Chapter Text
Nico was stuck cutting bandages, just like he always was whenever he offered to help in the infirmary at camp. He’d offered to dole out nectar and ambrosia, but considering he could barely breathe without wincing, Will wouldn’t let him wander around and exacerbate his injury.
Soon enough, the gods returned to Olympus, greeting their children and handing out gifts - like prizes would function the same as saying thank you. Apollo healed a few severely injured campers with a simple tap on the forehead before he stepped up to Will and dragged him into a hug. Nico tried not to eavesdrop, but he could hear Will crying over the loss of his brothers before Apollo shushed him and said, “It’s going to be okay, kid. You’re going to be a great counselor. I can feel it!”
When he stepped away from Will, he walked past Nico, ruffling his hair as he passed, and said, “Dad’s going to want to talk to you pretty soon. Might want to start heading that way!”
Will glanced at Nico, his eyes wide. “Did he just say…?”
Nico nodded. “I think...you should be there, too. If you don’t mind? And, um. Percy and Annabeth, too.”
“Right,” Will said. “Let me get my siblings settled with this, and then… Then we’ll go talk to the gods. Again. Why does this keep happening to us?”
Nico laughed. It wasn’t even that it was all that funny, but… He had to laugh, because he could.
Will helped Nico into the throne room with an arm around his waist. They stood in front of the gods - the Olympians, Hestia, and even Hades had been allowed into the room - and waited for Zeus to either thank them (ha!) or blast them to ashes on the spot.
Before either of those things could happen, though, Bianca appeared in the room, already running as soon as she emerged from the shadow of Dionysus’s throne, and she wrapped Nico up in a hug. He winced at the pressure, but tried not to let it show as Bianca kissed him on the cheek and told him, “You were amazing, big brother.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Nico told her.
Then, Bianca did something that shocked Nico more than anything he’d seen all day. She hugged Will. “Thank you for keeping him safe,” she said to him, and then whispered, “even if you did have to become invincible just to pull it off.”
She winked at them both before running off to stand at the base of Artemis’s throne.
Zeus looked unamused, and cleared his throat before saying, “Are we waiting on anyone else?”
Nico wrapped a hand around Will’s elbow. “I could invite the rest of camp in?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Dionysus said quickly. “Five of you is bad enough.”
“Four, technically,” Nico argued, feeling brave and a little bit giddy still. “Bianca isn’t a camper.”
“You won’t be either, if you keep this up,” Dionysus grumbled, but Nico only grinned.
Zeus cleared his throat again. “I suppose a show of gratitude is in order, yes? What could be a suitable reward? Perhaps we could grant you godhood - that sounds like adequate payment, does it not?”
Bianca wasn’t able to stifle a snort - or maybe she hadn’t tried - and she looked to Hades and whispered, “Told you so!”
“Uh,” Nico started, thinking that godhood was a bit overkill, “I don’t...want that. I’ve already lived, what, eighty years? If I survive another eighty, I think I’ll be miserable. Fifty might be nice, though.” He glanced between Will, Percy, and Annabeth, as if looking for ideas.
Zeus sighed. “Then I shall grant each of you a...lesser request. Does that seem fair?”
Nico shrugged.
Zeus scanned them for a few moments before his eyes stuck on Annabeth. “Daughter of Athena, you wish to become an architect, do you not? It would appear that Olympus will need assistance rebuilding after this attack. Perhaps you could take the reins on this project.”
Annabeth’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “Yes, please,” she said, nearly squeaking.
“Son of Poseidon,” Zeus said next, “is there anything you desire?”
Percy’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he started scratching at the back of his head. “Okay, so, there’s this thing that humans do, when parents are separated with kids. It’s called child support - it’s like, if the kid lives with their mom, then the dad gives them money once a month to help them survive. I’m not sure what the godly equivalent to that is, but...that seems only fair, right?”
Poseidon leaned forward. “What might you suggest for this...child support?”
Percy shrugged. “Maybe, um. I mean, the Hermes cabin is always overflowing, you know? So, like, remember to claim your kids, so they don’t have to suffer through being crammed into one cabin like a bunch of sardines. You could probably work something out with Chiron and Mr. D of like, financial support, maybe? I dunno, I’m just a kid, don’t ask me!”
Zeus nodded. “I suppose claiming our children won’t be impossible. Son of Apollo, what is your wish?”
Will seemed to shrink under the sudden attention. “Is there any way that you could...bring Charlie back? Give him a second chance, or even...give him an afterlife?”
Nico’s hand tightened around Will’s elbow - he already knew the answer to that question, even without hearing his father’s response of, “The boy’s soul was destroyed by Nico’s sword. There is no way to retrieve it, because there is nothing to retrieve.”
