#nico yells into the void

[creativenicocorner]

You know the slight ‘rivalry’ Vimes had with the Assassin’s Guild? I feel like Moist von Lipwig has the same thing, but with the Thieves Guild. 

This dude has stolen SO MUCH and was never part of the guild, the guild is probably upset to say the slightest (Making Money court case aside). 

The zinger though! Especially when Adora and Moist are married and are living together, is that Adora has paid the guild and all her things cannot be touched - so if the Thieves Guild does try anything they have to specifically only take Moist’s things

Shenanigans ensue 

at least thats my little HC haha 

[theimperialnuisance]

Know the Mun/blogger

1. Are you named after anyone?

By my middle name, I am! After my great-grandmother <3

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday cause I was just in a lot of pain for reasons :< but I am a lot better today and able to function!

3. Do you have kids?

Do my cats and dog count? :3

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Eh, sometimes? If the situation calls for it but also, I'm sometimes terrible using sarcasm and detecting it XD

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

I was in marching band during HS, I did dance before that but I was never really on any sort of team for sports unless you count the neighborhood kids getting together every so often to play hockey in the streets! Other than that, no, no much of a sports person--maybe soccer every now and then but I'm more of a yoga/pilates type person to get the movement in.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people?

Physically: their eyes and smile Overall: how they carry themselves/act around others

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Over the two? Happy ending cause I am a scared-y cat XD I am not one for scary movies...suspense/thriller/adventure, absolutely! But something that belongs at Halloween Horror Nights? I'll take the happy ending over that any day.

8. Any special talents?

Uhhhh I'm ambidextrous? I can braid my hair without a mirror and I can walk around while doing so?

9. Where were you born?

Along the West Coast of the States! :3 ( And that's all ya get ;b )

10. What are your hobbies?

A lot! I like to write, crochet, play video games, do pilates/yoga, sing and dance, cosplay, draw (though I'm not the best at it), sew, and watch the stars and collect seashells <3

11. Do you have any pets?

I have a cat named Zero and my sis also has one named Miyavi. Both are grumpy old men but we love them lots, even if they sing the song of their people at 3 AM in the morning when I'm trying to sleep. Zero is my sweet prince and I love him to the moon and back. I also adopted a dog with my sis--her name is Boba and she's the CUTEST and sweetest pup I've ever had and she owns my whole heart. <3

12. How tall are you?

5'0" :3

13. Fave subject in school?

Creative writing, English, and History of Theatre.

14. Dream job?

I'm working it <3 I've always wanted to work with a professional theatre company and earlier this year, that dream came true!

15. Eye colour?

It changes--anywhere between green or hazel, it depends on my mood. I've been told their more green when I'm sad/tired. and any other time, their hazel.

Tagged by: @sundered-souls (forever ago ^^;; ty for the tag my friend!)

tagging: YOU who is reading this (if you want :3 tag me if you do!)

[transmasc-wizard]

someone remind me to write up a Thing about pov/tense and what u should use in writing on friday

i wont have time tonight or tomorrow but. i want to do it

[anachronistic-falsehood]

for me no queer media will ever top the feeling of reading heroes of olympus house of hades when i was like 11 or 12 and getting to the scene where Nico admits he loves Percy. I was so shocked i got dizzy but along with that was this sort of indescribable feeling of “my favourite character is gay and this is the first gay character i have ever witnessed” like NOTHING will replace the excited/nervous butterflies in my stomach and the few hours i had to take after that to process it. NOTHING WILL EVER HIT THAT HARD NOTHING I TELL YOU

[outofmymindbebacklater]

Nico in BOO: I'll be staying at camp... besides, someone has to redecorate the ugly emo Hades cabin design

Literally Nico in the last Olympian:

[looneymaroon]

Okay I know people have probably talked about this. But I love the Cup bros dynamic so much!

Cuphead might be oblivious to the danger he's in but if there's one thing he isn't oblivious at is the fact that Mugman is always saving him.

It could of been really easy to just have him be saved by Mugs and not notice but he does!

Not only that! He actively praises and appreciates Mugs for saving him. Even saying that as long as he has Mugs by his side he doesn't feel in danger. (Which is really sweet!)

He also hypes Mugs up which is great. Stating that his little brother is the smartest person he knows and being proud of him for being brave for a zombie movie.

Also little things like cutting his pancakes in half to give to Mugs and just the fact he calls him Mugsy just goes to show he cares for him so much.

And Mugman?

Well what's there to say?

This kid is pretty much fighting a god just to keep his brother safe. Always thinking of plans to make sure he and Cuphead get out alive.

In the sweater episode,it's implied Cuphead has been having nightmares for weeks. In which Mugman would apparently wake up to potentially comfort Cups considering he says "You had the dream again,didn't ya?" This means they had probably talked about it before.

They both can be equally dummies. Which is great since most shows make one character dumb while the other not when it comes to duos.

Also I really like how they're also allowed to fight and bicker. The ice cream bicker is great cause it a realistic pointless argument between siblings. I’ve had a similar experience with my own siblings.

Anyways!

It's nice to have more to Cuphead than just kid who sold his and his brother's soul to the devil.

