Chapter Text
nico peers into the rec room of the big house, sighing quietly with relief when he sees annabeth sitting at the ping pong table. she’s typing away at daedalus’ laptop – nico had managed to convince his father to see if it was retrievable, knowing how much it meant to her. annabeth had teared up at the sight, and had pulled nico into a tight hug afterwards.
he knocks gently on the door, and annabeth jumps a little in surprise. nico grins sheepishly at her, saying, “hey. uh – mind if i join you?”
“oh! oh, no, go ahead,” annabeth says, moving her notes so that they weren’t as scattered across the table. nico sits across from her, watching as she meticulously rearranges all of her papers before turning back to nico with a smile. “did you just want company? or need to talk about something?”
“both, i suppose,” nico says with a shrug. “i don’t wanna pull you away from your, uh, studies, whatever it is.”
“oh, nonsense,” annabeth insists, humming to herself as she taps her laptop – taptap tap taptaptaptaptap tap tap – before she closes it gently. she gently rubs her thumb over the delta symbol on it four times, and then sets it aside as she focuses her attention on nico. “what did you want to talk about?”
nico falls silent, realizing that he didn’t exactly think this through. then again, he never does – he kinda just – goes for things. he bites his lip and, instead of asking what he really wants to talk about, says, “how do you, erm – take care of – of your hair? i haven’t been able to, uh, talk with hazel recently and i’ve been meaning to ask her, so i figured you can also help…”
annabeth’s eyes narrow at nico suspiciously, and nico is reminded of the steely glare of athena. however, she doesn’t push, which nico is grateful for, and asks, “is there something in particular you’re wanting to know?”
“uh, well–” nico gestures towards his hair, laughing a bit. “i guess i’ve just never – learned how to take care of it? the 30’s weren’t known for, uh, liking anything that weren’t to a specific standard . we didn’t have much either. i think hazel only managed so much just ‘cause of other demigods in her cohort helping her out.”
annabeth’s gaze softens, and nico relaxes a bit at the sight. “well, to start, do you have any products?”
“uh–” nico thinks for a moment, trying to remember what’s on his vanity. “well, i, uh, just have – that purple brand.”
“aussie?”
“yeah! yeah, that.” nico blows a stray curl away from his eyes, never realizing how stressful it was to try and figure out curly hair. “the, uh, deep conditioner. austin gifted me that. then… i think, uh, that green brand. the fruity one.”
annabeth snorts at that. “you mean garnier? the fructis one?”
nico nods eagerly. “yeah! and… i think that was just shampoo, maybe conditioner. i occasionally use its gel but i, er, don’t like it much.”
“i have a love-hate relationship with their gel,” annabeth hums, nodding in understanding. “do you mind if i play with your hair for a bit? just to assess.”
nico gives her a quick nod, grateful that she had asked instead of just going straight for it. if there was one thing he’s learned from hazel, annabeth, and austin, it was that you never let some person touch your curls randomly, unless you were extremely close. he always found it weird when people played with his curls without asking him when he was younger, but never found the courage to say anything. he had let out a huge sigh of relief when annabeth told him it’s a lot more acceptable now to just straight up deny someone, although some may perceive them as rude.
annabeth smiles and gets up from her seat, going around the table towards nico. she stands behind him, gently warning him that she was going to reach and play with his curls, before she begins to gently run her fingers through them.
“your hair isn’t as coily or kinky like mine or hazel’s,” annabeth notes with a hum, twirling one of nico’s curls around her finger. “probably 3b, some 3c… definitely high density. hm… when you wash your hair, does it absorb water quickly, or does it just stay beaded up?”
nico thinks for a moment – he’s confused at the context of the question, but he knows not to question annabeth. “uh… i think it absorbs quickly. it gets really frizzy when it’s humid, if that helps.”
“high porosity it is.” annabeth nods. she takes a step back, and nico turns to her, watching as she places her hands on her hips with a determined look. “okay. i think i’ve got it!”
nico blinks at her. “uh – okay.”
“a lot of people like to use shea moisture as a beginner brand,” annabeth says rather matter-of-factly. “so, since your hair is on the 3b side with some 3c, the majority of their products would work out great for you! do you have any aversions to specific scents? some people don’t like them because it can be rather strong smelling.”
“not that i can think of.”
“great!” annabeth claps her hands excitedly, grinning at him. “so, in that case, how about i show you the ones i think you’d benefit from? i’ve got plenty of extras at my cabin.”
“are you sure?” nico frowns. “i’d hate to take any if they’re needed…”
“oh, nonsense, i’ve got plenty of stock,” annabeth says cheerfully, gathering her things. nico stands, waiting for her patiently as she shoves all of her things in her bag. when she’s all set, they move to leave, nico noticing when annabeth twists the door handle of the front door to the big house a couple times after she’s closed it. “i shared some with austin, hazel, leo – charles used to help me out at first, so we shared it amongst ourselves. even drew and i visit one another if there’s a hair emergency.”
“really?” nico says in surprise. he hasn’t really conversed much with drew, so he isn’t really sure on her personality besides piper’s initial grievances with her – although, they seem closer now. “i would have thought they’d have all the supplies.”
