#it's about zeus trying to kill nico and bianca and him doing nothing to stop jason from dying

[thelilylav]

We only see each other at funerals

(On Jason, Thalia, Nico, Bianca, and their parallels/connections)

The Titan's Curse (Rick Riordan), @/anxiousmaya_, Right Now (Gracie Abrams), The Battle of the Labyrinth (Rick Riordan), Joan of Arc (Mary Gordon), The Lost Hero (Rick Riordan), Episodes Toward and Elegy for Halley's Comet (Lindsey Drager), Jason Grace (Riordan Wiki), The Gods Show Up (Michael Kinnucan), The House of Hades (Rick Riordan), What the Living Do (Marie Howe), The House of Hades (Rick Riordan), Planet of Love (Richard Siken), The Blood of Olympus (Rick Riordan), Tangerine (Nolune), The Blood of Olympus (Rick Riordan), The Blood of Olympus (Rick Riordan), I Bet On Losing Dogs (Mitski), The Burning Maze (Rick Riordan), @/abhorarchive (Twitter), The Burning Maze (Rick Riordan), Seventeen (MARINA), The Burning Maze (Rick Riordan), @/rollercoasterwords, The Tyrant's Tomb (Rick Riordan), @/the-overanalyst, Where Things Come Back (John Corey Whaley), Grit (Silas Denver Martin), Softcore (The Neighbourhood), The Tower of Nero (Rick Riordan), Frost (Mitski), @/moonbends, I'm Your Man (Mitski), Sun Bleached Flies (Ethel Cain), The Tower of Nero (Rick Riordan), Three (Sleeping At Last), My Art

[aroaceleovaldez]

i think a lot about how the more we learn about Hades as the series goes on, the more it informs his character in the first series and particularly highlights some of the major themes of the first series.

Hades is a god who has lost everything and is one of our most poignant examples of how the gods are incredibly, painfully subject to human emotions like loss and grief just as much as any mortal. He lost Maria, had to give up the di Angelo siblings, was forcibly kept away from Hazel by Gaea, Marie, and Zeus, and eventually lost Hazel and Marie as well. He spent three and a half years after Maria's death knowing Hazel was stuck with Gaea and being unable to do anything about it without Zeus killing her too, besides at best trying to send her warnings and encouragement from afar, and knowing she would inevitably die too. He essentially spends three years mourning his still living daughter because he can do nothing to save her. And after it's all over all he can do is try to give Hazel the best chance in the Underworld he can and wallow in his grief.

And he's immortal, so those 70-odd mortal years are nothing to him. Losing the di Angelos and Levesques is still recent to him. He's still freshly wounded enough to sic monsters after Thalia in revenge. And then right after he gets Nico and Bianca back, he loses Bianca truly this time.

And Hades and Nico's grief are parallels! They've lost the same family. They lash out with their pain and self-isolate, pushing people away. Hades constantly compares Nico to Bianca after Bianca's death and jabs at him. He hides in the Underworld and refuses to help or interact with the Olympians. And it's a direct parallel to Nico - To Nico, that grief is condensed too, because to him only 6 months have passed between his mother's death and Bianca's. He runs away and refuses to return to CHB after Bianca's death. He lashes out at Percy trying to help. Hades and Nico are the only ones each other have left but they're too absorbed in their pain to acknowledge that. It isn't until Nico starts healing from losing Bianca at the end of BoTL that we see a shift - Nico isn't self-isolating anymore, he's sorting himself out and finding his own path. He seeks others out at his own pace - finding Camp Jupiter, visiting Percy. He's stopped lashing out. But Hades still hasn't, and it isn't until TLO that Nico calls him out on that very behavior. The Olympians are his family, he is Hades' family, and Hades is too busy focusing on what he lost to stop shutting out the family he still has left. And at the end of TLO and into HoO we see Hades finally make the same shift Nico did - he's embracing his family, he's stopped pushing them away, heck he's even getting out of the house more. But we still see even more parallels between him and Nico in how they cope with loss - we know that Hades was told he couldn't revive Maria. But when Nico goes to search for Bianca to revive her, it's heavily implied Hades intentionally allowed Nico to revive Hazel. Hades orchestrated the revival of his daughter because both Nico and Hades are still holding on to what they lost.

The core of Hades' character in PJO is that the god of the dead is mourning. And I find that so fascinating.

[aiyaar]

Nico di Angelo was ten years old when his life went to hell. He never felt so devastated, so ruined. The only person who cared about him, his family, his everything was gone.

Nico hated all of them. He hated sister for leaving him behind, as if he was nothing, just to die afterwards and leave him completely alone. He hated those stupid huntresses of Artemis for taking his sister away from him. He hated Annabeth Chase, whoever it was, for falling off the cliff and making them go on this quest. But most of all he hated him. Percy Jackson. The ultimate hero, so strong and cool. He hated everything about him. He let him down. Percy Jackson let his sister die.

It was already a month since Bianca left this world. A lonely, cold month. Grieve still strangled him. This month has passed in a blur.

Nico passed an empty street, not even bothering to lift up his head. Snow was falling from the white sky and Nico shivered slightly from the cold. He needs to find some warmer clothes.

The city clock struck twelve, sound cutting through the silence. Another day has come. As if Nico cared. Suddenly he stopped, absentmindedly looking at the date on the billboard. 28th January.

Nico titled his head. He didn’t even know his birthday was coming. He always loved his birthday, so excited to modestly celebrate it with Bianca. Bianca…

A lonely tear rolled down his cheek, followed by another. Nico didn’t bother to wipe them, letting them fall.

“Happy Birthday to me.” He said in a shaky voice, sitting in the snow right in the middle of the street. Nico buried his face in his palms, trying to quiet down choked sobs.

Nico di Angelo was eleven years old when he lost himself.

*

Nico di Angelo was eleven when he started to chase the dream of making his sister come back to life. He was obsessed with the idea, almost going mad in the company of hurt and angry ghosts.

Minos had promised him that he’ll see Bianca again. And Nico believed. What else he could do. He was alone. He was hurt.

Why can’t she talk to him? Why she doesn’t want to show up? She doesn’t want to see him. She despises him. She doesn’t want him.

Nico heard rustling sound under his boots. He picked up the newspaper, catching the date with his eyes. 1st February.

Well, another year passed. Nico didn’t care that he missed his birthday. But a little ache didn’t want to leave his heart as he remembered how Bianca smiled at him the day he turned ten.

And then, months later, she showed up, just to say him that he has to let go. Just to make Nico know that this plan wouldn’t work. Minos was a liar. He used Nico. His only hope was trampled.

Misery was what Nico felt. The weird, nasty feeling crawled up to his throat.

Aside from that, one image didn’t want to leave his mind. His face lived in his head, not wanting to leave. His stupid smile, green eyes, tousled hair. Why Nico keeps thinking of him?

Why did she want to talk to him, not Nico? This stupid guy, with his annoying grin made Nico want to- What?

Nico freezed, trying to finish this though. Did Nico want to kill him? Hurt him? No, it was something else. He felt weird every time he heard his name. Percy Jackson.

Nico di Angelo was twelve when he started to realize something about himself.

*

Nico di Angelo was twelve when he wanted to rip out his own heart. Abnormal, disgusting. He was sick of himself. He felt nauseous at the very thought of it.

It can’t be true, no. He’s mistaken.

He was lying on his bed at his father’s castle, staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his face. Those gorgeous green eyes, goofy smile, tousled black hair. His mind was ranting: Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson.

Nico felt like he was about to cry. Why is he like this? Is he broken?

He looked to the side, at his night table. A bouquet of red roses stood there. An hour ago Persephone strode to his room with these flowers and a weird expression on her face. She silently put them in a vase and went back to the door. She stopped there, turning her head a little to look at him.

“Happy Birthday.” Was what she said. Then she left.

So it was his birthday. He’s thirteen now.

Nico stared at the flowers, a little bit shocked. She remembered about his birthday. His father didn’t even bother to check up on him.

Hades only cared about their deal. Nico was very hesitant about that. But after all, he agreed.

He just thought that if he does that then maybe Percy would… Like him? But he didn’t.

Percy Jackson hated him. He screwed everything up. It was horrible. He had to fix it.

So he did the best thing he could. He had to prove to Percy, to his father, to everyone that he is worth something. He was just a kid and the battle was scary. He was scared. But he was a hero.

Everyone respected him, some people wanted to be his friends. He even wanted to stay at camp. Nico was happy but only for a moment.

Days after the battle the whole camp started talking about how Percy and Annabeth finally kissed and got together.

Nico left without a warning. Not like he had anyone to warn. Not like anyone cared.

Nico di Angelo was thirteen when his heart was broken.

*

Nico di Angelo was thirteen when Percy Jackson had gone missing. Annabeth Chase went feral. And Nico promised to help. Of course he did.

He was actually worried. What could happen to him? Nico only knew that Percy was alive. It was somewhat reassuring.

Something bad was about to happen. Nico knew it. New demigods at Camp Half-Blood. One of them is a son of Zeus. That was a bad sign.

And now that Nico knows about romans…

Today was 28th January. His birthday. He already got used to ignore this day. Nico just marked the fact that he was fourteen now.

The door of his room swung open. Nico sat up on his bed, seeing his father in his usual black robes.

He stood there in silence for a minute or so, awkwardly staring at his son.

“Um, did you want something?” Nico said, nervously fumbling with the ring on his finger.

“Yes.” Hades came closer to his bed. “Well, not really. It’s just…” Lord of the Underworld sat on the corner of Nico’s bed. “It’s your birthday.”

Nico blinked, processing what his father was trying to say.

“Yeah, I know. Thank you for reminding me.” He finally said, scowling at his father. Like he ever cared about Nico anyway. “If that’s all you wanted to say-“

“No.” Hades looked strangely awkward. “You made me proud this year, you know?”

Nico’s eyes widened. Was his father trying to praise him?

“I wanted to say that I’m… Grateful. You made me make right choice. And what I said about you before… I’m sorry.”

Nico was more than shocked at this point. He felt awkward and Hades didn’t look better.

“Anyway, I vaguely know that mortals usually make gifts for the day one came from mother’s womb. And I thought that maybe you should spend time with your… peers?”

“What are you trying to say, dad?”

Hades took a deep breath, as if he was nervous.

“I want to give you a present. So that you will be able to go wherever you want, in those places where teenagers usually spend time.”

“You want to give me a car?” Nico asked, puzzled.

“No, you’re too young for that. I’ll give you a chauffeur, he’ll be helping you go to the mall or something. Because, well… I’m not able to do it for you.”

Nico blinked again, titling his head to the side.

“A chauffeur?”

Hades looked embarrassed for a moment. Then he put on a stern expression, standing up.

“Objections are not accepted. You should be grateful.” He strode off to the door. Then he stopped. “Happy Birthday, son.” He closed the door, leaving Nico alone in the dark room.

Nico di Angelo was fourteen when he received his first birthday present.

*

Nico di Angelo was fourteen when he met him. Will Solace.

It felt like a dawn after long, cold night. Will was his blessing, his salvation. And Nico didn't know what did he do to deserve someone like Will.

They've been dating for a couple of months, wonderful, amazing months. And Nico was genuinely thankful for everything Will had done to him.

Nico woke up at the knock on his door, blinking through the gloom of Hades cabin. He didn't know if it was morning already, because black curtains prevented any gleam of sunshine from crawling into his cabin.

Still, Nico knew exactly that it was early and he knew exactly who was outside, because there was only one person in this world who dared to wake him up.

Nico got out of bed and staggering came to open up the door.

Will Solace stood on the threshold. He was wearing his usual winter jacket and a scarf, a blinding smile on his face. He seemed to be particularly happy today and, judging by the flush on his face, he was running.

"Hey, Neeks." He ruffled his hair and came in, closing the door behind him as Nico shivered from the cold winter air.

"Good morning." Nico mumbled, still half asleep. "What time is it?"

"7 a.m."

"Why did you need to wake me up so early?"

Will looked him in the eyes, taking Nico’s cold hand with his warm one, which is weird, considering Will was the one who had a walk on winter air.

