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For a god of Love, Cupid seems to lack key artistic abilities. The town Jason and Nico has been brought to is in shambles, temples and walls cracked or destroyed along the hills. The area feels lonely as if the entire town had decided to collectively get up and leave, with only the wisps of their spirits and faded memories left behind.
Cupid needs a better decorator.
“Welcome to Salona. Capital of Dalmatia! Birthplace of Diocletian!” Favonius, the demigod’s kidnapper calls out, “but before that, long before that, it was the home of Cupid.”
The name echoes through the ruins. Despite the eeriness of his location, the name Cupid still brought up cherubic babies swaddled with red ribbons and heart-tipped arrows to Jason’s mind. Cupid, it seems, must be harmless if the god was able to let that baby image continue into society.
“Oh, he’s not like that,” says Favonius. He shakes his head at Jason with an pitying smile.
“You can read my mind?”
“I don’t need to. Everyone has the wrong impression of Cupid… until they meet him.” He tosses his bronze hoop in the air and catches it with his finger. The loop spins around like a hula hoop before it drops down to the crook of his elbow.
Jason edges away from the minor god. Something about Favonius puts Jason on edge- though it could be remaining nausea from being turned into the wind. Even as a son of Jupiter, Jason felt seasick (or is it airsick?) from the ride. He doubts Nico feels any better.
The son of Hades leans against a thick and crumbling column, legs trembling.
“Hey, man…” Jason offers his head but Nico waves him off. At his feet, the grass grows brown and dies in front of Jason’s eyes.
Jason’s about to offer some more reassurance when Favonius makes a noise.
“Ah,” the god says, “I don’t blame you for being nervous, Nico Di Angelo. Do you know how I ended up serving Cupid?”
“I don’t serve anyone. Especially not Cupid,” Nico spits out. His head falls back on the column as if an invisible weight has been pushed upon him. Jason hesitates, faltering between the two. He doesn’t feel as if he belongs here. Like maybe he was just brought along for the ride as an afterthought.
Favonius tilts his head at Jason at this thought, further confirming the demigod’s earlier claim of being telepathic. “I fell in love with a mortal named Hyacinthus. He was quite extraordinary.”
“He…?” Jason blinks. He. “Oh…”
“Yes, Jason Grace. I fell in love with a dude.” Favonius’ words roll around Jason’s mind, teasing him with emotion-dipped letters. “Does that shock you?”
It does, but it also doesn’t. Jason’s aware of the homosexuality from Ancient Rome, and the suggestive tales of subtext shared between gods. Even in modern times, he’s known a few gay couples living happily in New Rome. And he, himself might’ve had a few particular thoughts about particular people, not that that’s important. Anyway.
Jason’s seen some pretty messed up stuff and he supposes some wind god and a mortal hooking up isn’t weird, so if they’re both males, it shouldn’t be any weirder. “I guess not. So… Cupid struck you with his arrow, and you fell in love.”
“You make it sound so simple. Alas, love is never simple. You see, the god Apollo also liked Hyacinthus. He claimed they were just friends. I don’t know. But one day I came across them together, playing a game of quoits-”
“Quoits?” A shiver goes down Jason’s back, but it’s not from the strange word.
“A game with those hoops,” Nico explains, sounding irritated but delicate. He glares at Favonius, seemingly aware of where this story is going. “Like horseshoes.”
“Sort of.” Favonius turns to the younger demigod. “At any rate, I was jealous. Instead of confronting them and finding the truth, I shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring right at Hyacinthus’ head and… well.” He looks thoughtful, and Nico drops his head. “As Hyacinthus died, Apollo turned him into a flower, the hyacinth. I’m sure Apollo would’ve taken horrible vengeance on me, but Cupid offered me his protection. I’d done a terrible thing, but I’d been driven mad by love, so he spared me, on the condition that I work for him forever.”
The hair on Jason’s neck stands as Cupid’s name rings through the empty space. He feels bad for Favonius. Though to what extent does your love have to be to kill someone? Jason’s heard of love being dangerous from Piper, but not like that.
