Chapter Text
The first sign was a black crow.
Jason noticed it perching on one of the many old street lamps along the calli. Venice was packed with tourists, yet it was pretty clear that the pair of large pure black eyes were taking in each of their movements. Did crows appear in daylight? Jason didn't have time to ponder as the bird soon took off when they walked past. The flapping wings disappeared behind the houses, he didn't think much about it but opted to watch out for more dangerous monsters.
Next was a black cat.
Like the crow, it curled up leisurely on a windowsill, looking down at them. It looked like a blob of black, inky fur merged with the rusty bars, reflecting absolutely no sunlight. Its head steadily followed their direction as the two demigods strolled along the canals, a playful tail swinging from side to side. Before Jason could warn Percy, it sat up, stretched, and jumped away, traceless and agile as if having vanished into thin air.
The dog wasn't that discreet.
They'd finally found the right fondamenta and were following the address when Percy abruptly stopped, Jason's nerves immediately strung tense. His gaze returned to the road, coming face to face with a large dog. Or what-looked-like-a-dog, because there was something - a sensation, an instinct, the hair standing up on his nape - about the creature that set Jason on edge. They didn't even see when nor where it came from. It could be a hellhound. Jason wasn't sure if all hellhounds looked like Mrs. O'Leary, as this one was a mastiff, smaller though still imposingly bigger than average size with jet-black fur that practically sucked in the light.
A peripheral glance told him Percy shared the same thoughts. His hands were gripping Riptide, a thumb on its cap. Jason was itching to reach his weapon too.
"You saw them too, right?" He asked, receiving a nod.
"Do you think they are following us?"
Possibly.
The creature itself only stared at them with unblinking eyes, wagging its tail to the sides. Jason had spent enough time around canines to know that it was supposed to indicate happiness or joy. The dog's face betrayed neither of them. No, it was this kind of... interest. As if two Big Three demigod sons were a fascinating new toy for it. Not a reassuring thought.
It sat up and strolled towards them. Jason couldn't suppress the shiver creeping up his spine.
"Think we could take it?"
Next to him, Percy quietly asked. Jason tightened his folded gladius in his palm and then fleetingly surveyed the deserted fondamenta. There was no one around but silent fences and various types of trees. The water was nearly still, no gondola in sight. If it went down to a fight, they wouldn't have to worry about crossfire.
He gave a single nod as a reply. Without signing, they both crouched down to a battle stance. The mastiff stopped.
And then it turned around, jumped over the fence without sparing a single glance back. Gone.
Jason blinked. Behind him, Percy looked utterly confused.
"That was... weird."
He straightened his back, still keeping a firm hold on his weapon. Percy snorted.
"How many monsters have you met that would ignore their prey?"
Jason stared at the place the dog had disappeared to. "Do you think it has anything to do with him?"
Percy's reply sounded like he was trying to make sense of their lives. "We can only hope."
The house looked, surprisingly, lovely.
Jason supposed it could be called a small villa. It stood alone at the end of the fondamenta, short brown fences lining up along the vintage lamps that surround a lively garden, three stories of light caramel walls and several windows picking out from behind the vibrant foliage. There's a larger, ceiling-to-floor one on the top, where Jason could see the curtains fluttering in Venice's summer winds, free and peaceful.
In fact, it was so quiet and calm that Jason thought the world had stopped right then and there. The winds were blowing too slowly. The crowded trees kept the garden sleepy and their whispers were a constant white noise in the back of his head. Despite the sunny sky, their shades seemed to be reaching out to them, much like those curious children whose heads peaked out to watch the uninvited guests.
So this was where he chose to be called a home.
It sounded like a groundless claim, and it probably was - considering how many years had passed since the last time they saw each other, but Jason could see the reasons. The restful quietness, the safe isolation, plants and shades.
Perhaps he hadn't changed at all, Jason silently wished, perhaps this whole mission was wrong, and they could have misinterpreted the prophecy. Maybe the other was living happily on this side of the earth and they could have a normal, merry reunion.
He turned to his companion. Percy looked the same as him, albeit stunned and a little wary, as though he didn't know how to react. Nonetheless, the son of Poseidon met his eyes with a cautious nod. He pushed open the small gate. The small bell jingled at the movement, a tingling soft sound, and they stepped into the path.
