muttered while laugh-crying into Percy’s chest. That caused Percy to let out a relieved huff of a laugh.

“Why?” He asked.

“Because you perfect boyfriend went all the way to your mom’s apartment so you could make my mom’s lasagna recipe with her.” Percy’s eyes widened and he nodded quickly.

“Of course Neeks, you were so tired last night I thought you deserved a treat, and you talk about your mom and grandma’s cooking so often I thought...” Nico knocked the air out of Percy as he tackled him into the bed and hugged him tightly while pressing a kiss to his lips. He felt Percy smile into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist

“You, Perseus Jackson, are the best thing that has ever walked into my life.” He muttered against Percy’s lips causing a bright blush to rush to Percy’s cheeks.

“You, Nico Di Angelo, deserve the best,” he answered. And Nico smiled as he sat up, straddling Percy’s waist. He grabbed the bag of food and pulled it into his lap as Percy sat up as well, keeping Nico on his lap. Nico pulled out four tupperwares and a bottle of sparkling white grape juice. He smiled at the bottle then looked at Percy with an amusing smirk.

“We better be careful, if Mr. D find outs we have a bottle of “non-alcoholic wine” he’ll throw a hissy fit.” He joked and Percy smiled, pulling out two wine glasses.

“Well, it’s a good thing people have decided to leave us alone then.” He agreed and settled to pour them both a glass of juice.

[half-bloodxarmy]

That Dam NBA Headcanon

Ok, so it’s the NBA finals in North America right now, and tonight is Warriors vs Raptors and everyone is just SO INVESTED in the dam game. For real, everyone’s picking sides and all and because I live in the GTA (Great Toronto Area for y’all lovely non-Canadians), everyone’s EXTRA HYPED UP about the game. And since I like to mix everything with PJO, yours truly wrote a headcanon about The Seven plus Nico, Calypso, and Will enjoying the games and picking sides.

Leo: Oh you’re gonna use that card again? Well-

*everyone’s comfy and settled in on the giant couch at Percy and Annabeth’s new apartment in New Rome*

Nico: Okay guys, the game’s starting.

Percy: Everyone got their blue milkshakes?

Leo: You’re the only one who drinks blue milkshakes Percy.

Percy: Shut Up Valdez you’re just jealous because you don’t know how to make a proper milkshake. Honestly, is it harder than building Argo II?

Calypso: Guys, be nice. We’re trying to watch a game here.

Leo: No offence, but do you have any idea what basketball is babe?

Calypso: Nope, but I’m excited to find out...

Annabeth (wearing literally any accessory related to basketball and the Warriors): LET’S GO GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS!

Piper: Well someone’s hyped up.

Annabeth: Why wouldn’t I be? I’m honestly so proud...

Leo: Okay everyone, which side are you on?

Annabeth: Ummmm... are you really asking me that?

Leo: Well for you it’s obvious. Percy?

Percy: I’m gonna be on the Warriors side.

Leo: Sweet. Cal?

Calypso: Honestly, I don’t know. Whose side are you on?

Leo: WARRIORS! *breaking the word down into syllables*

Calypso: I guess I’m just gonna go with the Warriors then.

Piper and Jason: LET’S GO WARRIORS! *in sync*

Nico: I honestly don’t know why I’m here...

Will: Come on Neeks, it’s better than Mythomagic!

Nico: First of all, HOW DARE YOU SOLACE?! Second of all, I’m on the winner’s side.

Will: Fine then. I’m with the majority.

Leo: Hazel?

Hazel: Haha, I don’t really like being competetive, so I guess I’m on the winner’s side too.

Nico: Ya Solace, my strategy is the best strategy.

Will: Whatever.

Hazel: What about you Frank?

Percy: You kidding, right? Our boy is on our side, right Frank?

Jason: Ya dude, you with us right?

Frank: Uhhh, yep. Of course I am...!

Annabeth: Alright guys, the game’s starting.

After Q1

Jason: Man, what?

Piper: Dang it.

Annabeth: Shhh... *glares at the screen*

Percy: Annabeth, the Quarter’s over-

Annabeth: SHUT UP I’M MAKING STRATEGIES!

Calypso: But you’re not playing... they are?

Annabeth: Doesn’t matter, I need to make sure they’ll win.

Leo: Woohoo, Annabeth is going N-U-T-S!

Everyone except Leo: Shut it repair boy.

Leo: Ouch.

Percy: Okay guys, they’ll do better the next quarter.