"Do you know what day it is?" He looked excited.

"Um, no, to be honest. I don't pay attention to the calendar." Nico sat down on his bed, wrapping himself in a blanket.

Will looked shocked.

"Are you serious?! I mean... It's 28th January!"

Nico's brain needed a moment to process what exactly Will wanted from him.

"Yeah. So?"

"So?! It's your birthday!"

Nico sighed.

"Guess I'm fifteen now. That also explains this." He pointed to his bedside table, where black envelope was perched on the top of black box. "Probably from my father."

Will looked at him, then at the envelope.

"So, like... Happy Birthday."

"Thank you." Nico got up again, reaching for the box. "Now go so I can change."

"Ok." Will strode off to the door, a strange expression on his face. Though Nico didn't pay much attention to it.

Nico opened the envelope. There was a thick wad of money and an invitation for a dinner. Nico will come, of course, but not today. In the box lay watches and a book in Italian.

The day went by as usual. Nico had a walk in the woods with Will before breakfast, then they were busy with their camp activities.

In the evening, right before they were about to go to the campfire, Will took his arm and told him.

"How about we won't go to the campfire today?"

"But you like-"

"I don't need to go there everyday. Especially today. Come to your cabin in twenty minutes." And he hastily strode off in the direction of the cabin thirteen.

Nico came in after twenty minutes to be met with dozens of candles around his room. Will was standing in front of him, holding a cake with fifteen lighted candles perched on it.

"Make a wish." He whispered as Nico came closer.

Nico looked him in the eyes and didn't know what to say. So he just did what he was told. Will smiled brighter.

"I baked it myself." He said proudly. "Well, Cecil helped me."

He put the cake on the table, now fumbling in his pockets.

"I have something for you, actually." He said, pulling out a small box from his pocket. "I don't know if you're going to like it but..."

Nico didn't hear what Will was saying as he opened the box with trembling hands. He pulled out a sun pendant on a thin gold chain. The sun looked just like the tattoo on Will's shoulder.

Nico couldn't hold back a tear that rolled down his cheek. Will watched him attentively, stopping his ranting when he saw it.

"Nico, what's wrong-"

The next thing Will knew, pale arms was wrapped tightly around him, Nico's face buried in Will's chest.

"Thank you." Nico said in a small, shaky voice before pulling back. He placed the sun pendant on his palm, watching it glisten in the candle light. Tears still rolled down his cheeks.

Will looked at him, his eyes filled with warmth and understanding. He always understood. His sunshine was so alone, for so long. All Will wanted was to make him happy.

Will moved to embrace Nico in a tight hug, kissing the top of his head and then lifted his head with long, gentle fingers on his chin.

"I love you so much." He said. "You're such an amazing person. You're brave, gorgeous, smart, brilliant. Beautiful." He wiped the tear from Nico's cheek. "I will love you with all my might. I promise."

And with that he gently kissed Nico, making him smile while the tears of joy kept rolling down his cheeks.

"I love you, Will."

Nico di Angelo was fifteen when he found his happiness.

[flyingdumpsterfire]

Villain Leo AU: Open Up Your Eyes

inspired by the below video:

A HoO AU where Zues (Misspelled on purpose cuz I don't like him) doesn't free Calypso, instead, Calypso dies when Leo tries to free her from Ogygia. Furious at the gods for killing the love of his life, and especially furious that because of his 'destiny' his mother died, he starts a rebellion against the gods with a bit of a push over the edge from Nemesis, his old nemesis (haha I made a pun). Leo journeys down to Tartarus to rally all the monsters for revenge on the gods, and roughly 5 years later (see note at bottom for ages), with the promise of Olympus' destruction, Leo finally accumulates enough monsters in his army to send a team of monsters with the help of a rebuilt Festus to attack camp as a way of getting rid of Olympus's main line of defence. The rest of the Seven, believing that Leo died fighting Gaea, are heartbroken, but they carry on with their lives, until yet another threat appears. No one realises that Leo is the mastermind behind the attack, until Piper and Jason put two and two together and realize that Festus was the dragon who attacked camp. The Seven refuse to believe that their friend is evil, but Nico notices the amount of fire used by the mystery army. He keeps his suspicions to himself, but is later proven right when Leo launches a full scale attack on Olympus, riding at the frontlines of the battle on his loyal dragon. Each of the Seven try to get Leo to stop the attack, and even Nico tries, referring to his reaction to Bianca's death as a way to find common ground. It fails. Instead, Leo turns on Piper, knocks her out (this phrasing was totally not a reaction to Piper's claiming), and retreats to his hideout in the ruins of Mount Tam.

Then (start playing the song now) Piper wakes up in a celestial bronze cage, and asks Leo why he's doing all of this (Note: He made anti-charmspeak earbuds but Piper doesn't know that and tries to charmspeak him as a last resort which obviously fails). Leo explains that the gods have brought him nothing but unhappiness, loss and pain, how Jason and Piper, his supposed 'friends' never tried to help him, left him to be a seventh wheel, and that the Seven are foolish to help the gods. Piper however, manages to make a secret Iris Message to CHB. Meanwhile, Frank and Hazel go to get reinforcements from Camp Jupiter, and Jason receives Piper's IM, and makes plans with Percy and Annabeth to get Piper back and end this war, even if it means killing Leo. When the reinforcements arrive, CHB and CJ attack Mount Tam. Jason and Nico make it to the peak where Piper is being held. Jason confronts Leo (cue the angsty reprise) and they fight while Nico frees Piper in secret. As Leo and Jason fight, Leo starts having regrets, because as much as he hated and resented Jason for having the perfect life and making Leo feel left out, he still felt a spark of amicability towards Jason and didn't want to kill him. The last straw is when he glances down the mountain and sees all the rage, fighting and destruction he's caused because of his selfish need for revenge. Leo stops fighting suddenly just as Jason lunges, and before he can stop his movement, IVLIVS has driven itself through Leo's heart. Leo gives him a smile, and jokes dryly that he'd rather die now than face his father and get put in godly timeout, then dies. Leo goes to the Fields of Punishment in Hades for a century, but Hephaestus pleads with Zeus about how Leo was like Luke; a misguided boy blinded by rage, and Zeus begrudgingly allows Leo into Elysium to meet his friends and reunite with Calypso, who slaps him and asks him 'what in Hades was he thinking to start a rebellion against the gods because of her' but then promptly kisses him and they live happily ever after. Sort of.

(Leo, Jason, Frank and Piper are 21, Percy, Annabeth and Reyna are 23, Hazel is 18, and Nico is 19)

Yes, I know it's angsty, but I love angst and that's no shocker honestly- Also Nemesis was a bit peeved at Zeus because in some versions of her myth she was raped by Zeus and so she saw Leo and thought "Aha looks like the perfect opportunity to get back at Zues" and actually didn't get punished because basically got outta there before Zeus could figure out she convinced Leo to rebel against Olympus.

Also wow how the heck did I get all of this from a male version of a MLP song-

Edit: Just realised how well Ready As I'll Ever Be from Tangled The Series fits this AU so I'd cast the roles as:

Leo - Varian

Piper - Queen Arianna

Eugene - Percy

The Guards - Jason and other demigods

Cass - Reyna and Annabeth alternating

King Frederic - Frank

Rapunzel - Hazel

Instead of someone being injured, the dialogue between verse 1 and 2 is Percy comforting Jason and telling him, ''Of course we'll get Piper back. I mean, why wouldn't we with those two in charge?'' *camera pans to Reyna and Annabeth on a pedestal above a sea of demigods*

Also Frank would say that he had to pick up some new arrows from the Apollo cabin in the dialogue between verses 2 and 3.

Apart from that it would be pretty much the same.

[nightshade-anura]

Rachel, Bianca and Octavian never really did anything wrong, so please stop hating on them for one second.

(Although it's nice to see white characters getting hate for just existing rather than poc characters, for once.)

Rachel:

You have no clue how much this one annoys me, and it's amplified by the fact that 90% of Rachel hate is from Annabeth stans. She literally just had a crush on Percy, then went out with him?! Y'all Annabeth stans get crushes on Percy all the time, then hate on her when she does? If you can't stand on one side of a line, then don't draw it in the first place. It's that simple.

In addition, when you look at her relationship with Annabeth, Rachel rarely (hell, maybe not at all) is the one to start arguments or insult her. Rachel seems pretty chill in her relationship with Percy, and then when Annabeth starts dating him instead, do you know what she does? She gets on with her life. Considering the amount of hate Annabeth gave her for dating Percy, she 100% is entitled to do the same, but she doesn't. She knows when a fight isn't worth having. And it's not like she doesn't like Percy, anymore, either. The way she acts suggests she doesn't really get over him until toa, meaning she goes more than an entire series suppressing the urge to bite back.

Bianca:

The main reason people give Bianca hate is because she 'abandoned' Nico to join the hunters. First off, let's be real, 90% of us would've done exactly the same thing. Joining the Hunters of Artemis is an opportunity she probably would've never gotten again, and she wasn't exactly given much time to think it over. She clearly wanted it, too. A younger sibling weighing you down shouldn't be the reason you deny your dreams (no matter how much of an avid Nico stan I am).

Because she was a few years older than Nico, Maria's death would've had a lot more of a negative impact on her, and not knowing who she was mourning would've made it ten times worse. From the way she acts before she joins the hunters, she was genuinely still mourning her, but suppressing it for Nico's sake. It's little details you can pick up on such as the fact that she is very quite and a little uneasy around people besides Nico. By comparison, Nico is very excitable and enthusiastic. When Greek mythology is mentioned, Bianca becomes very uncomfortable and is very quick to deny it's existence. I suspect this triggers her memories slightly of Hades, and she obviously would not like him very much after he essentially abandoned them when Maria died (that's what abandonment actually looks like). I like to think that Nico hadn't completely registered the fact that his mother was genuinely dead before their memories were wiped, hence why this doesn't affect them.

Bianca probably is going to try to isolate herself from her parentage, and one of the quickest ways of doing this is to join the hunters. If you're an older sibling like me, then you'll also know that a younger sibling's very existence can be embarrassing at times. Of course she'll want to isolate herself from her entire family. Not to mention the fact that she has been single parenting Nico since Maria died, again, thanks to a Greek God, the likes of which she already doesn't want to associate herself with. Before you complain that Artemis, too, is a Greek God, her whole thing is not needing men? Oh, would you look at that: the whole reason Maria is dead is because she fell for Hades, and Zeus was a dick about it. Joining the hunters is most definitely going to help her cope with the fact that Hades and Zeus are arseholes (Hades not so much, but Bianca will see him as more of one, considering she was essentially betrayed after Maria died).

Lastly, Bianca wasn't abandoning Nico. They had both just been told if a safe place they could go due to their parentage, and therefore Bianca had just been told that Nico would be safe. She wasn't to know that he would run away. Whilst he had a kinda valid excuse, it was still on their hands. Bianca had no control over that. It's not like she wasn't looking out for him, either; she literally went out of her way to collect the Hades statue for them, which was penultimately the reason she died (sorry). She knew the risks, and outright sacrificed her life just to make Nico happy.

Octavian:

You're all going to hate me for this one, I know. Just hear me out.

The only reason you all hate him is because he stabbed Percy's pillow pet, and was a bit of a dick to Hazel. Whilst neither Percy nor Hazel should've had to put up with this, when you consider what we can assume about his past, and that it actually makes sense. Straight away, he's a year round camper, so there is a high chance that he's lost one or multiple parents (remember that he's a descendant of Apollo, not than a child of Apollo). He probably hasn't had much of an opportunity to grieve them, strikingly similar to Nico's reaction at the end of ttc, particularly when you consider how strict Camp Jupiter is. Not to mention, it's been proven time after time again that if someone can't control their own life, they will put extra emphasis on what they can control, the two major ones being their eating and the people around them.

That last bit brings me onto my second point. You get the impression that he has been through quite a lot, so of course he tries to control the people around him as a means to cope. He becomes so engulfed in this desire to control everyone that he doesn't consider how it might affect others. From his perspective, why should he? No one seemed to care about him. It doesn't occur to him that blackmailing Hazel is- well- blackmail. He becomes so determined to prove himself, despite not being a child of a Roman God, but a descendant. As you can imagine, when he first joined, the camp probably looked down on him quite a lot.