Nico seems more shaken than Jason is. He slowly peels off the column and steps toward the wind god, who stands.
“Think long and hard about how you proceed, Nico Di Angelo. You cannot lie to Cupid. If you let your anger rule you… well, your fate will be even sadder than mine. And as for you, Jason Grace,” Favonius nods at Jason, amber wings rustling, “you cannot lie to yourself. Do not let jealousy overcome you.”
Before either demigod can say something, the god vanishes in a swirl of red and gold. Nico looks at Jason with suspicion and shame in his eyes. “What was he talking about?”
Jason mirrors the look. “I have no idea.”
Nico opens his mouth but gets cut off by the ground shaking. They subconsciously draw their swords, the summer heat nipping at their skin in complete silence.
Jason tenses, slipping closer to the other. “Is that Cupid?”
“Probably.”
“I wish he had a bell,” Jason says, uncomfortable and awaiting a confrontation.
Nico makes a face. “People say the same about me.”
Uh. There’s not much he could say back to that.
So.
The voice rushes past Jason’s ear like a bullet, but no one is there. Jason tenses, eyes flickering everywhere.
You come to claim the scepter.
Nico stood behind Jason, making Jason grateful for the guy’s off-putting companionship. His breathing grows heavier, setting Jason on edge.
“Cupid, where are you?” Jason yells.
There’s a laugh. Where you least expect me. As Love always is.
Cold creeps into Jason’s chest like vines. Then something flings into him, sending him flying through the ruins. Jason crashes down a few steps, tumbling into an abandoned and crumbling basement. Dust flies up, sending him into a coughing fit.
I would think you’d know better, Jason Grace. You’ve found true love, after all. Or do you still doubt yourself? True love. When has Jason found true love in this mayhem of a quest?
Jason hears Nico’s steps before he sees him. “You okay?”
Jason accepts his hand and stands up. “Yeah. Just sucker punched.” His chest still feels cold, as he gets out a few final coughs.
Oh, did you expect me to play fair? Another laugh. It’s dark and threatening, but something about the voice sounds very airy and familiar. I am the god of love. I am never fair.
…. Fair enough. Even with his limited romance knowledge, Jason knows that. He thinks of Piper, only to recognize the incoming arrow and intercept it before it can go through Nico’s heart. The arrow explodes off a wall, sending dust and limestone to cover the two.
They escape up the steps, with Jason pushing Nico to the side after he narrowly almost gets crushed by a giant column.
“Is this guy Love or Death?” Jason mumbles, pulling Nico to his feet. They run through the abandoned city, avoiding arrows coming from nearly every direction.
Ask your friend. Frank, Hazel, and Percy met my counterpart, Thanatos. We are not so different. Except death is sometimes kinder. Am I right, Nico?
Nico scowls, stopping in the middle of the street. He shouts at the sky, wildly waving his sword around. “We just want the scepter! We’re trying to stop Gaea. Are you on the gods’ side or not?”
Jason stares with wide eyes. He hasn’t known the guy for long, but Jason’s never seen him so animated. “Nico-”
An arrow zips through the air, slamming into the ground at Nico’s feet. Nico stumbles back when it bursts into flames. For some reason, Jason feels like the arrow was less for Nico and more for him.
Love is on every side, Cupid says like he’s about to tell them a riddle. And no one’s side. Don’t ask what Love can do for you.
“Great,” Jason looks over Nico to check for burns. He seems fine, if not annoyed and on edge. So fine. “Now he’s spouting greeting card messages.”
He feels something behind him. Jason slashes his sword, spinning. His blade catches on something, but when he tries to slice again, his sword hits only air. Jason’s sword gleams with golden ichor.
Very good, Jason. At least you can sense my presence. Even a glancing hit at true love is more than most heroes manage. How interesting, considering your situation.
“So now I get the scepter?” What’s his situation?
Unfortunately, you could not wield it. Only a child of the Underworld can summon the dead legions. And only an officer of Rome can lead them.