It was as if the doorbell had broken whatever had been blanketing the scene. The plants' buzzes seemed to turn louder as they walked through the garden. Despite the sunny weather, there was barely any sunlight reaching their faces. Jason's skin grew cold in the absence.
He kept an eye on the glass windows for any movement, any sign that someone was living in here except for the well-mown grass and clean walkway. He thought he saw a curtain shift, yet it was such minuscule that Jason had to doubt himself.
Everything was still. Silent.
And there was the dog again.
This time though, the black mastiff seemed to be waiting for them - which did nothing to lessen the creepiness - as it glanced at them and then sauntered back to the house before they could draw their weapons. Bewildered, Jason traded a look with Percy and followed the dog.
The path wasn't long despite a few strange turns surely built for only scenery-watching. Strangely enough, the dog didn't lead them to the front door but instead to a small patio nestled at the side. Jason saw it was set up on a patch of white sand under the vines' shades. There was a typical set of grey table and chairs, a few bean bags and playthings scattered around.
The dog strode over the lounge chair, yet Jason and Percy didn't need any sign to remain at the edge of its sandy floor. They stood there, watching the black-haired boy casually pet the large mastiff. His unblinking look pinned them in place.
"Jason, Percy." The names rolled out of his tongue, flat and calm like a statement instead of an emotional greeting. Jason could barely pick out a bit of surprise. His voice sounded half foreign, half familiar. It was the same accent, slightly hoarse words and low volume, yet there was something - a lighter tone, maybe - that made it less somber and all the more pleasant than the last time he said his goodbye in the Long Island forest. It was like a lullaby.
Onyx eyes locked with his, Jason tried his best to plaster a sincere smile on his face.
"Long time no see, Nico."
After three years of no trace and barely any connection, Nico di Angelo had changed a lot, Jason could tell.
The son of Hades still looked the same yet different, dispite the still present invisible walls, almost as if there was a soft veil enveloping his features, new light bathing all the acquainted traces Jason could make out in a strangely tender mist. Alone under the golden flecks of sunlight streaming through the foliage, he looked out of this world.
There was a short pause when they stared at each other. Nico's gaze was heavy and clear, a pair of shining black diamonds eyes akin to those bottomless winter lakes. They looked like glass, not the broken shards Jason had seen piling beneath the wounded Nico di Angelo post-Tartarus but a stainless, unstirring surface that captured every drop of light before hiding them behind the gleaming shiness. Jason couldn't help but freeze under the scrutinization. He didn't know what to say. Everything seemed meaningless when they were face to face again, after his many failed attempts to keep him and the son of Hades's desperate choice to leave, to find another place where he truly belonged. And by the look of it, he succeeded.
Looking at this piece of tranquility Nico had gained for himself, now, Jason had half a mind to expect Nico to shout at them to leave.
Next to him, Percy didn't look any better. If anything, the son of Poseidon seemed worse. Torn.
The son of Hades didn't do that, though. Erupting and kicking them out, that was. He closed his book and gently pushed away the giant canine head that attempted to pin him down. His movements were unhurried.
"This is certainly a surprise." He stated plainly, standing up. As the boy approached them with the large dog less than a step behind, Jason found him leaning a bit on it, his right leg limping, bare toes tugging sand. He gestured loosely to the house's direction, where a door was left ajar. "Let's come in the house first, shall we?"
They followed him. Nico's steps were slow, as expected of his limping state, so both Jason and Percy had to deliberately keep their strides short to avoid being slapped in the face by the dog's wagging tail. It should be a logical reason, yet Jason couldn't shake the heaviness weighing on his feet as they made their way to the villa. Nico's unexpectedly mellowness only helped to intensify it.
He opted to watch the boy strolling ahead, whose uneven gait drew a jerk in the air with every step he took, and the surprisingly helpful giant mastiff by his side. Jason's thoughts shifted from one to another. He could only wonder how Nico felt upon meeting them again. He was tempted to ask about a lot of things: Nico's predicament, his peculiar maybe-pet, how he had been all this time,... Yet, something was telling him it would be the wrong thing to do, maybe it was the ominous dark presence by his side, maybe it was just another early autumn breeze.
Percy didn't utter a word, either. And the silence had never bothered Nico.