In fact, he seems to be so aware of the Camp's protocols, there is a high chance that he, like Jason, has been there most of his life. When you consider it's principles, it makes sense that his main goal would be to reach the top of the pecking order. That is the way that they are taught; they're Roman demigods, after all.

Before you start on the killing of Percy's pillow pet being unfair, I'd just like to point a few things out. Yes, it was a bit if a dick move, but Percy had just waltzed into a camp, been claimed as a son of a major (although frowned upon) God, and threatened his authority. Octavian was genuinely scared of him. He was probably 100% aware that stabbing his pillow pet would do nothing, but did he look like he cared? Not only was he trying to back up his authority in doing so, it was essentially sending a message to Percy of "if you dare threaten my position, you'll face a lot worse than this. Whilst it may have been a bit of an overreaction, honestly, fair enough.

[notfeelingthyaster]

Imagine (based on the incomplete fanfic Son of Underworld) (3/5) (Son of Hades! Percy AU)

Before reading, check the masterpost - and read the warnings before proceeding :)) Good reading!

Percy goes back to Yancy, and things proceed as normal. He has nightmares, he misses his mom, who he only saw for a week. He thinks back on last summer and asks himself if it's worth going back to.

Annabeth tries to go back to her father's family. It doesn't go well, but at least they could keep contact using a landline for the three months she can deal with the monsters in her father's new location. There's a weekend he tries to visit her in San Francisco - but he still isn't perfect and lands in Sacramento.

It takes him an hour and a half to reach her - and it's the best weekend of the year, even if he doesn't meet anyone in her family - she is afraid they'll double the monsters in her house.

And her stepmom is racist. So there's that.

Annabeth makes fun of his Academy Uniform, the blazer and the black gloves, the red tie that he hates, and he calls her Wise Girl - he is two grades over her because of her years as a runaway.

It feels a little like a date. There's pizza, and they hold hands when she takes him to see the Golden Gate. He notices that Annie's eyes look literally like molten silver - every demigod carries a trace of their parent, he finally notices.

He can't come back after that - they were attacked by a Hydra, and killing it was only possible because he managed to use fire - a green, weird fire that he did not know he had - to cauterize the stumps.

Blackjack shadow travels him back to Yancy Academy and he and Annie keep the contact for another two weeks before she has to go back to Camp since San Francisco is becoming too dangerous.

It's his last year of middle school. Next year, he doesn't know if he'll continue in Yancy or go for a scholarship at Phillips Academy, in Massachusetts.

It's far. It's almost four hours from his mother, it's six hours from Camp. But it's the best school on the East Coast.

He does his midterms exams. He is in all high of A+ in Geometry, Algebra II, Economics and Government, Ancient World History, and Health&PE.

U.S. History and Science keep between B- and D+, and he is okay with that.

Language Arts and World Cultures can go die in a hole. He hates reading, writing makes him anxious and the only language he can get a C+ is Latin.

They give him a tutor for English - his GPA is only sustained by math. His grades raise a little: They go from F to E+.

There's a girl being tutored with him. She is Cherokee and a grade below him - her name is Piper.

He hates verbs. He hates To Kill a Mockingbird. He will kill a mockingbird if it stops them asking him to read again.

He cheats in his essays - makes skeletons write them for him. They suspect - it's not his handwriting, it's not the way he writes, it has no errors.

They can't prove it, so he scrapes Language Arts with a D+.

His midterm GPA is amazing. He goes see his mother for Christmas, even though he thinks there's no Christ. Maybe. Who knows? He is not celebrating Jupiternalia anyway.

He barely put his bag down when his four weeks with his Mom go down the drain - Thalia and Annabeth appear in his door. He grabs his backpack, his weapons, and go.

Annabeth looks at his hands with wonder - it's the first time she sees them bare in two years, but he puts his gloves back quickly enough.

Thalia is less skittish around him, and that's good. Better, at least. He notices that her eyes aren't only green - there are waves in them, it's like looking at the sea. It changes with her humor, perhaps? He doesn't know.

They make fun of his uniform - but they are going to Westover Hall, and he will merge better if he looks like a preppy kid from a boarding school.

Percy knows about the Mist this time. He helps Thalia to control it - his heart aches when he thinks of his friends. Its been a year and a half now. He misses them.

The daughter of Zeus asks him who taught him.

"The same person who taught you"

She looks at him appreciatively now, but he knows he'll come short of whoever she is measuring him against.

They see the kids. There's a girl looking nervous and overlooking the gym, and a boy by her side fiddling with his cards. Their hair is black just like his - he wishes for a brother and a sister.

Their skin is not like his - but it doesn't matter that they have a different mom, does it? In the end, it's family. Grover says they're powerful - so Big Three might be a possibility.

They're not children of Poseidon - their skin lacks the tan and the hair lacks the messiness, the windswept look - And Zeus is a lot of things, but a hypocrite isn't one of them, is?

Percy dances with Annabeth, and he feels alive. Then, he is running to save the children.

He doesn't shadow travel them. Shadowtravelling with more than one person is tricky, and he still hasn't mastered not going to Wyoming.

He kills the manticore with his Warhammer, but as it crumbles to dust, Annabeth falls.

The earth trembles at his feet - but it's Thalia's hand in his shoulder that remembers him there's two kids here, and Artemis Hunt is all looking at him with varying degrees of disgust and fear.

It's nothing he is not acquainted with. For being black (and not even a normal shade of black), for his clothes, for not having a father, for having a father and it being Hades. Just now, he was being judged for being a man.

Misandry is news for him. His mother raised him to respect all genders (even when he discovered a few months ago there's more than two), that women deserve the same as men. Annabeth fights alongside him frequently enough. Clarisse wipes the floor with his ass. Katie Gardner doesn't - it doesn't make her weaker, or less deserving of respect.

He knows women have to fight for their place in society much more than he has to. He knows these women are probably traumatized by violent men and unable to fight back.

It still doesn't make it right for them to be bullies. It gives a reason, but not a justification.

And when they take Bianca Di Angelo, who has a little brother and barely has any idea of what she is doing, who was just attacked by a thing that shouldn't exist and is probably still in shock, he wants to scream.

Artemis sees something in Bianca - and he finally looks at the girl's eyes. There's a storm raging in them.

Zeus is a hypocrite, after all.

But it's not his place to say anything, nor to the children, nor against Artemis, so he just leaves the tent and goes ask the only other boy here to teach him Mythomagic.

Nico Di Angelo asks way too many questions and has an infinite source of energy. He is prideful - a trace common of all Zeus children. His eyes aren't stormy like his sisters, there aren't clouds in his irises. They are white, like his probable father's lighting bolt.

Nico asks him why he has green eyes - and why they turned black after the question. He doesn't know the answer.

Apollo appears and says something about flying in the sun car - it's the first time he and Thalia agree on something.

But calls for Blackjack. He is not flying, not even under a god's asking. Apollo understands.

Thalia goes with him. Better through shadows than through air. He doesn't want to leave Nico with the misandry archers - but he has Grover, and Percy would probably land them in Iowa.

The daughter of Poseidon holds his waist while they ride on the hellhound. He focuses the best he can - and, for the first time, he lands exactly where he wants to land: in the woods at Camp.

Thalia helps him get to the Big House under weird looks of the year-rounders. They are there at least three hours before Apollo.

"You're kinda heavy, Corpse Breath. But that was cool."

"Shut it, Kelp Head"

He is anxious to just leave and go back to his mother, but Annabeth is in danger: They need a quest.

He has dreams. He can't fault Annabeth for doing what he would've done without a second of hesitation. It's Luke.

He helps Nico settle at Cabin 11, and avoids the huntresses. Connor hugs him, and Clarisse wipes the floor with him in wrestling - they are his friends now.

Clarisse, Connor, Annabeth, Grover, Charles. Luke, Ethan, Alabaster. The scales are tipping. He doesn't care for masters - he cares who is the defending.

Artemis goes missing, and they finally get a quest. Zoe Nightshade doesn't want a boy in the quest but tough luck: He is the most experienced camper here right now AND the quest goes through a desert, so he is going.

There's some doubt about taking Thalia - she is a daughter of Poseidon and can't do much in the wasteland.

So it's decided: Phoebe, Bianca, Zoe, Perseus, and Grover. No one is happy about it, and Percy knows Thalia is going to follow them.

He introduces himself as Perseus to them. He is stoic and doesn't smile around the girls.

Capture the Flag is horrible. He doesn't leave his post and blocks Zoe with skeletons for enough time that Thalia manages to snag the flag and cross the river.

The huntresses get mad and try to fight the campers - Phoebe tries to hit Nico with the pommel of her sword and a lightning bolt hits her, putting her out of commission.

He is claimed. Bianca isn't, but it doesn't matter: She is not a camper, she is a hunter. Her loyalty is to her half-sister now.

They leave in the morning without Phoebe before anyone wakes up.

Bianca looks at him weirdly because of his soft white and blue sweaters and scrunchies that he started using to take off hair from his face, and the contrast it makes with his dark skin and demeanor.

Newsflash: He doesn't care for a prejudiced daughter of Zeus's opinion.

Zoe doesn't even look at him twice: They have trans girls in the hunt, they're caught up with modern times. Except for the misandry and the exclusion of genderfluid, agender and non-binary people. But sure, caught up.

Nico asks him to protect his sister. He says he is going to try, but he understands death better than some. He says it'll be dangerous, but he'll do his best.

For some reason, Nico doesn't look worried.

Thalia joins them in the Space museum. She came in her Pegasus, Porkpie, and they fight the Nemean Lion together. His hellhound startles the hunters, and Thalia laughs.

They kill the Nemean Lion, and Perseus thinks he finally perfects his power over the earth when he uses a stone spike to pierce the monster through the mouth and barely gets tired.

The duster is not his style, but beggars can't be choosers. Zoe is warming up to them, he thinks, but he doesn't care either way: his objective is Annabeth.

He still hasn't managed to open the ground or to control metal's proprieties, but he controls the earth beneath his feet, shadow travels (very badly controlled, but sure), raises armies of skeletons and money and gems just sprout when he wants them. He has power.

But he isn't completely in control yet, so he doesn't want anyone touching him. And it's been such a long time since anyone except his mother ever been close to any skin below his neck.

Perseus has dreams. He is grateful that Artemis took the sky for Annabeth, so he burns the coat in her name.

Thalia says she has met Apollo, and Perseus is glad at least one god is on their side.

Perseus feels in the air: life. This town is cloying with the smell of life, of forests and waterfalls. He hates it on principle but wishes she could enjoy it.

He kills a spartoi. He doesn't manage to kill more, but now he knows. He wishes he could open the ground and swallow all of them, but even his own skeletons he only manages to turn them into piles of bones.

The boar carries most of them: it's still just a boar and they are five, so both he and Thalia enjoy Blackjack, who now is almost the size of a small rhino.

Perseus meets Ares awake this time. He didn't snitch on him to the gods, but he wishes he did.

Meeting Aphrodite is awful. Percy looks at her, and he sees blonde hair that he can't decide if it's golden or brownish, he looks at her eyes and see the blue and grey fight for dominance in the irises. Her skin flicks, and he sees a scar crossing her eye.

For a moment, her skin turns as black as his - his desire for family.

He hates her more than he hates Ares when she looks at him with a smile and says that his love life will be the most interesting tale she has ever woven.

They cross the junkyard. Bianca dies for a figurine of Zeus, and Perseus wants to scream at the skies for the injustice. He isn't close to Bianca, he won't miss her, but he blames himself.

What if he was good enough at shadow traveling to take all of them away? What if he was able to kill Talos before? If he saw the figurine in her hand, if he was clearer in his warning, if, if, if.

He is a son of Hades, and death follows him. The stench of it grabs at his clothes, but he doesn't cry. Bianca is not the first to die in the name of the gods - she won't be the last one.

Perseus tries and tries to reach for any part of her body - everything is gone.

