#jasico prompt

[yonemurishiroku]

Jasico Amnesia AU in which Jason lost his memories/ is manipulated, turns against them, even forgets Nico as his important person, and only gains his memory back when Nico's dead in his arms.

[jasico-challenges]

Have you ever heard of Jasico Challenges?

We're a blog that host creative challenges open to all kinds of media and ages. The theme of our events is Jasico, the romantic pairing between Jason Grace and Nico di Angelo on the Riordanverse.

We've had prompt weeks, a gift exchange and a bingo challenge and have plans for future events! We want to continue providing you with these amazing events that spread the Jasico love, but we need people!

Share this post to get the word out to Jasico creators who still don't know about us, and while you're at it, fill out our Interest Form, in which you can inform me about your participation this semester so I feel like we're ready for another event and suggest new challenge ideas.

I'll be so happy if you contribute, I really want to host another Jasico event, but I need some kind of support from the participants, after all, I'm doing all of this for you guys! Love you all! ♥♥♥

[jankwritten]

Jasico Bingo Challenge: Cuddles

“I wouldn’t call that cuddling,” Nico says, arms crossed defensively over his chest. “I would call it sitting near one another.” 

Across the infirmary, awaiting medical attention from the busy Apollo kids, Annabeth rolls her eyes. “He had his arm around you.” 

“You put your arm around me all the time,” Nico rebuts. 

“You were leaning on him!” 

“I was tired!” 

Annabeth slumps sideways in her cot and stares at him, unimpressed. 

Nico refuses to budge. Cuddling is not resting your head on someone when they offer to let you nap on them! Cuddling is, like, prolonged, sideways hugging, or something. He and Jason do not cuddle, and even if they did (which they do not!) they wouldn’t do it at the campfire, for Hera’s sake. 

“Fine,” Annabeth concedes without averting her intimidating gaze. “What about when you two took a nap under Thalia’s Pine? That was definitely cuddling.” 

Heat rises up to Nico’s ears. He turns around to face the countertop, littered with empty bandaid packaging and unportioned nectar. “It was not, and you’re weird for remembering that.” 

“You’re weird for refusing to admit you like cuddling with Jason,” Annabeth says. She’s long since perfected that I’m right, you’re wrong, shut up tone, the one that makes Nico bristle. 

“How does that make me weird?” he grumbles, slicing even squares into the pan of nectar. “I spent the last, like, four years of my life doing everything I could to avoid human contact. How is it weird that I wouldn’t want to admit to something like that.” 

For a few moments, Nico almost mistakes Annabeth’s silence for a victory. He finishes with the nectar and turns back around, ready to gloat and everything, and is instead met with the worst possible thing: Annabeth Chase wearing her planning face. 

“No,” he says immediately, putting a hand out, as if he can physically ward off whatever bullshit he’s about to get dragged into. “No.” 

“I think we need an outside opinion.” 

“I think you’re concussed, do not go spreading my personal business to camp!” 

“Not camp,” Annabeth flaps her hand at him, and does not refute the concussed accusation. “But definitely some trusted individuals, who have insight into your cuddling habits.” 

“I’m not above getting on my knees and begging you to drop this,” Nico says. He’s fully serious. He will do it. Anything to stop this from going any further, anything. 

Annabeth glances him up and down, like she’s sizing up how serious he might be. 

He clasps his hands together. 

She flops back in the cot. “Nope. I’m too invested now. I think I’ll ask Hazel, first-” 

“Dude-” 

“-and then Connor, he knew you when you were a baby, he’ll have some good insight.” 

Nico buries his face in his hands and groans. 

Annabeth Chase gets her concussion treated, then turns around and runs back to her cabin to draft an honest to the gods survey to hand out to what she deems as a trusted, reputable group. 

Any group with Connor Stoll and Percy Jackson in it is anything but reputable, in Nico’s mind. As soon as he hears that Annabeth’s really gone off the freaking deep end about this, he finds the darkest corner of camp and hunkers down to hide. 

The best thing to do when Annabeth’s got an idea? Weather it. She’ll either find her own solution, or she’ll lose interest. Nico hopes, for his reputation's sake, she doesn’t get any further than the distribution. 

Upside to this shitshow: Nico has time to clean his cabin, finally. A valid reason to tell Will that he genuinely cannot come do archery practice today, a valid reason to kick any and everyone off his porch, lock his doors, and play CDs on his radio as loud as he can tolerate. 

It is, unfortunately, one of his most productive days as of late, and as Nico lays on his newly-swept floor, sweaty but satisfied, he almost forgets the whole situation occurring at the hands of one stubborn daughter of Athena. 

Almost. 

“Nico?” 

Three knocks on the cabin door. 

“I can hear your music, I know you’re in there. If you want me to go away, that’s totally fine, I just- y’know, want to make sure you’re okay. I’ll leave you alone in a minute.” 

Nico rolls over, squishing his face into the hardwood for one deeply satisfying moment. Then, with all the reluctance of a man who is going to face embarrassment head on, he pulls himself up and trudges to the door. 

Jason, at the very least, has the decency to look worried rather than amused. He’s got his hands in the pockets of his shorts, his head tilted off to the side, his glasses off-center like they always are. He’s frowning, kind of. He looks like Mrs. O’Leary when Nico tricks her into thinking he’s got a treat for her. 

“I’m alive,” he says, as dry as he can manage. The CD skips. 

