#and if its not clear nico is ghost boi

[hazellvsq]

heroes of olympus trc au

frank as the rich academic kid searching for an ancient roman emperor to cope with the gaping emptiness inside him and the fear that his life is worthless and that he shouldn’t be alive. reyna as his roommate. after her dad died under mysterious circumstances and her surrogate mom circe went to prison she’s kind of going off the rails and also has a buzzcut and tattoos and a vintage car (frank has his grandma’s volvo) and an older sister she hates. she can also manifest her dreams into the real world but that’s book 2 shit. hazel is living alone and working several jobs bc she’s on scholarship and dealing with medical issues and ptsd due to past abuse but its fine :). she’s fine :). she and frank are kind of in love but not admitting it and its not going to end well. she also might be psychic and/or deceased but doesn’t know it yet. leo is living at the waystation with his foster moms who are psychics but he is not psychic, nor is he a scholarship kid even though he’s a genius bc of his record as a runaway but its fine :). he’s not angry or jealous :). he’s fine with staying in this town forever with no clear purpose :). he’s also fated to kill his true love if he kisses him. nico is frank and reyna’s roommate. they don’t remember why he lives there or know a lot about him or remember him when he’s not around. bc he’s so unmemorable. no other reason :(

[mediumgayitalian]

The infirmary door creaks slightly as Nico pushes it open, wood swollen in the summer heat. He freezes, listening for the sound of angry curfew harpies, but luckily there don’t seem to be any around (they tend to camp around the Hermes cabin, understandably).

The infirmary is much darker than it usually is, letting the three or four people in it overnight rest. Some softer lights are on at the nurse’s station, making the blonde head under them glow. Nico pads forward, steps a practiced silence on the clay tiles. He can’t see if Will has his hearing aids on under his hair; he probably does, because Nico can’t imagine him on duty without them. Either way, he makes sure to approach the medic from in front, tapping the counter when he’s close enough. Will doesn’t startle, only glances up, flashing a smile — he heard.

“Hey, darlin’,” he greets.

Nico rolls his eyes, firmly holding back the smile that tries to force its way on his face. “Hey.”

“Nightmares?”

Surprisingly, no, although maybe that’s just because Nico couldn’t fall asleep at all. After the third hour of trying — which was, frankly, remarkable, he should get an award for staying in his bed the entire time like the Mature Person He Is — he gave up, figuring he might as well put all his annoyance to good use. And Will, for some reason, is endlessly amused by Nico’s complaining, so it’s his personal mission to make the stubborn boy crack. One day, gods help him, Nico will turn that usually sunny grin into a scowl, just so he can make an irritating Apollo-related comment about it.

(He’s hoping for the same eye twitch he gets when he attempts any ‘Underworld-y stuff’).

“Something like that.”

Will hums, but doesn’t press. After a minute he gestures to the spinny chair behind the nurse’s station. Nico takes the hint, ducking through the half-door and sitting on the old leather.

He likes the infirmary at night. Maybe it’s a strange place for him to find so much peace — ghosts often linger here, many of them pained, and it always smells of rubbing alcohol and eucalyptus — but he likes it anyway. It’s less visually sterile than a hospital, more akin to an apothecary, and the whole place always feels warm. Will’s off-tune humming echoes quietly as he works, mixing with the soft snores of the few patients and the repetitive grinding sound of whatever poultice he’s currently preparing. If Nico wasn’t so randomly wired, the sounds would lull him to sleep. They have before.

“Prepping for tomorrow,” Will explains when he catches Nico looking. Some of the softness on his face fades as he tightens his jaw. “I’m sure we’ll need it.”

Nico uncurls slightly from the armchair, peering curiously forward. He’s not sure what’s more intriguing — whatever healing magic Will is prepping, or the uncharacteristic bitterness in Will’s voice.

“…Need what?”

“Everything.”

“Oh, well, thank you, that clears things up nicely.”

Will snorts. His grip on the mortar loosens.

“C’mere, then, I’ll show you.”

When Nico is close enough, he sets down the pestle, revealing very fine, almost bleach-white powder.

“Shells,” he reveals, pointing to several still-whole ones. He smiles slightly. “It’s the kids’ job to gather ingredients, and this is probably their favourite. They’ll play with the naiads for hours to get enough, Gracie’s always tuckered right out after.”

Nico matches his small smile. Gracie, Will’s youngest sibling, is a cute kid, obsessed with mermaids. He imagines collecting seashells from the Greek version of mermaids is practically a dream come true.

“What’re the shells for?”

“They’re pure calcium carbonate, basically. Good for dyspepsia, which won’t help for capture the flag, but also good for caustic burns, which will.”

Nico nods. He has, for some reason, spent enough time around the apothecary to pick up more than a few medical terms – largely because Will talks like he swallowed a pre-med textbook, which isn’t that far off from reality.

“Why use shells, though?” He gestures to the powder Will is still crushing, even though Nico can’t imagine it getting any finer. “Why not just have Chiron order the stuff? It’d probably be easier.”

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t work as well.” Apparently finally satisfied with the crushed shells, Will tips the powder out into a much bigger bowl, then sets it aside. He carefully selects six of the whole shells and begins to crush them – Nico winces, because the first few cracks are much louder than he was expected in such a quiet room. “Whatever Chiron ordered would be crushed by machines, in a factory, probably made from chalk or limestone. It would still function as an antacid, sure, but –” Will pauses for a minute, facing Nico fully. His voice is softer, and he has to lean in to catch it. “Seashells held living beings. For years, they were homes. Maybe for an entire lifetime. And they were gifted, willingly, by spirits of the sea, and then crushed by human hands. At least three exchanges. There’s magic in that, and that makes them more powerful.”

As Will crushes the new shells, Nico steps up beside him, reaching into the larger bowl and digging into the powdered carbonate. The granules are finer than sand, fine as sugar – he buries his hands in them and concentrates, and in seconds he can feel the tiny remnants of spirits in them. Not souls – there is no human death lingering here – but thousands and thousands of fractured pieces of something that was once living. His arms tingle, goosebumps raising all over his flesh.

“Huh.”

Will grins. “Yep.”

Nico watches him out of the corner of his eye as he works. He is totally focused on his work, face slacking again as he sinks into the motions of it: twist, twist, scrape, check grain size; over and over, again and again. His arms must ache. It’s something like three in the morning, he’s been on duty since ten. Nico knows him too well to assume he’s been sitting idly for any of that time.

“Why don’t you ever play capture the flag?” he asks, surprising himself. He’s not usually one to break silences. Will tenses slightly beside him, and the rest of the words come tumbling out of his mouth, although he was unaware he’d been holding them in so tightly. “I mean, you’re always on shift. I know you’re in here a lot, but you like training, usually. Especially stuff where you get to run around. I would’ve guessed that –”

“I know that capture the flag is important,” Will interrupts. His hands have gone still. Nico snaps his mouth shut immediately. “Obviously. Everyone needs to keep their skills sharp.” His presses his lips together. A particularly loud snore from one of the patients makes them both look over, and it’s a long time before he speaks again.

“But I don’t like when we play war against each other,” he says. He turns to Nico and smiles humourlessly. “I know it’s dumb. But it just feels…I dunno. I’ve treated the injuries after the fact for years – too many of them aren’t accidents. Besides, I’m more help here, anyway. Chiron’s a field medic, anything more serious will need the infirmary.”

He abruptly turns back to crushing the shells, clearly ending the conversation. He has also begun humming again – aggressively and upbeat. The tension is gone from his shoulders, but his knuckles are white against the grip of the pestle.

He is not telling the full truth, Nico thinks. Will is a bad liar. All Apollo kids are, but Will especially – he squirms.

But Will is his friend. And Nico can take a hint – or maybe a silent begging to drop it.

“What time does your shift end?” Nico asks. “Six?”

Will slumps in relief, shooting him a genuine smile. “Yeah. Austin’s taking over for the morning while I sleep, then I’m back again at 2, just before the game starts.”

“I’ll stay up with you, then.”

“Absolutely not, doctor’s orders, Nico, you need to sleep –”

Nico places his hands over Will’s shaking ones, fleeting. His stomach erupts in a way he’s learned to ignore. The tremor in the medic’s hands finally stills, grip loosening.

“I’ll stay up with you.”

“Yeah,” Will says finally, starting the pestle up again. “I guess that’s fine.”

———

part two

[crossdressingdeath]

Okay, I make a lot of jokes about Jason drinking poison just because Nico asked him to and drinking poison because someone said "If we're friends drink this poison" is a wild thing to do. But it's also like... this is kind of Nico's answer to Jason telling him to take a risk and trust that Jason really is his friend and really does want to help him? Jason says "If you want to belong anywhere you're going to have to take some risks and trust that people want to be your friends", Nico is now turning around and saying "If you really want to be my friend, prove that you trust me instead of just asking me to trust you". Nico's been burned before by trusting other people blindly! Basically everyone he's ever cared about has let him down in a really big way! But he tells Jason to trust him and Jason does without a moment's hesitation. And it's like... people usually don't trust Nico, the Seven in particular (Hazel aside) have been looking at Nico with nothing but distrust since he got out of Tartarus. And here's golden boy Jason taking this poison without hesitation because Nico told him to and in doing so saying "Yes, I trust you with my life, I have faith that you really do intend to help". That would mean a lot! Jason is willing to literally put his life on the line based solely on Nico's word that it's necessary! That's a level of faith that basically no one else shows in Nico, especially in this series! Even when characters do trust Nico, it's usually because there's no one else who can do what he's doing (no one else can lead the Seven to the Doors, no one else can shadow travel the Athena Parthenos, and honestly given he's not actually one of the Seven he's... kind of expendable as far as the quest goes). But Jason just... trusts him, without hesitation or reservation.

Just adkajf;lsdkjfl;daskfjdslkfj it's so much????? Jason and Nico's relationship is so sosososososo good whether you read it as romantic or platonic! It's honestly wild to me that Rick managed to make these two's very close relationship work and feel incredibly real with such a rapid development, because... yeah, there isn't actually a lot of time between Split and Nico leaving with the Athena Parthenos, but the clear affection and concern between them and how they worry about each other while they're separated and how delighted Jason is to see Nico again (and presumably vice versa but we're in Jason's head at the time) at the final battle and Nico actually letting Jason hug him still all makes sense. This is a friendship that is still in its early stages but clearly already means a lot to both of them just because of the circumstances they established it in and the way they mesh as people (and probably because neither of them have a lot of friends as it is, Jason is popular but I don't get the sense he has a lot of friends and Nico is Nico, but that's sad so let's not dwell on it), it's fantastic! I'm really disappointed that we don't get to see them interact in ToA and I really hope there are flashbacks to them interacting in TSatS (and/or Jason's ghost shows up) because I would love to see what their friendship is like after they've had a chance to settle into it in a non-apocalyptic situation. Clearly they stay very close post-HoO given how broken up Nico is after Jason's death and him missing Jason to an incredibly tragic degree in TSatS (assuming that doesn't get changed in editing), but I want to see them! Let me see them being friends, Rick!

[hadeslegacyhephgirl]

Don't leave me

'Nico's fading!' Will shot up from his desk and ran outside toward the shout. 'WHAT?!' Kayla raced up to him 'Will, thank the gods! We've been looking all over for you - Nico's fading - it's bad -'

Will didn't hear any more and his body had taken over before he knew what was happening, he'd found Nico, pushing through the crowds surrounding the Ghost King and collapsing at is hide, a healing hymn already at his lips, surveying the damage.

Nico was smoky - a literal shadow. His lips were blue, his skin paler that normal and all the grass around him was dead and withering as waves of pure death and darkness radiated off him.

'Where's Coach Hedge? Reyna?'

'Coach Hedge is away with his family - and we haven't been able to reach Reyna'

Will growled and whipped out his own phone (One of Leo's anti-monster one) and dialled Reyna's emergency number. She picked up after three agonising rings

'Hello?' 'Reyna?' "Yeah?' "Oh, thank the gods. This is Will Solace - Nico's fading - bad-' 'Say no more - I'll be there in one minute. Keep him alive!' 'I'm trying!'

Reyna hung up, and, as promised, arrived in exactly 53 seconds (yes, Will counted) with a flask that Will assumed was the Unicorn Draught

Reyna set to work, and after an agonising 3 minutes and 23 seconds, in which Will had basically destroyed his nails by chewing them, Reyna stood to reveal a still-unconsious but solid Nico.

Will immediately grabbed Nico's shoulder, humming a healing hymn, interrupting himself every so often to whisper a plea

'Stay with me, Nico, come on, please, stay with me'

Eventually, at late evening, Will just couldn't keep going. He was exhausted, tears streaking down his face as he repeated the plea one final time

'Stay with me, Nico, please'

Will closed his eyes, utterly spent, tear tracks drying on his skin.

Then someone grabbed his hand

The persons hand was cold, and small.

Will opened his eyes.

Nico's eyes were open, his lips open to whisper one word

'Always'

It was the most beautiful word Will had ever heard. The shadows were twisting and curling around them. Will quickly turned on his glowing ability.

'No, no shadows for you!'

Then, unable to contain his joy any longer, he pulled the smaller boy into a hug, laying down, Nico on top (they were both exhausted. Let 'em live). Will didn't feel Nico's hands on his face until Nico was kissing him.

(Btw - pre solangelo! First kiss!)

Will was so surprised that he nearly forgot to kiss Nico back, but he did and gods it was the best thing ever.

Nico's lips were soft and chapped, tasting of pomegranite and a slight bit of blood. Will loved it.

Eventually Nico pulled back with a simple

'That was the best welcome back I've ever had' "And hopefully its the last one you need' 'I dunno. If it made you kiss me like that-' 'Then I shall never do so again. You know what this means deathboy-' 'Three days in the infirmary, I know, I know.'

Nico rested his head on Wills chest as the sun set on the horizon.

'I don't want to move'

Will grinned. He loved the soft, sleepy side of Nico.

'Fine. Just this once I can carry you'

Nico hummed, sending vibrations into Wills chest. Will manouvered them so he could stand up, carrying Nico bridal-style to the infirmay, to the bunk unofficially always cleared for Nico. Will laid Nico down and turned to leave. Nico grabbed his hand

'Stay?'

Will grinned

'How could I say no to my favourite patient?' "Mm your cutest patient' "That too'

'I wan't big spoon' "Fiiiiiine' Will flopped onto the bed, allowing Nico to wind his small body around his bigger one. Nico fell asleep quickly, his soft deep breathes sending Will running toward Morpheos himself.

~*~

That night the night-watch, Kayla, peeked into the curtain surrounding Nico's cot and smiled at the soft scene of Nico and Will snuggled close together, smiles on both sleeping faces

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.192 thoughts

[RULES OF NATURE!!!] or [We Live in a Society]

(Contents: thematic analysis - rules, character analysis - Top)

Undead Unluck is now officially as long as Medaka Box! Well, 'cept it doesn't have any special chapters in Giga or anything like that, so I guess technically Medaka Box had two more chapters? Come to think of it, wasn't getting two bonus chapters kind of a big deal? Can't think of too many Jump manga that get ANY bonus chapters...

Gettin' sidetracked, focus!

We finally get to see our boy Top, and oh no! He's become a Bad Boy(TM)! Using his powers to steal when his previous self was willing to stop running so his friends could win the prize money he needed...how heartbreaking! No wonder Haruka is trying so hard to stop him, especially since she was around to stop his tragedy - she's probably already as attached to him now as she was in the previous loop, and it hurts her to see him like this

It does seem a little strange for a family to get run out of town for illness in modern society, but maybe that's just what it's like in a poor Brazilian neighborhood? That doesn't sound right, but even if it isn't, it's fiction and I'm just going to ignore it for the sake of the drama

Top's mother tells him that he shouldn't be stealing, not necessarily because stealing is inherently wrong, but because it breaks society's rules - in the traditional sense, an outlaw is someone who doesn't obey the law, and therefore is not protected by it, so from her perspective, her son living as an outlaw justifies their isolation from the rest of society. To her, living within the law should eventually result in their family being accepted back into society, as surely the law must protect those who live within its borders

This is a fallacy, though: the law punishes those who live outside of it, but it is not obligated to protect anyone at all. The Rules of the UU world make Tozuka's stance on this topic abundantly clear, as their very existence is explicitly meant to cause suffering, and the only way to end that suffering is to either find loopholes within the rules or to negate the rules themselves. You can either cheat the system or break it, but staying perfectly in line is only going to give the advantage to those who seek to abuse the rules for their own benefit and the detriment of everyone else. The poor stay poor while the rich get richer

Top's way of doing things isn't necessarily right, either, though. While the law won't do anything to help, stealing from the community is a surefire way to lose sympathy from the people who may be willing to help. It's one thing to be an enemy of the law, but making an enemy of the community will only make one more isolated. UU is all about banding together to make things better, but Top is turning his back on everyone else to shoulder everything himself. If he makes a name for himself as a criminal, making the wrong members of the community his enemy, there's a good chance that no amount of money will let his mother get whatever treatment he needs. This is the kind of town where they can kick you out for being sick, there's a very good chance they'd refuse service to the kid who stole X amount of money from them. Money is a construct of society - becoming society's enemy is a surefire way to make your money lose its value

The Rules of UU work similarly - by working with the Rules, new possibilities are created, like Lucy and Andy materializing their souls after the introduction of Ghost, Nico mastering electricity to turn Ichico's eyebags into eyeshadow, the Union warping with Move, etc. The Rules are not inherently bad, they just aren't designed with protection in mind - they're made to restrict or enable specific behaviors, which can be used to either guide or manipulate those they apply to. How this theme will develop for this arc remains to be seen, but it's very clear that Top's situation is meant to be a more realistic or practical parallel to the fantastical setting of this world as a whole

Reading this chapter also prompted me to reread Top's backstory chapter, and I noticed a fun little parallel: at the beginning of this week's chapter, Fuuko says that because of her Unluck, she killed her parents, just like Top says that because of his Unstoppable, he killed his friends, and in both cases, Juiz/Julia insisted that both of them were blameless, and instead God was responsible for those deaths. Of course, both Fuuko and Top still insist on shouldering the responsibility to make things right by defeating God

I wonder if perhaps Top not killing anyone is part of the reason he went down this path: before, he wasn't responsible but couldn't help feeling like he was, but this time he really is just a victim of circumstance, so blaming everyone else and lashing out is a natural reaction. I'm not saying he was better off with his friends' blood on his hands (shoes?), but it's interesting that the worse circumstance forged a stronger and kinder heart

I imagine that's going to lead into the deeper explanation that Fuuko started at the beginning of the chapter: why the Negators are chosen. It's a question that we've been asking for a long time, and I always assumed that God just liked to pick on whoever would be the most ironic in the moment, so I'm excited to see what kind of answer Tozuka is gearing up to give us. I imagine it'll sound esoteric and weird at first, but it'll undoubtedly give me a lot to talk about, so I'm greatly looking forward to it

Until next time, let's enjoy life

[mason-knight-retired]

Before Asteria

(timelines? don’t know her) --

The halls of the defunct Cerberus base are uncomfortably familiar.

There are ghosts lurking in the shadows. The warren-like layout of this place was almost identical to Phoenix 1, and with every door they kick open, every room they check, Mason almost expects to find Tatsu or any other familiar face huddled in a corner.

Even with the flickering lights overhead from the failing power grid, Mason could easily imagine he was back on P1. It’s disturbing on too many levels but it’s not until they shift into the long hallway of the residential deck that it really seems to hit home. 

There are rows of self contained suites for the operatives. His room, along with Ethan’s, had always been larger and nestled at the end of the hallway on P1. Virtue of seniority, he supposes.

By the end, Ethan’s room on P1 had been mostly for storage.

Mason knows he’s not the only one uncomfortable walking these halls. Ben and Nico feel it too, but it’s something they all pointedly ignore. Until they can’t any longer.

The dragoon comes at him with a lash Mason meets with his own and with the movement, the same terrifying dream replays behind his eyes - the nightmare of each one of them, twisted and remade into one of these and he hesitates. Despite the fact Ethan’s ring on his ringer and Ben and Nico are at first at his back and then in front of him, he hesitates to take the death blow.

There’s a blue crackle in the air and Nico booms past him, hot on Ben’s tail, so fast Mason hadn’t even felt the biotic brush against him until he was on the opposite side of the hall and squarely colliding with the dragoon’s chest. Then it’s on the ground, convulsing grotesquely as something bloody and black oozes from between the plates of its armor.

Marie’s voice sounds in Mason’s ear through the tinny speakers in his helmet. “What was that?”

“Hostiles,” Mason replies curtly. Ben moves on ahead, kicking the doors open and hunting for more quarry. “Dragoons as we expected. Stay alert, there might be more.”

When Mason turns around, it's straight into Zeus shiny blue breast plate looming over him, uncomfortably close. “What?”

Nico’s eyes glitter through his face plate, just a golden glow on the other side. “You hesitated, Huntsman.”

“Of course I fucking did.”

“One day that’s going to get you killed.”