The Hoover Dam goes exactly the same way - Percy finds the mortal girl cute, but he doesn't ponder on it. It's not the time. He tells her his name is Percy, because why not. He is not seeing her again.

He laughs at the dam joke and feels a little freer. He cares about Zoe. It's difficult not to.

They fly away, and Perseus doesn't like it, but he barely flinches.

They get closer - all of them. Perseus always makes friends in quests, and he is happier for it.

Thalia catches Nereus - and she tells them all about Bessie, the ophiotaurus. Percy thinks that, for a serpent cow, it's pretty cute.

Grover leaves with it back to Camp Half-Blood and away from the temptation that Thalia feels. He knows it - he feels it too, deep inside of him, the urge to kill all of them.

But is Kronos any better?

They meet Annabeth's father. Her stepmom caught a glance at him and sneers like he is covered in blood.

Luke is in Mount Othrys. Percy doesn't join him. He wants to. The drachma is still in his pocket. But Luke needs to pay for what he has done to Annabeth. This is not about the war that looms on the horizon, this is about his best friend.

They fight. Perseus holds the sky, but the thing in his fingertips is not the earth, it's something older and harder, that presses him to his knees. He draws strength from the earth, and he holds on.

They win, but at what cost? Luke falls. He cries and throws the drachma over the cliff - a promise gone with one of his first friends.

Zoe is dead. Three people dead, for a goddess who couldn't care less about them. Perseus wants to go back in time and accept Luke's proposal.

He wants to cry and he doesn't. They go to Olympus. Thalia joins Artemis, and he feels betrayed: just because she is afraid of power, she is going to throw the weight of this prophecy on him?

And on top, she just joined the eternal misandry group, and something in his heart festers. He thought he had one more friend in her, but she was just another pawn.

Annabeth basks in her mother's praise. He wants to vomit - two people are dead, but who cares.

Thalia pleads for the ophiotaurus life, but she doesn't lift a finger when they talk about his death. He hates her. He holds a grudge for his cousin just like his father holds one for his brother.

He just saved their asses for the third time, and they're talking about murdering him because he might not save them a fourth.

The gods. They take and they take and they take and the demigods keep giving.

His father saves him - no one dares to go against Hades' vote to let him live, because he is a hero.

They go back to camp, and Perseus is charged with the task to tell Nico.

"Well, so bring her back"

The boy says it non-chanlantly like he is counting on it. Percy feels guilt creep at his heart like a plague, all the ways he failed to save Bianca. If he just had a better grasp in his powers, if he was just better. And here it was, something else he couldn't do.

"I can't, Nico"

Nico yells at him. He screams that he killed his sister. Percy starts to retract, and they end up in the pavilion. Everyone is there, and they don't lift a finger to help.

Percy is so tired. He hasn't seen his mom since October. He just lost one of his best friends. He was on a mission for a week. He held the sky in his hands. Zoe is dead. Thalia is gone. Death follows him. The guilt claws at him - for not being enough.

Nico shouts and shouts. The final straw is when he says that he shouldn't have trusted a son of Hades, how everyone told him not to. He tells no one wants him here, and before anyone can say anything to contest it, spartoi appear.

People scramble for their weapons, but Percy opens the ground and swallows all of the skeletons. When they're gone, so is Percy.

Turns out? Percy doesn't want to be here anymore either.

Nico is prideful. People in camp scrambled for his attention. A couple of kids of Aphrodite tell him that Perseus wasn't a good company, trying to get in his good graces. This time around, there's no one to sing the praises of Percy Jackson.

Grover takes him aside and explains, a little against him own will, what happened with Bianca. He gives him the figurine.

Nico feels guilty. He is too prideful to admit, but he feels it burning in his heart - so he tries to understand what he just did. Grover tells him about the last two years. The guilt now fights with admiration, and resentment battles with adoration.

Some people steer clear of him for a while. Charles Beckendorf is too kind to isolate him - but Nico sees the sadness in his eyes. Annabeth doesn't talk with him - she just lost three best friends in a swoop. Grover reluctantly tells him more about Percy. Clarisse wipes the floor with him - and he doesn't complain when he wakes up and his makeshift bed in Cabin 1 is crawling with bugs - He is pretty sure Connor hates him.

Katie Gardner doesn't talk to him anymore. Will Solace - who is his best friend - consolates him. He tells Nico he was pretty awful to Percy last summer, and Percy still came back.

Pretty awful doesn't even begin to cover what Nico did. But he nods and settles. It's going to be fine.

Perseus wanders the Underworld. He plays with Cerberus, and it's finally time to go make peace with his father and meet Persephone.

There's the heavy weight of a drachma in his pocket.

[phantaloon-books]

look I love Thalia and Jason, but out of the kids of the big three they're lowkey the weakest ones

don't get me wrong, I think they're all pretty powerful, and I know Zeus/Jupiter is supposed to be the almighty king of the gods and all, but if you really think about it, the sky and lightning is not that powerful against the sea and earthquakes, and the dead and the ground

just hear me out lmao

like, as cool as Jason and Thalia are, all they can do thanks to being Zeus's children is summon some lightning and control some wind and in Jason's case fly and control the wind spirits. honestly, their power comes more from their training and fighting skills rather than their abilities, even if they are very powerful and capable, after all, they were able to lead the Twelfth Legion and the Hunters of Artemis respectively, and you can't achieve that without being strong

but, once you compare those skills and that power, to Poseidon and Hades/Pluto's children, they really don't reach the same level

let's talk about percy first, like he is said to be the "strongest demigod in their generation" (I love him, and he is very strong, but I wouldn't say he is the strongest cause I think others are equally as strong as him), and he is pretty damn powerful. Controlling the sea and other similar bodies of water is just one part of it, I know it only happened one time but he literally erupted a volcano and woke up typhon while he was being burnt alive, just by "calling to the sea" without even knowing what he was doing. The thing about Percy, is that despite everything, he doesn't truly understand his powers, his abilities, and he is always discovering new things that he can do. This is not even mentioning his sword skills, since he trained for 4 summers exclusively and he's beaten entire armies and fought the most terrible monsters several times. overall, he is pretty fucking impressive and he's not even achieved his full potential yet, but I don't think he will, because of his fear of his own power

moving to Nico, jeez, I think he might be stronger than Percy. he was only eleven when he was conjuring up the dead, and raising dead soldiers to fight for him (even if it tired him) and being able to control the earth (albeit not as hazel is able to), and he could handle himself in battle very well, not to mention the fact that he literally overthrew Minos as the ghost king, even being as inexperienced as he was at the time. He is insanely resistant and strong-willed (no pun intended lol), and I'm sorry but only the strongest would be able to shadow travel three people and a gigantic statue to the other side of the world, have enough strength to battle when he awoke, and be able to cast a soul to the underworld after all of that

and I'm playing the card, but Nico and Percy survived freaking Tartarus, and Nico did it all by himself, unlike Percy who had plenty of help. Nico gets bonus points because after surviving Tartarus he was captured by giants and held in a damn jar where he would have suffocated (and he almost did) if he hadn't had the pomegranate seeds

and lastly my dear Hazel. My dear and mighty Hazel. She killed a giant and stopped Gaea from rising all by herself at 13. If that isn't impressive nothing is. Without meaning to and with no control over it, she was able to summon riches very easily, and she grew to understand her abilitiea very quickly, owning her power over the earth and its riches. Granted, she doesn't have the power over the dead or shadows that Nico has, but her skills with the mist are unmatchable, as she doesn't work to make her enemies see what she wants, but she manipulates them into seeing what they want to see, and that's amazing man. She is the embodiment of she looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill you, while the others look like they could kill you and will probably kill you. I'm sorry, but Hazel is the most underrated out of the Big Three Children, and that's very fucking unfair, because she is very very powerful, equally if not more so than the others

this turned out longer than I intended it to be, but what I'm trying to say is that as much as I love Jason and Thalia, and think they're very powerful, I think them being children of Zeus/Jupiter is overrated, because their skills (both their Zeus powers and their own abilities they've learned and trained for) are less powerful than Percy's, Nico's or Hazel's, and I just wanted to showcase that you shouldn't underestimate Nico and Hazel, or say that Percy is overrated, because they're very fucking strong, stronger than the king of gods's children themselves

also, I didn't include Bianca because the only time we actually see her using Hades's power is when she send one of the spartoi to the underworld, and no one even knew she was a daughter of Hades at that time. Nevertheless, she was a very strong Hunter, and she learned to defend herself and fight more quickly than anyone else has

I completely lost track of my idea and I'm not sure it even makes sense, but my point is that Jason and Thalia are unfortunately the weakest out of the big three children sorry :)

[not-magnus-bane]

My first fanfiction! I wrote this fanfiction a month ago. I hope you like it!

February 14th

3rd person

Will wasn’t worried. At least, that’s what he told his siblings. Inside, he was panicking. He hadn’t seen Nico all day. On this day of all days. February 14. Valentines day. Nico had been acting distant all week, but now he had disappeared completely. Will tried not to let his panic show, but it was worthless.

    “Are you sure you haven’t seen him?”

    “Since you asked ten seconds ago? No.” His best friend Cecil said, rolling his eyes 

“I’m sure he’s fine. You know he needs time alone sometimes.”

    Will stalked off, going to find some other person to pester about Nico’s whereabouts. Cecil would later swear he saw Jason Grace guilty avoiding Will’s gaze. 

    Will however, noticed the way Jason shifted in his seat at the Zeus table and refused to look him in the eye. He walked towards Jason’s table with determination. At first, He didn’t say anything, just looked Jason square in the eye.

    “Do you know where Nico is?” Will asked, his voice deadly quiet. His glare proved that he had possibly been spending too much around his boyfriend.

    Jason looked like a deer in headlights. He paused and then shook his head vigorously. 

    “I’m going to ask you one more time.” he paused for effect “Where. Is. Nico.” Jason looked pleadingly across the pavilion at Piper. She shook her head slowly behind Will’s back. Will gave Jason one more look of pleading, and turned on his heel, marching out of the pavilion. 

    All the campers who had stopped to watch the show continued eating breakfast, disappointed that nothing dramatic had happened. 

    Will slammed the door to the infirmary and sat down on a cot. 

Nico

They ask me what I’m so afraid of

That if I tell them, they can help

Will

I sighed, putting my head in my hands. What had I done wrong? Why was he avoiding me on this day of all days? I was jerked out of my misery when Kayla walked into the infirmary. I quickly tried to dry my tears and pretend I was organizing the bandages.

    “You don’t have to pretend, Will. I know you’re upset.” Kayla sat beside me on the cot. She glared at the sky. I knew she was cautious of Nico. She just didn’t want him to hurt my feelings. 

    “I just want to know where he is? Why would he run away?” I said, my voice cracking.

    “Well…” She began slowly “That’s kinda what he does, isn’t it? Run away from things he’s scared of. Run away from camp.”

    “Don’t say that about Nico. He’s the bravest person I know. He doesn’t run away when he’s scared.”

    “Sure Will, I just don’t want you to get hurt.” She said, raising her hands, innocently. I gave her a look and she shrugged, eyebrows raised. I stood up and walked out of the infirmary.    

    Sometimes I can’t believe her. Nico might need my help.

    Or, he might want to be alone. A voice in the back of my head told me. I told the voice to be quiet. 

I realized I had walked right up to the Hades cabin. Cautiously, I stepped inside. The air smelled of dust and pomegranates. I walked over to Nico’s unoccupied bed. I sat down, breathing his distinctive smell. Rain over stones and a hint of peppermint. Not that I spent a lot of time analyzing Nico’s smell. Cecil told me that to everyone else he smells strongly of death. He thinks that it’s me imagining things, but I think he’s just close minded. What does death even smell like anyway?

    I ran my fingers through his thin charcoal blanket. I scanned the cabin for any sign of life. Not that life would be caught dead anywhere near the Hades cabin. 

A creak of the floorboards made my head snap up. Jason Grace stood, stock-still, in the doorway. His electeric blue eyes made contact with mine. 