“That’s good,” Jason says. “I, uh, hear Annabeth’s keeping herself occupied.” 

Nico’s temple pulses with something not-quite-achey, but nearly there. 

“Just- come in,” he huffs, stepping aside. Dammit. “If anyone’s going to explain it, I would really rather rip the stupid bandaid off.” 

“Laughing at me feels kind of insulting, going to be honest,” Nico mutters while Jason hunches over himself, cradling his stomach, downright howling. 

“She’s- She’s up in arms- about cuddling!?” 

“I don’t know! I don’t know, Percy’s stupid bullshit is rubbing off on her and she’s losing braincells, Jason, she’s losing her mind. We need to find something new for her to build so she stops trying to instigate shit in my private life!” 

Jason slumps sideways onto the floor, half-laughing, half-panting. His leg presses solidly to Nico’s like this, sitting side by side against his bed. 

Nico turns his head up and away and forces himself not to notice. 

“She just cares about you,” Jason says. He stays down. Nico can practically feel how hard Jason’s heart is pumping from all that laughter. 

Jerk. 

“She cares about drama,” Nico says, though he knows it’s not totally true. Piper has gotten her more involved in the social life of camp, which is a good thing, really. Nico thinks it’s really cool that Annabeth has been able to come out of her own shell, after spending her whole life trying to prove herself, trying to be above everything, better than, the best. 

But does she have to do it at his expense? 

He rubs his hands over his face and sighs. 

Jason sits back up. 

“Are you really that upset about this?” he asks, his voice softened into a tone Nico got used to hearing in the days post-Cupid, the tone of a hero. “I know it’s still hard for you, to be comfortable and everything-” 

“I’m not upset about it,” Nico says. Admitting it makes his cheeks flush, but it’s the truth, and Jason has more than earned that with him. “I’m just…embarrassed.” 

“Awe, why’s it embarrassing? I mean, I get from your perspective, y’know, why you might find that embarrassing, but even if taking naps and stuff is cuddling, it’s not like it’s hurting anything,” Jason says. Then, softer, maybe hesitant, he adds, “right?” 

Nico’s heart tugs annoyingly into his ribs. “It’s not hurting anything, Jason, I’m not…I don’t know. I just feel a lot of things, I guess? And it’s a lot of, like, I-I don’t know how to react, when people poke fun at something I’m still- still getting comfortable with. I like being comfortable with you.” He pokes at the rips in his jeans and continues to ignore how much of Jason is pressed up against his side, how natural it feels to just sit with him like this. 

“I like that you like being comfortable with me,” Jason says, his own version of teasing, though one that Nico knows and understands and likes. He knows that Jason’s reassuring him by prodding at him like that. 

The next track on his CD starts to play—Jason turned the volume down, but didn’t shut it all the way off. They’re both too awkward in pure silence, but sitting together when there’s other background noise that means they don’t necessarily have to talk has become a staple of their hang-outs. There’ve been many an afternoon where Nico sets up on the floor of the Zeus cabin with his new, growing Mythomagic collection, while Jason sketches out temples at his desk. 

They’re so comfortable around one another, nowadays. 

Nico brings his knees up and nestles his chin on them, frowning at the opposite wall. 

Are they maybe too comfortable? If other people are starting to look at them interacting and put weird labels like cuddling on it? Isn’t cuddling something people who like each other do, anyway? Friends don’t cuddle. 

Nico feels his ears burn hot at the implication. Is that what Annabeth was trying to say? Does she think Nico likes Jason? 

He brings his arms up to cover his mouth. He chews on his lip. 

…does, Nico like Jason? 

 (to be continued) 

[mini-anne]

[coffees4sleepy]

Early post

Day 4 of Jasico Week; Highschool/ College Au

It’s pretty ambiguous which one it is, but I just wanted to draw Jason info dumping while studying. Made sense in my brain. I also didn’t draw Nico’s jacket because that’s like all I draw him in and it was getting boring.

[rowan-r-ridley]

jasico fanart idea: them as serirei / in a mob psycho 100 AU? 😳

and a more generic prompt— the both of them stargazing together!

IM SO

SORRY

FOR THE DELAY OMG *sobs* but, yes, I haven't been at my best these past few months.

not me thinking that it would be a good idea to try perspective drawing for the first time.

I haven't seen mob pyscho yet u-u

AND I FORGOT ONE DRAWING NOOO kdnkjbfd i apologize

*proceeds to continue drawing*

[thefuzzzz]

Jasico Bingo challenge!!

Prompt: Mythomagic

Nico's silvery laughter filled the vacant Zeus cabin as he put down another card, effectively winning the game with room to spare.

Jason groaned for the hundredth time, only making Nico's laughter swell.

Usually, Jason would complain about Nico's competitiveness, but he hadn't heard him laugh like that in months, so he let it slide.

Winters were hard for Nico. Not only was the world riddled with death and incredibly overstimulating for someone alerted of every death in his vicinity, but it was also close to the death of his sister.

Jason decided to smile and let his bragging go on. "I don't get it," Jason said, adjusting his glasses, "how do you keep winning?"

Nico shrugged. "I guess you just suck."

"Am I better than Frank?"

Nico laughed, not answering. He chewed his lip before examining his winning cards and the ones Jason lost with.

Nico scooted next to him, allowing Jason to snake an arm around him. Touching Nico was like petting a cat, it would either bite, run, or let you be. Jason was happy to confirm it was the last option this time around.