“you’d think!” annabeth laughs as they approach the athena cabin. she taps the owl at the front of the door before entering, letting nico in. nico peers around the cabin, letting out a quiet sigh of relief when he notices that they were the only ones inside. she leads him to one of the bathrooms, and nico stares at all the products all along the sink, whispering, “holy hades.”
“we managed to make it so that one bathroom was designated for more textured hair,” annabeth chuckles at his expression. “just because some of us take longer in our getting ready process, so the other one is there so there isn’t a hold up.”
annabeth hums to herself as she rummages through all the products, bending down to open the cabinet and search through there as well. she’s mumbling as she places certain products on the counter, and she finally stands back up with a triumphant grin. “okay! i think i’ve got it all. how are you on other people wetting your hair and brushing it?”
“i wouldn’t mind if you did it,” nico admits sheepishly, taking a seat at the barstool that annabeth pulls out for him. “i … i trust you.”
annabeth’s grins widens at that, and she grabs a spray bottle and a strange looking brush. “i’ll walk you through the process, and let you know before i do anything. i’m gonna be spraying your hair now”
nico settles back, watching himself in the mirror as annabeth sprays water into his hair, stifling a smile. he feels like he’s back home in italy, where bianca sat him in front of the mirror and let him watch as she did his hair for him to the best of her ability before they went to school. annabeth grabs one of the bottles on the counter, saying, “i’m gonna put some of this through your hair, okay?”
“what is that?”
“a detangler, it makes it easier to brush through your hair.”
“those exist?!” nico says in surprise, squinting at the label. “i thought i had to be, like, cursed with tangled hair forever.”
“yeah, they’re a lifesaver,” annabeth grins as she puts some on her palm, rubbing her hands together before she runs her fingers through nico’s hair gently. “trust me, i understand. when i first started using this one, it saved me so much trouble.”
she lifts the brush when she’s done, waving it a little at nico, and he nods through the reflection. annabeth gently brushes his hair, and nico’s surprised at how right she is – the brush was running through his hair smoothly with no trouble at all, not getting caught in any small tangle or knot.
“i’m jealous you’ve got natural bangs,” annabeth notes lightly as she sets down the brush. “i had to get mine cut so that i’d have bangs.”
“mama used to say that i liked to hide behind them often like how father would,” nico chuckles. “bianca just called me a little shit behind mama’s back.”
annabeth snorts, shaking her head fondly. she reaches out and grabs a pink bottle, showing it to him. “this one is the coconut and hibiscus one. i think this one would be great for your hair. i’d use the style milk – it’s more like a cream. i’ll give you the pudding, but it’s a bit thicker in consistency, so it’s heavier. only use it whenever you’re willing to put in a bit more effort, and if you want tighter curls, got it?”
nico nods in understanding, and annabeth begins to gently apply the product all throughout his hair. she explains as she does so, “if you want a lazy day, you can always just run it through and just… leave it. if you find the time, though, you can always finger curl it, or use the brush to create tighter coils.”
nico watches in fascination as annabeth carefully scrunches his hair section by section, occasionally finger curling some strands here and there. he can already see a difference – his curls, albeit still wet, were beginning to bunch up nicely. they were indeed a lot tighter than before, and he’s a little surprised that annabeth was able to figure it out in only two minutes.
(who is he kidding. she’s literally the daughter of athena. he’d be surprised if she wasn’t able to figure it out that quickly.)
“there!” annabeth says triumphantly, taking a step back and admiring her work. “and now you just need to let it dry on its own. you could always use a diffuser, but i feel like you’d personally hate it. or get overwhelmed.”
nico nods absentmindedly. he was, admittedly, already a bit overwhelmed at all the new products that annabeth showed him. which – annabeth points out two more bottles, adding on, “these are the same type of product, just for shampoo and conditioner. feel free to take them – i’d want you to at least try them and see how they compare to your usual routine right now.”
“thank you,” nico says softly, a small smile on his face as he watches annabeth gather all of the bottles and the brush to put it in a small bag for him. “truly.”
“it’s no problem.” annabeth waves him off with a smile of her own. she pauses, then adds lightly, “you know, you could’ve also asked at any point, or even at the start, about my ocd and mental health and all.”
nico chokes on air, spluttering in disbelief as annabeth raises an eyebrow with a grin. “how – how did you–”
“you forget that i’m very observant,” annabeth chuckles. “also, this is pretty much how leo came up to me. like, almost exactly.”
annabeth leads him out of the bathroom, and nico bites his lip, worried that their talk may be interrupted by someone from the cabin coming in. annabeth doesn’t take him to one of the tables or her desk, though – she leads him through a door, and nico stares around in awe at the small room filled with comfortable looking couches, beanbags, and scattered items everywhere. “what–?”
