Chapter Text
May 1948
“Nico, get down here!”
It’s a Monday night, the only day of the week where Nico isn’t busy making baked ziti and gnocchi in the kitchens of di Angelo’s Ristorante. Normally, he would be watching television with his cousin Percy, his sister Bianca, his father, his aunt, and his uncle. All of them shared a couple of tiny rooms above the restaurant, with the 3 teenagers all sharing the same cramped bedroom. Soon, though, everything would change.
Percy was getting married. His fianceé, Anne Elizabeth—or Annabeth—was a great girl, but after she and Percy got married, she’d be moving in with them. They would get the room Nico had lived in since he arrived in the states, and he would be moved out to the living room to sleep on the couch until he went to college. He was very annoyed.
To make matters worse, Annabeth insisted on a “Family Dinner” a couple months before their wedding, which only disrupted the flow of their daily lives and time during which Nico could have been watching TV.
It wouldn’t be a complete family dinner, of course— Nico’s half-sister, Hazel, was still finishing her finals in New Orleans, and Annabeth’s father, brothers, and step-mother chose to remain in Virginia. By family, they really meant Nico, Bianca, Percy, Aunt Sally, Uncle Paul, Estelle, his father, Annabeth’s mother, and a slew of her cousins: Clarisse, Will, Kayla, Connor, and Travis.
Downstairs, Aunt Sally had pushed three tables together and placed a tiny nametag at each one. With the cloth napkins and candlelight, you could almost pretend di Angelo’s was an upscale steakhouse rather than a dingy restaurant in Little Italy. Aunt Sally wore her best dress— a plum shaded cotton number she had gotten before the war. Bianca wore a new green dress that Aunt Sally had carefully stitched by hand. Nico wished he could wear the light fabrics that the women were decked out in— instead, he was baking in a tweed blazer in mid-May.
Percy was outfitted similarly, pacing by the door and playing with his sleeve.
“Poor thing,” Aunt Sally remarked. “He’s terrified of Annabeth’s mother. Nico, honey, why don’t you sit down.”
Nico nodded, feeling himself beginning to sway. He was seated next to Aunt Sally (and Estelle) and Annabeth’s cousin Clarisse. He pulled his napkin into his lap, playing vaguely with the edges of the fabric.
He had scarcely sat down when he caught the glimpse of Annabeth and her family through the large mirrored walls of the restaurant. As they stepped inside, Nico caught a good look at each of them.
There was Annabeth herself, of course, in a carefully patterned blue dress she had made herself. Her blonde hair was in pin curls and there was a delicate pearl necklace across her neck. Only one of the women in the group looked at all old enough to be her mother. Instantly, Nico understood Percy’s fear. She had dark hair in a neat bun behind her head. Her skin was tanned, like her daughter’s, and she had the same large gray eyes. They seemed to have studied the very roots of humanity and found humankind wanting.
The other two women could not have been more different. One was large, with pale brown skin and messy dark curls. She seemed unnecessarily constrained by her white sweater and cherry red skirt, but otherwise commanded an obscene amount of focus in the room. The other young woman was slight and pale, with pigtailed auburn hair and charming blue eyes. She was perfectly at home in her pale green frock, and requested nothing from the onlookers.
Then there were the three boys. Two of them looked nearly identical— white skin and unruly dark curls framing mischievous brown eyes– but the third was a sight to behold.
He was lean and tanned, with a perfect amount of unruly golden hair poking out from beneath his fedora. He wore a black vest over his pale blue shirt, which was just tight enough to reveal a hint of muscle at the bicep. His blue eyes, like the auburn haired girl, had an inextricable charming quality to them. He was young— no older than 21— but he seemed self-assured, confident, and wise beyond his years.
Nico stood up, ostensibly because it was the gentlemanly thing to do when a lady entered the room, but also because he found himself drawn to the golden youth.
“Everyone,” Annabeth said, a nervous and perfectionistic edge to her voice, “this is my family. This is my mother, Professor Davidson, and my cousins: Clarisse LaRue, Travis and Connor Stoll, and Katherine and William Solace.” She pointed to each family member as she said their names— the large girl was Clarisse, the Stoll brothers were the brunette guys, the auburn-haired girl was Katherine, and the blonde was William.
Aunt Sally went to shake Professor Davidson’s hand. The latter woman looked confused for a time, but took it, and the women seemed to reach an understanding through their prolonged eye contact.
“Well,” Percy started, voice shaky, “This is my mom, Sally, my stepdad Paul, my uncle Pluto, and my cousins Nico and Bianca.” He paused for a moment before Estelle said “Uppies!” He picked her up, and finished, “And this is my baby sister Estelle.”
Katherine let out a high, cooing laugh. “She’s so cute! How old is she?”
Percy looked frazzled. “Well, uh, Katherine, was it? She’s about, what was it, almost three now? I honestly feel like she was just born. I can never keep up.”
“Oh, please,” Katherine replied, “We’re all family here. Call me Kayla.”
“It’s so nice to have all of you here,” Aunt Sally said diplomatically. “I put nametags by the seats, so just find your name and sit down.” Nico’s father went to the kitchen to bring out pots of pasta, and Uncle Paul began to pour water from a pitcher.