Mason grits his teeth and bites back his retort. He glances sideways at the dragoon on the floor, the armour so familiar and foreign at the same time. Maybe it was the nightmares that kept replaying behind his eyes, but he still couldn’t separate phoenix and dragoons any easier this many months into the fleet’s campaign than it had been at the start.

Nico doesn’t move.

“Come on, Zeus. Get moving. We still have three more levels to clear.”

“You’ve lost your edge,” Nico tells him.

Mason snorts and kicks the body on the floor in irritation. The black ooze leaks over his armored toe and squelches as he hauls up the dragoon’s limp wrist and tries to pry away the gauntlet. It’s an ugly job, the gauntlet fused into the dragoon’s wrist and bone. He tries not to let himself think about who this man was, if there was a family out there that missed him, or someone he loved waiting for him to come home.

Maybe Zeus was right. “Maybe I should hand over command to you then, huh, Zeus?” Mason says it with a bitter edge, a challenge wrapped up in annoyance, although who he’s really pissed at, he can’t tell.

Nico moves out of his way slowly but Mason can feel the way his eyes burn into him. “Maybe you should.”

--

Nico’s answer plants a seed in the back of Mason's mind and its tendrils grow with every quiet step back on the Berlin. He passes the observation lounge and overhears Luca crooning over his guitar, singing some slow song about love and loneliness and missing the one you love and he backtracks to stand in the doorway and listen.

Luca catches his eye but he doesn’t stop until he’s finished his song.

“Got anything happier?” Masons asks, venturing into the room. Maybe a distraction will help push away the aching loneliness. When he’d first come on board the Berlin, he had missed Ethan desperately too, but this now was a different kind of ache. Bittersweet in a way, because he knows Ethan is missing him too.

“Not really in the mood,” Luca huffs, glancing down at his feet. There’s a bruise around his eye that’s faded and Mason knows the reason for it is still languishing in the brig. He wishes there was more they could do about it, but this wasn’t Cerberus, and the kid wasn’t really one of theirs. The Alliance had to follow their own protocols.

Mason hesitates to leave anyway.

He tilts his head. “You okay, Luca?”

The engineer looks up, as though surprised Mason would address him. He sort of is. “You know, I think you’re the only one who doesn’t call me ‘kid.’”

“Is…” Mason frowns. “I can, if you want me to?”

“No,” Luca flashes him a small smile from under his curls. Sometimes he reminds him a little of Ben from before, although with a lot less batarian thrashcore and not entirely chaotic pranks. “I kind of hate it when they call me kid.”

Mason finds himself drifting closer. “I heard about what happened. I’m sorry.”

Luca grimaces and the twang of the strings goes from pleasant to something harsh before stopping all together with a slap on the guitar’s body. “Uh. Thanks. But it’s cool. I can handle it.”

Luca starts to play again, another song Mason doesn’t recognize and Mason sags back against the couch as he listens.

The gold band around his finger feels heavy.

--

“Let me get this straight-“

Marie pinches the brow of her nose and sighs. She looks tired, more strung out than he’s ever seen her and the guilt rides him hard against his breastbone. “You want to go back to the citadel?”

“You don't need me here, Commander,” Mason shrugs and tries to soften the news by playing to her ego. It almost works but then her lips purse as he continues. “I thought you did. But you've got Nico. You've got Ben and Maddox, even if he’s not fighting fit yet. You don’t need me just now. And I... I just want to be with Ethan. We just… it feels like we only just found each other and then I had to say goodbye to him. And it turns out I’m not as okay with that as I thought I would be.”

“I can understand that, Mase.” She glances at the band on his finger, then looks away. “Priorities change, I get it. But.... It's temporary, right?”

“I hope so. I know things haven’t been exactly great between us lately, but-“

“Shut up. I still love you. I love all of you phoenix boys. But we’re not done here.” She waves a hand, encompassing the ship. “Not by a long shot. I still need all of you.”

“I know. And you’ll have us when it counts, I promise you that, Ree.”

--

In the docking bay, Mason hoists the duffle bag over his shoulder and peers into a familiar set of bright green eyes. “I'll stay if you need me too, Benji. I feel bad being the one to ask you here in the first place and then leaving myself.”

“No,” the little vanguard grins. “I’m good, Boss. But say hi for me. Both.”

“I will. And with any luck, I might even be able to bring them back with me. It might make things more pleasant around here.”

Ben scrunches his nose. “Yeah,” Mason laughs. “Okay, no. It won’t. It was fun having Ethan on board for a while though.”

“More fun for you.”

“Guilty. But… Look, Benji, real talk now. Promise me you’re going to keep on top of your meds and regular check in’s with Kate, okay?”

Ben nods solemnly and Mason squeezes his shoulder. “I told Luca to keep an eye out for you, but I’m pretty sure he’d do that anyway. In the meantime, you stay out trou.... No, actually. Forget that.” Mason shakes his head and grins. “Get out there and raise hell, little cat.”

--

It takes far too long to get back to the Citadel, a handful of hops and jumps in passing cruisers and a near miss on account of the reapers, but he’s never been more happy to step foot back into the artificial air and stand under the artificial clouds.

He’s walking down the ramp when he sees him – Sabre, husband, the love of his life - the face and body he traced over and over in his mind on the Berlin during the long nights alone. His face splits into a grin in spite of himself and he shakes his head in a disbelieving laugh.

“How did you know?” he asks without preamble as he gets close.

Ethan holds himself still and watches him, eyes hungry. “I knew as soon as your ship came through the relay. Do you really think I wasn’t keeping tabs on my heart while you were out there?”

Mason comes to a stop in front of him, still grinning and flooded with so much love he’s almost dizzy with it. The latent hum of Ethan’s biotics brushing against his own settles him in a way nothing else could. “I should have known. Kinda ruined my epic surprise though.”

“No. It didn’t. Not by a long shot.” Ethan’s hands cups his face, brushing over his lips. Those hazel eyes Mason has been dreaming about go soft as he holds Mason reverently and presses their foreheads together. “Hi, baby,” he whispers.

Mason drops his duffle bag and grips Ethan close. “Hi. I missed you so much.”

[suga2910]

ALONE NO MORE...

Nico's pov:

I was watching as Peppers' father beat her. He was very cruel, wicked, crooked and evil. I couldn't just see as he did that cruel thing. I wanted to interfere but I just couldn't. I wished this would stop. He was abusing her, using slang language and calling her names. He beat her for things she had no fault in, she could not control. I turned my head away as I could not see it anymore.

I went out of the scenario for a while and went out in the fresh air. It almost choked me to see that. It brought back bad memories and reminded me of myself over three years ago. I was in Pepper's place, helpless very much helpless. abused, shattered and alone.

Peppers' pov:

Dada left when he had his hearts fill, beating me! I was sitting in the bathroom, under the open tap. The cool knife felt hard against the wide cut it had made in my soft skin, making it temporarily numb. The water flowed, drenching me wet. Slowly, I could feel myself falling into endless blackness...

I had almost given all the hope to survive when suddenly, a black figure loomed over me. The vision cleared and I saw that it was a handsome guy, maybe 15 or 16. But he had one of those ageless face, struck with worry. I knew he would not be so worried when he knew what I'd done.

Instead, he came closer and leaned over me to take a better look at my wound. He touched my wet forehead and winced at my rapidly rising temperature. 'Why?' A stern why was all he spoke. He picked me up and took me out of the bathroom and kept me on the bed. The blood was oozing out of my wrist and staining the bedcovers in a dark red colour. He muttered something under his breath and I was lost in endless blackness...

Nico's pov:

I had gone away for just a few minutes but she did not wait for me to return. She was kneeling down on the bathroom floor, blood covered all of her body. She was drenched wet and her temperature was rising rapidly, I really did not know what to do. So, I decided carry her home. Maybe, I could find some medicine for her and keep an eye on her. I couldn't see her in any more pain. I lifted her up and started to shadow travel, I hadn't shadow travelled with anyone before. An illuminated figure appreared in front of me. Aunt Becky was standing over me with a proud-mum-smile on her face. She gazed at me, nodding silently. I looked at her, afraid that she will not allow me to take her daughter with me. Instead she moved aside. 'She'll be very happy with you. Keep my daughter safe and take a good care of her. Go now!' She said. 'Thank you very much.' I felt very relieved. I stood there staring at the lady who had just sacrified her happiness to give Peppers a better life. Peppers squirmed a little in my hands and I came back to reality.

I willed myself to focus on what I was doing and in a jiffy air ripped through my lungs. The cold air stung at my body making me wince with pain. The wind was so strong that I had to grip Peppers more tightly to not to lose her. I fell flat on my back with Pepper on me, still unconscious. The cut was bleeding even more and I saw that it was rather deep. I made her lie down on the bed and dressed her wounds, the cut and other bruises her father had made. And left her alone for a rest.

***

Peppers' pov:

I woke up covered in something very fluffy- blankets. I was sleeping in a very fluffy bed. I tried to get up but my body pained like hell. I groaned with the sudden outburst of pain. I might've groaned a little louder than necessary because I heard heavy footsteps coming towards me. And sure enough the same dark boy who had saved me entered into the cosy little room. 'You should take some more rest.' He said his voice seemed worried. 'Where are we?' I asked though my first question should've been "who are you?". 'Well, I'm Nico. And you are perfectly safe and sound with me. You are currently in my bedroom.' The dark boy said. I noticed that it was just his clothes and hair that were dark, except that he was very pale. 'Your bedroom?' I let it sink with a little bit of trouble.

'Why am I here?'

'Because you were in a bad state there.'

'Well, that is not your problem.'

'Your mother is very worried about you.'

'She died 8 years ago and no chance she still loves me. No one does. I am all alone...' I didn't like it but I started to sob.

Third person's pov:

Nico went close to her and wiped her tears off her cheeks. He gazed into her glazed eyes and muttered silently. 'I do.'

'Hmmm? Wh-what d-did you j-just say?' she was damn sure he said "I do".

He regretted it as soon as he said it, he tried to make it up. 'She still loves you. She has decided to stay here in mortal world as a ghost and keep you company in your hardships.' He stumbled on his words and a tear traced its way down his cheek. She hugged him tightly and placed her head on his shoulder. 'Thank you for not letting me face this alone. Its because you and mumma that I am alone no more...' And she kissed him softly asking for comfort and then cuddled into him.

**The End**

[solangelover]

12 Days of Gifts: Day 11

Read on AO3 or FF.Net

Prev | Next

The small group of campers present had gathered at the campfire on Christmas Eve. It was cold enough that everyone layered up, but the fire always felt warmest on this night. Nico offered up his thanks to Hestia; he always felt some sort of kinship with her.

The night was filled with Christmas songs and laughter. Nico sat in the Apollo cabin section, though most of the cabin was upfront leading music. Will stood in front of them all, even though his siblings had more musical talent than him. Still, he sang loudly and acted silly, bringing joy and light to the place. Nico smiled at his antics, unable to sing the songs he didn’t know but enjoying himself anyway.

When the songs ended and other campers went up to perform, Will came and sat next to Nico. “Having fun?”

Nico glanced away to try and hide his smile. “It’s fine.”

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that Death Boy. It’s okay to smile!”

“Shut up,” Nico nudged Will playfully. When their eyes met, Nico could see the firelight perfectly reflected in Will’s shining irises, the color dimmed but still a sparkling blue in the night. He felt like Will could see right through him, which he kind of could. He knew Nico was happy, joyful even, for the first time in a long while. Not just tonight, but in the time after the war, Will watched the tension leave Nico’s body and a precious little smile work its way onto his face. Whether or not Will played a part in the change, he was glad he got to watch it happen.

“Kiss already,” someone coughed behind Will. He whipped around to see Lou Ellen elbowing Cecil hard in the ribs, though even she couldn’t hide the smirk on her face. Will felt his ears burning, but Nico didn’t seem to catch on, anyway.

Someone else roughly sat down on Will’s other side, clearly trying to get his attention. Will turned to see Kayla with a meaningful look in her eye. She raised an eyebrow at him and furtively glanced down behind the bench they were seated on. He caught on immediately and gave her a small nod, albeit with an uncertain tilt to his mouth. She rolled her eyes at her idiot brother, but he didn’t miss the supportive smile she shot him.

With a deep breath, Will turned back to Nico to see him gazing at the fire. He wondered what he might be thinking about.

Will cleared his throat to gently get Nico’s attention. When he looked up, Will suddenly felt a little nervous. “Uh,” he started.

“Yeah?” Nico cocked his head.

Will shook his head in an attempt to push away his nerves. He reached under the bench and pulled out a wrapped rectangular gift. He held it on his side opposite Nico, still slightly out of sight. “I, um, have something—a gift—for you.” His fingers fiddled with the ribbons of the present nervously as he continued before Nico said anything. “It’s tradition—well, I mean, it was—with my mom and I. We always opened a gift on Christmas eve. Not that we had many to choose from, but it was more about the shared experience than the gift anyway.”

Will gulped as he brought the present out and placed it in Nico’s lap.

Nico stared at it with too many thoughts to process. He knew that he and Will had been informally exchanging gifts for days now, but this felt more personal. Will was sharing a tradition with him, one that was special to him and his mom, whom he hadn’t seen in some time. It felt like a big deal.

“You don’t have to open it now,” Will rushed out as the seconds ticked on. “I just thought—”

“No, I will!” Nico’s hands flew protectively to the gift, as if Will was about to take it back. “I mean, I’ll open it. But, well, sorry I don’t—”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to have something for me! I just wanted to do this.” Will smiled nervously, but it broke the tension, nonetheless.

Nico nodded and gave a small smile in return, looking back down at the present. He tore the paper as nicely as he could with cold fingers to reveal a book of some kind. Nico flipped it open and his jaw dropped. The book was filled with plastic card holders, the first few pages already filled with Mythomagic cards. They were in no particular order, but they still looked relatively new. Nico flipped through eagerly, recognizing all the cards present.

His eyes shot up to Will’s in excitement, finding that they were already trained on him. “This is amazing! Where did you find these?”

Will rubbed his next sheepishly. “Well, I remember that you liked these and asked around. It took a bit of digging, but I eventually found a store that sold some.”

“You remember? From when?”

Will smiled fondly. “Um, when you first came to camp forever ago. I don’t think we formally met, but I knew about you. I found out you liked Mythomagic and,” Will’s cheeks bloomed with color. “I had wanted to play with you, I remember. You were gone before I could ask.”

Nico couldn’t believe it. Will remembered him from what felt like ages ago, before he had lost his sister. If Nico had stayed, he would have had a friend in Will long before now.

Nico felt his eyes sting and lunged forward into the son of Apollo’s chest, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck. “Thanks,” he whispered, his breath ghosting across Will’s cheek.

Will hugged back just as tightly.

[ohdeputy]

100 Letters PART IX

Arthur Morgan x John Marston

Words: 6,545

Read on Archive

Part VIII

-

The sky was a perfect shade of blue, with fluffy clouds that made John feel like he was sitting inside of a painting. He had spent the past few days enjoying the warmer breeze the wind carried alongside Albert’s presence. He was grateful for the man’s hospitality but had grown eager to return to the gang.

John hoped they were okay, not having heard any word from anyone since his arrival at Albert’s cabin. It wasn’t unusual, since they were undoubtedly just keeping a low profile, but he was uneasy nevertheless.

Luckily, most of the time Albert kept John preoccupied with helping him do his photography. It kept his mind free from the anxiousness he felt. John had become an assistant of sorts, aiding Albert in finding the best spots to photograph wildlife.

“Here?”

The sun shined down on John as he set Albert’s tripod on the ground amidst a clearing. The photographer’s head popped up from digging around in his bag, “yes, that’s perfect, Mister Marston!”

“John,” he corrected with a smile.

Albert gave a sheepish grin, returning to his bag once more, “right, apologies. John.”

John had spent their time together constantly reminding the other man to call him by his first name, yet Albert always retreated to his polite roots. It was certainly a contrast to what he was used to, not at all close to the usual treatment he received as a wanted outlaw. Of course, John didn’t believe the man to be naive, how he must know that the likes of him and Arthur were not like most other people. But Albert didn’t seem to care, at least he never voiced any concerns on the matter.

Albert came up beside John, holding the camera he’d retrieved from his bag. Carefully, he placed it on the head of the tripod, setting it up to angle slightly upward.

They were after the Pileated Woodpecker. A tough subject to capture, in Albert’s words. He thought that with their combined effort, he may be able to finally pull the feat off. John suggested this area, sure to travel to a dense enough part of the forest where the bird would likely be spotted.

“I’ve put some berries out in hopes of attracting one,” Albert motioned over to where he came from. “Now all that’s left to do is to wait.”

“Sure.” John stood beside Albert, following his line of sight to the tops of the trees.

Albert produced a pair of binoculars to search above them. Every once in a while he’d tense when it looked like he had spotted something, only to slouch in disappointment when it wasn’t the woodpecker he was in search of.

Eventually, John sat himself against a trunk of a nearby tree, patiently waiting in the comfort of its shade. He tried not to let his mind wander, instead, taking in the beauty of nature that surrounded them. He felt at peace watching the birds fly above, and the tiny squirrels and rabbits that scurried around the forest floor.

A small gasp escaped Albert, who pointed a finger toward a nearby tree, “there.”

John followed his gaze to where he gestured, seeing a ghost of white feathers against the trunk. Upon further inspection, he could make out a streak of red running down the head of the woodpecker. “Whoa.”

John slowly got up to get closer to Albert, who adjusted his camera to get a good shot.

“He doesn’t have any black feathers,” John quietly stated.

Albert gave a short nod, “right you are.”

“He doesn’t look like the other ones, he’s different.”

Albert pressed down to take the picture, sending a plume of smoke to the air with the sound of the shutter ringing out for a split second. Surprisingly, the ghost woodpecker didn’t fly off from the commotion, barely even flinching as it moved its head in their direction.

“It seems not only were we successful in finding one but stumbled across a rather rare variation of the species!”

John studied it, almost convinced that the creature was studying them back with intelligible eyes. He was beautiful but stood out like a sore thumb amongst the dark branches and leaves.

“Must be lonely,” John thought aloud. “Being the only abnormal one around. Are you not disappointed that he doesn’t look like the rest?”

“On the contrary!” Albert turned to smile broadly at him, “this particular woodpecker is a gift! You see, nature can be so exciting. Just when you think you’ve come to understand it, it throws you something unexpected. To find a bird different from the others is refreshing, such things should be cause for celebration in a world that can be so bland at times.”

John let Albert’s thought sink in, deciding he liked the other man’s perspective on it. He’d called it a gift, whereas others might’ve called it a flaw. He continued thinking about it for a while, lingering on his mind even as they packed up the equipment and took the decent walk back to their horses.

By the time John and Albert made it to the cabin, the day was coming to a close. He was starting to grow fond of Alberts simple life tucked away in the forest, but once again felt the anxious pull of not hearing from anyone back at camp. Luckily, the few days here had given his body the chance to heal, admittedly finding his current living arrangements much more agreeable. It was nice to sleep under a proper roof for once.

The next morning, John woke up alone without any sign of Albert. Upon entering the kitchen, he found a note in Albert’s writing saying that he took a trip to the post office and that he didn’t wish to disturb John.

Retreating back to the main room, John couldn’t help but study the odd things that cluttered the space. There were devices strewn about that he couldn’t name if he was asked to. No doubt more equipment Albert used for his photography. The whole house was like a museum that continued to mesmerize John with each following day.

Out of the corner of his eye, a picture on the front page of a newspaper caught his attention. He furrowed his brow, thinking his eyes to deceive him in seeing who he thought it was. Moving closer to the desk it lay on, he felt his blood run cold at the realization that he had been right. There, staring at John was a picture of Nico. His eyes dropped to the writing underneath which stated:

After months on the run, the Van der Linde Boys are still evading capture. With the events of the Blackwater Massacre still fresh in our minds and the murder of the innocent Heidi McCourt (pictured above), along with many others, we wonder why they are still at large.

John had to still his hand as he read, not believing the words on the paper. There was that name again, ‘Heidi McCourt’. It taunted him from the page, making him wonder where it had come from. Who the hell is Heidi McCourt?

Whoever she was, she wasn’t Nico. That much John was sure of. And as much as he was curious about the name, he was more annoyed at how clever Dutch’s story was. If Nico was working for the law, or the Pinkertons, there was no way they would admit publicly having her be associated with them. Her death would’ve only been tying up a loose end. Of course, John knew it was all a lie, wishing there was some way to clear her name. He wished he knew more.

Turning the page over, he continued reading under the bold headline of:

TWENTY-SEVEN DEAD AT THE VALENTINE SHOOTOUT. EIGHT LOCALS.

Eight locals?! John wondered to himself. Shaken to the core of how this was caused by the event he was present for only a couple of days prior.

Even if these locals did wield guns in defense of their town, he was sure Dutch would be able to avoid shooting one, never mind eight innocent people. His heart dropped a little at the thought of Arthur being there, too.

The Valentine shootout is believed to be the result of the earlier robbery of a Leviticus Cornwall transport coach, catching the attention of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in the investigation to whether the train robbery and Blackwater Massacre are in any relation to the same group of outlaws.