“Wiiilll.” he mumbled, drawing out the word

“Yes, that is my name.” I replied “What are you doing here?”

“I-I could ask you the same question!” he exclaimed. His eyes fell to Nico’s bedside, where a razor usually lay. I followed his eyes.

“Where is Nico?” I asked, all hardness gone from my voice, replaced with pure desperation. Jason scratched the back of his neck, looking nervous. I blinked back some tears. Jason sighed, giving in.

“He told me not to tell you.” he admitted, guiltely. I had a moment's hesitation. What if Nico was avoiding me because he was upset with me! Nico might need your help, and that’s what's important. I gave Jason a look to continue.

“He said he needed to be alone today, and that he was going to the last place.” he paused, looking confused at what he was saying.

“Last place! Where in Zeus’s name is that!” I exclaimed, exasperated. I tugged at my hair.

“Do we know anything that happened to Nico for the last time?” Jason asked.

“Nooo… but we know someone who might.”

Nico

I’ve seen to many people walk away

When they know

Percy

    One day. That's all I ask. One day without someone’s life one the line. I knew something was up when Will and Jason knocked on my door, Will with a worried expression, and Jason with a nervous one. 

    “Do you know where anything happened to Nico for the last time?” Will asked, jumping right to the interrogation.

    “Hi Percy.” Jason said, looking sheepish. I leaned on the doorway, my brain processing what Will had asked.

    “What?” was my brilliant answer. 

    Will looked exasperated. He repeated his question.

    “Well,” I began “if it’s somewhere Nico went if he wanted to be alone… We know he goes to places that make him sad, for some reason. And if it’s the last place something sad happened, that could be the last place he saw someone… Bianca! The last place he saw Bianca! (Sorry for the run-on sentence. I feel like that’s how Percy would talk.)

“Seems you’re not as much of a seaweed brain as I thought you were!” Jason exclaimed, clapping me on the back. I mumbled under my breath about ‘nicknames and expectations’. 

“Where did Nico last see Bianca?” Will wondered out-loud

“I think it was when she told him that she had been chosen for a quest.” I informed them.

“Where was that?” Will asked. I looked at him with pity. It was Valentine’s day, and his boyfriend was missing. The only reason Jason and I were alone was because Piper and Annabeth had gone to plan something together for today.

“I think it was somewhere in the woods.” I admitted.

“W-what!” Will stammered. He looked quite pale now. He seemed to steal his nerves and said, in a much calmer voice “Okay, let’s do it, for Nico.”

Nico

Their hateful looks reserved just for me 

The way the words cut my arms

Jason

 We walked into the woods, Will’s demeanor was very nervous, mine was what I hoped was righteously cautious, and Percy’s was an obviously put-on no-cares-in-the-world. His attitude changed the longer we walked, the farther away from camp. He stopped.

“We’re near.” he whispered, in an ominous voice. I rolled my eyes at his antics. This was serious!

We didn’t need to see Nico to know we were close. Pure waves of darkness rolled through the air. Will, who was a few steps ahead, stopped abruptly and we all bumped into him. He turned to face us.

“I think only one of us should go from here.” he whispered.

“Good thinking,” Percy whispered back “you guys head back, I’ll -”

“I was thinking I should.” Will stated “Being his boyfriend and all.” Percy mouthed Oh and nodded. I wanted to go too, but I understood Will’s reasoning. Me and Percy made eye contact. We walked back, the pure misery washing over our heads.

Nico

If I die 

Will anyone miss me

Will

    The deeper I walked into the wood alone the more the dark seems oppressive. The waves of darkness almost push me to my knees. I keep walking. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the darkness lessens, leaving only a patch of dead grass. I looked through the dark haze, and spotted a small figure lying prone on the ground. I rushed forward, my head pounding.

    “Nico?” I look over him, gasping when I see blood. I grabbed the razor lying on the forest floor and put it in my pocket. Why was this happening on Valentine’s day? I pushed my thoughts, turning my head when I heard a groan.

    “Nico! Are you okay?” even though it’s obvious he isn’t.

    He groans, turning his head to face me. Tear tracks line his face, fresh ones pouring out. His eyes widen when he sees me and struggles to get out of my reach.

    “Nico! What! No!” I exclaim. He struggles more, trying to get out of my reach. I see him reach for the shadows, preparing to shadow travel away.

    “Why?” my voice sounds rough and hoarse. That gets his attention. 

    “I’m sorry Will, I just can’t -” his voice breaks off. I look at him pleadingly.

    “Nico, tell me what’s going on.” he sighs, looking defeated and broken. I don’t want that. I just want him to be happy.

    “Did Jason ever tell you why I hate Valentine’s day?” I shake my head “When we were on the quest,” he says, not needing to specify which one “Me and Jason -”

    I cut him off “Jason and I.” That earns me a look.

    “Whatever. Jason and I went to Split, in Croatia, and we went to Diocletian’s palace. We met Cupid. Eros. Whatever. Anyway, he made me admit that I had a crush on Percy, and that I’m - that I’m gay.”

    “That doesn’t seem so bad.” I commented. Nico’s eyes look into mine. They look so broken. I wish I could heal Nico’s cracks.

    “Will, I grew up in a time where people were killed for who they were. I was taught to be disgusted with myself. Valentine’s day is like a reminder that I’m not good enough, and I don’t deserve love. I can just hear Cupid’s laughter.”

    “Poseidon's pants! Nico, I had no idea!” I held the shaking smaller boy in my arms. I cradled Nico’s wrists in my hands. 

    “I don’t want - I don’t want you to see me cry.” he murmured.

    “I won’t look.”

    We stayed there for Hades knows how long, just holding each other.

    “You’re not… sad that I ran away on Valentine’s day?” his voice was so soft I had to lean in to hear it.

    “Neeks, I’m sad you felt you had to run away.” I assured him. He let out a broken sob. I hug him impossibly close, letting his tears soak my shirt. He cried so long that when the sound of his tears faded the silence felt alien in my ears.

    “Will?” Nico’s voice cut through the silence.

    “Yeah, Death boy.” I replied.

    “Can we go back to camp? We can do something fun if you want.” I assured him that I was fine whatever we did, and we walked, hand in hand, back to camp.

    When we got there I snuck him into his cabin so that no one would ask any questions. I would have preferred going to the infirmary but I did as Nico asked. 

    After a bit I went to say hi to my siblings so they didn’t worry. I didn’t see Percy or Jason. They were probably on their date with their girlfriends, completely forgetting about Nico. The thought made me feel angry. I walked back to the Hades cabin. Without knocking I scurried through the door.

    “Hey Nico! I -” I paused, realizing that Nico wasn’t in his cabin. I rushed out trying not to panic. I wandered over to the strawberry fields, where I went when I was overwhelmed. I ran my hands over the bushes of strawberries, which were impossibly tall. 

    “Will!” a voice cries out. I run in the direction of the voice. Just past the edge of the fields, I can see a flash of red. I reach it, panting for breath. 

    Standing there is Nico, his hands on his hips, glowering with no menace. He’s standing on the edge of a red and white checkered picnic blanket wearing - I swear to Zeus - a flowered suit. On the picnic blanket there’s an assortment of my and his favourite foods. 

    “Glad you got here. I was worried you wouldn’t come at all.” Nico admits, showing no sign of being worried except a few dried tear tracks left on his cheeks from earlier.

    “Well, now I feel super underdressed.” I said, glancing at his suit. Where in Hades name did he even get that? 

    “I don’t mind.” Nico announced, sitting down with a grin on his face. My heart melts into my shoes when he smiles like that. (Sorry for the bad, cheesy line) I would do anything to keep that smile on his face, so I sit down next to him.

    We spend the evening eating and chatting, watching the sun go down. 

    When the sun is past Half-blood Hill Nico says that we should probably head back. We kiss once more before grabbing the stuff and sneaking back. 

When we get to Nico’s cabin he looks around at the sound of the harpies screaming in the distance. Nico gives me a side-glance and insists that I stay in his cabin for the night, lest the harpies find me on my way to my cabin.

Nico

But you are different

When you clean my deep wounds

And help me to stand

[parttimewriter-fulltimefangirl]

Solangelo Week Day 3: God / Human

Humans were strange. They always kept on changing, never satisfied with what they have. Then again, the same could be said about a lot of gods. Nico can’t remember the last time he didn’t hear some rumor about Zeus cheating on Hera. Again. Although, it’s not like he can judge too harshly. His father has cheated on Persephone many times. If he hadn’t, Nico wouldn’t have existed. 

Nico and his older sister, Bianca, were born in the 1930s. However, there were a lot of problems going on in the world that Nico was too young to understand. All he knew at the time was that it was scary, and the gods didn’t like it. Bianca and his mother ended up dying. To save his life, his father took him away. His original plan was to place him in the Lotus Hotel. Time passed by very slowly there. But then, it got destroyed by some demigods on a quest. Hades needed to keep his son somewhere safe. So, he took him to the Underworld.

Nico spent the next few years training in the Underworld. His only friend was Cerberus, who protected him fiercely. His father’s attendants were too scared to become friends with him. He tried finding Bianca, but his father warned him not to. He said that she was too young to be given the chance to be a hero, but she wasn’t evil either. She would be stuck in the Fields of Asphodel. That didn’t stop Nico from trying when he turned thirteen. He asked other ghosts if they had seen her, but none answered him, only aimlessly roaming the fields. He quickly grew frustrated until he noticed a certain soul sitting on the ground. 

It turned out that Bianca wasn’t the only sister he had in the Fields of Asphodel.

Hazel, his half-sister who did die heroically but acted too late, was sent to spend eternity there. Nico didn’t think it was fair, but she told him that it was okay. She was just happy that she’d have someone to talk to. From then on, Nico learned to move on from Bianca’s death, but he did get to know Hazel. She was always in the same spot, never feeling the need to leave it. It made him sad knowing that she could’ve had a different life, but there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t like he was a god.

Well, that is until the day he was. 

His father finally let him out of the palace on his fourteenth birthday. He knew how much Nico had trained and had more faith that he could protect himself. Neither expected him to run into a monster as soon as he felt. 

It was a rogue cyclops who rebelled against his brethren, believing he was meant for more than working in the forge. As a result, he hated the gods and their children. So, naturally, he tried to kill Nico, which meant that Nico had to kill him first. 

When Nico was done with him, he felt a rush. It was different than fighting underground against those who wouldn’t actually kill him. So, he decided that he would fight other monsters. Thus lead to him becoming a legend.

He never grew close to any of the other demigods he met along the way. He made sure that no one knew who his father was. But, word got around that there was a young demigod fighting monsters left and right. He’d swoop in, kill a few monsters that were about to eat some demigods, and then be on his way. It certainly confused everyone since most of them craved that glory of being a hero. Nico never really cared about all that.

One day, he did meet his doom. He was facing against the Gorgons. It was a fierce battle, but they managed to strike too many blows, and as he was lying on the ground, bleeding to death, he wondered how his father would feel knowing that the son he worked so hard to protect was dying at the age of fifteen. 

His father must’ve been keeping a closer eye on him that he thought because as he was taking in his last dying breath, he felt something overcome him. Suddenly, he was back in the Underworld, but he wasn’t dead. 

“Nico di Angelo,” his father’s voice boomed. All the servants were there in the throne room, along with Persephone. His father was at his throne, looking as regal as ever. 

Nico could tell something was going on, but he knew better than to just stand there like an idiot. He kneeled and said, “Yes, Father?”

“You have exhibited traits that are very worthy. You never sought glory or fame. You simply wanted to save others. You knew the dangers of going out into the world were much more difficult for you, and you knew that the other gods could find out you were my son. You nearly defeated the Gorgons, which is an incredible feat, along with all the other monsters you’ve killed and the lives you’ve saved. You, Nico di Angelo, will never again worry about the wrath of the gods for you will no longer be a demigod.”

Wait, what?

“You are now officially a god. You will be my right-hand, aiding me in controlling the Underworld. You are the God of the Fields of Asphodel.”

Nico felt that same feeling from before. He stayed kneeling, not daring to move.

“You may stand up and face your subjects.”