Will: Ya, they will.

Jason: We can’t let our spirits go down.

Percy: YA! LET’S GO WARRIORS!

*everybody except Frank and Nico chant. Everyone gives Nico stink-eyes, but no body notices Frank because he’s pushing himself in the pillows.*

Time passes on...

After Q4

Will: Dam it.

Percy: They’ll win next time.

Annabeth: Ugh...

Hazel: Alright, we should be going. You ready Frank?

Frank: Yep.

Percy: Awww I wish you guys could stay the night.

Jason: Sorry dude, duty calls. The downsides of being Pontifex, amirite?

Percy: Dump out your ego in the beach while you’re going. Actually never mind, don’t stain the water.

Hazel: Let’s go!

Jason: I’m coming! Bye Pipes... *smooches*

Piper: See ya next week!

The Romans: Bye everyone!

Hazel: Wait guys, where’s Frank?

Jason: I swear if he turned into a snake again...

Percy: GET HIM OUT!

Piper: I’m sure he’s around here somewhere...

Percy: OH HELL NAH! GET HIM OUT OF MY HOUSE!

Annabeth: Calm down Seaweed Brain, the snake’s smaller than you, there’s no reason for you to be afraid of it...! Honestly sometimes you’re just so unreasonable-

Jason: Maybe he turned into a spider?

Annabeth: OH HELL NAH! A FRANK HUMAN BEING IS DYING TONIGHT! GET THAT FURRY THING OUTTA HERE!

The End.

Oh wait, there’s more...!

Meanwhile, in the Washroom

Frank: LET’S GO RAPTORS!

*pulls out the autographs of every single member on the team*

Frank: I LOVE Y’ALL!

—————————————————————————————————————

On a serious note, GOOD JOB RAPTORS and I hope you enjoyed this (kinda long) headcanon!

[rainagainstmywindow]

Fallen Heroes

So...I had to. Obvious SPOILER ALERT for THAT spoiler in TBM. This is the Greeks finding out about Jason. I know the timeline is murky but bear with me.

Percy was having the first normal day at camp in months when the nereids brought everything to a screeching halt. Most campers knew better than to pay much attention to the beautiful women that lived in Camp Half-Blood’s canoe lake. They loved to take advantage of those unfortunate souls who didn’t know about their tendency to flirt until they got you close enough to dump you inside of the lake. The naiads had always paid special attention to Percy, him being the son of the sea god and all, but these weren’t regular water spirits. Nereids lived strictly in salt water, the fact that they were in the lake caught Percy’s attention right away. That and the utter look of devastation in their beautiful faces. They were definitely not there to flirt with him.

Percy didn’t pay much attention to the questions from the Stolls brothers and Clarisse as he deviated from their way to the dining pavilion. He walked up to the nereids, already fearing for the worst. He tried to calm his nerves by reminding himself that Annabeth was probably already waiting for him in the Athena table; he’d seen her not two hours ago. She was fine. “My Lord,” started the nereid. Percy didn’t know her. Something was definitely wrong. “We’ve been looking for you. Something’s happened. My sisters in the Pacific tell me a hero has fallen.” Annabeth is fine. It’s not her. You just saw her. Through his nerves he made sense of what the nereid was saying. Pacific? She probably meant California.

“Is it Camp Jupiter?”

The woman submerged herself for a moment. Through the water Percy could see her consulting another nereid he’d never seen before. She looked younger, shaken. She finally came back up, nodding. “The boy bore the mark of the Romans, but it doesn’t appear to be the other Camp. He wasn’t alone, though.”

Piper. Jason. A hero has fallen. The boy. “What happened? Who else was there?”

“The others are alive but the boy perished. I’m sorry, my Lord. We can’t sustain ourselves in these waters much longer.”

“Wait!” Percy reached out and caught her wrist before she could fully submerge herself again. “Are you certain? Are you sure?”

Her dark blue eyes softened, looking up at him sadly. “Yes, my Lord. My sisters made sure to at least retrieve the body. There was nothing left to do.” Percy’s hand went slack and she swam away quickly.

Maybe it’s not him. It can’t be him. Not Jason.

“Jackson!” Clarisse’s voice zapped him out of his panic. “You done getting your fill of gossip? We’re gonna be late for dinner!” She walked to where he was kneeling and pulled on his arm. Whatever she was going to say died away when she caught his expression. “What happened?”

“Where’s Nico?” The son of Hades had confirmed his fears when Beckendork died. He’d know. Especially if it was Jason. He’d know.