He tossed the newspaper aside, worked up from the anger that rose inside him. This was all Dutch’s fault. He was becoming this unstoppable force backed by greed and foolish choices that would be the undoing of their gang. It would only be a matter of time before his vicious nature would unravel out of control.

So overwhelmed by the contents of the newspaper, John almost didn’t notice the sound of Albert entering through the front door.

“Ah, John! Good morning, sir. Are you well?”

John gave a nod, “sure.” He tried to give the man a convincing smile as he forced his gloomy thoughts from his mind. He noticed a small parcel in Albert’s hands, curiosity piquing his interest.

“You pick something up?”

Albert looked down at the small package as if he had forgotten about it, “oh, yes! Some of my prints arrived today, would you like to see them?”

John nodded enthusiastically, and watched as Albert gently undid the string that tied the wrapping together. He then came over to sit beside John.

Albert unfolded the papers to reveal a short stack of photographs, picking up the first one which depicted a buck. Its head was up, with knowing eyes that seemed to stare right at John. His antlers reached toward the skies, complementing the mountainous terrain he stood in front of.

John couldn’t help from reaching to take the photo from Albert’s hand to inspect it more closely. “That’s amazing!”

“Ah, yes, I remember that buck. Gave me quite the challenge, he did. I originally was after capturing a deer, but couldn’t seem to shake this one’s attention. The nerve of the animal, tried to run me over! And almost succeeded, too.”

Albert lifted the second picture, “see, here she is.” He handed it over for John to see. Sure enough, this one showed a deer nibbling some berries from a bush, completely unaware of the camera.

“Oh,” Albert gave a little chuckle, already having moved onto the next picture. I think you’ll quite enjoy this one.”

John accepted the photo he held out, seeing an action shot of a coyote running off with Albert’s bag hanging from its mouth.

“Cheeky little thing, that one. If it weren’t for your friend, I’d have never gotten my things back!”

John looked up at Albert, “Arthur help you with this one?”

“He did, indeed! And with another, too. Let me see if I can find it,” Albert started shuffling through the photos in his hand, but John was distracted by the next picture in the stack. He blinked, smiling to himself a little as he came to the conclusion that this one was by far his favourite.

He gingerly picked it out from the stack, Albert letting him as he continued to search.

“It’s got to be in this batch somewhere, I know I sent that reel out. You see, there were these God forsaken creatures that almost killed me! Managed to snap a few good ones before they tried ripping me to shreds, though…” Albert continued talking, but John tuned out as he studied the photo in his hands.

It was a  picture of Arthur, who was smiling. It was a genuine one, which proved to be a rare sight for John. Somehow the image alone made him feel butterflies in his stomach, the way his smile reached his eyes with how they crinkled. He was captured from the waist up, holding one hand on his hip and the other up like he was about to say something. It was a candid shot where he wasn’t looking at the camera, which probably made sense as to why Albert was able to print it. If Arthur had known, there was no way he would’ve let him.

John couldn’t tear his eyes away, Arthur’s image was always well captured in photographs. Most of the pictures they had growing up were group photos where no one smiled, not like this. This one rendered John in awe, the exact moment living on forever through the photograph. It made him wish he could go back in time and capture some of his favourite memories together.

“Here it is!” Albert produced a photo from the pile before noticing John’s attention on the one he already held.

Albert leaned over to look at it. “Right! I almost forgot about that picture, I got it printed with the intention of gifting it to Mister Morgan. He’s been so helpful with my foolish endeavour, I really felt I owed him.”

“Well, if I know Arthur I’m sure he enjoyed helping you, he’s too curious not to. He’s got so many stories about the people he’s met, I’m not at all surprised that you’d be one of them.”

Albert gave a little chuckle, “he is definitely an interesting man. Nevertheless, would you mind passing it on to him? I’d very much appreciate it.”

“Sure, yeah..” John got up to find his satchel, placing the photograph inside with the intention of giving it to Arthur. Eventually, that is. For now, he thought he might hang onto it. And even as Albert went on to ramble about the other animal encounters he’d experienced while taking their likeness, John thought about how none could compare.

A steady knock at the door made John suddenly look up and Albert almost jump out of his skin with an “Ahh!” Taking a moment to compose himself, he stood and went to answer the door.

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Hi. Is John here?”

John peered over to see a familiar form stood at the entrance, making him stand up abruptly. “Charles, that you?”

Charles noticed John, giving him a relieved smile before his eyes darted back to Albert.

“This is Albert Mason, a good man. He’s been helping me get back on my feet these past couple days.”

Charles gave Albert a stern nod, “Seems we owe you our thanks.”

Albert bashfully waved it away, “it was of no trouble, I assure you, sir.”

“Please, Charles.”

John swore he could see Albert’s cheeks heat up a little as he continued, “Well then, would you like to come in for a cup of tea, Charles?”

“Thank you, but I’ve come to collect John and I’m sure he’s eager to return-”

“Yes! Yes,” John interrupted, “how is everyone? Did everyone make it okay?”

“Everyone’s fine. Abigail and the little one are safe, Arthur was the last to join us.”

John let out a breath, “good, that’s good.”

Thank God, he was relieved that everyone made it in one piece. A new flood of anticipation for returning overcoming him from the news.

“I’ll let you say goodbye,” Charles said as he gave him and Albert a nod, retreating to the horses.

John turned back to Albert, “thank you, for everything. How can I ever repay you for the kindness you’ve shown me?”

Albert gave a modest shake of his head, “please, as I told your friend, it was of no bother. Might I say, I rather enjoyed the company.”

“Well then, it’s been a pleasure,” John held out his hand to Albert, who looked down at it for a brief moment before clamping it in a firm grasp. The other man’s eyes glistened a little before he pulled John into a hug. Caught off by the gesture, John hesitated before giving Albert a slight pat on the back.

Albert pulled back, already apologizing profusely, “sorry, John, forgive me. I just-I hope the world treats you a little kinder in future.”

John smiled slightly at that. Albert was a kind man that he was grateful to have met, even if it was under such a terrible circumstance.

“And please,” he continued, “if you ever find yourself in the area, do not hesitate to stop by.”

John nodded, “of course. Thanks again, Albert.”

Walking back into the makeshift bedroom in Albert’s cabin, he took one last look around the room. He’d be lying if he said he wouldn’t miss the comfort of the place.

Grabbing his gunbelt from where it sat idle for the past few days, John secured it around his waist before picking up his coat and satchel. As he left the cabin for the last time, John found Charles waiting by his horse for him.

He looked up when John approached, “ready to go?”

John gave a firm nod, climbing on the back of Old Boy.

“Let’s go.”

Charles took the lead, mounting and walking his horse in the direction of the pathway away from the secluded cabin. John looked back to Albert, who stood at the entrance. He waved them off, and John returned the farewell with a flick of his hand.

The two spurred their horses, leaving the cabin behind them in their pursuit of the main path. They eased into a steady pace through the countryside, careful to avoid any roads that were known to be busier.

John forced Old Boy to ride up next to Charles, “how’s the new spot? Is it a good place to lie low?”

Charles gave a stiff nod, “It’s definitely more secluded than the last place. I found it myself.” He looked over to John, “figured I could be the one to show you.”

Charles turned his gaze back to the road ahead of them once more. John noted the way his expression seemed more hardened than usual, brows creased to indicate his loss in thought. It wasn’t unlike Charles to be reserved, but John sensed something was bothering him.

“I’m glad you’re the one who came to get me, it’s good to see you.”

Charles’ features softened somewhat as his attention focused back on John, “of course. I’m glad you’re okay, do you remember what happened?”

John frowned slightly at the thought of what happened back in Valentine. “Not much, I, uh, wasn’t with Dutch n’ Arthur when everything went down with Cornwall.”

“I heard. I’m glad Arthur found you. From how he described the whole thing, you’re lucky to have gotten out of there.”

John nodded, feeling his skin crawl from the recent memory. “How much did he tell you?”

“Only a little.” Charles paused for a moment before adding, “he seemed.. off when we spoke.”

“How do you mean?”

Charles took his time in replying as if choosing his words carefully. “He seemed a little wary of how Dutch handled the situation. I don’t know if you heard about it after you escaped but they were calling it a bloodbath… awfully similar to Blackwater.” His deepened frown returned, “but this time it was just Dutch.”

“And Arthur,” John added, though it sounded almost like a question.

“Hmm.” Charles’ face screwed up slightly, “I don’t know. To be honest, Arthur made it sound like he got out of there pretty fast.”

John let the thought sink in, surprised when Charles broke the silence once more.

“We’re supposed to be avoiding trouble, not causing more. What was Dutch thinking? Why didn’t he just get out of there as soon as he could?”

It was rare to see Charles so shaken, taken aback by the fluctuation in his voice. “Where will it end? The moving, the running?”

He still avoided looking directly at John, making him think he wasn’t asking him as much as just voicing his concern. John could tell it upset him. Charles had only been running with the gang for half a year or so, clearly unimpressed by the recent direction the gang had taken with their poor choices.

John swallowed, wanting to reassure Charles but finding it hard to come up with anything to say. John was probably the worst of the lot of them to consult in, having no kind words to offer about Dutch.

Charles gave a heavy sigh, “I’m sorry, brother. You’ve got enough on your mind, I’m sure.”

“Charles.”

“Hmm?”

John slowed his horse until he came to a steady halt. Charles didn’t notice immediately, turning his head back toward John when he didn’t answer right away. He stopped his own horse, a look of interest dawning his face.

“What is it, John?”

Pressing his lips together nervously, John thought carefully about what he would say next.

“Back in Valentine, when Cornwall showed up… I was by some of his men. They threw me into an alley beside the saloon Dutch and Arthur were held up at.”

Attentively, Charles listened to what John was saying, waiting for him to continue. John drew a shaky breath.

“I could hear them talking from where I was tied up and… I thought Dutch was going to cut me loose, I thought-” he broke off the sentence as his throat tightened.

“What you went through,” Charles started, his voice softer than a moment earlier. “I couldn’t even imagine. It was horrible what those men did to you. But to feel abandoned by your family… John, I am so sorry.”

John shook his head, blinking away the tears that had started to form in his eyes.

“One of the reasons I joined this gang was because of the loyalty shared amongst its members,” Charles continued. “Dutch always said that no one gets left behind, and Arthur managed to get you out of there-”

“What Arthur did isn’t what I’m worried about. It’s Dutch, Charles. I fear if Arthur wasn’t there, Dutch would have left me behind.”

The words hung in the air, suddenly making John so aware of how bold they were now that they were spoken out loud. He studied Charles, scared that he may react as Arthur did when he mentioned the same concern over Dutch.

He hadn’t meant to admit his feelings about Dutch so openly to Charles, knowing the man respected him as much as most of their peers did. John had been reserved about Dutch all of his life but had become so overwhelmed with what happened in the past couple months that his actions had become brash.

Charles gave a slow nod, “I understand your concern.”

John exhaled in relief, not realizing the breath he held in anticipation, “you do?”

“Dutch didn’t speak about what really happened at Blackwater, and now he avoids talking about what he did in Valentine. It has me questioning his methods. Arthur seems a little shaken, and now you, too? I can’t ignore something like that.”

John felt a sudden buzz from his words, almost not trusting his ears to believe what he was hearing be true. “What do you think will happen next?”

Charles let out a deep sigh through his nose.

“I trust Dutch.”

John’s eyes dropped. He knew he did, yet the statement still dealt a hard blow.

“But I trust you, too. And Arthur.”

His eyes flickered back up to Charles, widened in surprise.

“For all I know, Dutch may not have had another choice. In Valentine and in Blackwater. But I think I’ll be keeping a closer eye on things. And if you notice anything, tell me. I will be speaking with Arthur, too.”

He straightened Taima back on the road, signaling that the conversation was over for now. “Come on, we should get going.”

With that, Charles urged his horse to continue moving forward. John followed, suddenly feeling a lot lighter than a moment before. To know that Charles had the slightest shred of doubt about Dutch made John want to cry from relief.

The thought that Dutch’s risky actions finally had repercussions, even if they were minuscule, gave John the tiniest flicker of hope that ignited inside his chest. The feeling was a foreign one that John hadn’t been acquainted with in a long time. His mind was racing at the possibilities of what it could mean, that maybe there was change on the horizon.

With all that in mind, he couldn’t help but feel a little scared, too. After the years of abuse he’d received from Dutch and losing the only people who could do anything about it, John truly believed he could do nothing but accept it. But now, now he didn’t feel as alone as he did before.

Pushing down his thoughts, he tried not to get ahead of himself. He didn’t want to get his hopes up over the matter, so, for now, he focused his mind on his and Charles’ surroundings.

The low sunlight dappled John’s skin through the sparse branches above them as they made their way through another cluster of trees. The forests they found themselves in now weren’t as dense as where Albert’s cabin lay tucked away and had a different look to them.

The air was hotter, with a humidity that made John’s shirt cling to his back as they rode to their new camp. The path in front of them turned to a dusty red and seemed to reflect in the sky above them. Or perhaps it was the evening casting the earth in its warm glow. Either way, John felt like he was somewhere far from where they once were.

He thought that they must be getting close now, seeing a white wooden sign pop up ahead of them. He glanced over it as they passed by, the paint chipped from being weather worn.

WELCOME TO THE STATE OF LEMOYNE

“You guys fled to a completely different state?” John turned to ask Charles.

“Yeah, better safe than sorry. We’re near the water up this way, it’s a good spot.” Charles nodded in the direction of where their new camp was pitched, steering his horse on a small pathway that led into another heavily wooded grove. John would’ve completely overlooked it otherwise, but once they continued deeper into the shade of the overhanging branches, the path widened into a clearing just before the shore of an endless lake.

"Clemans Point," Charles stated to John at their arrival.

He could make out the familiar bustle of people strung about. Their tents and wagons were more spaciously placed than at Horseshoe Overlook, with more room for the horses, too. A thick, old looking tree was planted right in the middle, providing a promising shelter from the hot weather they would be experiencing here.

John followed Charles to a nearby hitching post, sliding off to secure Old Boy to it. He’d only just managed a tight enough knot when someone came charging toward him.

“John? John! Oh, thank God!”

Abigail threw her arms around John, making him stumble back a step before catching his balance.

She was off of him just as fast, holding him at an arm’s length, “you’re alive!”

John nodded, “so are you.”

Abigail made a noise that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a stifled cry, her eyes glistening as she smiled widely at him.

“How’s Jack?”

“He’s good, he’ll be even better now that you’re back. Come, are you hungry? There’s still some stew for you.”

She took his arm, leading him through their new camp. John looked around, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Is Arthur-”

“He’s out with Dutch and Hosea,” she interrupted him before he could finish, giving him a knowing look. “I’ll tell you more once we get you some food.”

His shoulders fell, giving in as she pulled him along. On one hand, he was glad Dutch wasn’t around to watch him like a hawk, but on the other, he was a little disappointed that Arthur wasn’t around for his return. Things would likely go back to how they were before. As if the moment shared between him and Arthur at Albert’s cabin never happened and would never be spoken about again.

The simple task of getting a hot bowl of stew from the cooking pot to his tent proved harder than he thought it would. As Abigail brought him over, he wouldn’t stop getting interrupted by the other gang members.

Some of the girls called out to say how happy they were to see him again, followed by Reverend Swanson, who stumbled by to say the same. He then began quoting a verse from the bible that John was sure he wasn’t reciting right. Only to become distracted by something else and finally leave John alone. Then there was Sadie, who practically jumped him, wearing a smile he wasn’t too used to seeing from her.

“John! You’re back, we missed you!”

She didn’t hug him like how some of the others had, which he was a little relieved of since he wasn’t used to the sudden amount of affection. Instead, she gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“I have to say, I’m glad to be back.”

She looked different from the last time he’d seen her, wearing a bright mustard yellow blouse and dark brown pants with a worn looking gun belt loosely buckled at her hips.

“You look good, Sadie.”

Her expression was a little skeptical at first, not knowing the sincerity behind John’s compliment. When he gave her a little reassuring nod, her smile reappeared.

“Thanks! Arthur and I went shopping and I thought I’d get myself a pair of pants, since most of the men around here don’t do a very good job of wearin’ them.”

He gave a laugh, “you’re right about that.”

He barely had time to say goodbye to her before Abigail whisked him away again. Javier tried to call out to John, but she wasn’t having any of it.

“You two can bond once he’s had something to eat! For now, you shut up and play your damn music!”

The last thing John saw before being shoved into his tent was a distraught looking Javier clenching onto his guitar.

The world muffled around him once he was inside the familiar canvas walls. He didn’t think he would miss it, yet looking around to find his few belongings struck a little homesickness within him.

The few books he owned were stacked neatly on top of his clothing chest, no doubt by Abigail. Some other odds and ends of his belongings lay organized on his side table.

“Thanks,” John breathed out to Abigail once he sat down on his bed with his bowl.

She sat in the chair across from him, “eat.”

He did so, scarfing down Pearson’s stew faster than he ever had before. It almost tasted good from how hungry he was.

All the while, Abigail watched him, even once he’d finished and set his bowl aside.

“So,” he broke the silence. “How have things been?”

“Tense,” Abigail pressed her lips together, eye contact not breaking his. “People weren’t too happy to be moving again so soon. Especially under the circumstance of doing so.”

“I see,” John fidgeted with his fingers.

Abigail gave an amused huff, smiling at the corners of her mouth as she dropped her gaze.

“Arthur’s fine.”

“I wasn’t-”

“It’s okay, I know you’re wondering about him. I’m just teasing you by avoiding it,” her eyes were back on his, holding a mischievous glint within them. The amusement faded slightly, “he told me about what happened with you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am, only because of Arthur.”

She nodded, suddenly so serious, “thank God. I was scared when he showed up alone, not knowing what could possibly have happened to you.”

“I’m okay now,” he tried to reassure her.

“I know,” she let out a breath. “Waiting around was the worst part. I’m just so glad you’re back now.”

“Did Arthur say anything else?”

Abigail shook her head, “no, he mostly just checked in with me and the boy, made sure we were doing alright. He talked a little with Dutch, the two weren’t seemin’ too friendly toward one another when we first settled here.”

John tried to imagine how that must have looked, finding it hard to do so. Even though he knew Charles wasn’t lying to him about the fact that Arthur was clearly affected by what happened in Valentine, it was still hard to believe Arthur and Dutch butting heads over it.

A sudden thought occurred to John, confusion knitting his brows together. “If they don’t seem to be getting along too well, how come he’s out with Dutch and Hosea? What’re they doing?”

Abigail rolled her eyes, “they’ve gone fishing.”

His frown only deepened, wondering what the hell Arthur was doing by going out fishing with Dutch. A little offended at the notion, he tried not to let it show as he urged Abigail to continue, “they did?”

“I know, I know,” she raised her hands like even she didn’t get why they thought now was the right time for it. “The thing is, I think it was an olive branch from Dutch. This isn’t just any member of the gang, it’s Arthur we’re talking about. I don’t think Dutch wants to lose the trust Arthur has for him.”

John let the thought sink in. That sounded like something Dutch would do, and it angered him.

For a moment, he thought about telling Abigail about Valentine, and how Dutch didn’t hesitate to leave him behind. But he bit his tongue, the last thing he wanted was her going after Dutch with the full intention of ripping him apart.

“Hey,” Abigail tried to regain his attention, her expression displaying a worry as if she could read his thoughts. “Arthur’s smart, if he’s worried about how Dutch is handling things he’ll speak up. Hosea’s no fool either, he’s been keeping Dutch in check for years.”

John nodded, but it felt hollow. He knew Abigail was trying her best to reassure him, but he couldn’t stop from thinking about how deep it ran. If Dutch convinces Arthur to look past this… he wouldn’t know what to think.

He stared out of the sliver of the tent’s entrance, completely lost to the present. Not knowing what he expected to see outside, as if he might catch a glimpse of Arthur. Like the man would appear out of thin air just from being talked about.

“I know you care about him.”

John’s head snapped back to Abigail, “what’re you talking about?”

She gave a soft smile, “Arthur.”

He blinked, sputtering over his words in an attempt to respond, “well, I mean yeah, I-we’ve known each other a long time-I just mean I trust him as a fellow member of the gang-”

“I’m no fool, John, I see the way you look at him.”

Panic consumed John completely. He stared at Abigail wide eyed and short of breath, his thoughts running a mile a minute. John had never said the fact out loud, even repressing ever really fully comprehending it internally. It came as such a shock for Abigail to say it, seizing him because of how deep he had buried that part of himself.

He quickly tried to disprove her statement, but all that came out was an incoherent noise, suddenly not knowing how to string a sentence together. He felt heat rise to his cheeks, not even able to look at Abigail directly anymore.

“See, you’re getting all flustered just talking about him!” She held up a hand to hide her laughter.

“No, I’m not!” John yelled at her, jolting upright.

She stood too, shock taking over her features which immediately morphed into concern, “hey, it’s okay!”

“Did you tell anyone?!” John blurted out, still consumed by his fright.

“No, no of course not!” Abigail hesitantly reached a hand out to put on John’s arm. He let her, both of them lowering down in their seats again, then retracted her hand.