As Nico stood and looked out at the faces of his father’s loyal followers, he couldn’t help but think of how fucking lucky he is that he didn’t die. 

***

As the years went by, Nico worked hard to make the Fields of Asphodel a better place. His father told him that he didn’t have the power to bring anyone back to life, but he would be able to have control of what went on in the Fields of Asphodel. Hazel was very excited for him and for his plans. He created a community in the Fields of Asphodel. There were shops and buildings and events. Nobody ever remembered things for very long, but they walked around with smiles instead of blank faces. Hazel did remember, and she always had a smile on her face. Nico made sure that her spot was still only hers. There was now a chair with a cabinet with art supplies. She loved it. 

Nico sometimes wondered if he would run into Bianca when he roamed the fields, but he never thought too hard about it. He didn’t want to get his hopes crushed, so it was just better not to have them and accept that she was really gone. 

Now, it’s been so many years since Nico has been to the mortal world. He knows that demigods still talk about him, but now they know him as the son of Hades who became a god. Boy, did Zeus get pissed when he heard about that. There wasn’t anything he could do though since Nico wasn’t a demigod anymore. Also, everyone found out that he had a daughter named Thalia years later, so he had to get over it. 

Hazel is sitting in her chair, drawing a horse when Nico approaches her. She looks up and grins, “Hey, Neeks.”

He rolls his eyes. “You know I hate that nickname.”

“Yeah, that won’t stop me from calling you that. Sorry, Neeks.”

He huffs, pretending to be mad. He does have a reputation to uphold. “Well, that is certainly no way to speak to a god.”

She snorts. “A god who looks like a fifteen year old. You don’t even look that much older than me.”

He ignores her. “So, Father was saying that he thinks maybe I should head into the mortal world. He says that visiting Camp Half-Blood wouldn’t be such a bad idea either.”

She tilts her head. “That’s strange. What’s the occasion?”

Nico shrugs. “He says that there’s this demigod creating shrines for all of the gods. You remember Percy Jackson?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Yeah, well, him and five other demigods had to come together and save the world again. One of those demigods is named Jason Grace, and he vowed to honor all the gods. I think Father wants me to ensure that he actually does that by making a shrine for me.”

“Do you think he will?”

“I mean, I honestly don’t care. It’s not like I have any kids or am going to have any of my own. Last I heard, men still can’t have babies.”

She giggles. “Imagine if they could.”

He cracks a smile. “I’m pretty sure there would be ATMs for birth control if that were true.”

She furrows his eyebrows. “ATMS? Oh, those are the machines that give you money, right?”

He nods. “Humans come up with the most interesting things.”

“Honestly. Speaking of which, don’t forget that you said you’d teach me how to do different hairstyles. You know, like the ones you saw on Yougram.”

“It’s called Youtube, Hazel.”

She smiles sheepishly. “You know what I meant.”

He nods. “I will. I’m going to head up now. Better to get it over with.”

She gives him one of her famous, warm smiles. “Who knows, maybe you’ll make a friend.”

Now, it’s his turn to laugh. “Yeah, I highly doubt that.”

***

Nico never intended to stay long at Camp Half-Blood. He only wanted to get in, talk to Jason Grace, and get out. He never meant to end up talking to any other demigods.

“So, are you new here? I’m Will Solace.”

Then again, he never intended to accidentally bump into a demigod either. 

“Um, nice to meet you,” Nico says. He can’t remember the last time he talked to a living human. Wow, that sounds so sad. 

“I know it can be a little scary coming to camp for the first time. I know that I was really scared. My dad’s Apollo. It’s not like I’m a son of the Big Three, but monsters can still catch my scent pretty easily. That’s why I usually stay here year-round. It’s also easier since my mom is usually on the road. She’s a country singer. Do you listen to country music?”

Nico only shakes his head and lets the demigod keep talking. There’s something about him that keeps Nico staying there, listening to things that don’t even pertain to him. 

“Yeah, it’s not the most popular genre nowadays. Well, that’s enough about me. Let me show you around camp.”

So begins Nico’s tour of the camp. Will points out all the cabins, including the ones currently being constructed. He shows him where the Golden Fleece is. He even brings him into his cabin to introduce him to his siblings. 

“Now, these are my brothers and sisters. Everyone, this is ㅡ oh, I’m sorry, I never asked you your name.”

“Um, Nico. Nico di Angelo.”

Suddenly, everyone is quiet. They all stare at him and his black clothes and take in the strange aura that radiated off of him when they first met him. He already knows how they’re going to react. They’re going to bow and fear him because they’ll know him as a god rather than another ordinary demigod.

Then, a boy who looks around Will’s age smacks Will upside the head. “Only you wouldn’t realize you were talking to a god this whole time.”

The boy blushes, making Nico feel a bit bad for him. So, he says, “It’s not his fault. I tried to make it seem like I wasn’t a god because I didn’t want to draw too much attention to myself. I really just came to camp to see Jason Grace.” He turned to Will. “Actually, could you direct me to him?”

Will nods, still blushing. He starts walking out the door, leaving his snickering siblings. 

Nico sends them all a glare, which quickly shuts them up. 

He runs out to catch up with Will. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. You just seemed so eager and kind. Also, I’m not used to interacting with living demigods.”

Will’s shoulders are tense. He lets out a breath, causing his muscles to relax. “It’s alright. Let me show you where Jason is.”

“Wait, Will,” Nico says, feeling a little strange. “I did like talking with you. The tour was really nice. Please don’t feel bad.”

He sighs again. “That’s not why I was upset. I was, well, I was hoping to ask you out.”

“Oh.” 

He chuckles bitterly. “Yeah. Seems pretty ridiculous now. I really liked talking to you and I wanted to get to know you, and I just really felt like we were vibing.”

“Vibing? Oh, wait, that means connecting.”

Will smiles before letting it fall. “See! Even now, you’re hopelessly adorable. There’s no point, though. You’re a god. I’m human.”

“You’re a demigod.”

“Still more human than a god.”

Nico would be lying if he tried to say he isn’t attracted to Will. He has a very pretty face. High cheekbones, nice jawline, bright blue eyes, his lips… But, Will is right. He is a god and these types of relationships never last. It’s best if they don’t pursue it.

“Well, how about we just be friends? I could use some more time in the mortal world.”

Will doesn’t say anything for a while. When they reach what Nico presumes to be Jason Grace’s cabin, Will finally says, “Okay. I think we can be friends.”

Nico smiles, which doesn’t happen often, but he thinks that it will start to the more he interacts with Will. 

***

“I can’t believe you never watched Mean Girls.”

“Hey, I tried learning as much as I could about the modern world! Watching dumb high school movies wasn’t on my list of important things to learn.”

“Yet you managed to watch all the Marvel movies.”

“ …. Look, I think we can admit that the Marvel movies are iconic.”

“Okay, fair, but so is this movie!”

Two hours later, and Nico has come to the conclusion that humans are stupid.

“She doesn’t even go there! Why the fuck would she even be in the movie?”

***

“You’re dead, di Angelo!”

“As if, Solace!”

Nico hears Jason say to Kayla, Will’s sister, “They sure do love water balloon fights.”

She sighs. “Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that he’s a god.”

Nico ignores them and tries to find cover. He can’t let Will win. Again.

***

“Do you ever wonder what it’d be like if you were on the road with your mom?”

“Yeah, sometimes. I miss her a lot. But, it’s better this way. She gets to live out her dream, and I get to survive. I’d rather not put her in danger just by being around her. Besides, I get to see her during the holidays. Not every demigod can say that.” 

“That’s true.”

“Do you ever wonder what it’d be like if Bianca showed up at one of your cafes?”

“I’ve learned to accept the fact that I’m never going to see her again. It’s just the reality of the situation. I should just be thankful that I got to live with her for the first ten years of my life. She was a great sister and took care of me more than our own mother did. I never hated my mother for it. She just had a busy life and was the daughter of a diplomat. Her life was already complicated enough before we came along. But, it did lead to me as seeing Bianca as an authority figure in my life.”

“I think she’d be proud if she knew the person you’ve become.”

Nico looks at Will, who is suddenly a lot closer than he thought he was. “There are some moments where it passes my mind if she even knows what I’ve done with my life and who I’ve become.”

Will places his hand over his. “Even if she doesn’t know, she’d be proud if she knew.”

“How do you know?” Nico whispers, looking into Will’s eyes. Eyes that see him for him. Not the demigod who died and became a god. Not the son of Hades. Just him. Nico di Angelo.

Will leans closer, his lips barely an inch away from his face. He can feel his breath, which smell like mints. He can see the light freckles on his cheeks. He can hear the pounding of both of their hearts. “Who wouldn’t be proud of someone as amazing as you?”

Nico looks down at those lips. The lips that he noticed when he first visited camp all those months ago. He’s tempted to lean in and close the gap and finally find out what they taste like. 

Will looks down at his lips, and he smirks. He knows what he’s doing. That son of a bitch is doing all of this on purpose to unnerve him. Nico knows this.

That doesn’t stop him from crashing his lips against his, feeling the sweet taste of his lips completely take over his senses. All he knows, thinks, and feels is Will Solace, the boy he’s fallen madly in love with. 

***

“Father, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Hades looks across the table at his son, who is clutching the table napkin so tightly that his knuckles are turning white. “Yes, Nico?”

“I’ve fallen in love.”

“Oh? Is she a mortal?”

“He’s a demigod. Son of Apollo.”

Hades makes a face that he can’t quite decipher. “A son of Apollo. Why Apollo? I don’t think you realize how much he’s going to rub it in my face at the next meeting that his son captured your attention.”

Nico smiles softly. “It just happened. I didn’t for it to end up like this, but it did.”

Hades sighs. “Well, I don’t see why you felt the need to tell me. There’s no worry of you creating any demigods, and we know how these types of relationships work.”

Nico knows that this is the hard part. “We’ve been in a relationship for almost three years now, Father.”

“What?”

“I don’t know if you noticed, I’ve been changing my form to match his. I don’t have the body of a fifteen year old anymore. I made myself look different as he aged so that it would seem like I was aging too.”

“Well, how was I supposed to notice? You’re still small.”

“Yeah, it seems that even if I had stayed human and aged, I wouldn’t have gotten much taller. However, that’s not the point. The point is that I’ve realized that I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and he feels the same way. In fact, I plan on proposing to him next year. I even bought a ring.”

“You can’t marry him. He’ll be nineteen and still a demigod.”

“I want to propose, but I don’t want to get married when he is nineteen. I just want to be engaged. We can wait until he’s ready to get married.”

“That doesn’t take away the fact that he is not a god, and I’m sure he wouldn’t want to become one either. If Percy Jackson, who has suffered so much, didn’t want to become a god, why would he?”

“You’re right, he doesn’t want to be a god. He would rather age with his friends and family and live out his life to the fullest. What I want is to become a demigod again.”

Hades is rarley ever rendered speechless, but this is one of the few times where he is.

Nico continues with what he planned to say. “I know that it’s not typically done, but I believe it is possible. We’ve talked it over together, and he said that it’s my choice, and I want to, Father. I want to be with him. I can’t imagine living a life with him, aging with him, only to watch him die and live for eternity remembering him.”

Hades glares at him. “After everything I did to keep you alive, you repay me by becoming mortal for some boy who could break your heart at any moment. I cannot support this. I won’t!”

Yeah, Nico didn’t expect this to go well, so he’s not surprised at his reaction. “Father, I’m not asking for your permission. I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me, but this is how I want to live my life.”

“Oh, really? By the side of a boy who you say loves you?”

“I want to live my life by actually living it. With the boy who loves me.”

Hades stares at him for a few seconds before getting up, the back of his chair screeching against the hard floor. He leaves the dining room, not saying a word. 

Nico feels a lump forming in his throat, and his eyes begin to sting with unshed tears. He gets up out of his seat, and in the next second, he’s at Camp Half-Blood in Will’s cabin.

Luckily, Will walks in at that moment, looking as beautiful as ever. He’s smiling, but then he notices Nico’s expression, and he watches as that sunny smile disappears, replaced with a look of concern. He simply opens his arms, and Nico goes to him. As soon as his arms are wrapped around him, he lets the tears fall. 