“we have this extra room for whenever we’ve got a block, or if we just need somewhere to relax. or even just to have private conversations,” annabeth says. she leads nico to the beanbags, and nico gives in to the urge, throwing himself back against the beanbag and letting himself sink down. annabeth laughs at him, sitting in the one across from him, and she grabs a rubik’s cube from the ground, immediately twisting and turning it. “so, what did you want to talk about, di angelo?”
nico falls silent as he thinks for a moment, trying to formulate his words. this was his least favorite part of talking to people – figuring out how to start a conversation. it was always so difficult for him. “i guess, just… how did you, uh, go by it. when you found out, i mean.”
annabeth mulls over the question for a moment, humming in consideration. “well, i kind of already knew something was up. i just didn’t know what it was. i found out later on that perfectionism is something common for children of athena, and that it can manifest into something more, depending on genetics or trauma or both.
“i talked with chiron and mr. d about it, when i was… 12, i think,” annabeth says thoughtfully as she completes the rubik’s cube, not glancing at it as she twists it repeatedly to mess it up before starting over. “a little while before percy first came to camp. i knew it had to do with some form of mental health, i had already skimmed through that blasted dsm. so we just talked about it and… here we are.”
“does it get easier?” nico asks quietly. “dealing and coping with it. just – going through everyday with all of it, especially since we’re… ya know. demigods.”
“yes and no,” annabeth muses. “although, remember that i’m years ahead of you in coping with my own issues, so what i may say may not work for you.
“it can get in the way of quests and battles at times,” annabeth admits softly. “it gets overwhelming in my head while i’m trying to think of a plan or focus on killing monsters. and because i can’t do all of my compulsions on the spot, they all build up and it makes me feel as though something’s going to go wrong. so i just… do them all as quickly as possible afterwards, to shake off the feeling.”
nico stares up at the ceiling as he listens to annabeth, biting his lip thoughtfully. “... my emotions get in the way of battles and quests, too.”
“nico, with all due respect, i think we all knew that,” annabeth teases gently, but nico manages a small smile at her. “is there something more? did you talk to mr. d or something?”
nico’s relieved to hear that percy kept his word about not telling anyone without nico’s permission, knowing that annabeth would have immediately known if that wasn’t the case. “yeah… i did.”
“do you mind me asking what it was?”
“... bpd.”
“huh.” annabeth sets down her rubik’s cube for a moment, and nico watches as her eyes narrow in thought. “huh. that makes sense, actually.”
nico takes a deep breath – she doesn’t think of you as broken or crazy. she just has a vast knowledge about all this. she doesn’t hate you. “yeah, uh. will… will was the one that convinced me to go talk to him. he and percy are the only ones that know so far.”
annabeth nods in understanding. “and i’m glad you trust me enough to let me know. it’s a lot, and i get that. how have you been coping with it since the talk with mr. d?”
“difficult,” nico admits. “i… i keep thinking that it means i’m crazy. even though i’ve been reassured that i’m not.”
“you’re not,” annabeth confirms with a nod. “none of this makes you ‘crazy’. you know as well as i do that insanity and craziness isn’t that black and white. you’ve seen those in the underworld. besides, it’s not a medical diagnosis either – it’s a legal term now. you can’t be diagnosed as insane.”
nico finds relief in that, surprisingly so. the fact that mr. d can’t exactly sit down and tell him that he is insane by medical definition makes him feel a bit better. “i… i don’t exactly know what to do with it. the diagnosis, i mean. i don’t… i don’t know how to go forth.”
“and that’s okay,” annabeth reassures. she sets down her rubik’s cube, focusing all her attention onto nico. “you’re not expected to know how to do things immediately. it takes time and effort. there is no such thing as a cure – at least, not out there – and the best you can do is learn how to manage it in your daily life.”
“but what if it gets in the way of, well, life?” nico groans in exasperation at the situation. “like. you said it interferes with you and you’ve dealt with it for more years than me!”
annabeth smiles at him sympathetically, clearly noting his frustration. “i wish i could tell you… everyone is different. piper had managed to get her kleptomania under control rather quickly with some help and effort, although has the occasional relapse. but, say, certain ocd tendencies of mine? they’ve never budged, while others have been lessened greatly.”
nico sighs, rubbing his eyes tiredly. gods , there’s just so much for him to learn, and now he’s got to learn about how to cope on top of even understanding what the entirety of bpd entails. “i … suppose so.”
“you know you’ve always got us to lean on,” annabeth gently reminds him. “again, this type of stuff? the rest of us may be fine with sharing that information with others because we want to help, but you are never obligated to let everyone know. unless you give the okay, no one will know besides who already knows.”
“i appreciate it,” nico says, and he means it, truly – one of his main issues with this was the slowly growing paranoia that someone would betray his trust, but he’s reminded himself that they wouldn’t do that – his friends wouldn’t do that. “thank you.”
“has percy mentioned that you should talk to thalia?” annabeth asks, tilting her head. “she’s got the same diagnosis as you.”
“yeah, he did, actually,” nico chuckles. “i, uh, haven’t reached out to her yet. i will… eventually.”
“there’s no rush in that, either. you can do so whenever you’re ready.”
annabeth stands up, making nico look up at her curiously. she grins down at him, hands on her hips as she says, “what do you think about a sword fight? i’ve been meaning to get used to using a sword again.”
nico grins back up at her, eyes glinting with excitement. “oh, you’re on.”