“You can’t say anything, please, Abigail, you can’t.”

“I won’t, John. Hey,” she moved so John was forced to look at her, “I would never do that to you.”

He nodded, swallowing dryly, “okay.”

When he thought his heart rate had returned to normal, another thought struck him. “But I don’t understand, didn’t you think that…we?” he pointed between the two of them.

“Loved each other?” She gave a little huff, “I hate to say it but you didn’t exactly sweep me off my feet, John Marston.”

He just stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

“Buuut I do think that deep down you care about me as much as I care about you. Sure, at one point I might’ve hoped for more, but I don’t feel that way anymore as much as you don’t.”

She moved forward to carefully put a hand on his arm again, this time her grip firm. “All I want is for you to provide for Jack and I. I’m not asking for us to be this perfect family, just to be there for us.”

“I, yeah but-are you okay with that? Me being with…” he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence out loud.

“I want you to be happy, John.” There was a short pause before she continued, “you know there’s nothing wrong with you because of that, right?”

For however gentle her words were, he almost fell completely apart from them. His face contorted from an overwhelming sense of emotion that rendered him unable to respond.

Abigail was sitting before him, fully aware of who John was, and completely accepting of it. He didn’t think anyone could ever understand, yet somehow she did.  

Before he knew what he was doing, he pulled her into a tight hug. He clung onto her, almost as surprised as she was by the gesture. It wasn’t like him to do something like this, but he felt there was no other way he could have expressed his gratitude towards her.

She pulled back from their embrace, but still held onto his arms, “I have to say. You and Arthur, it’s actually kinda sweet.”

Her voice was soft when she said it, making John want to die from embarrassment.

“Jesus Christ, woman-”

The opening to the tent abruptly whipped aside, interrupting them and drawing their attention. At the entrance stood Arthur, wearing an easy smile that immediately fell when his eyes landed on John and Abigail holding each other.  

John quickly dropped his arms, “Arthur-”

“Sorry, I, uh, didn’t mean to interrupt, I’ll leave you two to it.”

“Actually,” Abigail shot up from where she was sitting. “I was just leaving.”

She gave John a brief look as she moved to exit the tent, “if you’ll excuse me.” She slipped past Arthur, leaving him to awkwardly stay behind.

Silence followed when neither of them said anything, only to be broken by Arthur when it had become painfully obvious.

“Well, I just heard you’d come back and wanted to check that you’re alright, which you seem to be so I’ll just be going then.” He was gone before he’d even finished what he was saying, the tent flap falling into place after his rushed escape.

John let out a heavy sigh, letting his head fall into his hands. He cursed himself for being such a damn mess, knowing that that could have gone way better.

[etlunainmorte]

🏝 I See My Future Before Me 🏝

***

"Ahem!" Patty cleared her throat, making the two of you look at her. "Get a room, whatever?"

V chuckled as he let you go for a while. With a sheepish smile, he, then helped you sit and wrapped his arms around you once more. He was really glad with how things turned out. He couldn't explain it, himself, but, who cares about it now?! What's important was that -

All of a sudden, you heard some strange noises just outside the door.

V let you go and nodded at Patty as he stood up, his eyes darting cautiously on the door. He slowly walked towards it, grabbed the brass door knob, and flung open the door - !

"WHAT THE F - ?!"

You heard a voice as V drew back, wide - eyed, from the door.

And lo and behold, Nico, and a strange - looking boy with sharp features came scrambling on the floor at the poet's feet!

"Who are you, people?!" Patty demanded, unable to believe that some strangers managed to infiltrate the villa, yet again. Well, V was one thing but, these people?

"I can explain,... everything!" Nico retorted as she stood up, rubbing her hip. "Oh, and I was definitely not listening,..." She, then, looked at the mystery boy, who was still on the floor, and practically smacked him on the head with much force. "Hey! About time you get up!"

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!" The boy screamed as he scrambled to his feet and hid behind V, completely frightened of the crazy Artisan. "I can't believe this woman, V! She dragged me and the housecat out of the house all of a sudden! She even blackmailed that pimple kid Nero and the others to come with her here!"

"Nero,... and the others?" The poet asked, and even before he, or the strange boy, could say or do anything else, all of you heard an impatient tapping on the glass door. All of you turned and saw none other than Nero, himself, wearing nothing but his navy - blue swimming trunks. He was carrying a surf board, and gesturing something really weird at you. Other than that, he looked really annoyed, or pissed, that you almost felt relieved that you couldn't hear him or understand what he's saying through that thick glass door.

"Where is the bathroom here, anyway? This place is humongous!" You heard a distinct and familiar voice from the doorway, and, surely enough, when you turned back, you saw the Legendary Devil Hunter wandering about the hallway like he was lost. And what's more, he was carrying a huge hiking bag on his back and at least two bulky luggage on each hand, like he was going on a vacation or something.

"DANTE?!" Patty practically screamed at the top of her lungs as she angrily strode towards him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AFTER GHOSTING ON ME FOR THREE MONTHS?! I INVITED YOU FOR MY BIRTHDAY PARTY BUT, YOU DIDN'T COME! AND NOW, YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO SHOW UP HERE?! WHAT THE HELL, DANTE?!"

"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! Wait a second here, señorita!" Dante drew back in terror upon witnessing the girl's pure and utter rage. "I can explain! A lot of things happened, and - "

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE IN MY HOUSE! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK UNTIL I SAY SO! AARRGGHH!"

You were trying to suppress your laughter at Patty's outrage ( no one could blame her, after all, he did ditch her on her birthday party ) when something suddenly threw itself at you and hugged you tightly. You looked down and to your surprise, you saw a pale, little girl with long, black hair that seemed sentient. She was even giving you a weird look with her pair of huge, red eyes, like a lost child who just found her mother.

"Oh, ah,... hello!" You awkwardly greeted but, she didn't say anything. She just went on staring at you with those huge eyes of hers, and that weird, and yet funny, expression that made her look like she has committed some kind of unspeakable crime.

You looked up at V and noticed his features clearly contorting with stress due to the sudden visitors around him. And who could blame him? You totally had no idea how much he wanted to be by your side. He wanted to be alone with you for a change! And if he's being honest with himself, he wanted to do more than just talk with you!

But, now, it seemed that his plans, and his patience, were really getting pushed to their utmost limit,...

You gulped nervously as you saw the poet knitting his eyebrows in suppressed anger, bowing down low and reaching for his nose bridge to pinch it.

***

♡♡♡

***

" ... it was like I was dreaming. Like, I was drowning, and suddenly, someone took my hand and pulled me out of the water!"

" ... uhu,..."

"And when I was back on the surface, I heard his voice. He said, my love."

" ... yeah, and,... ?"

"You see, I thought Dracula was playing on the background, so I answered, and my life, always! And when I opened my eyes, I saw him! And he's looking down at me!"

" ... okay."

"And when we kissed and embraced, I felt this kind of energy surging throughout my body! It's like,... AARRGGHH! It's really hard to explain! Like, I was this,... are you even listening to me?!"

"GOD, SWEET PEA! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYIN' TO COOK THIS THING?!" Griffon howled as he pointed at the raw chicken on the grill before him. "I'VE BEEN STARIN' AT THIS CHICKEN FOR THIRTY FUCKIN' MINUTES, AND NOTHIN'S HAPPENIN', AT ALL!"

"Stupid!" Nico, who was already wearing a yellow two - piece bikini, mocked as she placed her hands on her hips. "Ye're supposed to set the charcoal on fire! And fan the flames! God!"

And with a shrug of her shoulders and a shake of her head, the Artisan walked away from them and joined the others for a game of beach volleyball.

You stared at the familiar, whose bald head began sweating hard, if it's even possible.

"Err, is that right? Y - ya set the charcoal on fire?" He stuttered as he stared at the weird cooking device.

"Well, yeah." You answered as the side of your lips went up in a visible smirk. "You know, you might be bipedal right now, but - "

"DON'T ya dare say I'm still a fuckin' BIRD BRAIN!" The familiar yelled at your face as he accidentally burned and almost reduced the raw chicken to ashes with the power of electricity that came out of his fingers. Startled and shocked upon realizing and seeing what he's done to the whole crew's lunch, he quickly took the grill grates, threw the burnt chicken, and buried it beneath the sand underneath his feet. He slowly and nervously looked at you with huge eyes and raised eyebrows. Then, he gulped. "Umm,... you didn't see anythin', 'kay?"

You covered your mouth to suppress the laughter.

Ever since waking up in V's arms three days ago, you've been thrown to such unexpected experiences that you honestly never imagined yourself being a part of. For one, you were so surprised upon seeing Griffon's new and cleansed form ( according to him ) after his supposed demise at Shadow's hands. You even had to admit to yourself that you're still having a hard time adjusting to him looking as normal as any human can be. You also found out that, during those three days of adjustment, his wings occasionally sprout from his back from time to time, and his striking golden eyes looked clearly sharper than ever before when he was still a demonic bird, not to mention those pointed ears that caught your attention the moment he finally re - introduced himself to you. But, what caught your attention the most was the fact that you were, somehow, no longer contracted to him in any way, shape, or form. It must be because you no longer hold the authority to command the Sisters of Fate, thus, making you a simple and ordinary human being without the power to command a demonic familiar.

You could say the same thing for Shadow. Well, who could blame you, anyway? Not now when she looked like someone's adorable little sister. That very obvious fact aside, those familiar streaks of red light still manifested on her skin when she's startled. That long, dark hair of hers took on a life of its own when someone angered her. She even hissed at anyone who made the huge mistake of taking away her toys ( the Elmo plushie in particular ). Other than that, she still hasn't outgrown her habit of purring and rubbing against you occasionally. You found this very endearing, actually, despite the fact that this female familiar gave you a lot of problems three months ago. She was, in fact, very guilty and apologetic and sweet that you forgave her quite easily. Well, she did nothing wrong in the first place. She only did those horrible things because she was only commanded to do so. She has nothing to apologize for in the first place. And now, Shadow refused to leave your side, she even has this habit of climbing on the bed with you in the middle of the night for some snuggles.

Those two familiars aside, you were very surprised upon hearing the good news from Nero, himself. Who would've guessed that he and his lady love, Kyrie, were eagerly awaiting their own bundle of joy? Nico was the same as ever. If anything, she bullied Griffon even more now that the familiar has turned into a human. She dotes on Shadow a lot, she even provided the familiar a closet - full of clothes for her to wear. She was also spoiling her rotten with treats. And Dante? Seriously, the poor guy, you decided, was a real masochist, letting himself be completely bossed around by both Lady and Trish, who made him carry their things around the beach. You were not sure whether this was the result of him being deeply indebted to these two ladies but, the sight of him going after them like a scruffy - looking butler in red leather really put a smile on your face.

All of these changes and familiar faces you embraced so well. However, there was one particular face that changed a lot within those three months of your absence.

Jet black hair now as white as snow, dark, swirling demonic contract tattoos now barely visible on pale skin, and soft, emerald eyes gentler than ever before, you never expected V to look so,... changed,... after those past three months that you didn't see him. It was like,... he went through a lot, suffering, trials, growth,...

But, whatever happened to him during those days, it surely changed him a lot as a person. He has,... somehow become even more thoughtful, and careful,... he has become even more caring and protective towards you if that's even possible. The way he moved changed a lot, as well. Before, nothing could make him move even a single finger unless he has deduced it was safe to do so. Now, he seemed more,... careless,... towards you and only you. Open, even. Like, he was totally letting his guard down for you to let you in on his thoughts, and his heart.

And not only that. He seemed,... closer,... towards you. Like, not even a few feet away. He was really close. You sit, he will sit. You stand, he will stand. You walk, he will most definitely walk, too. There were even times when you accidentally bumped into him when you turned too quickly. When you wake up in the morning, you would find yourself completely surprised to see not only Shadow sleeping next to you but, the poet, as well. Heck, you even have a hard time shooing the guy off whenever you need to go to the bathroom! He always seemed to follow you wherever you go. And him being so attached to you like that? Of course, you honestly felt both shy, confused, and really bashful at the same time!

And that,... was only two days ago.

Because now, V seemed,... different. Well, not the scary or the off type of different, no. It seemed like there was a sense of,... urgency,... with the way he moved. The way he looked at you, the way he reached for your hand, the way he touched you, the way he whispered to your ear, not to mention that spine - tingling effect his low and deep voice has on you,...

You knew he was up to something! You knew,... you felt it. And honestly? You felt a mixture of both fright and excitement with the way he's acting towards you lately. You were fully aware of where you stand with regards to things such as intimacy in a relationship. And you being, well,... you? You couldn't help but be both scared and giddy. A lot of things were going through your mind: how would it feel like? Would it hurt? Would there be a lot of blood, like what they said? Would you get sick the next day? But most important of all, would he really be gentle towards you?

These thoughts were still on your mind when you walked out of the villa to join the others on the beach, and when he saw you, he almost immediately dropped whatever he's doing to rush over to your side, only to be stopped by both Dante and Nero.

"Hey, man, we need another one for the team." Dante told him, grabbing the poor poet by the shoulder.

"Come on, V. They're gonna destroy us!" Nero pleaded as he pointed at the three women, Nico, Lady, and Trish, all in their swim suits, waiting for the men to join them for another round of beach volleyball.

You smiled and nodded at V, who glanced helplessly at you as the men dragged him. You were about to watch the spectacle when someone tapped you on the shoulder. You turned around and noticed it was Patty, together with Kyrie, who chose to stay out of the beach due to her delicate state. And both women were smiling mischievously at you.

V and the others were still playing ( albeit it with much difficulty on the poet's part ) a few moments later when you, Patty, and Kyrie came out of the house. And when V saw you, he -

"V, WATCH OUT!" The warning from Nero and Dante came too late as the ball that was hit by Lady came speeding towards him and hit him in the face.

"Youch! That must really hurt!" Griffon, who was still roasting another batch of almost burnt chicken for lunch, flinched as he watched you run towards V, now with a bleeding nose.

Everything went peaceful for a while after that: Shadow, who was really not fond of swimming or getting wet entirely, minding her own business as she built her own sand castle, Kyrie and Nero playing with the orphans on the shore, Nico appraising Griffon's grilled chicken with a keen eye, Griffon hiding several burnt chicken on the sand beneath his feet with a nervous smile, Trish, Lady, and now Patty, bullying Dante to buy ice cream for them,...

... and you taking care of V as you two sat on a towel he borrowed from Patty a while ago.

"You should have been more careful." You told him as you gently wiped the blood off his face.

"I'm fine." He answered quietly as he let himself be pampered by you. "Don't think too much about it."

"Are you sure nothing's broken?"

"I' am perfectly sure."

V glanced at you with such gentle and thoughtful eyes.

For three days since being back together again, V has tried multiple ways of getting close to you, with each attempt ending in miserable failure due to the interference of the people around him. And it has led to him feeling both annoyed and frustrated. While you were absolutely correct that he, indeed, wanted to be intimate with you, he also had another, more vital, reason behind his actions for the last few days. He has found out the reason you were brought back ( or, one might even argue that you really didn't die back then ), and that was partly due to you finally accepting that you need him, and mostly because V practically, and unknowingly, shared his energy, or life force, with you. He couldn't really explain how this happened ( or maybe Cassandra or Andromeda knew, he just didn't bother to ask any of them ), but when he touched, embraced, and kissed you ( albeit briefly due to those interfering people ), he knew that some form of power left his body, surging through every fiber, every nerve, and every vein in his body, and made its way towards you, giving you strength, health, vitality,...

... giving you life.

He was fully aware of what he has done to you in the past - of robbing you of your only life source - that has led to him regaining what he almost lost - life. And him giving back to you that power of life and vitality in some other form or way by being as close to you as he can,...

... it was the ultimate equivalent exchange.

He wanted to share every last bit, every last drop, and every last ounce of this unknown and unexplored power with you by being close, by always being there for you, and by always being with you in every sense of the word.

And he's more than willing to do this for the rest of his life.

And now, as his gaze landed once more on the scars on your stomach and on your thighs, he couldn't help but feel guilty and hurt all over again. You noticed how this made him uneasy and immediately zipped the pink hoodie ( that was given to you by Sister Christina for your birthday ) close so that he would not be able to see the scars, even by accident.

"Patty and Kyrie thought I would look, ah, you know, hot, by wearing this two - piece bikini they lent me but," You lamely made an excuse as you laughed nervously, hoping to get the poet's attention away from your ugly scars. " ... I look dreadful in it, after all. I mean! My feet aren't the only things that are ugly in me. Now, I look like an overused pin cushion, or some - "

"Don't!" V cut you off as both of his hands flew to your face to gently cup your cheeks. And right then and there, he immediately felt that same power leaving his fingers and making its way towards your skin, giving you a noticeable glow that made his heart do multiple flips. "Say such things, my love. You are beautiful, and perfect."

You smiled nervously as you felt your skin getting warmer and warmer by the second under his loving gaze. It really did feel both scary and exciting being with him in this kind of situation.

And then, you felt it: your breathing getting heavier and heavier with his caress, your heartbeat frantically rising with the way he looked at you, and your thighs instinctively rubbing against each other as you felt the warmth of his skin.

For a few seconds, you remained like this, looking into each other's eyes as if nothing else in the world mattered. And when his face inched closer to yours, feeling his hot breath fan your already radiant and sensitive skin, you -

"Hey, want some?"

You were sure you heard V let out a curse in utter frustration as he slowly looked at Dante, who was offering the two of you some strawberry - flavored popsicles. Your eyes widened in fear as you noticed the poet clearly giving Dante a glare that sent shivers down your spine.

"Oh! Thanks, Dante, but - " you stuttered as you tried to break through the tense atmosphere but, you were interrupted as Patty, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, practically jumped at the tall Devil Hunter, hugging him from behind and startling him, effectively breaking the already heavy situation between the two men.

"Dante!" Patty literally screamed at him, looking very excited.

"Damn, woman!" Dante turned, still unable to believe that the once little girl, who used to pester him only a few years ago, has now fully grown into a very matured and attractive lady. "What is it now? I have bought you your ice cream already, didn't I?"

"Hey! We're still celebrating my birthday!"

"Am I still not forgiven?"

"Of course, not! Unless,..."

"Unless what?"

Patty let go of Dante as she gave him a truly mischievous smirk, one that made you smile inwardly. She truly is making her move,...

"Unless you go on an overnight cruise with me."

"Are you joking?! Only the two of us?!" Dante panicked, clearly picking up on what he thought Patty was planning. And he was definitely not ready and not up for that. "Are you out of - ?!"

"Are you silly?! Of course, the others are invited!" Patty laughed as she turned and waved at Nero, Kyrie, and the orphans, who were excitedly boarding the yacht she rented for the special overnight cruise.

"Come on, Dante! We'll have so much fun!" Patty lured the Devil Hunter once more.

"Y - you don't understand! You and I - "

"Are what?" Trish, who also seemingly came out of nowhere, cut him off as she grabbed his arm and began leading him towards the yacht. "Are you thinking something dirty in there, Dante?"

"How inappropriate!" Lady butted in as she also took the man's arm. "How naughty could you really get, hmm?"

You stifled your laughter as you watched the three women drag the unwilling Dante towards the yacht like a human sacrifice of some sort. Then, you noticed Lady as she turned towards you for the last time before leaving, mouthing something like, good luck, cherry pie with a wink and a wide smile. Patty also turned, but she didn't look at you. She deliberately looked at V and gave him a wink and a thumbs up for a reason you still don’t know.

"How annoyingly human is that?" Griffon, who somehow made his way towards you without being seen or heard, spoke upon watching the said humans get on the yacht. "Hey, V, why don't we - ?”

"Didn't ya hear what the girls said?!" Nico, who was pulling along Shadow, who clearly looked annoyed for being disturbed, interrupted. She, then, took Griffon's arm and started dragging him towards the yacht. "Move yer ass!"

V couldn't help but smirk as he watched Griffon being helplessly dragged by the woman, leaving only the two of you alone on the beach.

Leaving you two alone until the next morning,...

Did Patty read his mind? After all, it was she who made a move to basically get rid of the others for him,...

If so, then,...

"They're just leaving us here?" V heard you next to him.

"Seems like it." He answered, listening to Griffon and Dante's screams in the distance until he could no longer hear them.

"Where are they going?"

"I,... don’t know."

"Oh."

"Hmm."

You two looked at each other, both realizing what the others' absence meant for the two of you.

"Want to go for a dive?" V politely and graciously offered.

"Not really,..." you hesitated, feeling hot, excited and nervous all at the same time at the prospect of spending time alone with your lover. V smiled. Of course, he knew you wouldn't agree to - "O - on second thought, sure! Why not?" You stuttered awkwardly as you finally agreed, making the poet’s lips curl up in a smile.

It could simply be described as the most relaxing day you've had in many years. You and him diving in the ocean and swimming towards that beautiful rock formation, the two of you walking hand in hand as you picked up pretty sea shells in the sand along the way, you describing the lovely things you've seen in your travels, and him tenderly telling you that he wanted to see such things with you,...

