Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The door bounced back at her, catching her on the arm, but Annabeth hardly noticed. "Sally! Paul!" She cried, sprinting from the hall into the living room. Black dust erupted from the carpet and swirled around her in a cloud as she moved.

"No." Annabeth rasped, breathing hard. "No! Sally! Paul!"

A wail came the hallway leading to the bedrooms, and Annabeth froze, then bolted down the hall, sobbing "Estelle!" as she went. Her tiny sister-in-law was curled in on herself at the foot of her bed, clutching her stuffed hippocampus to her chest, crying.

"Estelle!" Annabeth gasped, then said, louder, "Estelle!" as she dropped to her knees in front of her. Annabeth reached out a shaking hand and hesitated just before she touched the child’s hand.

“Annabeth?’ Estelle asked, looking up, red eyes wide. Tear tracks ran down her face, and trails of snot ran from her nose. “Annabeth!” She cried, launching herself from the floor and into Annabeth’s arms.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“-it’s worldwide.” Nico was saying. “Mortals, half-bloods, monsters,” he sighed, and suddenly looked far older than twenty-one. “The gods were not spared either.”

They were in the Big House at Camp Half-Blood, gathered around the old ping pong table in mismatched chairs. For lack of anywhere better to go, Annabeth had taken Estelle to camp, where they would hopefully be safe. It seemed like every demigod that had survived had had the same idea. Chris Rodriguez had come with his and Clarisse’s daughter, Piper McLean-Grace had been one of the first there besides Annabeth and Estelle, Nyssa and several other Hephaestus children were already there. Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner arrived together. Dozens of young half-bloods, all understandably confused and terrified, were being managed by Butch and Clovis. Chairs around the table were conspicuously empty, and the place at the head was empty as well. Nico had stepped out of the shadows only ten minutes before and had grimly called the meeting of senior half-bloods.

“I’m sorry. I thought I heard you say that the gods were affected.” Nyssa said.

Nico looked up at her, then around the table, his gaze lingering on the empty spaces. “You heard me correctly. I was in the Underworld when it happened. I watched my father, Persephone, and two of the Furies disintegrate in front of me.”

Thalia Grace, Artemis’s lieutenant of the Hunt, nodded. They had been somewhere in Europe, Annabeth thought, and were calling through Iris Message. At least Fleecy had survived. Thalia looked exhausted. “Artemis as well. She had wanted the Hunters to go to Wakanda, to help with the fighting there. She said she needed to seek permission from the goddess before we could enter. She had just come back when it happened.”

“Diana and Pluto are gone. Do we know of any others?” Frank Zhang, Praetor of Camp Jupiter, asked over Iris Message.

“Lupa and Terminus are gone!” The shout was faint through the connection, but Annabeth saw the way Frank’s shoulders slumped. The line between his eyebrows deepened.

Nico visibly shook himself, then said, “Ares and Aphrodite are gone. Hephaestus and Poseidon as well. A handful of minor deities, Nike and Nemesis among them. Alecto is still seeking others out.”

“Chiron and Dionysus are gone as well. I saw them-” Lou Ellen mimed an explosion with her hands. No one needed further explanation.

“How did this happen? What happened?” Travis Stoll asked. He looked lost, without Connor there next to him. “Aren’t the gods immortal? They can’t die like we can, or we wouldn’t have had to fight a war with the Titans again.”

Nico looked so tired. As tired as Annabeth felt. He pinched the bridge of his nose, then said, “They didn’t die. Not as we understand it. They simply…” he paused, searching for words. “ceased to exist.” Shouts erupted around the table as everyone spoke at once, then tried to yell over each other to be heard. Hands were waved above their heads to be heard first.

“QUIET!” Piper shouted. “I swear to whatever gods are left, if the children wake up, I will personally send you to the Underworld!”

Silence fell, and apologetic looks were thrown at Annabeth, who had only managed to convince Estelle to sleep by swearing to her that she was coming back, and Chris Rodriguez, who had just gotten his daughter to sleep. He was clutching the little girl close to his chest, his eyes were bloodshot, and had dark bags under them. They had all lost people, but he was taking Clarisse’s loss hard.

