#Chthonian camp

[yonemurishiroku]

hiiii :D

i've been thinking of making that string of hc that you had about the chthonic camp au?? i kind of wanted to make a fic out of it w/ a friend of mine on quotev!!

i just wanted to ask if you had any other bits of information about that au that's important, and if you're okay with me making a fic out of it! tysm if you respond 💖

Omg of course a thousand times yes!!! 💖💖💖 it feels like an accomplishment to have enticed someone enough to pull them in the same hole as me, please make yourself at home!! 🥰🥰

Tbh there has been more versions of the chthonic camp AU than more than I can count and I honestly can’t tell which you’re referring to. I’m not ever sure I can remember them all. You can probably search for them in the tag #chthonian camp or #underworld camp or #camp underworld or #chthonic camp. 😅

I don’t quite see the importance of any particular detail bc tbh I’m just building it on the go, so feel free to extrapolate as you’d like I guess? 🤣🤣 I’ll surely like it all the same, and a surprise is nice too as well!!

Don’t forget to hit me up when you’re done! Would love to see what I have inspired!! 🥰🥰

[drksanctuary]

@aroaceleovaldez ngl I love how we are all kind of on the same wavelength with the chthonian camp/underworld camp concept. I’m not sure if its because your discord has the same people but its kinda similar to the tumblr string on this post:

my notifs recently got me thinking about the very random concept of "what if there is a second, secret CHB. directly below normal CHB." and i ended up brainstorming it in the discord.

context for how this originated: one was just a random notif on my post talking about the tunnels under the Hephaestus cabin, and the other was some tags from @drksanctuary on my fake readriordan article mentioning the idea of a chthonic demigod camp.

so. my brilliant (read: "smashing my 2 brain cells together") idea: the elaborate and seemingly infinite tunnels under cabin 9 are remnants of an abandoned underground CHB that exists directly underneath camp. It's basically just normal CHB except in a big cave system, probably connected to the labyrinth somewhere and has the separate tunnels, and instead of the Olympian cabins it has chthonic cabins. there's probably also some infernal nymphs and etc down there too. since all chthonic demigods can learn to shadow-travel they probably used that to get down there, and a lot of chthonic demigods probably have geokinesis just by nature, ergo the tunnels (for when they don't want to shadow-travel, or can't).

in brainstorming with the discord we decided it could be cool if some of the cabins lined up with the above-ground cabins, either for thematic purposes or associations or whatever. Like there's maybe a Hermes and maybe Poseidon cabin in the chthonic CHB too that just link to the above-ground ones, but also like Persephone cabin lines up to Demeter cabin because of course it does. and maybe Hecate cabin lines up to Cabin 8 cause Artemis is sometimes 1/3rd of Hecate. Maybe Angelos cabin is beneath Cabin 1, and Zagreus cabin is beneath Cabin 12. Things like that.

The other ones i thought of were either Hypnos or Thanatos cabin lines up with Apollo, because twins, and the other is just right beside it (because twins). And Charon's cabin is beneath Cabin 9, ergo why the tunnel system connects to it (because Charon. Ferryman. Surface access. It makes sense in my brain).

[gutsybitsies]

made a list of my and @thatshortangryperson various nico di angelos

chthonian au nico: oh boy....hes so stressed.....hes got so much pain ahead of him....his first crush is dead his arm is gone he doesnt know that hes about to fall into tartatus....he needs a nap...

omg roommates nico: he doesnt know what hand towels are and at this point he's too afraid to ask

tiktok italian husband nico: he a little confused why his husband jason keeps asking him to do tiktok challenges but he'll go along with it

big 3 friendship camp au nico: middle child syndrome (both bianca and hazel are alive), has decided his favorite person is the roman son of jupiter because jason gives him ALL the attention and has never called him annoying.

UAR nico (as yet unpublished): someone get this boy a union rep and a good employment lawyer 😔😔

[alatismeni-theitsa]

The Children of Hades and Persephone

I received an ask about this so I thought I might concentrate some sources on a post here. Thanks to @coloricioso who guided me on this (and has done extensive research on the matter)!

Here is a big post from @coloricioso (Link) It is a post on Melinoe that is private for now (I think) so I will quote:

The first we must say is that Melinoe is an obsecure figure and the Orphic Hymn 71 is the sole literary testimony of her existence and the only other appearance of her name is found inscribed on a magical device (Athanassakis and Wolkow, The Orphic Hymns, 195). The magical device is a tablet where she is called along with other chthonic deities like Persephone and Hecate.

There are some sources on her which I have no access to:  Études sur les Hymnes OrphiquesBy Anne-France Morand; Pauly-Wissowa Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft XV, 1978, pages 133-134.

Despite some people want to argue that Melinoe is Hades and Persephone’s daughter I don’t think we can agree on that, and even if we wanted to believe that, the Hymn 71 is not the best source to state Hades’ paternity.