Clarisse sat down beside Nico, her elbows threatening to take up his space. He knew the gentlemanly thing to do would be to move his elbows into his torso, discreetly offering more space to the lady on his left. Instead, he forced his elbows out as far as they would go.
They settled, silently, on a halfway point.
“So, Annabeth,” Uncle Paul began, “have you decided what you’re going to do this coming fall?”
“I’ve been accepted to Barnard,” Annabeth said, sipping on her ice water. “And I can help out around here in the meantime.”
“And Perseus,” Professor Davidson asked cooly, “what are your plans after high school?”
“I’m gonna turn from a volunteer firefighter to a full time professional one.” He was earnest but anxious, moving his hand up and down Annabeth’s arm.
“What a step up,” Clarisse muttered.
“It is, actually,” Percy replied, “it’s going from being paid nothing to being paid about 5,000 a year.”
“Percy,” reprimanded Annabeth, “it’s not polite to talk about money.”
“You’re right. But I just want everyone to know that we won’t be living here forever. We’ll get our own place in not too long.”
“We never thought that,” Kayla consoled. The room descended into an awkward silence before Nico’s father brought in the pasta.
“I hope you don’t mind that we, uh, made Italian food. It is our specialty.” Even after over a decade in the States and a lifetime speaking English, Nico’s father Pluto spoke with a thick Italian accent.
“Of course not,” William said with a broad grin, “I’d be disappointed if we came to an Italian restaurant and didn’t have Italian food.”
William’s white teeth shone all the brighter against his tan skin. He effused a sense of grace and leisure that Nico had only felt while watching movies. A wave of adrenaline passed through him, followed by a wave of nausea. William is making him feel a little too loudly. This happens every now and then.
Pluto begins to serve everyone homemade gnocchi and marinara, and Nico smiles sadly. He knew why Percy requested it— as a way to have his Zia Maria there, if only through her favorite recipe. Maria had died of tuberculosis nine years ago, but her memory permeated every nook and cranny of the restaurant.
“So what dates are you thinking about for the wedding?” Bianca asked. “Is it going to be more of a Thanksgiving or Christmas break extravaganza?”
“Well,” Annabeth began, voice shaking noticeably as she laid down her fork. “We were actually thinking about this summer.”
“How are you going to plan a full wedding that quickly?” Aunt Sally asked, eyebrows furrowing as she attempted to feed Estelle her gnocchi. “Even an August wedding would be rushed.”
“We just want to go down to the courthouse,” Percy responded, his voice noticeably trembling, though more subtly than his fiancée.
“What day?” William asked. “I’ll make sure I’m in the city, even if it’s just a tiny affair.”
Annabeth took a small bite of gnocchi, almost pretending not to have heard her cousin’s question. “July thirteenth. We’re planning to go on July thirteenth, and maybe have a small reception back here.”
“No church wedding?” Professor Davidson asked. “I thought Perseus was Catholic.”
Percy blinked slowly. “I’m Jewish, actually.”
“But this is an Italian restaurant.”
“We are Catholic,” Nico said quietly, “But Percy never knew his di Angelo side very well until we moved to the city.”
“Percy’s late father and I were never exactly married,” Aunt Sally explained, “so he has my last name and I raised him in my religion. He was already eight when he met the di Angelos, so he’s no more Catholic than our rabbi.”
Uncle Paul stroked his beard for a moment. “Wait, Annabeth, did you say July 13th?”
“Yes,” she said with a nervous smile.
“That’s the day after your eighteenth birthday. It’s the youngest you can be married.”
“One day from the youngest actually, but mostly because I don’t want our anniversary to be on my birthday.”
“Why all the rush, Anne Elizabeth?” Professor Davidson asked.
Percy and Annabeth shared a nervous look, and a few things clicked into place in Nico’s mind. He quickly met William’s eye across the table, and they shared a momentary glance of understanding.
“I guess now’s as good of time as any,” Annabeth said, folding and refolding her napkin in her lap. “We have something we need to share.”
The entire table held the same breath.
“Weregonnahaveababy,” Percy rushed.
“What was that?” Aunt Sally asked.
“We are going to have a baby,” Annabeth repeated, every consonant distinct. “I’m due in January, so it’s early yet, but I’ve had it confirmed by the doctor and everything.”
Percy as a father. It seemed simultaneously like the best and worst idea ever concocted. Sure, he was gentle. He was masterful at getting Estelle to sleep— better even than Paul, her own father. He had almost infinite love in his heart, especially for creatures less powerful than himself. That being said, he was far from responsible. He couldn’t cook, which seemed almost impressive in itself as he grew up in a restaurant. He only got through high school with Annabeth’s intensive tutoring, and you could never count on him to be on time.
It was also just gross to think about Percy being at all sexually active. Everyone seemed to be weighing the same pros and cons, except for Professor Davidson, who immediately broke into hysterics.
“How could you do this? What parts of your reasoning have malfunctioned so drastically that you have made this kind of moral and practical mistake?” With every question, Annabeth’s mother raised her voice about ten additional decibels. “How are you going to go to college with a baby at home? How am I going to show my face at church?”