“Oh,” Will said softly, then, “Can I change my request, then? Can I ask that any demigods who died in the battle be honored as heroes? Can they all go to Elysium?”
Hades sighed. “That’s going to require a lot of extra paperwork, not to mention--”
“Dad,” Nico cut in, and Hades rolled his eyes.
“Alright, fine. I’ll make it happen.”
“Son of Hades,” Zeus said next, like it pained him just to say the words, “what can I offer you?”
Somehow, Nico didn’t know what to say. Percy had asked the gods to clean up their act, and Will had asked that every demigod that had died in battle reach Elysium...so what was left for Nico? He could ask about Michael, but why bother, when he could find that out for himself? Should he make the Big Three get rid of their pact, or free the spirit of the Oracle from that poor mummy?
Should he say anything about Hazel?
“I want a cabin,” Nico said finally. “I want a cabin at camp for every god and goddess that doesn’t currently have a throne on Olympus - and on that note, they should all have thrones, too. We never would have made it through today if it weren’t for my dad, and none of this would have ever gotten as bad as it was if the minor gods had felt respected. And… And I think you should get rid of your pact, since it clearly wasn’t working for anybody except my dad to begin with. You can’t punish your kids for being born when it wasn’t their fault.”
Zeus grit his teeth. “Anything else?”
“Um, one last thing,” Nico said, and turned to Hades. “Dad, I think it’s time you lift the curse from the Oracle of Delphi. Let someone else host the spirit, and let that poor woman rest in peace finally.”
Hades took a deep breath, and nodded. “You’re right. Consider it done.”
“And we’ll start construction at camp...whenever,” Dionysus added. “Perhaps Annie Bell can take on that project as well.”
“I’d be honored!” Annabeth exclaimed, practically bouncing in place.
Zeus sighed, though it came out almost like a groan. “I suppose we can begin adding thrones to Olympus as well. If that is all, then I suggest you all return to your camp. We all have much work to do.”
By the time they were released from their awards ceremony, the rest of the campers had already been shuttled back to camp. Dionysus was kind enough to give them a lift, considering he was heading that way anyway, and when they appeared outside the Big House, Nico saw a familiar face on the Big House porch.
“Rachel?” Nico called out, running toward her, though he stopped before he could climb the stairs. Rachel was sitting across from the Oracle, the god Apollo standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. Nico’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. “Rachel, hang on! You can’t-- She’s still cursed!”
But it was too late. A green fog rose up from the mummy’s mouth, her body crumbling to dust as soon as the spirit left her, and then traveled into Rachel. The shock of the spirit threw her to her feet, her eyes shooting open and glowing green. As the glow started to fade, Nico and Will both ran forward to catch her as she began to collapse, though Apollo beat them to it.
He carefully eased Rachel back into her chair as Nico and Will ran to her sides. Will instantly started checking for a pulse, making sure that she was still breathing, while Nico turned his gaze to Apollo and demanded, “How could you let her do this? The Oracle was cursed, you could--”
Rachel gasped, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked at Nico once before saying, “Oh, hey, Nico.”
Nico frowned. “You’re...okay?”
Apollo grinned. “Your dad lifted the curse right away. And what do you know, this young lady found the weakest part of the camp’s barrier and barged right in! She’s going to make a great Oracle!”
Rachel grinned as well. “You hear that? This guy thinks I’m going to be a great-- Uh, what did you call it? Oracle? That’s, like, a fortune teller, right?”
“Rachel,” Will said, “that guy is my dad. You know, Apollo?”
Rachel jumped in her seat, twisting around to stare up at the god. “Wait, what?”
Apollo winked at her. “Alright, I’ll be back to check on you in a few days, okay? And Will, your siblings are waiting for you in the infirmary.”
“Rachel, why don’t you come with me?” Will suggested. “I’ll be able to keep an eye on you there, to make sure you don’t, um. Pass out. Or worse.”
Rachel frowned. “Or worse?”
The day passed in a blur - a pain-filled, sleep-deprived blur. While he could still barely breathe due to his cracked ribs, Nico had to perform funeral rites for the campers who had died. Then, he’d had to debrief with the surviving camp counselors (where they realized that they would never have a counselor meeting so small ever again, with the addition of new cabins). He met with Annabeth and Chiron to help plan out the new cabins - they would start with the Hades cabin, number thirteen, and build from there as campers were claimed.
Nico was quickly approaching forty-eight hours without sleep, and part of him wanted to crash for the next week, while the rest of him wanted nothing more than to see Will.
He started making his way to the Big House, deciding at the last second to head up the stairs to his room rather than going to the infirmary. He took a shower, put on some warm, clean clothes, and was about to climb into bed when there was a knock on his door.