“Who else have we lost?” Frank asked softly.

“Jason.” Piper said, resting her hand on the small swell of her stomach. “Mitchell. Drew and Lacey.”

“Will Solace.” Nico said.

“Clarisse.” Chris rasped. “Our son.”

“Percy Jackson. Sally and Paul Blofis.” Annabeth said. Her father, stepmother, her mortal brothers.

“Connor.” Travis said, voice wavering.

“Reyna, my fellow Praetor is gone.” Frank said. “Hazel Levesque, Dakota, Matt, Julia… so many. Not Just the centuries either, New Rome is decimated. We still don’t have a full accounting of the… dead.”

“They’re not dead.” Nico said loudly. “I’ve walked through the gates to Judgement. With what happened, so many gone at once, Asphodel, Punishment, and Elysium should all be flooded! But they’re not. They’re gone,” he snapped his fingers. “Like that. Where the hell did they go?” he demanded.

Lou Ellen, the only remaining child of Hecate, stood, her chair scraping across the floor like a gunshot in the somber room. “We all need to rest,” she said loudly. “it’s been a long day, we’re all tired and need a break.” Nico stood before anyone else did, turning to bolt, but Lou jabbed a finger at him. “You especially. Stay for a night. You can keep searching the Underworld tomorrow. We’ve got plenty of room.”

There was a dry chuckle, but the joke fell flat. It had the intended effect, though. Cots and sleeping bags were pulled out and arranged in all available spaces. It was almost like when they were all younger, after surviving another apocalyptic battle. But Percy wasn’t there to put his back against hers. Not this time.

“Annabeth?” Estelle was awake, curled up on the couch. Her eyes were red and puffy.

“I’m here.” Annabeth said. She opened her arms in invitation and Estelle erupted off the couch and into her arms with a quiet sob.

“Mom and Dad aren’t coming back, are they? And Percy?”

Annabeth blinked hard, feeling the tears run down her cheeks and into Estelle’s hair. “No, they’re not.”

“Why? What happened to them?” The question was plaintive, and Estelle shook in Annabeth’s arms.

“We don’t know why. Not yet.” Annabeth said. “We’ll find out though.” Annabeth drifted off to sleep with Estelle curled in her arms. She just missed the shadows curl and flex, and Nico slip out of the Big House.

Chapter Text

Nico waited until the house had fallen silent before he pulled the shadows around him like a cloak and stepped out of the shadow of the Big House onto the dewy lawn. The moon was full and bright, the night was warm, and fireflies flitted about. The trees cast long shadows across the across the valley. Alecto was waiting for him.

“Thanatos lives.” The Kindly One said. “But Death cannot rule the Underworld.”

‘My father had no immortal children?” Nico asked, walking past her, farther away from the Big House and those sleeping inside. Alecto followed him. With her wings folded close to her back, the Fury almost looked like the pre-algebra teacher Percy had described to him. Gods, Percy. His loss, not death, was… jarring. Percy always pulled through. Until he didn’t. Nico was tired.

“Macaria and Zagreus are both gone. Melinoë is the bringer of nightmares and madness. She is not fit to rule. It must be you.”

“I’m not a god.” Nico said. “I have no wish to be one. Are there no children of Hades in the Underworld to take his place?”

“Your sister chose to be reborn. Your other sister is one of the vanished. There are no others fit to rule.” Alecto hissed, wings spreading in her irritation.

“Don’t think you can intimidate me Alecto, I’m not a child anymore.” Nico growled, Stygian iron dagger in hand.

“Good. A scared child cannot rule the Underworld.” Alecto said.

Nico sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. It needed to be cut. “I would remain mortal? And capable of interfering?”

Alecto scoffed. “Only a god can raise you to an immortal. And Zeus has far greater concerns now. Hera and Apollo are gone. Only Athena, Hermes, Demeter and Hestia remain of the Olympian Council.”

“So few.” Nico breathed. “Do we know what happened yet?”

“No. There are no gods welcome in Wakanda except her own. If I were to enter, even peaceably, I would be destroyed. It is worth noting that demigods are not welcome there either.”