“But…” He is an officer. Or at least he was. Praetor, in fact. He offered his position to Percy back in New Rome though. And the closer he gets to Leo and Piper, the more Jason wants to stay with them at Camp Half-Blood. If possible, he’d want them to come to New Rome with him, but he doubts either would be truly happy there.
New Rome might be his original home, but those two were quickly becoming his true home. Does loving those Greeks and Camp Half-Blood make him unworthy in the eyes of Romans?
“Just leave that to us,” Jason shoves away his ongoing thought process. “Nico can summon-”
An arrow flies past Jason, embedding itself in Nico’s arm. Nico cries out, and stumbles, with Jason looking on with horror.
“Nico!”
The arrow dissolves with a pop! disintegrating into pink and gold dust. There’s no blood or wound in sight, yet Nico is enraged. He screams at the invisible god. “Enough games! Show yourself!”
It is a costly thing, looking on the true face of Love.
For a second, Jason thinks he sees a flicker of a face, but the column falling over next to him tears his attention away. He breathes, wiping dust from his face.
My wife Psyche learned that lesson. She was brought here eons ago, when this was the site of my palace. We met only in the dark, Cupid says. She was warned never to look upon me, and yet she could not stand the mystery. She feared I was a monster. One night, she lit a candle, and beheld my face as I slept.
“Were you that ugly?” Jason watches carefully for any more attacks.
I was too handsome, I’m afraid. A mortal cannot gaze upon the true appearance of a god without suffering consequences. My mother, Aphrodite, cursed Psyche for her distrust. My poor lover was tormented, forced into exile, given horrible tasks to prove her worth. Jason smirks, finally narrowing down where the voice is. She was even sent to the Underworld on a quest to show her dedication. She earned her way back to my side, but she suffered greatly.
Jason thrusts his sword into the sky and thunder begins to roar. A crackle of lightning ripples through the air, sending a giant bolt of fiery white blasting down to where Cupid had stood.
Jason catches his breath, nearly falling down from exhaustion. Nico stares at him with wide eyes. “Did you-”
Jason gets knocked to the ground by an invisible shove. His sword clatters a few yards away.
A good try, Cupid’s voice whispers from next to Jason. Jason groans, giving his best swipe, but Cupid’s already far away. Love cannot be pinned down so easily.
The wall next to Jason collapses. Jason huffs, trying to catch his breath as he narrowly escapes from getting crushed.
“Stop it!” Nico yells. “It’s me you want. Leave him alone!”
Jason could only feel pain. His head is still spinning, and his lungs were ready to give out. Above him, Nico’s fingers curl around his sword, gripping tighter.
You are only partially right. I have as much to say to you as I do Jason. But I digress.
Jason rolls onto his back, chest heaving. Cupid has something to say to him? So why had the god tried to kill him so much?
You are both very similar. Feelings of isolation and being different. A child of Rome and Greece, and a child of darkness, both feeling as if to be pariahs from their respective communities.
“You alright?” Nico whispers to Jason.
“Not too shabby.”
It is only by pure luck I encountered both of you.
Another pillar topples near Jason, shrouding the teen in dust and sending him into a vicious coughing fit.
“Stop!” Nico calls out. “I said it’s me you want!” He staggers to Jason’s side, carelessly swinging his sword around for fear of any more attacks.
Poor Nico di Angelo. Do you know what you want, much less what I want? 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?
“I’ve been to Tartarus and back. You don’t scare me.”
I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest. Jason, be a good boy and take some notes.
Jason sits up, as the ground underneath him begins to crack. The tiles and stones tremble as if the earth itself is sending a warning. It’s Nico, Jason quickly realizes, as the grass begins to die under his feet.
“Give us Diocletian’s scepter,” Nico orders. “We have no time for games.”
Games? Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work- a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you- especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards. Cupid’s voice echoes through the town, sending creeping chills down Jason’s back. If you think Love is to be toyed with, you are mistaken.
Nico gets slapped through the air, his back hitting a column with a CRACK! Jason calls out his name in shock and stumbles to his feet.
