#nico diAngelo X male reader | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

reynaisbetterthananyman · 2 years

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𝑂𝑛𝑒, 𝑇𝑤𝑜, 𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛!

“You like boys?”

Nico DiAngelo x Male!reader

Warnings: Nothing (angst for like 1 second)

𝐴/𝑁: HEY! This is my first fic ever so like, don’t call me out if it’s trash :) be a kind soul. There is a lack of Nico x male readers fics and I physically could not handle that, so I made my own. :) The reader’s parent is Anteros! In all seriousness, I hope at least ONE person likes it! AND @chasingpj was the BIGGEST help and I love her sm so you better follow her or I’ll actually come to your house.

> Next Chapter

PSA (Please Read)

You’ll never forget when your very own father almost caused you a heart attack. On a particular night, you were aiming to have a nice and cozy slumber to instead wake up to rustling throughout the Hermes cabin.

Grogginess filled your mind as your eyes fixated on the darkness that had taken over the room once the day was over. Laying in bed, you paused and thought for a moment, why did you wake up again? A loud whisper reached your ears, a cuss maybe.

Oh, that’s why.

The warmth you previously felt had disappeared away once you raised the silk sheets off your body and pressed your feet to the floor. Your hands trembled as you rubbed them together for warmth.

“Cheap camp heating..” you muttered, making a mental note to have Beckendorf fix your sorry excuse for a heater.

Grabbing your limited edition Britney Spears throw blanket from your bed and wrapping it around your body, you ridiculously hoped it’d act as some sort of armor. Going back to your initial aim, you started taking steps towards the center of your cabin. Once you were closer, the sound faded.

The grip you had on your blanket grew tighter as it dragged on the floor with every step you took. All of your cabin mates were still out since you turned in early for the night, leaving you alone. Your eyes darted around your cabin, searching for the origin of noises.

You bit the inside of your cheek. “What if it’s a monster?”

A sharp breath left your lungs as you entertained the thought that a monster might be near you as of now. Would you put up a fight or would you freeze in fear and let yourself get killed?

You shook your head and furrowed your brows. There was no way you were letting this monster win. It was too soon for you to die; you didn’t even complete your bucket list. Dying before kissing an Ares kid was 100% not okay.

With some newfound courage, you shoved off your blanket but yelped once the cool air reached your body.

Scrambling down, you slung your blanket back over you. “You’ll look after me, right Britney?”

You pursued your march over to the now silent sounds, but only found an empty room.

Scratching your head, you thought maybe this was one of Connor and Travis’ tricks. They must’ve been getting you back since you trapped Connor in a room with one of the Demeter girls. How were you supposed to know she’d give him poison ivy?

“Ha Ha, very funny Connor and Travis. Whatever this prank is, it has already failed. I’m not scared at all.” You smugly announced, expecting the brothers to come out and sulk about how their prank failed. But, as you waited a few seconds, you realized they weren’t coming out anytime soon. A tight feeling formed at the pit of your stomach. You turned, bracing to hide in your bed.

As you made a b-line to your bed, you were met with huge wings in your face, making you let out a scream that was 5 octaves higher than your original voice. You began swinging your blanket around at whatever was in front of you.

“Woah, hey!” A rich deep voice reached your ears as its hand grabbed your wrist. “Calm down.”

Your eyes glued shut, you refused to see whatever had grabbed you.

“Please don’t kill me!! I still haven’t seen how Britney vs Christina will play out! I have too much to live for.”

The winged being sighed and removed its hand from your arm up to your shoulder. “Y/n, open your eyes.”

Frantically shaking your head, you stayed firm. “No, I refuse to see your face when you kill me. Just spare me the tragedy.”

There was a hard flick on your forehead, causing a cry out of you. “I do not plan on killing my son.”

His son?

Your head tilted at the revelation, slowly peeking open your eyes. Once you felt safe enough to open them fully, your heart dropped at the sight of your father, Anteros.

Just like every other god of love, his appearance changed often. To you, he appeared youthful and radiant. His eyes were swirling gold that even in the darkness of the Hermes cabin, you could still see how bright they were. He had soft rosy cheeks that reminded you of the rose gardens you had back at home and his hair fell in the same way yours always did. Your eyes trailed to the large wings behind him.

They’d probably crush the entire cabin if he had presented himself in his full form.

This was your first time seeing your father. He had claimed you as soon as you arrived in camp and your mother had always told you stories, but you’d never seen him face to face before. You thought about this day for years, wondering what you would do once you had met him, but right now as he’s standing in front of you, it seems everything you’ve ever wanted to say completely slipped your mind.

Your heart was pounding, you swore anyone could hear it and the loudest squeal you’ve ever made in your life had left your body. You couldn’t help the way you threw yourself onto your father, hooking your arms around his neck and legs around his torso.

Squeezing tightly, you beamed. “I can’t believe I'm meeting you right now! I mean, it’s you, my father.”

A nervous chuckle escaped his lips followed by a cough as he steadied the both of you. “Yes, here I am. Hello. “ Pulling back, he met your eyes.

“However, as much as I’d love to catch up, that is not why I’m here. I’ve come to give you something.”

“I get a gift too!? Awesome, I’ve known you for like 1 minute but you’re better than 99% of the dads in this camp!” You placed multiple kisses on your dad’s cheek, getting every spot.

Soft hands hooked themselves under your arms, feeling yourself getting lifted and placed back on the ground. The excitement in you was still on 10, rocking on the heels of your feet.

The cheeks of the winged god seemed rosier than normal. “Anyway.” He coughed, bringing out a flower that was nicely placed in a glass dome. “You must protect this.”

You blinked at the plant, lightly tapping around the glass while you examined it. “A flower?”

He nodded, cradling it. “It is not just any flower, it is special.” With a hand on your head, he stared you down. “Swear to me, you will do your best to protect it.”

You glanced between your father and the flower in his hand. Although this was an odd request, there was no reason for you to decline. It was from your father after all, not some scary monster who preyed on your downfall.

Shrugging, you agreed. “Sure, I swear to protect this flower for you, dad.

His body seemed to relax at your words, shoulders slouching when he released a breath. “I know you must be confused. Unfortunately, I cannot explain right now.” When he finished, you didn’t miss the loud look of distress on his face.

You wondered why this simple flower was putting him under so much stress. To you, there was nothing outright out of the ordinary with the plant. He obviously knew something you didn’t (what’s new as a demigod) and he also made it clear he wouldn’t tell you, usually meaning there’s something crazy important about this flower - this was your chance to make him proud.

Deciding to make his life easier, you waved him off with a bright smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it, dad!”

The hand on your head gently ruffled your hair. “I am glad that you’ve accepted so easily.” His voice was soft, his hand falling to your cheek.

“I am also glad to have met you, my son.”

You were sure you would combust with the amount of stimulation you were feeling at this moment. Finally, the biggest thing on your bucket list was checked off. Now if you were to die, because you were sure you would as a demigod, you’d die happy.

“How long are you staying?” You asked.

The tender look on his face had shifted, his gaze tearing away from yours. Ouch. It stung a bit. You knew that meant he wouldn’t be here long. Though your mother told you that as a god your father was always helping the world, he was too busy to be your dad. But you knew the world needed him too. He was a god before he was a father.

You nodded, patting his cheek. “It’s okay dad, I’m just glad to have finally met you too.”

He gave you a curt smile before taking a step back, watching you with soft eyes; His eyes briefly became cold when he spoke. “Pray to me, I’ll be here. Please, Be safe Y/n.”

With one last wave from him, you blinked back the wetness that was gathering in your eyes, watching as your father disappeared.

The cabin went silent again, an emptiness filling it and you. Sighing softly, you looked down at the item in your hand. You brought the dome up to your face, analyzing the flower inside. It hadn’t bloomed; but you figured once it did, it would mean you did a good job.

The sleepiness from earlier was returning to you, so you made your way back to your bunk, bracing yourself to sleep and thinking about the next Mariah Carey album.

You settled yourself back in bed, pulling the sheets over your head, passing out.

The night continued after that and you slept fine until the light of the sun was hitting you, making you crack your eyes open.

Squinting, you sat up in your bed disoriented for a minute, looking around the cabin, noticing what were the empty bunks, Were now occupied with your many cabin mates still sleeping.

Your eyes skimmed the incredibly cramped cabin until you caught an unfamiliar person asleep in a small bed that was scrunched in the corner. They were drowning themselves with the way they swaddled up in the blanket. You saw only a fraction of their face; it was a boy; you guessed.

Shrugging, you got up and made your bed, making sure Britney was placed generously at the end. “Good morning Brit Brit.”

After your morning ritual, you skipped out of cabin 11, running across towards the Aphrodite cabin.

You popped your head through the Barbie pink doorway and saw inside. Only Silena was up, which didn’t surprise you, but what did shock you was the irritation prevalent on her face as she muttered to herself.

“Stupid hunters, I’ll show them that love isn’t meaningless and maybe they’ll learn some proper respect.”

You stood still at the doorway, shuffling on your feet as she trudged around the pink carpet, only pausing when she passed by you. Taking a step back, she sent you a half-wave. “Oh hey, good morning Y/n.”

Frowning, you pointed at her hand that had been turning white from the clutch she had on her hairbrush. “Are you okay? You look upset..”

Silena’s eyes narrowed. “Huh?” she followed your finger down to her brush. “Oh. Yeah, no I’m okay. It’s just those awful hunters..”

You didn’t think the grip on her hairbrush could get any tighter, but it proved you wrong when a snap came from her hand.

The both of you stared at the broken brush handle, remaining silent. Only light snores from the other children of Aphrodite and the sound of the wind whistling outside was loud and clear.

Silena sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck before throwing the broken hairbrush behind her, turning to you with a tender smile. “Ehem, anyhow. What brings you here this early?”

You wandered around, choosing a seat in front of one of the heart-shaped dressers. “Well, I came here to see if Drew was awake.” The both of you turned toward Silena’s sister who was still asleep, masks over her eyes and mouth hung open.

The corners of your mouth quirked up at the sight. You wished you had a camera to capture this moment forever. For someone who insisted they needed beauty sleep, it wasn’t so beautiful. Silena, being the good person you could never be, went over and closed her sister’s mouth.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, you shifted, laying your head on the dresser. You counted every makeup pallet and skincare product that was sprawled out.

Boring, boring, boring was all that was running through your head.

It went on like this until you had recalled something Silena had stated earlier. Some gibberish about hunters.

Propping your chin upon your hand, you looked back at Silena, who was going through a bag of way too many clothes. “Hey, Lina?”

She hummed in reply to the nickname you’d given her. “Earlier, you said something about hunters. What’d you mean by that?”

Her face scrunched up as she remembered her comment. Placing the blouse she was currently folding down on her lap, she turned to you. “The hunters of Artemis, they are a glorified no boys club,” she sneered. “And the worst of it is they don’t believe in love.”

Clasping your hand over your mouth, you gasped. Not believing in love? What kind of club was this? It sounds like your worst nightmare. Actually, your worst nightmare is not getting your hands on the latest Paris Hilton perfume. Your point remains.

“What do you mean they don’t believe in love?!” You shrieked so loudly you were sure to get scolded later. Cabin 10 continued sleeping like a rock, though.

Silena nodded. “You heard me. They think it’s worthless.” As usual, though, she had soothed you with her classic warm smile. “But we’ll show them it’s not true, won’t we?”

Her smile was so infectious, you couldn’t help but mirror it. “Of course, we will!”

One more question still played in your mind, though. “Wait, how’d you see these hunters?”

She had gone back to going through the clothes, now distributing them in each of her sibling’s wardrobes, making sure they were settled in nicely. “Oh, right, you turned in early last night. They arrived while you were asleep and are currently in cabin 8. You’ll see them at breakfast.”

An o shape appeared on your lips as you developed an understanding.

Hopping off of the vanity stool you previously occupied, you made your way back to the exit. Waving to Silena as you stepped out. “Well, catch you later Lina, I’m leaving to go bother Travis.”

You heard her chuckling as she bid you goodbye and walked back toward your cabin.

On your way, you crouched down and grabbed a handful of snow. You pressed it together between your hands, creating a ball.

Slowly pushing open the door, you glared as it made a creaking sound. Tippy toeing over to Travis’s bunk proved to be a challenge because of the extremely loud floorboards that made you pause every few seconds. Seriously, does this camp have any maintenance?

Once you reached his bunk, you stared at how peacefully he was sleeping. You almost felt bad for what you were about to do. Almost.

A mischievous glint grew in your eyes as you raised your hand with the snowball in it, but before you could throw it onto his face, you heard someone behind you.

“What are you doing?”

You jumped from the sudden voice and turned to face who was talking to you.

It was the boy you didn’t recognize from earlier but who was now wide awake and witnessing you about to give Travis a rude awakening. He looked more curious than anything else.

You said nothing but watched as he came closer and pointed to your still outstretched hand. “Are you going to hurt him?”

Tilting your head, you smiled at him and nudged his chest. “Of course not silly,” you brought your hand down to him and showed him the now half-melted snowball that was beginning to wet your hand. “It’s just a snowball you see.. well, it was,” you murmured.

“Oh,” He whispered, taking in that it was indeed a snowball.

“It is all gone now, so I will have to get a new one.” His eyes trailed up to meet yours, almost like he was waiting for something. You gestured to the door. “Would you like to come with me? We can get Connor too.”

An all too eager nod came from this boy, causing you to snicker

Grabbing his hand, you lead him outside.

“I’m Y/n, by the way.” You introduced, pulling him away from a small frozen puddle.

“I’m Nico.” He mimicked the crouching position you had earlier, taking a big scope of snow into his arms.

You stifled a laugh when he struggled to hold all of it, resulting in it being back on the floor. He huffed, kicking the pile that was now on the floor. Bending down, you grabbed a smaller scope, handing him half.

“I’ve never seen you around here before. I heard the hunters came in last night. But you’re a boy..” you stated, recalling the way Silena called it a ‘no boys’ club.

He scowled once he heard their name, molding his half of snow into a ball. “We bumped into them.”

“We?”

“My sister Bianca, and I.”

“Oh, you don’t like them?’

He shook his head. “They’ve completely brainwashed my sister into joining their dumb group!”

You finished making your snowball, nodding. “I believe it, I’ve heard horrible things about them.” Nico paused in his tracks. “What horrible things?”

Grabbing his hand again, you started taking him back inside to complete the rest of your prank. “I’ll tell you when we run away.”

He began to speak, but you put a finger over his lips, silencing him and nodding over to Connor. “On the count of 3, okay?”

You walked over to Travis as he walked over to Connor. “1..” you began.

“2..”

Glancing over to Nico, you watched him raising his arms above Connor’s head as a small but mischievous smile was slowly growing on his lips.

“3!!” A laugh left your lips as you and Nico struck down both Stoll brothers. “RUN!” you yelled to Nico as the both of you started bolting out of the cabin. Both brothers were groaning and swearing revenge behind you.

You and Nico were a giggling mess getting farther from the cabins. You pointed to the woods. “Let’s hide in there until breakfast.”