"You're too focused on offense. You don't have any defensive cards in play. Show me your hand," Nico said fast, the Italian in him making no room for a break between sentences.

Jason held out his palm. Nico laughed, earning a confused look. "No, I meant the cards in your hand. Not your actual hand," he chuckled, letting his hand fall over Jason's. He didn't intertwine their fingers but instead played absently with Jason's hand.

Jason provided Nico with a clear sight of the cards he had in his left hand. His deck wasn't as elaborate as Nico's, as it was comprised mostly of borrowed and new cards, but it was enough to at least compete with him a little.

"You should've played your siren when you played the Poseidon. They can offer you defense for three turns and you could've played your hydra afterward," he said, examining the cards.

Jason didn't understand half of what he said, but he nodded anyway. He liked it when Nico talked. You could practically see the years of trauma and turmoil melt off him as he babbled about his favorite game. He looked like a normal teenager, aside from his collection of scars and bruises that constantly littered his pale skin.

After a few more rounds and slightly less harrowing losses on Jason's part—which he was undoubtedly proud of—the sun began to set.

Jason could tell he was actually improving at the game. He got close to beating Nico several times before Nico checked his phone and sighed.

"Alright, one more round, then I'm going back to my cabin. Make it a good one," Nico laughed hollowly. It was the kind of laugh he did to fill gaps between words and make himself less threatening. Jason wished he knew he didn't have to do that around him.

They each threw down their first god cards, Jason with Boreas and Nico with Demeter.

Pretty soon, the game looked like it was about to be a tie. Jason, desperate to win at least once, devised his plan.

Nico had made a rule early on that if you fully remove a card from your hand, even if you choose not to play it or even set it down, you had to play it. The only expectation was if the text was small and you were moving it closer to read it.

So, as Jason watched Nico smile, putting his hand on a card that might make or break his final move, he came up with his plan.

Right as Nico was swapping his hand between two cards, Jason leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.

Nico jumped, pulling his hand away from his deck, the card still between his fingers.

His face turned red quickly, contrasting his dark hair violently. He stared at Jason, mouth open in a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"You unbelievable jerk," Nico laughed, staring at the card as if it had personally slaughtered his whole family.

Jason practically cackled as Nico slammed down Bounties Harvest, possibly the worst card in the game.

"You're such a cheater!" Nico laughed. He sounded much younger than than usual. His typical aloof and unbothered nature got lost as he pointed his finger at the perpetrator.

Jason moved his army forward, finally winning the game. He moved Nico's HP tracker to zero for him, practically having to wipe tears out of his eyes from the laughter.

"I'm never playing mythomagic with you again," Nico said through laughs.

"We both know that isn't true."

"Don't test it blondie."

I also posted this on AO3:

My card:

[ssavinggrace]

day one, prompt 1: nightmare

💀⚡️-jasico bingo challenge 2024-⚡️💀

@jasico-challenges

[thaliagrayce]

Tactical Improvisation

Link: ao3 Pairing: Jason Grace/Nico di Angelo Fandom: Percy Jackson & the Olympians Tags: Canon Divergence - Cupid Scene AU, Humor

Word Count: 3,057

Summary:

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nico interrupted, stance and voice defiant. He held his sword at the ready as dust and wind whipped around him. Jason tried to vault over a column that had collapsed in between the two of them, but a fresh clump of rubble was hurled his way by the invisible god when he got too close to it. YES YOU DO, SON OF— “Jason already knows I’m gay.”

(or; Nico and Jason follow the rules of improv and "yes, and—" their way into a different outcome in Split.)

“Enough games!” Nico shouted at the invisible god, anger and pain writ plain across his face. “Show yourself!”

Jason kept his eyes open, desperate for any hint of where Cupid might be hiding in these ruins. As it had every time, the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. How were they supposed to get Diocletian’s Scepter from this guy if he didn’t ever show his face?

POOR NICO DI ANGELO. The god’s voice was tinged with disappointment. YOU LIE TO EVEN YOURSELF. HOW DO YOU EXPECT—

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nico interrupted, stance and voice defiant. He held his sword at the ready as dust and wind whipped around him. Jason tried to vault over a column that had collapsed in between the two of them, but a fresh clump of rubble was hurled his way by the invisible god when he got too close to it.

YES YOU DO, SON OF—

“Jason already knows I’m gay.”

Several emotions washed over Jason in succession, too quickly for him to place any of them. They left behind a lingering sense of panic. What? He wanted to look over at Nico, but that would give away the ruse. If they were to avoid angering the god further, Jason had to appear as if none of this was new to him. He kept his face straight as he tried (and failed) to ignore the confused and confusing squirming in his gut. This is no big deal, he tried to tell himself.

But was it? Nico probably wasn’t the first gay person Jason had met, was he? Nobody else came to mind, but that really wasn’t saying a lot. Nothing came to mind for the first fifteen and a half years of Jason’s life. He’d probably met another person—gods nonwithstanding—who liked the same sex, so this nervous excitement was completely irrational.

WHAT.

Oh, right. The quest. A god had just been lied to, and Jason needed to help sell the lie if the two of them wanted to get out of here unscathed. He wasn’t the world’s best liar, but Cupid was being real pushy. The first thing Jason had ever known for certain about himself after waking up on that bus was that he hated bullies.