Nico's living room was spacious. The old-styled interior was even cozier than the outside: all wooden furniture, a lot of sofas and lounge chairs, a fireplace taking up half of the back wall. The floor was covered in carpets despite the weather - it was borderline hot. Multiple layers of curtains shielded the double windows, from which he could make out the Venetian Lagoon a few steps away. The sounds of splashing water filled the air.
Every corner he looked, Jason found himself itching to get some comfort from their relaxing ambiance. Somehow, it reminded him of the elegant principia and the windy Half-Blood Hills at the same time. Graceful but not obligatory, free but not chaos.
What twisted his guts, however, was the lack of personal traits around the house. Everything was neat and clean, spotless as if to imply that the occupants were all incorporeal. The books were the only sign of Nico's existence.
A pang of horror spiked when Jason tried to guess how the son of Hades could have been living after leaving the Camps. He didn't know what to make of that, so he forced himself to crush it down and focus on their purpose.
"This is nice," Percy spoke up from where he was wide-eyed at the impressive collection of paintings on the walls. "You have a whole villa for yourself?"
A faint smile spread over Nico's features. "Dad gave it to me a few years ago."
He sat on the biggest sofa, books gone and the mastiff spawling over his lap. A skeleton - a woman, it seemed - came out from what Jason guessed must be the kitchen to place three teacups on the coffee table. Nico murmured a small thank you before picking up his own. The son of Hades looked so at ease cuddled up in a pile of fluffy cushions and black fur that accentuated his pale skin to the point of glowing. The dog, which had brought Jason all sorts of dreadful speculation, was now boneless under his slender arms. Its fur was so thick it left only a bit of Nico's fingers peeking out.
He didn't look like he was in the same world as Jason.
Recalling their last encounter, Jason only saw the images of a Nico who would rather lick his wounds than let anyone take a look at it, who was filled with so much despair and anger that threatened to shatter him before swallowing him whole, who chose to erase all his imprints on their lives because it hurt too much to try again. It hit Jason like a hammer, then, that this was a new Nico, living a new life in a new place with new acquaintances. A better life, he hoped, of a different Nico he had never known of.
He wondered how Nico did it.
By leaving. A voice whispered in his mind. Jason smothered it.
They settled on the opposite sofa. A pair of canine pupils shifted to them. Jason stared back.
He merely caught a gleam in those irises before Percy asked loudly. "Is that your pet?"
The son of Poseidon's smile was strained. Forced. His unease set off alarms in Jason's head. Not like there wasn't any from the moment they arrived in Venice.
Nico blinked at them then cocked his head at the mastiff. His tone was soft when he replied. "I'd prefer to think of him as a friend." It was only for a fleeting moment yet Jason thought he saw the canine grin back at him, a haunting image of thick lips curling up.
It was nearly the same as how a human would do.
The prophecy rang loud in his mind. Along with a wave of barely-constructed questions and straying dark thoughts. Dark and scary. Air went cold in Jason's lungs whereas his hands were suddenly sweaty. He rubbed them on his jeans.
No, he was being ridiculous. It couldn't be.
"He's smaller than Mrs. O'Leary."
Percy commented. Jason briefly wondered if he was trying to fish out the rare memories they shared with Nico (those that wouldn't bite their heads and crumble their minds at the first chance of resurfacing) to make way for a much more dreaded conversation.
If the mention of their co-owned dog did touch something inside him, Nico had managed to bottle them all up in a single hum.
Digging his fingers in the thick raven fur, his voice didn't fluctuate when he looked in their eyes and inquired. "Then, what happened that has you two on my doorstep?"
Percy opened his mouth and snapped it close just as fast. Jason's throat tightened against his will.
Nico put down his teacup, tone devoid of emotion. "You don't plan on seeking me out just for a touching, heart-to-heart, cliché reunion, do you?" His gaze hardened when it landed on Jason. "And if you intend to continue your persuasion, I recommend you discard that idea right now."
Jason would like to argue that there were specific people who were more than glad to see Nico di Angelo again, himself included. He wondered how Nico would react if he brought up Hazel, knowing the boy's only effort to stay in touch with her was a few confirm letters of dead or alive.
It was probably not a good idea at the moment. Jason swallowed. He cleared his throat a bit too rough, keeping his eyes fixed on Nico's expression and his thoughts away from the depressing things of their past. "We... do have a new problem at hand."
"It wouldn't happen to involve a prophecy, would it?"
"I'm afraid it does."