“We’ll have to find out with the rest of the world.”

“You did not answer me.” Alecto said. “Distracting me with mortal concerns-”

“I am mortal!” Nico interrupted. “Half of all life on Earth disappeared yesterday, and you want me to replace Hades!”

“I am not asking you to replace Hades. You must take his place to preserve the balance of power in the Underworld. There cannot be a power vacuum.” Alecto said. “Melinoë would sow chaos the likes of which-”

“I fought the Titans and Giants, Alecto. And half of the world’s population just disintegrated to ash. The chaos one minor goddess could cause doesn’t seem very significant at the moment.” Nico said dryly.

He looked around them, at Camp Half Blood’s grounds. In the light of the moon he could just see the collection of cabins, amphitheater, and dining pavilion from where he was standing. The world was still in shock. It wouldn’t be for long, Nico knew. When people finally realized their new reality, chaos would reign. He was almost glad Eris had disappeared with half the world’s population. The last thing demigods needed was for her to make a play for power. Preventing Melinoë from taking power in the Underworld would (hopefully) help blunt what was happening in the mortal world. Nico sighed. “I need some time to think.”

“Don’t think too long.” Alecto hissed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nico stepped out of the shadows. It was hot, even at night. Not the oppressive heat and humidity he’d experienced that one time he went to Florida (never again, he’d thought. Disney World wasn’t worth it (Percy had bought the tickets)) but just hot. Sulphur was thick in the air in his father’s domain. My domain. What a terrifying thought. A growl came from the fog that he’d emerged in, and Nico stopped in his tracks. Keeping his eyes forward, he swung his backpack off his shoulder and dug the red superchewer Kong dog toy out.

“Cerberus!” Nico called. He tossed the toy up in the air and caught it one handed, then again. A giant head erupted from the shadows and caught the toy, and another dropped in front of him and snarled. Nico held his ground. “Hi, boy.”

There was a piteous whine, and the Kong dropped on the ground in front of him, neatly shredded into rubber pieces. A second head joined the first and pushed its nose into his stomach. Nico rubbed its ears. Something was wrong. Where was the third head? The fog cleared as he stepped closer, feeling his way down Cerberus’s massive neck to where the dog’s necks joined the body. The middle neck was missing. Gone.

“Oh, Cerberus. I’m so sorry, boy.” Nico reached up as far as he could to scratch the dog’s shoulder. “We don’t know what happened yet, but we’ll find out.” I hope. Nico said, sounding more confident than he felt. He gave Cerberus a pat on the shoulder, then walked away, following the Styx’s riverbank through Asphodel’s field.

Spirits whispered as he passed through them. They scattered as he approached them, transparent and just below hearing. As he walked, he looked. He searched the faces of the shades for people he knew. He didn’t recognize anyone, but with so many people gone, he likely wouldn’t see someone he knew anyway. He kept going, mind racing. Finally, he reached the Place of Judgement.

There were three lines of spirits. The EZ DEATH lane was moving along through the security ghouls, but the other two lines leading to Judgement had stalled. Nico caught one of the security ghouls by the arm as it passed. It turned and hissed at him, then its eyes widened, and it fell to its knees.

“My lord.” It gasped.

“Rise.” Nico commanded, sighing. “Why are the lines not moving?”

The ghoul’s eyes darted back and forth as if seeking help, but the other ghouls had vanished. “A soul went in yesterday, Your Grace.” It said. “Judgement has not been passed yet.”

Nico considered telling the ghoul not to call him that; but decided against it. He hadn’t agreed with Alecto yet, but he already knew that he had to. He released its arm and walked past it. He shoved the doors to the mausoleum open with a dull boom, and silence fell as Nico strode into the room. William Wallace, Harriet Tubman and Peggy Carter all looked away from the soul standing in the center of the black marble floor.

“You are not Lord Hades.” William Wallace said, his Scottish accent thick.

“No, I’m not.” Nico agreed. “That’s not why I’m here. The ghouls outside said that this soul-” Nico gestured to the…. green woman and did a double take. “You are not from Earth.”