Do you dare to play around with Love, Jason Grace? Do you plan to skirt around the idea until it destroys you from the inside? An arrow zips past Jason’s ear. A warning shot. The arrow falls into stone and then bursts into flames. Does Love excite you? Does its fires consume you?
“What do you want?” Jason gasps. If this is Love, he doesn’t want it. There’s no discernable line between Love and Death. He aches for Piper’s version of it- the beautiful and pure version of warm feelings and kisses. He doesn’t want this. No one can want this.
Admit it. Tell him why you’re afraid to admit your feelings. Tell him why you’re afraid of yourself.
Jason stammers. “Tell Nico-”
Nico screams, heart-wrenching and animalistic. The ground splits into a spiderweb of dirt and stone, bones spilling out into the world, tearing the ground to shreds. Nico screams again, and the skeletons climb out their graves. Dead Romans litter the yard, each with pieces of bloodied armor or discombobulated bones.
Will you hide among the dead as you always do, Nico Di Angelo? Will you play the hero facade as you always do, Jason Grace?
Jason makes a start for him. He takes only a few steps when he’s suddenly bombarding with an alarming amount of images flashing through his mind.
They’re memories- a mix of his own and Nico’s. He sees snowy hills with a younger Nico and a protective Percy Jackson. Then he sees snow from his first quest with Piper and Leo. The visions blur together as one, almost making it seem as if Percy was protecting Nico, Piper, Leo, and Jason from a minatour.
Jason than sees the familiar grounds of Camp Half-Blood, the silhouette of the impressionable Nico looking up to Percy with bright eyes and excitement. The image bleeds into Jason’s memories of visiting Leo at Bunker 9 when the former had started building the Argo. The same look in Nico and his own eyes, ones of curiosity and admiration.
“Stop it,” Jason hears Nico’s voice break, the sound playing underneath the flickering images.
Jason sees dozens of images, each growing more desperate than the last. Taking Percy to the Lethe. Sharing apple slices with Annabeth. Watching from the sidelines. Spending time in the Underworld. Lying on a lonely bed. Jason's own memories intermingle with Nico's. Laughing with Piper and Leo. Building the Argo. Sitting on the back of Festus. Throwing strawberries at his best friend. Clutching a picture of Thalia.
The images grow more transparent, less like a screen and more like a fog. Jason watches as Nico’s skeleton army rises up slowly.
Interesting! Cupid says. Do you have the strength after all?
“I left Camp Half-Blood because of love,” Nico slashes his sword at where he heard Cupid’s voice. His sword flies through the air, hitting nothing. Cupid laughs.
Still hiding. You are not strong after all.
“Shut… UP!” Nico slices again, this time hitting something solid. At once, his skeletons swarm to the source, hungry for the god’s ichor. “Shut up!”
Silly child. A skeleton explodes into dust, only for its spot to be taken by another one.
“Nico,” Jason coughs. “I… it’s okay. I understand you.”
Nico tears away from his hysteria, face dripping with misery and anguish. He sends his sword clattering, as he stumbles back away from the skeleton frenzy.
“Nico, I get it-”
“No, you don’t.” Nico’s voice rings loudly. “You can’t possibly understand.”
Running away again? Cupid tsks. From your friends. Jason Grace understands more than you think. Running from yourselves.
“I don’t have friends!” Nico screams at the god. “I ran from Camp because I don’t have any friends! Let me be alone in peace!”
Loneliness is only a thin border between Love and Death.
Jason hates Cupid, and his smug voice He wants to send another lightning bolt but doubts he has the energy for that. Even Nico is rapidly getting exhausted- his army isn’t regenerating as fast as it did earlier. The skeletons turn to dust quicker.
“Leave him alone, Cupid,” Jason spits out. “This isn’t your-”
It is. It’s exactly Cupid’s business. Is this what Love is? A monster? Psyche was right. Cupid is a terrifying monster.
“I wasn’t in love with Annabeth.” Nico chokes out. A loyal skeleton brings him back his sword, the Stygian Iron dragging in the dirt. “I wasn’t-”
“I know,” Jason reassures him. “You don’t have to say it. You were jealous of her. That’s why you didn’t want to be around her. That’s why you didn’t want to be around… him. It makes total sense.”