If Jason hadn't been focusing intently on his reactions, he wouldn't have noticed how Nico dropped his gaze and folded his arms on top of the giant mastiff a little bit too stiff despite his unstirring facade. By the windows, sunlight dimmed.
"Say, who is waking up this time?"
His voice was suddenly tight. He's affected, Jason realized. Perhaps Nico wasn't that nonchalant with another prophecy as he was trying to pretend. He could be scared. Jason wanted to believe that, but then the mastiff lifted his head, and Nico's hands were knuckle-white as the two appeared to have an empathetic conversation in a span of two seconds. The ebony irises gleamed like silver under the moonlight when they locked with the dog's gaze.
There was something not right. Percy's hand moved to his pocket for Riptide and Jason's absurd thoughts earlier now came striking back at him at full force. He couldn't keep his eyes off the canine, throat dry.
They had been dreading the moment when they had to convince Nico to join them in the forthcoming doom, another awful prophecy, most likely another series of suicidal quests and sacrifices, and then he would shout and spit and claw at them to get out of his life when Nico himself had chosen to cut all ties. It wasn't that. Nico had been unfathomably calm. And the series of quests might be unnecessary since the object of their apprehension was sitting all so docilely by his side. The looks Nico gave it were so tender and gentle it made Jason's skin crawl under the sense of foreboding.
It was Percy who enunciated the name.
"Erebus, the personification of darkness."
They both watched as Nico's hands twitched slightly, just once, before his shoulders sagged and he choked soundlessly, letting out a shuddering sigh. Next to him, the giant canine sat up. Its ebony pupils widened as they took in Percy and Jason, judging, dissecting, watchful. Jason could see it now: the lingering dark aura, the aura of ancient and timeless power, the pure curiosity akin to a child exploring their new toy. Mrs. O'Leary didn't have that. None of the normal hellhounds did.
"Nico," Jason took a deep breath. He forced his tone to be as mild as possible. "You didn't seem surprised when we arrived." A pause. "You knew we would come, didn't you?"
The son of Hades turned to stroke his animal friend, bony hand shaking as they traveled up and down the other's spine. A single nod. His hand dropped, leaving a ripple spreading across the pitch-black fur. And then it morphed, dissipated before thickening again. A smear of black swept through the air and Jason only blinked, once. The canine was gone. A crow cocked its head at them from its place on the backrest, bottomless eyes as haunting as a nightmare, familiar all the same. Jason’s breath hitched through his teeth.
Before any of them could choke out noise, the blackness shifted again. Another second and an imposing feline was perching on the backrest, endless hair cascading down in waves, fuzzy tail hanging down Nico's shoulder. Behind it, a black mist thickened until it formed a human-like figure. Faceless and crooked limbs, pitch-black as a terror.
The two demigods sprang to their feet. Percy's finger was halfway to Riptide's cap when a sudden tension pinned them in place. Powerful, superior, sublime. It reverberated through Jason’s core, freezing his veins and rattling his mind under breathtaking pressure. The temperature dropped drastically. Shadows danced on the walls.
"Hands off them, Res."
Nico demanded. The tension diminished just as fast as it came. Jason had to stumble a step back.
"How--" He heard Percy choke, Riptide in hand and extremely upset. "How?"
Jason was dying to know that too. His attention snapped back to Nico, whose brows uncomfortably knitted together. He dropped his gaze and pursed his lips, seemingly mulling over what to say not to have them freak out, again.
Despite his efforts, the answer didn't make Jason feel any better.
"I'm bound to him. To Erebus."
Jason blinked. "Bound?" Nico nodded.
"You mean it's like..." Percy croaked out. He sounded so hoarse Jason had to peek at him. The son of Poseidon's widening eyes would've looked so comical if his lips hadn't been quivering and real fear hadn't been obscuring his features. The hero spoke as if the words hurt him. "...Like Kronos and L---"
"No." Nico cut him off, firmly yet softly. "No, it's not."
Percy still looked tense like a bowstring but the relief was palpable. Jason wracked his head over the name. He came up with one - their godly grandfather and his unfortunate host, whose story often sent his Greek friends in either a regretful or resentful mood. Jason remembered how bitter Thalia had been talking about the guy.
He couldn't shake the tremor that ran through him when the hero of the prophecy's ending replayed itself in his mind. Jason turned to Nico so fast he nearly had whiplash.