I call upon Melinoe, safron-cloacked nymph of the earth, to whom august Persephone gave birth by the mouth of the Kokytos, upon the sacred bed of Kronian Zeus. He lied to Plouton and through treachery mated with Persepone, whose skin when she was pregnant he mangled in anger. (Athanassakis, 1977 edition)

I call upon Melinoe, saffron-cloacked nymph of the earth, whom revered Persephone bore by the mouth of the Kokytos river upon the sacred bed of Kronian Zeus. In the guise of Plouton Zeus tricked Persephone and through wily plots bedded her; a two-bodied specter sprang forth from Persephone’s fury. –> no skin tearing mention. (Athanassakis, 2013)

Invoco a Melínoe, doncella infernal de azafranado peplo, a la que dio a luz, en la desembocadura del Cocito, la venerable Perséfone en el sagrado lecho del crónida Zeus. Engañó éste a Plutón y se unió a ella con perfidia falaz y en su furor desgarró la piel de dos colores de Perséfone, que empuja a los mortales a la locura con sus fantasmas aéreos... –> He tricked Plouton and mated Persephone and in his rage he teared Persephone’s double colored skin. (Miguel Periago Lorente, 1987, Editorial Gredos). (comment from this version translator: “this verse is not clear, specially when it comes to the double skin color (disomaton, literally double body).. GESNER says it’s due her realtion with both divinities. For one part, with Plouton, her abductor, gives her black color; for other, Zeus, her own father, givves her white color. About the skin tearing we must think it’s due erotic rage of the father with the daughter (…) Some wrongly assume that Melinoe is Hades and Persephone’s daughter.”.

And I was told by my Greek friends that the Greek texts they found,say it’s Zeus who tears Persephone’s flesh.

So… we have rape by trickery and skin tearing; we really don’t want to use Orphic Hymn 71 as a source to try to claim Hades’ paternity, not at all.

If we say “well, Zeus Kronion is Hades and not Zeus”, the Hymn would make no sense by speaking of tricks and everything if Hades was Persephone’s legitimate husband anyway. Some say “why didn’t Zeus just rape the unwilling Persephone and period? why bothering into changing himself into Hades’ shape?”, remember that most of the times Zeus and other gods use seduction instead of raping by force (see LEFKKOWITZ book on this) Just as Zeus changed himself into rain, snakes, swans,*** etc., turning himself into Hades would make the union easier because he could charm and seduce Persephone in that way (and here we coud speculate that Persephone would be willing to have sex if Hades came in because she loved him, and not only slept with him to fulfill wife’s duties or whatever).

(btw, someone in Tumblr said it’s Hades who tears Persephone’s skin out of anger-jealousy of her pregnancy; but I fail to see what source they used to state such thing; from the translations I have read, I understand it’s Zeus the one who does that).

Anyway, if anyone has more information on this Melinoe topic I would be super thankful! ***edit: as a-gnosis said, to deceive Alcmena Zeus changed himself into her husband shape!

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Here is another post from @coloricioso with @a-gnosis adding on the matter (Link). I will quote it as well in case it dissapears in the future:

Two things I’m a bit tired of reading around here in Tumblr and why:

1) “Hades was an infertile god because he was the god of death” : Hades is the god who RULES on the world of dead, and here, again, if you didn’t get it already….. HADES IS NOT DEATH. HADES IS NOT THE PERSONIFICATION OF DEATH. NO, no, and NOOOoO.  THANATOS = DEATH. Okay… Hades is the son of Cronus just like Zeus, Demeter and the other gods who were fertile. And Hades was not born as “the king of the dead realm” so is not possible that he was “infertile by nature” associated to his ruler role. The only logic that I could follow is that after living for aeons in a land that is portrayed as sterile (dark, sunless, full of shadows as Homer portrays it in the Odyssey and the Iliad) his body lost the hability to generate any offspring or something similar. But we also have the portrayal of Hades as a god of wealth, richness and fertility, so the “infertile god” imagery is not necessarily a “canon”.

2) “Hades and Persephone had cute children!!”: NO. No. and NO. Get over it, they did not. And here is something for you:

Zagreus: is the child of Persephone and ZEUS in orphic tradition.

Melinoe: is the child of Persephone and ZEUS again in orphic tradition.

And NO, none of the above is “oh but maybe they refer to Hades bcz Hades was called Zeus Chthonion” because in first myth we have Hera’s jealousy on Zagreus -and seriously, why would that happen if it was Hades’ child- and in second myth it is clearly stated that Zeus took Plouton(Hades)’s semblance to trick Persephone. So. no.

Makaria: the only source on her is the Suda Lexicon, that is an encyclopedic lexicon (a dictionary-encyclopedia thing). Makaria’s meaning is “blessedness”. What the Suda Lexicon tell us is this: [A way of referring to] death. [Makaria was] a daughter of Hades. And [there is] a proverb: “be gone into blessedness”, meaning into misery and utter destruction. Or “begone into blessedness” [is said] by euphemism. Since even the dead are called blessed ones. [Makaria was] also a daughter of Herakles, whom the Athenians buried with very expensive funeral rites when she had died on their behalf.[1]

It doesn’t say she was a daughter of “Hades and Persephone” together, it only says of Hades. And since Hades can be used to refer not only to the god, but also his realm, it is most than likely that as a personifcation of death, she is someone who belongs to the Underworld as Thanatos, Hypnos, Erinyes and other chthonian deities.

The Erinyes: the orphic hymns (69, To the Furies) say they are daughters of Zeus Khthonios and Persephone (Holy and pure, from Jove terrestrial [Zeus Khthonios] born and Proserpine [Phersephone], whom lovely locks adorn). This is orphic tradition, because the Erinyes are either Gaia’s or Nyx’ offspring according to “classic” sources (as Hesiod). We could also suppose that despite the “born”, Hades and Persephone are the parents of the Erinyes because they ruled on them and whenever someone wanted to curse and invoked, they had to ask it to Hades and Persephone.