It was,... so beautiful, and perfect. In fact, the two of enjoyed this alone time too much that you didn't even notice the setting sun. It was then that he suggested to take a rest for a while and watch the breathtaking sunset with you, making sure you still have that towel to sit on for later. And as you watched the soft glow of the twilight sky with him, you couldn't help but sigh in relief and contentment. The poet raised an eyebrow, urging you to tell him whatever made you react in such a way. You smiled and simply shook your head.

"Thank you so much, V." You whispered, making the poet hum in question. "You were giving me life, weren't you?"

V smiled as he wrapped an arm around your waist and kissed your temple. "And what made you say that, my love?"

"It's exactly that. Your gentle touch, your tender kisses, your warm embrace. Every time you do this, I feel this strange kind of power coming from you, and this gives me energy, somehow. Like, ah, how do I even explain this? Hmm,..."

"Like,... this?" V whispered in that low, almost moan - like, voice as he held you even closer, wrapping both of his arms around you, giving you no chance to think of a proper explanation. You were drowned in his overwhelming presence even more as he began kissing you, letting his lips move against yours in an intoxicating manner, letting your own passion guide you as you shyly reciprocated,...

... and even before you could go any further, he broke the kiss, smiling bashfully as he heard you whimper with disappointment.

"Tell me, darling," V whispered once more, sending your senses straight to Heaven. " ... did you feel,... something?"

You pouted, feeling a bit embarrassed that he was teasing you now of all times when you suddenly realized that you desperately needed him now. But, yes! You did feel something!

You nodded, simply because you couldn't trust your own voice. This scenery, the atmosphere, the man you loved above all else,...

Everything was just too perfect, and you were afraid that this was only like one of those vivid dreams you don't want to wake up from,...

"But, you're not dreaming. I'm here. With you."

You bit your lip, realizing that you've said your thoughts out loud, and looked up at him, only to see tenderness, and warmth, and something else in those beautiful green eyes of his.

"And I want to give you more." He said as his face went down close to yours again. "I need to give you more. More and everything you deserved. I need you,..." You closed your eyes, feeling his lips descend upon yours once more,...

***

🏝 A huge surprise is coming your way, courtesy of @bettybattaglia and @la-vita . Please, look forward to it. 🏝

🏝 @micaelagua , @vergils-daughter , @shadowrosess , @gothghoulfrend , @beyond-the-mirror , @cantcopewithlosingv , @lessy86 , @ceruleanworld , @yepps , @heaven-on-a-landslide , and @krazy06 . 🏝

***

🏝🏝🏝

***

[panonbinary]

Dark Percy Jackson Fanfic, made by panonbinary

The sea god looks at Percy. His son, the person who he loved most… and he sees a monster. His once happy son seems near emotionless. His face is blank, apart from the pure rage in his eyes. Riptide slicing through everything in its path. The demigod looks up, and him and Poseidon lock eyes. The beautiful sea green that used to glow in his eyes is gone, and replaced with green-black holes, and even the god has to avert his eyes.

He has never seen his son move so fast and so graceful before, but now that he is fighting for himself, he’s so fast that he’s practically a blur. He doesn't look like he’s thinking about where Riptide goes, as long as it is fatal.

A scream behind Poseidon causes him to turn, ready to defend himself, but the danger isn't coming his way, but towards Hera, who is quickly charged at by not only Annabeth, but Leo as well. The two of them are terrifying to watch. Leo’s blinding fire and speed mixed with Annabeth’s agility and strategy, Hera looks downright terrified.

And with good reason. Annabeth is completely blank of emotion, calmly fighting her way through monster after monster to get to the goddess, and Leo is burning his way through almost too easily. Weapon after weapon is being taken out of his toolbelt and monsters are being left behind in a long trail, like breadcrumbs. The ground is being burnt under his feet and he is swearing like a sailor, whereas Annabeth is completely silent, and if she were the only demigod out there, the only sounds would be the screams of gods and monsters being slaughtered as she goes.

If anything, Annabeth looks bored as she and Leo tag team Hera, who by this point seems to be considering fleeing the entire battle, and admitting defeat. Poseidon doesn't blame her, as both Leo and Annabeth slash at her leg, making Hera’s form crumble.

Leo looks at his teammate and goes to the side, getting out bits and pieces from his toolbelt and, before Poseidon knows what’s going on, Leo holds some kind of rifle, and is shooting any and all monsters in his way. When the god of the sea looks back at Hera, Annabeth is nowhere to be seen, and the goddess just lays there, choking on a knife that is embedded through her throat with the precision only a child of Athena can pull off.

Suddenly, a gust of wind throws Poseidon to his knees, and he is only able to roll out of the way before a spear lands where his head had been half a second earlier. The god considers begging. Begging a demigod for his life, it's almost funny. The spear wrenches itself from the ground and back into the hand of the child of jupiter, who is looking at the sea god with stormy blue eyes. Keeping track of him is near impossible, as the wind helps him move faster than the eye can follow. His body fizzes with electricity and Poseidon isn’t confident that the storm raging overhead is the cause of Zeus. Jason’s entire being seems fluid as the wind itself, but his posture is still as poised as it has always been, thanks to the strict teachings of Camp Jupiter. Poseidon is thrown down again and, not moving fast enough this time, the spear lodges itself in his stomach.

It hurts way more than it should, but he knows that the demigods have done their research. He tries pulling it out, but his arms seem too heavy to move, and Poseidon isn't quite sure if he wants to continue to fight. So many demigods and gods alike lay dying and dead in the field, Ares being the first to fall closely followed by Hestia. Tyson, his beautiful son, had almost been killed, but Percy drained Dionysus of blood and healed his brother, and thus Mr D was gone too.

It isn't an even battle, the gods should be winning. The demigods don't have nearly enough power within them to fight even one god, let alone all of them at once. And yet here they are.

Nico Di Angelo is a force to be reckoned with, raising the ghosts and bodies of all those who have lost their lives of quests, Zoe, Bianca, Beckendorf, Silena, even Luke is here, fighting the gods for revenge, for the lives that were taken from them. Nico is fighting with pure fury in his eyes. And he should be. Poseidon has full sympathy for the boy. Nico finally has a good life, and then Katie, Connor and Will were ordered on a quest.

There is suddenly a body over his own, and Poseidon looks down at the dying Minotaur on his chest, and looks to his left, where Hazel stands, with pity in her eyes. Is that pity? It looks like it, but the blade that is thrown as the final blow that kills the beast says otherwise, and she turns, jumping onto Arion seamlessly as they run to a gorgon, that goes down without much fight. She rides up to Hermes, who is putting down his blade, saying that he doesn't want to hurt someone as young as her.

Arion slows down and Hermes looks relieved for a few moments, before he feels the ground moving under his feet. He barely has enough time to look down before the ground swallows him up and all that is visible is a single hand sticking out of the ground, moving around to grab something. The field is still filled with mist, and the few monsters still out here are fighting themselves more than the demigods. Poseidon, nor anyone else he expects, has never thought Hazel scary before now, but laying here? Watching echidnas fight empousas and Hermes scream from underground? Hazel is one of the scariest demigods out here.

He heard his name and turns to see Demeter running away from a dragon glowing red, and knows instantly that she is doomed as well. Frank is the one who he has been trying to avoid the entire battle after seeing him destroy his father, even killing his Divine form, and now Ares, nor Mars, exist. He has been killed.

And it looks like Demeter is next, as Frank drops to the ground as a lion and lands right on top of her. He bites into her shoulder and she screams bloody murder, before silencing as he bites into her neck. He form begins to flicker and after a moment she no longer appears human, but instead lays there as her Divine self.

Most demigods look away, like Travis Stoll and Nico, but the Seven stare at her, as well as all the remaining Gods. Frank stares her in the eye as she repeats “please” under her breath. Frank shifts back into human form, naked for all to see and still glowing red. He turns left to see Piper holding a bow and arrow, and takes them. Athena screams for the goddess but is held back by Jason’s winds as Frank slots the arrow into place. He pulls the string.

Everything quietens as he lets go, and the arrow strikes Demeter right in the middle of her forehead. The form glows so bright that a few demigods open their eyes in surprise, and scream in pain, and then Demeter is gone.

Piper and Percy scream loudly to continue fighting and Aphridite is immediately taken down, unprepared for the sudden assault. Travis goes straight for the opening and stabs her in the eye, closing his eyes just in case she flickers. She doesn’t, but seems damn close and she screams and begs for mercy, and Travis laughs almost maniacally.

“You sent them out here”, he says loudly. The battle stops dangerously and everyone listens closely. Nico goes to stand next to the Stoll, and grips his sword tighter when he locks eyes with the goddess. “Katie Gardner. Will Solace. Connor Stoll. You sent all three on that stupid fucking quest”

She looks at him through her one good eye and Poseidon can see when the realisation dawns on her.

“It was just…” she began, but Travis twists the knife around in her eye socket and she screams again, glowing slightly for a moment.

“It wasn’t a difficult quest, right? Just go and see if the gates to the underworld were safe” Nico says calmly, though his eyes show grief and rage. “You could have done it yourself, it wouldn’t have been hard for you. Any of you could have done it, Hades, Dionysus wasn’t busy”

Frank stood, still stark naked and covered in blood, red and golden, and stood full height, still glowing red. “Almost every quest you sent us on someone died”

Nico brought up the ghosts of the dead campers. Luke. Bianca. Silena. Zoe. Octavian. Beckendorf. Ethan. Lee. Castor. Michael. Kinzie. Phoebe. Naomi. Celyn. Katie. Connor. Will.

Aphrodite looks overwhelmed, as do the rest of the Gods. “These are only a certain few of those who you SACRIFICE” Percy screams in fury, coming up and putting an arm around Nico.

“You use us” Hazel says, coming up, and Annabeth comes behind her.

“You use all of us”

Jason lands with a bang, bringing down a centaur with him. “Most of these people didn’t have to die”

Leo walks up looking bigger than he ever has before. “I didn’t have to die”

Piper appears seemingly from nowhere, and puts her hands over Nico and Travis’ eyes, pushing the two away. Her aura terrifies all of the Gods still alive. Aphrodite starts begging for Zeus to arrive, but then locks eyes with Piper and shuts her mouth, seemingly unwillingly. The girl had taken down many Gods already, including hestia, and Aphrodite knew she would be next. Her daughter had been a tornado of swords and hadn’t even slowed down in the hours of the battle. She still has both blades in her hands, though now she drops one, and brings the other up. She, unlike the others, is still smiling. “Don’t worry, everything will be alright. There is nothing to fear my dear” she says, but this time the words are clear, no charmspeak to calm her mother down. Aphrodite sobs for a moment and lets her form crumble, and before anyone can blink screams in agony.

She disappears, leaving only Piper’s sword in her place.

The demigods turn to the rest of the Gods. Percy smiles condescendingly at his father, still bleeding out. He sits next to him, looking directly into his father’s eyes as he pulls the spear from his stomach. “Did you know Mum was with Gabe?” He asks, and Poseidon nods. Percy laughs, which seem to turn to sobs halfway through.

“You let him beat and rape and torture my mother and I for years, for ten fucking years, and never did anything?”

“I regret every mo…”

“SHUT UP” Percy yells as he slams the spear through his father’s chest, and Poseidon flashes white for a millisecond, before disappearing.

“Let this be a lesson to Zeus, Hades, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis and Athena. You are the only Gods left now, but you do not have control” Percy yells, and Thalia comes up behind him.

“No more mortals or demigods will be used for your gain anymore. If you think that you are above us then let this be a lesson to you all”

Hera and Hephaestus are brought to the middle of the field. Both are tied to poles using magic and Hazel touches their heads and they scream in terror. A cage appears around them as well as the bindings tightening. Thalia continues. “The two gods Hephaestus and Hera will be here, living out their worst nightmares unable to ask for help. This is punishment for thousands of years of torment and misery, of demigods being used as pawns in your games!”

Nico turns and sees Hades walk out, hands raised high, a white flag contained in his right. “If you wish, any and all demigods will be allowed to visit their loved ones in the underworld, whenever you need. My only wish is for me, Persephone and Cerberus to be safe”

Jason walks forward and takes the flag. “Persephone can face her punishment with our word that she will survive, but she will have a punishment. You and the dog are in no danger, as you have always owned up to your wrongdoings. Nico trusts you, and therefore so do we”

Annabeth grabs the god by the arm in a painfully tight grip, and continues. “And we know that we will be allowed full access to the underworld. Nico will be your boss from now on”

Hades gulps loudly, but nods.

Zeus never showed up that day. Nor the day after, nor the day after that. In fact, Zeus didn’t face punishment for what he had done for years, and was only found when Percy and Annabeth had two children, and everyone was happy. He showed up raining fire and ended up killing half of the world. Countries around the equator were burnt beyond recognition and the Arctic and Antarctic were no longer frozen, but most importantly were the people.

Before Zeus’ return Annabeth and the rest of the strategists had figured out a way for everyone to have a home, enough food, cruel dictatorships fell and overcrowded areas were cleared up. The deserts were cooled down just enough for habitation, obesity was fought and lost and everyone had enough to eat without resorting to primitive methods. Countries had never been at peace like this, because they were all run by the people, and if someone discussed war they were sent back to a school of sorts to remind them, kindly, how awful wars could be. They were at peace now, there would be no more wars.

Then Zeus came back, and the 8 billion people who were living peacefully crashed down to 5 billion.

And the seven became the three.

Zeus was defeated with help from the remaining gods, who had by then realised their faults, but the damage was done. Frank, Leo, Jason and Percy all died, slowly and painfully, and while Hades brought them back, they were never the same after that unimaginable pain.

But they came back. The demigods were practically immortal now, with the Gods’ help. And they became unstoppable.

[iamapoopmuffin]

Fandom: Nanbaka/Corpse Party (crossover) Genre: Horror Characters: Hajime Sugoroku, Samon Gokuu, Kiji Mitsuba, Kenshirou Yozakura, Jyugo, Uno, Nico, Rock, Tsukumo, Liang, Upa, Qi, Honey, Trois, Musashi, Sachiko Shinozaki, Ryou Yoshizawa, Yuki Kanno, Tokiko Tsuji, Yoshikazu Yanagihori, Yoshie Shinozaki, Takamine Yanagihori, some OCs to take the role of Kizami later on instead of actual Kizami Includes major character death.

Chapter 12 of ?

When Samon Gokuu had woken up in this place, he'd immediately realised his luck was at an all time low. Not only was this place obviously dangerous from the first glance, but of all the people he had to be trapped in a mysterious murder house with, of all the people fate had to push him into, and have wake him up with no manner or decorum, it had to be Hajime fucking Sugoroku.

Once they were both awake, they'd argued over their priorities in this place were. Then, they'd argued over which direction to go in first. The priorities they'd decided on were to search for the inmates, search for an exit, and gather information about their situation. As they explored, they found plenty of papers detailing bits and pieces, most of them scrawled on by half-sane victims trapped within the confines of what was apparently a haunted school. Messages to friends, messages to 'whoever finds this note', frantic scrawlings from a desperate mind, last words meant to point fingers at those who had wronged them. Little of use, other than to say it didn't look like there was much in the way of escape. Some notes spoke of being hunted down by ghosts holding weapons, or of their companions going insane and cutting them down. The most useful thing they found lying around in the halls was a newspaper clipping talking about a kidnapping.

It wasn't until they reached a room labelled 'Reference Room' that they found anything of use. When they opened the door, they found a room stacked with books, folders and old newspapers, some old, some modern. It looked like the books were taken from the school bags of some of the students who had died here - several stacks of work books with different names scrawled across them, text books and library books with the name of the library or school they'd come from on the inside cover. Hajime began sorting through the old newspapers, looking for any articles of use. Samon found himself looking at each of the books that didn't seem to belong.

"Follow up report." Hajime read aloud as he realised he had something relevant in his hands. "Says here the four kids that got kidnapped were murdered by the teacher. Cause of death was the removal of the tongues, causing death by excessive bleeding or choking. One child had the majority of her head removed, everything from the jaw up, like that one kid described the 'ghost' that was chasing her. All these newspapers and notices make reference to the school and area Number 99 spoke about in that stupid ghost story he told. Sounds like one of those stupid horror movies where you get trapped in a ghost's grudge or something like that." He looked to Samon, saw him flicking through a pink spiral notebook. "Anything useful in that?"

"Scrawled notes from some self-proclaimed ghost-hunter or supernaturalist." Samon answered offhandedly. "Most of it's about different sights, haunted hospitals, old churchyards, shit like that. Ah!" He stopped on a page. "Heavenly Host Elementary School. Shinozaki estate...super haunted...severe physical effects against the researcher...significant danger involved in research." He skimmed through the page until he found something of use. "In order to enter the cursed grounds of Heavenly Host, one only needs to anger the spirits involved. Incorrect performance of the Shinozaki charm or gossip of the spirit's death may suffice. So this girl is basically saying we're here because 99 told a ghost story. Okay...method of egress...is blank." He sighed, turned the page, and frowned. The next page was coated in bloodied fingerprints and strange marks. The writing became more frantic and messy as it went on. "...Something something girl in red dress...ghost children...ah. The ghost hunter murdered someone while she was here." That was where the notes ended, so he closed the book and went looking for another one that might be of use.

"Shinozaki..." Hajime had picked up another paper. Skimmed through it. "Says here that Sachiko Shinozaki wasn't killed."

"What?"

"She was still alive when the police got to the scene. It was with her testimony that authorities were able to convict Yanagihori of the murders of the other three children...Yanagihori was deemed unable to take responsibility for his actions and was sent to a high security psychiatric hospital." He shuffled through a few more papers. There were reports about and interviews with the families of both the victims and perpetrators.

There was nothing about Sachiko Shinozaki.

Odd. Not a single mention was made of her or her family following the incident and the arrest. Had the family been relocated for safety? Had the journalists been kept away?

"The girl, the supernaturalist, put a lot of emphasis on Shinozaki." Samon pointed out. "The haunted Shinozaki estate, the Shinozaki charm, the Shinozaki grudge...I guess it's possible she tried to curse someone out of anger after witnessing all that..."

"There's nothing else about her after that. It says here journalists tried to force their way into Tsuji's father's place of work in order to interview him, so they clearly didn't care too much about their privacy."

"They never do." He picked out a book and read the name scrawled on the front. It was another journal someone had brought in with them, and the kanji seemed familiar. "Ki...biki Kou...I think. It's the name of the person the supernaturalist mentioned. The one she murdered when she came here." He flicked it open to a random page, shook his head and started flicking through for anything of use.

"The perpetrator is reported to have escaped his hospital and hanged himself. At least we know what happened to him." He tossed the last paper aside with a sigh. "Anything in that guy's journal?"

"The four missing children were found in a disused basement room, officially sealed away after construction." Samon read word for word from the journal, sounding disinterested. "When authorities gained entry, they were greeted with an inhumanely horrific sight. Based on the evidence at hand, the murder weapon was determined to be a large pair of sewing scissors found in the hands of the accused. Investigators suspected some hesitation on the man's part, as the victims' wounds indicated his full strength had not been used. Nonetheless, it was clear he had acted with extreme malicious intent. Cause of death was listed as loss of blood following removal of the tongues, but the truth is not so clinical, or if it can be believed, not quite as pleasant." He hesitated. The next part detailed exactly how each child had been killed. To cut it short, he could just say each was stabbed repeatedly. "The details are taken from information previously unreleased to the public. Uhh...bearing witness to this all was seven-year-old Sachiko Shinozaki, in many ways the most pitiable and long-suffering one of them all. It was through her tearful and frightened testimony that Yanagihori was officially charged. Going back to information on this unfortunate girl's whereabouts, it is understandable that sensitive information pertaining to her and her family would be withheld. What is harder to understand, however, is that there's not even the slightest trace of this information to find...as if it never existed..."

"As if it never existed?" Hajime got to his feet and stretched. "So the records were destroyed?"

"Maybe." Samon scanned a few more pages. "Says here the perpetrator had no motive for the crime, and was seen as a friendly and gentle soul before this event. His father was the principal. Around the time of the murders, Takamine Yanagihori began speaking gibberish, scrawling nonsense on the walls, hiding in his office and acting severely paranoid, so it's believable that his son also simply 'lost his mind'."

"I don't think these murder reports are doing us any good."

"The fact that they're plastered all over the place must mean something..."

"But until we find out what makes them so significant, we can't really take much from all this."

"Hang on, there's another mention of curses in here."

"You believe in curses?"

"No, but there's something they're calling a curse, some energy, and that's worth something, right? If we can find out what, exactly, that is, we're one step closer to finding a way out." He skimmed through the writing in the journal again. "Here: 'I believe we're looking at a curse far more powerful than anything man could devise. From the day this school first opened its doors, to the day it closed them forever, Heavenly Host Elementary's basement room has existed as some kind of cursed ground. To find the underlying cause, we must go back, back beyond the infamous kidnapping and murder case. Back a whole twenty years. Since the school has been demolished, and another built in its place, it is no longer possible to investigate the basement room directly, but my protege may have discovered the next best thing.' So if we found the basement room of this place, we might have more clues."

"Great. The basement room."