"He doesn't have control over me," Nico said reassuringly. "Rather, I'm the one who can manipulate him." As a demonstration, he reaches up to pet the cat, only to have it nuzzle his palm before dissolving into murky shadows that clung to Nico's skin when he waved.
He swiped his hand through the air, leaving a trail of lightlessness in its wake. It melted and condensed into a small figure of a limping boy, one arm tucked to the side. Although it was all made of colorless shadows and the lines were all blurry, Jason could see it represented Nico.
"I was near death when I found him. His consciousness, to be exact." The figure dropped down to his knees. A puff of mist rose from under the figure's feet, churning around him before revealing another human-like silhouette. Erebus. "He was awoken by the commotion upon Gaea's demise - the explosion, her remnants returning to earth. They stirred up the depths enough to reach him."
Jason watched as the battle against Mother Nature’s ending was played out by incorporeal puppets (he still had nightmares about Leo's death) around him. It was like a light show but instead of light effects, they got the shadows flaring and shrinking down into vague silhouettes. Gaea's figurine exploded into wisps of smoke. Those same wisps merged again to make an Erebus - now swirling protectively around the collapsed Nico.
"However, only his consciousness managed to piece itself together. His... body has long been shattered, scattered across the world as pure darkness." Nico's voice quieted down, soft, nostalgic, grateful. "I found him, and he saved me."
His puppet version reached out, caught the floating god, and hugged it against his chest. When he let go, Erebus was gone and a large canine came up, snuggling close to help him on his feet.
It was surprisingly sweet. Shadow Nico didn’t have a face, yet Jason could still feel his joy rolling off in almost imperceptible wisps. He didn’t have much time to appreciate that, though.
"Now, he is only able to manifest through my shadow manipulation. He doesn't have the power."The puppets were abruptly dispelled at Nico's solemn word, making the two demigods flinch as their eyes met with shimmering onyxes.
Jason saw how the calm facade slowly crumpled beneath the disappointment and exhaustion that had suddenly engulfed his expressions. Nico looked so sad, sad and painfully sad - deep sorrows nesting in those oily, inky pools. They boiled and iced over and morphed into what was too much like hopeless resolute, shining so bright in unshed tears that trapped Jason's reflection like an old, crumpled photo in the back of a locked drawer. The son of Hades had his fists clenched tight on his thighs, all muscles tense akin to a cornered animal preparing to fight for its life.
Cat-Erebus nuzzled at him, probably aware of his anxiety, and Nico's gaze fell on the deity. Desperate and determined all the same.
Realization dawned on Jason, then. Nico was protecting Erebus.
"Nico..."
"That prophecy is wrong. It has to be." Nico cut him off, gesticulating wildly. "Res can hear my thoughts and I can hear him, too. That's why I knew you would come! We see each other's minds transparently. If he's plotting something bad, I would know. And now I guarantee you, he does not."
The son of Hades talked fast, his accent prominent. Jason could practically pick up on his quickening breaths. The light flickered, coldness ran down Jason's spine even though there were no winds inside.
"Okay, just calm down first---" He started, only to have Percy jump in.
"Are you sure he isn't manipulating your mind?"
Jason absolutely disapproved of Percy's impulsive, unthoughtful inquiry. Nevertheless, as he saw how rattled the son of Poseidon was, sea-green mixed with utter fear, he could empathize with that. Percy definitely didn't want history to repeat itself and neither did Jason want Nico to die a death like Thalia's friend.
The son of Hades was standing now, feet planted firmly on the expensive carpet, voice scarily cold. "Yes, yes, I am. More than ever. I'm not Castellan." He was staring defiantly at Percy, but Jason could feel the burn on his skin anyway. When Nico continued, Jason swore his eyes iced over, just like how his voice dropped to a cruel threat.
"Unless you make me."
Percy flinched hard at that, his face paled drastically.
If Nico was trying to cut the son of Poseidon bleed by his words, he succeeded. The thought scared Jason, because it was Nico to Percy.
Maybe there was more that had changed than Jason could ever expect. Or maybe it was expected. After all, things were bound to change if you kept twisting it.
"We won't force you, Nico. I promise." He quickly took a step forward to tear Nico's steely eyes off the oldest demigod and internally breathed out when his voice came out calm enough, nonprovocative. "We'll figure this out together, alright?"