“Isn’t it dangerous there?” He questioned.

“Duh.”

“We shouldn’t go in then.”

Turning to face him, you began walking backward. “Then why are you still following me?”

His face flushed, your eyes met, and he held the same mischievous glint that yours did. A cheeky smile was fully displayed on his face.

You laughed loudly and turned, walking forward again. Once the both of you were inside the forest, you led him to a tall tree that wasn’t too far from the entrance but deep enough for the both of you to stay hidden.

Tapping the trunk of the tree, you looked back at your new friend. “Can you climb?”

He looked between you and the tree before pointing at it. “You want to go up?”

You shrugged and nodded. “Why not?”

He stared up at the tree for a second before agreeing. “I can climb.”

It was fairly easy for the both of you to climb up onto the tree and settle yourselves on one branch. It was sturdy, so neither of you worried about falling off.

As your legs dangled off the branch, you watched Nico’s awestruck face as he took in the view of the camp. You guys could see the cabins, the big house, and the arena from where you sat.

His cheeks were red from the cold and you wouldn’t be surprised if yours were too. Humming, you began swinging your feet and grabbed some snow off of a leaf, nudging him.

When he turned to look at you, you threw the snow in his face.

He blinked as he took in what had just happened before shaking the snow off of his face. “Hey! I thought we were partners. You’ve doubled crossed me.”

You erupted in laughter, holding your stomach as your body shook. Nico crossed his arms with a pout, trying his best to look upset but your laugh was so contagious, he ended up laughing along with you.

Once you had settled down, a comfortable silence took over the both of you. It was eventually broken by Nico, who had turned and lightly kicked your foot. “Hey, you never told me about the horrible things you’ve heard about the hunters.”

Cocking your head to the side, you fixed your gaze on the cabins.

“Oh, I haven’t.” Your lips pressed together as you thought back on your conversation with Silena. “Can you believe the hunters don’t think love is important?”

Nico raised a brow at you and leaned forward as if he was expecting you to say more.

“That's it.” You said.

“Oh.” His face fell, sitting back. “Is that bad?”

You shook your head and lightly patted him. “Kids these days.”

He squinted his eyes at you. “Kids? You look the same age as me. How old are you?”

Puffing your chest out, chin up. You proudly stated your age. “I am 10.”

“I’m also 10, so if I’m a kid then you are a kid too.”

You pinched his cheeks. “Nico, Nico, Nico, it’s all about what’s in here.” Your hands left his cheeks and pointed to his forehead. “I’m probably older than you mentally.”

He went cross-eyed as he stared up at where your finger was pointing.

“Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

“Duh.”

“Really?”

“No.”

Nico nudged you and you both shared another laugh. As it died down, he propped his knee up to his chest, placing his chin on top before asking. “So, who’s your parent?”

“Anteros.”

“Eros?”

“No, add A n t.”

“I’ve never heard of him.”

You shrugged. “Few people do. He’s one of the Erotes. He was born because Eros was lonely and for love to prosper, it needs to be answered.” You picked a leaf off of Nico’s shoulder and watched it fall to the ground. “At least that’s what my mom told me. He’s the god of love returned and an avenger of unrequited love.”

He stared up at you from his place on his knee. “Is that why the hunter’s rule bothers you so much?”

There was steady eye contact between the both of you. “Yeah, there’s a lot when it comes to love. It’s more than romance, you know. If love was meaningless like they say, why would they be so ready to die for each other if not because they didn’t love each other?”

Nico sat in his thoughts for a moment.

“That makes sense.” He was first to break away from your stare and looked back out over the camp. “I don’t know all that much about love and stuff. My Eros attack card never really did that much damage..”

You cocked a brow. “Attack card?” His eyes snapped back to yours. “Oh! I haven’t told you about mythomagic. It’s this super cool card game I have, and it’s centered on Greek mythology. I’ll teach you how to play later!”

Nodding, you reached your pinky out. “Pinky promise?”

He hooked his pinky around yours. “Promise.”

“Great, we’re best friends now!”

“I’ve never had a best friend before.”

“Get used to it.”

The thrill of having a new friend made you way too excited. You didn’t think about anything other than Nico and flung yourself on top of him, squeezing him tightly.

Unfortunately, you both lost balance and ended up falling off the tree branch and straight to the ground. The snow on the ground helped cushion your fall only a bit, the both of you still laid on the ground groaning.

You stood up first, rubbing your back and then turning over to help Nico up.

“Sorry, are you okay?” He nodded, grabbing your hand and pulling himself up. “Could have been worse.”

You bit your lip, guilt building up inside you. “Are you sure?”

He waved his hands at you before halting. “You have a slight accent.”

You paused. “What?”

“When you spoke just now, what was that accent?” Confusion spread throughout your brain and you stared at him blankly for a few seconds before understanding what he was talking about.

“Oh! yeah, I was born in France,” you exclaimed. “I learned English when I was young so..”

He seemed to pipe up upon hearing about your native country. “Really? I speak Italian!”

Slinging your arm around his shoulders, you squeezed him again. “See? We already are an awesome pair of friends. We’ve got tons of things in common. We both speak another language.”

You swore your cheeks would hurt from how much you’ve laughed and grinned throughout the morning. Nico was proving himself to be a cool friend. You were ready to do everything together. Most campers were home until summer, so it had been getting boring and lonely. Having Nico around stimulated you.

A low rumble pulled you out of your thoughts, causing you to stare at Nico. “Was that your stomach?”

Nico placed his hand over his stomach, shifting from side to side. “Yeah, I guess I’m hungry.” The redness from his cheeks had become deeper.

Grabbing his shoulder, you gave it a light squeeze. “It’s okay, breakfast should start soon.”

He nodded and this time it was his hand that found yours, walking you out of the forest. The snow crunched beneath your feet as you guys made your way over to the dining pavilion.

Unlike earlier, when the camp was seemingly empty, campers were leaving their cabins, and the once quiet morning you were having was slowly getting filled with chatter.

There were a few people scattered around the pavilion who sat at their respective cabin tables.

Nico led you over to the Hermes table. No one was there yet, which you were thankful for. Every day, you had to huddle together, shoulder to shoulder. If you were lucky enough and got there early, you didn’t have to sit at the end of the table, the most cramped spot.

The last time you sat there, you kept getting shoved off and had a bruise on half of your thigh for a week.

The both of you took your seats in the middle of the table next to each other. Nico looked around at every other table before speaking. “Are you always up before breakfast?”

You played with the fabric that was laid out on the table. “Sometimes.”

He watched your fingers twirl the cloth, stopping them when he hooked his arm around yours. “What do you usually do until then?”

“Usually, nothing. Sometimes I’ll play games with Mr. D and Chiron or chase some nymphs.” The wind blew past you, causing you to shuffle closer to Nico for warmth.

“So, what you’re saying is you’d be bored without me.” He glanced at you, then continued looking on as the other tables around the both of you started filling up.

Thinking for a moment, you asked. “Is that what I’m saying?”

“What are you saying, then?”

It was true you did little in the mornings before breakfast. You sat and waited until everyone else was up most of the time. “Huh, I guess that is what I’m saying.”

Nico squeezed your arm and let himself smile. “Well, now that I’m here, you never have to be bored in the mornings!”

Your eyes dilated, excited to have someone to share your mornings with.

As you opened your mouth to reply, a hard hit to the back of your head cut you short.

It was probably 2 seconds before pain coursed through your temples and you heard the obnoxious laughter of the Stoll brothers. How you didn’t get a concussion, you did not know.

You wailed as you lifted your head, rubbing the now throbbing spot.

Next to you, Nico was watching you with wide eyes, biting his lip to hold in a giggle threatening to escape his throat. You rolled your eyes when the Stolls came from behind you, laughing and all, sliding into two seats across from you.

“What’s wrong, Y/n?” Travis teased in between laughs.

You scoffed, crossing your arms. “What’s wrong? You could’ve put me in a coma!”

Connor stared you down. “You’re not in one, though?”

Never did you ever want to strangle these two more than you did at that moment. You turned around in your seat, letting your back face the annoying sons of Hermes.

“Oh, come on Y/n. This was just revenge for what you did earlier.” Travis recounted.

You huffed, turning back around. “You hit me with a block that was 99% ice and 1% snow!”

“I’d say it was 60% snow and 40% ice- “Connor stopped mid-sentence because of the harsh scowl you were sending him.

“I don’t care what it was.” You snapped and pointed to Nico. “Why didn’t Nico get hit too?! He helped me.”

Nico had been silently watching your mini dispute with the brothers and jumped at the mention of his name.

Connor shook his head. “You made him join you. There’s a difference.”

You were a second away from jumping over the table and slapping the smug look off of Connor’s face, but the sound of everyone else finally arriving for breakfast had distracted you, specifically the ones coming from cabin 8. The hunters, you assumed.

They looked intimidating, like they’d pulverize you as soon as they got the chance, but you wouldn’t let them get to you. Not after what Silena told you.

You observed them; they didn’t seem to be too happy. Tough crowd.

As you continued watching them, Nico jeered behind you.

“Who do you think they’re going to brainwash next?” He asked.

Oh right, Nico’s sister, Bianca, had joined their club.

“Which one is your sister?” You questioned.

He pointed toward cabin 8’s table, but it was hard for you to distinguish who exactly he was pointing to.

Leaning back, squinting, you tried looking through the group of girls with stoic faces. “I’m going to need you to be more specific.”

“The one that looks lost.”

You found her.

She really did look lost. You’d be lost too if you joined that cult. She and Nico looked a lot alike though, but unlike her, Nico was smart and wise. He’d never join in something like that.

The smell of food reached your nose, and a plate was placed in front of you.

Everyone began digging into their food. You hardly hearing what Nico was on about between the muffled sounds coming from his mouth.

“You can meet Bianca after breakfast.” Was all you could make out.

As breakfast went on, you came to learn about the events that had occurred last night while you were asleep. The reason the hunters were here, how Annabeth was taken and how the DiAngelos were saved.

You were taking your last bite as Nico just finished telling you about how cool Percy was.

“Everyone keeps talking about the hunters, but I thought Percy was the coolest. Don’t you think he’s amazing?” He asked you right as he cleared his plate.

You turned over to look at the son of Poseidon.

He was sitting alone, as usual, but he looked super grumpy. You’d be grumpy too if your crush had gotten kidnapped. Yes, crush. You would have to be blind if you didn’t see how he felt about Annabeth.

You had no specific feelings for Percy, but one thing you couldn’t deny was how cute he was. No one could top the Ares kids though, they had your whole heart.

Facing Nico again, you agreed. “He’s alright.”

Nico’s eyes crinkled. “Everything about this camp is cool! It’s even better than mythomagic. I hope my parent is just as cool..”

You paused. How did you not notice he wasn’t claimed?

Being so caught up in everything, you didn’t even ask if he was claimed or not. You just sorta assumed he was a son of Hermes by the way he was so eager to help you get the Stolls.

“Nico,” you began. “You're not claimed?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, but I just hope it isn’t Demeter..”

“What’s wrong with Demeter?”

“I don’t have the best luck with plants.”

“That makes sense. Plants are not my thing either-''

Plants.

You totally forgot about the flower.

Rushing up from your seat, nearly knocking Nico down, you started running to the Hermes cabin.

As you were running, you turned and yelled back to Nico. “I’ll be back! Meet me at the Arena!”

He looked unsure, but gave you a brief nod.

Continuing on your bolt to the Hermes cabin, you pushed the door open, pretending that you didn’t trip in the doorway.

You pulled the sheets off your bed in a hurry, a weight lifted off your chest when you saw the flower in its dome resting on one of your pillows.

Kissing the dome, you held it close to you. “It’s my first day and I’m already doing an awful job.”

Failing your dad after just one day is not good on your perfect son's record. He’d probably turn you into a frog and then a cute Ares kid would have to break the curse with a true love kiss.

That’s not so bad.

Looking at the mirror that hung next to your bed, you checked yourself out. “I’d be a cute little frog. Green was never my color, though, but we could make it work.” Pulling the flower up to your face, you scrunched. “I’m going to need to put this flower in something sustainable, though.”

You walked out of the cabin and straight on over to the Demeter cabin. Thankfully, because of the cold weather, there weren’t as many plants outside. It always gives you massive allergies.

Standing in front of the door, you knocked 3 times.

As you waited for the door to be opened, you took a peek inside through the window.

Katie was inside, crouched over, talking to some potted plants. You wondered if she was telling them about how she was going to strangle Connor with one of its vines. You’d be on her side.

Eventually, after a few more cold seconds outside, the door swung open, and facing you was a furious Billie.

“Move!” She pushed past you, knocking you onto the floor as she stomped over to the Apollo cabin with Miranda running behind her, frantically trying to calm her sister down.

You laid on the floor in defeat and sobbed into the snow. This was now the 4th time you had gotten hurt. Was the world against you today? At this point, you really should be in a coma.

Katie must’ve heard your misery because she came running out soon after. “Y/n?” she questioned, poking your head lightly with her foot.

A choked sob left your body from the snow that was slowly filling your mouth. “What?”

“Are you okay? Sorry about those two. One of the Apollo kids snipped one of Billie’s plants to make medicine.” She grabbed your shoulders, pulling you up. You sat on the ground, your cheeks feeling numb from the melted snow on your face. “No, kill me.”

Katie snorted as she led you into cabin 4, throwing a blanket over your shoulders. “So, why are you here? You’re usually with Drew and those,” she gagged. “Demonic spawns of Hermes.”

“Well, I need your help with something.” Pulling the flower away from your chest, you showed it to her. “ I can’t tell you what this is cause it's super top secret. But I need a more sustainable thing to put this flower in.”

She raised a brow at your odd behavior but thankfully she didn’t question your plan and instead picked the dome up from your hands to examine it. “I think I can give you something for your ‘Super top secret’ plant.”

You jumped up and hugged her, careful with the dome between the both of you. “Really?!”

Carefully stepping back from you, Katie walked to a chest in the far right wall of her cabin and pulled out a.. dome?

“Um, Katie, I already have a dome.” You said, pointing to the flower in her arms as if it was obvious.

She shook her head. “This one is portable.” She pulled a chain that held the dome up. “And it's not glass, it can only be opened if you want it to be. It’s lightweight.” Obviously Y/n.

“Oh.”

Katie carefully transferred the budding flower into the other dome and wrapped the chain around your neck. “You don’t have to keep it on your neck at all times, but if you want to travel with it, there you go.”

You nodded before kissing her on the cheek. “Thanks, Katie!”

Her response was unheard as you were already running out of cabin 4 and straight to the Arena. You scanned for Nico once you arrived, worried he might’ve ditched you. That was not the case, though. You caught him sitting on the steps, looking like he was going to burst from watching the sparring lessons take place.

Skipping to him, you smashed your cheeks together. “I’m backkkkkk!”

“Welcowme bwack.”

“Why do you sound like that?”

“You’re squwishing my hwead.”

“Oh!” Pulling back, you gently pat his head. “Sorry!”