And it's nice to have more to Mugman than just the pushover younger brother.

[crossbackpoke-check]

i’m not sure if you’ve heard yet but nico’s tattoo is all of his family members’ astrological signs smushed together which is so… i’m obsessed

NO I HAD NOT HEARD!!!!! (partially because tumblr decided i was not to see people’s asks??)

oh my god. oh my god. that is so unbelievably. actually i take it back it is incredibly believable and i love that for him

[bottomlessabyssposts]

We're gonna visit the apartment we're gonna use for our short film ! AND I DIRECT IT !!! I DIRECT IT DO YOU HEAR ME

[thenanbakacorner]

Hey just wanted to pop by and just say Im glad to see your blog and the Nanbaka fandom is still alive and well, but I also wanted to share that I keep forgetting how fucking tall everyone in the show is! Like can we take a second to realize that both jyugo and Nico are 5’ 6” like 5 feet 6 inches!!!! They’re supposed to be short like especially Nico, but the fact that Upa is only 4’ 11” makes it even worse somehow as someone who sits at 5’ 2” it’s like ok so I’m shorter than basically everybody except for Upa and well probably kuu but like I don’t know he that counts being a cat and all. Sorry I just had to yell into the void and maybe have the void see that height charts of characters are so mean!

Thank you very much! I've been pretty slow with working on requests and have been overall busy irl but hopefully I can get everything caught up on soon! And lmao I feel you!! I'm around 5'3!

[creativenicocorner]

Going to go through a slight blog change in the future, this mainly includes a name change, and icon change, including on Ao3. Just giving a heads up! 

[behold-booklovers]

This was the worst cliffhanger ever!

She tried to stagger toward the ladder. Why was she moving backward

instead? Her legs swept out from under her and she fell on her face.

“Her ankle!” Hazel shouted from the ladder. “Cut it! Cut it!”

Annabeth’s mind was woolly from the pain. Cut her ankle?

Apparently Percy didn’t realize what Hazel meant either. Then something

yanked Annabeth backward and dragged her toward the pit. Percy lunged. He

grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.

“Help them!” Hazel yelled.

Annabeth glimpsed Nico hobbling in their direction, Hazel trying to

disentangle her cavalry sword from the rope ladder. Their other friends were still

focused on the statue, and Hazel’s cry was lost in the general shouting and the

rumbling of the cavern.

Annabeth sobbed as she hit the edge of the pit. Her legs went over the side.

Too late, she realized what was happening: she was tangled in the spider silk.

She should have cut it away immediately. She had thought it was just loose line,

but with the entire floor covered in cobwebs, she hadn’t noticed that one of thestrands was wrapped around her foot—and the other end went straight into the

pit. It was attached to something heavy down in the darkness, something that

was pulling her in.

“No,” Percy muttered, light dawning in his eyes. “My sword…”

But he couldn’t reach Riptide without letting go of Annabeth’s arm, and

Annabeth’s strength was gone. She slipped over the edge. Percy fell with her.

Her body slammed into something. She must have blacked out briefly from

the pain. When she could see again, she realized that she’d fallen partway into

the pit and was dangling over the void. Percy had managed to grab a ledge about

fifteen feet below the top of the chasm. He was holding on with one hand,

gripping Annabeth’s wrist with the other, but the pull on her leg was much too

strong.

No escape, said a voice in the darkness below. I go to Tartarus, and you will

come too.

Annabeth wasn’t sure if she actually heard Arachne’s voice or if it was just in

her mind.

The pit shook. Percy was the only thing keeping her from falling. He was

barely holding on to a ledge the size of a bookshelf.

Nico leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out his hand, but he was

much too far away to help. Hazel was yelling for the others, but even if they

heard her over all the chaos, they’d never make it in time.

Annabeth’s leg felt like it was pulling free of her body. Pain washed

everything in red. The force of the Underworld tugged at her like dark gravity.

She didn’t have the strength to fight. She knew she was too far down to be

saved.

“Percy, let me go,” she croaked. “You can’t pull me up.”

His face was white with effort. She could see in his eyes that he knew it was

hopeless.

“Never,” he said. He looked up at Nico, fifteen feet above. “The other side,

Nico! We’ll see you there. Understand?”

Nico’s eyes widened. “But—”

“Lead them there!” Percy shouted. “Promise me!”“I—I will.”

Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful

sacrifices to wake the goddess.

Percy tightened his grip on Annabeth’s wrist. His face was gaunt, scraped and

bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs, but when he locked eyes with her, she

thought he had never looked more handsome.

“We’re staying together,” he promised. “You’re not getting away from me.

Never again.”

Only then did she understand what would happen. A one-way trip. A very

hard fall.

“As long as we’re together,” she said.

She heard Nico and Hazel still screaming for help. She saw the sunlight far,

far above—maybe the last sunlight she would ever see.

Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands, he and

Annabeth fell into the endless darkness.