The other source mentioned is Statius’s Thebaid that never says “Hades and Persephone”, neither says “Hades”. Also remember he is a roman poet, so is not greek ancient source. Thebaid, XII, 557:  Of their race and famous sires I speak not; they were men, renowned Theseus, and of the seed of men, born to the selfsame stars to the same human lot, the same food and drink as ye are; yet Creon denies them fire, and like the father of the Furies or the ferryman of Lethe’s stream debars them from the Stygian gate and keeps them hovering doubtfully between the worlds of heaven and hell.

SO…. THE CONCLUSION: if you are making Hades-Persephone fan art/fan fiction and you want to get inspired, sure, you can imagine that Macaria and Melinoe are Hades-Persephone’s little cute babies or whatever. But do not state or assume that Hades and Persephone were portrayed and worshipped by ancient greek/roman people as a couple that had tons of little babies because it did not happen. :) thank you.  

a-gnosis adds:

I agree. I don’t mind at all when people interpret Zagreus, Melinoe and Makaria as children of Hades and Persephone, but it gets a bit annoying when people believe it’s canon.

There is only one ancient source I know of which seems to suggest that Zagreus was Hades’ son. A fragment from Sisyphus, a lost play by Aeschylus: “Now [I came] to bid farewell to Zagreus and to his sire, the hospitaler.” (source: theoi.com) But since it’s only a fragment it’s hard to say anything for sure.

About Zagreus’ identification with Dionysos in the Orphic tradition… I’ve been reading Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets by Fritz Graf and Sarah Iles Johnston, and they believe that this myth and cult was created in the early fifth or late sixth century BCE, inspired by the mystery cult at Eleusis. Dionysos’ role in the Orphic cult was to be a mediator between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Therefor he could not be the son of BOTH Hades and Persephone, because that would have made his link to the Underworld too strong:  "It would have jarred with other aspects of his mythic and cultic persona and diminished his appropiateness as a mediator between the two worlds, the very role that the new cult demanded from him. He needed a foot in each camp, and Zeus’ paternity ensured him of this".

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coloricioso also told me that Zagreus is son of Zeus and Persephone. Makaria is only named in the Suda Lexicon and it only says "a daughter of Haides".

So the only deities who could be "daughters" to HxP are the Erinyes. Not Makaria-Melinoe-Zagreus as is repeated on Tumblr. Makaria = Hades (1 source only) Melinoe = Persephone x Zeus (1 source only) Zagreus = Persephone x Zeus (orphic cosmology, not panhellenic cult)

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I really appreciate coloricioso and a-gnosis and that’s why I wanted to keep their text on my own post. In case they leave Tumblr or delete the posts I would still like to have those sources somewhere in an archive. I hope that’s ok!

[drksanctuary]

I think the original or at least the first idea was from @gutsybitsies chthonian camp au. But yes I am referring to @yonemurishiroku’s version bc nicobaster

But thank you for the input. I think we agree on most of them. I absolutely love Mother Nico that’s so sweet. Also so in character.

Give it to me (alright)

I haven't done rants n stuff for a while. Give me some (can be reblogs, can be asks, I don't care). Very passionate about Anti Lore Olympus and Nico (everything with nico. Can be ships, can be Nion, can be me analyzing the fuck out of NicoBaster, I don't give a shit)

[stygian-omadas-epic-chronicles]