As if those were the magic words he’s been waiting to hear, Nico collapses to his knees. His skeletons all crumble to dust, and Nico’s shoulders heave. “I hate- I hated myself. I hated Percy Jackson.”
At the name, the dust clears and silence falls onto them. Cupid stands between the two demigods, glowing in a soft white glow. His bow is pulled back, the arrow facing Jason’s chest. Crimson red eyes stare Nico down as if waiting for a signal to send the arrow barreling straight into Jason’s heart.
He looks. Gods. He looks like Leo.
Nico’s oblivious to it all, head staring at the ground. His head bobs lifelessly, arms wiping at his face, yet no tears are falling.
“I had a crush on Percy,” Nico looks up with disgust. He stands up, ready to attack again. “Happy? Is that what you want to hear? That’s the big secret.”
Cupid’s gaze grows more sympathetic. “Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always make you happy.” His fingers tremble, arrow still trained on Jason. “Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you’ve faced it now. That’s the only way to conquer me. At least one of you understands.”
Then he lets go, disappearing in the wind. The arrow flies through the air, but before it can hit Jason’s heart it bursts into burning rose petals. The burning flowers disappear before they hit the ground.
A stick clatters to the ground in front of Nico and he collapses.
“Nico!”
Jason rushes to his side. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Nico bites out. He picks up the scepter and stands up. “If the others found out-”
“If the others found out, you’d have that many more people to back you up, and to unleash the fury of the gods on anybody who gives you trouble.”
Nico scowls, and zips his jacket up higher. “I can handle myself.”
“I know,” Jason says, still feeling anger coming from Nico.
Nico stares at the scepter in his hand, turning it over to look at its beautiful ivory length. His hand squeezes around it, and if Jason didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought the scepter to almost crack to Nico’s will.
“It’s your call, though,” Jason continues. “Your decision to share or not. I can only tell you-”
“I don’t feel that way anymore,” Nico scowls again, but this time it is less at Jason and more at himself. “I mean… I gave up on Percy. I was young and impressionable, and I- I don’t…”
“You don’t have to prove yourself,” Jason says. “I told you earlier. I understand what you’re going through, I think.”
He doesn’t really, or at least not in the exact same way as Nico does. He can’t imagine keeping that sort of secret, after being raised and keeping his 1940’s mentality. It must be lonely- at least Jason feels as if he has some sort of support. Nico thinks he has nothing.
Cupid was wrong. They’re not the same. Jason has too much support, too many camps swaying for his choosing. Nico might’ve also gone between camps, but it did nothing to make him belong. Two sides of a very polarized coin.
“I understand,” Jason repeats when Nico stays silent. Nico looks up to Jason with doubt. His lip curls slightly, ready to offer a snarky remark and cut Jason off of his righteous and pure throne.
“I might not understand entirely,” Jason puts his hand on Nico’s shoulder. “But I get it. Being in love with your best friend, keeping a secret for so long, not belonging. I get it. I’ve been through it- going through it.”
“Percy’s not my best friend,” Nico narrows his eyes. “He thought I was annoying, following him around like that.”
“Of course,” Jason blushes at his misstep. “I just want you to know that I’m here for you.”
Nico shifts uneasily. Maybe he’s thinking over the entire Cupid interaction- the Love god hadn’t been directing his comments to just Nico. He pushes Jason’s hand off his shoulder and looks away. “We should go.”
Jason should probably say more, but it would be a futile effort. He understands why though- what Nico just did took a lot of strength.
“Nico,” Jason says gently. “I’ve seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest.”
He looks like a kid. A terrified and lonely kid. “We should get back to the ship.”
“Yeah. I can fly us-”
“No,” Nico winces. “This time we’re shadow-traveling. I’ve had enough of the winds for a while.”
For a second, when he says winds, Jason thinks Nico’s referring to him. Perhaps Jason’s exceeded Nico’s Social Limit of The Day. Nico did tell Jason (a virtual almost-stranger) his biggest secret. So Jason doesn’t protest and lets himself get sucked into the darkness.