[transmasc-wizard]

i really want to write about this incredibly super duper feminine straight girly "girl" having his trans egg cracked wiiiiiiiiide open & i even have the characters and stuff but,,,,,,, brain won't write :(

[anachronistic-falsehood]

ok i KNOW i said when i was done flores facets part 8 i would keep working on the midvalley fic but. *gestures vaguely to flores facets* this series got me FUCKED UP i want nico’s facets to meet thomas’ sides already it’s killing me

[antimonyandthyme]

Are there any ideas you want to write but haven't (yet) for whatever reason? No time, too big, too kinky, different fandom, other?

-🐙 (since you've been naming your anons I'll claim this one 😉)

Oh my god octopus anon! I love you I love this question I love that you're giving me free reign to talk about whatever I have rolling about this noggin' I'd like to caution everyone that it is unhinged and very nsfw and sadly I might not get to writing it all but I live in hope!

(Also octopus anon I feel like you already know me because indeed there are a lot of ideas that are probably too kinky--gets sniped)

1. Flesh out the superhero AU

When things get really hectic at work like now I tend to spew out short snippets which is what you've been seeing on the blog, I add lil scenes to the Superhero AU and the Wolf AU and it's just wonderful distraction for me, but the brain is a little too scrambled at the moment to weave all the scenes together.

I'm enjoying the Superhero AU so much that I actually want to sit down and write out a whole proper chaptered story. All the backstory with supes and their companies, Seb's tragic past with Michael, Charles coming into the picture, the training, Seb meeting Mick and dropping his shield, Charles' and Mick's duel with a lot of crying and a lot of yelling, Mick's apology with more crying, SebMickChal as a superhero trio kicking ass and taking names, LOTS OF SEX BETWEEN THE THREE, a final fight in which Seb loses his powers protecting Mick and Charles, Seb retiring to be a farmer.

2. Hear me out, hear me out. I want to write an Attack on Titan AU for F1. I'm not kidding. Seb is Eren. Lewis is Mikasa. Nico is Armin. Am I speaking into the void here?

3. Hear me out, hear me out. I want to write a Star Wars AU for F1. I'm not kidding. Seb is Obi-Wan. Charles is Anakin.

4. I have like, 5 Pacific Rim AUs planned. I can't write them at the moment because my brain is constantly distracted by porn.

5. I've chatficced this with court my beloved @cooldownrooms, and I also want to flesh out the Wolf AU. I want to write an entire story where Seb and Charles lead as co-alphas one human one wolf and they straddle the gap between the village and the forest and slowly gain the respect of all and I want Charles to tell the wolves about his liege lord and a scene in which Seb's reading by the fire with like a dozen wolves curled up around him. Charles has his head in Seb's lap.

6. Sebastidan. Like roadtrip Sebastidan. Summer break comfort Sebastidan. Hot but very sweet sex Sebastidan.

Be warned, things get really funky below. Please tread with caution!

7. More stories regarding fucked up contracts!

In It Takes an Ocean Not to Break, I play around with the idea that contracts exist for prize or punishment for winning and losing. I wanna do a sebchal version in which Ferrari has a contract in place which allows for gangbangs whenever a driver performs poorly. Charles finds out by accident, and questions why it's never happened to him before. Turns out that Seb has been taking it in place of Charles all this time. Charles bursts in during one of the sessions and rips them all off of Seb.

8. Speaking of fucked up contracts!

I want to write an ABO AU for It Take an Ocean Not to Break, in which Seb loses in 2018 goes into heat doesn't know who to turn to (not his own team, he can't even face them) so he goes to Lewis and Mercedes. Lewis and Toto will go to Ferrari tomorrow and rip everyone's heads off for not taking care of Seb but for now they will lavish Seb with all the attention and affection he requires--you get the idea.

9. Smick pleasure toy AU

There's a whole world I've planned in which Mick purchases Seb as a pleasure toy. He goes to an auction and they have all these people strung up on display and Mick zeroes in on Seb and the trader goes oh you don't want this one, he's problematic, and Mick goes oh on the contrary. This one's mine. I don't want to spoil this too much because I really, really want to write it.

10. Fucking machine

Well this is kinda self explanatory and @mediumbeans is already a genius for giving us a glimpse into what Seb would be like with Klaus I love it I love it so much. I do want to get into the mechanics like how is it built? Does it have tentacles? Oh god. How does it fuck Seb? Does it gain sentience? Does it refuse to stop when Seb tells it to stop?

Octopus anon once again thank you for your question you've allowed me to be brave if I haven't scared you away with this please always feel free to ask me for more details I actually have a million other ideas they never stop. Time's mostly the issue with all of these I enjoy writing so much but unfortunately! Life calls.

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 17: WE GET A SURPRISE ON MIAMI BEACH

"It's not a nudist colony is it?" Magnus asked in concern when Nico read the new title. He'd believe anything at this point

"Do they even have those in Miami?" Alex asked with intrigue.

"Maybe it's a trip to purgatory," Jason still looked troubled what else could go wrong.

"The infinite void or the gay club?" Alex smirked.

"You guys somehow make Florida sound less appealing than a cyclops attack would be." Nico frowned around at them all.

"Percy, wake up."

Salt water splashed my face. Annabeth was shaking my shoulder.