Death Doesn’t Bargain (Deadman’s Cross #2) extended excerpt

Kalder was stunned by Thorn’s unexpected confession. How could the demon bastard have set him free into the world again, if he really knew who and what Kalder was? What he was capable of doing? It made no sense. . “You knew?” Savitar accused.             “Of course, I knew.” Thorn was indignant. “I’m not stupid. I leave that precarious state up to you, surf-for-brains.” Savitar sent a blast of fire straight at Thorn. Thorn returned it in full measure. “Don’t you even start with me, Chthonian. Or I’ll wedge your surfboard sideways into a piece of your anatomy you won’t ever forget.” “You traitorous bastard!” That sobered Thorn who stalked Savitar like a savage predator after the beast who’d wounded it. Rage bled out from every part of his body. “How dare you of all creatures accuse me of that!” Now it was Savitar’s turn to be indignant. “I beg your pardon?” “Beg all you want, but you won’t get it. And you heard me. As if your hands are any cleaner in this fight than mine, or that you’d be any less likely to switch sides. If you ever think for one heartbeat that I’d shift loyalties to my father, then you’d best think again, and remember that the day I do, I’d kill my son and wife in the process. So fuck you, Chthonian! And your suspicions! You can take them both and shove them up your ass and down your throat! My ties to the right side of this fight are a whole lot stronger than yours will ever be!” “Wife?” The captain gaped. Thorn froze instantly. Then took a step back as if suddenly remembering that he and Savitar weren’t the only two on the island. His features paled as he glanced about, and he became acutely aware of just how many had borne witness to his slip of the tongue.     Savitar gave him an evil smirk. “Yes, punkin’ we all heard what you said. Want to keep going? What other interesting tidbits are you planning to let out in the midst of your verbal spewage?” Thorn narrowed his gaze. “Careful, punkin’, you know what they say about those who live in glass houses.” “They get a lot of sunshine?” Thorn sneered at his sarcasm. “I was thinking they get covered in a lot of bug shit, myself. But tomato, tamahto.” Savitar twisted his jaw in a way that said he was barely restraining the urge to punch him. “You really make it hard not to gut you some days.” “Ditto.” “Well, I should have known . . .” Cameron gaped as a man appeared next to her and Kalder who was equal in height to Savitar. Which was to say, he was gigantic. Only instead of muscular, he was lean, yet every bit as lethal and powerful. There was no mistaking his power that said he could easily match the rest of them. And then some. The only difference was that he had exceptionally long black hair and eyes of mercury silver that swirled like the sea during a storm. Aged eyes that said he’d seen more than his fair share of trouble and misery. And he wore a plain black woolen coat more akin to the captain’s than an ornate one that was favored by Thorn, Bart or Will. At his approach, Thorn and Savitar stepped apart like two errant children who’d been caught squabbling by their parents, and wanted to hide their misbehavior before a grand spanking ensued. “He started it.” Savitar jerked his chin at Thorn. “Acheron!” Janice shouted in happiness. “Get me away from these idiots!” Cameron’s eyes widened as she realized that this was the mysterious Acheron Parthenopaeus who led the Dark-Hunters— the group of warriors charged with protecting mankind from the Daimons who preyed on them and their souls. Unlike Thorn’s Hellchasers who sent demons back to their dimensions after they escaped or broke whatever rule had allowed them a temporary reprieve, or the Necrodemians such as her brother who killed the dark demons who refused to go, or were too dangerous to be corralled without risking danger to the world or to humanity. Pausing in front of Savitar, Acheron arched a quizzical brow. “Question. Who locked my Huntress in a cave?” Kalder raised his hand. “That would me, but she’s free to leave at any time. I only did it to protect her from the sunlight.” “Then I won’t kill you.” Acheron made a sharp turn back toward Savitar and Thorn. “And you two idiots. . . . Seriously? We have a major demon infestation, buckling gates, and a Malachai on the loose, and you two are fighting like infants right in the middle of it all?” With a perturbed sneer, Savitar crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, you’re not so old, or so big, that I can’t spank you.” Sancha raised her hand to volunteer. “Might I have the honor of it? Or I could hold him down if you’d like. If he struggles, all the better, I say.” Acheron scoffed at her offer. “Careful, love. My bite is much worse than my bark.” She flashed an inviting grin. “Counting on that, love. Definitely, counting on that.” She gave him an inviting wink.

Now it was Thorn’s turn to smirk. “What can I say, old Ack? They were damned for a reason. And some, more so than others.”