“He told me.” Jason dodged a falling piece of rubble that had been teetering on top of a nearby pillar. Other than that, the battlefield had mostly calmed down. “I already knew.” Jason was sweaty. He didn’t know if it was the normal amount of mid-battle sweatiness.

YOU WHAT?

If Cupid stayed confused and kept talking, Jason and Nico could probably pinpoint where he was and get close to him without having to dodge monster arrows and rocks the size of kitchen appliances. Jason just had to keep him talking.

“Why are you being so weird about this? I never thought you would be a homophobe.”

The ground shuddered, and for a second, Jason thought that what he said had upset Nico. He’d seen the crack outside the dining pavilion at Camp Half Blood that Nico made when he got too upset, so he knew that Nico was more than capable of causing tremors. When Jason looked over, though, his questing partner looked almost exactly like he always did—serious expression, ready stance, black eyes alert and scanning the surroundings. The only hint that he might be under any sort of duress was that his face was paler than usual.

The weird squirming in Jason’s stomach came back. It made sense that Nico was gay, actually. He really was very pretty. It wasn’t a thought Jason had ever had before, but it was no less true for its novelty. His face wasn’t the type that you would see on polished magazines or blockbuster movies, but it had character. A unique sort of draw that made it hard to look away. Gay guys were supposed to be pretty, right?

The ground shook even harder, and both Jason and Nico stumbled.

HOMOPHOBE?!

Right. Jason tore his eyes away from Nico and fruitlessly tried to search for the now-probably-angry god.

“Yeah. You’re the only one making a big deal of this.” Nico’s voice had a bit of a waver to it that made Jason want to be over there to support him—like any good quest mate would—but he had to focus on other things right now. He could check up on Nico when they got back to the ship. Maybe they could actually have a conversation, get to know each other a bit. They were teammates now, after all.

The thought set off the squirming again.

YOU’RE LYING. YOU STILL HAVEN’T ACCEPTED YOURSELF, NICO DI ANGELO.

“I’m trying!” Nico snapped. The grass around his feet started to wilt and shrivel as his lip curled into a snarl. “Clearly! Isn’t this what you wanted? I told Jason. I’m making an effort.”

YOU CHOSE TO TELL THE ONLY PERSON ON THE SHIP LESS IN TOUCH WITH HIS EMOTIONS THAN YOURSELF.

Jason was momentarily blindsided by the sudden conversational pivot. For just a second, he was offended enough to forget he was speaking to a god.

“Wha— Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

PERFECT LITTLE SOLDIER, ALWAYS LIVING UP TO EVERYONE’S EXPECTATIONS. DO YOU KNOW YOUR OWN DESIRES, CHAMPION OF JUNO? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? MY BELOVED PSYCHE RISKED EVERYTHING IN THE NAME OF LOVE. IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO ATONE FOR HER LACK OF FAITH. AND YOU—WHAT HAVE YOU RISKED IN MY NAME?

“That’s not fair, I had my mind wiped.” The question shook him. Did he know what he wanted? He’d been going on autopilot basically since he woke up at the Grand Canyon, always thinking about the next step of the quest or what his friends needed. It had never seemed important to look inward. Other people came first, both in safety and in happiness. That was just how good leaders thought.

Wasn’t it?

“Lay off him,” Nico called out. “Weren’t you focused on me?”

YOU APPARENTLY DON’T NEED MY HELP, WHY SHOULD I FOCUS ON YOU?

“You call this help?”

SOMETIMES WE NEED TO CONFRONT OUT FAULTS IN ORDER TO KNOW OUR DESIRES.

“I’m fine, actually, sir.” Jason adjusted his grip on his sword. His hands were sweating. “I appreciate the offer, but there’s no need.”

SO YOU WILL STAY IN A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON LIES AND TRY TO CONVINCE YOURSELF INTO LOVE?

Cupid was being a jerk, but he had a point. Jason had never really felt at ease in his relationship with Piper. He’d chalked it up to butterflies, but maybe he was wrong. Were butterflies supposed to make you feel anxious?

“I have no truth to act as counterpoint. If you know of anything I could do to get my memories back, maybe—”

Jason was interrupted by wave after wave of visions. No, memories. He never saw himself, but he knew instinctively that they were his. They felt right, they slotted into place in a way that some of the stories he’d heard about his past exploits as Praetor never did.

*

He was sitting on top of a wardrobe and hugging his knees to his chest in a room lined with empty beds—the barracks in Camp Jupiter, he knew in a flash. He was alone in the room until the door creaked open and a boy—young man, maybe—stepped in, clearly looking for something. He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen and had dark brown wavy hair and medium brown skin. When he finally spotted Jason’s hiding place, his dark eyes softened in a gentle sort of smile.

Jason remembered this. He remembered this. He’d been up there because it was nearing Halloween and some of the older legionaries had taken over the barracks commons to watch a scary movie. They’d goaded him into staying with them for most of it, but he got up partway through with the excuse that he had to use the bathroom and just… stayed away. This young man was a legacy of Ceres named Hadi. He was a cool older kid, well-respected among his peers and widely admired by the younger legionnaires. And here he was, holding his hand out to eleven-year-old Jason Grace, who got scared by some dumb movie and hid on top of a wardrobe.