Nico didn't look convinced, but Erebus landed on his shoulder and wrapped him with crooked arms of darkness. The son of Hades took a shuddering breath and calmed down quite fast. They appeared to have a soothing conversation, then a discussion. Jason didn’t know what that was, but he was relieved Percy would be spared from painful recalling for now.
After a few moments, Nico turned to them, skepticism written clear on his face.
"Who delivered the prophecy?" He demanded, straightening his back ramrod.
Jason blinked. "What---"
"Who told you about Erebus?" Nico repeated a bit impatiently, snapping at Percy. "It wasn't Rachel, was it?"
"Uhm, no." Jason shook his head. "Mercury--err, Hermes spoke to us."
With that, a ripple ran across the air. Jason merely noticed the shadows on the walls shook slightly, almost like... someone was laughing.
His guess was confirmed when Nico fell back on the sofa and let out a puff of mirthless laugh. It was too brittle and fragile for Jason's comfort, the way Nico sounded like he could shatter at any time and cut at them with his sharp broken edges.
"So it wasn't the Oracle, nor Apollo, the god of prophecy," Nico concluded.
No, it was not. And now they were talking about that, Jason suddenly felt like he was missing something... It was true Apollo would be preferable in this whole prophecy thing, but Mercury was a messenger god. His job was to deliver things. It shouldn't be a problem.
Nico's dry expression told him otherwise.
Staring at them unblinkingly, the son of Hades articulated. "Apollo is also the god of Truth. He can't tell lies."
Lies.
A single word and Jason suddenly started doubting reality. Thoughts raced through his mind, frantically trying to make sense of the situation. Percy had frozen, wide-eyed, dumbfounded.
“So this is how it goes, then? The gods are so paranoid that they come up with a false prophecy to rob you into getting rid of a threat that isn’t a threat?”
Nico said it with so much venom it stung. Percy’s features twisted in rage.
Jason recalled that afternoon when Hermes had appeared out of nowhere and informed them of another approaching calamity. (“Too many for only ten years.” He remembered Annabeth’s complaint) About darkness and eternal night. And of course, of course, they’d thought of Nico di Angelo, the only expert excelling in those dark fields no one dared to tread. And how had they found him without any lead except for Nico’s one-sided correspondence with Hazel?
At that time, Jason had just assumed that Hermes’d known Nico’s destination thanks to his God of Traveling and Wanderers’ ability, or some sort of similar divine power. Now, thinking back, the gods could have been aware of this – of Nico and his binding with Erebus. That was Hermes had told them to be careful. That was why they’d been sent away, two of the most powerful, to Italy where Nico truly was whereas Hazel was most likely still wandering in North Dakota - because the daughter of Pluto was nothing if not loving and loyal, more so towards her brother.
What did the gods expect them to do?
One look at Nico and Jason knew he knew. They all did.
Percy’s face was a display of multiple levels of fury. Jason could only guess his was the same.
“Leave it, both of you.”
Nico advised steely. Disgust and disappointment were carved blatantly on his set brows. Erebus’ aura wrapped around him like a protective field. Jason had mixed feelings about the entity.
The Olympians might be deceiving them, but Erebus was a god just the same, maybe more so – with his ancient sublimeness and powerful magic dating back to the dawn of life. Just like Kronos and Gaea, he was dangerous.
“Nico,” he spoke up slowly. “I feel reluctant to believe the Olympians just as you do. But we're still not sure if Erebus is a better choice."
The son of Hades was obviously displeased by the subtle accusation. Erebus’ aura mirrored his discomfort through shimmering shades. They twisted and turned, sticking out like thorns.
"He saved me, Jason." Nico sounded like a dead man's whisper, exhausted at the conversation whilst gripping at a thread of life. "Res spent all the residual power to spare me from death's grasp. And he has been with me ever since because he wants to. Erebus isn’t a threat. I know.”
His words were like concrete and ground, adamant, unshakable. Everything Jason planned to say stuck in his throat. He was aware Nico could be stubborn when it came to those he loved, yet Jason was still amazed by his unwavering determination and protectiveness. The son of Hades had grown attached to the primordial god, that much was clear. Because that was how the boy had always been, anyway: always paying thought to everything, always willing to look past the exterior, and always full of love to give.