Will stood on the other side, smiling with a single cupcake in his hands. “Hi,” he said as soon as the door was open. “Um, while we were in the city, apparently Cecil stole some cupcakes from some store, and. Well, his siblings got to most of them, but he managed to save this last one for you. We were waiting to see if you were going to stop by the infirmary - there’s a ton of people down there who were ready to sing to you, but most of them fell asleep - so I thought I’d bring it up here and see if you were here. And...here you are! So, um. Happy birthday, Nico.”
Nico wasn’t sure at what point he’d started crying, though by the time Will finished speaking, there were tears streaming down his face. He grabbed Will by the arm to drag him into the room, before practically shoving Will onto the bed and climbing into his lap. Nico had his face buried in Will’s shoulder before he even realized what he was doing.
“Um, Nico?” Will asked softly, one hand carefully rubbing his back while the other held the cupcake aloft. “Are you alright?”
“I’m sorry,” Nico blurted, his arms tightening around Will until his own chest started to ache. “I never should’ve waited to tell you how I feel, but I-- I was so scared, Will, I thought I was gonna die! I couldn’t… I couldn’t do that to you. How could I tell you I love you when I was going to leave you?”
Will wasn’t breathing, suddenly so tense underneath Nico as if rigor mortis had set in. “Nico…” he whispered eventually, but Nico wasn’t finished.
“But I’m alive, somehow, even if I still don’t really believe it, and-- Will, I’m so sorry,” Nico rambled. “We could’ve had another year together, but I was too afraid-- But I’m going to make it up to you, okay? I don’t know how, but I will. I promise.”
“Hey, Nico, hey,” Will said softly, leaning back so that Nico would pull away just far enough that Will could meet his eyes. He reached up to wipe the tears from Nico’s cheeks, and smiled. “You don’t owe me anything, okay? We’re both alive, and there’s no more prophecy looming over our heads. I think this is the perfect time for you to ask me on a date.”
Nico flushed. “Hang on, why should I--”
Will cut him off with a laugh. “I’m kidding.” He brushed his thumb across Nico’s cheek again. “Can I kiss you?”
Nico nodded, already leaning in, though he allowed Will to close the final distance between them. Will smiled into the kiss, pecking at Nico’s lips once, twice, three times before he pulled away, pressing his forehead to Nico’s. “I love you, too, by the way,” Will told him, “but I’m also getting kind of tired of holding his cupcake for you.”
Nico huffed, reaching out for the cupcake, though Will held it out of his reach. “Hang on!” Will said, “you have to blow out the candle!”
Nico shot him an unamused look. “There is no candle.”
Will grinned, bringing the candle between them, and with his other hand, he held up one finger over the candle, then made the finger start to glow.
Nico snorted. “You’re so dumb,” he commented.
“And yet you love me anyway,” Will replied, and wiggled his finger until Nico rolled his eyes and blew it out.
Nico took the cupcake out of Will’s hands, carefully peeling the paper away before he tore the cake in half and fed half of it to Will.
“Dude,” Percy’s voice came from the hallway, startling Nico off of Will’s lap, “I totally called it!”
“Percy!” Nico exclaimed, throwing himself off the bed to slam the door, though Percy stood in the way of it closing. Nico threw his full body weight against one side of the door, though Percy did the same on the other. “Get out of my room, Percy!”
“Technically, I’m still mostly in the hallway,” Percy argued.
“Get all the way in the hallway!”
Annabeth leaned slightly into the room, keeping one hand on the door so that Nico didn’t accidentally decapitate her in case Percy lost his footing, and said to Will, “Chiron just started the campfire for the night. He said he has an announcement to make, and he’d like to have everyone there for it.”
“Okay, we’ll be right there,” Will told her, waving as Annabeth turned to leave, pulling Percy along with her. As soon as the weight was gone from the other side of the door, Nico fell forward, the door slamming shut as Nico’s shoulder hit the floor.
“Ow!” Nico cried out, and in a second, Will was by his side, his healing hands already doing their magic by sapping Nico’s pain away. Nico sat up, leaning his head against Will’s shoulder as he said, “Thanks.”
“Of course, baby,” Will said sweetly. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t save you after a dumb fight with Percy?”
Nico lifted his head with a frown.
Will titled his head in concern. “What? Is that a no to boyfriend? Do you prefer partner? Significant other?”
Nico shrugged. “We’ll work on it.”
Will pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “Alright, Lord of Darkness, c’mon, get up. We have a campfire to get to. Do you want to change out of your pajamas before we go?”
Nico scoffed. “Are you kidding? I just saved the world. I can dress however I want.”
“Damn right.” Will got to his feet before offering a hand up, though when Nico stood with his help, he wriggled his hand out of Will’s hold, wrapping around the inside of his elbow instead. “Hey, Nico?” Will asked, suddenly sounding nervous as he glanced down at Nico’s hand. “How, um. How did you know?”