"Don't pinch me if that's just a dream," Percy grinned. He couldn't imagine waking up happier. Thalia pinched him anyways just to smirk at him, and make sure he was paying attention and all.

In the distance, the sun was setting behind a city skyline. I could see a beachside highway lined with palm trees, store-fronts glowing with red and blue neon, a harbor filled with sailboats and cruise ships.

"Miami, I think," Annabeth said.

"Seriously, what's with this state being the jump-off point this book?" Magnus frowned. "Is the Bermuda Triangle that close to Florida?"

Percy wouldn't consider himself an expert on ocean topography, but he was vaguely confident, "Until you start heading further south, yeah," he shrugged, it was no stranger than anything else.

  "But the hippocampi are acting funny."

"Like, trying to tell jokes, or like, trying to drown you?" Alex asked.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me which of those you actually think is funny," Jason frowned at him.

Alex did look directly at him, but Nico was mercifully ignoring their side conversation and so didn't answer lest they miss anything.

Sure enough, our fishy friends had slowed down and were whinnying and swimming in circles, sniffing the water. They didn't look happy. One of them sneezed. I could tell what they were thinking.

"So can I, and I don't need to speak hippocampi," Thalia sniffed defensively. Humans, pollution, these creatures wouldn't tolerate it any closer than that.

"This is as far as they'll take us," I said. "Too many humans. Too much pollution. We'll have to swim to shore on our own."

"Are you sure you don't just want to be telling us this story?" Percy rolled his eyes indulgently. "You seem to know everything."

"And miss the glorious details of hanging from sheep and Clarisse's almost vows? As if," she smirked.

None of us was very psyched about that, but we thanked Rainbow and his friends for the ride.

Tyson cried a little. He unfastened the makeshift saddle pack he'd made, which contained his tool kit and a couple of other things he'd salvaged from the Birmingham wreck. He hugged Rainbow around the neck, gave him a soggy mango he'd picked up on the island, and said good-bye.

"That's it!" Alex waved his hand impatiently at the book. "Tyson and Rainbow officially need to appear in here for our mango chutney grill-a-thon!"

"That was your limit on that?" Will asked, looking on fondly himself, wishing he could share Tyson and Rainbow probably saw each other every day anyways, but he reminded himself Percy couldn't know that yet.

"Why did you have a limit on that?" Jason frowned.

Once the hippocampi's white manes disappeared into the sea, we swam for shore. The waves pushed us forward, and in no time we were back in the mortal world. We wandered along the cruise line docks, pushing through crowds of people arriving for vacations. Porters bustled around with carts of luggage. Taxi drivers yelled at each other in Spanish and tried to cut in line for customers. If anybody noticed us—five kids dripping wet and looking like they'd just had a fight with a monster—they didn't let on.

"How would they let on?" Magnus was looking a little salty himself the homeless were ignored across the nation. "Point you to the nearest police station?"

"It's to bad we couldn't have another TV crew there to film the finals this time," Percy agreed somberly.

Now that we were back among mortals, Tyson's single eye had blurred from the Mist. Grover had put on his cap and sneakers. Even the Fleece had transformed from a sheepskin to a red and-gold high school letter jacket with a large glittery Omega on the pocket.

"That would be so cool if it wasn't weirdly terrifying that's a thing," Jason muttered. He had the feeling a lot, he couldn't believe his own eyes reading this thing. Was it possible he'd go right back to the surface and stare someone in the face, possibly the most important person in his life and not even know?

Thalia gave him a sympathetic look he gratefully smiled at before turning his attention back.

Annabeth ran to the nearest newspaper box and checked the date on the Miami Herald. She cursed. "June eighteenth! We've been away from camp ten days!"

"That's impossible!" Clarisse said.

But I knew it wasn't. Time traveled differently in monstrous places.

"Thalia's tree must be almost dead," Grover wailed. "We have to get the Fleece back tonight."

"It's nice Clarisse filled him in on the important details while she was tied up," Will nodded, it really showed her true intentions for the quest.

Clarisse slumped down on the pavement. "How are we supposed to do that?" Her voice trembled. "We're hundreds of miles away. No money. No ride. This is just like the Oracle said. It's your fault, Jackson! If you hadn't interfered—"

"Percy's fault?!" Annabeth exploded. "Clarisse, how can you say that? You are the biggest—"

"Stop it!" I said.

Percy was sitting tense in his seat, still wanting to step between these two. Annabeth was possibly still hurt and shouldn't be engaging in an argument they currently had no answer to. He respected Clarisse more after all this than he'd ever have believed possible and wished he could give her a friendly ear she'd clearly rip off. He saw her in his mind's eye alone while he was surrounded by his friends on her own quest that they'd barely made it out of.

Then there was Ares to consider, and he wished he could do something for her.

Clarisse put her head in hands. Annabeth stomped her foot in frustration.

The thing was: I'd almost forgotten this quest was supposed to be Clarisse's. For a scary moment, I saw things from her point of view. How would I feel if a bunch of other heroes had butted in and made me look bad?

"I imagine you would have walked them down the aisle to Polyphemus," Alex said sincerely.