They tumble into Annabeth’s bunk. Jason sits on the floor, surprised by the location, and Nico looks around. He edges to the corner of the wall.
“Nico, wait-”
Too late. The son of Hades disappeared into the shadows without a trace. Jason hears banging and feet sliding against the floors before the door slams open.
“WHO ARE YOU?” Leo screams, thrusting a flaming hammer into Jason’s face. Jason ducks, feeling the intense heat against his face. The smell of burning hair spreads through the room. “DIE MONSTER!”
“Leo!”
“Huh?” Leo’s mouth pops open to make an ‘O’. He closes his hand around the hammer, extinguishing the flames. “Whoops, sorry Jason. Kinda thought you were some weird storm spirit attacking.”
“What?”
“Long story short, the weather is weird and suspicious.” Leo offers his hand to help Jason up. “How’d you get in Annabeth’s room anyway? Are you some kind of perv?”
“Nico shadow-traveled here,” Jason says. “Do you know where he went?”
“Death Kid? Nah. He keeps creeping around and setting off alarms.” Leo scowls. He looks around the room, shivering. “Can we get out of here? This place has bad mojo.”
“Sure,” Jason agrees. There’s something off-putting about being in Annabeth’s space. The messiness and items decorating the room are all uniquely hers, but the room feels cold and empty. It’s difficult to think about the fact that the room’s owner is currently in Tartarus, most likely fighting for her life.
Leo pulls Jason along with him, walking towards the dining hall. “So how’d it go in Split? Did you get the scepter?”
“Yeah. Nico has it.”
“Cool. Did you have to solve a riddle or kick butt to get it?”
“A little of both, I think. Cupid was there.”
“The little tiny baby with the arrows? How adorable,” Leo says, amused. “Did you have to change his diaper or warm his milk?”
Jason doubts he should ever mention what happened to someone. Especially not Leo. He considers his answer carefully: “Something like that.”
Leo howls with laughter, wiping his eyes like it’s the funniest joke ever. “While you were playing babysitter, I had to listen to Frank hum Old McDonald to himself. It got really entertaining when he started shifting into the animals as he sang. The duck was the best.”
“Does that mean you and Frank are friends now?”
“The best. Best Friends Forever. We’re practically soulmates now,” Leo deadpans. He slides his hands into his pocket. “I don’t know. We’ve got that weird Hazel thing going on which I’m so over, but who knows? Maybe Haz’s got the hots for all this.” He rubs his hands down his body, suggestively but goofily. “But yeah, it’s just fun to mess with Frankie’s head. As a matter of fact, let’s go mess with them right now.”
Jason thinks about what Cupid had said to him. Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work- a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you- especially the truth.
The truth.
Jason should tell him. He should tell him. Only then does it yield rewards.
He grabs Leo’s wrist to keep him from moving on. His best friend looks up at him with amusement and slight confusion. “Jason?”
“Leo- I-” Jason croaks, voice getting small and fragile. He licks his dry lips, providing moisture to cracks in desperate need of nourishment.
“Yeah?” Leo looks like he’s about to drop a joke. ‘This is so gay, Jason.’- Jason can almost see Leo’s mouth moving to formulate those very words. Ironically and fatally, he can’t do it.
Jason lets go of Leo’s wrist. “It’s nothing. You have some soot on your face.”
You’ve found true love, after all. Or do you still doubt yourself?
“Thanks, bud.” Leo furiously rubs at his face. He grins at Jason. “Can’t charm the chicks looking like a hobo.”
“No problem.” Jason mumbles. He clenches his hands behind his back, fingernails digging into his palms.
Still hiding, he hears Cupid’s voice again. You do not have the strength.
I will, Jason thinks, following Leo up to the ship deck. One day, I will.
On the deck, Piper, Hazel, and Frank are chatting. He makes eye contact with Nico across the Argo when he catches the glimpse of black hair and sunken eyes. Nico clatters closer to the group but avoids his eyes.