“No.” the woman had grass green skin and dark red hair. “I am from the planet Zen-Whoberi.”

Nico sighed. “What is a soul from another world doing here? Shouldn’t she be in her own Underworld?”

“We were asking the same thing, Lord Nico.” Harriet Tubman said. “It is highly unusual for a soul that died on another world to come here.”

“When does this happen? I have never heard of something like this.”

“The world she died on, Vormir, was it?” Peggy Carter said. At the soul’s nod, she continued, “Did not have a living population, and therefore, did not have any gods to maintain their underworld. With no people to believe in the gods, they faded. With no underworld to go to, she came here.”

Nico had never heard of such an occurrence and decided to ignore that he had just learned that there was life on other planets (take that, NASA!), and sighed. “The lines are growing. Why haven’t you decided her fate yet?”

The judges all looked between themselves, then William Wallace said, “Her life and deeds are questionable.”

“She had no choice.” Harriet Tubman said. “She was as much a slave as I was.”

“She escaped when she could and worked to stop what she was forced to do.” Peggy Carter said.

Nico nodded, then moved to stand in front of the judges’ black marble table. The entire mausoleum was black marble. Sconces glowed around the room, with gold and gemstones scattered across the walls. He hopped up on the table and sat with his back to the judges, facing the soul. “What’s your name?”

“Gamora.” The woman said.

Nico nodded. “Very well, Gamora. Tell me everything.”

Chapter Text

Blackjack was following her. Estelle had met him before, when Mom, Dad, Percy and Annabeth took her to the cabin in Montauk. Percy had taken her flying on him, and it was the best thing ever. Even better than watching Iron Man fly, or Spider-Man swing through Queens when Percy had taken her to Spider-Man watch. No matter where Estelle went, the pegasus was there too, ruffling her hair with his warm breath, or touching her with his nose, almost like he needed reassurance that she was still there. Estelle understood. She had seen Annabeth looking at her like she was afraid of Estelle breaking into dust too, like Mom and Dad had.

They were out in the yard in front of the Big House; Blackjack was laying on the grass, one wing unfolded over her to block the sun, and Estelle was leaning back against his massive chest, pretending to read the book someone named Butch (“What kind of name is Butch?” she’d asked. “Don’t be rude.” Annabeth said) had given her. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Estelle didn’t want to read it. Her life had enough magical stuff going on without reading about it too. Magic was the only thing that she could think of to explain why her Mom and Dad had dissolved into black dust in front of her, and Percy had done the same in front of Annabeth. Silena Rodriguez told Estelle that it had happened to her mom and baby brother too.

Estelle knew that Annabeth and the other adults weren’t telling her everything. Nico had come back to camp that morning with an actual spirit from the Underworld. She was green, and her name was Gamora, but then Travis caught her and sent her out of the Big House before she could hear anything else.

“It’s not fair.” She complained to Blackjack. He picked his head up off the grass and nickered softly, ruffling her hair with his lips. That’s something else Estelle learned about horses. Their lips are strong, and Blackjack could use his almost like fingers. Estelle opened the box of Krispy Cream doughnuts, ripped one in half and offered part of it to Blackjack. The pegasus picked it daintily off her flattened hand and munched.

“I’m almost nine, I can handle whatever they’re talking about in there. It can’t be any worse than what happened to my Mom and Dad. And Percy.”

Blackjack snorted and shook his head.

Estelle looked at him. Blackjack had dark brown eyes. They were pretty. “I wish I could talk to you like Percy could.” She reached out and rubbed his ears, and Blackjack shifted behind her, rolling so he was laying with his legs tucked under him, and his wings folded against his back. When he was done moving, Estelle leaned back against him. Blackjack put his head in her lap and sighed heavily. “If we could really talk, you could tell me what you think about all this.”

Blackjack’s ears twitched and he nickered, nudging Estelle’s hand back onto his nose, and she started petting him again. The book was off to the side, forgotten.

Movement by Thalia’s tree caught Estelle’s attention, and she saw Peleus stand from his place under the Fleece. Seven girls came over the hill. They were dressed in jeans, hiking boots, and silver vests over black shirts. The tallest had a silver circlet braided in her short black hair.