"Or at least shoved a mollusk in their mouth every time they opened it," Thalia rolled her eyes. Maybe she should tag along on Percy's next quest, since he kept inviting himself to everybody else's.

I thought about what I'd overheard in the boiler room of the CSS Birmingham—Ares yelling at Clarisse, warning her that she'd better not fail. Ares couldn't care less about the camp, but if Clarisse made him look bad ...

They all winced for that unneeded reminder and wished there was a way to dissolve a pantheon god in boiling acid without causing unstable chaos for a moment.

"Clarisse," I said, "what did the Oracle tell you exactly?"

She looked up. I thought she was going to tell me off, but instead she took a deep breath and recited her prophecy:

"You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone,

You shall find what you seek and make it your own,

But despair for your life entombed within stone,

And fail without friends, to fly home alone."

"Why did you want me to get one of these again?" Nico asked Will quietly, but with such bitterness the others all knew it hadn't been a pleasant comment. This sounded exactly like the kind of doom he was expected to get, why make it worse?

"Just read," Will whispered comfortingly, resisting the urge to brush the bangs out of Nico's eyes as he kept his face bent. The wording couldn't have been more perfect in true Oracle style, he finally understood why Beckendorf had to go and pick her up from the airport, a story she'd never properly explained during the following meeting after they got the fleece in place, certainly his brother hadn't told him anyways. Where and how they'd gotten the money for the solo trip he didn't care, he was smiling so brightly that despite how grim that had sounded, no one was in doubt this had to have a happy ending for at least her.

"Ouch," Grover mumbled.

"No," I said. "No ... wait a minute. I've got it."

I searched my pockets for money, and found nothing but a golden drachma. "Does anybody have any cash?"

Annabeth and Grover shook their heads morosely. Clarisse pulled a wet Confederate dollar from her pocket and sighed.

"If they had a little time to get it authenticated, that actually might have been worth a pretty penny," Jason offered.

"I don't think a pawn shop would cut it, but maybe," Thalia agreed uneasily. Just because she knew it all worked out didn't mean she couldn't be nervous how long it took between the send-off and Luke arriving.

"Cash?" Tyson asked hesitantly. "Like ... green paper?"

'I'm going to pretend that's a cyclops thing and not an, oh my gods nobody's ever given this kid a scrap of money thing,' Magnus signed just for Hearth.

His friend grimaced and felt too awful to comment for whichever the answer was.

I looked at him. "Yeah."

"Like the kind in duffel bags?"

"Yeah, but we lost those bags days a-g-g—"

I stuttered to a halt as Tyson rummaged in his saddle pack and pulled out the Ziploc bag full of cash that Hermes had included in our supplies.

They literally lost nothing during that explosion, Alex resisted the urge to throw that out. These guys did go through a lot, but the conveniences still left him questioning just how many gods were on Percy's side as opposed to against.

"Tyson!" I said. "How did you—"

"Thought it was a feed bag for Rainbow," he said. "Found it floating in sea, but only paper inside. Sorry."

He handed me the cash. Fives and tens, at least three hundred dollars.

"Hermes is seriously the most diverse god in every way right now," Alex muttered for Magnus, who nodded along. This quest wouldn't have happened without him, and yet the god's ultimate goal of reaching a hand out to Luke had been the biggest hurdle.

I ran to the curb and grabbed a taxi that was just letting out a family of cruise passengers.

"Clarisse," I yelled. "Come on. You're going to the airport. Annabeth, give her the Fleece."

I'm not sure which of them looked more stunned as I took the Fleece letter jacket from Annabeth, tucked the cash into its pocket, and put it in Clarisse's arms.

Clarisse said, "You'd let me—"

"Let her," Percy shook his head affectionately. "Not even Ares could let that girl do anything, this was meant to be."

"It's your quest," I said. "We only have enough money for one flight. Besides, I can't travel by air. Zeus would blast me into a million pieces. That's what the prophecy meant: you'd fail without friends, meaning you'd need our help, but you'd have to fly home alone. You have to get the Fleece back safely."

Nico ran his thumb over that paragraph and met Will's eyes for a moment before he kept reading in the poignant silence. He still didn't really think Will knew what he was asking for, but now that Jason himself had admitted to his memory loss he probably owed the son of Apollo an apology for dismissing there was anything he could do. Maybe Will was right about this one thing at least and a Prophecy couldn't make it worse...

I could see her mind working—suspicious at first, wondering what trick I was playing, then finally deciding I meant what I said.

She jumped in the cab. "You can count on me. I won't fail."

"Of that, we all agree," Jason grinned, wishing he could congratulate her on a job well done already. She'd come back a conquering hero to camp, and hopefully a few damn apologies.

"Not failing would be good."

The cab peeled out in a cloud of exhaust. The Fleece was on its way.

"Percy," Annabeth said, "that was so—"

"Generous?" Grover offered.

"Insane," Annabeth corrected. "You're betting the lives of everybody at camp that Clarisse will get the Fleece safely back by tonight?"

