#Cue Percy taking the kids to buy baby supplies

[doevademe]

As a continuation for the time travel prompt (big up to the one who came up with it and to you for giving life to it, I love how your brains work) I propose maybe a plot twist: by the time young perce and nico come to terms with their future, they hear the wailing of a few months old baby girl who looks legit like a mix of the two from upstairs? And chaos ensues? Maybe? (By that I mean they re not only married but they discover they re parents too thanks to godly magic).

[Other parts of the fic: 1, 2, 3]

"So in the future you become like a badass demigod mercenary? And sometimes you take me with you?" Young Percy asked Nico's younger self, who just shrugged. "That's... actually really cool!"

"It is pretty cool," his Percy commented as he opened a can of spritz from their last trip to Venice. "And after brainstorming last night, we think your being here is a consequence of our last outing."

"What were you guys doing?" His younger self asked curiously as Nico just tapped his foot, waiting for the image to clear.

"Getting some sand for a primordial," he said. "It's the primordial in question that makes me suspicious."

"You called exactly when I expected you," the magical image finally spoke. Nico had enough experience to know that the older a deity, the more exentric and weird they were, but he still had to double take at the image of a crone with a young woman's face the primordial of Destiny sported.

"If you knew, why keep me on hold, Ananke?" Nico asked, all fake politeness. The goddess changed, now having the body of a baby and the face of an old woman.

"Woah, that's really frea—" his husband acted quick, putting his hand over his younger self's mouth. Nico gave him a grateful smile.

"I also answered when I was expected to," she said, looking perplexed. "You are wondering why there's time displaced versions of yourselves with you."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Percy said as his younger self struggled to get out of his grip. "Was there something in the gem you paid us with or something?"

"Nothing of the sort," she said with an airy laugh, changing to a woman in her forties with a baby face. "It's because the sand I needed for my clock is filled with the essence of Aion."

"The primordial of Time," Nico said, mostly for Younger Percy's sake (and his Percy, too, but he knew better than to ask questions while he was talking with deities). "We rolled on the stuff to get away from a Drakon, so we're also infused with his essence."

"Time is eternal and cyclical. By getting his essence, you pulled on people from other times, and they are anchored to you. They'll remain in this time until the essence fades."

"In other words, we're radioactive," Percy said with a sigh. Young Percy used the opportunity to break free and get in front of Nico, glaring at the woman.

"Okay, so I have two questions," he said loudly. Nico resisted the urge to facepalm. "One, how long will that essence cling to them? Two, will we remember what happened?"

Nico loved Percy. With all his heart, even at his worst. But right now, he wished their Time-radioctiveness had brought a mellower old man version of his husband instead of him at his most... Percy.

"Destiny is found out by mortals in time, my dear... but depending on how much essense they absorbed, it could be anywhere from a few days to a month."

Their eyes widened. He and Percy tended to get... busy right after a mission (don't judge him, it saved them a bath), so they had had that sand clinging on them for hours!

"As for the other question.... Your Destiny was to come here. While the memories will be gone, the experiences will remain. A tiny little voice that will remind you 'I should be doing this'..." Ananke said with excitement. "It was needed so neither of you would give up on each other! And just like that, our time is u—"

"Please toss another Drachma for five more minutes," Fleecy's automated message recited. Nico sighed and dissipated the rainbow.

No one spoke for a few minutes, teying to proccess the information.

"Percy mentioned a gem," Young Nico said finally. "What was it for?"

"Uh... for our future," his Percy said evasively. "Look, we only take on jobs from primordials for special things and... it's nice to have the option."

"Option for..." Young Percy drawled, finally finding an opening to bother his older self. His Percy looked away, coughing. "Come on, your future husband asked you a question. Answer him."

His younger self blushed and hid behind him. Nico was torn between considering himself adorable or embarrassing.

"It's a tiny, tiny fragment of the World Egg that birthed the universe," Nico said. "It can create anything... within reason. I'm not very trustful of Love and Fertility gods, so this was a nice compromise for eventually... having a baby."

Nico knew that Percy had wanted a family of his own since he was little, and that was the one thing Nico wasn't sure he could give him. When Ananke offered the gem in exchange for a job, he had jumped at the chance. Young Percy's eyes widened and he glanced at Young Nico for a moment before blushing heavily.

"Oh, speaking of baby-making," his Percy said, making their younger selves squirm. Nico raised an eyebrow. He was doing it on purpose. "We need to set ground rules for you guys."

"Ground rules? This is our house too!" Young Percy argued.

"You're minors, and this won't be your house for another four years," Percy said, blowing a raspberry. Nico looked away. His husband was a five year old in a 27-year-old body sometimes. "So, first of all, now you know you'll get together, but I want no exploration of that in this house."

"I wouldn't!" Young Percy exclaimed. Young Nico shrank on himself, making Young Percy's eyes widen. "Not that I don't want to— I mean, I'm still with Annabeth, and I'm not a cheater!"

Young Nico nodded, relaxing a little.

Adorable, Nico decided. I was adorable.

"Good. Second of all—"

A loud cry stopped them all in his tracks. Nico and his husband reacted first, followed by their younger selves as they opened one the rooms.

Inside was a craddle with little baby with dark black hair and striking green eyes. The name 'Emilia' was carved on the craddle.

Nico moved first, picking up the baby and rocking her lightly. The girl looked at him and stopped crying immediately.

"It's okay, Emmy, papa is here," he said softly, checking to see if there was anything wrong with her.

"Did you guys use the gem already?" Young Percy asked, looking at the baby. "It sounded like you didn't!"

"We... we haven't yet," his husband said slowly, getting closer to Nico and the baby. "But there's this feeling when I look at her... I know she is my daughter."

From the look Nico saw on his younger self's eyes, he knew both were thinking the same.

Aion's essense. If it pulled them from the past, it could also pull someone from the future. Someone so close to them it was basically their conbined selves.

Like Nico and Percy's future daughter.

"Damn Time Radioactivity!" Young Percy said once he caught on. Young Nico slapped his arm. "Hey!"

"Watch your language in front of our daughter!"

Percy and Nico looked at each other.

This complicated things even further.