Acheron shook his head. “Makes me glad I just have to wrangle Dark-Hunters. And a few stray Dream-Hunters and Weres.” “And I have to wrangle morons.” Savitar gestured at Thorn. “With the Lord King of them all standing right there in front of us. So I dare you to ask him about (parts removed for SPOILERS ). Go ahead. I dare you.” Acheron went still for about a heartbeat and a half. His eyes rippled red as his black hair fanned out. Yet unlike Savitar, he didn’t react. Instead, he pressed one finger to his temple as if suppressing a migraine. “Thorn . . . tell me you had a good reason for what you did.” (parts removed for SPOILERS ) Sadly, I miscalculated how long it’d take me to get to him, and Vine’s resourcefulness (parts removed for SPOILERS ) For that, I apologize.” Thorn cleared his throat pointedly. “To you, Ash. Not to surf-bum.” Thorn sighed heavily. “Hindsight, stupid plan. But given that I was in battle at the time, with Michael and Gabriel breathing down my throat and all manner of hell breaking loose, it was the best I could come up with.” Savitar finally calmed down. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?” “You didn’t give me a chance, psycho-douche.” Acheron held his hand up. “Enough, children! With Adarian running loose in the Caribbean, we have enough problems without you two going at each other. Now play nicely, or I’m feeding you both to she who won’t be named.” Thorn rolled his eyes, then turned to curse at Kalder. “Of all the islands in all the worlds. You had to land on this one? Really?” Kalder shrugged. “I’ve always had bad aim.” Zumari laughed at that. Unlike him, the Maasai warrior was renowned for his skills at throwing knives and spears. “No lie to that. You should see him at a spear toss.” Growling low in the back of his throat, Thorn faced Mara and Devyl. “How long will it take for you to make a new ship?” Mara bit her lip as she considered it. “From scratch? Months. But I could bond with one quickly.” Her amber eyes danced with amusement. “You wouldn’t happen to have a spare one just lying about, would you?” They all turned toward Acheron. At first he appeared irritated by the fact that they deferred to him, but with a sigh, he resigned himself to it. “Frigate or sloop?” he asked the captain. Devyl grinned. “First-rate, man-o’-war. I’ve always been partial. Besides, me aeromages need the room to maneuver in battle. And me lady doesn’t like to be cramped.” Acheron nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll have one docked and ready by dusk.” He jerked his chin at Savitar. “Can you manage to be hospitable until then?” “I’d rather be disemboweled. Or better yet, disembowel them.” “Sav . . .” He sneered at Acheron. “Don’t give me no lip, twerp. How’d you come by that wonderful pirate coat you’re wearing again?” Acheron gave him a droll stare. “Moral of the story isn’t to draw first blood. It’s to draw last.” Savitar rolled his eyes. “Fine. But remember you owe me. And Thorn owes me twice.” “Me?” Thorn groused. “Why do I owe you?” “I didn’t eat your little Thornkateers when they showed up on my beach without an invitation.” Thorn sputtered in indignation. “Need I remind you that you personally recommended about half of them for my crew? Doesn’t that make them Saviteers?” “Or would that be saboteurs?” Belle asked with a wicked gleam in her eye. In complete synchronicity with one another, Savitar and Thorn turned their heads to glare at her. And with the same, exact grimace of disdain. An impressive feat, indeed. Bart laughed while William grimaced. “Do those two always argue like an old married couple?” “They do,” Acheron said with a sigh. “Be grateful, you’ve only had to listen to them for a few minutes. I’ve had this shite ringing in my ears for over ten thousand years.” Bart scratched at his beard. “And you’re still sane?” Acheron shrugged. “That’s a matter of opinion. Besides, sanity’s overrated.” “But silence isn’t. So let there be silence on my island. And peace, boys and girls. You can camp in the Omegrion chambers since I doubt the Were-Hunters will be visiting— and they better not be visiting ‘cause I can’t take any more creatures here today. There’s a reason I live in seclusion! Means I tend to eat anything that intrudes on it!” Savitar growled again. “Acheron, since he apparently has nothing better to do with his immortality than stick his skinny little nose in where it doesn’t belong, can show you where that is, then see about your ship so that you’ll be gone before I finish with my siesta. Thorn will watch you while you’re there, and make sure none of you piss on my rugs.” Thorn sputtered. “Excuse me?” “I tried to make an excuse for you once and this is what happened. I got stuck with you being a pain in my eternity. So be a good parent and mind your children while I nap. Keep them out of my underwear drawers and off my furniture for the duration of their stay.” And with that, Savitar vanished into thin air. Thorn ground his teeth. “Is it too late to summon an angry sea deity and sink this place?” Acheron gave him a cocky grin. “I can think of a vicious goddess of destruction who would love to help you out in that department. Especially since she’s not overly fond of him. However, there is one serious downside to releasing her.” Will cocked his head. “That is?” “End of the world,” the captain answered. “Hence the whole goddess of destruction moniker, lad. Goes with the territory.” “Mmm,” Acheron concurred. “Much like Sallie’s soul, once she comes out of her container, she’s a little hard to put back in it.” “Aye, but the last time she came out, she sank Atlantis.” Thorn glanced about the island. “This is considerably smaller than that. I’m thinking . . .” A bolt of lightning flew at his head. Thorn deflected it. “You missed me, Savitar.” A coconut hit him in the back so hard that it left him face down in the sand. “No, I didn’t.” The disembodied voice was plain and clearly Savitar’s. “I seriously hate you, Chthonian.”

[yonemurishiroku]

We are missing the delicious Nicobaster angst that is the gods being displeased with the fact that Nico is making friends with Alabaster - an exiled, who’s supposed to be cut off from all kinds of support from the Camps.

They see Nico helping a traitor is an act of betrayal, too. It must be - why else would he help a former lieutenant of the Titan Army? To build a new Camp, no less? It’s a seed of a threat.

So what do they do?

Eliminate it before it blooms, of course.

[yonemurishiroku]

A chthonic camp with Alabaster as the leader is funny tho like. Should the day comes that the camp is revealed and people are growing concerned - i mean, "an underworld camp?? and the exiled?? old enemies???" - whereas Nico's just, "Ah, I know them"

and then it turns out that the leader is his boyfriend.

everyone's belike "Nico??? Since when??? And how???"

[mrsoftthoughts]

Omgs give Ethan a fucking break 😭

Did some more stuff for the Chthonian Camp AU by @gutsybitsies bc I’m obsessed with this idea.

Had to call attention to the fact that in the fic Al rips open his shirt to prove a point. He so fricking extra! Nico is confused and Ethan just there dying of second hand embarrassment. At least one of them is ashamed…

[yonemurishiroku]

We are talking about a Chthonian Camp as if the troglodytes didn’t just construct a civilization in the Underworld under Hades’ nose. With a council and all. The Lars could never.

[yonemurishiroku]

Have I ever told you about how I see Nico in the chthonian camp the same way Octavian is to Camp Jupiter? Because I do, btw.

As in, politically powerful with the clout to boost, but ultimately ineligible to make a decision because it's Alabaster's - the leader's - job.

And while he has the right and the influence to refute Alabaster, as it turns out, he cannot be the one to call the shots. Alabaster is a little infatuated with Nico tho so there's that

Furthermore, I suppose it would be even more thrilling if it was Nico who put Alabaster in as the leader. He built the camp. He gathered the chthonic demigods/legacies, but he didn't think he could be the leader so he promoted Alabaster instead, trusting him to not make the same mistake twice.

Nico is the camp's hero - the son of Hades, an unsung hero amongst Olympius' hounds. He supports and protects them, but it should be Alabaster who leads them.

Now, the question is what they would do in the unfortunate event that their ideas clash.

[yonemurishiroku]

I like the idea of a Chthonian Camp with Alabaster as the leader so much because I firmly believe that 1/ Alabaster is a great leader and 2/ Nico cannot lead.