“What? I dunno probably sucking face with Solace. Why-”

“I need to find him.” He got up and started heading towards the cabins but Clarisse caught his arm. He turned towards her. She was looking at his hands, which Percy just now noticed were shaking. He balled them into fist and shrugged her hand away. “I’m fine,” his friends had seen him and Annabeth struggle to more than a couple panic attacks since coming back from Greece. “Something’s happened. Something...I just need to make sure first.”

Clarisse looked like she wanted to say more and now she was definitely getting worried, but Percy’s sense of urgency was obvious and she let him go. She nodded and called for Travis and Connor, who had observed the whole interaction from a few feet away, to follow her back to the dining pavilion.

Percy’s brain felt sluggish. He tried to recall Nico’s schedule but his panic had turned to dread and his heart was beating so loudly it was impossible to listen to his thoughts. His feet instinctively took him back to Nico’s cabin. His eyes fell on his hunched from right away. His back was to Percy and he was sitting on the ledge of the bed. He walked towards him and almost tripped over his sword and shield. Clearly, he’d rushed into the cabin. “Nico.” He didn’t jump at the sound of his name. He’d heard Percy come in.

“He’s gone, Percy. “ He turned the slightest bit towards Percy so only half his face was visible. But Percy could see the shine of tears in his eyes. “Jason’s dead.”

Percy didn’t feel anything. His mind wa still reeling with dread and panic. What Nico was saying just made no sense. Jason couldn’t be dead. He’d killed a Titan with his hands. They’d just won a war. This didn’t happen now.

He didn’t say any of this to Nico, though. Because, through the noise of his thoughts and furious heartbeat, he’d caught the utter devastation in his voice. He rushed to him, seating beside him so he could see his pale, tear-stained face. With a jolt, Percy remembered how he looked when they’d rescued him from Ephialtes. He wore that same empty look in his eyes. Percy couldn’t bear it. “Nico.”

“I felt him go...I wanted to call his- his spirit but,” his voice finally broke. Percy hugged him, something awful hurting his chest at the sound of sobs racking through the younger boy. Percy knew that Jason had managed to connect with Nico in a way that everyone else had failed in the past. He was his friend, a good friend. Percy clung to that feeling of numbness. He couldn’t allow himself to lose it. Nico got to lose it. Nico deserved it.

Percy held him for what felt like an hour. It could’ve been ten minutes. His brain was still sluggish. Eventually, Nico calmed down enough to wipe his face. Percy knew him well enough now to know he’d want to do something erratic. He couldn’t blame him, but Percy also knew he’d just end up hurting himself more. “You can’t go looking for him, Nico. Not now at least.” Percy expected him to be angry, almost welcomed it. He needed to know he’d be okay before he did anything else. “Just let me figure everything out.”

“It doesn’t make sense for me not to look for him, Percy. How else are we supposed to know what happened? If someone else is hurt?”

He wasn’t alone. A new wave of worry for Piper, Reyna, Dakota, all the romans, stirred in Percy. Tyson! Nico made a lot of sense, but Percy didn’t want to let him.

“You’d think the gods would break their radio silence for something like this…”

“Did you try to contact your Dad?” Nico nodded, clearly he hadn’t gotten through to him. “Can you even go to the Underworld right now?”

“Probably not. But I could summon...him.”

Percy shook his head. That would just tangle Nico more and more into whatever was happening. Percy suspected it was probably linked to Apollo and whatever he’d been doing these past months. “You didn’t feel anyone else?” Last time Percy had seen Apollo he’d been with Leo. He was certain Piper wouldn’t have let Jason go on any quests alone, even after whatever had happened between them.

“No.”

Percy pushed his brain to go into overdrive, grasping at any possible course of action. Their silence was interrupted by someone opening the door. Will looked from Percy to Nico, panic turning into worry. “What happened?” He too rushed towards Nico, who took his hand but said nothing.

Percy looked past Will to the other person that had followed him in. Annabeth was asking him a million questions with her eyes. Are you okay? What happened? It was getting harder and harder for Percy to cling to his initial shock. “Jason’s dead.” Annabeth froze in her tracks, he felt Will do the same besides Nico. “We don’t really know what happened yet. But he’s definitely gone. Nico...felt him go.”

Annabeth’s gray eyes grew wide, still asking him, confused. She turned towards Nico, looked back at Percy. Is it true?

