Chapter Text
Nico likes his sleep. Most people assume that he's a nocturnal person, but Nico will sleep whenever the chance comes. Although he's had a year to recover, the nightmares haven't let off. Every time he takes a nap, he'll wake up a few hours later in cold sweat and chilled shivers. That's why he appreciates any time he has to sleep. That's also why anyone that wakes him up from the few hours of sleep that he can manage to get before the nightmares hit should have coffee on him.
Chiron must be crazy, concluded Nico. People don't wake up other people at six in the morning, especially not demigods suffering harsh and unforgiving nightmares about a war that would earn them a large sentence in a psychiatric ward if they told any mortals about them. When they do, they shouldn't be surprised that they're hit with a nice mixture of sarcasm, crankiness, and outright ass-like behavior. That might be why Will is currently keeping as silent as possible beside him, but Nico simply can't bring himself to care. His boyfriend will just have to deal with it.
His boyfriend. That's such a nice title, thinks Nico to himself. Every time he repeats Will's title to himself, he gets the same skeletal butterflies in his stomach that he got when Will forced him into three days of recovery at the hands of the doctor. It certainly isn't an unpleasant feeling, at least not now. It's just still unexpected. Nico never thought he'd be able to get over Percy, but he did. It's just about the nicest feeling in the world.
Just about, but the feelings that the sun-kissed Apollo clone beside him causes him to feel are even better. So much better, in fact, that he wants to find Cupid and tell the asshole that he was wrong. He wants to tell Cupid that the risk of unrequited or lost love is worth the amazing experience itself.
Nico blanches. He sounds like a member of the blasted Aphrodite cabin, for crying out loud! Even so, he can't seem to regret any of his thoughts. Will makes him happy. Doesn't he deserve happiness? (He thinks he probably shouldn't ask that because then he might have to deal with the Fates' shitty response. He doesn't like the Fates. They like to fuck people over.)
As he and Will arrive to the Big House, Nico notices the other people in the cabin. Surprisingly, it isn't the house heads that are currently sitting inside the room, but several people from the prophecy (Ugh, Prophecies. Nico could go through eternity without them at this point.). He decides to ignore the seats and head straight over to that coffee that Will forgot to bring with him. Once he's prepared himself a cup of black coffee and Will has prepared his cup of cappuccino, they head over to the end of the table.
It takes Nico several minutes for his mood to brighten as the caffeine works itself through his system. That doesn't mean he can take a certain son of Poseidon's crazy antics just yet, but he can tolerate the fact that Chiron did indeed call them into the Big House at six in the morning for gods know what reason. Thank the gods that Percy is now at Camp Jupiter and is no longer there to press at Nico's last remaining button.
After a few more minutes, Nico finally manages to gather the energy to look around the room. Everyone looks disheveled and annoyed at their early wake-up call. Nico can't help but feel an ounce of sympathy for Leo, whose curly hair is pointing in all directions and copper skin is smudged with black in all places. The poor guy was probably up until all hours in the morning working on another machine of his.
Leo is a surprise to have back at camp, but a nice one at that. Everyone had thought that he was dead, but he showed up back at camp on Christmas Day, even wrapping himself in a bow and attaching a giant sign on Festus saying, "Merry Christmas!" While Jason had taken it all into stride and given his friend a bear hug, Piper had pretty much pounded the boy to the ground before embracing him in her own crushing hug.
"Now that we have everyone here, we can start the meeting," Chiron says, snapping Nico out of his thoughts. Chiron grabs a glass of water and dumps it onto the hot plate, then throws in a drachma. "Camp Jupiter," he says. Nico has to resist the urge to groan as he makes out some of the blurry faces. And I thought I wouldn't have to deal with Percy this early in the morning ever again, thought Nico as he resisted the urge to drop his head on the table and moan. But maybe I won't...? Nico tends to forget that Percy and his stormy-eyed girlfriend were getting ready to start college in New Rome.
"Hey guys!" the dark-haired offspring of the sea says from Iris Message. Beside him is a stern looking blonde with bags under her eyes. Nico wonders why they were called, especially since both Percy and Annabeth had expressed absolutely no desire at all to ever be involved in another quest again. Nico can't blame them. Other than himself, they were the only other people that had to suffer the tortures of literal Hell, and that was just the cherry on top of their ice cream Sunday that started at the ages of twelve and seven, respectively.
"We know this is important Chiron, but is there a reason you had to wake up every single camper at three in the morning?" Frank says on Percy's other side. His praetor robe looks like it was thrown on hastily and Nico can't help but wonder whether Frank is wearing anything under it.