Percy's confidence didn't waver over this any more than he had deciding not to kill Polyphemus. Annabeth had her differences with Clarisse just like his girlfriend had with Percy in the beginning. Annabeth probably did have some trust issues after what Luke had done and the two had clearly not gotten along well before. Still, he hoped she would see that the only way to overcome her fatal flaw was giving the reigns over to someone else, like he'd had to in Hades's palace.

"It's her quest," I said. "She deserves a chance."

"Percy is nice," Tyson said.

"Percy is too nice," Annabeth grumbled, but I couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, she was a little impressed. I'd surprised her, anyway. And that wasn't easy to do.

Percy was grinning like a fool, so much so Thalia mock barfed off the side of her beanbag and Alex and Magnus felt the need to blush and lean away from each other for the first time in a while. That boy was in love with every new treasured memory he got back of her as much as he was the stubborn girl herself.

"Come on," I told my friends. "Let's find another way home."

That's when I turned and found a sword's point at my throat.

"I don't see how that's going to help," Alex mock laughed uneasily like he was pretending Grover had done it.

"The first time I've heard you say a weapon won't help a situation," Magnus could barely hold a hint of sarcasm as he shifted in his seat with worry what that surprise was going to be. He already guessed it wasn't going to be a party thrown by Luke inviting them back on his ship.

"Hey, cuz," said Luke. "Welcome back to the States."

"This is the worst border patrol I've ever heard of," Alex scowled.

"I'm sure Clarisse would love to come back and give him some tips," Percy frowned.

His bear-man thugs appeared on either of side of us. One grabbed Annabeth and Grover by their T-shirt collars. The other tried to grab Tyson, but Tyson knocked him into a pile of luggage and roared at Luke.

"I really hope Luke shit his pants and ran," Nico said with a feral smile.

"Percy," Luke said calmly, "tell your giant to back down or I'll have Oreius bash your friends' heads together."

"No such luck," Will sighed, "but purgatory's sounding better and better."

Nico wasn't sure if he meant the gay bar for the drinks or the endless void for Luke, and either way he agreed.

Oreius grinned and raised Annabeth and Grover off the ground, kicking and screaming.

"What do you want, Luke?" I growled.

"Hopefully not more rousing speeches about hypocritic paradise and javelins," Thalis frowned.

He smiled, the scar rippling on the side of his face.

He gestured toward the end of the dock, and I noticed what should've been obvious. The biggest boat in port was the Princess Andromeda.

"Why, Percy," Luke said, "I want to extend my hospitality, of course."

"I think you mispronounced hostility," Jason shivered.

The bear twins herded us aboard the Princess Andromeda. They threw us down on the aft deck in front of a swimming pool with sparkling fountains that sprayed into the air. A dozen of Luke's assorted goons—snake people, Laistrygonians, demigods in battle armor—had gathered to watch us get some "hospitality."

"Now it's a real pleasure cruise," Nico scowled.

"And so, the Fleece," Luke mused. "Where is it?" He looked us over, prodding my shirt with the tip of his sword, poking Grover's jeans.

"Hopefully he's not mistaking Grover for Pan," Magnus scoffed.

"Wouldn't stop him stabbing either of them," Percy said grimly.

"Hey!" Grover yelled. "That's real goat fur under there!"

"Sorry, old friend." Luke smiled.

Thalia seethed like she was about to breathe fire. Grover had been through enough without having to immediately deal with this traitor too!

"Just give me the Fleece and I'll leave you to return to your, ah, little nature quest."

"Blaa-ha-ha!" Grover protested. "Some old friend!"

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Luke's voice was dangerously calm. "Where—is—the— Fleece?"

"Eurpoa got her revenge," Alex said mysteriously with that crooked smile on his face that could have meant he was telling the truth or about to stab you in the stomach Magnus could never bring himself to look away from.

"Not here," I said. I probably shouldn't have told him anything, but it felt good to throw the truth in his face. "We sent it on ahead of us. You messed up."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "You're lying. You couldn't have ..." His face reddened as a horrible possibility occurred to him. "Clarisse?"

I nodded.

"You trusted ... you gave ..."

Percy looked downright smug now everybody was underestimating Clarisse, and it would be their victory. Never mind he probably would have been doing the same if this wasn't his idea.

"Yeah."

"Agrius!"

The bear giant flinched. "Y-yes?"

"Get below and prepare my steed. Bring it to the deck. I need to fly to the Miami Airport, fast.'"

"But, boss—"

"Do it!" Luke screamed. "Or I'll feed you to the drakon!"

The bear-man gulped and lumbered down the stairs. Luke paced in front of the swimming pool, cursing in Ancient Greek, gripping his sword so tight his knuckles turned white.

The rest of Luke's crew looked uneasy. Maybe they'd never seen their boss so unhinged before.

"Important lesson then, you should know all aspects of your leader in a situation," Jason smirked, hoping this little army of his would come apart at the seams fast now. How could anyone follow someone who would so carelessly throw away their lives at the first opportunity?

I started thinking ... If I could use Luke's anger, get him to talk so everybody could hear how crazy his plans were ...

I looked at the swimming pool, at the fountains spraying mist into the air, making a rainbow in the sunset. And suddenly I had an idea.