Percy needed to do something. He needed a plan, needed to know what to do, how to fix it. You can’t fix this. He got up, avoiding Annabeth’s pleading stare. Will looked at him. “Stay with Nico,” he told him. Don’t let him do anything rash. Will nodded and Percy moved towards the door, taking Annabeth’s hand and guiding her outside.

Percy tried to think of anything he could do. I’ll just go to California myself. “Percy,” Annabeth said somewhere behind him. He hadn’t let go of her hand, he couldn’t let go. I have to find Apollo and Meg. “Percy.” Annabeth’s voice was firmer this time. She stopped and he was forced to stop as well. He only then realized he was standing right in front of the Zeus cabin. Maybe he’d been heading to his own. Either way, he stepped back when he saw the familiar marble door. Annabeth seemed to share his trepidation and guided them to her own cabin instead. It was thankfully empty since everyone was at dinner. She pushed him down onto her bed. “Tell me what happened.”

Percy recounted everything that had happened in the last hour robotically. Annabeth never interrupted him until he was finished. She looked as shocked as he felt but finally managed to say. “Do we know if the rest are okay? Piper?”

“Nico didn’t feel anyone else go. The nereids didn’t say much either, but I’m sure it has something to do with Apollo and Meg’s quest. Leo might’ve been with them.”

Percy heard Annabeth curse beside him. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. It didn’t feel real. Everytime Percy had a nightmare about losing his friends, he was always there. He’d always been there, one way or another. It was the only way it felt real. Besides, Jason was one of the most powerful demigods he’d ever met. It just didn’t make sense.

Percy. Through his sluggish thoughts he made out the sound of his name. He was sure Annabeth hadn’t said a word in a while. This was something different. Percy.

Grover? He hadn’t heard from his best friend in months, hadn’t used their empathy link since before Hera kidnapped him. Grover is that you? A rush of excitement, immediately accompanied by despair overcame him. Percy saw a brief glimpse of Grover’s dirty high tops as he walked through what looked like a forest.

Percy something awful happened. Jason…

I heard something from a nereid here at camp. Where are you?

I’m in California. He’s really gone, Percy. I’m sorry. Hedge and Mellie went with Piper.

What happened? His vision suddenly flashed with images of a weird assembly of people. They had to be the strangest collection of nymphs he’d ever seen. As he looked closer he noticed Meg McCaffrey’s bruised face, Hedge, Mellie, and of course, the one and only Lester Papadopoulos. He couldn’t catch everything he said and his voice got frailer and frailer as he recounted what happened. But Percy got the gist of it. Another Roman Emperor, Caligula, had surfaced. Medea had helped him. They almost didn’t make it out. Jason sacrificed himself.

Afterwards, I went with Meg and Apollo to the burning maze. Medea was there. We wouldn’t have made it out in time but Piper killed her just in time. They got a new prophecy, Perce. Something about Reyna. Caligula’s on his way to Camp Jupiter.

The words ‘Piper killed her’ rang in Percy’s brain. Are you with them? Are you going to Camp Jupiter?

No. I’m heading home, Percy. Piper left for Oklahoma with Leo and the Hedges.

Good, Percy thought. At least Piper wasn’t alone, he would get to see Grover. How are you getting here? The gods have us on radio silence and none of our communications work.

I’ll try out the labyrinth and find local nymphs or satyrs. I have to go now, whatever’s affecting our communications isn’t doing wonders for our empathy link. I’m sorry about Jason.

Just be safe. Keep in touch.

We need to tell Thalia, Percy. Last I heard, the hunters were in Indianapolis. With that, the connection finally gave out.

This morning his biggest worry had been school, college, his SAT results. He was back to being normal for the briefest of moments. Now, one of his friends was dead and the other Camp was about to be attacked. War never seemed to stop. It followed him everywhere he went. “That was Grover in the empathy link,” he told Annabeth. She immediately perked up. He recounted what he’d told him.

“No.” She shook her head in disbelief, letting go of his hand and pacing around the cabin. “I should’ve been there. Piper-”

“She’s got Leo and Hedge and Mellie. She’s walking away from it, Annabeth.” Angry tears had started running down her face. She didn’t even bother wiping them away, imagining what her friend was going through while she was all the way on the other side of the country, with no way of reaching her. “Annabeth, Thalia doesn’t know.”

That got her to stop pacing. The look she gave him mirrored exactly what he felt. No, not her. She doesn’t deserve this. “Grover said she might be in Indianapolis.”