“Hey, Jason. Come on down from there, I need some help making scones.” He’d held Jason’s hand for stability when Jason flew down and squeezed it once before letting go. It had made Jason feel special to be singled out like this, even though he knew that Hadi was just doing it to make him feel better after the movie. He didn’t really need help with the scones, either—Hadi was probably the best baker in all of New Rome—but having something to do in a brightly-lit kitchen kept Jason’s mind off of the gory movie. He’d gotten batter on his cheek at some point and Hadi laughed when he pointed it out, his eyes all scrunched up and his smile radiant and—

Ba-thump, went Jason’s heart.

*

He was on the Field of Mars. The name came back to him the instant that he saw it sprawling before him, well-packed dirt and sporadic grass and a looming fortress that Jason somehow knew had been built just that morning. They were getting ready to play Siege, and Centurion Jason was instructing his troops on strategy for the game, but he kept stuttering and messing up.

Names of legionnaires came flooding back to Jason as he looked across the soldiers in his memory, but one stuck out in particular. Michael Kahale was a brand new recruit for the First Cohort and he was clearly paying attention when his commanding officer spoke, because Jason had never been more aware of someone’s eyes on him in his life. He accidentally looked Michael’s way again—dark eyes trained on him, dark hair just long enough to ruffle in the wind—and stumbled over his sentence. Some of the older legionnaires were starting to look concerned. This was incredibly out-of-character for Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, nearly longest-standing member of the legion.

Finally, Jason’s co-Centurion—Gwendolyn, her name was Gwendolyn—took mercy on him and took over the rest of the briefing. After it was done, she’d turned to him with concern.

“Are you feeling okay, Jason?”

Michael Kahale was still looking their way. Jason could feel the heat rise on his face and his heart trip in his chest. He managed some sort of response—the memory was murky—and took off flying to scout the enemy lines. Nobody could look at him up here, concerned colleagues or beautiful boys.

*

He woke up on a bus holding the hand of an objectively pretty girl and the biggest emotion he felt was confusion. He let go of her hand almost immediately, and evaded when she tried to take it back. The entire morning was confusing and he barely knew his own name and these two people that he’d never met before were claiming to be his best friends and all he knew for certain was that he didn’t belong here.

There was a boy along with them on the trip that rubbed Jason the wrong way instantly. He caught and held Jason’s attention. Later, Jason would put it down to battle senses and his instinct knowing a monster before he remembered that monsters existed, but for now…

Dylan was an arrogant jerk with a perfect smile and brilliant teeth. His hair was dark and curly and meticulously styled. He had a lean, athletic build that he wore in a way that made it clear he knew how to use the muscle he had—maybe part of some sports team or another, or maybe just active. Jason probably glared at him for longer than he needed to.

He didn’t care for Dylan a single bit, but still had one standout thought when the monster revealed his true form as a ventus: If angels could be evil, they would look exactly like this. The thought hadn’t struck Jason as strange at the time. He was starting to re-think that.

*

He was on a ship, surrounded by nothing but waves on either side. He faced the crow’s nest, where a boy stood by himself, looking out over the sea. His dark hair and too-big black shirt billowed around him in the wind. The boy was new here, and he was almost always alone. He intrigued Jason; why was he up there? Why had he gone on his quest alone? What motivated him to do something so dangerous? How did he survive?

Jason took a step into the air, and Nico di Angelo turned to look at him. Deep brown eyes flashed in the sunlight and Jason felt some sort of jolt in his gut, something he had written off as nerves about being so close to the son of Hades. The look on his face was guarded, like he expected the worst from Jason’s approach.

And that was the most novel part. Jason didn’t remember much, but he got the feeling he wasn’t used to having to work for someone’s attention and trust. Whether he liked it or not, a son of Jupiter drew the spotlight and the crowd. And yet, here was Nico. Alone. Guarded. Mistrustful.

Jason didn’t quite trust him yet, either, but he wanted to. Loneliness wasn’t unfamiliar to Jason, despite how frequently he was surrounded by people. He could see that same loneliness in Nico. He wanted to break through his guard, to be trusted. He wanted it with a ferocity he wasn’t used to.

It must have been something he was familiar with before his mind wipe, he’d thought at the time. Probably, he just liked making sure everyone on the team felt welcome. He dismissed any strange feelings and thoughts and kept moving, determined to actually hold a conversation this time.

*

“Okay!” Jason fought through the fog of memory, panic constricting his throat and making him too loud. “We’re caught up! I remember these memories now, Lord Cupid.”

LOVE DEMANDS HONESTY, BOY. HONESTY DEMANDS CLARITY. HAVE THESE MEMORIES GIVEN YOU CLARITY?

Jason glanced over at Nico, who turned out to be staring directly at him. His mouth was hanging open just a little bit. Jason snapped his eyes forward once again and had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t the only one who had seen that embarrassing movie reel of memories. It was great to know more about himself and his past, but Jason was starting to feel a little too known.

Oh gods, Nico had seen that last one.

Nothing to be done about it now but keep moving. Jason cleared his throat.

“Yes, Lord Cupid. I think I understand what you’re telling me.”

AND HOW WILL YOU EMBRACE THIS HONESTY?

Jason tried not to wince. “I… should probably break up with Piper, shouldn’t I?”

Cupid appeared right in front of him. He was beautiful—maybe not send his wife through harrowing trials because she dared to look upon his face beautiful, but strikingly pretty nonetheless—in a way that felt familiar. He had wavy black hair that reminded Jason of Hadi, and Michael Kahale’s attentive dark eyes, and a build that looked remarkably similar to Evil Dylan’s. Jason couldn’t manage to look at him for very long, and it had nothing to do with Cupid’s godly nature.