***

It’s finally the day. The day that everyone has been waiting for, and a day that Nico never thought he would even get to have. 

Today is his wedding day. Today, he will be marrying Will Solace, the love of his life. 

The whole day is entirely chaotic. It’s short and simple since they don’t exactly have the money necessary for a grand wedding. Will is still in med school, and they’ve got to keep paying rent on their new apartment. Also, Will recently took in a stray dog who, according to him, “was too adorable to leave out in the streets.”

So, no, it’s nothing really big, but Nico likes it like that. He may have opened up more and made new friends, but he still doesn’t really have that many friends. It’s not like he really would’ve wanted to invite more people. He still thinks humans are pretty stupid. 

He probably shouldn’t say that since he gave up immortality months ago. Now, he’s a stupid human too. 

Nico gets ready to go out the doors. Will is currently waiting on the other side in his white suit. He doesn’t even have to look to know that he looks gorgeous in it. He wonders if Apollo showed up. They invited him, but he never confirmed. He knows that Naomi came since she was the one who walked him down the aisle. 

They sent an invitation to Hades. He also never confirmed whether he was coming or not, but Nico was pretty sure he wasn’t. He hasn’t spoken to his father since he told him about his relationship with Will. Still, a very small part of him was hoping he would come to walk him down the aisle and give him away. But, he has to be realistic. His father is not coming. So, with no parent to walk him down, he summoned someone else. 

��Nico, are you ready for this?” Hazel says, looping her arm through his, which passes right through.

He smiles at her. It took some work, but he isn’t called the Ghost King for nothing. She can only be here for a certain amount of time, so he’s glad he has family here with him today. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

The doors open, and then, he hears a deep voice say, “Well, he is handsome, I’ll give you that.”

It’s Hades. He came. He actually came. “Father? I thought you weren’t coming.”

Hades sighs. “I may not understand why you gave up everything. But, I know that you’re a wise young man, and I should respect your choices. I can’t let my feelings of the situation get in the way of your wedding day.”

Hazel is practically jumping. “Father, you have made a very good choice.”

Nico almost doesn’t know where to hug him or cry. “Thank you, Father.”

Hades shows a hint of a smile, but quickly smothers it. “Now, let’s begin, shall we? I believe there is a young man waiting at the end of that aisle to marry you.”

Nico nods. With his sister on one arm (sort of) and his father on his other, he starts walking down the aisle towards the love of his life.

He feels … happy.

***

“Hey, Will,” Nico says, as he sways in Will’s arms. Everyone’s eyes are on them as they make their way through their first dance as husbands. 

Will takes his head off of his and looks down at him. “Yes, husband?”

Nico smiles softly. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“My father saved me from dying all those years ago. But, you made me start living.”

Will shakes his head slowly. “No, love, that decision was entirely yours.”

Maybe it was, but Nico still feels like Will was a big part of it. He’d rather not argue with him on it though. So, he tilts his head upwards and kisses his husband.

He’ll never get tired of the feeling of those sparks flying every time their lips meet. 

[overheard-totally-correct-pjo]

First part of my distracting little side project. More of an introduction than anything as of right now, but I have some plans for it. Inspired via a tumblr post by @demigodgooglesearches. Enjoy part one!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perseus Brian Jackson hated his life, thank you very much.

He entered the life of gods and monsters at the tender age of twelve. The “deal” was that he would help the gods out in the Big Prophecy that was (probably) about him. If he reached sixteen he’d be out of this life, as much as his godly blood would allow.

Four months later he had been kidnapped by Hera and woke up after half a year of sleeping, without any of his memories. He was forced into another Great Prophecy. He went to Tartarus. He was so very beyond done.

He was going to go to college with his girlfriend in a city that would keep them safe from the monsters, and the legion would take care of any quests. Retired at seventeen.

Then came the Roman Emperors that never actually died, and have been festering under the surface for hundreds of years.

The third war Percy lived through dragged on until he turned twenty-three. He didn’t finish college, though Annabeth did. He didn’t see the point--he just wanted to go home to his mom and little sister.  He’d help with CHB, probably. Annabeth was with him. He was...he was going to be fine. Eventually.

And, for awhile, he was. He and Annabeth got married. They had a pregnancy scare. He helped kids get to-and-from camp and their families for the holidays, or for the school year, or for the first journey to camp. He cleaned the rivers and oceans for nonprofits and charities. He hung out with friends and loved his sisters (a set of twins named Lily and Kendra Andrews turned up at age eleven, three years younger than Estelle).

Estelle took over for Rachel right around that point, becoming the new Oracle of Delphi, and he was visiting her in her little den-space in the cave when...it happened.

It was a curse, of some kind, dredged up by a group of campers excavating an underground tunnel, connected to Bunker 9. Whatever the specifics were he was never told and didn’t really feel like asking, but the most basic run down was zombies.

Estelle with her lack of training didn’t stand a chance, no matter how hard Percy tried to protect her.

He didn’t go back to camp for a long time after that.

He only returned, six years later, to meet his newest half-brother Dylan Fisher.

Chaos himself then decided to fuck with everything.

Now Percy was forty-two.

His baby sister was dead, and so were a lot of his friends. His mother’s heart had given out not too long ago. Annabeth had died in a minor quest for information, three months ago, a mere errand that Hecate could have done herself.

He was expecting to die during this war. He was ready for it, whether it came from the swirly-thing that was currently dragging him from the couch or if it came in some epic final battle.

Percy Jackson was done.

~~~

Perseus Jackson was bewildered at the sharp left turn his life had taken.

His mom was killed by the minotaur--the very same minotaur from Ancient Greece--and his dad is a god, and his best friend is half-goat. The cam he was at was full of other demigod children of the Greek gods. Zeus blamed him for the thievery of his master bolt. Percy wasn’t even supposed to have been born.

He wasn’t able to sleep in the big, empty cabin after nearly dying from a hellhound and being claimed by Poseidon only a few hours before.

That was when a swirling...something appeared in the middle of the room, very quickly pulling him towards it.

Percy grabbed onto the sheets, trying to grab something heavier, but being unable before he was pulled in.

~~~

Persephone Jackson was extremely irritated at the newest (most likely) godly interference in her life.

She’d done her time--first with the Titans, and then with the giants. Her plans include finishing high school and going to college with her girlfriend, not this black-hole thing in her bedroom.

“Annabeth!” she cried out, desperately reaching for her across the bed.

“Perci-” Annabeth called back, waking abruptly.

The last thing she saw was Paul and her mother throwing open her bedroom door, and Annabeth’s outstretched hand. 

She was really fed up with all this godly stuff.

~~~

Delora Jackson wasn’t quite ready the newest adventure standing in her way.

Not that she had terribly many quests, like Thalia and Luke and Beckendorf and Katie and even the mortal Oracle of Delphi Samantha. The largest claim to fame Lora had was that her best friend was part of the Argo II quest, and that she had been a key player in a few of the battles with the Roman Emperors.

Her mom--that was, her “godly” (she was technically a nereid, not a goddess) mom--had invited her to the bottom of the ocean for a party of some kind. Lora had just finished hailing good-bye to her (technical stepfather) Uncle Poseidon, and kissed her mom’s cheek at the door when the portal opened up.

Her mother reached for her with the strength of the entire ocean, and Lora reached back. For a moment she thought her mother would save her. The next she was gone.

~~~

Percy Jackson was not ready to be on his very own quest, despite how much he acted like he might be.

It was easy to put on a front like he knew what he was doing. That was kinda the whole point of being a mortal that could see through the Mist, especially one that became the first known male Oracle of Delphi and the first living one since WWII.

He had actually only had a total of three lessons (two in archery, by Apollo himself, and one in swords) in weapons training. The closest he came to actually fighting came when he threw a half-empty water bottle at the Titan Lord Kronos.

In honesty, he probably was taking the news of Greek gods, and the subsequent war with the titans, and the appointment of Oracle, and being handed a baby girl only a few weeks later by Apollo who Percy knows he never slept with because he was the Oracle and wasn’t allowed.

He was somewhat managing.

A five-month-old was a lot to deal with but he honest-to-gods was. His mom and step-dad helped a lot, as well as a lot of the demigod campers. He loved Clara with all his heart, even when he was only getting to bed at who-knows-it’s-dark o’clock.

That’s when a portal-thing opened in front of him.

He fervently prayed to Apollo that he wouldn’t let anything happen to their little girl while Percy was gone.

~~~

Bianca di Angelo did not need anything else adding to the current quest that she was on.

There was the Greek campers trying to kill her, Nico, Hazel, Gleeson, Dina, Elanor, and Robert. There were Roman campers after Eleanor and Robert for deserting. The Greeks and Romans were going after each other. When the gods weren’t incapacitated by the migraines, most tried to kill the two children of Hades in a vain attempt to postpone the war. Kronos was possessing Margery and gathering his forces.

The portal that began pulling her in while she sat watch with Dina was really unwelcomed. There was nothing she could do to stop it, even as she twisted for her spear.

Damn her luck.

~~~

Peter Johnson had a fairly regular life that he was personally very happy with.

He was a marine biologist, his wife was a wonderful scuba diving instructor named Sabrina, and he had two kids. He wasn’t religious, though his father came from a heavily Lutheran background. He had a mortgage and a bichon.

A bichon dog that, in the middle of the night, woke him and Sabrina up by flipping out for seemingly no reason.

Well, no reason until what Peter could only describe as multiple portals opened up and dumped people into the room. About five or six, from what Peter could tell between all the yelling, barking, and salt-water pouring out from one of the...things.

That was one way to wake up, he supposed.

[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.

[dumbledearme]

chapter thirty-seven—a kind act

read Child of Land and Sea here

Act IV — To Stop The Tide

Part XII — Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am, but none of them will ever love you the way I do, it's me and you.

That night was the first time Andy saw camp burial shrouds used on bodies, and it was not something she wanted to see again. Among the dead, Lee Fletcher from the Apollo cabin, and Castor, a son of Dionysus. His twin brother, Pollux, tried to say a few words, but he choked.

They spent the night treating the wounded, which was almost everybody. The satyrs and dryads worked to repair the damage to the woods.

The next morning there was a meeting of the Council of Cloven Elders. The three senior satyrs were there, along with Chiron, who would be confined to his wheelchair until his leg was mended. Juniper, Anthony and Andy stood by Grover's side.

They described the weird sound Grover had made during the battle. "It was panic," Juniper said. "Grover summoned the power of the wild god."

"Panic?" Andy asked.

Chiron explained, "During the first war of the gods and the Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry that scared away the enemy armies. It was his greatest power – a massive wave of fear that helped the gods win the day. The word panic is named after Pan, you see. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself."

"Preposterous!" Silenus bellowed. "Sacrilege! Perhaps the wild god favored us with a blessing. Or perhaps Grover's music was so awful it scared the enemy away."

"Pan let his spirit pass into all of us," Grover said very calmly. "We must act. Each of us must work to renew the wild, to protect what's left of it. We must spread the word. Pan is dead. There is no one but us."

"After two thousand years of searching, this is what you would have us believe?" Silenus cried. "Never! We must continue the search. Exile the traitor. A vote. Who would believe this ridiculous young satyr?"

"I would," said a familiar voice. Everyone turned. Dionysus walked into the clearing and the grief was plain in his face. "I bare bad news. Evil news. The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy. Hecate, Janus and Nemesis, as well. Zeus knows how many more. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to hear Grover's story."

"But my lord!" Silenus protested. "It's just nonsense!"

Dionysus's eyes flared with purple fire. "My son is dead, Silenus. I am not in a good mood. You would do well to humor me."

Silenus swallowed and Grover repeated his tale.

"That sounds like just the sort of thing Pan would do," Dionysus decided at last. "Grover is right. The search is tiresome. You must start thinking for yourselves."

"We must exile the traitor!" Silenus insisted.

"I say no," Dionysus countered.

"This is an outrage!" Silenus stood. "The council will not stand for this."

"Then it shall be dissolved," Dionysus said. "I couldn't care less."

The satyrs murmured uncomfortably.