He shook his head. “It’s not a big deal.” You shrugged before dragging him deeper into the arena. Trailing behind you, he let his eyes follow the demigods who now had an intense round of who had a bigger ego. “Where’d you run off to?”

Waving him off, you placed your finger over your lips. “It’s super top secret, I’ll tell you one day.”

“Don’t best friends tell each other everything, though?” When he almost tripped over someone's discarded chest plate, the grip on your hand got tighter. The both of you soon arrived at what you would call the best eye candy spot in camp half-blood. The Ares cabin training.

“Hmm, you’re right.. okay! I’ll tell you later. But for now, I admire the magnificent view.” You turned Nico’s head in the direction that the Ares boys were sword fighting.

“I don’t get it.” He said, blinking at the very (hot) angry boys.

“I don’t either.” An all too familiar voice announced, causing you and Nico to turn.

Your eyes widened when your best friend in the whole wide world graced your sight. “Drew!”As you reached for a hug, she sidestepped and you tripped on your foot, almost falling on the ground for the 3rd time today.

Drew approached Nico, putting her arm around him. “Don’t try hugging me after I found you preying on the innocent.”

You crossed your arms, pouting at her accusation. “I am not!”

Nico’s brow rose. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Y/n is trying to corrupt you. He’s trying to get you to join forces so he’ll have a partner to ogle the Ares cabin with.” Drew explained, squinting at you.

A shriek left your mouth. “Nico, don't listen to her! She is a liar!”

Drew scoffed. “I’m a liar? So what was last week when I saw you with binoculars looking out the window of the Athena cabin into the Ares cabin?”

The back of your neck heated, and suddenly your shoes became more interesting than your friends in front of you. “Umm.. well..”

“Or when you needed ‘help’ lifting a basket of strawberries, but only accepted it if it was from one of the Ares boys!”

Nico’s neck almost snapped at the word boys, his eyes darting back and forth between you and Drew. You were too busy panicking to notice a nervous chuckle leaving your lips, your body swaying.

“Or when-“

With a shove, you stopped her from continuing. Drew was on a mission to make your life harder. She loved to harp on your every inconvenience.

“OKAY! It’s not my fault. Those boys are so cute.” A dreamy sigh followed the last part.

“You like boys?” Nico blurted. His eyes were bulging, cheeks flushed afterward.

“Love them,” you confirmed.

Nico stared you up and down, letting out a breath. “But you’re a boy.”

Nodding slowly, you furrowed your brows. “Yeah?”

He blinked before shaking his head. “It’s nothing, never mind.”

You and Drew shared a look.

Deciding to shrug it off, you turned to your second favorite best friend, Nico was now the first. “What are you even doing here, Drew?”

“I need your help designing winter coats for everyone. Chiron was going to do it himself. But considering he makes us wear,” her nose wrinkled, gesturing to your clothing. “These orange monstrosities. I can’t let that happen.”

True. These shirts made you guys look like highlighters.

Looking down at your shirt, you cringed at the color and grabbed Drew’s hand. “You’re right, centaurs must be colorblind. I’ll help.”

Turning to Nico, his eyes were glued on you, which you had to admit, made you uneasy. You snapped your fingers in front of him, gaining his attention. “Do I have something on my face?”

He blinked. “Huh?”

Drew interrupted, nudging the both of you passing by. “Come on, we don’t have all day. Nico can be our model for the smaller sizes.”

Both you and Nico began trudging behind Drew to the Arts and Crafts center, but you did to take one more peek at the Ares boys before following.

Upon your arrival, there were a few people inside, mainly Athena kids weaving at different stations. The kids of the war goddess were too consumed in their craft to pay any mind to your group when you walked past them to the supply closet ahead.

Nico walked into the closet first, followed by you. Drew stayed outside, claiming she had just gotten a new manicure and didn’t want to risk chipping it. This made you scoff, of course, but you didn’t expect any less from your high-maintenance best friend.

You were able to grab an armful of supplies that had obscured your view as you carried it back out. Next to you, Nico stumbled out of the closet, dragging a mannequin twice his size behind him.

With a grunt, you dropped the supplies in front of Drew whose smirking made you roll your eyes, but you ignored her and instead turned to Nico, cringing at his struggle under the weight of the mannequin.

Frowning, you shook your head. “This is too heavy for you, Nico.” You walked around to the other side of the mannequin. “Here, let me help you.”

Nico waited for you to get a grip on the left arm of what he would consider an oversized doll before pushing it towards Drew and the station she had set up (the only thing she did) He was shocked at your strength, the mannequin moving quickly to the station with your help.

Drew stood patiently with her hands at her hips, watching the both of you. A tired sigh left your lips as your eyes met. “You know Drew, you could,” you grunted as you and Nico balanced the mannequin on its feet, “Help us.”

She snickered, shoving past the both of you.

“You guys had it covered.”

Nico’s nose scrunched when she walked past, making eye contact with you. Placing your hands on your hips, you began mocking Drew by flipping your imaginary long hair while pretending to file your nails. Nico nudged you, a small smile playing on his lips.

The smirk you sent him was cut short when Drew turned around, clasping her hands together. “Okay! Let’s get to work!”

You and Nico shared one last look, mischief swirling in both your eyes. Bumping his shoulder, you went over to the station to work, picking up a sketchbook. The three of you began brainstorming, hearing out ideas from each other.

Nico was surprisingly good at giving in his thoughts, getting props from Drew.

“You’re not too bad at this Nico. You sure you’re not an Aphrodite kid?” She asked, scribbling away on the sketch sheet. You perked up at Drew’s choice of words, placing a hand over your chest and gasping at her.

“Drew Tanaka, are you,” Scooting over, you whispered. “Complimenting someone?!”

Drew shoved you away from her, the lead part of her pencil breaking. “God, Y/n I’m not inept at being nice.”

You didn’t stop the scoff that made its way out of your mouth. “Could’ve fooled me..”

Not missing the glare Drew sent your way, you cast a cheeky smile back at her.

“Anyway,” she hissed, facing Nico again. “I think you’d fit in well in the Aphrodite cabin.”

Nico flushed, shifting in his spot. “I don’t think I’m that good..” he trailed off, staring at his sketch.

“Sure you are.” You said, scooting next to him.

“Though I don’t think you want to have Drew as a sister. I know I wouldn’t.” You snorted, rushing your head to the side to avoid the pencil coming your way.

“Y/n, stop antagonizing me.”

“You don’t need my help for that one, D.”

Nico shook his head at the both of you, laughing as he watched Drew pinch your side causing you to wail. He wouldn’t have minded being an Aphrodite kid if it meant he got to watch this every day. Though it didn’t feel right.

Both you and Drew emitted a natural glow, whether you realized that, he wasn’t sure. The two of you were the children of love gods, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. If someone told Nico you were the child of someone else, he wouldn’t have been able to believe it. You’re just too...pretty.

Nico didn’t say when he had first met you but, when he had first made contact with you, he almost blurted out the question: why were you so unnaturally pretty? Luckily, he bit his tongue.

There was something different about the way your features molded together on your face. It wasn’t unnatural in a weird way; it was the type of beauty that made you do a double-take.

Even the way you spoke was different from most. Your voice demanded attention. It made Nico want to sit and only listen to you speak. He observed the way you’d handle different things in your hands, always gentle and seemingly graceful. When you’d grab his hand, it was a light touch in a firm grasp.

Nico thought it was interesting the way you would walk as if you were floating. Every step was soft and airy.

And of course, when you’d look at him, your eyes were piercing but in a way that could only be described as compelling.

Yeah, to say you were a pretty boy would be an understatement. Drew was also pretty, though.

Anyway, Nico knew he could never be an Aphrodite kid. He’d never have that natural glow like you and Drew. Even now, the soft smile you sent to Nico as you were urging him to continue his sketch made it almost unbearable for Nico to keep looking at you. He opted to keep his eyes on the paper; he wasn’t sure why his ears were burning.

Soon, the day went by and the three of you had spent it all in the Arts and Crafts center, well Nico had gone off when the Stolls dropped by to notify you guys about a game of capture the flag against the hunters. Drew snorted when the brothers asked if you guys had wanted to play. Only Nico seemed more interested in that than playing dress-up.

The outline of your coat was finally done when you stepped back from it. You looked over at Drew, who was analyzing the fabric. “It feels cheap.” She complained.

You took the fabric from her hand and felt around. “It feels fine to me?”

She rolled her eyes, snatching the fabric from your hand. “It’s faux fur.”

You had to stare at her for a while, just to process why she is the way she is. “Drew, do you think a camp with a horrible heating system is going to have real fur?”

She paused, taking in your point. “You’re right. Those dumb satyrs would never allow it, anyway.” She gagged.

“Hey, I like the satyrs.”

“Y/n, you like anyone that even remotely speaks to you.”

You closed your mouth after that, not being able to deny those allegations. Drew smiled triumphantly at your defeat, sticking her tongue out at you. Squinting, you began thinking, looking for something else to come at her for.

However, your attempt to jab at Drew was interrupted by Nico bursting into the arts and crafts center in a helmet that was 5 sizes too big on him. He had gotten some dirty looks from the Athena kids since he had disturbed their peace.

Nico didn’t seem to care much about the looks. His eyes were wide and alert as he searched for you in the room, running when he found you. Cocking a brow at his panting figure, you placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, are you okay?”

He rapidly shook his head, grabbed the arm that rested on him, and hastily spit out a bunch of words at once.

You shook his shoulder. “Nico, we don't understand Russian. We aren’t Hermes' kids.” Drew jerked back, confusion all over her face. “Hermes kids speak Russian?”

“Yeah, they rush when they speak.”

”…..”

“Y/n.”

“Drew.”

She curled her lips at you, ripping Nico away from your grasp and standing in front of him. “What happened?”

He explained everything that had gone down during capture the flag. Something about a prophecy and oracles and stuff. That type of stuff didn’t interest you. It was never good and there was always a catch. If you didn’t acknowledge it, you could live in blissful ignorance. You ended up zoning out, staring at the shine on his helmet.

“... And now they’re having a meeting in the Big house.” He finished. Your eyes trailed back down from his helmet to his face. “I’m going, to be honest, I only registered about 30% of what you just said.”

Drew laughed next to you and made her way past Nico towards the door, opening it. “I didn’t even get 5% and frankly, I don't want to hear more.” She announced, walking out of the Arts and Crafts center, letting the door slam behind her.

A few more dirty looks popped up from the Athena kids, this time glaring at the door after Drew’s exit.

Nico sighed, taking his helmet off. He was left with a case of helmet hair which made your lips quirk up and your hand ruffle his hair. “Hey-.” He ducked his head, swatting your hand away.

Once he finished fighting off your hand, he faced the window, looking toward the big house.

He didn’t hold the same excitement he had earlier. His eyes were filled with worry, and his posture was tense. You began feeling bad that you didn’t listen to his story earlier; he was probably mad at you now.

Frowning, you poked his shoulder. “Nico, are you mad at me?”

He glanced at you before returning his gaze outside, a deep scowl on his face. “No, I’m just worried.”

“About your sister?” You questioned.

He nodded, pushing away from the window, his fingers fidgeting with each other. “Everything’s been fun and cool but, I’ve got this terrible feeling about this whole quest thing.” He trailed his eyes up to yours. “Do... Do you think something will happen to her?”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you cautiously approached him, grabbing his hand. “I’m not sure, Nico.” You cringed at the tightness in your voice and the confession you were forced to make. It was upsetting to be the one to tell him that. You wished you could’ve said ‘yeah, she’ll be just fine!’ But you knew that was unrealistic. The last thing you wanted was to set his hopes up.

Noticing the panic rising in his eyes, you chose your next words carefully. “What I mean is, sometimes the prophecies say direct things, and sometimes they’re tricky. Here, I’m not sure what will happen.” You gently squeezed his hand. “Nico, I don’t know what will happen once your sister leaves camp. But what I do know is I will be here for you in the aftermath of anything.”

The bottom of Nico’s lip trembled, his next breath shaky. “Okay.”

A single tear slid down his cheek. Frowning, you raised your arm to wipe it away with your sleeve.

“Hey, don’t cry.” You made sure your tone was low, not wanting to draw any attention.

Seeing upset gave you a big urge to comfort him. You pulled him in for a hug. “I don’t know what you’re feeling. I’ve never had a sibling to worry about.”

It was true, being in camp without a sibling meant you didn’t understand the worry most campers felt, but you wanted to be a good friend to Nico and be there for him.

You squeezed his sides as you released him, your eyes finding each other. “But we are friends now and I don’t want you to carry burdens alone.” Nico seemed unable to move, staring back at you.

“Thanks.” This time, his manner and tone was gentle. A smile graced your face and with a boop on his nose, you let out a chuckle. “What are friends for?”

Moving around him, you opened the door. “I’ve yet to meet this sister of yours, introduce me?”

As you held the door open, Nico’s eyes were now in contrast to what they had been previously. They were hopeful instead of the anxiety that had been pooling in them before. With a small pep in his step, he walked outside along with you.

The cold met you again. The warmth that was stored in your body was replaced by the winter air. You released a cool breath from your mouth, watching it go up into the sky. Nico’s attention wasn’t on the winter air though, he was looking elsewhere.

“It’s so pretty here..” He breathlessly let out.

You followed his gaze, watching the lights illuminate the camp as it was getting darker out. Each cabin was beginning to glow. But the big house lights were the prettiest. It had Nico mesmerized at the sight, his eyes wide open. As you were caught up in the lights on your walk up the hill, you heard muffled yelling coming from inside the big house.

Something major must’ve been going on if you could hear it from outside.

The very obvious argument that was happening inside made you uneasy. This was your first time being in camp when a prophecy was read. You weren’t sure what to do except stay away, but Nico wanted- needed you to be here even though all you wanted was to leave the dirty work to the others.

Nico was frowning as the two of you reached the porch. The door swung open in full force and out came Percy, who was now marching his way down the hill toward his cabin.

You grimaced, watching him almost slip on ice. “Sheesh, someone has a temper.”

Following Percy were Zoe and Bianca. Bianca might as well have been labeled as ‘Zoe’s mini me’ from the way she had been following her around and copying her mannerism. Where was her originality? Maybe her brother got all the personality.

Nico gestured for you to follow him. “Come on.”

When you had gotten close to the two hunters, Nico ran to his sister, grabbing her arm. “Bianca! I want you to meet someone!” He declared, pulling her back.

Bianca dismissed him as she continued walking, shrugging him off of her arm. “Nico, I’m busy right now.”

“Just one second.”

“I can't. I have a lot to do.”

“But if you just–”

“Nico, no.”

“It won’t be long-”

“I said no!”

Her yell echoed throughout camp and you were sure anyone nearby heard it.

After the loud sound was gone, all that was heard was the harsh wind and the distant chatter from below the hill. Silence fell over the three of you and you were left staring back and forth between the siblings, unsure of what to say.

Bianca stared wide-eyed at her brother as if she couldn’t believe what she had just done and had reached out to him.