“Thalia!” Estelle cried, leaping to her feet as soon as Blackjack picked up his head. She ran across the yard and leapt into Thalia’s arms.

Thalia hugged Estelle tightly. “Hi Hobbit.”

Estelle returned the hug. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

Thalia’s arms tightened around her, and she said, “I’m glad you’re here too.” She adjusted her grip on Estelle so that she was supported on Thalia’s hip, like Sally used to when she was little. Then she turned to the few Hunters that were with her. “Take our things to cabin eight. I’ll be there soon.”

There were murmurs of agreement, and they peeled away, trudging toward the group of cabins.

“Are Annabeth and the others in the Big House?”

At Estelle’s nod, Thalia, still holding her, turned and walked to the house.

Blackjack snorted and stood, shook himself and flexed his wings. He touched Thalia on the shoulder with his nose, then leapt into the air and flew off toward the stables.

Thalia set Estelle lightly on her feet and beckoned her to the house.

“They told me I was too young for the meeting.”

“We’re all too young for this.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Estelle followed in Thalia’s wake as she walked up the stairs and through the screen door. It closed behind them with a creak of springs and a loud thwap. Silence fell in the living room of the Big House, where the older demigods had gathered. They were sitting around the room, Annabeth and Piper on the loveseat, Travis Stoll perched on the windowsill, and Pollux, Nyssa and Katie Gardner sat on the couch under a taxidermy leopard head that turned and snarled at Thalia. Estelle took a quick step sideways to hide behind her.

“Quiet, Seymour.” Grover the satyr said. He tossed it a sausage from a dog treat bag. Estelle peeked around Thalia to watch, wide eyed.

Lou Ellen was sitting on an old-fashioned lounge chair, and others had pulled in chairs from the war room. Nico was in the middle, sitting backward on a kitchen chair with his arms folded, resting on the back rest. An Iris Message shimmered in a corner, and Estelle recognized Percy’s friend Frank.

“I’m glad you’re here Thalia.” Annabeth said, standing and hugging the Hunter. Thalia hugged her back hard before they broke apart.
“Estelle, can you go back out for now?” Annabeth said, stepping away from Thalia. Estelle turned to leave the room, sniffing quietly, but Thalia’s hand dropped on her shoulder, holding her in place.

“This affects her too.” Thalia said, staring Annabeth down.

“She’s too young.” Annabeth said, meeting Thalia’s stare.

“She’s older than you were.”

Annabeth’s jaw dropped. “Stabbing a cyclops in the foot-”

“You were six when you ran away from home. You went on your first quest when you were twelve.”

“That only affected me.”

“This doesn’t just affect us. This affects everyone left. She has a right to know, the same as everyone else.” Thalia said. “We can’t protect her from this.”

“We’re almost done here. Let her stay.” Nico said. He waved a hand at the ghost. “Please continue, Gamora.”

Estelle ended up on the loveseat, squeezed between Annabeth and Piper, with Thalia sitting on the armrest. She listened, wide eyed as Gamora spoke of the alien planets, Xandar and Contraxia. Gamora told them about her sister, Nebula, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. She told them about the Kree, Ronan the Accuser, and the dance off to save Xandar.

Gamora hesitated, glancing at Nico, then, quietly told them about finding the destroyed Asgardian ship, and Thor, who had been attacked by the alien Thanos as he was hunting the Infinity Stones.

“Infinity Stones?” Annabeth asked.

Gamora looked sad. She told them everything. The Power, Space, Time, Reality, and Mind Stones. She went quiet, then whispered, “and the Soul Stone.” Gamora looked around the room at the silent gathering, then said, “I died before Thanos collected them all. Thanos had planned to use all of them to remove half of all life in the universe.”

Estelle burrowed into Annabeth’s side, and Annabeth wrapped her arm across her shoulders to pull her closer.

Nico stood and paced across the floor. “It would appear that Thanos succeeded.”