Any further info they tried to seek from within the reference room brought them no closer to understanding their situation or the way out. Some more arguing on their next move, and they found themselves walking across the second floor, towards where they were sure they'd seen an infirmary before. It made sense to make a place like that a base to meet up in, since it would have some fairly important supplies. It was as they crossed toward the east side of the building that the two of them saw their first ghost.

It was a little boy, stood on the far side of a hole in the floor, staring at them. Following gut instinct, Samon pulled the brim of his cap low and avoided looking at the child's face. Something inside him just told him it would be a bad idea. The child called out to them, garbled words, barely words at all, as if he was making sound with no way to shape it.

As if he had no tongue.

It had stated, in the info that Samon had read but not read aloud, that the killer had removed his victims' tongues, like some kind of trophy. It was as if this was one of the victims, though without seeing the boy's face, Samon couldn't say anything for sure.

"Whatever you do, do not look him in the eye." He warned Hajime as he continued walking.

"You couldn't have mentioned that before?!"

"Did you seriously just look that thing in the eye?!"

Turning swiftly on his heel, Samon found Hajime stood opposite the ghost child, rigid and with a look somewhere between fury and bewilderment on his face. He was definitely looking the thing in the eye, and he wasn't blinking.

The ghost boy spoke again. "Cmmme wupffmeee..."

He took a step towards the hole.

"Hajime?" Another step. "Hajime! What the hell are you doing now?"

"I...can't...control it. I can't stop!"

Samon moved closer, trying to survey the situation. The child was occupied with Hajime, and likely wouldn't meet his eyes if he looked at his face, but he would still rather not chance it, and kept his field of vision low. The child had his hand outstretched, as if he was beckoning his victim closer, over to where the wood got weaker, over into the hole. Of course, if Hajime kept walking, he would all too soon find himself falling. The guard was pretty resilient, so there was every chance he would survive such a fall, but it was best to avoid testing that theory out.

Step. Step. Step. He seriously couldn't stop, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. It was almost as if the moment he'd made eye contact with that child, he'd been taken over. Loathe as he was to appear lacking in the willpower department, he really couldn't struggle against this. Nothing he tried to do seemed to have even the slightest affect.

Hajime felt a tug on the back of his uniform. An arm around his waist, trying to haul him back. Samon was trying to pull him back away from the hole. Step. Step. Step. He heard boots dragging against the wooden floor as Samon failed to keep him still, got dragged along after him. His toe tipped over the edge of the hole. One more step and he would fall. All he could see was the wide eyes of the child with no tongue.

And then nothing. Black in his vision. He wasn't falling, he wasn't walking, and it seemed something was over his eyes. It took him a moment to register what, exactly, had happened. Realising that it was eye contact keeping Hajime under control, Samon had thrown one arm over his eyes to break that contact. And by some stupid miracle, it worked. He heard the child hissing at them, and felt Samon attempt to step back. Hajime followed, stepping back a few times in time with him, and then turning away from the hole suddenly enough that Samon, raised up on his toes in order to cover the taller man's eyes, overbalanced and hit the floor. He managed to recover well, and was up on his feet again almost instantly.

"You asshole! You did that on purpose!"

"You're seriously going to start whining now?! What did you expect me to do, walk backwards for the rest of my life?!

"If you weren't dumb enough to look that thing in the eye, we wouldn't have that problem in the first place!"

"If you knew it was dangerous, you should have said!"

"I did say!"

"Yeah, and only seven years too late!"

"Quit exaggerating, you dumb gorilla!"

"Who're you calling a gorilla?!"

When the boy across the hole started to moan, the two guards seemed to have a silent agreement pass between them to walk as they continued their argument, and to spew abuse at each other at a lower volume.

Focused as they were on trading verbal blows, they let their feet carry them across to the east side of the building, eventually coming out at the corridor leading to the infirmary and science lab. In this dimension, too, the splattered remains decorated the far wall, and the guards gave the blood and whatnot a wide berth. Trying the door to the science lab wielded little result. The door was locked, and from behind it drifted a peculiar smell. Frying meat, if they had to find a way to describe it. Someone cooking something. Bizarre and out of place.

"An infirmary would be a good place to make base." Hajime stated when the two stepped inside. It was dusty, but free of corpses, and access to medical supplies was nothing to be sneered at. Items littered the floor, and he looked down as one hit his foot. Or, well, his foot hit it. On the floor lay a festival doll, dressed in a red dress and matching bonnet. He glanced over at Samon, who had gone to the back wall, crouched down to look at something else on the floor. "Find something shiny, boy?"

"Shut up!" The monkey stood, holding up what he had found. "Someone's personal effects. Glasses, broken. Look a lot like the ones Number 71 wears, but that doesn't tell us anything for sure. This here is medical, clearly a prescription...if I can find a name...not sure what this is." He turned over the objects in his hands. Hajime looked back at the stupid doll. It looked like something Hitoshi would probably gush over. "Oh shit-!"

Samon was looking at one of the beds. Hajime followed his eye and saw the ghost child curled up in the corner, staring at the bedframe. It was the same child from before.

"Don't look it in the eyes, right?"

"Right. I think it might be following us."

"Guess we can cross off the infirmary for possible safe spaces then."

"We should go."

"Well, duh."

"Turn...west...six...paces..."

The voice came from neither of them. It was a tinny, robotic voice, speaking in a set rhythm. If Hajime didn't know any better, he'd say it was coming from the doll in his hands.

Having apparently come to the same conclusion, Samon came over and poked it. "Six paces west?" He repeated with a frown.

"That's what it said." West, if he was correct, was the door out of the infirmary, so they would have to follow the instructions given that far at least.

"Where do you think it's leading us?"

"It's a doll."

Regardless of his statement that the doll wasn't trying to tell them shit, Hajime kept it with him when they left.

"North...eight...paces..."

Samon turned and began walking toward the pile of guts across the far wall.

"What are you doing, Monkey?"

He stopped, looked back. "Following the doll. And don't call-"

"You want to follow the doll?"

"I-"

"It said eight paces, dumbass. You took nine."

"I did not!"

Hajime counted out eight paces, and even with his larger stride ended up a step behind Samon. "You were saying?"

"Your steps are just too small. You're doing that on purpose!"

"My top priority is not messing with your inability to count, it's to get out of here alive."

"I can count just fine!"

"Bullshit, you can't even count to eight!"

"I took eight steps!"

"East...four...paces..."

"Can you handle counting to four?"

"Hajime!"

It was clear from the specific instructions from the doll that someone was intending to lead them somewhere. Though they couldn't deny something odd was going on here, the sceptical part of their minds tried to come up with some logical explanation for things. It was a prerecorded message intended to start in the infirmary. The ghosts weren't real. That sort of thing. Regardless, Hajime turned the doll over in his hands and found a name written on the back.

Yoshikazu Yanagihori

The killer. Hajime mentally prepared himself for any trap that they may be walking into.

The doll's instructions led them back to the staircase that had taken them up to the reference room. At the last pace, Hajime found himself stood over uneven ground, or rather over a single conspicuous lump in the floor. The guards stared at the doll a moment, awaiting another command. It made a sound, like weeping, but said nothing more. The supervisor tested the bump in the ground with his foot before stepping back and dropping to his knee, choosing to check beneath the warped board. He pulled it up and found a blood stained bag underneath.

The doll spoke once more. "Please...save the children..."

"Save the children?" Hajime repeated as he stood.

"Why would it say that?"

"It belongs to the killer. Or belonged, is more accurate. It has his name sewn to the back. If we take this to be something other than a prerecorded message, since nothing makes sense here anyway...sounds like it could be guilt or remorse over the murders. Since the guy's dead himself, all he can do is lead investigators to any hidden remains." He handed the bag to Samon. "Check what's in that. If it's not him expressing remorse or whatever, it could be anyone's voice, just so long as they want us to save the kids. It could also refer to people trapped here, since the vast majority of bodies here are school kids."

"The bag has a name on it...Yo...Yoshi...zawa? Hard to tell, with the blood." Reluctantly, he opened the bag as told. "Ugh...hidden remains is right...it's a tongue."

"The murderer killed the kids by removing their tongues."

"Actually, according to that Kibiki guy's research, the tongues were removed post-mortem. But if the kids are already dead, why remove the tongue? As a trophy? What does the tongue signify?"

"I don't know...talking? Taste? What are we even supposed to do with the kid's tongue?"

Samon shrugged and drew the bag closed. "The supernaturalist with the pink notebook, she said people were dragged here for pissing off the ghosts or whatever."

"So we make them less pissed off, they let us go?"

"You think?"

"Not really, no. But if the tongue belongs to one of the murdered kids, then with the kid is where it belongs."

"So we give it back to Yoshizawa."

"Exactly."

[antiquatedfuture]

Antiquated Future Distro Spring Newsletter

In brief: We picked up all three issues of Fred Thomas' (Saturday Looks Good to Me, City Center) Balcony zine series. The latest (We Need Emotional Labor) from Jennifer Williams' ever-popular workbook zine series is here. We brought our Summer Soul mixtape series out of retirement. The excellent Grand Terrace Photo League coffee table book is now much more affordable. There's new issues of some of our favorite literary and art journals: Big Big Wednesday, Incandescent, and We'll Never Have Paris. 

And in these trying times, we brought back our Protect Roe v Wade Zine Pack, but also encourage everyone to donate to organizations working directly against this, such as The Yellowhammer Fund, Access Reproductive Care Southeast, and National Network of Abortion Funds.

ZINES

Balcony #3- "A funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done." Interviews with long-running New Zealand experimental rock band The Dead C, cultish songwriter Edith Frost, and ambient musician John Daniel of Forest Management. ($6) 

Balcony #2- A public apology, an essay about Lewis Hyde's The Gift, an interview with left-field hip-hop musician Sterling Toles, in-depth record reviews, and a couple poems by Charles Gonsalves. ($6) 

Balcony #1- The issue that begin the Balcony series, a highly enjoyable take on the now-rare music-focused variety zine. Highlight: an interview with Chandra Oppenheim, who—at ten years old—headed up the New York no-wave band Chandra. ($6) 

Black Tea #5- A mixtape of Jason Martin's comics from recent years. Within: good-deed tollbooths, a tribute to San Francisco's Aquarius Records, and a really sweet one about a childhood business card collection. ($4)

Dogs of Brattleboro- Dogs busking with the punks, hanging out in cars, on walks, in laps, in arms. 22 images from photographer Bob George's Brattleboro, Vermont archives. Each zine comes with a dog button! ($4)

A Halloween Poem for Children- A short collection of short poems (in handsome mini-zine form) from Murder City Devils' frontman Spencer Moody. Metaphysical oddities that casually nod to centuries of counterculture writers. ($5) Safe Words- A lyrical mini-memoir of desire. Through a series of vignettes, longtime zinester Sarah Geo recounts her sexual experiences with men, traversing the good and the bad to shine a spotlight on sexual desire in all its complexities. ($8)

Somnambulist #31: Dear Mayor Wheeler- Letters to Portland mayor Ted Wheeler regarding Portland's housing crisis from the perspective of a long-time advocate for houseless communities. This far-reaching collection of letters brings in personal, literary, and historical viewpoints. ($5)

Sugar Needle #41- The zine of oddball candy reviews. Within: scorched rice, wagon wheels, Italian apertifs, bee-berry honey caramel chocolates, jujube nougat, and much more. ($3)

Tin Can Telephone #6- Another issue of historic lost oddities and present realities. The highlight: a short history of cardboard cut-out cereal-box records of the 1960s and '70s. ($5)

We Need Emotional Labor: Discussion Questions to Redistribute the Work that Holds Communities Together- An essential guide to understanding both the value of emotional labor and the imbalance of it. ($8)

We, The Drowned- In the vein of his Fixer Eraser zine series, We, the Drowned is Jonas' latest collection of curious short prose pieces. Under the banner of "wishes and ghost stories," the pieces within are filled with conversations, lies, playful tangents, and a lot of heart. ($3) We'll Never Have Paris #16: Food- The latest issue of the literary zine of all things never meant to be focuses on food. And within, there are personal essays about diets, the melting pot of culinary cultures in a textiles factory, an immigrant family's relationship to Filet-O-Fish, a French mother's relationship to endives, the morning of Freddy Mercury's death, a failed care package, and more. ($6)

BOOKS

Big Big Wednesday, Issue Six- An inviting literary journal of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art, each issue of Big Big Wednesday holds a little something for everyone. One of our all-time favorite journals. With work from (the one-and-only) Jo Ann Beard, Jane Wong, Erin Perry, Madeline ffitch, and many others. ($15) Incandescent: A Color Film Zine, Issue 15- Parking meters, pensive basketball players, proud dogs, explorative cats, tomatoes in a shirt, a swamp room, a shack. All gathered, figuring out how “to approach stillness,” the latest theme of Incandescent, our very favorite photography journal. ($14)

MUSIC Anna Burch- Party (Life Like)- Before her Polyvinyl pop gem, Quit The Curse, there was Party: the Beach Boys' Party-inspired solo debut from Anna Burch (Failed Flowers, Frontier Ruckus). (Cassette) ($8)

Anna Burch & Fred Thomas- St. Adalbert / Parkways (Polyvinyl)- A stunning indie-pop gem a piece from Michigan's finest: Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me, City Center) and Anna Burch. (seven inch) ($8)

Bitpart- Beyond What's Left (Rumbletowne)- Thirteen songs from Paris-based post-power-pop punks, Bitpart. In your face, catchy, and raw, with big heavy basslines and lots of energy. (LP) ($12)

Bonny Doon- Classical Days and Jazzy Nights (Life Like)- A repress of the 2015 four-track home recordings of Detroit band Bonny Doon. Hazy, Echoplex-laden, alt-country-tinged pop anthems. (Cassette) ($8)

City Center- Spring St (Quite Scientific)- A long-lost record from the late great City Center. Four woozy, atmospheric, skewed dream-pop tracks. On clear, screen-printed, one-sided vinyl. So gorgeous! (12" EP) ($12) Cultural Fog- Self-Titled (Life Like)- Claire Cirocco, Emily Roll, and Fred Thomas combine to make pulsing, triple-synth soundscapes that are "strongly under the influence of Windam Hill." (Cassette) ($8)

Dominic Coppola & Fred Thomas- Enough Time Has Passed (Life Like)- A collaborative project between drone musician Dominic Coppola and musical chameleon Fred Thomas. (Cassette) ($8)

Land & Buildings- Huron River Eclipse (Life Like)- Like a chamber-pop band led by a synth player and inspired by Nico Muhly's Mothertongue and John Cale's Artificial Intelligence. (Cassette) ($8)

Make Like a Tree- Mothernight (This + That Tapes)- Hazy, ambient dream-pop from the Ukraine. Really, it's just such a pleasure. An album to get lost in. (Cassette + Digital Download) ($8)

The Max Levine Ensemble- Backlash, Baby (Rumbletowne)- Hyperdrive pop-punk packed with stories from songwriter David Combs (Spoonboy, Somnia, Bad Moves). (LP) ($12)

Mystery Cassette Tape Grab Bag- Five cassettes, from our back catalog and beyond, all for $10. What a deal! (cassettes) ($10)

Nick Keeling- Martha (Why the Tapes Play)- Three pieces of lo-fi instrumental piano on a three-inch CD. Music that exists beautifully outside of time. (3" CD) ($5)

Pleasure Systems- Terraform (Self-Released)- The latest from Pleasure Systems, the solo electronic project of Clarke from The Washboard Abs. Terraform takes the project into a place that sparkles and pops in digital melancholic bliss. A masterpiece in synth waves, pitch shifts, glitches, and stutters, all covered in pop song dreams. (Cassette + Digital Download) ($6) 

Somnia- How The Moon Shines On The Shit (Rumbletowne)- A full-throttle pop-punk supergroup that combines the songwriting talents of Erica Freas (RVIVR) and David Combs (Spoonboy, Max Levine Ensemble) to create an album to help you get through the day. (LP) ($12)

Songs for Moms- River (Rumbletowne)- Five tracks that captures Songs for Moms' enduring greatness. Adventurous pop-punk songs of scars and healing, grieving and celebrating. (12" EP) ($12)

Spencer Moody & Little Stray- Split Tape (This + That Tapes)- A split release from Murder City Devils' frontman Spencer Moody and Little Stray, the solo project of Rabbits to Riches' guitarist Chris Baldys. Two sides of smart, intimate bedroom folk in handsome handmade packaging. (Cassette + Digital Download) ($8)

Summer Soul, Vol. 9- The ninth volume of our long-running Summer Soul mixtape series. Twenty songs of apologies, thank yous, heartbreaks, and celebrations. An hour of lesser-known '60s and '70s soul. (Cassette) ($5)

[joongie-smiles]

The Trinket Theif

Eckers St. was known as the "buy on for the price of two" street for its infamously overpriced items. Charlie's pet store sold expensive dog food, Bloom's sold expensive vases, and so on. The stores were owned by rich families who didn't need the extra money they made by setting ridiculously high prices for mundane objects one could buy at different stores for more than half the price. Because of its proximity to the "sketchier" parts of the neighborhood, all the stores were protected with the most advanced, high-tech security. No one had been able to successfully robbed any of the stores before. Until now.

"Talk to me, G-man. What have we got?" a man in black asked. He was sitting on the roof of Bloom's bouquet looking at the store across of it through a pair of night vision goggles.

"Alright, we've got some guards and gates behind a steel, locked door blocking every entrance. Inside there are lasers everywhere and the floor is touch sensitive, so if you trigger them then the operation is over, police will be here in 5 maybe 10 minutes," G-man replied. He was in a black truck that was parked two blocks away from Eckers St. He stood in front of a computer displaying the interior of Bobby's convenience store. Repair Boy had hacked into the security cameras, so the team could see exactly what the cameras could.

"We can handle the doors," a woman dressed in a smart business suit said. She was walking down the street opposite the store. To passerbyers it looked like she was coming back from a hard day at the office; she looked harmless.

"But what about the floors? What are we going to do fly in there?" the man on the roof said. His sea-green eyes scanned the ground below, looking for any possible conflicts they had not planned for. The team had triple checked that the area was clear, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

"Not fly, but climb." This came from a man next to a nearby phone line pole. He was searching through the toolbox next to him, seemingly in search of the right tool to fix the phone pole. "Luckily for you I asked Ghost King about any surprises we might have, and I came prepared. "

"Everyone in position?" G-man asked.

There was a chorus of conformation that rang through the comms.

"Alright, the cameras are going to be down for 20 minutes. You guys know what to do.," G-man said as he typed away on the computer. He typed a few more codes and clicked the enter key.

"It's showtime."

--

The operation went smoothly. Beauty Queen crossed the street and approached the guards posted at Bobby's. Her ruse was simple but effective. She'd asked for a phone and they'd gladly searched for one. While they were distracted she stole one of their key cards and slid it to her right, where  Repair Boy was waiting with his toolbox. Opening the gate was simple enough, Repair Boy used a simple lock picking kit and it was opened in seconds. Unfortunately for the guards, the gate went up too roughly and made a loud sound when it hit the ceiling, so Beauty Queen had to knock them out.

The steel door was a little more tricky. It required ID, a password, and handprint. They used the ID Beauty Queen was able to get, and used an original Valdez Gadget to get the 6 digit password. The handprint required to open the door was the manager's, who obviously was not present. Because of Ghost King, they knew this beforehand, so Beauty Queen was able to get the manager's fingerprints. Repair Boy had transferred them to a glove, so whoever wore it had the manager's fingerprints at his disposal.

After the doors were opened, Trinket Thief was sent in to retrieve the targets. He quickly got off the roof and meet the other two members of his team at the door. Repair Boy gave him gloves and boots that stuck to the wall, another Valdez Gadget. He was able to climb to the electrical panel that controlled all the security, and plug in the virus Repair Boy had made earlier that shuts off security without alarming the police. It was a walk in the park after that.

The team did this 5 different times at 5 different stores. The amount of work depended on the level of security each store had, but in the end they cleared the stores of chewing gum. There wasn't a single one left in the stores. At the end of the night they tipped the police and drove back to their base.

Now, they wait for the manhunt.

--

"I'm back!" Piper shouted as she walked into their base, the Argo II, carrying 3 boxes of pizza.

She set the box down on the dining table and walked to the hall where their rooms were located. She knocked on the first door to her right. It was a simple brown, wooden door with vines and flowers carved around the edges. The door opened, and she came face to face with Grover Underwood, aka G-man. He was their "man in the chair" and the best tracker she ever met. He was on the phone and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"I brought pizza," she answered his unasked question in a soft voice, not wanting to interrupt him more than she already did.

He only nodded and closed the door

Piper moved on to the door to her left. This one, unlike Grover's, was more decorated. It was painted blue and had seashells painted on it. When she knocked, a loud "come in" was her answer. She opened the door to find Percy Jackson sitting at his desk on his laptop.

"What's up, Pipes?" the infamous Trinket Thief asked without looking up from the screen.

"I brought some pizza for lunch," she said.

"Cool. Did you-"

"Bring enough for Nico and Will? Of course, I did who do you think I am?" she asked with a smirk.