“Forget it.” Nico coldly stated, avoiding her hand and turning around.

“Nico wait-”

He ignored her, making his way back to you. “Come on Y/n, I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

You were at a loss for words, mindlessly following behind him, trying to process what had just happened.

Were the hunters more important to her than her brother? She practically neglected him all day in favor of that demented sisterhood. Nico didn’t complain, though. He granted her that space, and she couldn’t even stop for one second. Just for one.

Staring at Nico’s retreating figure with a deep frown, you ran up next to him. “Hey, are you okay?”

He shrugged, kicking the snow like he had done earlier in the day.

His body drooped as he kept his gaze locked on his shoes. “I don’t know what I expected. She’s been obsessed with being a hunter. I guess that’s better than being with your annoying little brother..” he muttered softly.

You rolled your eyes, hooking your arm around his. “You’re not annoying. I’ve had the most fun with you than anyone at this camp!”

You rested your temple on his head as you scolded him. “Never call yourself annoying as my best friend.” Standing straight, you turned him to you. “The only annoying thing you’ve done is not teach me how to play mythomagic yet.”

When you saw his eyes light up and the gloominess that was on his face be replaced with excitement, you couldn’t help but crack a small smile at your successful attempt to cheer him up.

“I completely forgot!” He exclaimed, grabbing your arm, hurriedly pulling you to the Hermes cabin. “You’re going to love it!”

The rest of your night included Nico showing you about 300 cards that you had 0 understanding of, constantly asking him questions about who does what and what goes where. He didn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, he seemed excited that you were interested enough to ask questions. He showed you how to play and you kind of got the hang of it, still giving him a survey of questions here and there. But you enjoyed the game. Learning something new was always intriguing to you.

You were both so caught up in the game that you missed dinner, but neither of you minded. Just enjoying each other's presence and being kids was filling enough. Eventually, though, everyone had gone to bed, including you and Nico. As you lay in bed, you thought about how this night was probably the best night you’ve ever had in your whole life.

That’s a lie. It was actually when you discovered Britney Spears; it was a close second. Either way, it was something you’d always remember. You hoped Nico stayed your friend for a long time, forever even. Drew was a good friend. She complained too much, though. Nico was more than willing to go on adventures with you.

While you were continuing to think about Nico and the pleasant surprise this day had given you, the warmth of your bed was catching up to you, making your eyes snap shut and your breath steady itself out and you gently fell asleep.

A/N: I’m rereading this chapter and honestly I’m not too big a fan of it....Its so bad like I cannot believe I posted this. Please move on to the next chapters as quickly as you can, I feel more confident about those.

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reynaisbetterthananyman · 2 years

Text

Star Light, Star Bright.

“I’m guessing you haven’t heard of the easy way to success.”

Nico DiAngelo x Male!reader

Warnings: Angst?????? But not really? But yes?

A/N: Hi! Thank you to all the people who read the first chapter LMFAO I’ll actually marry u. ❤️ This chapter is kind of different from the “main story” so don’t hate me for it but it’ll be worth it!

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PSA (Please Read)

"Psst." Tick tock.

"Hey, kid." Tick Tock.

"D'aww he's a cutie," Tick Tock.

"Let's pinch him." Tick Tock.

"No, that's mean." Tick Tock.

"Well, do you know a better way to wake him up?" Tick Tock.

"Leave him alone. He's sleeping like a baby." Tick Tock.

"We don't have time to waste, dimwit." Tick Tock.

"Take that back!" Tick Tock.

"Both of you cut it out. The kid's waking up.” Tick Tock.

Why was it so loud? Was that a clock? Who bought a clock?!

Your eyes popped open as you processed the loud ticking that had been filling your ears. Everything around you was blurry, your vision taking its sweet time to adjust to the room. In the middle of your rapid blinking, you heard hushed whispers coming from above you.

“Look at him. He’s taking ages just to focus.” This was not a voice you recognized. It was a smooth, but also angry, voice? It reminded you of something you’d hear from an Ares kid.

A second voice followed the previous. This one was chirpy, with a slight rasp to it. “Would you quit being rough on the kid, Phobetor? Oh, I just want to pinch his cheeks!”

The voice is now known as, ‘Phobetor’, hissed at the scolding he’d received, going quiet. That was strange. Were they new kids again?

You could see clearly now, your vision focused on the ceiling above. The surrounding ticking grew louder. When you shifted on what you thought was your bed, the “mattress” under you creaked and was missing its soft touch. This wasn’t the only thing missing. Shivering, you noticed the lack of a blanket. Where was Britney? Did you fall on the floor in your sleep?

Wincing at the aching in your back, you lifted yourself up, halting when the sight in front of you was not the Hermes cabin. There were Clocks. Multiple clocks scattered on the walls. They weren’t regular clocks either; they were cuckoo clocks.

None of the clocks looked the same, each being their own. One was in the shape of a church and another in the shape of a lily-pad.

“Is this a prank?” You muttered, blinking at the clock that had a boy pulling a girl’s hair. Weird.

Turning away from the clock, you noticed a shelf. There were toys scattered on each, all of them huddled together. Not modern toys, they were vintage. One even looked strikingly similar to the antique porcelain doll your mom had grown up with, placed on her bedside table.

You made sure to be gentle with your touch as you picked up the doll. It was delicate, anything could easily scratch it. As you admired the Victorian-styled dress the doll adorned, a light sound reached your ears. Music?

With your ears guiding you, you made it to a wooden dresser lined with music boxes. Just like the dolls, they appeared to be vintage. Handcrafted too. This reminded you of when you had to sleep in the Apollo cabin for a week because Connor let in a bunch of stink bugs and you had watched Fletcher craft his music box.

With the help of Beckendorf, it was a neat thing to see be put together and now, in front of you, these music boxes were built in the same way as Fletcher’s.

Just like the clocks, each music box was unique. There was one with an angel, surrounded by constellations twinkling all around. It was a pretty sight, but you couldn’t help but snicker at the one next to it, it was a baby Eros, diaper and all. It was amusing how mortals interpreted the gods. They were either spot-on or couldn’t be farther from the truth.

There was one music box that caught your attention the most, though, the one with a ballerina gracefully spinning on a cloud to the tune of ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life'. This familiar tune had mesmerized you, the corners of your lips quirking up as you allowed yourself to fall into a nostalgic state. Humming along, you reminisced about the days of dancing through your home to the soft music, daydreaming about what your life would be. It was a pleasant song that you could depend on each time you were down. It was as if it was made for you.

“Oh, Figaro! Would you look at this hat!”

This new presence halted your humming. You were so caught up in the music; you didn’t hear anyone come in. That didn’t bother you too much, though, because this voice was familiar. You knew exactly who it was.

With a wide smile, you turned, ready to greet the person. “Hey Chiron-“

The rest of your sentence fell flat, your mouth gaping when you came face to face with who you thought was your mentor. Whoever this was, wasn’t him. It was a Chiron reject. The supposed centaur now had two human legs, his horse butt missing. Not only that, but he was dressed like your grandfather. He donned a vest that looked like it came straight from the 1920s along with horrible suspenders.

Your forehead wrinkled at the mess in front of you. Were you being affected by the mist?

“Oh, he’s even cuter when he is confused!” There was that smooth voice again. But there was no one besides Chiron around you.

“Um, who said that?” You asked, spinning in place, trying to catch every spot around you.

“We’re right next to you.” The scary voice from earlier responded. What was his name again? Phobetor?

“I don’t see you.” You said flatly, crossing your arms.

“Don’t have to.” There was a cold undertone in his voice, as if you had run over his dog or something. Which you had to say offended you, you’d never hurt an innocent dog. Unless it was the Stolls’s dog you might’ve, but that’s beside the point.

Obviously, you were missing something here.

“I know you are confused.” An entirely distinct voice spoke, different from the other two. The sound was softer, and it was a pleasant contrast to the scary voices before. It wasn’t too hard on your ears. It was gentle, like a mother reading her kid a bedtime story. His presence, though, felt stronger than the previous, and you could’ve sworn you felt a hand on your shoulder.

“Yeah, apparently I’m missing a lot lately.” You muttered, recalling the events with your father.

As you expected, the dreamy voice was dismissive and unhelpful. “Now is not the time for questions.” He said, “We will explain, but first, you must pay attention.”

After he finished, it was as if someone had pushed you, forcing you to turn around and face grandpa Chiron again.

A scoff left your lips when the voices went silent. They were no help. Were you just going crazy and hearing voices in your head? Or maybe it was… Kronos? You grimaced at the thought; the world didn’t need another weird demented psycho. Luke was right there. From what you’ve heard about the guy, he wasn’t the brightest of the bunch. Who seriously trusts the guy who ate his own children? A demented person, that’s what.

You figured it would be best to tell Chiron about your dilemma, even if he was phony and dressed like your grandfather.

Marching up to him, you yelled. “Chiron, I’m being haunted!”

It didn’t seem that he heard your declaration, walking straight past you instead.

Your mouth hung open in disbelief. How could he ignore you? You were sure you were his favorite camper. Who else willingly spent time with him?

Waving your hand in front of his face, you raised your voice. “Chiron, It’s me Y/n, I tried dyeing your tail pink last month, remember?!”

Still, he continued about his day, continuing to walk ahead as if you were a… ghost? Oh gods, did you die in your sleep?! This was horrible. Chiron was dressed as your grandpa and you were dead. Those voices were probably other ghosts, too.

To say you were stressed out was an understatement. All you could do was watch Chiron and touch the things that surrounded you. You didn’t have anyone to talk to besides those voices and frankly; you didn’t want to speak with them. Could you even go outside? Or were you stuck here, cursed to see Chiron in suspenders?

With a heavy sigh, you accepted your fate. “Guess I am dead.” You frowned, taking a seat on the floor and staring directly ahead at a garbage pail. “When Drew dies, she is so making fun of me.”

Sat in your self-pity, you looked at the cat that had been following Chiron around. The cat’s face made your head tilt. It weirdly reminded you of Percy.

This whole thing was hurting your brain.

The Percy cat jumped up onto a table, settling itself in front of Chiron, who had been standing in front of the table and what looked to be working on something.

“Figaro, what did I say about jumping onto the workbench?” Chiron chuckled, petting Per–Figaro? Where have you heard that name before?

Figaro purred at the smooth touches he had been receiving, nuzzling into Chiron’s hand.

“Okay, okay, I’ll excuse it this one last time.” Figaro's purring grew louder, now curling around Chiron’s hand. Chiron gave the cat one last pet before lightly pushing him to the side and pulling out a small hat from his pocket. Something that’d fit a child.

You thought maybe it was for the other dead kids. You’d all be doomed to horrible fashion choices. Even in death, Chiron didn’t know how to dress. Shaking your head, you sighed at the tragedy that was Chiron’s lack of style.

The ex centaur placed the hat onto something in front of him. You tried moving your head to see what it was, but his body blocked your view.

“Oh, Doesn’t he look great, Figaro?”

Figaro’s tail swayed behind him, presumably agreeing.

“Let’s give him a name.” Chiron said, finally moving out of the way.

It was just a puppet on the table- a wooden puppet. Hm, a weird grandpa, a strange shop and a puppet. This was vaguely familiar, something in the back of your memory. It was a story! But what was the name… something with a P, Pinok? No, that’s not it. Piney? No, that's even further. What was it…

“Pinocchio!”

Oh gods, Pinocchio!

“His name shall be Pinocchio,” Chiron repeated, swinging the puppet around in his arms.

This was nuts. You couldn’t possibly be in Pinocchio, right?

You eyed the puppet in Geppetto’s arms. Something was different about him. This wasn’t the Pinocchio from the original story. This Pinocchio was familiar. He sure looked similar to someone you knew. Someone you met recently.

“Nico.” Your voice was a whisper, even though you were sure they couldn’t hear you.

The afterlife was strange, that's for sure.

You were stuck in a fairytale for eternity! When you were a lot younger, you had read every single fairytale story that was held in your aunt’s library. It was always a fun adventure for you, an escape. But here you are now, with no way to escape, stuck in Pinocchio forever. Not only that, but the people you knew were also here to torment you.

It didn’t help that you had to watch Chiron - Geppetto? swing Pinocchio Nico around. This was something you didn’t think would ever happen. The last time you asked Chiron for a literal horseback ride, he told you he’s not equipped for that type of stuff. What good was having horseback then?

Since Chiron was Gepetto then, this was Gepetto's workshop, if you remembered the story correctly. The many clocks, toys, and music boxes made that obvious.

If you were truly in this story, that meant you already knew what would happen. That’s no fun. What did you do in your life that made you deserve this?

Figaro’s hiss brought you back from your thoughts, scrambling as Geppetto chased him around with Pinocchio, scaring the poor cat.

You snorted at the thought of Percy being afraid of Nico. Nico’s too sweet. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Geppetto laughed at the cat hiding under the stool (What a sadist) “Oh, he’s a cheeky boy, isn't he Figaro?”

Figaro was not amused, pushing himself further under the stool. Before Geppetto could continue teasing (tormenting) Figaro and, amid his laughter, a loud bell rang.

The first ring set off a chain reaction: one bell, then another, and then another. Soon, every clock in the room rang. It was as if it was a clock choir. Except instead of angelic voices; it was an earsplitting sound.

Wincing, you quickly covered your ears to preserve whatever hearing you had left.

Geppetto pulled out his pocket watch. Which you thought was redundant considering the many clocks currently going off, but you digress. As he checked the time, a frown presented itself on his face. “Looks like it’s time for bed, Figaro.”

A meow came from the small cat as he came crawling out from under the stool.

Before anything else could happen, though, your vision went completely black.

You yelled and stumbled back, placing your hands over your eyes. Did you go blind? Oh, no-no-no. You’d rather be stuck watching this weird movie than be blind any day.

Luckily for you, your blindness didn’t last longer than a few seconds. Everything came together, light entered your vision and you could see once again. But as you scanned the room, you realized you weren’t in the workshop anymore; you were in a bedroom.

Unlike the workshop, it was simple. There was just a bed in the middle of the room, a smaller one beside it. This smaller bed spelled out “Figaro” on top. You figured if that was Figaro’s bed, then the bigger one must’ve been Geppetto’s. This was Geppetto’s bedroom.

Now that you understood where you were, your vision going out made more sense. It must’ve been you switching in transition between the scenes of the story. This was the conclusion you were most confident in, deciding that it was what you would believe, even if it wasn’t true.

Geppetto appeared through the door with Figaro on his tail (ironic).

With Figaro sauntering behind, Geppetto also carried Pinocchio in his arms, sitting him against the wall on the dresser.

Pinocchio received a pat on the head from Geppetto before he, and Figaro got into their respective beds.

While the two were getting comfortable, Figaro already being half asleep, Geppetto noticed the doll staring straight ahead at them.

He laid back on his pillow, making eye contact with Pinocchio. “Look at him, Figaro, he almost looks alive.”

The cat responded with a sleepy meow, already closing his eyes to give in to sleep.

Geppetto gave a small smile to the tired cat, eyes glossed with excitement. “Wouldn’t it be nice if he was a real boy? A boy who could talk and play without strings.”