“That would be a good start, son of Jupiter.” He held out the scepter for Jason to take.

Nico picked his way toward them as the handoff took place, and Cupid turned his attention to him.

“Don’t think I believe your ruse, son of Hades. I let you off easy this time.”

The look Nico gave him wasn’t a glare, but it walked a razor wire to becoming one. “Your restraint is noted, Lord Cupid. May we go?”

Cupid snorted, obviously dissatisfied with that answer, but let it slide. “Yes, you may go. Remember my lessons, boys.” And in a puff of wind, he was gone. Jason was left alone in the ruins of a Roman palace with Nico di Angelo, who took a few steps closer to him.

That squirming in his gut was back.

Jason stared down at the scepter in his hands. It was longer than he had expected, about three feet of ivory with carvings so worn Jason couldn’t quite make out what they were originally intended to be. Three gold eagles held up a polished black orb that showed a distorted reflection of its surroundings. Jason studied the distended columns and his own warped face in favor of having to look anywhere else.

“That guy was an asshole,” Nico broke the tense silence. The derisive tone of voice and the words themselves were sudden and unexpected enough to startle a laugh out of Jason.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “he really was.” Jason looked at Nico’s reflection in the polished sphere on top of the scepter.

Dark, wavy hair. Big dark eyes. Lean but athletic build. He was shorter than Jason, which most of the other boys in the memory blast hadn’t been, but Jason thought he might actually like that better. And there was something more there, something about his bearing or the way he carried himself—Jason saw him standing alone on deck and he’d felt something resonate inside.

Not the line of thought to go down. He shook his head.

“Thank you for telling me. About yourself, I mean,” Jason clarified when Nico’s reflection in the scepter cocked its head. “That took a lot of courage, and I’m honored you trusted me enough to do it.”

“Yeah, well.” Nico shoved the toe of his boot into the gravel. “Sorry he took away your choice.”

Jason shrugged. “At least I know now.”

“Still,” Nico said.

“Still.” Jason finally looked up. Nico’s dark eyes were on him, as he knew they would be, but they looked almost… considering. Jason felt his face heat. “Back to the ship?” he suggested, holding out his hand.

Nico took it and grinned. His teeth were a little crooked and one of his canines stuck out, sharper than most people’s. The heat on Jason’s face spread to his ears.

“We’re going my way this time.” 

[lazarusphenomenon]

Jason grinned and waved at the trio. He found himself waving back instinctively, returning Jason’s smile with one of his own, not quite as wide or as charming; but just as sincere. If he were to squint hard enough he could make out the way Jason’s eyes crinkled at the corners with the force of his grin. He was too far away presently, but Nico’s familiar enough with all the details of his best friend’s face. In his mind’s eye he could clearly envision the disappearing act the scar above Jason’s upper lip had perfected.  The principal, Dr. Brunner, rolled up the mic, poking at it to test it like only a freak would. Nico grimaced at the sound. He prattled on and on about something that Nico immediately tuned out. It was infinitely more interesting to watch Lavinia sprint back and forth between the marching band and Drew.

entry for jasico week 2024 day 7. (alt prompt) sickness | rated e

first two chapters posted today. heed the tags and chapter warnings <3

[yonemurishiroku]

Thinking about Jason who has been pretending he's perfect, incredible, unstoppable, invincible for so long that he forgets the feelings of pain.

And then this time, when he just beat a monster or st, breathing hard but standing on numb legs and when the others are praising him as always, Nico - with his death sense, as usual - is the first one to grab him, yank hard at his jacket and freak out at his gaping wounds.

Bonus point if Nico's near crying whereas Jason's low-key deliriously grinning bc well. it feels nice to be cared for.

[butt-puncher]

Fuck it glep!nico and marge simpson!jason

[jasico-challenges]

Jasico Week 2024 prompts are now live!

It's finally the day to start producing on your fanworks! If you're new to Jasico Challenges, welcome! We're glad you're here! If you're a previous participant, we're so happy you're back!

Jasico Week 2024 is week-long, prompt based creative challenge that celebrates the ship between Nico di Angelo and Jason Grace. There are seven prompts, one for each day of the week. The prompt #1, Birthday, will be on July 1st, prompt #2, Body/Power Swap, will be on July 2nd, and so on.

Creators can produce any media they want, included but not limited to: fanfiction, fanart, photo/video/audio edits, gifs, moodboards, etc.

If you don't like one of the prompts or if you just don't feel inspired by it, feel free to swap it by one of our alternative prompts.

Remember to use our Tagging System when sharing your work here on tumblr, only properly tagged posts will be rebbloged onto this blog. You can find the rules about tagging on our FAQ.

Have fun creating and as always, send us an ask if you have any questions!

Read our About post, Calendar and FAQ to learn more about the event.

Written prompt list below the cut:

Jasico Week 2024 prompts:

1 → Birthday

2 → Body/Power Swap

3 → Pre-Heroes of Olympus

4 → Time Loop

5 → Orpheus & Eurydice AU

6 → Fake Dating

7 → Tartarus AU

alt prompts:

1 → Allergic Reaction

2 → Mistaken Identity

3 → Road Trip

4 → Sickness

[jankwritten]

Jasico Bingo Challenge: CHB Jason

Nico isn’t sure what’s worse: the fact that his childhood best friend seemingly disappeared into thin air a week ago, or the fact that the hottest guy he’s ever seen in his life has mysteriously appeared within Camp Jupiter’s walls. 