The first one is because Alabaster was canonically a lieutenant amongst Kronos' ranks. I mean, that is a strong point for his CV right there, maybe an introduction letter and whatnot. Furthermore, when Kronos fell, Alabaster took his siblings' death upon himself. Idk about you but I see it as a leader's virtue right there - the sense of responsibility. And Alabaster is powerful. The best one of Hecate's. He's also resilient, fearless and rational, as shown in numerous occasions in which he has managed to save himself from Lamia with just his Hecate magic.

Srsly. Alabaster is an incredible one. He's got the experience, he's got the virtues and he's got the spirit. Yeah he led his cabin unto death but I mean who doesn't make mistakes, right? I vote for him.

As for Nico, that kid is just... not eligible to be a leader. He's unstable. He's emotional. He's too quick to trust. He cannot handle the pressure. He only knows how to save others and not himself - what's gonna happen if others' lives depend on his survival? What then? Would he just doom them all with his lack of self-preservation skills?

I have talked about this too much. Nico has his flaws. Nico would be a terrible leader. A soldier, yes. A guide, maybe. A hero, a guardian, whatever. Just, not a leader.

How is he's gonna watch over the others when he can't take care of himself?

[drksanctuary]

@pjo-slut Ao3 was being a butt so allow me to comment on here:

OMGS A NICOBASTER FIC?? Happy holidays to me and thank you for the present!

Some excerpts and comments below:

See? Not bitter, just a realist. 

^hahaha sure Al who are you trying to convince here? 😆

. He called things as they were (disregarding his disregard for his own feelings), which could really get on your nerves if you weren’t ready to hear the truth. Those eyes that seemed to look straight through your body into your soul and pick apart your secrets piece by piece, gaze heavier than the weight of the sky. 

^ooooh lovely description. Also Omg Al dramatic much? I like how we’re all in agreement that Al finds Nico annoying first and is absolutely in love with him second

It was nice to think about the look on Nico’s face if Alabaster were to present to him Percy Jackson’s soul encased in the delicate soul container, intricate magic woven into the Stygian iron charm, runes painstakingly etched into the sides. Jackson’s soul, forever trapped for Nico to hold close and keep safe. Nice to think about the way Nico’s eyes would glisten, that manic gleam would shine as he grasped the vast extent of the world Alabaster had given him, gripped gently in his long, shadow-stained fingers. 

^^ oh Al….you stupid stupid man

It had taken over a year of hunting down shitty mortals to practice with

^oooh ooh hoo! That’s pretty dark Al but…I mean I assume shittty means they absolutely deserved it (like Gabe)

. It was fine, though. Alabaster’s happiness wasn’t dependent on Nico’s, no matter what Lou Ellen said.

^it was not in fact fine hahah! Also Lou is so smart Al you should listen to her.

I can’t wait to see what happens if Nico ever finds out Al made that. 😬

And I can’t wait to read more!!! I love the chthonian Camp. I was thinking of writing a bit of the AU myself.

Nice job on this! I really love the way you describe Nico through Al’s perspective.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52450845

just a little nicobaster fic to contribute to the rarepair.

So no, Alabaster wouldn’t ever put his insanely cool invention to good use, at least not for its intended purpose. He wouldn’t hand everything Nico had ever wanted to him on a silver platter, wouldn’t make all of Nico’s dreams come true. It was fine, though. Alabaster’s happiness wasn’t dependent on Nico’s, no matter what Lou Ellen said.

1.2k, will likely turn into a one-shot series if i can keep myself motivated

also gotta tag @yonemurishiroku @drksanctuary @avaetin and @haiseiscute333 because i borrowed a lot of their ideas, so if y’all read it i hope you like it <3

[drksanctuary]

….i know it’ll be Nicobaster but…

[gutsybitsies]

WIP draft from my Chthonian AU. This takes place after Tua famiglia, Mia famiglia. Timeline wise, this is after Annabeth arrives in Camp Jupiter and takes the quest, but before she returns victorious.

Ethan sighed and rubbed his forehead, trying to stop the incoming migraine. Around him, the dryads and underworld nymphs argued about scheduling conflicts and activities room reservations. Half of the camp was still under construction, meaning that the dryads who taught Music Theory and Ancient Greek are competing with each other for activities space. Nico’s eyes had glazed over, meaning that even though he looked to be paying attention, he was fast asleep. 

Ethan frowned as he pulled Mabel and Oakely off of each other, why were underworld nymphs so ready to fight all the time? For the past few months, ever since Annabeth disappeared and that demigod Jason appeared, Nico had been gone longer and longer from their camp. 

Last night, he had mentioned privately to him and Alabaster that things were not looking good in the Underworld, and that he had to help out Hades ever since the Doors of Death were open. 

“Let the gods burn themselves! Who cares about the Giants, about Gaea, who cares about any of them?”

Nico groaned against the flat palms of his hands, squeezing his face as he tried not to fall asleep. The dark circles under his eyes looked haunting. “He’s my father, Al.”

“We are your family!” 

“This place can’t exist if Gaea wins, she’ll destroy us all.” 

“Not if we side-”

A tendril of shadow shot out and slapped itself against Alabaster’s lips, silencing him. 

Nico’s tired eyes had turned almost molten with darkness, and he turned to Alabaster with a dangerous glare. “I am the leader, I make the decisions, you listen to me, you report to me. And I say this: you don’t make any unauthorized decisions, you don’t step a foot outside the camp unless it’s been approved by Ethan, and you fucking. Shut. Up.”  