His head fell back onto his pillow as he fell into his daydream, the evidence of longing in his face. He snapped back to reality after a few more seconds, turning over and blowing out the candle on his bedside table.

The room went dark afterward, but old Geppetto was still up, taking an interest in the window. “Figaro.” He started, “I forgot to open the window, would you mind?”

Figaro did, in fact, mind, rolling his eyes as he got out of his sheets and begrudgingly scrambled onto Geppetto’s bed to hop onto the windowsill.

He slipped through a small crack of the window that was open, pulling it back with his legs, allowing in the moonlight.

A shriek from Geppetto made Figaro’s tail stick up, shocked by the sudden sound. “Look! It’s a wishing star!” He exclaimed, pointing at the highest star in the sky, shining brighter than any star you’d ever seen.

Clasping his hands together, he spoke out to the star as if he was praying. “Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish, I might have the wish I make tonight.”

As he wished upon the star, you caught yourself speaking along with him, line for line. You remembered this line from the book. When you were even younger, you had repeated it to almost every star you saw in the sky, hoping it’d make your dreams come true.

Geppetto hooked his finger under Figaro’s chin. “Figaro, you know what I wished for?” He asked, stroking the cat’s chin. Figaro shook his head, basking in the affection.

Geppetto glanced at the puppet, then brought his attention back to Figaro. “I wished for my Pinocchio to be a real boy. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

He sighed, laying himself back on his bed with a yawn, Figaro curling at his feet. “Goodnight Figaro.”

“Goodnight Pinocchio.” He added, mid-yawn.

Once his eyes shut, Geppetto began snoring almost immediately and you could’ve sworn you heard the faint sound of a horse neighing. Either way, he sounded like an animal. He was a mouth breather. You were tempted to go over and shut his mouth. You didn’t want him to suffocate, though.

A twinkling sound entered the room from the window, along with moonlight that was increasingly getting brighter. Soon the entire room was blanketed in a crystal blue light and the highest star in the sky grew larger. You remembered this: it was the blue fairy coming to grant Geppetto’s wish.

You watched unamused as the middle of the room glowed and formed into the silhouette of a lady. Blah Blah Blah, we all know how this goes. It was no good if you could predict the whole thing. But something.. different happened. This wasn't right. It didn’t look like a lady. Its silhouette was a lot.. shorter and younger. When the light dimmed, what it revealed made your eyes pop out of your head.

In the middle of the room, clad in a dress way too big for her, was none other than..

Drew?! Why was SHE the blue fairy?

You didn’t stop the giggles coming out of your throat, taking in that your borderline evil best friend was the sweet, good-natured fairy. The Stolls would've loved this. Why was it you never had a camera when needed?

Fairy Drew walked around the room, wand in hand, and approached the sleeping Gepetto. “Good Gepetto, you have given so much happiness to others- Blah Blah You deserve to have your wish come true, let's get this over with.” she groaned, making her way over to Pinocchio.

Watching her stomp on over, you thought about how ridiculous this whole thing was. Your friends as fairytale characters? Drew wasn’t even cast correctly. Although it made things more enjoyable.

‘Nico’ was sitting still on the table. It was creepy seeing him made of wood, still and dull. In a dark way, it was almost like seeing him dead. That thought alone was unsettling. The last you’d ever want to see is your new friend, void of life. You quickly shifted your eyes back to the fairy.

Drew lifted her wand, preparing to chant out a spell. “Little puppet made of pine, wake.” An illuminating blue glow appeared when the wand tapped the top of Pinocchio’s head.

Curiously watching, you watched as his eyes became bright, blinking as he looked around the room. The first thing he did was move his arms, gasping as they did his bidding. “I can move!”

His eyes opened wide, finger pointing to his mouth. “I can talk!”

Fairy Drew grabbed his hands, helping the boy stand. “I brought you to life because tonight Geppetto wished for a real boy.” She looked off to the side, muttering, “I don’t know why he’d want that, but.”

Pinocchio ignored her words, too busy admiring himself. “Am I a real boy?” He asked, eyes wide.

Fairy Drew shook her head.

“No, that is up to you. To make your father’s wish come true. Prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish.” She squinted her eyes at Pinocchio, almost glaring. “Or I’ll turn you into a ghost.”

Your head tilted. Was that in the original script?

“Oh no!”

“You’ll be confined here to the workshop, haunting your father.”

This was not the same fairy from the original story. She had sent poor Pinocchio into distress and you didn’t blame him. Fairy Drew was menacing.

After literally threatening a child, she pulled back her wand, her head falling back as she went into a fit of laughter. “I’m just kidding. You should've seen your face!”

Through her laughter, she mockingly put her hands up. “Oh, no!” she yelled out, mimicking Pinocchio’s words. Both your eyebrows went up as you watched her continuously laugh and mock Pinocchio. No doubt in you that this was Drew.

Pinocchio didn’t seem bothered though, he even started laughing along with Drew, making you cringe at his innocence.

After what felt like forever, the fairy’s laughter subsided, and her smile dropped. She pointed her wand back at the former puppet, frowning. “But I will turn you back to wood if you misbehave.”

Pinocchio hastily nodded, not wanting to be wood again. “I’ll be good, I promise!”

Fairy Drew patted Pinocchio on the head, her not so comforting smile looking down at him. “We both know that’s not true. You can’t tell right from wrong, silly Pinocchio.”

She walked away from Pinocchio, her dress sparkling more with every step. Reaching the window, she placed a hand outside in search of something.

Once she had succeeded in her mission, she reeled her hand back in. On her palm was a small cricket perched nicely. “This will do.” She muttered, nose scrunched as she made her way back, placing the cricket down.

This was when you noticed the absence of another important character.

With a twirl of her wand, the once chirping cricket was now chatting away angrily. “You’ve got some nerve taking me from the middle of my late-night stroll!” It fumed, stomping around the dresser. He sounded an awful lot like Mr. D.

Pinocchio gasped at the talking cricket, scooping him up in his hands.

“Hey, put me down! You’ve all got sweaty hands!”

Fairy Drew rolled her eyes, lightly flicking the bug. “He’s not a real boy. He can’t have sweaty hands. And quit complaining, or I’ll zap your mouth off.”

That was the end of the cricket’s tantrum.

“What’s your name cricket, sir?” Said Pinocchio, bringing the cricket to eye level.

The cricket glanced at Fairy Drew with a scowl, who smiled and waved back at him, causing his scowl to deepen before turning back to Pinocchio. “It’s Jiminy, Jiminy Cricket.”

Jiminy Cricket! Out of all the characters, he’s the only one that matters.

But, that meant Jiminy Cricket was Mr. D? Grumpy old Mr. D was Jiminy Cricket. Jeez, this is a messed-up rendition of Pinocchio.

“Well, Jiminy,” Drew sneered, dragging his name. “You must serve as Pinocchio’s conscience, for he would be a menace without one.”

“What is a menace?”

“It’s what you will become if this bug does not accept this offer.”

Jiminy began muttering to himself, his arms shaking as he trudged his tiny legs across the dresser. “If you think I’m going to be the consciousness of a bobblehead, you are mistaken.” Pinocchio frowned, touching his head.

Fairy Drew placed her hand in front of Jiminy, blocking his path. “You don’t have a choice, bug.” The tip of her wand glowed as she glowered at him. Jiminy hurriedly ran back to Pinocchio’s side.

“Alright Alright, fine!” He agreed reluctantly, eyeing the star on the tip of her wand.

The tip of her wand went back to its original state. “Good!”

It was now at this point that you had zoned the character’s out, staring blankly ahead as they moved along the story. There was not much else for you to do. You knew the story, all the main characters were introduced. You couldn’t just sit still the whole time.

“Didn’t I tell you to pay attention?” A voice hissed in your ear, making you flinch and bringing you back to reality.

Your eyes scanned around to where you’d heard the voice.

“You already know you cannot see us.” It was the chirpy voice from earlier. Your nose crinkled at the realization, not exactly thrilled to hear the voices again. “Oh, it's you.”

A short breeze blew past you. You folded into yourself.

“Now don’t be rude, I have a name, you know.” He noted, a light chuckle echoing around you.

“Well, you didn’t introduce yourself. What am I supposed to call you?” You snapped.

The anonymous voice was testing your patience. The guessing game didn’t sound fun right now.

You heard nothing chatter of the group behind you as he had gone silent. What a punk. Couldn’t even say his name.

You shrugged it off, returning your gaze to the characters in front of you. However, this didn’t last you too long because a loud, piercing, high-pitched sound traveled through your ears, almost bursting your eardrums.

With a snap, the noise stopped and again came the vloud,oice. “I will ignore your attitude, but consider this a warning.”

His threat didn’t bother you as much as it should have. You were too focused on the low ringing still in your ears, covering them to stop it.

“Next time, make his ears bleed.” Phobetor snickered, inserting himself into the conversation.

Great, another one. If these were the ghosts you were stuck within the afterlife with, you’d have to die again.

An irritated groan left your lips. “Look, all I want to know is what’s going on? Why am I in Pinocchio? Who are you three? And am I dead or what?”

After your survey of questions, Phobetor snorted to the right of you. “Kid thinks he’s dead!” He laughed.

You imagined he’d be holding his stomach.

You took a deep breath, deciding to take the high road and resist the urge to tell the laughing whatever he was off, and plastered a smile onto your face.

“I am sorry for my brothers.” It was Mr. Soft lullaby.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Morpheus. My brother, who almost turned you deaf, was Phanatos and the one that I am sure you want to get rid of is Phobetor. We are the Oneiroi - spirits of dreams.”

“So, I’m not dead?”

“You are not dead." Morpheus confirmed, taking a second before speaking again. “Although since you keep mentioning it, it seems that is what you want.”

“No!” You jumped, clearing your throat and nervously looking around. “I do not want to die. I just thought I was in the afterlife.”

The laugh of Phantasos was disturbing, almost as piercing as the noise he’d sent to your ears. “Either way, we were not sent here to kill you-”

“Unfortunately.” Mumbled Phobetor.

“We get it, Phobetor, you’re edgy.”

“What’s being edgy got to do with me wanting to kill him?”

“Can you be quiet? All you spout is nonsense!”

“Nonsense?! You are the father of nonsense!”

“Lalalala, I can’t hear you!”

“Oh, wait till I get my hands on you.”

Shifting on your feet, you stood awkwardly as you listened to the brothers argue. It seemed never-ending until a rough cough interrupted them, their silence following.

“Now, where was I?” Morpheus sighed.

You perked up, raising your finger. “You were about to tell me why you are harassing me in my dreams.”

He hummed. “Ah, right.” If you could see him, you thought he’d be nodding. “As I said before, we are the spirits of dreams. Think of us as guides.”

“Guides?”

Morpheus did not speak again. Instead, everything around you had gone still. The characters had stopped moving, the clouds from the sky had paused moving, even Geppetto’s sleeping form seemed to stop breathing.

“What’s going on-”

A shadow looming over you had made your words fall flat. A hand rested on your shoulder. You held in a sharp breath after hearing the low snicker from behind you. “Don’t be afraid.”

Glancing at the hand on your shoulder, you let your eyes trail up to the rest of its arm, your head slowly turning. It was just an arm. Nothing crazy. Just an arm.

When your eyes stopped at its shoulder, you forced yourself to move your gaze to its face.

“Morpheus?”

The man- the god above you smiled with a nod. “You are correct.”

Stepping back, you took in his appearance.

He wasn’t as scary as you thought he’d be. His face held serenity as if he had been at peace for a very long time. “I thought you were, like, hideous. No offense.”

Briefly, his smile dropped, eyes flickering.

“None taken.” He let out through his teeth.

He let out an awkward cough, removing his hand from your shoulder and snapping his fingers. “Brothers, you may come out now.”

The room shook but nothing fell, as it was all stuck in place. Of course, you mean everything except for you. You stumbled, gripping onto Morpheus who had jumped at the abrupt contact.

“Finally! I was getting claustrophobic.”

“I hate you.”

The voices of Phobetor and Phanatos took over the room, their shadows looming over you in the same way Morphesus’s had. Still holding you, Morpheus had his eyes set behind you.

“This has been the longest intro ever.” He grumbled.

Spinning you around, Morpheus faced you to the other two. You gulped at their faces. The two were standing over you, peering down. They did not hold the same calm aura that their brother did.

Phobetor’s face was straight-up, intimidating. Even though he was only looking at you, his eyes were sharp, as though he had disdain for you. You also didn’t miss the large frown on his face.

Phantasos wasn’t frowning, but his eyes weren't full of disdain, either. He was actually the opposite of Phobetor. He was smiling. But his smile was what you’d describe as something you’d see on a lunatic and his eyes mirrored his smile, excited but unstable.

“He looks terrified.” Phobetor pointed out, his frown deepening.

Phanatos scoffed, rolling his eyes. “It’s because you scared him with that ugly face of yours.”

Shoving past his brother, he strolled on over to you.

“Don’t worry, Phobetor is all for show. I’ll protect you!”

His words didn’t provide you with much comfort. Phantasos was the most unsettling of the bunch.

Sure, Phobetor was scary looking but, there was an unpredictable gleam in Phantasos’s eyes. At least you could guess what Phobetor was like, but Phantasos was a whole other playing field.

He brought his face close to yours, leveling you eye to eye.

“Anteros sure made a cutie, I want to eat him up!” He cooed out, gently poking your cheeks with giggles, leaving his lips.

Eyes widening, you subconsciously leaned back into Morpheus. Gosh, why did you have to be adorable? Why couldn’t you be a troll? The price of being pretty sure was heavy, thanks dad.

From behind you, Morpheus pushed Phantasos’s face away from you. “You both scare him.” He said, obviously annoyed with both of his siblings.

He set you up straight before walking around you, stopping once he was standing with his brothers.

“Now for proper introductions”

Placing his hand on Phobetor’s shoulder, he started.

“Phobetor is the personification of nightmares. Every nightmare you’ve had was his doing.”

Huh, so it was his fault you kept dreaming of being chased by a gigantic rat when you were 6, rude much.

The god in mention grumbled next to him with a deep scowl.“Ironically, this is a nightmare.”

Morpheus cocked his head to the left of him, where Phantasos was standing. Phantasos sent you a small wave, making you snap your eyes back to Morpheus.

“Phantasos is the personification of fantasy dreams. Think unusual, weird. His dreams may also hold clues of a present, past or future event.”

You gestured to your surroundings, pointing at the still characters. “Weird like this dream?”

He confirmed your question with a hum. “Correct.”

You nodded, growing an understanding. Well, that explains the weird personalities of those two. But what about Morpheus?

You squinted. “And you?”

He stood up straight. “I am the personification of dreams. Being a sort of messenger for the gods is what I specialize in. I’m sure you’ve heard from your fellow demigods about the strange things they’ve received in their dreams. I am the one who sends those divine messages.”

Cool, these guys are invasive.