“Of course it was the first cohort,” he overhears after a Senate meeting, whispered in the halls. “He must be crazy powerful, if Lupa didn’t even need to train him!” 

“Shut up, that’s just a rumor. Everyone has to meet Lupa.” 

“They definitely met,” the first voice insists. Nico leans further into his shadows. The pair pass in front of him. “But she just let him go.” 

Hot guy is, of course, the gossip of the week. The month, even. 

Nico privately decides that hot guy is worse, only because it seems like his presence alone has turned the Legion into morons who’ve forgotten their freakishly powerful, supposed-to-be-Praetor has literally evaporated. Poof! No more son of Neptune! 

Nico would think the people who just a few years ago made a massive deal out of every move said son of Neptune made would pay a little more attention to the fact that the whole freaking man is gone! 

But no. There’s new gossip to be had, about a blonde with drool-worthy eyes and a scar on his lip and a suspiciously-missing backstory. 

Spend enough time in the Underworld, and you learn to suspect the whole amnesia act. Shades always know more than they pretend to. 

As the senate hall empties, Nico sinks fully back into the shadows. 

He will not let this stand. 

(to be continued)

[vivitalks]

like a burst of technicolor in a world of black and white

for the prompt "painting nails" on my @jasico-challenges bingo card. guys i am really having fun with this bingo thing have yall heard about this. this shit rules anyway imagine an AU where trials of apollo is a collective hallucination we all experienced and then decided never to speak of again. and instead jason stayed at CHB after the showdown w gaea. okay you are now prepared for the events of this fic xoxo

title from extraordinary magic by ben rector :) read here on ao3

“How come you didn't go to school?”

Fair question, but pretty random.

They're spread out on the floor of Cabin One. When Nico marched in armed with a bottle of nail polish the color of a cloudless sky and insisted on painting Jason's nails, Jason tossed his sketchbook aside. Any activity with Nico is better than drawing shrines alone. 

Nico got to work and they descended into easy silence. Jason figured that was for Nico's focus, so he didn't break it, just allowed his mind to wander aimlessly.

When he tunes back in at Nico's inquiry, he sees two nails painted — left index and middle, coated in light blue. Jason has never had his nails painted. He doesn't know if it's always this soothing, but if it is, he can understand why so many people do it.

“You mean instead of staying at camp year-round?”

Nico nods and takes the brush to Jason's next finger. His face of concentration is extremely cute: narrowed eyes, teeth digging into his lower lip, one rebellious strand of dark hair he keeps blowing out of his face only for it to fall right back in his eyes.

“You could have,” he says. “You’d only have two years before graduation. Could get a diploma.”

Jason shrugs. “Yeah, but why would I? It’s not like I was getting a formal education before. Praetor was a year-round job.”

Nico hums. He's really very good at this. If the demigod thing doesn't pan out, he has a future as a manicurist.

“Plus,” Jason adds gamely, “I don't exactly have a parent or guardian to enroll me anywhere.”

“I'm sure Chiron would be more than happy to falsify some legal documents.”

Jason chuckles. “You think so?”

“Are you kidding?” Nico snorts. “Percy told me Chiron posed as his Latin teacher for a full year when he was younger. He would love to invent a transcript for you.”

Jason gives this a dismissive laugh so they can put the topic to rest. He thought about trying to go to school, for sure. He spent about six minutes seriously considering it. I could have some normalcy, he'd mused. Be a high school kid. Sure, I don't have any surviving mortal parents, or anywhere to live during the school year, or any money, or any previous course credits, or any documents to prove I'm a real person, but. Those are solvable problems.

Then he’d thought, Or I could stay at camp, and the decision made itself.

Maybe it's bleak to say, but there's nothing for him out there. In the real world. He has no memory of being a baby living with Thalia and his mother, and after that, his whole life was the legion. Training with Lupa was the closest thing Jason had to elementary school. Everything that matters to him — his friends, his family, his sworn duty to the minor gods — starts and ends in camp. His youth is tattooed with the brand of Camp Jupiter. His freedom is a leather necklace tied by Camp Half-Blood.

Why leave?

“I'm good here,” is all he says.

Nico isn't ready to drop it. “But then why stay here? You didn't want to go back to Camp Jupiter?”

Jason raises both eyebrows. “Did you want me to?”

“No!” Nico scowls. “I'm just curious.”

Methodical brush strokes turn Jason's fourth fingernail blue. It's a pretty color; Jason wonders what inspired Nico to choose it. It's probably not Nico's first time painting someone's nails, because he's very skillfully managing not to get any polish on Jason's skin. He has good hands for the job — thin and precise. Careful. Deliberate.

“The plan was really to split my time,” Jason says, just as careful, just as deliberate. “I was already at Camp Half-Blood, so I figured I'd spend a little while here, then a while at Camp Jupiter, and, you know, so on.”

“But…it's been two months,” Nico says.

The unspoken question: why haven't you gone back yet?

“Well, yeah,” Jason says. His own stillness is becoming uncomfortable. If he moves, he risks ruining Nico's artwork, but sitting this stationary isn't in his nature. Like most demigods, he has a compulsion to fidget. It's less noticeable in him — less than, say, Leo — but in moments of extreme stagnancy, it doubles down.