Nico followed his gaze. “I can...see it. And I think Bianca saw it, too.” He squeezed Will’s arm. “Does this make you uncomfortable?”
“No,” Will answered quickly. “It makes me feel safe.” He darted down to press a kiss to Nico’s forehead. “You make me feel safe.”
The two of them made their way out of the Big House, and were the last to reach the amphitheater. Percy and Annabeth waved them down to the front, where they’d saved seats for them, and as they passed, campers started singing happy birthday, much to Nico’s displeasure - and he would never admit that he’d started to smile.
Chiron walked everyone through the events that ended the battle - what happened on the ground, what happened on Olympus - and shared about the gifts the gods had granted them - that all of their lost siblings would spend eternity in Elysium, that every camper would be claimed, and that every god would have their own cabin. Lastly, he introduced Rachel, who had been sitting between Nico and Percy before Chiron welcomed her to stand in front of everyone.
As soon as she did, her spine stiffened and her eyes began to glow green as fog began to rise from her mouth. She spoke the next Great Prophecy, and everyone was stunned into silence. Only Will managed to shake himself out of it fast enough to leap forward and catch Rachel before she could hit the ground as she lost consciousness.
“Is that what I think it was?” Will asked, breaking the silence in the dim glow of the suddenly low fire.
“The next Great Prophecy,” Chiron said with a grim nod.
Nico took a deep breath. “Shit.”
Reyna knew three things for certain: 1.) Her first name was Reyna. Surely, she must have had a last name, maybe even a middle name, but she didn’t know what those were.
2.) She was moving. She was on a bus, as far as she could tell, which was full of kids around her age (but how old was she?), and seemed to be driving through the desert. The inside of the bus had no identifying signs, and the landscape showed nothing but red rocks and orange sand - not a single road sign as far as the eye could see.
3.) The girl sitting beside Reyna was holding her hand.
Even though he may not have known it when he was younger, Nico had always been able to sense another person’s death. He didn’t always know when or how somebody would die, but he could sense a recent death from miles away - human, animal, or otherwise.
He could always tell whenever anyone was close to death, except for himself - to be fair, he was always about to die.
What was pissing him off, though, was that his boyfriend had been missing for over six months, and Nico couldn’t sense whether he was dead or not. The worst part of it all was the not knowing. It was just like when Will’s brother died that January - the not knowing had almost torn Will apart. So, as soon as he was able, Nico ventured down into the Underworld to find Michael in Elysium, happily reunited with his other brother, and all of his old friends.
Will had been relieved. But this time, it seemed like there was no relief to be found. Nico couldn’t sense Will’s death, and he couldn’t even pop downstairs for a day to look around, because his dad had locked him out. He wasn’t the only one, either - other demigods were having trouble with certain powers because they couldn’t reach out to their parents, and all of a sudden one day, new campers had stopped getting claimed. It was like the gods had decided to cut them off. They didn’t even get a last notice letter in the mail!
The not knowing had Nico wanting to tear his hair out, maybe level a city or two until he found Will, but it didn’t seem like there was any hope left. Mrs. O’Leary hadn’t been able to catch his scent. Bianca and the hunters had kept an eye out for him everywhere they went. Naomi hadn’t seen or heard from him in months.
Not even the Romans could do anything to help, aside from giving him food and shelter whenever he wore himself out on his search.
Then, the Praetor disappeared, and looking at Jason felt like looking in a mirror - though he and Reyna had never really been together. (Nico had his suspicions as to why, though he supposed it wasn’t his place to say in either of their cases.)
When Nico returned to New Rome after scouring the desert and suddenly couldn’t find Hazel, he nearly marched himself to Olympus to demand an explanation, before Jason assured him that Hazel and Frank and the new probatio were simply out on a quest.
“What new probatio?” Nico had demanded, causing Jason to describe the new recruit - tall, blond, older than most new recruits, bearing some kind of blessing that made his skin impenetrable.
Nico could’ve killed Jason on the spot for not calling him back to camp sooner.
From that point on, Nico waited at the top of a tall hill, watching the horizon for any sign of Will’s return.
Then, early one morning, almost like he was pulling the sun chariot in place of his father, Will came back to him, Hazel and Frank in tow, fresh off a quest and dragging a thousand pounds of gold weapons behind them.
Nico could’ve cried when Will looked at him with that beautiful, bright smile that Nico hadn’t seen in months. He still had that same, almost godly glow to him, and Nico saw it everywhere except for the crook of his right elbow when Will held a hand out to him. Nico felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes as relief washed over him, because Will was back! He was right there, close enough to touch!
And Will opened his mouth and said to Nico, “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Will.”
Nico barely managed to turn and run before his body was wracked with sobs.