“Okay, that’s neat but, why are you bothering me? I’ve had plenty of dreams before and I’ve never once seen you appear. Why now?” You were tired of being left in the dark, you expected answers.

This didn’t seem to go over well with Phobetor. Letting out a harsh breath from his nose, he glared so hard at you, you probably felt it in your next life. “Careful kid, curiosity killed the cat.”

You couldn’t let him win easily, though. You wanted revenge for those rat nightmares.

With a shrug, you stood as tall as you could for a 10-year-old. “Satisfaction brought it back.” His fist clenched and a victory smile graced your lips.

Y/n: 1 Phobetor: 0

Phantasos brought his hands up to his face, quickly covering his mouth to stifle the laughter that was threatening to release. Morpheus, on the other hand, looked done with the entire scenario, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

“You know what.” He released his nose, eyeing you.

“We’ve wasted too much time. The story must move along. We cannot tell you everything but, we’ll try to answer more when we meet again but please remember… PAY ATTENTION.”

They were leaving? You didn’t even know half of what was happening.

“Wait, hold on- “There was no point in protest because as soon as Morpheus clapped, the three were gone.

Some guides they are. Whatever, you’re a growing independent man, you didn’t need their help.

The sound of chatter had brought you up to meet the now unfrozen characters, moving along as if nothing had happened.

“….And now I’m done here.” Fairy Drew announced, readying herself by the window.

She gave Pinocchio one last look. “Remember Pinocchio, follow the rules and you’ll be fine.” As she finished, she rolled her eyes at Jiminy, letting the blue light from her wand send her away.

“Good riddance,” Jiminy muttered and crossed his arms (legs?), jumping when he turned his head and Pinocchio was looking right at him. “Oh, you’re still here.”

Pinocchio shook his head, smiling. “Of course I am! I don’t have magic like the blue fairy silly Jiminy.”

“You sure don't, 'cause if you did you wouldn’t be such a bobblehead.”

“I do not have the bobblehead that you keep speaking of.”

Jiminy waved Pinocchio off, walking across the table. “Your head is empty enough to be one.”

Watching them was boring you again, so what better thing to do than do things you weren’t supposed to.

You decided to approach them, a smirk growing on your lips. Grabbing a plain sheet that had been draped over a chair, you held it up like a ghost.

You figured since they couldn’t see you, you’d have to do other things to make your presence known. Although there’s no harm in having fun with it, right?

Throwing the blanket over yourself, you crept behind Jiminy, who was still wandering about the table in a fit of incoherent mumbles. Pinocchio watched him, his eyes going back and forth as they trained on the cricket.

Pinocchio’s eyes didn’t stay on him for too long, though. His eyes flickered up at the floating sheet behind Jiminy. He curiously watched before notifying his conscience.

“Jiminy.” He called.

Jiminy, who was too caught up in his rambling, ignored the call, continuing to sputter what you would consider to be gibberish.

The sheet was thin enough to make out some things outside. As you looked through, you caught Pinocchio’s stare.

Raising the blanket with one of your arms, you moved it to mimic a wave. For a second, Pinocchio was taken aback, but he quickly shook it off, shooting you a smile and a wave in return.

You leaned in, directly behind Jiminy now. Pinocchio giggled as he watched you mock the mumbling cricket, mirroring his movement.

This brought Jiminy back to earth, him pausing in front of Pinocchio. “Are my struggles funny to you?”

He shook his head, pointing behind him to you, who was currently giving Jiminy bunny ears. “There is-”

“Listen, kid, you don’t make fun of adult struggles.”

“But look-”

“No no, I get it. You’re still new to this whole lifestyle. I’ll let this slide.”

The wooden boy huffed, spinning Jiminy around to face you.

Jiminy’s body went still at the sight of you, eyes unblinking.

Oh, gosh, did you put him in a state of shock? Yeah, you wanted to scare him, but not to the point where it looked like he stopped breathing. Gently poking Jiminy’s head, you scanned him to make sure he was still present. Sure enough, he was not dead. Your prodding had brought him out of his temporary shock.

It was now your turn to freeze when he screamed and began thrashing around. “GHOST!!”

The frantic cricket hopped onto Pinocchio’s shoulder.

“If you’re good for anything, get us out of here!!”

Your body shook as laughter poured out of you. If only the real Mr. D could see this. Essentially, you were watching Mr. D tug on Nico to run, you just had to laugh.

Pinocchio scrambled to get up, startled by Jiminy’s abrupt behavior. He quickly jumped down from the dresser, almost bumping into you. Jiminy let out a yelp as they ran past you.

“The door kid! Run out the door!!!” Pinocchio made a b-line to the door with Jiminy perched on his shoulder, gripping onto his collar. During his run, though, he missed the carpet that was placed next to Gepetto’s bed, making him trip and fall onto the floor, knocking down a few of the dolls on Gepetto’s bedside table.

The carpenter, in question, woke up with a start, his eyes wide at the loud noise. He sat up and frantically looked around. “What was that?!”

When he woke, Pinocchio jumped up from the floor.

“It’s a ghost!” He screamed.

As Geppetto turned to look in your direction, you hastily dropped the sheet. His brow rose when he saw an empty room.

“There is no ghost, Pinocchio.” He responded, laying back down.

It took 3 seconds (yes; you counted) before Geppetto realized his puppet had just spoken. This time when he jumped, he had knocked Figaro off the bed. Ouch.

“Pinocchio!!”

He scrambled out of bed, picking up the boy. “What- h-how?!”

Pinocchio pointed at the window. “You’ve wished for me to be a real boy!”

Geppetto’s confusion twisted into an understanding, his eyes lighting up. “That’s right.. my wish. My son!”

He danced around the room as he had done before. The difference was Pinocchio was alive and the father and son duo were laughing together. Figaro tried his best to avoid their feet, hissing when they got too close.

The dance ended with Geppetto falling back onto his bed, Pinocchio still in his arms. “Oh, we’ve got to go to bed!”

Pinocchio tilted his head as his father tucked him in. “Why do we have to go to bed?”

Geppetto slipped into bed next to him, along with Figaro curled up at the bottom. “Well, you’ve got school in the morning.” He said.

School? Pinocchio was like just born. What happened to Pre-k? Daycare? No wonder his son ends up being a liar. Fairy Tales had no sense of logic.

As the family cuddled in bed, your vision had gone out again. The scene was changing, thank gods. Soon you were going to start pinching yourself so you wouldn’t be forced to be stuck in the same scene anymore.

When you could see again, you couldn’t help but squint from the bright sunlight. This time you were outside, in front of the workshop.

Geppetto was kneeling in front of Pinocchio. “I want you to be a good boy at school today, okay?”

Pinocchio’s attention wasn’t on his dad’s words; instead, he was closely watching the small kids who were running past the workshop.

“Are those real boys?” He asked.

Geppetto hummed, turning Pinocchio’s head in his direction, fixing his hat. “Yes, those are real boys. They’re your classmates.” You watched as he stood up, urging his son to follow the rest of the kids. “Go on, follow them to school.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. Pinocchio ran down the steps of the workshop, his cheeks stretched wide.

Geppetto chuckled as he watched Pinocchio run off, going back inside of the workshop after his son had left his sight.

You continued behind Pinocchio, your situation in mind. All you had to do was watch the dream play out. Just like any typical dream, it was a bunch of mumbo jumbo. At least you’re getting a free movie.

Pinocchio was getting close to the school now. He was skipping along the path, not noticing the figures that were spying on him. You weren’t as blind as him, so you could see them just fine. They were hiding behind a skinny tree, not practical but, what truly was in your life.

You couldn’t remember who these two were supposed to be. Their backs were turned to you so you couldn’t catch their faces.

Right when Pinocchio was approaching the tree, one figure whispered to the other before raising his voice.

“And that’s when I told her…” He started, accidentally putting his cane in Pinocchio’s path. You squinted at the voice. That was someone you knew. Someone very annoying.

Pinocchio, being painfully unaware of his surroundings, tripped over the cane. The two guys gasped, scrambling to pick him up.

“How clumsy of me!” The one with the cane said, nudging the other away as he tried to pickpocket Pinocchio.

When the pickpocket got knocked over, you caught a glimpse of his face.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

On the floor was ½ of the one and only Stoll brothers, Travis specifically. If this was Travis, then the other guy had to be Connor. With a scoff, you rolled your eyes. Of course, the Stolls would be the crooks in Pinocchio. Are you really surprised?

Connor snatched Pinocchio’s school book.

“A man of letters, I see.” He mused, holding the book upside down.

Pinocchio nodded, happily taking his book back. “I’m going to school!”

Travis snickered at his comment, earning a glare from Connor, who had wrapped his arm securely around Pinocchio’s shoulders. “I’m guessing you haven’t heard of the easy way to success.”

“Easy way?”

“A theater!” Connor yelled out, making jazz hands. “Bright lights, Music, Applause, and Fame!”

“Fame?”

Connor spun Pinocchio around. “You bet! With that physique and profile, you’re a natural-born actor!” Behind the two, Travis nodded dumbly.

“You’re going straight to the top, my little wooden boy! I can just see your name- “Connor paused. “what is your name?”

“Pinocchio!”

“Pinocchio! In big bright lights! P i n o k i um- A star in the making!”

This was stupid. Nico would never fall for this in the real world. Pinocchio needs to get it together. He’s making your best friend look bad. This was the part where the crooks had been trying to sell Pinocchio, all the red flags, and Pinocchio got none of them. Part of his journey to being a real boy should’ve also been learning to have common sense.

All you could do was let out a deep sigh as you watched him get caught up in the excitement and be whisked away by the duo.

This was when you noticed the absence of a certain cricket. Where was that deranged bug? He should’ve been in this scene somewhere nearby. In the fairy tale, he had been following Pinocchio to school. That’s weird.

Dwelling on Jiminy’s whereabouts was not something you could do for long. The now-familiar feeling of everything going black came to you, shifting your attention to the big stage in front of you when you could see again. What was strange about this stage was the people sitting in the crowd. Their faces were blank, and they were completely still. Talk about a tough crowd.

A big, bulky man stood in front of the stage, mic in hand. Unlike other characters, you knew who this was as soon as you saw him. It was Stromboli, the puppeteer. He wasn’t someone you knew in reality. Strangely, he was the same person he was in the original story. Although it was weird seeing your friends throughout your dream, it was fun. You couldn’t help but frown when you saw his face.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! I hope you’ve enjoyed the show so far!” His voice boomed, a thick Italian accent going into the crowd. His words caused a chain reaction of cheers and clapping.

Looking around, your brows furrowed at the lack of movement from the surrounding images. There was no one really there, yet there was still sound.

This didn’t seem to affect Stromboli, who, regardless of the still images, continued with his speech. “Today, to conclude this magnificent show, I will show you something you cannot believe. The only puppet who can sing and dance without strings - PINOCCHIO!”

The curtains on the stage opened and there was Pinocchio on miniature stairs that were placed at the center of the stage. He looked unsure when he saw the crowd, but soon got over his temporary fright when he opened his mouth to sing, taking his first step down the stairs. You winced when he missed a step, causing him to tumble the rest of the way down.

Immediately, Stromboli dragged Pinocchio up by the collar, his face so red you thought it’d pop off. He went off on Pinocchio in Italian, but when the “crowd” found humor in Pinocchio’s accident, you could practically see the dollar signs in his eyes.

His face turned back to its regular color.

“Such a cute kid.” He laughed, patting the naïve puppet’s head.

Pinocchio quickly recovered and began his performance, eyes shimmering.

Now, this was something you could enjoy - a show. This scene intrigued you more than the previous, it was a performance. Something worth singing and dancing along to. You didn’t care about seeing Pinocchio repeatedly get scammed, knowing how that goes. Right now, the dancing and singing puppet had all of your attention, and him looking like Nico made it so much more mesmerizing. You wondered if Nico had ever performed before, you’d have to ask him.

“Oh, I love music, don’t you?”

You almost hit the person next to you, violently jerking your arm away from the armrest of your chair. “What the-“

The said person had grabbed your arm before it could contact them. “Was that your attempt at assault?”

You would’ve released the breath you were holding if this person was anyone else, but unfortunately, it was Phantasos who had returned, his eyes still as wild as they were before. Quickly retracting your arm back from his grip, you huffed. “You scared me.”

Even with a frown, he terrified you. “I’m not Phobetor. I’d never scare you.”

Shifting uncomfortably in your seat, you looked away. “I’d rather him than you.”

“Truly, you wound me, young one.” The god sighed deeply, placing his hand over his chest. “Your attitude isn’t as charming as your face. I’ll blame it on puberty.”

Settling fully into his seat, he placed his eyes on the stage. “I meant what I said about music, you know.” He gestured to Pinocchio. “Especially when the lyrics hold a double meaning.”

You cocked a brow, taking in the lyrics of the song Pinocchio was singing. “He’s singing about not having strings? It’s straightforward.”

Phantasos waved a single finger in your face. “Are you sure? Not everything is what it seems. Perhaps you should open your eyes, be more mindful.”

Was he playing the mind Olympics with you? Were you really meant to see something or was this some weird game?

“Are you joking?”

“Are you?”

You couldn’t help the frustrated groan that came out of you. Phantasos only returned to watching the show, humming along as if he wasn’t just being cryptic. Weirdo.

But maybe he was right. Morpheus mentioned Phantasos’s dreams could hold clues, he could be telling the truth. You, again, began listening to the lyrics Pinocchio was singing.

“I've got no strings

To hold me down

To make me fret

Or make me frown

I had strings

But now I'm free

There are no strings on me”

Scratching your head, you couldn’t figure out what was so important about this song. As before, the song is just about how he’s a puppet with no strings. There’s no big secret, no double meaning.

“Hun, you really are dense.” Phantasos said, still swaying with the music.

You glanced at him, throwing him a discreet, dirty look. “Why don’t you just tell me?”

“Because, dear, I’m here to guide you, not hold your hand.” He booped your nose. “Don’t be foolish. You know how it goes. It’s up to you to decide which way to go.”

No wonder you demigods die young. The gods insist on hiding the most vital information from you in the name of ‘heroism’.

“Since you won’t tell me, I’m sticking to what I said before: It’s straightforward.”

Phantasos didn’t look happy with your choice, his smile dropping. “Demigods, I always wonder why such drastic things like the fate of the universe are given to such young, naïve children.” He sighed, raising his hand up. “Farewell, maybe my brothers will have better luck.”

With a snap, he was gone. Was it okay for you to be relieved? Or should you have been panicking and begging for him to come back? You hoped that with your rash decision, he’d give in and help you a little more. Now that he was gone, you couldn’t help the drop in your stomach.

This dream is just odd. Now you weren’t sure if it really was just a dream or if it was actually trying to tell you something. The dream spirits made you believe it’s the latter, but the events of the story don’t agree. You just couldn’t see what they had been trying to direct you to.

You didn’t want to think about it for too long, you’d freak yourself out.

The hopping Jiminy Cricket was able to distract you, him jumping right past your feet.

“This kid chose fame over school. How cheap.”

The frown on his face grew deeper when he took notice of how well Pinocchio was doing on stage.