"The greatest Beauty Queen the world has ever seen," he replied. He looked up at her, sea-green eyes glinting with amusement.

Piper shook her head and laughed. "Stop stalking your little detective and come down to eat."

Percy's face flushed. "I'm not stalking I'm . . . researching," he protested.

"Is that what they call it these days?" Piper asked mockingly. Before he could answer she closed the door and continued on to the next door. The next door on her right looked out of place in the cheerful hall. It was made out of [reinforced] steel and required 2 keys, a 6-digit password, an eye scan, a handprint, voice recognition, and a knocking pattern to open it. Or, in moments of an emergency, one could simply turn the door knob 3 times to the left, once to the right, twist up, and right again. If one failed to do so, the door was set to trigger an explosion that would destroy the room and everything inside it. There had been 3 occasions early in the early years as a team when the room had actually exploded. Thankfully nothing and nobody important had died in there. The explosion would only affect that particular room, and the fire could not be put out, It wouldn't fade till it destroyed what it had to. Instead of red flames, the special fire had unique green flames. It's creator had named it Greek Fire.

Piper knocked on the door and smiled up at the little eye hole where the inhabitant of the room was no doubt peering down at her. With some clicks and squeaks, the door opened to reveal a smiling Leo Valdez, the team's Repair Boy. His cheek had a smudge of oil, and he was wiping his hands on a handkerchief, so she had to guess that he had been working on another one of his projects; another original Valdez Gadget.

"Hey, Beauty Queen, whatcha need?" he asked, stepping aside to let her come in.

She shook her head lightly to show him that she didn't want to come in. "I just came to tell you that I brought pizza for lunch."

"I thought I was making lunch," he said.

"You know we love your food, but Nico and Will are coming over in a bit, so we needed quick and easy food," she said. "Plus, it's from Johnny's."

He humphed indignantly and shook his head. "Fine. But only because I love Johnny's." He pointed a warning finger at her. "But I'm cooking for Taco Tuesday."

"'Course you are," Piper laughed. "Wash all the dirt on you and come down to eat.

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he closed the door.

Now that knocks were done, Piper headed back down to the dining room to double check that it was clean enough for their guests. Nico and Will didn't mind a few scattered papers or pencils laying around the Argo II, but Piper didn't like them thinking that they lived in a pig pen. They were professional thieves, they could stay organized if they wanted to.

"Are Nico and Will here yet?" Percy asked as he walked down the stairs.

Piper shook her head. "Not yet. Hey, could you double check that there aren't any plans laying around?"

Percy nodded and left the living room.

Nico di Angelo, otherwise known as the Ghost King, wasn't technically part of their ragtag group, but he was their informant. He knew anything and everything that happened in the Underworld, the darker and sketchier part of the city. He was never on the feild, and the team wanted to keep it that way. He was a great asset, but they wanted him to enjoy his life, graduate from college, spend time with his boyfriend, get a career. They didn't want him to get stuck in misery and misfortune that came with their job.

The ringing of the doorbell drew Piper from the dining room to the door. She checked the peep hole and smiled when she recognized the two college students outside. She quickly unlocked the door and opened it, the smile never leaving her face.

"Welcome to our humble abode!" she exclaimed.

The two looked like complete opposites. One was dressed in black and had a moody and dangerous aura. His hands were stuffed in his pockets with only the band of a bracelet peeking out from around his wrist. His black hair was tied back in an updo to keep it away from his eyes while the rest curling around his jaw. His dark eyes were void of emotion and he kept his expression neutral. Nico di Angelo, the Ghost King of the Underworld, was infamous for his Poker Face.

The young man next to him, on the other hand, wore blue hospital scrubs and, like his nickname suggested, radiated happiness and joy. On of his hands was at his side, and the other rested lightly on his boyfriend's elbow, a bracelet similar to Nico's hung from said arm. His curly hair lay on his head like a fluffy, blond cloud, the only sign of an attempt to keep it tamed was the slight glint of water on his curls. His blue eyes were bright with happiness, and he made no attempt to hide it. There was need to hide emotions around his friends. William Solace, <Nico's> their Sunshine, provided a nice dose of normalcy in the criminals' lives. But one need not confuse his kindness with weakness. He was skilled with medicine and could just as easily prolong one's suffering instead of relieving it.

"Piper!" Will greated. He moved forward to hug her. "It's good to see you. Sorry about calling in so last minute."

"Don't worry," she reassured. "We're all glad you came."

"Nico! Will!" a voice exclaimed from behind Piper. They turned to see the green-eyed thief walking towards them with a grin. He quickly engulfed Nico in a hug before he could protest and did the same to Will. "How's college? You keeping your grade up?" He asked the two young men.

"Of course we are," Will replied. "Though Nico did get in a fight last week."

Piper's eyes widened. "You what?!"

Nico shrugged it off nonchalantly. "It was just some jerk who was making fun of this kid in my english class. I got annoyed and," his lips curled up into a sly smirk, "my hand slipped."

"Did you at least win?" Leo asked from the doorway of the dining room. He was holding a Pepsi can in left hand while he fiddled with a wire in the other.

"What do you think?" Nico asked. "It took a couple of punches and /bam!/ he was out cold."

"It wasn't that glamorous," Will said from beside him. "He walked into the school's infirmary with a bloody nose and a busted lip."

"You should've seen the other guy," Nico told them slyly.

"Nico, you’re supposed to be staying out of trouble not causing it,” Grover scolded him. He was walking out of the kitchen with plates in his hands and set them down on the table next to the pizza boxes. “We wouldn’t want you catching the wrong kind of attention from dangerous people. Your dad has more enemies than friends.”

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Nico said, waving away Grover’s concern. “Now stop worrying, Will does enough of it already.”

“With the things you do sometimes, who wouldn’t,” Will teased.

Nico scowled at him playfully. He walked over to the dining table and opened the first pizza box. “Just for that, I’m taking the first piece.”

Will and the rest of the team joined him at the table and started eating. Soon, stories were being told as they ate and laughter was being shared. They talked about anything they could think of: Leo’s newest invention, Will’s job at the hospital, Nico’s annoying speech teacher. Anything but the team’s latest job or upcoming plans. They had made it a rule to never discuss the team's job when they were hanging out. Talking about mass-stealing bubblegum does wonders to kill the good mood.

Leo got up and walked over to the TV in the living room, pizza slice in one hand and soda can in the other. He put the soda can down on the TV stand and used his free hand to turn it on. The blank screen was soon replaced with the image of a dark haired reporter who was at a crime scene. The words ‘The Trinket Thief Strikes Again’ glared back at them at the bottom of the screen.

“--is one of the stores the infamous Trinket Thief visited last night,” the reporter was saying. “This store, like 5 others, was wiped clean of chewing gum; there isn’t a single on in stock. As always, there seemed to be no signs of violence, and there are 0 wounded and 0 casualties. The only thing they took was chewing gum, everything else was untouched.”

“Here with me is the detective in charge of the Trinket Thief’s cases.” She turned her head to greet someone off-camera with a smile. The camera soon followed her gaze and moved to show the detective. Her blonde hair was held back in a ponytail, and she was dressed smartly in a grey suit. Her posture was proud and authoritative; Detective Annabeth Chase was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

“Detective Chase, what can you tell us about the case so far?” the reporter asked.

“I am not at liberty to discuss all the details, but they struck late last night, and fortunately no one was harmed in the heist, which is their signature,” Detective Chase replied. Her voice, like her expression, was calm and collected. She seemed to have doubts on the OPD’s competence, and every word she said was carefully chosen as to not let any information slip to the media that would cause more harm to to their investigation than good. A skill that was expected from the Olympus PD’s best detective.

The reporter frowned, obviously not please with the lack of new information, but a tight smile was back on her face in a second. “By ‘they’ do you mean the Trinket Thief's team, the Half-Bloods?”

This time it was the Detective’s turn to frown, but unlike the reporter, she allowed it to stay there. “Yes, but we usually don’t condone the use of nicknames or titles when talking about criminals. It encourages them and can lead to groups of admirers forming.”

As if on cue, the camera turned away from the two woman momentarily to show the crowd gathered around the enclosed perimeter Olympus PD had set up. There were a couple curious passerbyers here and there, but a majority of the group was made up of the Half-Bloods’ “admirers”, as the Detective had put it. There were various flashes of cameras and even a couple of signs expressing the people’s love and gratitude for the Half-Bloods.

“I guess their fan base is as hard to stop as the Half-Bloods themselves,” the reporter said with a small smirk. Detective Chase scowled slightly and looked like she was about to say something else when someone else came up to the two women.

“Detective Chase, I need your highly valued, expert opinion on something,” the new arrival said. He was tall and towered over both Detective Chase and the reporter. His blond hair was cut short, and he was cleanly shaven. His lips were upturned in a sly smile and his blue eyes held the same mischievous glint. He was handsome and, if the small horde of people not so discreetly swooning over him was anything to go by, he must’ve also been quite charming. Even the scar running from his cheekbone to his jaw did nothing to affect his “golden boy” appearance.

Detective Chse excused herself and left with her partner, Detective Luke Castellan, looking relieved for the excuse to get away from the pesky reporter. Before the reporter could speak again, the screen went black with a soft click! The enthralled group turned to Piper, who had the control in her hand, with equal expressions of disdain.

“Nothing job related, remember?” she said with a scowl. “Which includes the news.”

“Aw, come one, Pipes. It was just getting good,” Leo wined.

“Let Jackson watch his little detective girlfriend on TV,” Nico teased with a smirk. “Look at him, he was practically drooling.”

Percy glared at the younger male. “No I wasn’t. And she isn’t my girlfriend.” Though he denied all accounts of drooling, he subtly wiped the corners of his mouth. Just in case.

Nico chuckled lowly and shook his head. He turned back to look at the blank TV screen, and his expression turned serious. “You guys should be more careful. There’s been talk around the Underworld that Olympus PD is bringing in the FBI.”

Silence fell over the apartments like a heavy blanket. They had stopped eating and everyone took a moment to contemplate Nico’s words. The team had been toying with Olympus PD for months now, and honestly it had been easy to evade capture. It hadn’t been till Detective Chase and Detective Castellan had been put on the case that the team really had a challenge running from the police. But if they brought in the big guns . . .

“We’ll be fine, Nico. Don’t worry about. A couple of feds won’t be able to stop us,” Percy reassured. The cocky smile he donned convinced no one. No matter how hard he tried to, the leader of the Half-Bloods couldn’t hide the uneasiness in his green eyes. Maybe Percy was right and they would be fine, or he was wrong and the arrival of the feds would pose a big threat. Either way, one thing was certain-- everything was about to change.

Hello all my lovely readers! So The Trinket Thief is going to be a multi-chapter fic and (obviously) this is the first chapter. This is kind of a spin-off from a fic I wrote a looong time ago called You’ve Stolen My Heart. It’s not really a prequel or direct continuation of it, it’s just in the same world/the same idea. There are a whole bunch of ships (pretty much all canon), not just Percabeth. This is my take on a cop AU. I hope you like it!

Masterlist

[dumbledearme]

chapter thirty-five—return to the sea

read Child of Land and Sea here

Act IV — To Stop The Tide

Part X — Your hocus-pocus isn't tough enough and your mumbo-jumbo doesn't measure up.

The room was small, but Andy sat as far away from the others as humanly possible. The gladiator fight had somewhat broken her spirit. Usually, she didn't feel bad about killing monsters, but just the thought that it was for entertainment, that people were amused, it made her feel sick.

Anthony didn't try to comfort her. He seemed thankful she didn't want to be close to him which saddened her even more. He kept his mind on Luke. "Something was wrong with him," he kept saying. "He was acting so strange."

"He looked pretty pleased to me," she answered. "It was a nice day torturing heroes."

"No. There was something wrong with him. He looked... scared. I know him. He wanted to tell me something."

"Probably wanted to invite you to stay and watch him kill me. He has a great sense of humor."

"Whatever, Andy," he said and looked at Rachel. "Which way now?"

Rachel didn't respond right away; she'd become quieter since the arena. "We'll follow the path," she said. "The brightness on the floor."

"You mean the brightness that led us straight into a trap?" Anthony asked.

"Just leave her alone, Anthony," Andy told him. "She's doing the best she can."

"Right," he said getting up. "Since you girls don't seem to need me, I'll take a walk." And he marched off into the shadows.

Andy rolled her eyes. "Something is wrong," she said, "but with him! Like this place isn't horrible enough. I don't know how much longer I can take."

"I think he's afraid," Rachel declared.

"Afraid of what?"

"You're gonna think I'm crazy," she said softly, "but I think he's afraid of you."

Andy blinked. "Of me? Why would he be afraid of me?"

Rachel shrugged like she thought that was something Andy should find out by herself. "You were right to bring me here," she said. "I can see the path. I can't explain it, but it's really clear." She pointed toward the other end of the room, into the darkness. "The workshop is that way. The heart of the maze. We're very close now. I don't know why the path led through that arena. I... I'm sorry you had to do that. I saw your face when... I thought you were going to die."

"I'm usually about to die," Andy told her. "That wasn't the bad part."

Rachel studied her face. "Do you do this all the time? Fight monsters? Save the world? Don't you ever get to do normal stuff?"

"I don't even know what normal is anymore," Andy admitted. And then something occurred to her. "Hey. How about your family? Won't they be concerned?"

Rachel's face turned bright red. "Oh... they're just... Not likely, you know? I could be gone a week and they'd never notice. I'm really tired, Andy. I'll sleep for a while, okay?" And she curled up, using her backpack as pillow.

A few minutes later, Anthony returned. "I'll take first watch," he said. "You should sleep."

Without arguing, Andy lay down, feeling miserable.

She woke up with Anthony shaking her shoulder. "Andy, wake up! Earthquake!" Sure enough, the room was rumbling. The three of them grabbed their things and ran. Hundred tons of marble was crashing down behind them, but they kept moving. The earthquake only stopped when they reached a stainless steel hallway.

"This way," Rachel said, beginning to run. "We're close!" They arrived at a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large blue Greek delta. "We're here," Rachel announced. "Daedalus's workshop."

Anthony pressed the symbol and the doors hissed open. Together, they walked inside. What shocked Andy the most was the daylight – the blazing sun coming through giant windows. The workshop was like an artist's studio.

"Di immortales," Anthony muttered. He ran to the nearest easel and looked at the sketch. "He's a genius. Look at the curves on this building!"

"And an artist," Rachel said in amazement. "These wings are amazing!"

The wings looked exactly like the ones Andy had seen in her dreams, so much so that Andy couldn't bare to look at them. She walked to the window and stared at the view. "Where are we?"

"Colorado Springs," a voice said behind them. "The Garden of the Gods." Standing on the spiral staircase above them, with his weapon drawn, was Quintus.

"You!" Anthony said. "What... Where is Daedalus?"

Quintus smiled faintly. "Trust me, boy. You don't want to meet him." He walked pass them and stood beside Andy by the window. "The view always changes," he told her. "Everyday is something new."

"It's an illusion?" she asked.

"No," Rachel answered for him. "It's real. We're really in Colorado."

Quintus regarded her. "You have clear vision. I knew a girl like you once. Another princess who came to grief."

"Oh my gods," Andy breathed out. Now that he was so close, she could see clearly too. "You're Daedalus," she accused. "I've seen... You're an automaton. You made yourself a new body."

"That's not possible," Anthony whispered.

Quintus glanced at him. "You know what Quintus means?"

"The fifth, in Latin."

"Yes. My fifth body."

"You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine?" Anthony asked. He sounded extremely disgusted. "That's not natural."

"It's still me," Daedalus said. "Our mother makes sure I never forget that." He tugged back the collar of his shirt. At the base of his neck was the mark Andy had seen before.

"A murderer's brand," Anthony said.

"For your nephew, Perdix," Andy guessed. "The boy you pushed off the tower."

Daedalus's face darkened. "I did not push him. I-"

"Let him die."

Daedalus gazed out the windows. "I regret what I did, Andy. I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird – a partridge. She branded the bird's shape on my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand remains."

"Why did you come to camp?" Andy asked.

"To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke gave me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions."

"So you have talked to Luke."

"Several times. He is quite persuasive."

"Well, whatever he said, he lied," Anthony said to Andy's surprise. "You can't let Luke through the maze!"

"The maze is no longer mine to control. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy."

"Privacy from what?"

"The gods," he said. "And death. I have been alive for two millennia, hiding from death."

"How can you hide from Hades?" Andy asked.

"A clever man can do almost anything. The gods don't see everything. I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."

"Minos?"

Daedalus nodded. "He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos' ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."

"And you did," Anthony marveled, "for two thousand years."

A loud bark echoed and Mrs O'Leary appeared. "There she is," Daedalus said. "My only companion all these long lonely years."

"You let her save me," Andy said.

"Of course I did, Andy," he replied. "You have a good heart. And I knew Mrs O'Leary liked you. I wanted to help you. I felt guilty..."

"Guilty about what?"

"That your quest would be in vain."

"What?" Anthony said. "But you can still help us. You have to! Give us Ariadne's string so Luke can't get it."

"I told Luke that he needed the eyes of a mortal girl, but then again, who would love him enough to come down here? He was so focused on the idea of a magical item. He can't understand that love is the best guide, that love sees all. And, of course, the string works. Though it isn't as good as your mortal friend here."

"Where is it?" Anthony asked.

"With Luke," Daedalus said sadly. "I'm sorry. You are several hours too late."

With a chill, Andy realized why Luke had been in such a good mood. Anthony's face was turning a bright shade of green. He seemed about to puke.

"Kronos promised me freedom," Daedalus said. "Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son Icarus. I will make things right with poor young Perdix. I will see Minos's soul cast into Tartarus, where it cannot bother me again. And I will no longer have to run from death."

"That's your brilliant idea?" Anthony growled. "You're going to let Luke destroy our camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"

"Your cause is doomed. I saw that as soon as I began to work at your camp. There is no way you can hold back the might of Kronos. I'm doing what I must. I'm sorry."

Anthony violently pushed over an easel. Architectural drawings scattered across the floor. "I respected you. You were my hero! You... You built amazing things. You solved problems. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago." Although he was clearly on the edge, he didn't raise his voice once. Andy was impressed by his self-control.

Daedalus looked down. "You should go warn your camp."

Suddenly, the doors of the workshop burst open and Nico was pushed inside. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos. He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. "There you are, my old friend."

Daedalus's jaw clenched. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Luke sent his regards," Kelli said, repeating what one of the princesses had said before killing Minos. "He thought you might like to see your old employer."

"This was not part of our agreement," Daedalus said.

"No, indeed," Kelli agreed. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod. He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

"Nico," Andy called. "Are you okay?"

He nodded morosely. "I'm sorry. Minos said you were in danger. He said you needed... my help."

"You wanted to help me?"

"I was tricked," he said.

Andy glared at Kelli. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"

The she-demon smiled. "Luke is busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't you worry. We have more friends on the way."

Then all hell broke loose.

Anthony stabbed the empousa in the stomach and with an awful screech, Kelli dissolved into yellow vapor. Minos called other spirits and Nico tried to stop him.

"You do not control me, fool," Minos said. "I've been controlling you!"

"I am the son of Hades," Nico insisted. "Be gone! All of you."

Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"

"No." Nico said, this time very softly, in such a threateningly way that Minos stepped away from him. "I am." And with unimaginable power, he somehow made a crack on the ground and Minos and the other spirits were sucked into the void.

Rachel grabbed the nearest chair and threw it at the windows that broke into a million pieces all around them. Andy breathed in. She focused on the water below.

"Brace yourselves!" she warned. And then she shouted, letting her power take over. Not a minute later, water erupted into the workshop. Andy tried her best to control it. She made the water grab her friends and get them out of there, returning to the sea. She stayed behind and trapped the monsters into balls of water and pressed them until they exploded.

Then everything stopped. Andy was in the destroyed workshop with Daedalus coughing in the corner. She glanced at him one last time. The inventor was cut in a hundred places and bleeding golden oil instead of blood.

Andy turned her back at him and threw herself out of the window into the ocean.

They were all wet and extremely upset.

"The workshop moved," Anthony said looking up to Daedalus's hill. "And there's no telling where."

"How do we get back in there?" Andy asked.

"Maybe we can't. The empousa said there were others coming. If they found Daedalus and killed him... he said his life force was tied to the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed."

"He isn't dead," Nico said with certainty.

"How do you know?" Andy asked.

"I know when people die," he said giving her a glance that made clear he hadn't completely forgiven her yet.

"We need to get into town," Anthony decided and the others agreed.

Rachel found another entrance to the Labyrinth easily. The dirt tunnels turned to stone, but Rachel had no trouble guiding them. To Andy's surprise, Anthony and Rachel started up a conversation as they walked. Turned out Rachel knew something about architecture from studying art.

Andy took the chance to focus on Nico. "Thank you for coming after us," she said.

Nico's eyes narrowed. "I wanted to see Daedalus," he said but it sounded more like an excuse. "Minos was right. He should die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It's not natural."

"You were after him," Andy guessed. "A soul for a soul. You were gonna trade him for your sister."