He opted to observe the god next. Erebus met his gaze with indifference. He didn’t appear to feel anything for Jason and Percy. Instead, his attention focused almost solely on Nico, a raven head nuzzled at the boy’s cheek and tendrils of darkness seemed uncharacteristically soft as they run through the inky hair, offering comfort.
The scene was so odd and fitting at the same time that Jason could only manage a hesitant comment.
"We're... worried about you, Nico. This is a lot to comprehend."
"It's hard to believe that I'm capable of making friends, I know."
"I didn't mean it like that."
Jason hurriedly amended at the same time Percy made a frustrated sound. His features contorted, chaos of frustration and anger, though Jason didn't think it was directed at Nico.
“Nico, please.” He choked out. “It doesn’t have to be like this. You have friends.”
The other’s jaw instantly tightened. “Enough of that. You don't understand. You are unable to understand.”
“Why does he, though?” Percy demanded. He didn’t back down in front of Nico’s glare. “Erebus is a god too, you know? And Kronos… he also made him believe it was the right thing to do. How is this different, then?”
The son of Poseidon might sound accusatory, but Jason could tell he was just scared – of the past and the present. Percy was grasping direly at an ending that wouldn’t repeat what had been with the Titan of Time, especially to Nico of all people.
Jason could only hope Nico would see that.
The son of Hades glared cooly at the older brunette. “It’s different because he was alone. Like me.”
That got him a stunned and crest-fallen Percy. “You are not alone.” He choked out.
“Just as much as you understand me, then.”
“I’m trying, Nico, I really am.” Percy strained his voice. “But I can’t if you just don’t let me!”
“I don’t because you can’t.”
Nico stood up again, gritting his teeth. His gaze burnt with a raging fire, as cold as the Underworld's touch nonetheless.
“No one knew of Erebus. I was only able to find him because I heard him through the shadows. They are fragments of Erebus’ being. He could call out to me because we were alike in that. And do you know how it felt to have him come to me like that?”
They didn’t know how to answer. Nico didn’t let them.
“No, you don’t.” He grounded out, voice dripping with forlornness and resignation to the point that it hurt, hurt, hurt so much just to hear Nico's slightly raspy voice teetering towards broken. "You don't know how horrible the feelings of isolation can be simply because of yourself, of what you can't change when you have done nothing wrong. No one truly understands. People are always afraid of death and the dark. Too much to bother to see what's in it."
Jason opened his mouth, but Nico didn't spare him a word. "I know you were wary of me before Split, Grace. And I can’t blame you for that, because it's just how things are."
His heart clenched painfully. It was getting hard to breath through the spasming guilts. What was the worst, though, wasn't the hurtful words thrown at him but rather how Nico said them: accepted, resigned, given up. Nico had come to accept the unfriendliness with which he'd been so often greeted and the isolation caused by people's instincts. Jason's chest ached at the thought of Nico having given up hope, retreating to his distancing tendency because it would hurt less that way. Because he believed it should be that way.
"Hazel loves you." Jason wasn't sure mentioning Nico's sister was a wise decision but he had to try.
To his relief, Nico didn't blow up, even though his eyes shone at the girl's name. To his disappointment, it didn't work. "Yes, she does, because she is my sister and I'm forever grateful for that. But she would never understand what is inside me. A part of her would always remain apprehensive."
Nico looked genuinely devastated at his claim - defeated, tired – as if he had spent nights praying for the opposite before finally surrendering the fact he so much as believed.
So this was how the children of Hades had been suffering so much. Being different. Alone.
"I'm sorry." It probably didn't mean much, but Jason felt he needed to say it anyway.
“No need be.” Nico took a step back. Erebus had returned to his canine form and tucked himself into Nico's right side to support him. The son of Hades clenched his fists, ebony eyes settled down into pools of subtly boiling tears. "I was on my own, Jason. No one dared to come close, simply because they couldn’t. Not until Res. And he was the first to stay for the darkness I hold within me."
His eyes pierced right through Jason, fiercely pleading for him to understand. How sad it was that Jason did. Too much more than a child of Jupiter should.
Nico addressed Percy next. "And his darkness helped me, too. He kept my nightmares at bay. You know that, don't you, Percy? Tartarus is all burning rage, Erebus was my salve."
Percy tensed more at the mention of the Hellhole. He managed a single nod, but Jason could still hear his lungs failing him. Before he could do anything though, Nico held out a hand and Jason vaguely registered chills washed over him. A pressure that wasn't pressing but enough to slow them down, mentally and physically. Percy blinked a few times and finally appeared to have returned to normal.