Sighing, he said, “I guess the bobblehead doesn’t need me anymore. I should leave peacefully out of his life.”

Jiminy solemnly began to walk away, and you stared at him in wonder. This was absolutely stupid. He’s leaving because Pinocchio can sing? Now you weren’t an Athena kid, but you were pretty sure a singer still needs a conscience.

Right when Jiminy walked away from the stage, Pinocchio was finishing up his performance. You would’ve kept watching, but your vision had other plans. Yeah, yeah okay. The scene changed. You were ready to get this over with.

Now, with your vision back, you were inside of a carriage. Pinocchio sat at a table with Stromboli, who was counting coins.

“200.” Stromboli counted, moving towards Pinocchio.

Putting coins inside of a bag, he yelled out. “People like me!”

“Yes, you are sensational, Pinocchio! 300!”

Pinocchio held the bag open, waiting for the coins to slide in his direction. “Does that mean I’m an actor?”

“Yes! Your name will be on everybody’s tongue!” The puppeteer pulled out a very obvious fake coin, handing it to Pinocchio. “For you, my boy!”

He took the coin proudly. “Oh gee, thanks! I’ll go straight home and tell my father!”

Stromboli was in the middle of taking a swig when he heard what Pinocchio said, spitting his drink out immediately. (dude, where’s the class?)

“Home?” He laughed. “Sure, going home to your father! You are a comedian, too!“

“You mean it’s funny?”

“Hilarious!”

Pinocchio hopped off the table, waving to Stromboli. “I’ll be back in the morning!”

You could see the tears forming In Stromboli’s eyes as his laughter grew. He grabbed Pinocchio by the collar. “Silly one!”

The two of them were now laughing together, Pinocchio joining in.

Maybe you and Pinocchio aren’t so different after all. He couldn’t see clearly. His conscience wasn’t there to guide him. He only believed in what he saw in front of him, only figuring it out when it’s too late. Would you be like that too?

Stromboli held the kid tightly before throwing him into a cage.

“This will be your home.” He shouted. Pinocchio scrambled up, shaking the bars of the cage. “No!”

Stromboli didn’t care for his cries, though, disregarding him completely. “We will tour the world! Paris, London, Moscow! Your face will be on everyone’s tongue.” He grabbed the bag of coins on the table before giving a menacing look to Pinocchio.

“You are mine, little puppet. We leave now.”

Pinocchio hopelessly shook the cage harder as he watched Stromboli leave the carriage. When he realized Stromboli wasn’t coming back, he sat down and wept.

Sympathy was such a pain in the butt. You wanted to be mad at him and call him stupid, but Pinocchio was just a kid who trusted in those around him. He didn’t know any better.

While Pinocchio cried, there was rustling coming from the door. He looked up quickly, hopefully eyeing the door. From a small crack came out Jiminy.

“Jiminy!”

“Oh, you wooden idiot.”

Jiminy ran in front of Pinocchio’s cage. “What did he do to you?!”

“He locked me up! He wouldn’t let me go home to my father!”

“Did he now?”

“He said he’d push my face on everyone’s tongue!”

“Really?”

“Uh huh!”

Pinocchio pointed to the lock.

“Please help me Jiminy please!” He begged.

Jiminy sighed, cracking his knuckles. “Oh, I’d love to strangle that fairy right now.” He complained before jumping into the lock.

“Is it working?” Pinocchio asked.

A bunch of incoherent mumbles came from his conscience, a few (pg) curses too. Eventually he popped back out, covered in ash, and sent a glare to the lock. “Must be one of the old ones.”

“You mean you can’t open it?”

He shook his head. “It’ll take a miracle to get us out of here.”

Pinocchio frowned. “Gee..”

The two sat solemnly as the carriage went on, their hope dwindling.

“Wow, they give up faster than I do during capture the flag and I give up fast.” You muttered to yourself. You weren’t too worried about them, though. This was the part where the blue fairy would come to save them.

But

What if you did?

Save Pinocchio. This had to be what the dream spirits intended for you. Surely they weren’t expecting you to just sit tight. Your chance to prove yourself, you could be a hero and save Pinocchio.

With a newfound sense of duty, you looked around the carriage for anything that could help release the pair. You were careful to not make your presence known, being careful to not bump into or touch anything.

There was not much except old boxes and random junk in the room, but you weren’t as helpless as Pinocchio and Jiminy. You’d actually figure something out.

As you were tapping your foot in thought, you wondered about what would happen next in the story. Geppetto should soon be outside, calling for Pinocchio, passing right by the carriage anytime now. He missed the carriage in the original story, but maybe you could shorten the story by guiding him to it!

You patted yourself on the back. “Y/n, you genius.”

Swinging open the door, you jumped out of the carriage, missing the horrified looks of Pinching and Jiminy who believed the door had swung open by itself.

“Ew ew ew,” You hopped around, avoiding the mud on the ground. “Please, not these shoes.”

Amidst your hopping, the far calls of Geppetto calling Pinocchio’s name reached your ears. The distraction caused you to step right into a huge mud puddle.

“Oh, come on.”

You sighed. “Whatever, it's just a dream.”

Cringing once more, you ran off to Geppetto, finding him in the middle of a crossroads, the carriage approaching him. You pushed on your heel, picking up your speed.

Once in arm distance, you lunged forward, knocking the Chiron lookalike directly in front of the moving carriage.

“Woah!!”

The carriage came to a screeching stop after Geppetto’s cry. Stromboli, who was driving the carriage, hopped off fuming. “Are you an idiot, huh? Did you not see a moving vehicle in front of you?!!”

Chiron put his hand up as he struggled to get off the slippery floor. “I don’t know what came over me, sir, my apologies. I want no trouble.”

Stromboli snorted at his struggle, standing over him like some god. “You look weak.”

“I just want to find my son. He has not come home.”

“Your son?” A look of realization came over him, and he grew a sinister smile . “You mean Pinocchio!”

Geppetto’s eyes lit up at the mention of his son’s name. “Yes! Have you seen him?”

Stromboli’s laugh mirrored the one he had earlier, his head tilting back and a hand over his big stomach. “He is my puppet!”

“He is not a puppet! He is my son. Give him back, you twisted man!” He stood tall, facing the puppeteer.

“He’s a puppet! He is not meant to be free, doomed to be controlled!”

You huffed at Stromboli’s words. Who was he to decide who Pinocchio would be? He’s a big hairy guy who’s so broke he can’t even afford an actual home! You wouldn’t let him control Pinocchio, no matter what.

Grabbing a rock that had been resting beside your feet, you threw it right at Stromboli’s temple. His eyes went wide at the impact, but it only lasted for a second, his body going unconscious soon after.

“Take that loser!” Sticking your tongue out at him, you did a victory dance. “Gods, I’m great at this!”

Geppetto flinched at Stromboli’s passed out figure but quickly blinked through his confusion, brushing it off and running to the cart Pinocchio was being held in. You followed him after going through Stromboli’s pockets (gross) and finding the keys to the lock.

“Pinocchio!”

Pinocchio, who had been crying in his arms, perked up at the sound of his father’s voice. “Father!!”

Geppetto ran to the cage, placing his hands on the bars. “Oh, my boy. Let’s get you out of here.”

“We tried. There’s no way without a key!”

“We?”

“Yes, me and Jiminy! He’s my conscience, he’s a real good guy!”

Jiminy made his presence known, waving Pinocchio off with rosy cheeks. “No need to toot my horn.“

Geppetto gave him soft eyes. “Thank you for protecting my son, Jiminy.”

The cricket looked away. “Just all in a day's work, nothing crazy.”

You rolled your eyes. What work did he even do? He only came when Pinocchio was already in trouble. What a pretentious bug. More like all in a day's work of being useless.

“Father, we need a key! “Pinocchio reminded him.

“Ah right, okay let’s see..”

While he examined the room, you, not so subtlety, threw the rusted keys in his direction, wincing when it landed on his head. “Oops..”

“Papa, the sky is falling!”

Oh yikes, did you make Pinocchio think he was chicken little? Spoiler: wrong story dude.

Geppetto shook his head, unlocking the cage door. “Don’t be silly. They probably fell from one of the hooks on the ceiling.”

Almost immediately after the cage door was open, Pinocchio jumped forward to embrace his father. Geppetto laughed at his son’s actions, gently petting his head.

“It’s alright Pinocchio, I’ve got you now.”

Now this would’ve been heartwarming if it wasn’t for the sudden darkness you were pulled into. Another scene change? But you helped Pinocchio… there shouldn’t be any more to the story. When everything came to light again, you scratched your head, trying to understand your situation. The familiar clocks on the walls let you know you had returned to Geppetto’s shop.

Did you fail? No. You couldn’t have. You saved him, but why were you still dreaming?

“Good morning, son!”

Jumping at Geppetto’s call, you faced him to where he was standing at a table with Pinocchio.

Pinocchio smiled widely. “Morning!”

The two were in the middle of what looked to be eating breakfast. You frowned. This wasn’t in the original story.

Geppetto returned the smile, pulling out a chair and sitting in front of Pinocchio. “Good morning.” He passed Pinocchio an apple. “Now that we are all comfortable, why don’t you tell me what happened yesterday? Why didn’t you go to school?”

Pinocchio nervously stared at the fruit instead of his father’s questioning eyes. Even Jiminy, who had appeared on Pinocchio’s head, was awaiting an answer.

He gulped. “Oh, um.. I met somebody!” Taking a quick bite of the apple, he hesitantly continued. “These two enormous monsters!”

When the words fell from his lips, as you expected, his nose grew. Both Jiminy and Geppetto’s eyes went wide at his growth spurt.

Pinocchio was also taken aback by his nose, patting it lightly. Geppetto stood from his seat and brought his hand up to Pinocchio’s chin, worry all over his face.

“Oh no, your nose! Did they do this to you? You must’ve been scared.”

The little liar shook his head. “I wasn’t, but they had me all tied up in a big sac!” He stretched his arms out wide, his nose following.

“What about sir Jiminy?” Geppetto asked, examining the nose.

Jiminy whisper-yelled into Pinocchio’s ear. “Hey kid, leave me out of this!”

Unfortunately, Pinocchio ignored him, downsizing his outstretched arms. “They tied him into a little sac!”

After the third lie, his nose grew as long as the table. Pinocchio yelped, dropping the apple in his hands. “My nose!”

Geppetto stood perplexed at his son’s growing situation. “This is no good.”

He hurried to his rack and grabbed a coat. “We need to get you checked out. I’ll go get the doctor. Be good while I’m gone!”

Once he had left, Jiminy hopped down from Pinocchio’s shoulder, arms crossed, an unhappy look on his face. “Why did you lie, Pinocchio?”

“That’s an interesting question. Why did he lie?”

You stood still upon the entrance of Phobetor’s dark voice behind you. The dream spirits appearing out of nowhere were something you had now learned to be accustomed to. Not bothering to meet him, you kept your eyes on the cricket and the boy.

“What do you want?” You grumbled.

He walked up beside you and sighed. “I’d love to torment you.” The corners of his mouth twitched. “Instead, I’ve been ordered to,” he gagged, “help you.”

“I love the enthusiasm.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the excitement is just radiating off of you.”

Phobetor chuckled, puffing his chest out proudly. “Well, I have been working on my temperament.”

Squinting, you nodded slowly. “Right. Anyyyyway, I really do want to know what you’re here for?” You crossed your arms. “With total offense, you guys suck at your job.”

His face twisted into one of anger, and he spoke slowly to himself. “Patience Phobetor Patience..”

With a deep breath, he turned towards you.

“Why did he lie?” He repeated.

He circled around you. “Why do people lie, do you know?”

Your eyes followed him as you thought about his question. Did he think you were dumb?

It was simple. Everyone knows why people lie.

“Because they’re scared.” You answered.

He paused in front of Pinocchio, nodding. “That is true.” he placed his hands onto the boy’s shoulders, freezing him and Jiminy. “Do you know what most people fear?”

‘You’ is what you wanted to say, but you figured he’d send you to Tartarus if you said that. Even if you wanted to answer his question seriously, you couldn’t. If you were being honest with yourself, you never gave such a thing much thought. Growing up, you’ve only ever been concerned with your own feelings, mostly with some exceptions. Besides the select few you did think about, other people were typically an afterthought.

Acknowledging your silence, he continued on.

“Most people fear the truth. The shame or guilt that may come with it or the perception of those around them. It is a tricky concept. If you lie, people might like you better. If you tell the truth, people might hate you. But with truth, there is free will.”

Phobetor grabbed your hand. “When you are afraid, you move by the bounds of fear. Doubt and insecurity dictates every choice you make, you must keep up with the 'truth' you’ve forced yourself to believe.”

Shifting uncomfortably, you pulled your hand away from his.

“Why are you telling me this? Pinocchio’s the liar here.” You questioned, staring at the frozen puppet, not really understanding where this was going.

“There are liars all around you, demigod. One day, you will come to realize that the bravest ones are usually the biggest cowards.” Phobetor mused, turning you back to the duo. “Heads up.”

You furrowed your brows, looking back at him. “Huh-“

Of course, when you needed him the most, he vanished. Seriously, what were those guys useful for besides spinning your head around? They left you with more questions than answers.

Pinocchio and Jiminy continued right where they left off, but before Pinocchio could answer Jiminy’s question, the bell from the front door rang, and in came a strange man.

The man was dressed in all black, a ski mask over his face, concealing his identity. Obviously, he was a robber.

“Father-” Pinocchio started, pausing when he saw the robber. In typical Pinocchio fashion, he couldn’t decipher shady individuals and instead greeted the robber warmly.

“Oh, hello! I thought you were my father.” He smiled at the masked man.

The robber stood as if he was in thought, his eyes being the only thing visible through his mask as they pierced down into Pinocchio’s innocent ones.

“Your father?” His voice was bitter, void of any emotion. Something was off about this man. You didn’t recognize him as a character in the story. He wasn’t one of the crooks, and he definitely was not Stromboli.

Pinocchio gestured to the missing coat from the rack. “My father has gone out to get the doctor because my nose, you see, won't go down.”

Robber didn't care for the long nose, taking an interest in analyzing the surrounding room. You were unsure of what to do. Some of you wanted to jump in and get Pinocchio out of there, but the other part of you, the curious one, couldn’t seem to stop watching.

He crouched down to be eye level with Pinocchio. “Well, I’m a friend of your father’s and he owes me something, you see.”

The long-nosed boy looked curiously into the eyes of the robber. “He does?”

“Yes, something important.” Robber stood up and walked to the counter next to the toy shelf, trailing his finger along its side.

He stopped at the cash register. “I’ll just take it from here. You could just tell him I dropped by, yeah?”

Pinocchio didn’t have time to respond, with Jiminy cutting into the conversation.

“Hey, Pinocchio, maybe we should wait for your dad to get home. I don’t trust this guy.” He said, crossing his arms.

At least he was actually doing his job now. But from the way Pinocchio looked back at Jiminy and the robber, you knew he was about to make a mistake.