“Add about two months to the day we get married, wait two months to tell them after the baby is born?” Percy suggested.
“Quiet! You have corrupted my daughter, stolen her virtue, and wrecked her name. You have turned her from a gem of society to a common whore—”
Aunt Sally, Uncle Paul, and Percy all stood up then.
“I don’t think this conversation is appropriate for Estelle,” Uncle Paul declared softly. “Nico, William, why don’t you take her upstairs?”
Nico just nodded his head and picked up his baby cousin, who had begun to whimper from the raised voices. He nodded to Percy and Annabeth as he walked towards the back. William paused to put his hand on Annabeth’s shoulder and whisper “congratulations” before he followed Nico.
“Stella Stellina, la notte s’avvicina, la fiamma traballa,” Nico quietly crooned to a still-fussing Estelle. He made sure William was following him, because the backrooms of di Angelo’s Ristorante were a labyrinth for the uninitiated. Raised voices were still clear.
“La mucca nella stalla. La mucca e il vitello, la pecora e l'agnello,” Nico continued, raising his voice in hopes of drowning them out. He kicked open the door concealing the staircase to their rooms, and gestured for William to go first. Estelle began to loll her head against his shoulder.
“La chioccia con il pulcino, ognuno ha il suo bambino,” Nico was winded singing while climbing the steep stairs and holding the toddler. William sensed this, paused, and opened his arms to receive her. She entered them gladly.
“Ognuno ha la sua mamma, e tutti fanno la nanna,” Nico pushed open the door to the room Estelle shared with her parents, and pointed to the bed. William gently laid Estelle against the bedding, but she kept her pudgy fist firmly locked in his hair.
“Nuggies,” she cooed. “Nuggies, Nio.” William looked at Nico desperately.
“She wants a bedtime snuggle. She’s used to it being different people every night because we take different shifts, so… I guess she thinks you’re here to snuggle with her.” Nico shrugged, getting onto the bed with Estelle and tucking his head above hers.
“Okay,” William said. He gleefully joined Nico and Estelle, stretching his tan limbs out all the way and kicking off his shoes. “Do you want me to take a turn with a lullaby?” he asked.
“Yes,” Nico replied, thinking of his rapidly drying vocal cords.
“Alright,” William cleared his voice, and began in a voice as soft and clear as early morning sunlight. “My latest sun is sinking fast, my race is nearly run. My strongest trials now are past, my triumph has begun.”
As William sang, Nico began to stroke Estelle’s hair in the way that made her feel extra dozy.
“Oh, come Angel Band, come and around me stand. Oh, bear me away on your snow-white wings to my immortal home. Oh, bear me away on your snow-white wings to my immortal home,” William finished the first chorus just as Estelle’s breathing evened out. Nico nodded to him to begin the extraction process, and they both carefully unhooked themselves from the sleeping child. They offered her sleeping form a teddy bear to hold instead of William’s left arm, and carefully pulled the quilt over her. Nico opened the door, and they left the room silently.
“Well, that was…” Nico began.
“A shitshow.” William finished. “But your baby cousin is cute.”
“You were really good with her. Do you have a lot of practice?”
“My brother Michael has a three-year-old.”
They stood in an awkward yet contented silence for a moment more.
“Do we have to go back down there?” Nico asked. “I love Percy and Annabeth, but that doesn’t mean I want to be involved in their screaming matches.”
William let out a long exhale. “Thank God. I didn’t want to go back down there either. Aunt Athena is brilliant, but she’s also really fucking scary.” Nico moved over to sit on the couch and William sat beside him. “So, uh,” William started, “Tell me about yourself.”
“Well, my name is Nico. I’m sixteen. I have two older sisters. I was born in Venice, Italy, and moved to Manhattan when I was five. I’m Catholic. I want to go to Columbia and study Classics. I really like Peggy Lee. More than I probably should.”
William let out a laugh, full and hearty. “Okay, then. Um, my name’s Will. I’m twenty one. I have a younger sister and two older brothers. I was born in Austin, Texas, and I currently am a pre-med student at Columbia. I also like Peggy Lee a lot, but I’m more of a country-western fan.”
“I should have guessed from that lullaby.”
“Oh, that’s just an old standard. Probably sung by slaves before being picked up by white song catchers.”
“It is really sad.”
“Oh, no, Nico,” Will started, grabbing Nico’s hand and holding it between his own. “It is the most joyous song of all. Because we’re all going to die one day, and in the song they die in a blaze of song and celebration. What was your lullaby about?”
“It was about everything returning to its place for bedtime. The flame dies down, the baby animals go to their mothers, as does the baby you sing it to. Although I guess Estelle just returned to being held by two young men.”
They let another flicker of silence pass before Nico realized, “Estelle is going to be an aunt in January.”
Will laughs. “That is utterly ridiculous.”
“Hey, Will?”
“Yes?”
“Do you play Mythomagic?”
“Boy, do I.”
Sally, Paul, and Percy walked up an hour and a half later to find the two boys slumped on the couch, cards falling onto the floor.