Nico drew back the shadows. The urge to take a rest was gone.
"I will not let you take Erebus, not when I know he hasn't done anything wrong and neither does he want to leave."
His voice froze over - cold, mad, unrelenting. Thickened darkness swirled under his feet and crawled up his flexing hand. The son of Hades radiated power. Nico di Angelo had always been powerful and strong. But right now, Jason finally got a hint at how Erebus' company could have been affecting him. The little boy looked nothing if not formidable and haunting in all of his Underworld glory. Mad glints adorned his irises. Shadows coiled at his movements. Raging, boiling, ready to defend what was his.
"I will not lose him, no matter what nonsense the gods are playing to protect their oh-so-precious thrones."
And Jason believed him.
Nico di Angelo held love like a grudge as he had received too little to not hold tight to it. He grasped at it as if it was a lifeline, and maybe he had been on the verge of dying too many times that he couldn't afford to loosen his vice grip.
The images surged up. The campers' wary attitude, Nico's quiet departure, his almost death,… Jason could tell. No, it wasn't the fact that without Erebus, Nico could have died – the son of Hades was nowhere near uncomfortable with death, unlike most people. It was the loneliness that could have been his only mourner. Nico hadn’t spelled it out to Jason, but it wasn't hard to tell how the desolation could gnaw at the boy, feeding on his exhausting emotions and devastating him from the inside like a terminal disease.
The son of Hades didn’t fear death. Death was what he thrived in. No, he was afraid of being alone: forgotten and unseen, just like a nameless shade. That was his true death. And Erebus just so happened to save him from both, whereas Jason hadn’t even known where Nico had run off to.
The entity was Nico's savior, his most empathizing friend - hell, they could be considered the same brethren. Same rulers of shadows and dwellers of night. The only of their kind.
His safe place, who gave Nico such tranquility of a life he couldn't.
If Jason had someone like that, he wouldn't let go, either.
He nodded, once.
"We'll leave," Jason said. The son of Hades’ eyes widened slightly, gleaming. “I trust you. And if you trust Erebus then I trust him, too.”
Nico stared at him, unbothered to hide his searching gaze. Jason held his scrutiny. When he didn’t find it, the boy breathed out shakily and turned to the last demigod.
Percy looked torn. He kept switching between inspecting Erebus and fighting back Nico’s transparent gaze, a silent question hanging at the other end. Percy clearly didn’t want things to end like this, not when they were leaving Nico with a much much more powerful entity whose capability they knew nothing of.
Neither did Jason. Nonetheless, he could see and understand the son of Hades' reasons, and for that he respected him. Jason only prayed Percy could do the same.
The son of Poseidon was pretty much reluctant, but he nodded anyway.
Nico’s shoulders immediately sagged in relief, the shadows retreated to the walls as the silent watchers they always were. Erebus settled down pliantly on the sofa. The house was returned to its cozy state. Jason couldn't help his smile upon meeting Nico's grateful gaze.
“Thank you.” The son of Hades said earnestly.
Jason nodded and asked. “Just promise me to take care of yourself. Can you do that?”.
Nico returned the gesture. “I can.”
He glanced at Erebus then, exhaling. When the boy looked at the two demigods again, he straightened up, standing tall and steady despite his impaired leg. Fearless. Unafraid.
"And rest assured that we wouldn't do anything unnecessary for selfish purposes. Erebus and I have no intention to strike conflicts with those above - as long as they don’t threaten us, that is.”
Jason caught the hidden message easily. Tell the gods to stay away and their unnecessary fear wouldn’t come true. Even when he had found his happy place, Nico didn’t seem to be fully allowed a rest.
Being a demigod was a curse.
They nodded and Nico raised a hand. He made a point to regard Percy directly. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Return to your home."
“Goodbye, Nico.”
The son of Poseidon replied quietly and Jason echoed his own. He had so much more to say to the son of Hades - that he was sorry, that he wanted to keep trying if only Nico could let him, that he wanted to try, too - but then their shades stretched out and swiftly rose up. Tender tendrils tugging at his feet, Jason could feel the familiar chills presaging shadow traveling creeping up his skin.
He heard a melancholic farewell before his senses were plunged into unconsciousness. The sadness clung to his heart even when they arrived on Long Island.