The robber cut in quickly after Jiminy. “Now, Pinocchio. I promise, as a friend of your father’s, he wouldn’t mind. But,” He frowned. “I have some bad news to tell you about him.”

“Bad news?”

He hung his head low and sighed. “You’ve been living a lie.” Yeah, no kidding.

“Your father is a bad, sinful man. He stole everything from me, my house, my clothes, and even my money.”

“Oh no, why would he do that?!”

“Because of greed, my boy.”

“Well, why are you friends with him, then?”

Pinocchio’s questions to the robber had actually impressed you. He seemed to have learned some critical thinking skills, after all.

He approached the robber, crossing his arms. “You shouldn’t be friends with people who steal from you,” He sighed. “So I’ll let you take the money back and you don’t have to keep being friends with my dad anymore.”

Your eyebrows dropped at his words. Just when you thought he was actually cool, he had to ruin it by being as naïve as he was before.

Jiminy darted across the table. “Pinocchio-“

“Oh, how kind of you!” The robber interrupted while opening the cash register and taking out wads of cash. “I’ll be on my way with these soon, but I do have one more thing to tell you about your father.”

Pinocchio brought over a bag to the robber, helping him slide in the cash, much to Jiminy’s dismay. “What is it?”

“Isn’t it strange your father makes all these toys for kids but none for you?”

Pinocchio knitted his brows. “What do you mean?”

The robber shrugged, slinging the money bag over his shoulder. “All I’m saying is your father does things for other people he wouldn’t even think about doing for you. I mean, even now he’s not here, the doctor’s office isn’t too far. Why didn’t he take you?”

Oh, come on, Pinocchio, you are better than this. Your faith in Pinocchio was dwindling by the second as he sat in his thoughts, considering the words of the masked man.

“I.. I don’t know.”

His frown deepened when the robber placed his hand on his shoulder. “I know it sucks to learn about the truth, but I have a gift that might bring your spirits up.”

After rummaging in his pocket, he brought out a full-blown diamond which had stumped you. You couldn’t understand why he had to rob Geppetto of his money if he had such a gem in his possession.

Jiminy shared the same confusion as you while he watched Pinocchio take the diamond from the robber’s outstretch hand, looking at his face on its surface. He didn’t bother to respond to the robber’s last sentence before he bid goodbye.

“Be a good boy now, Pinocchio. I’ll be on my way. I hope I have enlightened you.” Was what he said as he made way back outside, chuckling darkly when the door closed behind him.

You balled your first. What a jerk. Everything he did completely grossed you out, how easily he took advantage of Pinocchio and even laughing about it after. He probably felt like the greatest man in the world after what he just pulled and it couldn’t have angered you more.

Jiminy hopped off the table, approaching Pinocchio and climbing up his body to his head. He anxiously tugged on Pinocchio’s ear. “Don’t tell me you believe that, fool?”

The boy shrugged, going to take a seat at the dining table. “Jiminy, I don’t know,” he sighed softly, cradling the diamond. “I never know. I'm always wrong. There’s nothing I can do right. I.. I’ll never be the boy my father wants me to be.”

His eyes pooled with tears and his head found his arms on the table, muffled sobs being let out.

You coughed, blinking away the wetness that was building up in your eyes. Jiminy wasn’t in any better shape than you. He was sniffling and mumbling on about allergies and dust in the air.

Even in the heavy atmosphere, though, you let out a small giggle at Pinocchio’s nose that was hanging from the edge of the table as he cried.

“Pinocchio, I’m home-" Geppetto’s voice echoed through the room, only dropping when he noticed Pinocchio’s current position. Running over, he crouched at his son’s level, stroking his back. “What happened? Are you okay?!”

Lifting his head to meet his father’s eyes, Pinocchio spoke through his choked sobs. “Father, are you a liar?”

Geppetto looked shocked at the accusation. “Of course not!“

“Where’s the doctor?”

“He couldn’t make it-“

“You went to gift other kids, didn’t you?”

“What? Now Pinocchio-“

“No!” Pinocchio shrugged off Geppetto’s hand that was rested on his back. “You are a liar, after all!”

Geppetto was almost knocked down as Pinocchio pushed past him to stand. When he turned back to his father, his once sad eyes were angry. “You lied to me! You said you’d be getting a doctor. I don’t see one!”

“If you just let me explain-“

“No! Liar, liar, liar!”

Who knew Pinocchio had such fury?? Watching him go off on his father made you think about Nico. You only knew him for a day. Was he ever this angry? That wasn’t exactly something you’d be thrilled to see. Hopefully, you were wrong.

Figaro, who you’d almost forgotten about, had peaked his head out from the staircase, scrambling back immediately once he heard the yells of Pinocchio.

“I hate you!”

If you could hear someone’s heartbreaking, you surely would've heard Geppetto’s heart shattering into a million pieces.

You weren’t feeling too bad for Pinocchio now. You wanted to go in there and pummel him until he begged his father for forgiveness. But luckily for him, a harsh knock on the door disrupted your plans.

Geppetto sighed heavily as he departed from Pinocchio to go open the door. He gasped at the man standing outside. “Officer? What are you doing here? Did something happen?”

The officer squinted at him. “Yes, something did happen. The nearby jewelry store was robbed.”

“Oh, no that’s awful, but,” Geppetto tilted his head. “Why come here?”

“Well,” the officer started. “We got a report stating the missing diamond was stolen by you.”

Geppetto laughed dryly. “Me? Surely it was a mistake. There’s no diamond here.”

“Sir, I’m going to have to go through your shop.”

“There’s nothing here. The only person who was home was my son, Pinocchio.” He turned to Pinocchio. “You didn’t take anything right, son?”

Pinocchio only blinked silently at his father, and when Geppetto glanced at Jiminy, who was avoiding his eyes, he knew something was wrong. The officer also took notice of the odd behavior and he attempted to move past Geppetto and into the shop. “I’m going in-“

Geppetto shook the worry off his face and blocked the officer’s path. “I believe you need a warrant.”

The officer chuckled. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"Well, if you knew how to do your job, I wouldn't have to tell you now, would I?"

You gasped and brought your hands over your mouth. Geppetto had sass. What a cool old man. His response really reminded you of Chiron, but Chiron was only half as cool as Geppetto.

“Alright, I’m done playing games.” The officer said, now putting his hands on Geppetto and trying to move him out of the way. Geppetto stood firm, though, not allowing himself to be moved. “I said you need a warrant.”

As the two argued and Pinocchio watched, growing anxious. You knew you needed to help the father-son duo escape. You never thought it’d be in your future to help a wanted criminal, but here you are now, grabbing a can of pepper spray that was sitting on a shelf and spraying it over Geppetto’s shoulder and into the officer’s eyes.

He screamed immediately, hands flying over his eyes. “My EYES!!”

You gave him a kick just to make sure he stayed down and got a weird sense of déjà vu when Geppetto ignored the screaming officer to scoop up Pinocchio in his arms. It was like the Stromboli incident 2.0.

He stormed out of the door, running to the forest behind their home while the officer yelled into his walkie-talkie for back up. You felt dizzy in the chaos, almost falling back when your vision went out.

This time, as your vision returned, you yelped at something poking on your leg. Looking down, you noticed a stick that was pressing into you.

“Stab me, would you?” You muttered, rubbing your leg and throwing the stick in a random direction.

You took in the smell of pure nature while you analyzed your surroundings. You were in the middle of the forest. It looked strikingly similar to the forest from camp, even the same wonky tree you saw the Demeter kids experiment on was there.

It tempted you to walk around and see what else you could find, but once you took a step forward; you had almost collided with Geppetto, who was running like a madman with Pinocchio tucked under his arm.

Jumping back, you watched as he dropped to the floor, gasping for air, and releasing Pinocchio.

Pinocchio scrambled to his father’s side. “Father, are you okay?!”

Geppetto raised his hand to signal that he was fine. Once he was all caught up in his breathing, he reached up to Pinocchio’s face. “Son, did you steal that diamond?”

Pinocchio quickly shook his head, showing his father the diamond. “No! It’s right here, a man gave it to me as a gift!”

“Who’s this man?”

“He said he was your friend.”

“My friend?”

Pinocchio nodded. “Yes, he said-”

In the distance, police sirens were blaring and whistles from every direction in the forest were going off, interrupting Pinocchio’s speech. Geppetto got to his feet and gripped his son’s shoulders. “Give the diamond back, Pinocchio, it is not yours.”

Pinocchio looked offended at his words and reeled the diamond back into his chest. “No! It is my gift.”

The whistling grew closer and Geppetto tugged on Pinocchio’s shoulders. “It is not yours to keep Pinocchio, if we are to get away, you must give it back-”

“It’s not fair! The other kids you give things to get to keep their presents, why can’t I?!”

“Pinocchio right now is not the time to talk about this-”

“Everyone else gets Geppetto’s toys, but I get nothing!”

The whistling was now too close for comfort, causing Geppetto to anxiously eye the forest. Releasing Pinocchio’s shoulders, he aimed for the diamond in his arms. But Pinocchio whirled back, tears in his eyes. “I never want to see you again! ”

“That’s it, I’m going in.” You said, readying yourself to run in and stop Pinocchio's tantrum. But as you dashed towards the small family, a barrier pushed you back. You made a small ‘oof’ sound as you hit the ground. Frowning, you got up and tried to run in again, only to be blocked by the barrier.

Huffing, you got up and poked at it. “What is this?”

You would’ve investigated the barrier more, but the yelling of officers from all different directions, even one from right behind you, startled you and you reeled back away from the barrier.

The officers surrounded Pinocchio and his father. They were doomed. There was nowhere to run. Every direction was blocked.

Geppetto pushed Pinocchio behind his legs. “Can I help you?” He asked the officers.

You recognized the officer from earlier as he approached Geppetto. “Don’t play dumb, carpenter. We know you and the boy have the diamond.”

Geppetto didn’t falter. “I already told you, we do not have a diamond. You’re wasting everyone’s time.”

“Alright,” The officer nodded his chin towards Geppetto. “Arrest them guys.”

“No, wait!” Pinocchio ran out from behind Geppetto, the diamond on full display in his arms. “Here!”

“Pinocchio-”

“My father stole it! He made me hold it for him!”

Your jaw dropped. This had to be a dream in a dream because there was no way that Pinocchio just lied. Well, it was Pinocchio, after all. But he lied, like really really bad and this time there was truly nothing you could do.

Geppetto gaped at Pinocchio’s words, yet he remained strong and faced the officer again.

“He’s telling the truth. I stole the diamond.” He ‘confessed’.

The officer didn’t seem too convinced with the act, but it looked as if he cared little to investigate further and turned to his comrades. “You heard the man. We’ve got our culprit.”

The other officers turned to each other, shrugging before cheering at their victory. It left a sour taste in your mouth. The real culprit had gotten away, and now Geppetto was paying the price. Even Pinocchio, who you thought was innocent, was just as bad as the culprit who put him in this situation. It was unfair. You told yourself it was only a dream, but you couldn’t help the anger you felt towards the whole thing. Why did it have to be this way?

Once the handcuffs were placed onto Geppetto’s wrist, he received a harsh shove from the officer as they began to navigate him out of the forest. Geppetto turned to Pinocchio with sad eyes, still managing a smile. “I love you, Pinocchio.” Was all he said before he disappeared into the forest with the rest of the police crew.

With his shoulders slumped, Pinocchio kept his eyes on where his father was once standing. His lips quivered, and he forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down.

You scoffed. "Oh boo hoo, you did this to yourself."

Sympathy was the last thing this kid was getting out of you, him looking like Nico wasn't enough for you anymore. He would have to complete all the twelve labors of Hercules to win you back.

“I guess it’s time to go home.” He mumbled.

His feet stood frozen in place when he attempted to move. He knitted his brows, looking down at his legs. He screamed when he noticed both of his legs becoming wooden. “My legs!” As he reached down to grab his leg, his eyes widened at the wooden hand. “My hand!!”

Soon both of his legs were fully wood, and he lost his mobility, forcing him down onto the ground. He flailed his arms, screaming for help. But it was in the middle of the forest. Who would hear him? His eyes were fully alarmed as he watched the bottom half of his torso become wood. Still, he continued to scream.

This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t a fairytale. It was a nightmare, and you wanted it to end. You squeezed your eyes shut and pinched your arm as tightly as you could, attempting to drown out the screams of Pinocchio, but it was to no use. His screams were only getting louder the more desperate you became. Your attempt was hopeless, you couldn’t escape.

So you turned your back towards Pinocchio, clutching your ears. You kept your eyes on the tree in front of you, steadying your breath. You’ll wake up soon Y/n. That is what you repeated to yourself. It was your only form of comfort.

A blue light shining behind you had taken away your attention from the tree. The familiar twinkling sound from earlier brought you to ease, and you slowly turned your head to face Fairy Drew.

Unlike earlier, where even with her poor attitude she still showed signs of playfulness, her face was completely serious as she approached Pinocchio, whose screaming had stopped at her entrance. Most of his body was wood now except for his face. His cheeks were tear-stricken as he looked up at Fairy Drew with his last bit of hope.

"Help me." His voice was scratchy from his screams as he pleaded weakly.

Fairy Drew shook her head and took a seat next to his immobile figure. "The only person who could help you is you. I gave you a task, and you failed. You were selfish, a coward, and most of all, a liar." She sneered. "You will never be a real boy, Pinocchio."

"I-" His mouth turned into wood right as he tried to respond. Fairy Drew watched coldly from above him as the wood was slowly taking up the rest of his face. His eyes were glued to the sky, his eyes on the same wishing star he was born from and as the wood completely took over his face, a single tear left his eye.

You swallowed the pit in your throat, not entirely sure what to make of what had just happened. If you wanted to see what happened next, which you really didn't, you couldn't. Instead of your vision going black, the area around you turned dimmed and you were left standing in complete darkness.

“Phew, talk about a grand finale.”

At the sound of Morpheus’s voice, you ran towards him, going straight for his chest and engulfing him in a hug. You sobbed into his chest, wailing and rambling about the entire dream. “…..There was an officer and then there was this diamond and then Pinocchio lied and then he got turned to wood!!”

Morpheus awkwardly patted your back as you cried, groaning when you blew your nose into his clothes.

“Hey, uh, it’s okay. Just a dream, bud.”

You looked up at him with your brows knitted and watery eyes. “Why would you show me that?!”

He sighed and looked back at you with a shrug. “Why do we do anything?”

Fuming, you stomped away from him. “Don’t talk to me. We are not friends anymore.”

“Maybe it’s time for you to wake up.”

This made you whip your head back around to him. “No! I have too many questions. I can’t wake up now!”

He smiled at you, sending you a salute. “Rise and shine, kid.”

Before you could protest any longer, he snapped his fingers, and you sent him the harshest glare you could muster before going unconscious.

Masterlist

#nico di angelo #nico di angelo x male reader #pjo #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #trials of apollo #nico di angelo x reader #i’m tired #this took so long #LOL #😍😍🤪🤪#nico diangelo x reader #pjo x male reader

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