"It hasn't been easy," he admitted weakly. "Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I'll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear."

"You could be accepted," Andy told him. "You could have friends at camp. If you want."

He stared at her. "Do you really believe that?"

Before Andy could answer, everybody stopped. There was a dark tunnel to their right. Wind was coming, as if an exit was near, and it brought the smell of eucalyptus.

"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said.

"And the smell of death," Nico added.

"Luke's entrance," Anthony guessed. "The one to Mount Othrys." Unable to stop herself, Andy started forward, but Anthony held her arm. "Don't."

"He could be right there," she said. "Or Kronos. We need to see what they're doing."

Anthony hesitated. "Then we go together."

"No," Andy said. "I'll go. You guys stay. They can't have Nico or Rachel. You stay here with them. I'm just going to check it out. I promise."

With a miserable expression, Anthony handed her the Yankees cap. "Be quick about it."

It was like a stab to her back seeing Ethan Nakamura there with a bunch of telkhine. "At least we salvaged the blade," one of the monsters said. "The master will still reward us."

"Great," said Ethan. "Now, if you're done with me, I-"

"No, half-blood," another one said. "You must help us make the presentation."

The weapon was a scythe – a six-foot-long blade curved like a crescent moon. It was the weapon of Kronos, the one he had used to slice up his father, Ouranos.

"We must sanctify it in blood," a telkhine said. "Then you, half-blood, shall help present it when the lord awakes."

Andy dashed into a main hall and found the sarcophagus. Luke wasn't there. No guards. No nothing. It was too easy. Andy stood over the coffin. Her hand touched the lid. With a single move, she pushed back the golden lid and it fell to the floor. She lifted her sword, ready to strike, but when she looked inside, she didn't comprehend what she was seeing.

Luke was in there. Eyes closed, skin pale.

Then the voices of the telkhines were behind her. "What has happened?" one of the demons asked.

"Careful," the other one warned. "Perhaps he stirs. We must present the gifts now. Immediately."

They shuffled forward and knelt, holding up the scythe. "My lord," one said. "Your symbol of power is remade."

Silence.

"He requires the half-blood first," the other one said.

Ethan stepped back. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be a coward! He does not require your death. Only your allegiance. Pledge him your service. Renounce the gods. That is all."

Andy took off the cap. "No! Ethan, don't!"

"Trespasser!" The telkhines bared their teeth.

"Ethan," she pleaded. "Don't listen to them. Help me destroy it!"

"I told you not to spare me, Jackson," Ethan said sadly. "'An eye for an eye.' You ever heard that saying? I've learned what it means the hard way. When I discovered my godly parent. I am the child of Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge. And this is what I was made to do." He turned toward the dais. "I renounce the gods! What have they ever done for me? I will see them destroyed. I will serve Kronos."

The building rumbled. The coffin began to shimmer. Luke sat bolt upright. His eyes opened but they were no longer blue – they were golden. He leaped out of the coffin and looked at Andy. "This body has been well prepared. Don't you think so, Andy Jackson?"

She stared at him open-mouthed.

Kronos laughed. "He feared you, you know," the Titan said. "His jealousy and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you."

Ethan collapsed in terror. The telkhines trembled. Then Andy lunged at the thing that used to be Luke, thrusting her blade straight at his chest, but his skin deflected the blow like he was made of pure steel. He looked at her with amusement. Then he flicked his hand and she flew across the room.

Andy slammed against a pillar. She struggled to her feet. "What have you done to Luke?"

"He serves me wit his whole being, as I require. The difference between us is he feared you, Andy Jackson, and I do not."

That's when she ran. Time slowed down around her; the power of Kronos was slowing her down. Then Rachel called her name. Something flew past Andy and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye.

Andy limbs were free and she ran straight into Rachel, Nico and Anthony, who were standing in the entry hall, their eyes wide with dismay.

"Luke?" Anthony called. "What-" Andy grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him after her. She ran as fast as she could, straight out of the fortress. They plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running, the howl of the Titan Lord shaking the entire world behind them.

[multifandom-damnation]

Before they could reply, an angry, booming voice shouted out from behind them. “What did you do?”

Panicked, the Stoll's spun around, Connor tripping over his own feet and almost falling on Nico if Travis hadn't caught him. It’s not that they were afraid of the son of Zeus- Jupiter... whatever, these Roman/Greek god things made no sense- but watching him storm up now, hands clenched at his sides, face contorted with rage and light glinting dangerously off his glasses was like being trampled by a heard of pegasi.

"H-hey Jason." Travis laughed nervously, as Jason stopped in front of them "what brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"Don't play dumb with me boys," Jason snapped, pushing the Stolls aside. "What did you..." his face fell. "Oh, hells."

Thank you to @ilyone and @betsib for both this art: http://ilyone.tumblr.com/image/90365923058 and for this fic: http://betsib.tumblr.com/post/89905696302/jasico-delirious-hi-honey-hope-youre-having-a  ! I hope you dont mind me writing something off of them, I just love them so much and couldn’t help myself x

Camp Half-Blood was full of demigods the month before the older campers left for college, the cabins fit to busting and the tables crowded with siblings.

The Stoll’s had decided over a too-late night coffee to pull off one last prank –the prank to crown all pranks- and had enlisted the help of Carrie Kingly, a daughter of Hecate.

In her hand was a small milky sphere, the size of a tennis ball, undulating and twisting in her hand like it had a mind of its own. “Who am I throwing this at again?” She turned to the Stoll’s, who were busy standing behind her and giggling.

“I don’t know,” Travis looked around the courtyard. “I suppose we just need to see who needs the most fun. Get them to lighten up.”

“Take a load off,” Connor added with a smirk as he stood on his toes and swiveled his head around the courtyard. He spied Nico di Angelo leaving the Apollo cabin with colorful band-aids on his skin and a lip-shaped bruise on his neck. Connor squealed in delight, dropping from his toes and grabbing his brother's shoulder. “Look!” He pointed.

Nico was making his way towards the stables, probably to take Percy up on his offer of horseback riding lessons, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “He’s coming this way.” Travis laughed, grabbing his brother and Carrie by the arms and dragging them behind the Hermes cabin. “Carrie, you ready?”

“Wait, you want me to use it on the Hades kid?” Carrie looked confused as she allowed Travis to drag her into hiding. “Wouldn’t that just backfire?”

“No no, it’s fine!” Travis’ eyes greedily followed Nico’s approach. “If there’s one person in this camp who needs to lighten up, it’s Nico. Ready, 3....2…1… NOW!” he shouted with laughter as Carrie lobed the ball at Nico’s feet.

The soft Italian song Nico was singing under his breath stopped as a cloudy ball landed by his feet and exploded, covering him in a suffocating fog of Mist, making him blink and the would swim.

When the Mist cleared, Nico was falling backward onto the dirt, blinking and looking around. Frowning, he reached his hand out and swatted the air, head tilting upwards as if following something high into the air. “Wow…” he breathed quietly.

The Stoll’s jumped out from behind their cabin, high fiving each other and cheering, attracting the attention of other campers who started to slowly make their way over. Nico didn’t pay them any mind, too busy looking down at his hands in awe, turning them over slowly.

They crouched down, poking Nico in the legs. “Hey, Nico,” Connor asked, stifling his laughter behind pursed lips. “What’s up?”

Confused at the incessant contact, Nico looked up, but instead of looking at the brothers he seemed to be looking through them, but then they turned around, nobody was there. Nico tilted his head. “Bianca?” The word was soft, loving, sweet and the boys sat back on their hunches, suddenly deflated. “Mama? Come e’ stai?”

Before they could reply, an angry, booming voice shouted out from behind them. “What did you do?”

Panicked, the Stoll's spun around, Connor tripping over his own feet and almost falling on Nico if Travis hadn't caught him. It’s not that they were afraid of the son of Zeus- Jupiter... whatever, these Roman/Greek god things made no sense- but watching him storm up now, hands clenched at his sides, face contorted with rage and light glinting dangerously off his glasses was like being trampled by a heard of pegasi.

Cassie, the smart girl, was nowhere to be seen.

"H-hey Jason." Travis laughed nervously, as Jason stopped in front of them "what brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"Don't play dumb with me boys," Jason snapped, pushing the Stolls aside. "What did you..." his face fell. "Oh, hells."

Nico was smiling, placing invisible cards down and speaking in Italian to people who weren't there. "Bianca? Il tuo turno."

Shoulders tensing, Jason kneeled down and placed his hand on Nico's arm. "Nico, hey man, can you hear me?" He shook the smaller boy.

Blinking, Nick bleary looked up at him and tilted his head. "Si?" He grinned. "Oh, you're pretty looking." He turned to the side. "Bianca, look! Don't you think he's pretty looking?"

"Nico, do you know who I am?" Jason decided to ignore Nico's other comment. At Nico’s blank stare he sighed. “It’s Jason. You know me.”

“Oh, you’re like my card!” Nico exclaimed, delighted, as he mimed pulling a card out of his deck and shoving it in Jason’s face. “Descendent of Zeus! 89 hit points, has 200 attack powers, plus 6 to saving throws! I have your figure somewhere…” he started patting down his pockets, and Jason gripped him by the shoulders as he looked around the group. “Bianca, do you know where my figurines are?”

A cold sense of dread trickled down Jason’s spine. He’d heard that name before, pained shouts at night from the mast of the Argo II, whispers from older campers of when he first arrived, the quiet explanation from Will as to why Nico always left a space beside him at the campfire or the tables. He whirled on the Stoll’s. “Explain this, now.”

“It was just a Mist Bomb,” Travis explained quickly. “Nothing harmful.”

“Yeah,” Connor agreed. “He’ll be tripping balls for the next few hours but it won’t hurt him.”

“Right, sure.” Jason stood, carrying most of Nico’s weight as he walked him towards the Hades cabin. “Don’t expect to be let off on this scotch free you two.” He called over his shoulder as he pushed open the cabin door.

It was as cold and creepy as Jason expected, black obsidian walls and skeleton arm sconces. He set Nico down on his bunk and put a hand to his forehead when he glanced down. “Nico, is that a bruise? Did they hurt you? Those lying sons of-” He paused as Nico shook his head.

There was a dreamy expression on his face as he smiled with far away eyes. “No, it was from Will. He has very soft lips and sometimes when he bites, it-” Jason put a hand to Nico’s mouth to silence him.

“Not now, Nico,” Jason stood and turned to the picture of water resting on a table. “You can tell me your deepest darkest secrets later, but right now you’re out of your mind. Let me get you a glass of water.”

When he turned back, Nico’s eyes were wide with fear, hands fisted in the sheets and his breathing coming in panicked gasps. “Where am I?”

"Nico...?" Jason trailed off as Nico flinched and put his back to the wall.                                                                                                                                    

"Stop talking." Nico hissed, looking around desperately. "You can't trick me this time. I'm smarter than that now."

"Hey, Nico, what are you talking about?" Jason placed the glass of water on a table. "What's going on?"

Suddenly, Nico gasped and dived past Jason to the other end of the room, pulling his sword and holding it in front of him. "Stay away!" He cried, eyes wide and fearful. "Leave me alone!"

"Nico, it's me!" Jason took a step closer but Nico pointed his sword at Jason's chest. "What's going on with you?"

"You're not real!" Nico's voice broke as he scrambled backward, desperately clawing at the cabin walls, eyes fixed on Jason. "You never were! I won't ever get out of here and this is my punishment, isn't it?" He looked around the room, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Akhlys, is this your doing? Is this a joke? You told me I was already broken; why would you make it worse?"

Jason paused, heart-catching, as Nico curled into himself and sobbed into his arms, sinking to the floor and muttering in Italian. Akhlys, Jason thought she was in Tartarus. Percy and Annabeth told me about her. Does Nico think he's in Tartarus?

"Nico," Jason cooed quietly "it’s alright. You're at Camp Half-Blood, not Tartarus. You’re in the Hades cabin. You're safe."

"Hades doesn't have a cabin at Camp Half-Blood and I'm not accepted there anyway, so I wouldn't go back if you dragged me." Nico sniffled, trying to become one with the wall. "You can't trick me. Not this time."

Reaching out, Jason rested his hand on Nico's arm and grabbed his wrist when he pulled away. "No Nico, this is real. You're safe, you made it out. You're ok."

"I don't believe you," Nico whimpered eyes darting around. "I'm going to die down here alone and nobody is ever going to miss me."

Balking, Jason shook his head, gripping Nico tighter. "Nico, that's not true. We'd all miss you, me and Hazel and Leo and Piper and Frank, Annabeth and Percy-"

"Great, now I know this is Akhlys' doing." Nico snarled as he tried to stand. "I told you, leave me alone. I know better than to talk to ghosts and illusions anyway. Get out of my face."

It was hard to comprehend that this sniveling, scared boy was Nico di Angelo. One of three to ever endure Tartarus and live. One of 2 to be born from a different time. Son of Hades. This must have been what Nico was like as a kid, Jason thought, but then realized Nico is a kid. He’s 14. Not 18, not 16, not 20, he’s 14.

“Nico,” Jason whispered, barely heard over the sobs of the younger boy in front of him. “What can I do?”

“You can go away and leave me alone.” Nico hiccupped. “It’s not like you haven’t already made my life a misery. Leave me alone.”

“But Nico-”

“Stop it!” Nico screamed, the sconces going dim and the room falling colder than before. If Jason could see the grass beneath the cabin, he was sure it had wilted. “Stop filling my head with… with lies and fake promises! I know who I am and what I am! I know I’m going to die down here and I have nobody to miss me! You don’t need to tell me that!”

“Nico, I am real!” Jason gripped Nico’s arms with both hands now, pulling the resisting boy closer. “Listen to me! Can you feel me touching you? It’s real! You found the Doors of Death and we defeated Gaia! You’re dating Will Solace from the Apollo cabin! You teach sword fighting classes and the little kids here love playing with you! Sally Jackson sends you a cake every year on your birthday! Nico, listen, this is real, I’m real. You have to believe me.”

Slowly, not as fast as Jason would have liked by slowly nonetheless, Nico’s resistant struggles weakened and the glaze in his eyes faded slowly, the tears down his face and in his face glinting in the sluggishly burning torchlight. “Jason?” his whispered, voice caught on a sob “You’re real? I’m- I’m out? It’s not real?”

“Yeah Nico, I’m right here.” Jason brought Nico to his chest and held him while the younger boy sobbed into his chest and clutched at his shirt. “It’s alright, I’m right here. I’m not going to leave you.”

After a few moments of sobbing, Nico whispered “I’m tired now” and Jason lifted him up and carried him to his bunk, but Nico was still desperately clasping onto his shirt. “Don’t leave.”

So Jason made himself comfortable and laid down with Nico, covering the blankets over both of them as Nico writhed and sobbed and hiccupped and begged, muttering words like, Percy, Will, Bianca, Mama, why, Father, Bob, help, Jason, how, what did I do, I’m sorry, and Jason just clutched him tighter to his chest and held him until they both fell asleep.

Nico was gone when Jason woke up, the covers pulled neatly over him and tucked into the sides of the bed and the early morning light streaming in through the uncovered windows to glitter across the floor.

The first thing Jason did was to find Percy, who was frantically shoving rubbish and unfolded clothes out of sight. “Oh, hey man.” Percy shoved a half-eaten jar of peanut butter (which seemed to be eaten with rather large fingers) into a helmet with a blue plume and turned it upside down. “You come to help clean up for inspection?” He flashed Jason a grin. “Or do you need help with yours?”

Jason shrugged as he closed the cabin door behind him. “Nah man, it’s Piper and Annabeth. I’m usually let off the hook a little with them.”

Almost dropping his armful of clothes, Percy turned to gawp at Jason. “What the hells? They nag on me more! Annabeth has never once let me off the hook.” He scowled before throwing a shirt at Jason. “Well, if you’re here, you can assist. I’m the only occupant in the cabin so I don’t have any help for inspections.”

Frowning, Jason walked to a pile and started folding clothes. “If you’re just one person, how do you manage to make so much mess?” He teased.

“Shut up, Grace.” Percy laughed tossing a shoe at Jason’s head, which he ducked and it bounced harmlessly off the back wall. “Sometimes my brother stays over as well. Tyson? I don’t think you’ve met him, but he has like, an addiction to peanut butter. I only just managed to clean it off the walls by his bunk.”

“Oh right, I think I’ve heard of him. Cyclops, yeah?”

“Yeah, he’s a big adorable goofball. I love him to death.”

“I’d love to meet him one day.”

“You should. You two would get on like a house on fire.”

Jason grinned, but the mention of death reminded him of what he was really there for, which may have been unfair to Nico. “Hey Percy,” Jason opened a drawer and shoved a handful of freshly folded socks into it. “Did you hear about what happened yesterday?”

Currently trying to hold back a torrent of clothes and knickknacks from falling out of the cupboard, Percy gave a strained grunt. “I didn’t hear anything. I was at the stables all day man, so unless you want to know about the newborn fowls or the pegasi sugar cube addiction, I don’t think I have any news for you.”

“About something that happened with Nico?” Giving up with the closet, Percy slammed the door shut before anything could tumble out and had taken to pulling objects out from under his bunk, but stopped at the mention of Nico’s name, hand buried in dust bunnies. “And the Stoll’s?”

“I already don’t like where this is going.” Percy sighed as he sat heavily on his bunk and waved Jason over to join him.

“You shouldn’t.” Looking around the slightly cleaner cabin, Jason was surprised that he couldn’t quite find the words he wanted to say, not with Percy’s eyes boring burning holes of concern and anger into his head. He hadn’t realized how intimating and dangerous the son of Poseidon was before, but he very much did now. “Have you heard of a Mist Bomb? New toy from the Hecate cabin repertoire. Connor and Travis thought it would be funny to use it on Nico.”

“Holy Hephaestus please tell me your joking,” with his mouth hanging open and his eyes bulging, Jason understood now why Annabeth often ridiculed that Percy looked like a fish. “What happened?”

“I got there when there was already a crowd, and Nico was on the floor,” Jason explained. “He was talking in Italian. To Bianca and his mum, but I thought Bianca was reincarnated?”

“She is, it wasn’t her ghost if that’s what you’re thinking.” Percy leaned his head against the back wall. “Trick of the Mist, like when Hazel does it.”

“Yeah. He called me ‘pretty-looking’ and said he didn’t know who I was but said all these numbers I couldn’t understand. Called me a ‘Descendent of Zeus’ and went looking for my figurine?”

There was a ghost of a smile on Percy’s face, a memory of a time long gone. “Myth-o-magic. When we found him, he was obsessed with that game. Bianca died on a quest we went on together to free Annabeth, trying to get him the only figurine he didn’t have.” Percy looked defeated. “Would you believe that it was the Hades figure?”

Jason blinked. “I never knew that.”

“Yeah well, I should have been there to save her.” Percy rubbed the back of his neck. “What happened next?”

“I took him to his cabin.” Jason cleared his throat. “It started off fine. I stopped him from talking about his personal life though. I went to get him water and when I turned back around he was scared out of his mind. I thought he was going to kill me.”

“Nico? Scared? I don’t think those words have ever really gone together lately.”

“He didn’t know who I was. He thought he was still in Tartarus.”

Percy closed his eyes. “I don’t know what else you expected. Probably the most traumatic experience of his life and he went through it alone. That’s gotta suck. If I hadn’t had Annabeth, I doubt I would have made it out of there in one piece. Hells, I still don’t think I made it out in one piece.”

Rubbing his hands roughly through his hair, Jason sighed out his nose.  “I’ve only just realized that he’s 14, Perce. He’s younger than all of us, yet he’s been through more than any of us could ever dream of.”

“Yeah, he and Hazel are the youngest, but they’re the oldest too.” Percy agreed. “I don’t know how that would work. Technically speaking, they’re both in their 70’s.”

Jason shivered. “Ugh, please don’t make me think about that.”

They were silent a moment, contemplating the unfairness of life when Percy spoke out of the silence. “So, what do you want to do about it?”

“Excuse me?”

“Connor and Travis. You don’t want to get them back for what they did to Nico?”

Looking around the cabin, Jason took in the wrappers and tissues on the floor, the twisted and knotted fishing net tangled with a trident up on the roof, the clothes covered in dust still peeking out from under the bed, the faint smears of peanut butter on the opposite wall but the very strong smell. “But… the inspection?”

Percy waved him off. “What about the inspection? What’s Annabeth going to do? I can handle stable duty, I basically do it anyway.” He leaned forward, a new, mischievous smirk in his eye. “So come on, what have you got in mind?”

“I honestly didn’t get that far ahead,” Jason admitted. “We could probably just teach them a lesson.”

“I have a much better idea.” Percy stood, strolling to his cabinet, where he pocketed Riptide and walked to the door. “One on one combat, the sons of Hermes versus the sons of the Big Three. I mean, we’re not going to hurt them much, but how embarrassing would it be to get their ass beat in front of the whole camp?”

Grinning Jason took Percy’s outstretched hand and stood with his friend. “I like the way you think, Jackson.”

“Why thank you, Mr. Grace. I’ll take Travis, you take Connor.”

“Deal.”