As Frank speaks, Nico looks at the end of the group at his younger sister. Hazel looks surprisingly cranky, and her dark hair, like everyone's currently inside the Big House, is strewn around everywhere. She's usually very patient. Then again, Frank did mention that it's currently three in the morning in California.
"Well?" Piper asks impatiently, taking another swig of coffee afterwards. "We're all here now, I'm guessing."
Chiron looks mildly uncomfortable as he shifts his feet. For a centaur, he does an awfully good job of mimicking human mannerisms. Nico sees Chiron trying to figure out how to say what he means to say without instigating any of the campers' anger.
Nico realizes what Chiron wants to ask and makes a horrified expression. Everyone around him mimics the action as they too realize why they are in the cabin. Then, the group releases a collective groan and someone, most likely Percy, mutters, "Why do I always get trapped in this shit?"
Frank, with the confidence only a Praetor can manage, looks directly at Chiron and says, "This is about a quest, isn't it?"
Chiron, apparently relieved that he doesn't have to bring the subject up first around nine of the most reluctant campers, nods. Yeah. Regain your damn confidence now that you've pretty much set us up for a death sentence, Nico thinks bitterly.
Quests aren't particularly dangerous. Most demigods actually manage to survive their quests pretty much unscathed. On the other hand, the group currently waiting for Chiron's explanation is not normal in any way, shape, or form. Every person in the room except Calypso (who doesn't count because she's been trapped in Ogygia) has had their fair share of dangerous quests like these. They've had enough traveling, missions to save the world, and emotional trauma to survive them an entire trip directly into the Isles of the Blest. Percy even managed to get himself an offer for godhood, dammit!
After a few minutes, Chiron gives a small sigh. "I realize that I have no basis for which to call on some of you for this quest--"
"Damn right, you don't! Annabeth and I start college in a few weeks!" Percy interrupts Chiron. Other than Annabeth and Grover, only Nico and Piper have the inside information for Percy's constant mood swings. Will, as the camp's unofficial official doctor, also has the inside information and has told Nico in the past (with Percy's permission because the world be damned if patient confidentiality be infringed upon) about Percy's post-traumatic stress disorder. It's only slightly less severe than Nico's (who cannot fall asleep without seeing the shadows in his dreams and hearing the voices of the dead), which is, in the simplest terms, not good.
"Calm down, water balloon," Nico muttered under his breath. The nickname was a result of an incident that happened last summer at camp. Percy, just recently diagnosed, had been trying to ignore everyone. As Nico later learned from Percy himself, the diagnosis was his last straw, which was the reason why Percy blew up on everyone and pretty much flooded the entire camp. It took several days and the hard work of the collaborating Demeter cabin and satyrs to fix the damage done by the water. Nico, after hearing the entire story, took to calling him water balloon after that. There was always the threat that he would explode, but he wouldn't as long as there wasn't too much pressure applied on him.
"I told you not to call me that," Percy said exasperatedly, but with an upwards twitch of his mouth.
Nico gave his own smirk. "Then stop acting like one," replied Will from beside him after taking another sip from his cappuccino.
Before Percy could give his scathing reply, Chiron started talking again. "I realize that several of you don't want to do this, and that's perfectly okay. The quest is perfectly optional, but can I at least convince you to listen to my explanation before turning it down?" Nico's eye twitched at Chiron's annoyingly calm tone.
"Then start," Annabeth replies in an irritated tone beside him. "I have blueprints to finish tomorrow morning."
Chiron looks around the room and at the Iris message one more time before giving a nod. "Now that I have your cooperation, I'll have to give you the warnings first. I have brought all ten of you here because this quest is going to take quite some manpower. I wouldn't send all ten of you all the way to the U.K. on a normal basis—or at all, really—but an emergency has come up.
"This quest is dangerous, but not so much that you will be forced into any injuries of the sort. Physical or mental," Chiron added that last part looking pointedly at Annabeth, Percy, and Nico. Nico had to hold back his customary glare and simply gave an approving nod. "Dangerous" wasn't that bad. "Mentally damaging" was an entirely different matter.
Annabeth is about to question the destination, but Chiron interrupts her by putting up his hand and saying, "Before you ask questions, let me finish explaining."
Annabeth, and a few others, narrows her eyes, but simply gives her own nod.
"You ten will be going undercover to the United Kingdom. Hecate is missing one of her torches."
As the gasps permeated the room, all Nico could think about was how completely and absolutely screwed they were. Fuck my life.