“Are you planning to go back at all?”

It's not an interrogation. At least, Jason doesn't think so. It's not small talk, either. Nico is his friend. This is a friendly conversation. There are no wrong answers here.

“Eventually,” Jason says. “To visit. But…to stay?” He shakes his head. “I don't think so.”

“All your friends are there,” Nico says, and he's still looking down, focused on his task, like this statement is a reflex, requiring no thought.

“Not all,” Jason says, watching him. “You're here.”

That gets Nico’s attention. He looks up. “Me?”

“You're my friend,” Jason says.

“Don't tell me you stayed here just for me.” It comes out like a bad joke. Like it couldn't possibly be true.

“Well…” Jason pauses. “I don't know if that's the only reason, but it definitely helped.”

“What? Are you joking?”

“Why would I be joking?”

“Because that's—” Nico stops halfway through painting Jason’s little finger. He gestures like words aren't enough. “That's crazy!”

“You just said I should go to Camp Jupiter because my friends are there,” Jason says, puzzled. “Why is it crazy to stay at Camp Half-Blood for the same reason?”

“I’m one person. Friend, singular. Meanwhile your entire cohort of friends is over in California.”

“Yeah, but…” Jason gnaws his cheek. He has this suspicion Nico won't like any of his answers, then decides he doesn't care. “They don't need me over there. I gave my praetorship to Frank, so I'm officially released from leadership duty, and I don't regret it for a second. It makes no difference to the legion if I'm there or not, except as this— I don't know, symbol of greatness that I…really am not.” He grimaces, examining his semi-painted pinky nail, this half-finished, imperfect thing. “Here, I feel like…maybe it matters if I'm here or not. And not because of who my dad is or my rank or anything, just because…well, we're friends.”

Nico stares. Then he lifts Jason's hand and starts painting again, picking up where he left off. With his gaze trained downward, away from Jason's, he says, “It does matter. To me.”

Jason smiles. He gets the same feeling as stepping outside in the morning into perfect weather — pleasantly, comfortably surprised.

“There you go, then,” he says. “I mean, if you want me to leave—”

“No,” Nico says quickly, then glares as if he's mad about being tricked into admitting he wants Jason to stay. Recovering, he snarks, “If you leave, I won’t have anyone to subject to my nail-polish schemes.”

“I bet Will would let you paint his nails.”

“Will wouldn't let me anywhere near him with any kind of artistic implement, as well he shouldn’t. I would absolutely deface him.”

“Honored that you've elected not to deface me.”

Nico turns a rosy shade of pink. “This time.”

This is that other kind of Nico threat, the kind reserved for friends. For Jason. The kind that, underneath, isn't a threat at all, but a promise.

This time means there will be a next time. That's Jason's favorite kind of threat.

“You're weirdly good at this,” Jason says. Nico has finished his left hand by now and moved on to the right. “Since when is this in your skill set?”

“Bianca,” Nico says. Matter-of-fact, without room to grieve. “A couple nights when we were in the Lotus Hotel, she asked me to paint hers. First time I tried, it was such a mess. She did mine to show me how, so I could learn.”

Jason catches his breath. “Clearly it paid off, ‘cause you're killing it.”

This was something Nico did with Bianca. And now he's sharing it with Jason. That gives Jason a feeling in his gut that's both warm and heavy, like a big dog is curled up in there, taking a sunbeam nap.

“You'll have to do mine after,” Nico says, still no-nonsense. “Black, obviously.”

“I don't have any nail polish.”

“I brought some. Lacy gave it to me. From Cabin Ten. Magical, so it doesn't smudge or chip.”

“I didn't even realize nail polish did that.”

“You have a lot to learn.” Nico nods sagely. “That's okay. Everyone starts somewhere.”

“It is very relaxing. I can see the appeal,” Jason admits. He wiggles the fingers of his finished hand, admiring them. “How’d you land on this color, though? Or was it just a random pick?”

 Nico looks strangely at Jason. Some of that blush from earlier returns. “You're…the son of the sky god.”

Jason studies the color. It's not quite sky blue, but close enough. “Huh,” he says, feeling silly for not having made the connection. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Besides,” Nico says, a little quieter like it's not exactly for Jason to hear, but not not for him to hear, either, “it's the color of your eyes.”

That sleeping dog behind Jason's navel starts thumping its tail.

“Oh,” Jason says. He's not sure he could confirm that, but Nico sounds utterly certain. The fact that Nico has spent enough time looking at Jason's eyes that he can pinpoint their exact shade is its own can of worms. For future opening. At a later date. “Well, I like it. It's pretty.”

“Yeah,” Nico says, and his fingers press gently into Jason's palm as he continues to paint. “It is.”

[coffees4sleepy]

Trigger Warnings For First Image: Depctions of Grief, Death

Trigger Warnings For Second Image: Eyestrain (just to be safe)

Day 7 of Jasico Week: Lyrics! (techinally angst/comfort too lol)

The song is The Moon Will Sing by the Crane Wives

These pieces are meant to contrast one another in terms of brightness, to just contrast how Nico's life is with and without Jason. Also that sweater Nico is wearing, is one I depicted Jason wearing in an earlier Jasico drawing.

Really proud of these drawings tbh, experimentation.