They had both immediately seemed to have come to the agreement to put everything else on hold. Whatever attempts at not getting involved before were out of the question now. There was always going to be something to be done. They’d both always prefer to do it themselves than to have it fall onto someone else’s shoulders.

Annabeth hadn’t stopped crying, but she steeled her expression, nodding. “We need to call a head counselor meeting. Tell Chiron. Burn his shroud.” Like Percy, she was already grasping for a plan.

***********

They didn’t waste any time delivering the news. Everyone in the rec room of the Big House had lost someone before. Half of the counselors had gotten there because their sibling had died. Percy didn’t fail to notice that half of the faces there were different than the ones a year prior. Beckendorf, Silena, Michael, now Jason. It still stunned everyone into silence. The death of a child of the Big Three, a child of Jupiter, changed everything.

“Nico and I,” said Will after a few moments, “we’ll design the shroud.” No one objected.

“What about my sister?” Whispered Drew. It was all too familiar to her. “She can’t be alone right now.”

“She isn’t,” Percy assured her. She nodded, wiping away at her face, oblivious to her makeup. “Grover also told me Caligula was on his way to Camp Jupiter.”

“We can’t even warn them,” said Clarisse bitterly. “Or send back up. It won’t make it in time.”

“Meg and Apollo are on their way. Besides, Caligula is travelling through water, right?” Chiron was about to protest from his place at the other end of the ping-pong table, but Percy held up a pleading hand, the other was once again secured around Annabeth’s. “Tyson is there, Chiron. We can’t leave the Romans alone” Annabeth had insisted on going with him. They’d have to leave right away, tomorrow at the latest. Percy hoped Grover got to Camp before then. They’d have better intel and he just hadn’t seen him in so long. No one liked it, but the only one that looked like she wanted to object was Clarisse. It was just the only way less people got involved. Percy and Annabeth were the most powerful demigods, their leaders. They were the best backup they could send. “Someone’ll have to tell Thalia too.”

“I’ll go,” said Nico. It was the first time he’d spoken during the whole meeting. “I can move around fast and can get the hunters to Camp Jupiter if I find them in time.”

It was Percy’s turn to protest but Annabeth pulled on his hand. She gave Will a look and he said: “I’ll go with him.”

Percy looked at Nico. Before, he would’ve defied him. I’m not a child! You’re not the boss of me! But he’d grown up so much since then, been through so much. The war chased him as much as it did Percy. He didn’t object, a small agreement passing between him and Nico. Percy trusted him. He knew why he needed to do this. He couldn’t protect him because he knew how to defend himself, could hold his own. “That’s settled then,” he said.

After everyone started shuffling away, Clarisse came up to Percy and Annabeth. “I’ll go with you guys,” her voice sounded strange. “You shouldn’t even be going. I can’t believe Chiron would let you.”

“We didn’t ask him, Clarisse,” Annabeth told her. “We’re not asking you to go either.”

“Just walk away. You’ve earned it, both of you. No one has done more. I get that you want to do something about Jason, but he’s gone. It’s just the way it is. Let someone else...” She was pleading, her brown eyes uncharacteristically tearful. They both knew how much Clarisse didn’t want to go. She finally had a good, stable life. She was only at camp now because her and Chris got some unexpected time off from college in Arizona. They’d just gone through a war, no one deserved to go.

Percy thought back to his first weeks of camp, when Clarisse was ready to zap him with his electrical spear, her anger towards him after defeating her father. Then, that time with her godly brothers, showing her her deepest fears: her friends perishing around her, among them Percy. They’d come a long way, fought wars together. He’d gladly fight another if it meant she got the life she was starting now. “You’re not going with us Clarisse. That’s final.” She immediately bristled at the sound of being given an order from Percy, because she was Clarisse. “You’re going to go back to Arizona with Chris, and you’re going to live your life.” She looked to Annabeth, as if begging her to make him see sense. But her mind was as made up as his. “Go Clarisse. I need you to go.”

She looked like she was going to punch Percy. He braced himself, but instead she hugged him, pulling Annabeth in with her other huge arm. “Damn you! Damn you both!” She squeezed them so hard Percy felt his ribs protest, but he hugged her back just as hard. She’d made it, is all he could think. While some heros fell, sacrificed themselves, others got to see the other side. That’s why he fought, not for the gods, Roman or Greek, but for his family. For those who were good, who deserved the happiness that others sought to tarnish. If he had to, he would fight for the rest of his life for them.