Chapter Text

To: All Stark Industries Employees
From: Virginia Potts, CEO Stark Industries
Subject: Recent events

It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I write this to you all now, as I am sure work is the last thing you are all concerned about. The event in Wakanda involving the alien Thanos has quite literally impacted every person in the world. It is for this reason that I am contacting you all now.
Every employee of SI has been granted bereavement leave for the next six months, during which time Stark Industries will continue to pay the salaries of all employ-

Annabeth pushed away from the computer, rolling the chair back until she bumped the Celestial Bronze wall behind her. She’d been so busy with everything at the camp (other people’s problems) that she didn’t give herself time to think (grieve) for anyone. It worked. Until it didn’t. It had been a week since she watched Percy turn to dust in front of her in Central Park. A week since she had burst into Sally and Paul’s apartment and found Estelle and ashes. Her eyes burned and Annabeth scrubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes.

There was a soft knock at the door. Annabeth sniffed. “Just a moment.”

The door opened slightly, and Piper stuck her head in. “Annabeth?” Annabeth wiped at her cheeks, sweeping away the tears only for more to flow faster down her face. Piper stepped in, shut the door behind her and gathered Annabeth into her arms. She didn’t ask if Annabeth was okay, and for that she was grateful. It would have been a stupid question. They held each other for a time, tears flowing silently and taking shaky breaths.

Long minutes later, Piper let go and sat in the other chair. Tear tracks shone on her face, and she pulled a tissue from its box on the desk. She dabbed her face dry and blew her nose, then tossed the tissue in the trash. “I’m not okay. I’m not going to ask how you’re doing, because no one is okay.”

“I hate that word.” Annabeth said.

“Me too.” Piper agreed. “Have you heard from your Dad?”

Annabeth took a deep breath. “I called. I tried IMing them. I think they’re gone too.”

“Gods, Annabeth. I’m so sorry.”

“I had just really started talking with Bobby and Matt. They were supposed to start college in the fall.” Annabeth felt her lip quiver. Fresh tears blurred her vision. She wiped them away before they could fall.

“I had to call my Dad’s agent.” Piper said quietly. “His driver vanished while they were driving down the highway. There was a really bad accident. He’s in the ICU in LA. They don’t know if he’ll ever wake up.”

“Oh Piper, why didn’t you say anything?”

Piper shrugged helplessly. “I just keep hoping that tomorrow I’ll wake up and realize that this is all one really bad dream.”

“This would be a doozy, even by Morpheus’s standards.” Annabeth agreed.

Before Piper could respond, someone pounded on the door.

“Annabeth! There’s someone here asking for you!” Sherman Yang called through the door.
_______________________________________________________________________

For one heart stopping second Annabeth thought it was Percy standing there in front of her. On her second look, she spotted the differences. This man’s black hair was cut short, his eyes were a lighter green, he was paler than Percy ever managed to get, and he was a good four inches shorter than Percy. He was buff, while Percy had a slim swimmer’s build. Percy wouldn’t be caught dead in a Hawaiian shirt that hideous.

Annabeth had only ever met him once, when he had two tails. “Triton?” She asked warily.

“Annabeth.” Triton answered. “Is Percy here?”

Percy was one of the few demigods who had a relationship with their godly family, Annabeth knew. Amphitrite had initially been very cool with him, but she’d warmed to him eventually. Triton had also been less than welcoming in the beginning. Annabeth didn’t know how their relationship had evolved, but she knew that Percy and Triton would regularly spar, causing storms in the middle of the Atlantic.

“No,” Annabeth said, clenching her jaw against the quiver in her voice. She wasn’t going to break down crying in front of the entire camp and a god. She was not.

“He’s one of the Vanished, then?” Triton asked, softly. He sounded like Poseidon, with all the power of the sea behind him.

Annabeth nodded, unwilling to speak. She almost missed the way Trition’s shoulders slumped just slightly. His eyes darkened, and he sighed heavily.

“I had hoped-” Triton stopped and shook his head. “I must return to Atlantis. Poseidon is gone, and chaos is sure to follow.” He inclined his head to Annabeth. “Farewell, demigods. Whatever happens now, you will be on your own.” Then he vanished, leaving the faint scent of salt and sea behind.