Above them, the wind howls and screeches with agony. The July humidity still remained and the ocean waves were calm, but the skies set Jason’s nerves on fire. Danger! They screamed. Run for the hills!
“Alright!” Leo cheered, interrupting Jason’s thoughts. He points at Nico. “We got the scepter and we’re not too far from the House of Hades. Let’s go, Wildcats!”
“Leo,” Piper says, exasperated. “I knew bringing the High School Musical movies with us was a bad idea.”
“I like the movies,” Frank chips in. Hazel nods along.
“See? Not a bad idea.” Leo sticks his tongue out at Piper. He pulls a pocket watch out of toolbelt, squints at the time, and then shoves it back in. “Looks we got a few days, folks. Want to rewatch the movies?”
“Again?” Hazel doesn’t seem too annoyed. She follows Leo back inside the ship, with Frank trailing behind. “Will we have popcorn this time?”
“Anything you want, babe,” Leo wraps his arm around Hazel’s shoulder. He looks back at Frank, who glares back. Leo smirks at him and continues walking Hazel in. “We’ve got white cheddar, caramel-”
Piper rolls her eyes, turning to Jason. “Want me to save you a spot? Frank likes stealing blankets and recliners.”
“Sure,” Jason glances to Nico who looks thoughtfully up at the sky. “I’ll be there in just a second.”
Piper nods, heading back in.
“Hey.”
Nico doesn’t answer, but Jason knows he heard him from the way he tenses.
“Are you coming in?”
Nico stares at Jason at that. His eyes probe Jason as if the Roman has some ulterior motive. Jason sort of does. He wants Nico to feel less lonely- give Nico some of that home that Jason has surplus access to.
Jason tries again. “Hazel makes really good apple tarts. I’m sure she’d love it if you tried some.”
Nico’s lips twitch at the mention of his sister. Or maybe it was the mention of food that did him in. “You want me to watch High School Musical… with all of you?” It comes off like a question like Nico isn’t sure if that’s really what Jason wants.
“Yep. It’s either that or Monopoly, but Piper’s scary when she plays that.”
Silence. Nico’s brows furrows, trying to comprehend Jason’s statement. “... You’re a lot like Troy, Jason.”
Nico doesn’t use his name very often. Jason doesn’t get the comparison of the protagonist to himself, nor was he expecting Nico to even know what High school Musical is. Jason just smiles warmly at Nico.
There is no indication that “I know what you’re trying to do.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nico gives him the most ridiculous look like, Seriously? You think you’re that sneaky? He slides into the shadows of the hull quietly, not giving Jason a response.
However, a few seconds later, he hears the delighted gasp of Hazel: “Nico! Frank, make some room for him, please!”
Jason smiles to himself. The skies stir ominously, wind pushing into him. He knows something is coming. Something bad.
They’re getting closer and closer to the prophecy fulfilling itself. Judgement Day. To storm or fire, the world must fall. Jason swallows, thinking about the implications. That’s him or Leo. Neither sound good. And if Leo can’t do it...
Do you still doubt yourself, Jason Grace? Cupid’s voice whispers into his ear. Jason whirls around, but no one is there.
He shakes off his thoughts, striding inside the Argo. He inhales the smell of buttered popcorn and the idle chats of his friends. Hazel’s sitting on one end of the long couch, scratching behind the ear of Frank, in form of a black cat, who purrs softly. Leo and Piper are arguing over the volume control on the other side of the couch, spilling popcorn onto the floor. Nico sits in a lone chair, buddled up in blankets, not looking very happy but also not looking annoyed. At peace.
Piper scoots over to let Jason sit between her and Leo. She manages to swipe the remote away with a victory whoop. Leo pouts, leaning on Jason with a whine. Jason sates him by putting his arm around him, to which Leo groans into Jason’s chest, mumbling about cheating Piper’s.
“You comfortable?” Piper asks him, eyeing Jason and Leo.
“Very,” Jason says. He pats her leg and reaches for some of the popcorn. “You can start the movie now.”
Piper presses play, at Jason relaxes. He feels at home, surrounded by the people he cares about.
Nothing can ruin it now.