"It's okay," Grover told them. "We don't need a council to tell us what to do. We can figure it out ourselves."

He told them again the words of Pan and, finally, the satyrs started to listen.

That afternoon, Andy found Tyson at the beach talking to Briares. Tyson was giving Briares directions to the forges. "You will teach us ways we have forgotten, how to make better weapons and armor."

"I want to see Cyclopes," Briares said. "I don't want to be lonely anymore."

"You will never be lonely again," Andy assured him.

He smiled and shook her hand about a hundred times. He and hugged Tyson, then he waded out into the ocean.

"You helped him a lot," Andy told Tyson.

"I only talked to him."

"No. You believed in him. That's what kept Pan alive all these years. That's what gave Briares strength. Without him, we would've died."

"Hey," a voice said from behind her. Andy turned to find Nico. Tyson walked away sensibly. "Came to say goodbye," the boy told her.

"What? But... you can't just leave! It's too dangerous out there. You need to train."

"I train with the dead," he said flatly. "This camp isn't for me. There's a reason they didn't put a cabin to Hades here. He's not welcome, any more than he is on Olympus. I don't belong. I have to go."

Andy wanted to argue, but she knew it would do no good. "Are you leaving right now?"

Nico nodded. "I've got tons of questions. I need to find out who my mother was. Who paid for Bianca and me to go to school. Who was the lawyer guy who got us out of the Lotus Hotel. I know nothing about my past."

"Well, I hope you find out. And I hope," she took his hand, his skin as cold as ice, "we don't have to be enemies."

The boy smiled faintly. "I'm sorry I was a brat. You were right about everything."

"Keep in touch, Nico."

Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and trudge off into the woods.

Then another voice right behind her said, "There goes a very troubled young man." Dionysus was standing there. "Walk with me, Jackson." Without a choice, Andy followed him back to camp. "We have had many betrayals," he said. "Things are not looking good for Olympus. Yet you and Chase saved the camp. I'm not sure I should thank you for that."

"It was a group effort."

The god shrugged. "Regardless, I suppose it was mildly competent, what you two did. I thought you should know – it wasn't a total loss." They reached the amphitheater, and Dionysus pointed toward the campfire. Clarisse was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Chris Rodriguez. He was telling her a joke.

"You cured him," Andy whispered.

"Madness is my specialty. It was quite simple."

"Wow. You did something nice."

Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "I am nice! I just don't like you in particular, Jackson."

"Uh-"

"Perhaps I felt grieved by my son's death. He was a good boy. Perhaps I thought Rodriguez over there deserved a second chance. At any rate, it seems to have improved La Rue's mood."

"Why are you telling me this?"

The wine god sighed. "Hades if I know. Just remember, a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet. I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now, I say. Maybe it'll be the same with you."

"People don't laugh at me!"

"Well, you certainly aren't very smart or strong or a great poet, Jackson. But you've got guts. So maybe you'll still have a chance. Sometimes small things can become very large indeed." And he left her there, watching as Clarisse and Chris sang a stupid campfire song together, holding hands in the darkness.

Andy smiled. There was someone else she needed to talk to.

She found him inside the Athena cabin, leaning over a table, studying Daedalus's laptop. "I hear you're going back to San Francisco," she said. When he raised his head, her heart raced.

"There's a private school out there that I'll be going to," he said. "I'll probably hate it, but..." he shrugged.

"Will you call me?"

It was a simple question, but the effect it had on him was great indeed. It was as if a huge burden had left him, and he was finally able to smile again. He was finally back to his normal self.

"Sure," he said. "Andy... I'm sorry I was such a jerk."

Andy frowned. "What was the rest of the prophecy?" she asked. He fixed his eyes on the table and didn't answer. Andy stepped forward. "You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze," she remembered. "The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise."

Anthony shook his head, like he wanted her to stop.

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," she pressed on. "And the son of Athena's final stand-"

"Andy-"

She was so close now he couldn't avoid looking at her. "Destroy with a hero's final breath..."

"And lose a love to worse than death," he finished in a painful whisper. "I didn't know who the prophecy was talking about. I... I didn't know if-" his voice faltered. "Andy, I thought it meant you. And I was a jerk because I was trying to push you away. I was trying to prepare myself. And when you disappeared in Ogygia, I thought... Then you weren't dead, and I had to prepare myself all over again."

Andy pressed her forehead on his. "I'm sorry," she said. "About everything. About Luke."

"Somehow I'm glad it was him," he said softly. "After you were back... Did you mean what you said?"

Andy smiled. "Yes."

"Good," and he kissed her.

Everything was perfect until Hera decided to appear. She cleared her throat and they turned to look at her. "You found the answers," she told Anthony. "I knew you would. Your quest was a success."

"A success?" Anthony repeated. "A lot of people died. How is that-"

"Our family is safe," Hera insisted. "Those others are better gone, my dear. I am proud of you."

"You paid Geryon to let us pass through the ranch," Andy guessed. "But you didn't care about Nico."

"Oh, please," Hera waved her hand dismissively. "The son of Hades said it himself. No one wants him around. He does not belong."

"Hephaestus was right," Andy said. "You only care about your perfect family, not real people. Whoever doesn't fit, needs to be put out."

Hera's eyes turned dangerously bright. "Watch yourself, child of land and sea. I guided you more than you know in the maze. I helped Anthony kill Geryon. I was at your side when you faced Antaeus. I sent you to Calypso's island. I opened the way to the Titan's mountain. Anthony sees how I've helped. So now, I would welcome a sacrifice for my efforts."

Anthony stood still as a statue. "You're the one who doesn't belong, Hera. So next time, thanks... but, no thanks."

Hera's form began to glow. "You will regret this insult, son of Athena," and she disappeared.

When her birthday arrived Sally threw Andy a small party at their apartment. Paul Blofis came over (Chiron had manipulated the Mist to convince everyone, including Paul, that Andy had nothing to do with the band room explosion), and so did Anthony and Tyson.

Andy was getting ready to blow out the candles when the doorbell rang. Sally frowned. "Did you invite anyone else?" Andy shook her head. Sally opened the door and gasped.

Poseidon stood there. Sally blushed right to the roots of her hair. "Sally," he said. "As beautiful as ever. May I come in?" She mumbled something and he walked inside.

Paul stepped forward. "Hi. I'm Paul Blofis."

Poseidon raised his eyebrows as they shook hands. "Blowfish, you say?"

"Ah, no. Blofis, actually."

"Oh, I see," Poseidon said. "A shame. I quite like blowfish. I am Poseidon."

"Like the god of the sea?"

"Very much like that, yes."

"We're so glad you could drop by," Sally said, nervously. "Paul, this is Andy's father."

"Ah," Paul nodded. "Of course."

Poseidon smiled at Andy. "There you are, my girl. And Anthony. And Tyson! Hello, son!"

"Daddy!" Tyson bounded across the room and hugged the sea god.

Paul's jaw dropped. "Tyson is—"

"Not mine," Sally promised. "It's a long story."

"I couldn't very well miss Andy's seventeenth birthday," Poseidon said. "I've missed all the others." He looked around the room. "Sally, Paul, Anthony, Tyson... would you mind if I borrowed Andy just for a moment?" He put his arm around her and steered her into the kitchen.

Once they were alone, his smile faded. "Are you all right, child?"

"Yeah. I guess," she considered. "Is Luke really gone?"

"I don't know, Andy. It is most disturbing." Poseidon looked troubled. "There is something different about Luke. I don't know how he was prepared to host the Titan's soul, but he will not be easily killed. And yet, I fear he must be killed if we are to send Kronos back to the pit. I will have to think on this. Unfortunately, I have other problems of my own."

"The old sea gods?"

"Indeed. The battle came first to me, Andy. In fact, I cannot stay long. Even now the ocean is at war with itself. It is all I can do to keep hurricanes and typhoons from destroying your surface world, the fighting is so intense."

"Let me help."

Poseidon smiled. "Not yet, child. I sense you will be needed here. Which reminds me..." He brought out a sand dollar and pressed it into her hand. "Your birthday present. Spend it wisely."

"A sand dollar?"

"Oh, yes. In my day, you could buy quite a lot with a sand dollar. I think you will find it still buys a lot, if used in the right situation."

"What situation?"

"When the time comes," Poseidon said, "I think you'll know."

Andy closed her hand around the sand dollar. "Dad," she said. "I saw what Antaeus did in your name."

Poseidon nodded. "Lesser beings do many horrible things in the name of the gods. That does not mean we approve it. The way our sons and daughters act in our names... well, it usually says more about them than it does about us. Antaeus was mistaken. I think you might be, perhaps, my favorite child."

Andy smiled. "You shouldn't say that."

Then her mother called from the living room, "Andy, the candles are melting!"

"You'd better go," Poseidon said. "One last thing. That incident at Mount St Helens... The eruptions are continuing. Typhon is stirring. It is very likely that soon, in a few months, perhaps a year at best, he will escape his bonds."

"I'm so sorry. I never meant-"

Poseidon raised his hand. "It is not your fault, Andy. It would've happened sooner or later, with Kronos awakening the ancient monsters. But be aware, if Typhon stirs... it will be unlike anything you have faced before. The first time he appeared, all the forces of Olympus were barely enough to battle him. My fatherly advice is... keep the sea free."

They ate blue cake and ice cream until late in the night. After the party guests left and Sally went to bed, Andy grabbed another piece of cake and sat out onto the fire escape.

Nico appeared out of thin air. Andy almost fell backwards. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"What are you doing here?"

"I've done some exploring," he said. "Thought you'd like to know. Daedalus got his punishment."

"You saw him?"

He nodded. "Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for eternity, but my father had other ideas. Daedalus will be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for all time. It'll help ease the traffic congestion. Truthfully, I think the old guy is pretty happy with that. He's still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix on the weekends."

"Good."

Nico tapped a silver ring shaped like a skull. Andy was sure he never wore it before. "I've found some things. I want to make you an offer, Andy Jackson." He said that in this weird, formal way, like he was about to propose to her or something.

"What?"

"The way to beat Luke," he said. "If I'm right, it's the only way you'll stand a chance."

Andy took a deep breath. "I'm listening."

"Is that blue birthday cake?" Nico asked suddenly. He sounded so hungry, so wistful.

"Sit down, Death Boy," she said handing him the plate. "We've got lots to talk about."

End of Act IV

[emrysthemerlin]

PJO Headcannons

Nico and some of his childhood. Nico only remembers what people have told him or shown him of his childhood, the result of his father having him and Bianca's memories washed in the Lethe. He doesn't remember but he met two gods, excluding his father, before he even knew what a demigod was. He was seven when he met Poseidon. Maria Di Angelo was not a fool she knew it would be impossible to take Bianca and Nico out of Nazi controlled Italy on a plane as that would have been as deadly as getting caught sneaking out of the country. So she paid off the Captain of a merchant vessel to sneak her and her children aboard. She was sure to pay special respects to Poseidon to try and get them all across the ocean alive. But she was a bit too obvious, because she read up on how the ancient Greeks used to do it and got it too right. Poseidon boarded the ship, curious and found a seven year old Nico peeking over the rails at the water below. He stopped him from falling in and ensured that they would have a safe journey across the ocean. He is not fond of killing children, even if they are his brothers and besides that they had done nothing wrong. He considers it a gamble that has paid off in spades since Nico was released from the Lotus Casino, as Percy would not have survived without Nico multiple times. The other god Nico met was Apollo who sought Nico out but did his best not to be obvious about it. Apollo didn't have a whole lot to do during World War Two because art and music and the like took a sharp decline due to the war. So to entertain himself he would pose as a mortal and play an instrument on street corners. Just for fun. He did this to meet the young son of Hades whom he knew would be very important later in his life. Nico stayed and listened to Apollo play for an entire song which endeared Apollo to Nico quite a bit as almost no one stopped and listened during those days. This is part of why Apollo approves so openly of Will and Nico because no matter what Nico knows, somewhere deep down, that it's important to stop and listen every once in a while. Also Apollo feels like he beat both Poseidon and Zeus because Nico chose his son over theirs.