“If you ever so much as breathe a hint of what you were about to say just now,” Nico said quietly, as Alabaster struggled against the tendril of shadow keeping his mouth shut, “This camp would be burned to the ground before this new war is even over. You can’t be this fucking stupid, after everything we’ve been through to have somewhere we belong?” 

He broke free of the shadows, “I want victory-” 

“And I want everyone alive,” The shadows around the room moved ominously, before Nico gritted his teeth and consciously pulled back his powers. He kneaded his forehead, looking tiny and overwhelmed as he sat on the throne of sharp, sharp swords. “Fuck, Al. I just need you and Ethan to helm this place and keep everyone safe, okay? I can’t be worried about you causing someone to smite this place down because you can’t control your tongue.” 

Ethan kept his face calm as he nodded and gestured for Alabaster to calm down as well. 

“Don’t worry about us, Nico,” he said. “Go and do what you need to. But remember,” he tapped Nico’s shoulders. “Get to the infirmary and have your checkup.” 

Which led to Nico falling asleep with his eyes open during activities meeting. Eventually the exhaustion must have caught up to him, because he finally slumped over his chair and his head thumped onto the table.

After a healer mandated and Clovis supervised nap, Nico’s dark circles looked a little better, and there was even a hint of color back on his cheeks. He pulled Ethan aside to his cabin for a meeting before he had to leave again. 

“Ethan, I need you to watch over Al and the rest of the campers,” Nico said. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone this time, I have to go and find the Doors of Death. I can’t have him lead an uprising here or run his mouth off and get everyone killed. I’m going to have a meeting to tell everyone about Gaea and the Giants so that they don’t hear it from any other source.”

Ethan nodded, “Go easy on Al, he’s worried about you. He doesn’t want you to run ragged doing missions that no one will appreciate you for.” Ethan gave Nico a handful of charms that Alabaster threw at him. 

Nico rubbed his hands over his face, before taking a deep breath and putting on a determined look. “I know. All the more reasons to keep everyone safe. Rally everyone up.” 

After Ethan left him to be alone in his room, Nico sighed again, he’d been doing that a lot recently. He had just returned from New Rome and found an amnesiac Annabeth wandering around there. Her steely gray eyes tried to place him in her memories, and her normally neat dreadlocks were in a state of disrepair. Mars had given Annabeth a quest to free Thanatos from his chains, but there was more to do if they wanted to avert disaster. Nico was the only one able to go and find the Doors of Death, no one else would be able to go through the Underworld as freely as he could. 

Jason was giving him a hard time, as well. Ever since he figured out that he was a Roman demigod after his quest, he was trying to reach out to Nico as often as possible because according to him, "there was no way I haven't seen you before." Nico didn't know what to tell him, he definitely heard about Jason in New Rome, and Hazel had mentioned him before, but he truly had never stopped in New Rome long enough to actually meet the guy. He tried to explain that as much as possible, but Jason still found time to Iris message him as much as possible "to get his memories back." Nico definitely didn't enjoy their conversations, not at all.

He thought back to Jason's worried face when he told him about his journey to the Doors, and how it almost mirrored Ethan and Alabaster's expressions. One more person to care about him, one more person to worry about leaving behind. Things were so much easier when you could die alone on the streets with no one looking for you.

There was a knock at his door, he could tell it was Alabaster. 

“Come in.” 

Alabaster’s footsteps were hesitant. 

“I’m not angry at you,” he said, sitting down on a beanbag chair that Nico stole from the recreation room. “I want you to know that.” 

“Are you going to be dramatic and say that you’re angry at yourself?” Nico replied drily. 

“No, I’m angry for you,” Alabaster frowned. “Why are you so insistent on becoming a gopher for the Olympians? You have us, are we not important enough to stay tied down to? Why go traipsing around the world and get yourself killed for people who don’t even know your name?”

“My father knows my name,” Nico said. “And why do you think that I’m not doing it for this place?” 

“We have a good defensive barrier, and we’re more hidden than Camp Halfblood, we don’t need to do anything even if the Gaea wins.” 

“You don’t. I’m not asking you to do anything,” Nico twisted the ring on his finger anxiously. “Al, I need to know that you won’t get yourself in any trouble if I die.” 

“Easy fix, don’t die. I’ve been hearing whispers, too. About the other camp, the Romans. Clovis and Lou Ellen mentioned it. That’s the camp that Jason is from, right? Let them handle this. The Olympians have two entire camps of demigods who worship them, they don’t need you. We need you.”

“And I need you, Al,” Nico leaned closer to Alabaster, oblivious to the hitch in Alabaster’s breath. “I need you to be on my side, to keep the camp under control while I keep you guys safe. Can you do that for me?” 

Alabaster looked away, “Fine.” 

“Thank you,” Nico smiled, his bright white teeth (the only healthy looking feature on his face) gleamed. “Now, isn’t that a lot easier than me strangling you with shadows?” 

..........

The campers gathered together in the rec room. Some sat on the ground, some found purchase on the beanbag chairs, every one of them was tense, as if they knew that they were about to hear some bad news. 

Ethan took out a remote and lowered a projector down (no expenses were spared in creating this camp, most of it financed by Nico’s black companion Underworld credit card, courtesy of Hades). Nico whispered, “When did you find time to create a powerpoint presentation?”