"I think this is the first time I haven't had a mild panic attack at you using those words," Thalia approved.

"The question is, who's the call for," Magnus agreed. It didn't seem likely anybody could get back up there fast enough to be of help, otherwise they would have done that before sending Clarisse off.

"You've been toying with us all along," I said. "You wanted us to bring you the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it."

Luke scowled. "Of course, you idiot! And you've messed everything up!"

"Traitor!" I dug my last gold drachma out of my pocket and threw it at Luke. As I expected, he dodged it easily.

The coin sailed into the spray of rainbow-colored water.

I hoped my prayer would be accepted in silence. I thought with all my heart: O goddess, accept my offering.

"You tricked all of us!" I yelled at Luke. "Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"

"Not your subtlest work," Will chuckled, "but that was the best dinner show we'd ever gotten."

"So glad to finally trump my own with Tyson," Percy rolled his eyes.

Behind Luke, the fountain began to shimmer, but I needed everyone's attention on me, so I uncapped Riptide.

Luke just sneered. "This is no time for heroics, Percy. Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later."

"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?"

"I did, of course," he snarled. "I already told you that.

"I think you could have skipped that part," Alex critiqued, "you're going to make him suspicious."

"Besides, wasn't it Zeus who was pretending he didn't already know this, not Baccus?" Jason agreed.

"Everybody's a critic," Percy sighed, "I'd like to see you guys manage this."

I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus."

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?"

"Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool wouldn't have the guts."

"You call it guts? Betraying your friends? Endangering the whole camp?"

Luke raised his sword. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece ... once I was done with it."

That made me hesitate. Why would he let me take the Fleece? He must've been lying.

All eyes flickered from Thalia and away quickly, except Percy, who kept a lingering gaze on her before he grimaced and looked unwillingly back at the book. The answer was literally staring him in the face, for once he wasn't the idiot in the dark. Yet to say the words out loud would give him no victory.

But I couldn't afford to lose his attention.

"You were going to heal Kronos," I said.

"Yes! The Fleece's magic would've sped his mending process by tenfold. But you haven't stopped us, Percy. You've only slowed us down a little."

"And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up—all to help Kronos destroy the gods."

Luke gritted his teeth. "You know that! Why do you keep asking me?"

"Because I want everybody in the audience to hear you."

"What audience?"

Then his eyes narrowed. He looked behind him and his goons did the same. They gasped and stumbled back.

"They should get a round of applause for the perfect performance," Will began mock applauding.

Nico resisted the urge to watch, but he couldn't quite fight off a smile.

Above the pool, shimmering in the rainbow mist, was an Iris-message vision of Dionysus, Tantalus, and the whole camp in the dining pavilion. They sat in stunned silence, watching us.

"Well," said Dionysus dryly, "some unplanned dinner entertainment."

"Mr. D, you heard him," I said. "You all heard Luke. The poisoning of the tree wasn't Chiron's fault."

Mr. D sighed. "I suppose not."

"The Iris-message could be a trick," Tantalus suggested, but his attention was mostly on his cheeseburger, which he was trying to corner with both hands.

"I fear not," Mr. D said, looking with distaste at Tantalus. "It appears I shall have to reinstate Chiron as activities director. I suppose I do miss the old horse's pinochle games."

"That was the closest I ever heard him saying he liked anybody," Will really did gasp. "I always told the others he disliked Tantalus as much as the rest of us," he finished with an unfamiliar bitter smile. Nico frowned from the book to him, adding Tantalus's lagoon to his place of pitstops on the way to Tartarus for something he should look in on. Just what had he done to the campers during his stay there? Perhaps an extra layer could be added to his punishment.

Tantalus grabbed the cheeseburger. It didn't bolt away from him. He lifted it from the plate and stared at it in amazement, as if it were the largest diamond in the world. "I got it!" he cackled.

Magnus opened his mouth in protest for that curse wearing off, but Nico kept reading viciously.

"We are no longer in need of your services, Tantalus," Mr. D announced.

"Tell me he timed that!" Alex said in awe. "No wait, don't spoil it, I'm going to say he did, and no arguments!"

"Won't get any from us," Thalia agreed.

Tantalus looked stunned. "What? But—"

"You may return to the Underworld. You are dismissed."

"No! But—Nooooooooooo!"

As he dissolved into mist, his fingers clutched at the cheeseburger, trying to bring it to his mouth. But it was too late. He disappeared and the cheeseburger fell back onto its plate.

"The best waste of a cheeseburger I can never get mad at," Percy grinned. Between this and Clarisse's escape, he was feeling pretty good about himself, the guinea pig was long gone from his mind.

The campers exploded into cheering.

Luke bellowed with rage. He slashed his sword through the fountain and the Iris-message dissolved, but the deed was done.

I was feeling pretty good about myself, until Luke turned and gave me a murderous look.

"Kronos was right, Percy. You're an unreliable weapon. You need to be replaced."

Percy's confidence was still a little too full to think to much about that, but he glanced at Thalia again, then at the water surrounding them in the ocean. How old was she again? Hadn't Annabeth said Thalia was twelve when she was turned into that tree? She was at least his age now...