Ethan rolled his eyes, there’s always time for a powerpoint presentation. 

He clicked the control, the plain powerpoint presentation began, with a comic sans “New News: It’s Bad” appearing on the screen. 

“I’m sure that everyone’s heard the whispers already, there’s a new adversary on the rise.” 

He clicked another button, “Gaea.” 

“As most people know, Gaea is the mother of the Titans, one of the first deities in existence. The information that we have right now, courtesy of Nico, is that she is awakening and attempting to destroy Olympus. As most of us know from experience, she won’t be able to do that without extra help, haha,” Ethan tried to give a dry laugh. Some of the campers laughed along with him, others groaned. 

“You try to overthrow the divine monarchy once, and they never let you live it down,” someone in the crowd muttered. 

“Her plan is to reawaken the Giants, who can only be killed by the gods and demigods working together. Unfortunately, the gods have closed off Olympus,” Ethan continued. “Yes, Mark, you have a question?” 

A five year old demigod sitting on the lap of his older sister was holding up his hand. “Can I go to the bathroom?” 

“I-Mark, can you hold it in? You need to know this,” Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. “No bathroom breaks until the end of the announcement, okay?”

“Mark, are you going to ask to go to the bathroom when Giants are attacking us?” Alabaster asked. 

“Hey,” his sister responded, “He has a small bladder!” 

Nico sighed, and remembered whenever he’d be called to a senate meeting when he visited New Rome. No one needed impromptu bathroom breaks there. “Mark, you can go. But get your sister to fill you in on what’s happening later, okay?”

“‘Kay, Coco,” Mark clambered down his sister and waddled to the bathroom. 

Ethan coughed, trying to get the gravitas back, but it was gone. 

“Okay, so what are we supposed to do?” Someone called out from the crowd. 

“Do we have any quests?” Someone else asked. 

“Whose side are we on?” 

“Ethan, I need to go to the bathroom, too!”

Nico gave Alabaster a glance, and gestured for him to take over. 

“Quiet, quiet!” he yelled. “We do nothing, we stay here, and continue building our activities center, shrines to our parents, and look for more demigods to bring to camp.” 

“Whose side are we on?” Someone else asked again. 

Alabaster grimaced, but he looked at Nico, whose liquid dark eyes turned on him with a quiet glare. 

“No one will be lifting a finger for this unless they want to,” he finally said, forcing down a blush when Nico looked at him approvingly. “But we can’t side with Gaea, the Giants will bring utter destruction to demigods. And I don’t imagine that she’ll be happy with us since we technically defected from her children.” 

“It’s not defecting when we’ve already lost, it’s surrendering,” someone called out. “We’re losers, not defectors!” 

“Ethan’s the defector,” Someone, Miriam, said. “He defected before we lost.”

“And you’re welcome for that, Miriam,” Ethan pointed at her. “Also, you’re welcome for the time I saved your ass from getting eaten by your sergeant in the Titan’s army. Look, we can’t ally ourselves with an army of creatures who want to eat us anymore, okay?” 

“Very bad idea,” Nico added. “Plus, summer’s in full swing and we have so many activities planned. Don’t let Gaea distract anyone from the improv classes and the Chariot Races.” 

“I wanna win the Chariot Race!” Little Mark had finished going to the bathroom and was running back to his sister’s lap. “Coco, how many more days till the races?” 

The rest of the campers’ faces melted as they watched little Mark cuddle up against his sister. He was the youngest camper there, found during the quest of punishment that the Olympian gods forced the surrendering Titan’s Army demigods to undertake after their defeat. Most of them carried a mark, a scar, some sort of disfigurement from that harrowing quest that Olympus decreed necessary. 

Alabaster looked up at Nico’s tired face, and remembered him pushing out from behind Hades’ shadow to stand in front of them, putting himself between the wrath of Zeus and the scared and injured demigods that were about to be annihilated. A quest, he’d asked of Zeus. Some journey of redemption, just like the one that Heracles had when he committed a grave error. He was a war hero who lost the chance at any honor for himself because he chose to throw his lot in with the losers. 

All because of Percy Jackson, Alabaster thought bitterly. Because “Percy would’ve wanted amnesty.” He hated the fact that he had to thank Percy Jackson for his life now. He hated the fact that Nico would consider this camp “Percy Jackson’s legacy,” instead of Nico’s own legacy that he almost killed himself for. Alabaster wished that Percy Jackson was alive so that he could show him exactly what he thought of his hypocritical ass. 

“I’m going to be heading to the Underworld to find the Doors of Death,” Nico announced. “No one is allowed to follow me. If Camp Halfblood comes here to ask for help, let them in and show them hospitality, but I’ll trust that you all follow your judgment on whether or not to help out. But no one is allowed to aid Gaea or ally with any of the Giants, capisce?” 

The campers that joined later or were from Camp Halfblood originally said “aye” enthusiastically. Ethan nodded, leading to more campers saying “aye.” Alabaster looked like he was swallowing a lemon, but he nodded, and his friends joined in as well. 

Nico sighed in relief. “Good, now. Meeting adjourned.” 

[drksanctuary]

Chthonian Camp AU + Young gods AU = Ancient Chthonian Court AU

“But my Leige, our love is forbidden…”

Ofc it’s a Nicobaster AU because it is me. I have the pencil and you don’t. You’re welcome Nicobaster household.