I wasn't sure what he meant, but I didn't have time to think about it. One of his men blew a brass whistle, and the deck doors flew open. A dozen more warriors poured out, making a circle around us, the brass tips of their spears bristling.

Luke smiled at me. "You'll never leave this boat alive."

"You'll never take me alive!" Percy cried in triumph.

"Someone de-escalate him before he thinks all his crazy plans will work," Will said in concern as he accepted the book.

"Perce, that really wasn't as impressive as you think it was," Thalia agreed mildly as his smile finally dimmed when he kept watching her instead of the book for an extra few moments before turning away.

[taiblogcomics]

All the Trappings, None of the Substance

Hey there, straight-edge Bigfoot. We're nearly done with Avengers Undercover, can you believe it? All signs point to "this wasn't worth it!", so let's just barrel ahead and get to today's review~

Here's the cover:

Oh geez, this cover. Good god. Like, I guess Zemo looks okay, though personally I'd be pointing my sword towards the big giant face I was jumping at, not up. Also, I think his gun holster is empty. Zemo's fine. No, it's the big giant face of Giant Man that's truly horrifying. Like, it's a little too realistic for such a cartoony expression. Weirdly thin lips, giant squared-off teeth, mouth open too wide… Is he about to eat Zemo? I haven't seen Attack on Titan, but I'm pretty sure an Attack on Titan scene is about to happen. Also, there's no background, so this fight is just taking place in a white void. All that aside, the other problem with this cover? None of the teens this comic is supposedly about are on it~

So we open with the Avengers showing up outside Bagalia. Like, is it less of an international incident if they park their Helicarrier outside of the borders and fly in on their own than if they flew the whole vehicle over the border? I don't know how that works. And I say "Avengers", but we got Captain Britain and Meggan, who are part of Braddock Academy, and Hyperion, who is part of Squadron Supreme, and… Well, I guess Spider-Woman is an Avenger, so you got me there. Anyways, this dramatic action scene is undercut by a farmer yelling at them that they scared his goats.

Meanwhile, actually in Bagalia, we pick up from last issue with Anachronism fighting the mind-controlled Cullen Bloodstone (in his monster form). He's pretty worn out, to the point that his ancient Celtic warrior spirit has stopped offering advice. But Anachronism doesn't need advice, he's got guts. And his plan is basically "just don't stop fighting". He makes a poor taunt at Hellstrom, which is the cue for Hazmat to show up and roast Hellstrom. Apparently demonic fire < radiation, in case you were wondering.

Nico also shows up and punches Monster!Cullen, knocking him over and disabling Hellstrom's control. She then engages with Hellstrom while Alex Wilder watches all smirkily. Rather than keep fighting, though, Anachronism decides to use his words to defeat Cullen. He taunts the Cullen within the monster that he basically fell for the first pretty face to flash him a smile, when the smile belonged to a goon calling himself "Son of Satan" and prancing about in latex. Surprisingly, this works, and Cullen regains control of himself, stealing a kiss from Anachronism as thanks. I guess that resolves their plotline!

Nico and Hellstrom are still slugging it out, and both of them know that while she's doing good, he's still got the advantage. And that's when the Avengers literally drop into the scene. In addition to the four I mentioned earlier, we also have Giant Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Tigra. Hazmat and Anachronism marvel that the adults actually showed up for once. Only took them three months, didn't it~? To even those odds, the Young Masters also all get up and join Hellstrom. And then you get the big clash where both sides run at each other screaming.

So there's a big fight going on, and Baron Zemo himself casually strolls onto the battlefield, Madame Masque in tow. He sidles up to Hellstrom and gives him the word, and they spring their trap. All the Young Masters light up and vanish in a puff of flame. Alex gestures, and the entrance the Avengers just used seals up, cutting of Bad Guy Central from the remaining SHIELD troops. And then the teleport completes. All the heroes are stuck down there (now they're literally Avengers under some kind of cover, the title finally works!), while the bad guys have just teleported to the surface. Masque shoots the SHIELD man on the bridge, and the villains now control the Helicarrier.

While the Young Masters handle Maria Hill and her riffraff outside, Zemo, his main goons, and Deathlocket take the bridge. Deathlocket hacks into the Helicarrier's systems, giving them control, and apparently having no qualms about doing so. While they fly off to go make war or whatever Zemo's plan is, the comic ends by revealing Cammi is also on the Helicarrier somehow. And the caption boxes are all like "Oh, did you think she wouldn't escape jail? Nope, here she is!" You know, just in case you couldn't tell how rushed this ending is.

I will be fair to this comic. The stuff with Anachronism beating Monster!Cullen by just talking to him was actually very good. That stuff's on point. The rest of the stuff is... maybe not the worst, but not great either. Middling at most. I think really the worst part (other than the cover, because good god, I'm still not over that) is just the very last panel, where they deus ex machina in Cammi and then hang a lampshade on it with the caption boxes. And yes, I get the fact that they were being cancelled and didn't have a lot of time or comic to wrap things up, so what else could they do? Answer: anything other than this~